The Crafter's Darkness: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 4) by Jonathan Brooks (ebook reader with android os TXT) 📗

With a sigh that he was miraculously able to conceal, he sat on the edge of an empty bed.  After a moment’s hesitation, Gerold started to regale the Shieldmen with the story of the undead dungeon, describing the exploits and heroics of those that had perished deep down below.  What surprised him the most when he was done, was that he didn’t even have to embellish anything; they all really had given their lives and fought with everything they had until the last moment.

“Thank you, sir,” Delarthe said when he was done.  “If I may be so bold…you look like you could use some sleep.”

Gerold chuckled.  “That bad, huh?”

“Yes, and probably a bath – but you should probably get some rest first; we don’t need you to fall asleep and drown, especially after surviving what you just went through.”

Gerold lifted up his left armpit and sniffed…and almost knocked himself out.  The Deep Divers were a bit hot to run around in because they were enclosed and didn’t offer a lot of ventilation, so his stench wasn’t that surprising.  Rather than say anything about it – since there was no need because all of the Shieldmen were smiling innocently at him – he just nodded, picked himself off the side of the bed, and moved off to what he hoped was his room.

As soon as he walked inside, he recognized a few of his personal belongings next to the bed where they were left neatly in a pile.  With a sigh of relief that he didn’t bother concealing, he collapsed on the bed and closed his eyes, not even bothering to take off his dirty, stinky clothes.  A few seconds later, all his awareness of his surroundings faded as his body succumbed to his much-needed sleep.

Chapter 3

Sandra wasn’t freaking out, but she felt as though she should be.  Whether she was getting used to the breakneck pace she had been figuratively running at over the last few weeks, or she had become accustomed to literal deadlines in such a short time, the result was the same: she had maintained her calm as she reviewed all that had happened – and what still needed to be done – with those that were most important to her.  Violet, Felbar, Echo, and Gerold had already headed off to get some much-needed sleep, because there wasn’t much that needed to be done with them at the moment.  The Dungeon Core hadn’t made it an order or anything, but they had all – some of them albeit reluctantly – agreed to act as impromptu emissaries to their people.

As she had explained to them, the increase in speed at which the Cores within a certain distance of the destroyed dungeons could expand and produce Dungeon Monsters was now bigger than what Sandra could contain.  The all-elemental-access Core felt responsible for the situation, though, because she started the entire process of the enhancements to the nearby Dungeon Cores, from the destruction of the reptile-based Core that had killed so many Gnomes and were threatening the Elven village.  While she had attempted to keep herself from needing to destroy any other Cores after that, the Orcs had basically pushed her to do just that when they took out the Unicorn and Avian-based dungeons near the Orcish village of Grongbak.  Which led her to the next issue, and was why she asked Kelerim to stay behind while the others left.

The situation with the Orcs, unlike the Gnomes, Elves, and Dwarves, was a little more…delicate and volatile at the same time.  There technically weren’t any nearby dungeons to threaten the village (since they were destroyed), but that didn’t mean there wasn’t any danger at all.  In fact, all four of the lands were in trouble, because of the enhancements from 4 Dungeon Cores being destroyed in fairly rapid succession.  Sandra understood the reasoning behind it all, with the Creator not wanting all of the Cores to be wiped out one after another until they weren’t a threat at all (which would allow the races to start warring amongst each other again), but none of the races were at all prepared for what was about to befall them.  Especially when she looked at precisely what those enhancements meant.

Any Dungeon Cores within 138 miles of one of the destroyed dungeons would have enhancements

Those Cores’ Areas of Influence are increased by a total of 85% at differing times; 30% increase by 10 days, 60% increase by 25 days, and the full 85% by the time 50 days have passed

Maximum Ambient Mana Absorption directly by the Core increased to 1,000 per hour, up from 10 per hour

Maximum Ambient Mana Absorption in their dungeons increased to 15,000 per hour, up from 600 per hour

Mana Cost to upgrade Core Size decreased by 25%

Mana Cost of all Dungeon Monsters decreased by 25%

New Core Threshold had been increased to Core Size 25

Naturally, because she participated in one or more of those dungeon destructions, Sandra’s Core gained none of those enhancements.  So, not only would Cores be getting more Mana inside their dungeons alone (384,000 each day, up from approximately 15,000 before the enhancements took effect), that didn’t even count the Mana they would receive from outside of their dungeons, which was funneled back to them by Dungeon Monsters throughout their Area of Influence.

Speaking of those Dungeon Monsters, even they would cost less Mana to produce, which would in turn lead to more being out in the world, gaining even more Mana.  When the lesser cost of upgrading a Core was factored into that, in a couple of months there would likely be quite a few dungeons that would take advantage of everything and expand out of control.

Winxa?  Is there any way you can tell me how many Cores are going to be affected by these enhancements? she asked her Dungeon Fairy, though she was