The Crafter's Dilemma: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 3) by Jonathan Brooks (english readers txt) 📗

“They’re…not far behind…” he was able to get out before his body and mind gave into the unconsciousness that it had been threatening to unleash upon him.

Less than a minute later the healing was complete, and one of the Apes picked him up and slung him over its shoulder, while the one that had carried the Drone there did the same for the way back.  They were still flanked by the Jaguar Queen and Dire Wolf as they started running back to her dungeon, though it was a little slower because they were carrying someone that probably wouldn’t appreciate being bounced around uncomfortably as they ran full-out.

Kelerim, Felbar, and the Dwarves all arrived at approximately the same time at her dungeon, though her oldest friend – non-Fairy, at least – was shuffled down below immediately.  Gerold assembled the weary Dwarves in the workshop, who looked around disinterestedly at their surroundings, only caring that it looked relatively safe.

Felbar helped the young Dwarf out of the Deep Delver and Gerold addressed the crowd.  “There is something that everyone needs to do before you go in.  There is a sort of…tattoo…that needs to be applied before you can pass within, which will grant you safe passage throughout the entire…facility.”  He was presenting them with half-truths, which didn’t really sit well with Sandra, but she had also impressed upon him on their journey across the wasteland the importance of having the Visitor’s Bond.  She even asked him to offer the same special Bond that he himself had, with his embedded Energy Orbs in his palms, though she doubted any of them would take that deal when warned of the pain from it.

He showed them his own hands and the gears on the palms, as well as the blue and black Orbs there.  “This is a special…tattoo that not all of you will have; it’s normally just this little part here,” he continued, pointing to the bronze-colored gears surrounding the Orbs.  “For the Shieldmen, however, I would recommend the…upgrade…like I have – though I will warn you that it is…hmm, how do I say this without scaring you…well, it’s the most painful experience you’ll ever have the pleasure of enduring, but it fortunately doesn’t last that long.  The tattoo doesn’t normally hurt, but this process is a bit different.”

The villagers unsurprisingly didn’t seem to want the “upgraded” tattoo, but all of them agreed to receive one in order to pass into the “facility”; Sandra was prepared to tell them all exactly what they were getting themselves into, but she didn’t want to start a panic before they were all done.  In contrast, the Shieldmen seemed interested in what exactly the upgrade meant – and all of them immediately agreed to undergo the painful experience as soon as they held one or a pair of the Energy Orbs in their hands.

The screams from the first to undergo the procedure was almost enough to dissuade the others, but when he appeared relatively unharmed – if haunted – from the experience, the remaining Shieldmen insisted that they could withstand the pain for the benefits they would receive.  In the end, all 10 of the armored Dwarves took the upgraded Visitor’s Bond – and immediately followed the villagers on their journey deep into her dungeon, barely flinching at the VATS they had to traverse down hundreds of feet.  An hour after they arrived at her dungeon, as the sun was fully above the horizon, all of the Dwarves that had survived the attack on their village were safely tucked away in their beds and fast asleep.  Felbar and Sandra’s other Visitors also followed suit, as Violet had continued enchanting through the night and the others had been woken up early to fight a difficult battle.

Sandra had sent her Monster escorts back to the Undead forest to join up with those she had already sent there, where they began their systematic extermination of every Undead they came across.  They had barely started when Kelerim’s warning from earlier reared its Orcish head.

The half-Dwarf/half-Orc had been correct in his estimation; Sandra took as accurate count of the army of Orcs that was entering her Area of Influence as possible and stopped counting at nearly 1,000. Anything more definite was practically impossible, as they were too undisciplined to stay in neat ranks – they were more like a mob than anything.  Regardless, she didn’t think it was too many more than what she counted, which was alarming enough.

What was even more alarming was how they didn’t even head towards the village of Grongbak.  Instead, they left the road that would bring them to the village and turned to the northeast, heading in the general direction of the Unicorn-based Dungeon Core located there.  She had already seen many of the Dungeon Monsters available under that particular Classification when she was perusing options in her Advancement Menu, and she was fairly certain they wouldn’t stand a chance against the Orcs.  Even if they have shoddy weapons, she couldn’t help but note when she went in for a closer look with her Shears.

Sandra followed them as they quickly tore into the forest holding all number of Unicorns, shiny Lynxes, and other Holy-based Monsters – and they all fell without trouble, barely slowing the force down.  Within a half hour they had marched far enough to find the dungeon entrance, though they had to backtrack a half-mile when they initially missed it.  It seemed as though they knew in general where it was but didn’t have any local guides with them.

“What’s going on?” Winxa asked suddenly.  Sandra hadn’t really been paying attention to the Dungeon Fairy lately with everything that had been going on, and she realized that she hadn’t even told her about Kelerim yet.  As the last of the Orc army went inside the dungeon, she