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

* So, there are 7 dungeons within the 138-mile range? *

“Huh?  Oh…maybe?” Kelerim shrugged.  “That’s just a guess from what I’ve heard back when I was Blacksmithing back in Grongbak.  It could be more or less, of course, but based on approximate distances between warband villages and outposts around the border, that sounds pretty accurate.”

* Then what do you think we should do? *

The Half-Dwarf/Half-Orc sat there for a moment before answering.  “Well, perhaps we could just return to that idea of providing things to the warbands to make them more effective fighters?  My original goal – after I met my father – was to use what I learned about Blacksmithing from you and start my own smithy; I could even see myself teaching others the same techniques so that, over time, we could regain the same level of weaponry we require to make full use of the warbands’ natural use of their elemental energies.  It wouldn’t have been an overnight change, or even make much of a difference in a few years, but after a few decades we could be self-sustaining enough that we wouldn’t need outside help.  Now, though, that won’t work – we’re out of time. Something has to happen, and happen soon, for the Orcish people to survive more than a few years at this rate,” Kelerim finished sadly.

* Do you really think that is all they need? *

That seemed like an easy solution to the problem, though implementing it would take some effort – and the logistics of such a thing was troublesome.  For one, if shipments of finished weapons and armor were seen coming from the wasteland, it would cause even more attention to be paid to her dungeon.  Secondly, making sure it all got to where it needed to go – to those on the front lines – was something that she didn’t think she could control; she knew from her merchanting days, as well as the mounting situation with the Elves concerning her Energy Orbs, that people in power were likely to hoard precious resources just in case they needed them.  It wouldn’t be that surprising to learn that a shipment of swords she sent out had been seized by a local Warlord and kept for their own use, selling a couple of them to the highest bidder.

Naturally, the way around that was to provide so many supplies that there would be no point in hoarding them – which was a daunting task in and of itself.

“Yes, I think that would do it.  They have the numbers, they have the bravery, and they have their ability to enhance themselves using their elemental energy to become more powerful; what they don’t have is effective equipment if you remember.”

Sandra certainly did remember; seeing all of the destroyed, poorly made swords inside of the Avian and Unicorn dungeons made it clear that they were woefully underequipped.  She could only imagine how deadly they could be when going against Dungeon Monsters with something like a high-quality Steel or Titanium sword.  Naturally, setting up the crafting of so much equipment and figuring out how to deliver it without calling too much attention to her dungeon was something else entirely.

* I guess that’s the best we can hope for, then.  We’ll discuss the best ways to get everything to your people later; in the meantime, why don’t you get some rest as well.  You appear ready to fall asleep at the table. *

As he nodded and took off for his own bed, Sandra turned her attention away from the Half-Dwarf/Half-Orc and focused on internal matters.  There was nothing she could do at the moment about the other Dungeon Cores, and she knew she had at least a little time before things got too out of control.  After the semi-disastrous events revolving around the Undead Core, she hadn’t had much of a chance to take stock of the current situation in and around her dungeon.  The most she had been able to do in between directing her construct and Monster forces around the now-destroyed Undead Core’s location was set up some things for her new Dwarven residents to make their lives a little easier.

The stone water basin in another dug-out room was easy enough to create, just using stone and a Water-based trap that would trigger whenever someone got within 5 feet of the basin.  Pure, clean water would erupt in a fountain-like spray that would splash down prettily into the pool of water down below.  When the water level reached a certain point, another section of the trap would start to eliminate the water, while also filtering it at the same time for any impurities that may have been introduced after the basin of water was filled.  Simple, and yet Sandra could feel that there should be a way to improve upon it.

At the moment, the time that the trap would stay active was limited to just under two hours before it had to shut off to recharge.  Granted, Sandra hadn’t pumped a lot of Mana into the trap to increase that time, as it didn’t seem like a beneficial use of her resources.  However, she thought that if she figured some things out – like how exactly the special Visitor’s Bond she created with Gerold and the other Shieldmen allowed them to constantly recharge their Energy Orbs imbedded in their hands – she might be able to design something to keep the fountain running much longer…or perhaps indefinitely.

She hadn’t really had the time to experiment with that yet, though, so it was now on the long list of things she still wanted to accomplish when the opportunity presented itself.

After that, Sandra had hollowed out another large room and created a massive kitchen and dining area that would allow the Dwarves to cook for themselves.  The kitchen up above, where the