The Crafter's Dominion: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 5) by Jonathan Brooks (best english books to read TXT) 📗

more like something fundamental had changed in the dungeon itself.  At least, that was what she was hoping, because she didn’t want them to be frightened of her control.

Rather than argue, they retreated immediately, their job done.  For Sandra’s part, she carved away as much of the wall separating the main connection tunnel with the Goblin-Classification dungeon, leaving a thin strip of Stone left to be demolished.

As the party ran through the previous room where they had just slaughtered thousands of Monsters, they passed by slow-moving Goblins that were rapidly increasing in speed.  Fortunately, nothing was fast enough to actually attack them; when they located the spot they needed, the Elven King blasted through the thin sheet of stone covering their exit with a barrage of boulders formed by a spell – and they were through, just as the Goblins returned to full speed.

Sandra joined the others as they turned to look into the formerly hostile dungeon, and the Goblins inside just stared back at them.  There was no sudden surge by them to attack, though they appeared ready to defend the dungeon with their lives if it came down to it.  Moments later, a new stone wall started to appear, covering up the entrance to the other dungeon, as well as the second one that Sandra had made; it wasn’t her doing, though – it was the Goblin dungeon sealing off access.

Looking above ground, she also saw the Goblins that had been running back enter inside and not leave, which hopefully meant that they wouldn’t any time soon, but that was the least of her worries right now.  It was the other dungeons that concerned her right now, with how they were still striving to destroy her Core—

Except, even as she thought that, all 3 hordes of Dungeon Monsters started to withdraw their forces, making an orderly retreat back to their own dungeons.  Not for a moment did she think they would stay that way for long, though, because she now understood what they were doing.  They were reacting to the loss of one of their number, and as they likely didn’t know the source of the occurrence, they were retreating to protect their own interests.  Namely, their Cores.

When you added in the fact that they hadn’t received a notification that another Dungeon Core was destroyed nearby and their enhancements were increasing, the whole situation probably didn’t sit well with them.

Sandra watched the last of the Goblins trickle into the dungeon from above, before turning to those that had helped her make this possible.  Before she could communicate with them, however, she was interrupted.

Congratulations!

You have discovered another Advancement Source!

Dungeon Core Bonding:

Receive AP for Bonding with another Dungeon Core, calming their anger and homicidal urges

20 AP per Dungeon Core Bonded

Current AP Earned: 20 AP (1X Goblin Classification Core)

What?  How?  Sandra was confused and flabbergasted at the sight before her.  It was almost as if….

Winxa?  I think I finally found the reason why the Creator brought me here.

“What?  Why?” the Dungeon Fairy asked, fluttering all over her Home room excitedly.

Sandra described the newly discovered Advancement Source, the last one on her list.  I don’t think I was single-handedly supposed to save everyone, only to provide a means where they had to save themselves.  Things have gotten so out of hand the way things were that the Creator needed some way to fix what was broken; I think that I am that way.

Winxa was silent as she cocked her head to the side, thinking.  “You could definitely be right.  It makes more sense than you being powerful enough to destroy all of the Cores or culling everything yourself.  Imagine what kind of power and control you would have if you got to that point.”

Her mentioning of control got her thinking.  While the bonding was ultimately beneficial to her because it prevented one of the Dungeon Cores from wanting to obsessively destroy her, as well as giving her some Advancement Points, she thought there might be a little more to it.  With those of the different races she bonded with, she was able to control them if it was necessary, though she didn’t like to do it unless she had no other choice.  It was inherently wrong for Sandra to do that unless it was to save a life, she thought, and most times she liked to forget that she even had the ability.

But could she do the same with another Dungeon Core?

Nope.  The answer was a resounding no.  She found that she could connect with Mychal (a.k.a. the Goblin-Classification Core) and view around his Core room, but that was about the limit of the “control” she had.  Except for one little thing, which was definitely an interesting development.

As soon as she dug in further to the other Core, trying to exert any type of control – even temporarily, she received a notification.

Due to your Bonding status with this Goblin-Classification Core, you may select for your own use 1 Dungeon Monster of your choice that the Core currently possesses.

When she dismissed that notice, a list of potential Dungeon Monsters popped up, and she was able to see every single Goblin and Hobgoblin to which Mychal had access.

Goblin Worker (already acquired)

Goblin Foreman (already acquired)

Goblin Crafter (already acquired)

Goblin Miner

Goblin Scout

Goblin Archer

Goblin Ranger

Goblin Warrior

Goblin Chief

Goblin Commander

Goblin Necromancer

Armored Goblin

Hobgoblin Brute

Hobgoblin Mage

Seeing how powerful the Goblin Necromancer had been, she nearly picked that one – but then she realized how dangerous that could be to have out in the world.  She could always not use it, of course, but that would render her selection – by literal definition – useless.  Instead, she chose something that might be a little more useful, something that she hadn’t really possessed at that point except through the use of her Shapeshifters: Hobgoblin Mage.