The Crafter's Defense: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 2) by Jonathan Brooks (top 10 novels txt) 📗

that reliably, however, was if Kelerim came back to her dungeon; since she had no idea where he even was at that point – or whether he really would come back – she was at a loss of what to do.  With that not an option, she tried to think of other methods of communication.

Writing out some sort of message came to mind.  She thought she could eventually make some rudimentary paper from the tree that was almost done growing with a bit of work, as well as some sort of writing instrument, but Winxa shut that down immediately.

“While you can understand and even speak any language due to your status as a Dungeon Core, the system set up in place for that doesn’t extend to the written word.  You could write in your common Human tongue, but it’s unlikely anyone would be able to read it.”

Sandra hadn’t really thought about being able to understand the speech of both the Orcs and the Elves – it just sounded…“normal” to her.  That it was some sort of Core-based ability was news to her; regardless of the new information, she was glad that she could understand everyone – otherwise things so far might’ve gone far worse than it had already.  Not being able to communicate with Kelerim or learning that her time was limited from the Elven village meeting would’ve had much different results.

So, writing a message was out, so that left…what?  Pantomime? Attempt to convey her non-threatening nature by having her constructs allow themselves to be destroyed?  Have them put their hands (or other appendages) up in the air in surrender?  Make her Mechanical Wolves outside roll on their back in submission?  None of that seemed like it would work, plus it would likely only convey that she was weak and easily taken advantage of; she had seen that kind of attitude entirely too much when she was alive as a Human to know that wasn’t a good idea.  She needed to put forth a position of non-threatening strength, but with also a warning that she would defend herself lethally if she was forced to that point.

Other types of non-verbal communication through the use of body language was also out, as her constructs had relatively expressionless faces (if they had faces at all) and she didn’t know any way to convey meaning through subtle shifts in their hands, arms, legs, or bodies.  That also went along with oral communication, as none of her constructs – despite a few having mouths – had any type of way to speak; that was actually one of the first things she tried when Kelerim had been in her dungeon and had been slightly disappointed when it seemed impossible.  Fortunately, she had been able to mentally communicate with him through the Visitor’s Bond, so it became a non-issue.

At least, it was a non-issue until Razochek invaded with a portion of his Warband.  If she had been able to actually communicate with him at the start, she might not have had to kill them all; there was nothing she could do about that now, though, but the non-communication problem was still present.

Another type of visual communication she could reasonably see being effective was through some type of artwork or even a mural that could somehow portray her desire for peace and wish to help the other races.  She didn’t really have the materials for any type of painting or drawing, and even if she did, she had nothing to paint or draw on.  The stone walls were a possibility, but she didn’t know if that would convey her message well enough; carving into the walls themselves was another idea, which could definitely work.  It was something that she would have to consider for the future and with a bit of practice, because she had never “sculpted” anything before, and wasn’t even sure if she could do it with any type of skill.

While she had learned many of the techniques used by painters, sculptors, and other artisans, their individual strengths didn’t lie in recipes and doing things by a specific formula over and over.  True, there was some improvisation needed every once in a while – when crafting metal weapons and armor, cooking a meal, or even carving a wooden table – but it wasn’t the same as what true artists did every time that they created something.  Their whole purpose was to create something new and never seen before, using their imagination and own creative mindset to do it.  That was something she needed to discover if she could apply that same creative thinking to a piece.

Or, she could always make rudimentary stick figures and hope someone understood the meaning she was trying to get across.  That would be a last resort, however, and she wanted to practice first – later, though.

Do any of the Dungeon Monsters from the other Classifications have the ability to speak?  That was the last idea she had, though she didn’t put much hope in the question she asked her Dungeon Fairy friend.

“Hmm…I’m not actually sure – I don’t think any Dungeon Cores have ever wanted to talk to their victims before.  It’s possible some of the Bipedals or even the Goblinoids might be able to, but I can’t guarantee that,” Winxa told her without much confidence.

Better than nothing, I suppose.  Essentially, what that meant was that she was going to have to speed up her upgrading of her Core Size; however, the mere thought of being trapped inside her Core again – for who knew how long – gave her intense anxiety.  It hadn’t really even been that long since she had increased her Size and she was hoping to have at least another week or so before she had to do it.

She had already accumulated more than enough Mana to finish all of her stages, however, and in fact her Mana was completely full after she