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

up next to the Roc’s head.  Only now did she take her time, crawling on her hands and knees to the tip of the head, where she dropped the loop over and down, until it was below the bird’s beak.  Once it was there, Echo moved back with Kelerim and helped him pull it back, until it was completely around the Roc’s neck and above the wings.  It was still loose, though, which was why there was a pair of metal rings used to tighten and loosen the strap woven in between them.  It was a simple mechanism, but it worked; Echo and Kelerim worked together to first loosen the straps and then pull the thick leather through until it was thoroughly tightened and wouldn’t shift.

Violet let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding as the two finished up with the neck loop.  The Gnome wasn’t a great fan of heights, and seeing them over 50 feet up in the air working on the back of the massive bird was a bit nerve-wracking to watch.  Just as she thought they were done and safe, Kelerim tripped backwards over a giant feather as he let go of the leather strap.  She caught her breath again as he started to plummet to either his death or a lot of pain—

—and was caught by the front of his dirty cloth shirt by Echo before he could fall more than a few feet backwards.  “Hey, there; no skipping out on work,” the Elf said, smiling at Kelerim oddly while pulling him close, presumably to make sure he was safe and stable. The strength and speed that Echo used to get to him and lift him back up somehow belied the difficulty she had carrying the harness in the first place.

The contact between them went on uncomfortably long, and the Half-Dwarf/Half-Orc gently extricated himself with a confused expression on his face.  “Uh…thank you for saving me.  Sometimes I can be a little clumsy.”

“No problem; you’d do the same for me.  Besides, I can’t be having my partner fall to his death, right?” Echo responded, still smiling as she navigated her way down the back of the bird, straightening the wide strip so that it sat straight along the spine of the Roc.  Only now did she and the others notice that there were some long, blunted metal spikes along the bottom side of that strip, which was strange – almost like they were designed to inflict pain on the bird.

* Those spikes are to ensure that the harness doesn’t shift back and forth while in flight; they are long enough to penetrate the feathers along the Aerie Roc’s back, but not long enough to touch the skin underneath. *

I really wish it didn’t seem like she was reading my mind every few minutes.  Regardless of the seeming intrusion, what the Dungeon Core said made sense; the spikes would prevent the strip that she assumed was to carry passengers from moving around, which was probably good while in mid-flight.  It didn’t take long for Kelerim and Echo to finish the other loop, though they had to take one strap end out of the rings and feed it around the Roc’s lower body – which Echo lithely jumped down and helped with – before they reconnected it, tightening up that loop as well.

* Thank you so much, Echo; Kelerim.  Without utilizing my Unstable Shapeshifters, that would’ve been a lot more complicated and harder than you made it seem.  You two make a good team. *

Violet saw the Elf blush a little, and suddenly it all made sense to the young Gnome.  Kelerim, however, was completely oblivious; that was more than obvious when all he did was nod and look away vacantly.  All thoughts about how Echo was apparently enamored with the Half-Dwarf/Half-Orc went out of her head, however, by Sandra’s next words.

* So…Felbar and Violet – are you ready to leave? *

Chapter 7

To say that the two Gnomes were shocked would be understating their reaction.  Sandra thought Violet was going to faint, in fact, as she swooned a bit while looking at the harnessed Aerie Roc.  Felbar recovered a lot quicker, however, and started to question the Dungeon Core – along with almost everyone else.

“Wait a minute; I know you mentioned flying, but I thought we were going to be taking the wagon with its supplies, along with the War Machine.  What’s the point of going if we’re not bringing those with us?” the older Gnome asked, sounding thoroughly disappointed.  Sandra couldn’t blame him; he had become quite attached to the special construct and wouldn’t want to leave it behind.

* You’re partially correct; I have a plan for transporting some of the supplies, though the War Machine might be a bit heavy to move with the Aerie Roc, so we’ll have to test that.  Don’t worry, though; hopefully, you’ll be in and out quickly so you can come back and pick it up. *

Felbar looked only somewhat mollified by her words.  “But—”

“How come the Gnomes are going back first?” Echo cut him off before he could protest.

* For a couple of reasons.  One, they’ve been here much longer than anyone else, and I had already compiled a large stockpile of supplies for them to take back with them.  The second reason, and probably the most important, is because I need your help, Echo, as well as Gerold’s to finish up some tasks nearby first. *

“Like what?” the Dwarf asked.  “Not that I’m eager to ride on the back of one of those things, but with the village emptied of anyone to cull the nearby dungeons, we’re going to need some help.”

* Exactly.  While I need to send both you and Echo back home to recruit that help, the more immediate problem is those same Dungeon Cores.  Echo, I need you to warn your village