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

* Very nice, Violet.  Now, take it into the air. *

The fear that had been evaporating slammed back into her just that quickly.  However, instead of letting it take control of her, she instead focused on doing what was asked of her.  The concentration needed to instruct the enormous Roc was enough to mute the fear a little, though she almost lost it again when the bird’s wings snapped open as it began to run.  After a dozen steps, she felt something in her stomach drop as they left the ground and the Roc started to flap its wings frantically, gaining altitude every second.  She didn’t even try to control it anymore as her mind gibbered away in her head, but that didn’t seem to matter as the bird continued to rise higher and higher into the air.

Air screamed by her, deafening most sounds and she was also forced to close her eyes from the wind buffeting her face.  She started to panic as she began to freeze, the cold air high above the ground numbing her fingers still desperately clinging to the loops around her wrists.

* Activate the enchantment, Violet. *

Her thoughts were a bit sluggish, but fortunately Sandra’s voice was crystal clear inside of her head.  Reaching up with her hand without looking, she fumbled around before finding the metal disk where the enchantments were placed, her hands with barely enough feeling to recognize it.  Where is—?  There!

As soon as Violet’s fingers touched the right spot to activate the enchantment, she felt the cold air blasting into her suddenly disappear, though she could still hear the wind rushing by.  She opened her eyes as she felt a burning in her extremities, and she suddenly worried that she was on fire.  Fortunately, it was only her body thawing as the air around her warmed up instantly, and her mind thawed enough to realize what was happening.  The Fire-based enchantment maintained a stable ambient temperature around her in a small bubble, and the Air-based enchantment created a wedge-shaped blockage of hardened air that caused the rushing wind to divert around her.

“Finally!  I’ve been trying to shout for you, but I don’t think you could hear me with all of this wind.”  Violet looked over at Felbar and saw him looking at her in concern, and he looked warm and comfortable.  I can’t believe that he remembered to activate the enchantment and I didn’t!  What kind of Enchanter am I that I forgot something like that?  She felt more than a little foolish, and it was only as she was feeling that way that she realized that she wasn’t even scared anymore.  Of course, sitting up and looking over what she could see of the ground beneath the upper edge of the wing was enough to bring some of that fear back, but it wasn’t as bad as it was before.

When it felt like her body had completely thawed, Violet shouted over to Felbar.  “That…that was…intense.  Did you take over control for me?”

“No; it’s been following your last command, which I’m guessing was to fly high up into the sky.  We should probably bring it down a little and you can practice controlling it a little more.”

Without the fear and cold air blasting into her at the same time, Violet was a whole lot calmer as she directed the Roc to descend, which was an interesting experience in itself as she lifted off the leather strip she was connected to a little, making her feel a little weightless.  Slowing down the descent helped more than a little bit, and after a few minutes she felt like she was getting used to controlling the massive bird.

* Nice job, Violet.  If you can, bring the Roc back down to right outside the workshop; I have a surprise for you. *

The young Gnome did as she was asked, finding it much easier to just give simple directions to the Roc instead of controlling every single movement.  The monster was obviously smart enough to perform those simple actions and movements, and it could do it much faster and smoother than if she had tried to control everything – and it didn’t hurt her head at all, which she belatedly realized was happening when it disappeared after a while.

Before she knew it, they were descending, and the Roc started to hover over the ground, gradually decreasing in altitude until they touched down more gently than she expected.  That the massive bird could lift off and descend from a vertical position was a surprise, and Violet figured that she was the one that imagined the bird having to take off with a running start before – when it obviously didn’t need that.

In front of the workshop was the War Machine in all its glory, crouched down into an oblong ball-shape and ready for…something.  Violet didn’t ask how it got out there, though she did catch the barest sight of a naked Felbar copy running back into the workshop.

* Now we can see if this Aerie Roc can lift this thing and still fly.  I’m going to take over control of it at the moment, because you might not be able to see what is going on from your position to see if it was successful.  Hold on just a moment. *

Violet and Felbar waited patiently, and the Enchanter looked over at the grizzled Warmaster to see the first bit of genuine worry on his face.  It took her a moment to figure out that he was worried that the Roc wouldn’t be able to pick up and carry the War Machine; if it wasn’t able to do it, then it would probably be like having to leave your child behind.

The next thing she knew, the Roc was flapping its wings again rapidly, gaining a bit of altitude while moving closer to the War Machine on the ground.