Monster Mansion 2 by Dante King (best way to read ebooks .txt) 📗

other things as well. I want to start sending a steady stream of higher-level items out into the local markets. That will alert people to the fact that there’s something going on, because they’ll see that there’s a new source of magical goods out there. It will also start allowing people to hit new levels of cultivation.”

“My contacts in the Drow underworld can certainly help with that,” said Amanda.

I nodded. “Good. I’ve a couple of contacts as well. I want you to stay here for a day or two, take it easy, get to know the mansion, make use of the facilities, that kind of thing. Kyrine will see to setting up a room for you. That will give me a bit of time to think about what potions and items to create.”

“Got it,” said Amanda, smiling. We all stood, and Astrid offered to give Amanda the tour of the mansion.

“I’ll come too,” said Selena. Amanda looked a bit surprised, but she smiled. The three women went off together.

Belinda looked at me and Kyrine and grinned. “Well, that was all a bit unexpected,” she said. “I’m glad that it’s worked out though. I’ll go out and put my bike and Amanda’s car away. Good luck with your planning.”

She headed off, leaving me and Kyrine alone. Together, we headed upstairs back to my workroom.

“What do you think we should create?” Kyrine asked as we got back to the workroom.

“Let’s start with healing potions,” I said. “Level 4 and level 5 potions, I think. Can you create wooden crates and straw for the packing?”

“I have those in my database,” she said thoughtfully.

“Alright. Create a few for me, then, plus nails for the crate and a hammer. I’ll be back in a bit.”

I went and found Astrid. She was down in the training area, showing Amanda around. “Astrid,” I said. “Let me borrow your phone for ten minutes?”

“Sure,” she said, handing it over.

Back upstairs, I found Kyrine carefully crafting level 5healing potions and lining them up on my worktable. “Kyrine, can you absorb and duplicate this? I want a phone that I can use here in the workroom.”

Kyrine looked at the device thoughtfully. “I’ll try.”

She reached out a hand and Astrid’s phone dissolved into gray dust, to be absorbed into Kyrine’s energy field through her hands. “It’s so complex for such a small thing,” Kyrine said wonderingly, “but I can do it… here…”

Two phones appeared on the table in front of her. I picked one of them up and turned it on. All of Astrid’s data had been preserved unchanged. I grinned at Kyrine. “You’re amazing.”

I took the second phone back down to Astrid. “That was quick,” she said. “Who were you calling?”

I smiled at her and didn’t answer.

When I got back to the workroom, Kyrine was standing in the center of the room with her hands raised. There was a bright golden channel of light connecting the phone on the desk to the ceiling. As I watched, Kyrine concentrated, and the golden channel began to swirl and glow brightly.

“This is difficult, I’ve never tried this before,” she said through gritted teeth. “Can you help me?”

I came forward and focused my attention on the channel of light. “What is it?” I wondered, but then understanding snapped into place. It was a channel through the dungeon’s magical field. When stabilized, it would allow the mobile phone to connect with the outside world, unhindered by the interference that usually stopped phones from working inside the mansion.

I pushed my own awareness and understanding into the channel, and I found where Kyrine was struggling. She had opened the channel, but she couldn’t get it stable. She didn’t have enough of a concept of the outside world to make the channel’s exit solid. I reached for the outside end of the channel and brought my own understanding of the world outside the mansion to bear. Immediately, it stabilized, and I felt Kyrine relax and withdraw. After a moment, I followed.

“That was impressive,” she said. Then she looked sad. “I wish I could go out into the world. As the dungeon avatar, I’m confined to the mansion. I can’t even go out into the grounds.”

A sudden thought struck me. This thing of Kyrine not being able to leave the mansion was a long-standing problem, but perhaps it was not as insurmountable as we had thought. “Have you ever actually tried?” I asked her.

A strange look passed over her face. Could that have been a look of fear? The idea of Kyrine herself being afraid was such an alien one to me, and yet that had been how she had looked.

“Why would I try?” she said, a bit defensively. “I know I can’t.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. “I think that’s enough potions for now,” I said firmly. I reached out and took her by the hand. “Come on. We’re going to give it a try.”

Chapter 11

Kyrine was shaking by the time we got to the front door. Her teeth were clenched, and her eyes were wide. I could hear the voices of all four agents coming from the training area, and the percussive sounds of blows being struck—they were busy, and we were not going to be interrupted.

I let go of Kyrine’s arm and walked up to the doors, pulling them open. Sunlight flooded into the entrance hall, and we had a view of the gravel drive and the overgrown trees and deep grass of the grounds.

“You know you can come right up to the door,” I said, “I’ve seen you do it. Let’s just do that to begin with.”

She nodded grimly, took a deep breath, and stepped up to the door. One hand extended to lean on the doorframe.

“Well done,” I said. “Now, stay there for a moment. Can you feel the sunlight on