The Dungeon Fairy: Two Choices: A Dungeon Core Escapade (The Hapless Dungeon Fairy Book 2) by Jonathan Brooks (free e books to read .txt) 📗

named Evy and the Gnome Scout was Mordecai; the last time they delved was relatively uneventful other than the unexpected sharing of names.

“So did I.”

“And I, as well.”

It seemed as though her Bonded Raiders friends had all achieved the 5th Raider Level, which meant that their time was relatively short in her upper dungeon.  She had heard from a few of the other Raider groups that at Level 6, they would stop receiving any of the “Power” they earned from killing any of her creatures.  They could still accumulate rewards, of course, but there would be no benefit to themselves, otherwise.

“We’re nearly to 6 ourselves,” Sterge said after they were all done congratulating each other.  “What we’ve been earning lately has certainly slowed down, though.  I have a feeling that 2 more delves will see you at 6 with us.”  For some reason, the Hill Dwarves seemed sad about that.

“That’s great news!” Mordecai shouted gleefully, before seeing the expressions on Sterge and Gwenda’s faces.  “Or…is that bad news?”

The Hill Dwarf Fighter shook his head.  “No, it’s good, but…”  He looked at Gwenda, who finished for him.

“But we’re not sure what to do after that.  Eventually this dungeon is supposed to get more difficult, which is what we would need to keep earning Power, but we have a feeling that it won’t be until after the snows.  That’s nearly half a year away, so we’re not sure what to do when we’re done here.”  She shrugged after she stopped talking, and Sterge copied her gesture almost automatically.

“Well, obviously you can come with us to another dungeon for a while—oh.  I see,” Evy said, tilting her head to the side as if in contemplation.  “You can’t leave this place very easily, can you?”

Sterge shook his head.  “No, we can’t.  We’re sort of tied here to The Village for various reasons, and leaving even for a short time could cause some major issues.”

“We can just stay here with you and we can tackle the new, more difficult dungeon whenever it comes about,” William suggested.

Mordecai had already gathered up all of the rewards for the group, as their designated holder of coins and gear, and they walked towards the exit as Gwenda responded.  “We would love that, of course, but what about the future?”

The Elf scrunched up her face in confusion.  “What do you mean?”

“Well, let’s say this new dungeon is perfect for us, allowing us to earn Power and advance our Raider Level.  You’ve all seen how quickly we’ve Leveled-up here, so how long would it take for us to make even the new dungeon obsolete?  Six months?  A year, if we’re slow about it?  Common consensus after talking to a few of the more experienced Raiders around The Village said that it usually takes a few years for the dungeon to upgrade again, possibly even a decade or more.  Should we all just wait around for 2, 5, or even nearly a decade for this dungeon to work for us again?”

They were halfway up the stairs before William finally responded, as the entire group had gone silent after Gwenda spoke.  “So…what do you suggest?”

“As hard as it is to suggest it, I think you three will have to move on and find some replacements for us.  We don’t want to hold you back, and I for one don’t think we can leave right now or even in the next year or so.  It’s a possibility that we can step away from our responsibilities in the future, but waiting around for an unknown amount of time would be a disservice to you three.”

“That just seems wrong,” Evy immediately insisted.  “You two are part of our group, and I don’t think I would be comfortable with anyone else.  And no, it isn’t because you allow us to keep all of the loot – though that is nice,” she continued with a smile, before it disappeared.  “It’s because – and I think the others can attest to this – we feel safe when you’re with us.  Not since the very beginning have I felt even an ounce of fear that we wouldn’t all make it out alive and successful from here.  You could argue that we feel that way because of your ‘connection’ to the dungeon, but it’s more than that.  There is a confidence in everything you do that is infectious; not bravado, either – but pure confidence in your abilities and your trust in us to do what we need to do to survive.”

The Healer and Scout nodded, agreeing with her.  Sterge just seemed confused at what the Elf said.  “I don’t feel all that confident, but if it makes you feel better I’m glad that I’ve been able to help a little.”

“More than a little,” Mordecai interjected as they were approaching the top of the exit staircase.  “You’ve done a lot, and we don’t want to abandon you now.”

Gwenda led the way out of the exit, and Tacca was just barely able to hear her respond.  “Well, it’s not right now, at least; we still have at least 2 months before we have to decide what to do.  Perhaps if we’re lucky, an opportunity will present itself.”

Lucky?  Was that some sort of prod at me to go faster?  Regardless of if it was or not, Tacca was already planning on opening up her new section as soon as she could. Whether she would complete it in time to help out her Bonded Raiders and their new friends was something she couldn’t tell quite yet.  But, for some reason she wasn’t sure of, she wanted to try.

*         *         *

Another monthly countdown passed, and this time she hadn’t been able to earn enough CIPs to achieve a new Core Improvement Level.  While more than the single death from the month before occurred – a total of 3 this time – it