What does she mean by that?
* I hate to cut this short, but it seems our important guests have decided to wake up, all around the same time. Would you all head back to your rooms and help me reassure them that they are safe before they try to rip my dungeon apart? Please? *
Violet was up and running before Sandra even finished talking.
Chapter 42
Sandra didn’t even attempt to talk to any of the Royalty just now waking up in her dungeon, because she really didn’t want to frighten them into trying to force their way out. Especially the King and Queen of the Elves – those two frightened the Dungeon Core a little with how powerful they were with their affinity of so many different elements. The only consolation at the moment was that they weren’t embedded with Energy Orbs and didn’t have any around them, so if they decided to cast a multitude of spells, they would run out of energy eventually.
Half of her dungeon might be destroyed in the process, but that was something that Sandra didn’t want to think about. Besides, she could always fall back on taking control of anyone that got out of hand because of the Bond, but that was an extreme last resort.
Luckily, her constant monitoring of their important guests had paid off, as she was able to detect their awakening state before they became fully aware of their surroundings. By the time they were up and looking for a way out, Violet, Echo, Gerold, and Jespin were all there to help reassure them that they were safe.
The easiest of the awakenings was Princess Celeste with Violet to help the Royal Gnome adjust to her surroundings. Despite the strange environment, as well as the frightening additions to her palms, the Princess was more curious than anything.
“So, this is the dungeon you were talking about?”
“Yes, your Highness. I can show you around later, including the Enchantment Repository Room—”
The Princess just waved Violet off, though she stopped as she stared at the Energy Orbs embedded in her palms with fascination. “That’s not what I’m interested in the most, as you can probably guess, Violet. I want to see some of these constructs you mentioned, as well as these Deep Divers that were constructed, if it’s not too much trouble.”
Contrary to the disposition of the Gnomes she had met before, Princess Celeste seemed more martial than Sandra was expecting. The Dungeon Core got the impression that the Royal Gnome didn’t seem as focused on Enchanting for Enchanting’s sake, but as a means to an end. That end being the death of Dungeon Monsters, naturally.
* I only have the one Deep Diver right now, your Highness. I made it for Gerold, as he had lost his Shieldman armor, and it has been a great help. *
“Who is that? What is in my head?”
* Sorry about that. This is Sandra, your friendly local Dungeon Core, at your service. *
“Sandra, huh? Nice to meet you,” the Princess mentioned, seemingly offhandedly. The Gnome didn’t seem either suspicious or curious that she was talking to a dungeon, of all things, unlike most that she had the fortune to meet. “Was it you that I need to thank for fixing me all up?”
* While it was my Repair Drones that helped to heal your rather severe injuries, you really should be thanking Violet for bringing you all this way on her own. *
“Oh? Well, thank you, Violet. You have my eternal gratitude. I know that if my…father were here, he would grant you a boon of whatever you desired. So, you name it, and I’ll do what I can to provide it to you.”
The Journeyman Enchanter just blushed and stammered “you’re welcome”, while at the same time saying that she didn’t need any type of boon. When the Princess insisted, Violet clammed up when she wasn’t able to think of something, so Sandra intervened.
* Violet may not need anything, but I could certainly use your help. Though, it isn’t as much helping me, as it is helping your people. *
“I can certainly do what I’m able to, but I’m not sure what that could be.”
* I will explain in just a little bit, but first I would assume that you’re probably ravenous. Violet can show you to the kitchen, and I’ll go over everything when everyone is assembled. *
“You even have a kitchen? And what do you mean by everyone?” Sandra let Violet explain about the other races inside of her dungeons, while the Dungeon Core switched her attention to the other visitors. She had woken Parten up as soon as the Dwarven King was gradually coming to full awareness; he went from nearly a full sleep to racing through her hallways in less than 5 seconds, and he arrived shortly after Gerold and Master Blacksmith Jespin.
“How can I lead if I don’t have my armor? I feel as if I’m missing something deep inside, like a part of my soul has been torn out and destroyed,” King Mynag was saying as he sat up in the bed he had been lying on, his expression so forlorn that Sandra felt for him. She wanted to chime in and mention that Jespin had crafted him another set, but she figured that the Master Blacksmith wanted it to be a surprise.
“Sire, you are still the King. Everyone will still follow you, no matter if you have armor or not. You are strong, courageous, and powerful – and there is no one that sees you that can deny your right to rule.”
Sandra saw Gerold and Jespin sneak away as Parten spoke with the King. A quick look at their destination revealed that they were going to pick up the fruits of the Blacksmith’s labor from last night.
“This isn’t about my right to rule, Parten, it’s about the confidence I have in myself. It’s almost like the drive, the courage to lead my people into battle against the monsters that are encroaching on our strongholds, has…disappeared.” The King stopped for a moment, looking down at his palms for the first time. “Parten…what in the world are these?” he said, holding his palms up for the First-shield to see. “Better yet, where are we?”
Rather than let the biased Parten poison the first impressions of her dungeon by imparting his own views on the subject, Sandra took that as a cue for her to intervene.
* King Mynag, you are in my dungeon. My name is Sandra, and I welcome you to my crafting dungeon, where we are working hard to find a solution to the growing problems of Dungeon Monsters roaming around not just your lands, but the homelands of all of the races around the wasteland here. *
The Dwarven King jerked in shock when he heard her voice, but he was too despondent to be particularly frightful or angry that she had spoken to his mind. “I’m…in the wasteland? But that is so far away; how long was I out?”
* From what I understand, you were out for less than a day, and Gerold, Master Jespin, and First-shield Parten saw to your transportation and brought you to me for help. Those Energy Orbs in your palms help to automatically regenerate your elemental energy, and this is partially why you were brought here to recover so quickly. As for the other reason why, I’ll let your Master Blacksmith explain. *
Just then, Jespin entered the room with Gerold just behind, carrying the different pieces of the King’s armor with him. “Sire, I have a gift for you. I spent all last night crafting you a brand-new set of armor; I know it could never replace your previous set, but perhaps it will suffice to get you back on your feet.”
The King jumped to his feet, his eyes wide in wonder as he saw the armor Jespin and Gerold were carrying. The moment he touched the breastplate, a sort of jolt visible to Sandra shot between the Dwarf and the Steel-Mithril metal alloy, and she could see a connection being established somehow. It was as if it really wasn’t Shieldman armor until that moment; after that, she could see nearly invisible elemental “fingers” reaching out from the crafted armor and latching onto the King, forming a bond of sorts. When she looked at Parten, and then to the other Shieldmen inside of her dungeon, she saw the same thing with them; she’d just never really noticed it before because they were almost always wearing their gear, and it wasn’t visible unless you knew to look for it.
The sight of it only confirmed to her that she was on the right track with her plan.
“But how? I thought we were out of mi—I mean, we were running out of supplies,�
�� the King asked, looking around at the others as he spoke.
* I’m going to save some explanation, and tell you that I know all about the Mithril used to create your Shieldman armor. So do all of the Dwarves living here in my dungeon, I have no doubt, so the secret is out. The good thing in all of this is that I can provide you and your people as much Mithril as you need, so that your Master Blacksmiths can create as many sets as you need. Plus, with the Energy Orbs, they can do it much quicker than ever before – such as Jespin starting and finishing your armor in just a few hours instead of weeks. *
The King seemed angry at first, before looking more than a bit resigned. Gerold and Parten helped the Royal Dwarf into his armor as he asked, “And what will all of this cost me and my Kingdom? I can tell you right now, we will not be your slaves; we’d rather die than be subjected to that.”
* What is it with people thinking I want slaves? That’s not at all what I want, your Highness. In fact, I ultimately want your people to thrive and take care of your problems by yourself, with minimal assistance, but that time hasn’t really come quite yet.
* As for what this is going to cost you, there is something that I need your help with. I’ll go over it in just a little bit, as soon as I can get everyone together. In the meantime, I’m sure you and First-shield Parten are quite hungry; Gerold can show you to the kitchen to get a bite to eat. *
“You bet, Sire. And there’s a surprise there as well,” Gerold said happily.
“A surprise? I think I’ve already had my fair share of surprises lately.”
Jespin smiled, acknowledging the King’s statement. “Oh, I’m well aware of that, Sire, but I think you’ll like this one. You too, Parten.”
Sandra left them to finish outfitting the King, while she dealt with what she suspected was going to be the most volatile of her visitors: The Elven monarchs. Echo used her Air energy to speed herself up, and she fortunately arrived before the disoriented and confused Royal couple could start blasting their way out of their room.
“NO, STOP!” Echo screamed as soon as she skidded into the room, the King with a giant fireball between his hands and the Queen with a chunk of rock half her size in her own, both ready to be flung towards anything in their way.
Sandra nearly took control of the two Elves when they seemed intent on launching their attacks towards the Ranger as soon as she appeared, but she restrained herself; a good first impression would immediately be soured if she did something like that. Wanting to keep it as an option of last resort, the Dungeon Core was relieved to see the King and Queen dissipate their spells at the last moment, though they were still a bit hostile.
“Who are you? Where are we?” the Queen demanded, her hands up in a defensive posture as she glared at Echo.
This might not go well if they don’t even recognize her.
“Please stay calm, everything is alright. You’re safe now, and the effects of the mind-control have been—"
“Mind-control?! What are you talking about, and who are you?” the King shouted, getting closer to Echo in a threatening manner. Sandra almost acted again, but the Royal Elf stopped himself from actually touching her when he cocked his head to the side. “You…seem familiar, somehow. Why?” To Sandra, he seemed more curious than angry, which she supposed was an improvement.
“My name is Echo, your Highnesses, and I brought you here to help remove the effects that you were under because of the Chamberlain—”
As the mention of the Chamberlain, both the King and Queen threw their heads back and screamed. Almost seeming to come from nowhere, multiple elemental energies surrounded them in a whirlwind, swirling around like a tornado of crackling power, and Sandra feared for Echo’s well-being. After a few seconds, fortunately, the screaming stopped and they both stared at the Ranger, who stepped back in obvious fright; when the Dungeon Core saw their eyes, hard and unforgiving, she immediately took the reins of both the King and Queen before they did something to harm either Echo or themselves. She didn’t stop them yet, though, but she wouldn’t hesitate to do so if they tried anything funny.
“WHERE IS HE?” both Royal Elves said deeply in unison, which was starting to freak even Sandra out. “WE WILL KILL THAT TRAITOROUS CHAMBERLAIN!”
The Core wasn’t sure how Echo could even speak after being the focus of all that powerful attention, but she managed it somehow. “H-he is dead. Eaten by a giant bird, in fact. It’s partially what freed you from his control.” Their stare in response to her words was so powerful that Echo literally dropped to her knees as her strength apparently gave out.
The tornado of elemental energy, stronger than anything Sandra had seen before that wasn’t created with a dungeon’s Mana, slowly dissipated after a few moments, and the King and Queen turned to each other. “Is it true, my love? Are we free?” the Queen asked, her voice a lot more melodious and softer than it had been just moments ago.
“I…don’t know, but I can’t feel his influence anymore. Oh, how did we let that happen?” he responded, reaching out to the Queen and enfolding her into his embrace. They stood like that for a few minutes, just holding each other, before Echo cleared her throat.
“Umm, your Highnesses? There’s some things you need to know about where you are and what is going on around here. Do you remember anything?” she asked, plaintively.
The two Royal Elves finally broke apart, before the Queen responded. “Bits and pieces of memories over the last year or so, though there is a lot more before that. What I remember most is having concerns about our new Chamberlain, but for some reason they were swept away. After a time, I was fully aware of what was happening, but I was powerless to stop it.”
The King nodded as well. “About the same with me. I can’t believe we let our guard down and that filth took advantage of it.” He paused, looking at Echo. “Please explain to us what is going on and who you are. And—” he continued, looking around the small room— “where in the world are we?” The King cocked his head to the side again. “Better yet, how are we even alive? If I remember correctly, the use of the spell he cast on us was banned specifically because it eventually destroys the minds of those heavily under its influence for long periods of time.”
“Well, that’s a bit of a long story, but the long and short of it is—now don’t freak out—that you’re in a dungeon.”
“WHAT?!”
Echo got to her feet and held her hands out as a reassurance, which only served to highlight the two Energy Orbs embedded in them. “Now, this may seem a bit strange—”
“What has been done to you?! I demand to be let out of this place immediately!” the Queen shouted, appearing ready to blast her way out if it was required. The King wasn’t far behind.
“No, it’s okay; the dungeon heart needed to ‘Bond’ with you in order to repair the damage to your mind, especially after what the Chamberlain did with it. Elder Herrlot sent me back here with you via the same giant bird I mentioned earlier, and Sandra was able to fix you up.”
“Who is Sandra? Wait—Herrlot? She sent you here? Where are we?”
So many questions were thrown in Echo’s direction, but the Ranger patiently answered them all. As the next few minutes wore on, the King and Queen eventually relaxed enough so that they didn’t appear ready to rip the dungeon apart. Finally, the time came when Sandra thought it was about time to talk to them, herself.
* Welcome, your Highnesses. I am Sandra, whom Echo has described to you as the dungeon; I am the heart, or Core, of my little space here, and I assure you that I only want what is best for everyone around the wasteland. There’s a lot more that I need to inform you of, but I figure that you’re probably a bit famished after your experience. Echo can lead you to the kitchen, where you can eat your fill. *
Their surprise was short-lived, especially after the information that Echo imparted to them, and as soon as Sandra stopped talking, they bowed in unison. “As strange as it is to say it, we owe you a debt that can never be repaid. Thank you…Sandra. If there is
something within our power to balance this debt a little, please let us know,” the Queen said, before straightening back up.
* As a matter of fact, there is something that you can do for me. I’ll mention it in a little bit, but I want everyone to hear it at the same time. And don’t worry, it will benefit your people as much as it will benefit me. *
They looked confused at that, but followed Echo out of their room, nonetheless.
Just one more piece in all of this, and I think we’re ready to begin.
Chapter 43
The initial meeting of the leadership was remarkably amiable, as Princess Celeste, King Mynag, and the King and Queen of the Elves all sat at the same large table in the Kitchen, eating sliced meat, bread, and fruit to their hearts’ content. And at least 2 full mugs of Ale for the Dwarven King, of course.
Introductions were made at the start of the meal, which caught them all by surprise, because no one had mentioned to them that there were some visiting royalty besides themselves, and it was interesting to see their reactions. Sandra had been expecting the same sort of racial tension to come out from them as she had seen before, but the only one that seemed even in the least uncomfortable was the Princess. Whether it was because she was probably the weakest in terms of strength at the table, or because she was too young, she held her tongue for the most part when the others began to talk.
“Was there some specific purpose that all of us were brought here? It seems like a crazy coincidence that all of us are here in the same place, at the exact same time,” King Mynag asked as soon as they were done eating. When they were finished with their plates and scraps, Sandra had absorbed it all, which enforced the fact that they were inside of her dungeon.
The Crafter's Dominion: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 5) Page 42