* I assure you, this was never my intention. Gerold, Violet, Felbar, and Echo all traveled back to your lands to apprise you of the situation here, as well as the threats to your lands. Some of you may know a few of the details, but let me fill all you in with the rest. *
Sandra spent some time going over the same sort of information she had shared with Violet and the others not too long ago, and though it was a lot of repeated information for her friends, they didn’t seem bored by the reiteration. The subject was quite important to everyone, of course, so that didn’t surprise the Dungeon Core.
“This is not good. We had no idea any of this was happening,” the Elven King said, looking concernedly at his wife. “I can appreciate what you have done to try to contain these dungeons, but even I can see that you won’t be able to fix everything yourself. As it is, we were barely maintaining a balance with most of the monster population throughout Symenora; there’s no way we can keep up with these new expansions, let alone overcome them.”
King Mynag added his own viewpoint with a despondent shake of his head, which coincided with the Elves. “I agree. Despite the…supplies…that Sandra has generously donated to our cause, we’re already having trouble in our strongholds. Before we arrived, we just lost Stonebrink Hall, the first stronghold we have ever let fall to the dungeons. We might be able to stave off the inevitable closer to home with the help we received, but as far as facing this new threat…it’s impossible.”
“While it’s possible for us to start making a difference in the monster population with our new Weapons of War,” Princess Celeste spoke up, “we’ve lost almost all of our Master Enchanters, a large portion of our Defensive Force, and…I’m all that is left of our Royal family.” The Princess choked up a bit at that last part, and the Elven Queen actually got up and sat next to the Gnome, putting her long, slender arms around her comfortingly.
There was silence as Celeste shed a few tears, but they didn’t last long. The Royal Gnome cleared her throat, wiped her eyes, and with a hoarseness to her voice, asked, “What do we do, then? I’d ask for help to save my people, but everyone seems to be suffering as much or more than us.”
* That’s what I wanted to speak to you all about. You see, I think I’ve found a way to—hold on, our last guest is almost here. Everyone, I’d like you to meet Palzerk, soon to be a Warlord in Orcrim, and Owchet, one of the volunteers who has been helping the Elven Rangers hold back the tide of Slimes and Beasts from the nearby dungeons. *
As soon as Sandra saw that the important personages in her dungeon were waking up, she sent her High Peak Roc to fetch Palzerk; she had been keeping tabs on him in case she needed him, and this was definitely a time where she required his assistance. While he wasn’t the “leader” of Orcrim, he was the closest thing she could get in the limited time she had. On the way back, she picked up Owchet from the village of Grongbak, because she wanted him along to support his soon-to-be Warlord.
Palzerk walked into the room and nodded to everyone still seated at the large table, without the least bit of surprise on his face at seeing so many different races together. Granted, it helped that Sandra had warned him, so he smoothly got his own plate of food and sat down in between the Dwarven King and the Gnome Princess. Before he started to stuff his face, he said, “You may proceed.”
She didn’t need his permission, necessarily, but she figured following his suggestion and a nice meal was the least she could do for yanking him away from his Warband again. As the others openly watched Palzerk eat, curiosity more than suspicion in their faces, Sandra finally came to the heart of the matter.
* As I had mentioned to some of you before, I completely agree with all of your concerns. Even in Orcrim, which is soon to get a major influx of supplies that will help them immeasurably, the growth of the dungeons within 130 miles or so is too much for them to handle. A veritable army of Dire Wolves nearly wiped out Palzerk’s own warband, so I’m sure he can vouch for that assessment. It was only the first, and won’t be the last. *
The Warband Leader just nodded, his mouth full of meat.
* So, if we can’t contain them – and we can’t go around just destroying more Dungeon Cores, as that will make everything worse – we need to do something else. Through some experimentation and application of various things that I’ve learned recently, which has helped me overcome my own issues related to this whole situation, I’ve developed something that I think will be the solution to all of our problems. Now, don’t be afraid, this is just one of my constructs. *
So saying, she brought one of her Apes inside of the kitchen, which created a little stir from those that hadn’t seen any of her constructs before (the Sentinel she kept in the kitchen as a catalyst for the traps in the room was in the corner, out of view at the moment), but when it didn’t threaten anyone, they settled down. She had her Ape place the object it was carrying in the middle of the table the leaders were seated around, before squatting silently along the edge of the room.
* This is what is called a Resonating Prismatic Core. With it, I am hoping to ‘Bond’ with another Dungeon Core. *
“What purpose will that serve?” Violet asked, the first time she had spoken up since she had brought the Princess to the kitchen.
* If I am correct, and if it functions the same way it did with the Dungeon Core soul fragment in my mind, it will help to ‘calm’ the urges of the other Core. While it’s hard to predict what this will ultimately mean, I feel confident that I can influence a foreign Dungeon Core to curb its out-of-control expansion, and perhaps even prevent it from sending Dungeon Monsters out into the world. *
There was complete silence in the room and everyone froze, the stillness so deep that even she thought every person had stopped breathing. A few seconds later, however, the room seemed to let out a deep breath all at the same, as they recovered from her stunning revelation.
“How--?” the Elven King started, breaking the silence, but he couldn’t seem to finish his question. The Queen picked up where he had left off, though. “How is such a thing even possible? And what makes you so sure that it will do what you claim?”
Without going into too much detail about the exact nature of her creation of the Prismatic Core, as she didn’t want to reveal the secrets of Mithril and the connection between the Dwarves and their armor, Sandra described a little about how she had created the special object and about her internal struggles with a remnant of a destroyed Dungeon Core inside her mind. They all still appeared skeptical, but they appeared willing to grasp at any hope of such a thing actually working.
“What’s the catch? This seems too simple otherwise.” King Mynag asked the question that she was dreading, but it was also why she had brought them all together.
* The catch. Yes. Well, in order for this to work, this Resonating Prismatic Core needs to be in direct contact with the other Dungeon Core, so that I can initiate the Bonding process. *
“So, what you’re essentially saying is that we need someone to delve into one of these dungeons, fight all the way to the heart of the dungeon, and then place this pretty little object next to the Core. Not only that, but there is no guarantee that this will even work. Does that sum it up pretty well?” First-shield Parten asked, shaking his head. “Sire, I think we’ve heard enough of this; we should head back—”
“By the forge of the Creator, I’m in!” King Mynag shouted, slamming his now-empty mug down on the table, after having taken a drink while Parten was talking. “Let’s do this!”
“Sire, you do not need to risk yourself in such foolish—”
“PARTEN! Shut it! I’m tired of you telling me what I do and don’t need to do. If I can’t sacrifice myself for the good of my people, then I don’t deserve to call myself a King!” The King turned around and glared at the First-shield, holding his stare for a few moments before Parten turned his head away and reluctantly nodded.
“Well, if you’re ‘in’, then I guess I’ll have to come with you to keep you out of troub
le.”
“Very good! I wouldn’t want it any other way,” the King replied, smiling again after the confrontation.
“I’ll come along as well, if you’ll have me,” Gerold volunteered. “Sandra built me another Deep Diver suit to use; a Deep Diver using some special materials, even.”
The King ran his fingers through his beard as he looked at Gerold, and Sandra could tell that the First-shield was about to object. Fortunately for her friend, the Royal Dwarf spoke up before Parten could. “If that’s the case, and I’m understanding you correctly, I would appreciate the help. Besides, I still owe you for helping to save my life, as well providing a way for Master Jespin to make another set of armor for me.” The King deliberately looked at Parten as if daring him to say anything, but the First-shield wisely held his tongue.
“If they’re going, I would volunteer to help. I’m not sure what I might be able to do, but I’m no stranger to fighting monsters.” Sandra was a bit surprised by Princess Celeste speaking up, but from what Violet had mentioned about her, she supposed it made sense.
* I can make you a Deep Diver as well, but I’ll need 6 to 8 hours to complete it. Could be a little less if Violet helps me out. *
“Absolutely, your Highness. I would be honored.” Violet appeared to be both happy to help and worried for the Princess, which was understandable.
“I guess that means that we’ll be coming, too,” the King said slowly, looking at the Queen the whole time. “It’s been a while since we’ve been inside a dungeon – other than this one, of course – and I think this could be a way for paying you back for helping to save our lives.” The Queen just nodded her agreement.
“I’ll come, as well. I’ve had some experience delving through a dungeon lately, at least.” That would be Echo, and the King and Queen inclined their heads in acceptance.
After that, everyone looked at Palzerk, who stopped chewing long enough to say, “What? Of course I’m coming, and so is Owchet. Wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Then he resumed eating his meal.
Sandra was overwhelmed with emotion at how everyone seemed to come together for a common purpose, even if that included working with people with whom they normally wouldn’t associate. She was honestly worried for Echo and Gerold, as they had gotten lucky the last time they had invaded a dungeon – they had barely emerged with their lives. Looking at who they were accompanying, however, she felt much better about their chances.
“Is there any way we can gather more help before we do it?” the Elven Queen asked. “I’m sure another week or more will help us accumulate more in the way of assistance.”
* Unfortunately, we cannot wait that long. One of the drawbacks of this Prismatic Core is that it contains a portion of my soul; if it isn’t used in 48 hours, the Core will explode, severely hurting or even destroying me in the process. *
“You…you could die if we don’t do this? Why didn’t you mention that before? And why couldn’t you just send an army of your constructs inside and deliver this Prismatic Core that way?” Sandra was touched by Violet’s genuine concern, but there was a reason for all that she had done and said.
* I didn’t mention it before, because I didn’t want that to influence or coerce a decision to help out of anyone. I’m willing to take the risk to see this through, and if it came down to it, I would do what I could to get this done without anyone’s help. I’m not sure it would be successful, however, because without a sentient race being inside of the dungeon, shutting down a lot of the processes and defenses of the foreign Core, all of the effort in the world by my constructs would likely be useless. I wouldn’t be able to initiate a Bond if that were the situation, or the Bond would pale in comparison to what it could be otherwise. *
“I…see. Well, then, how much time do you have until that thing explodes?”
* Approximately 40 hours. *
Now on a deadline, the room turned serious. “In that case, we better prepare as best we can. Are you sending any of your…constructs...with us?” Princess Celeste asked.
* Certainly! I’ll be sending everything I can possibly spare; Gerold and Echo have a lot of experience controlling them, so my constructs will be under their direction. *
Something suddenly caught her attention, ripping her focus away from the kitchen. It took her less than a second to understand what was happening, which caused her to amend her last statement.
* On second thought, I might need most of them out here. It appears as though the other Cores have started another assault – and this one looks to be a mite more dangerous for everyone involved. *
Everyone in the kitchen looked at each other worriedly, but King Mynag couldn’t be brought down. “Not a worry. You just take care of that, and we’ll take care of invading a dungeon. Which one would you prefer we delve through?”
Sandra didn’t have an answer, because she was busy coordinating the defense, though it was already a losing prospect. When she got a spare moment, she let them all know she would figure that out later, as well as when the best time to leave might be. As they broke up their meeting, with the Royalty wanting to go on a tour of the dungeon, the Dungeon Core scrambled to assess these new threats.
Chapter 44
The Orc mercenaries were already on their way to help the Elves defend their village, which was quickly becoming the fallback position. Waves of smaller Slimes streamed out of the Slime-Classification dungeon, while those blood-thirsty-looking squirrels poured out of the Beast-Classification dungeon like someone had opened some floodgates. If that had been all, the situation wouldn’t have been that bad, but they were accompanied by even more.
Larger Beasts, including Crocatiles, the monkey-bear hybrids, razor-antler elk, Elephants, and large hunting cats joined in with the squirrels; larger Slimes, ovoid in shape, as well as one that mimicked the shape of some of the Beasts coming out of the other dungeon entrance also appeared. Now, if that had been all, the situation probably could’ve been handled; it would’ve taken a lot of work and time, but the Rangers, mercenaries, Wyvines, and constructs the Elves had at their disposal were more than capable of containing the threat.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t all that emerged from the entrances. A few of the larger Dragon Slimes poured out of the Slime-Classification dungeon, as well as some of the gigantic, 100-foot-tall Slimes she had seen down near the Core’s inner rooms. From the Beasts, a trio of the Boss-like 50-foot monstrosities strode out of the larger entrance, their green, shaggy fur and bald heads reflecting the sunlight coming through the treetops. Their triple-eyed stares looked hungrily about, ready to tear apart any constructs likely to get in their way with their deadly sharp claws or their mouths full of dozens of razor-like teeth.
Even that was something that Sandra had prepared for, as she had been stockpiling defenses out near the village that could be used to take them out. Not only did she have 2 High Peak Rocs on alert for the Dragon Slimes, ready to take them down from the air and rip them apart, but she also had 3 Expanded Mobile Fortifications that she invested in, ready to deploy wherever they were needed. When she added in the hundreds of constructs, dozens of additional Shadow Wyvines for the Elves, and more explosive bolts for the Rangers, they were as ready for anything as was possible.
Naturally, the one thing she couldn’t plan for was whatever might have been unlocked by the 2 dungeons as a result of their recent upgrade. When those new Monsters were revealed, she ordered a full retreat by the Elves and Orcish mercenaries, as her people had no chance against them as they were.
For the Slime-Classification dungeon, what emerged from the main entrance didn’t look particularly troublesome. It wasn’t a massive Slime larger than the colossal Slimes she had seen before, nor was it in any particular shape more frightening than the Dragon Slime. Instead, it was a 6-foot-tall Monster shaped like a normal, everyday Slime, only a few times larger than the horde of smaller Slimes that had flooded out of the dungeon. The main difference between this new Slime and all of the others was what it
appeared to be made from; instead of a jelly-like substance, it appeared to be made of…metal.
Quicksilver, to be more precise, otherwise known as Mercury. Except, when an explosive bolt from one of the Rangers was fired at it, it suddenly transformed from a blob of silvery liquid to a lump of solid Steel, or perhaps something even harder. The bolt hit the metallic Slime, exploded with a *thump* – and did absolutely no damage to the Monster. An Orc mercenary tried her hand at hurting it with a weighted warhammer, but it stayed in its solid state, not letting anything damage its outer shell. At one point, a needle-like appendage shot out and narrowly missed gutting the Orc, but she was able to dodge the strike, only allowing it to slice up a part of her leather armor.
From the Beast-Classification dungeon, there came something even worse than the 3-eyed monstrosities that preceded its appearance. Originally, it didn’t seem that dangerous at first glance; in fact, Sandra thought it looked sort of cute. Then she saw the red, beady eyes, the 8-foot-long claws, and the thousands of teeth in its mouth when it opened its jaws wider than they really ought to have been able. They were practically nightmarish when the Dungeon Core saw them.
Its powerful hind legs tore furrows at least 5 feet deep into the rich earth of the forest when it emerged, and it raced ahead of everything that came out with it. It used its sleek body to navigate its way through the trees, despite it being at least 200 feet long from nose to its fluffy tail. When it landed on a Wyvine that was unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, it tore that Wyvine to pieces in a matter of seconds, before the great Monster moved on.
The Crafter's Dominion: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 5) Page 43