The Crafter's Darkness: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 4) by Jonathan Brooks (e book reading free txt) 📕

of the weapons if they weren’t going to be used. While she did set the enchantment that increased the durability of the metal three-fold, everything else was going to wait until she had a better understanding of how the Orcs fought so she could adapt each weapon personally.

As for armor, for the moment she crafted some more of the chest armor the Warband Orcs were using, but she also added some extra components.  A relatively lightweight Titanium helmet with leather and cotton padding was included, leaving the face bare but covering the skull; leather calf-high boots with thin strips of Titanium inserted between two layers of the leather, stiffening up and protecting the structure of the boots, while still allowing it to be flexible; upper arm rerebraces made of more leather and strips of Titanium for strength were able to be strapped on tightly so they wouldn’t move; lower arm vambraces that were constructed similar to the rerebraces; and finally, some form-fitting leather pants that cut off just above the knee.

She deliberately kept their joints unprotected and free for movement because Orcs needed to move during combat, and she didn’t want to hinder that in any way.  However, she also wanted them a bit more protected than they were already, and covering up their exposed skin as much as possible was a way to do that.  To add to that, she was also going to enchant the entire set of armor, though she again was going to wait until she found out what would be best for each mercenary.

With those created, all she had to do now was wait until morning.  When it finally did, she woke up Kelerim to let him know what was going on.

* We’ve got our first batch of mercenaries coming in about an hour.  Do you think you could assist me when they get here? *

The Blacksmith rubbed at his eyes and stretched, still waking up for the day.  “I sure can.  Though, we have to be careful in case they were sent by my father to find me.  Then again, if they agreed to the deal, even if they were sent by him their honor wouldn’t allow them to break the agreement for them to serve.  As soon as their year is done, however, they could go shouting my location to the entirety of Orcrim.”

Honor certainly seemed incredibly important to the Orcs, even as their rough exterior portrayed them as lawless barbarians.  Sandra had seen personally that this wasn’t the case, and that they were loyal, disciplined, and willing to sacrifice themselves to carry out their orders.

* I don’t believe these were sent by your father, though I could be wrong.  Either way, they’ll be in the workshop up above. *

“Sounds good.  I’ll get something to eat and meet them up there.”  Kelerim yawned and then went to the kitchen, where Sandra was already busy cooking him some breakfast with her Sentinel located there.  While he ate, the Dungeon Core made ready for the arrival of her first mercenaries.

*        *        *

Perceine led the other Warriors that were leaving Palzerk’s Warband to the edge of the village, where there was some sort of commotion going on.  Her body felt a little tired from the run yesterday and the interrupted sleep when Dralkurk foolishly decided to try to steal from the villagers in the middle of the night and got his honor-less self killed, but she still thought it was worth the lack of sleep.  She had never liked him, and she didn’t think he really belonged or fit in their Warband; why Palzerk kept him around she never knew, but that really wasn’t a concern anymore.  For one, Dralkurk was dead; secondly, she and 6 others were leaving the Warband.

She barely wanted to even think about what she had done the night before by volunteering to be the “payment” for the weapons the rest would receive, though she knew it was the right thing.  Palzerk was the most honorable, charismatic Leader she ever had the pleasure of killing monsters under; he wasn’t the strongest, the deadliest, or even best fighter, but he inspired everyone that he led to the point where they were stronger, deadlier, and better fighters.  Perceine would rather have that than any other Leader, and she and everyone else in the Warband—well, almost everyone—would gladly give their lives so that Palzerk could succeed.  It seemed counterproductive, but it was also true.

There was a strange stone platform that everyone was crowded around near the edge of the village, filled with various things, but the only thing she had eyes for were the two metal statues of large monkeys or apes of some kind holding what appeared to be large hammers in their hands.  In fact, they appeared to be remarkably similar to the ones she caught a glimpse of last night in the village’s supply hut where Dralkurk had been killed.

She arrived and lifted her iron sword at the same time the rest of the Warband did, ready to attack or defend as necessary when one of the metal statues moved.  However, instead of attacking them, all it did was lay down its large hammer and then move to pick up what appeared to be a wooden box in its metal hands, before bringing it quickly to Palzerk, who seemed unfazed by the whole situation.

“I’m assuming this is for me?” he said, accepting the box after a moment of the moving metal statue holding it out to him.  As soon as he took it, the statue went back to where it was before on the edge of the stone platform, picked up its hammer, and went back to being a statue.

“Actually, I think this is for all of us,” he said after opening up the lid and looking inside.  He flashed it around to the rest of the Warband and Perceine could see that it was full