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

with her Air elemental energy because she could move quickly.  She ended up adding some enchantments to her armor that were also Air-based, which lightened them a little bit so that she was able to move around faster while using her energy.  She had plans to add some activation-based enchantments in the future, but for now it would do.

Three of the mercenaries had Fire as their element, which they used to increase their strength; they went with a spiked club, a mace, and a warhammer as their primary weapons, but they also all wanted hand axes.  Not to replace their blunt weapons, but because they wanted to try out throwing them so that they could have some longer-range capabilities.  Sandra was all for that, and she enchanted their armor to also make them a little more fleet of foot, allowing them to move faster while wearing the additional pieces they weren’t used to wearing.

One mercenary had Earth as his element and could make his skin literally rock hard, though a little slower; for his weapon he chose to use the spike-studded gauntlets Sandra had crafted, because when he punched something he could put the weight of heavy stone behind it.  His armor got enchanted with runes to strengthen them a little, because he seemed like he was going to need it if he was going to get in close enough to monsters to punch them.

The last two Orc mercenaries chose swords, though one took a greatsword that was nearly as tall as he was and the other took 2 short swords that he could dual-wield.  The dual-wielder had Natural as his elemental energy, and could use it to produce a highly venomous substance that coated his skin, which he could then wipe his sword edges on to transfer them to his weapons.  His armor also got some weight reduction, to allow him to move faster and infect whatever he was able to slice apart.

The Orc with the greatsword could use Holy as his elemental energy, which he could use to heal himself if he got hurt.  He professed not to be able to heal anyone else, as he still needed to practice extending his energy out of his body.  His armor got extra protection, because he seemed like he would be in the thick of the fight as well.

The first few hours, the mercenaries got acquainted with their weapons and practiced against each other; a few were injured in the process but were healed by her Repair Drones easily – which only made them fight harder knowing they could be healed of any of their injuries.  Their stamina and ferocity in wielding their weapons, as well as their adaptability in using something new was astounding, and by mid-day she knew they were ready enough to go out into the field.  They weren’t perfect at their chosen weapons yet, but they were starting to severely hurt each other as they were sparring, almost like it was some sort of game.  They needed an outlet.

* Chryla?  I have some…reinforcements for you. *

“Really?  Did Elder Herrlot and Echo finally come back?”

* No, unfortunately.  They aren’t Elven reinforcements… *

Sandra briefly explained what was going on not only to her, but to the other Rangers as well.  They were much more receptive than she thought they would be, but that could also be a result of their slight desperation.  “It’s strange, there’s no denying that, but we could use the help.  If you would, put them near the beast dungeon, as I can see them being much more useful there.  We haven’t seen any indication that another attack is imminent, but I have a feeling we’ll be seeing it soon.”

Chryla was right; seven Mechanical Dire Wolves borrowed from the Dwarves carried the Orcs to the area around the Beast dungeon, where they dropped them off just in time for the start of another, larger exodus of Beasts from the secondary entrance.  Sandra barely had time to make introductions before the attack was underway.  The Elves had shifted their own around at the arrival of the Orcs, so there were only 5 Rangers there to provide covering fire, though they had additional support in the form of 10 Wyvines and 300 Roaring Blademasters.

They were barely needed, though, as the Orcs tore through wave after wave of Beasts that emerged with a savagery that astonished Sandra and the Elves.  She had provided them all with an additional 5 Energy Orbs of their element, which were strung on a leather cord underneath their chest armor and pressed against their skin; the additional regeneration of their elemental energy was all the difference they needed to go wild.  They enhanced their bodies almost constantly as they waded through the monsters with deadly efficiency, the Energy Orbs barely keeping up with their use.

Most other people probably would’ve dropped in exhaustion from the constant use of energy, but not the Orcs; their endurance and fortitude (as well as their strength) was one of their foremost attributes, and it allowed them to push through the exhaustion.  It was only when two of the same green-furred Beasts that were killed by her Mobile Fortification emerged from the entrance that they ran into a problem.  As powerful as they were, the few hits they managed to land did almost nothing to the powerful Monsters, and they had barely escaped being sliced in half by the Beasts’ deadly claws.

* Fall back; we’ll have to let the Mobile Fortification take care of them. *

The berserk-like battle rage in the Orcs was almost their downfall… and turned out to be their salvation.  They refused to listen at first and the warhammer-wielding mercenary tried to go in for another attack, but he was caught by a swipe by one of the Monster’s hands, and just barely missed being sliced in half.  Regardless, he flew through the air from the impact and slammed up against a