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

* Honestly, I think it was just horrible timing; I don’t think the other Cores knew that they were even here until they emerged near this tunnel. *

Perceine relayed that, but as the sounds of fighting and dying Orcs and Monsters continued to reach them inside the tunnel from outside, the invading group were starting to get restless.  “This is just a delaying tactic.  We need to keep moving if we’re going to destroy this dungeon heart before it’s too late,” the Elite leader suddenly said, which got nods from everyone else.

“Move aside and don’t interfere,” the Warlord said to Perceine.  “If you were indeed under the influence of this dungeon, then we’ll deal with you after we destroy it.”

“You don’t understand what you’re doing—” the mercenary began, not backing down, but was interrupted by the ravings of Wyrlin.

“No!  She deserves to die for helping the enemy!” he said, just before raising his bow and letting an arrow fly.  Sandra could see the tell-tale sign that he had applied an Earth-type spell to his projectile as it was released.  Sandra didn’t even have time to warn Perceine, but it wasn’t necessary; the mercenary used her Air energy to fling her to the side, out of the arrow’s path.  Instead of hitting her, it hit a Goblin standing behind her, hitting its chest armor so hard that it dented the plates inside; the impact also caused the enchantment connected to the armor to go off, which released a cloud of Nether energy in front of the Goblin even as it was knocked backwards.

No one stopped the Ranger from firing again, instead watching passionlessly as Perceine dodged backwards, and the second arrow pierced through the eye of another Goblin, who died instantly from the wound.

* Run!  You can’t fight them all yourself; I have plenty of defenses here to stop them. *

Her mercenaries had learned the value of listening to Sandra, and with the odds so stacked against her there was no point in staying.  That, plus the fact that she probably didn’t want to fight with her own people – as misguided as they were – probably factored into the way Perceine practically danced her way around the Goblins protecting her as she fled.

“You honorless coward!  Warriors don’t run from a fight!” Kelerim’s father suddenly said as he snatched an Iron sword from a nearby member of his Warband, cocked it back behind his shoulder, and then threw the weapon towards the retreating mercenary.

* Look out! *

Either her warning made Perceine hesitate or it was just bad luck, but Sandra’s mercenary dived out of the way – to the wrong side.  Instead of avoiding the thrown sword that was rotating so quickly in the air that it made a high-pitched whistling sound, she instead launched herself right in its path.  Her armor probably would’ve prevented her from being damaged too bad from it, but the tip of the sword landed in the back of Perceine’s neck, impaling itself so deeply it severed her spine and stuck out through her throat.

For a moment, Sandra thought her mercenary might have survived; she saw her moving as her body slid to a stop on the floor where she landed after being impaled, but it was apparently just an involuntary reaction of her corpse at the point of dying. The Dungeon Core soon felt the bump in her Mana that came from Perceine’s death and Sandra could only look on with utter surprise and sorrow at her very first mercenary’s demise.  Her mind felt like it was frozen in shock as if she couldn’t figure out how or why it had happened.

At least, it was frozen until she overheard the invaders talking.

“Nice shot, Warlord.  I couldn’t have done it better myself,” one of the Elite archers said with a bit of envy in his voice.

“Ha!  I’ve still got it, even after all the years,” Kelerim’s father laughed uproariously, while his Warband congratulated him.

Sandra lost it.

She had the presence of mind to warn Kelerim, though.

* Your father is going to die. *

“What?  Why?  I thought you were going to try to talk to him.”

She was just barely holding onto her rage as she answered him.

* Tried.  Failed.  They have to die. *

“Who?  My father and these other Elves you told me about?”

* No.  I’m going to kill all of them! *

Her mind snapped and a shade of red that reminded her of blood fell over her vision.  She vaguely heard Winxa trying to talk to her, but she couldn’t focus enough to understand her; all she could concentrate on was destroying her enemies and anyone that would harm what was hers.  All of the invaders were going to die, and she would revel as they were sliced up, smashed, and ripped apart!

*         *         *

With the crazy Orc working with the dungeon dead and out of their way, it didn’t take long for their group to get moving.  Having seen what had happened to the first Goblin that was blocking their way with its strange cloud of darkness that emerged from it when it was hit, Wyrlin and the other Rangers – including the Elite archers – took aim and slaughtered them from range.  A few of the Goblins lit up briefly with a bright light almost like some sort of shield, while others had a layer of ice covering their chest armor – in addition to more instances of the dark cloud coming out as they raced towards their group.  They were good enough shots, however, that none of them even came close.

“I thought you said this place had monsters made of metal.  Those were Goblins,” the Warlord remarked.

“They are supposed to be, but maybe it influenced the minds of some Goblins from another dungeon – I don’t know,” Wyrlin shrugged back, unable to formulate a theory