The Dungeon Fairy: A Dungeon Core Escapade (The Hapless Dungeon Fairy Book 1) by Jonathan Brooks (read novel full .txt) 📕

with him for a year or more, his destruction would’ve killed her outright instead of just causing unbelievable pain – just like her Mentor, Expert Assistant Cobalt, had been.  Of course, she would’ve rather he not be shattered in the first place, but the more she thought about her choices and actions, the more she knew that there hadn’t been much chance that he would’ve survived even if she had arrived earlier. Jeremy was so out of his mind when she first met him that nothing she could do would’ve stopped him from his incessant need to open up to the outside world.

There was nothing left for her there, so Tacca flew to the middle of the room and started to activate her Translocation Ability.  Looking down, however, she saw that her Mood Dress was completely black again, where it had been lightening up to a dark-grey over the last few days as she was looking forward to being Mentored and the subsequent assignment to a Core.  I guess so much death and destruction isn’t that great for my mood.

Shrugging it off as something she didn’t really have any control over, she used her Translocation Ability to transport herself to the sky above the DPRC, and she saw the same ornate entrance below her leading inside the mountain.  With a bit of trepidation, Tacca flew down inside, and was surprised to see another Fairy inside the waiting room.

“Hello, my name is Tacca—” she started to say as she sat down on the bench beside the other Dungeon Assistant.

“I know exactly who you are, and I don’t want any of your…essence…to rub off on me,” the other Fairy said, scooting herself as far across the bench as she could as her serene blue Mood Dress quickly turned darker until it was nearly a deep purple.

Tacca shut her mouth in a snap and turned herself away from the other Assistant, keeping a tight seal on her lips to prevent herself from saying something in response.  Looking down in her lap, she saw the black in her dress somehow become deeper, which she didn’t think was even possible.

Fortunately, it was less than a minute later when a hidden panel in the waiting room wall in front of the two slid open and a Fairy she didn’t recognize stepped out.  “Petunia, you can come with me for your placement,” he said, his shirt and pants the same serene blue that she had seen earlier on her bench partner.  When he glanced at her, they darkened a little, but it was only temporary and went back to its apparent normal state when he looked away.

Moments after the panel slid closed behind “Petunia” and what was likely a Placement Council Member, Tacca heard the stern-but-familiar voice of Lily behind her calling for her.  “Tacca – you’re alive,” she stated with just the barest hint of surprise.  “That’s good, but you’re late again; we had word that your Dungeon Core, one Jeremy Miller, was destroyed three months ago – where have you been?”

As she started to answer, Lily beckoned her to follow her into her small office.  Tacca decided to wait until they were both inside the private space before she told her all that had happened; it was hard reliving the events that led to the destruction of her Dungeon Core, but she made sure to include every detail, including what she had tried to advise Jeremy to do to survive…and how events were already in motion and it was too late to save him.  She described her injury and need to Hibernate to fix herself up, which Lily – for a change – seemed to accept without questioning her about it.

While she was worried that she’d be chastised and stripped of her status of Assistant, that was far from what actually happened.  In fact, Lily callously dismissed all that Tacca went through and didn’t seem to care that another Dungeon Core was destroyed – only that the Dungeon Assistant was there now.

“I’m glad you’re back, because I have another Core that’s perfect for you.”

Oh, please no.  “Perfect?  As in perfect because you know it’s going to fail and get destroyed like the last one?  I know that a Fairy had Bonded Jeremy before, and you sent me in there with no hope of succeeding,” she angrily accused the Lead Placement Council Member, though she wished she could’ve taken it back as soon as the words left her mouth.

The fake smile on Lily’s lips never wavered, though her normally light-blue Mood Dress darkened with hints of angry red splotches – which appeared and disappeared with frightening swiftness.  “I’m going to forgive that outburst because I realize that losing a Bonded Core is a horrific experience…but I had better not hear anything like that again if you wish to continue being a Dungeon Assistant.  Just because we need your help doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t strip you of the privileges you enjoy.”

“And what privileges are those?  Unbelievable pain from a Bond being abruptly broken apart,” she couldn’t stop herself from speaking, as the pain and anger of the entire situation was bubbling to the surface.

The Lead Placement Council Member’s Mood Dress suddenly changed from the light blue it had been to a deep, nearly black red color that scared Tacca more than anything else she’d ever experienced; and the deadly tone to Lily’s voice only heightened that fear.  “Your life, for one – and I would think that would be the most important.  It’s only your status as a Dungeon Assistant that has kept you alive for this long; there are hordes of Fairies that would rather you be permanently removed from the world rather than exist because of your portentous birth and appearance.”

The murderous tone and Dress color abruptly faded, and the Council Member continued.  “And then there’s all of the Abilities you were granted and currently enjoy; those would