Dungeon Core Academy: Books 1-7 (A LitRPG Series) by Alex Oakchest (book suggestions txt) 📕

“Done. One other thing.”

“A whole deposit of blaudy stone and terrible monster aren’t enough?”

“Henceforth,” I said, “you will agree not to interfere with my dungeon, nor my dealings with Galatee and Reginal, whatever they may be.”

“You are a crafty sod.”

“That’s the way they breed ‘em in the academy.”

Bolton looked at the core, and then at Edgar. Without another word, he snatched the core from the pedestal and put it in a small leather bag on this shoulder. A bag much too small for such an object, indicating artificery at work.

The overseer exited the chamber, leaving Shadow, Gary, Edgar and the others alone in a room that used to be a core room, but was now just a room. After all, what is a core room when the core itself has been taken away?

CHAPTER 26

“Stay back now,” I said. “Don’t crowd Kainhelm too much.”

My clanmates were gathered in the room with the hole that led into the next dungeon. After learning of our success there had been many whoops, hollers, and congratulatory statements aimed mostly at Shadow, Gary and Edgar, with very little praise given to the mastermind behind it all; me. Such is a core’s life.

“Kainhelm shy?” asked Wylie.

“No, he isn’t shy. It is more that his mere presence will make you all quite ill.”

“Don’t let the bugger in then!” cried Tarius. “Are you mad?”

“He will stay on this side of the room, and you will stay on the other. It’s quite safe as long as you don’t get too close.”

“A bloody union would never allow this…” said Karson.

I ignored him. Floating on my pedestal, and now fully residing in my core body after spending way too long inside a raven, I eyed the hole in the wall.

“Kainhelm? Present yourself.”

A foot appeared in the hole, followed by a long, gangly leg, bleached white and looking older than time. The leg was followed by another, and then by the rest of Kainhelm, including his long flap of back skin which swept around him like a cape. He wore a grain sack over his head, which I felt bad about. It was quite undignified, yes, but there was no other way to introduce the narkleer to his new clanmates while ensuring his stare didn’t drive them insane.

“This way,” I said. “Just one more step. That’s it. Welcome to your dungeon. Now, clanmates. Let’s give Kainhelm a warm welcome.”

The kobolds and jellies and beetles and boss monsters did nothing, evidently unsure what a warm welcome meant.

“Applaud!” I said.

The chamber filled with the sound of applause. The tap-tap of kobold claps, the clicks of beetle antennae, the squelch of jellies.

“Pox on your ancestors!” cried Kainhelm. “Such a din. Quiet, quiet!”

“Now now, Kainhelm. What did we say about poxing people’s ancestors?”

“I have spent centuries alone, you clamorous fools. I can’t abide such a noise.”

“Nice guy,” said Maginhart, as the applause died down.

“He grows on you,” I answered. “Now, as you know, the dungeon next door belongs to me now. Wylie, Karson, Tarius, I want you to create a tunnel that leads from our surface door to this new labyrinth. Kainhelm, you will patrol your old halls, and kindly dispatch any heroes who choose to delve through that route.”

Kainhelm gave an annoyed growl but coming from his skeletal throat it sounded more like a rattle. “You promised me new sights, core. To see more than just the same old bloody murals. You tricked me, eh? Befuddled good old Kainhelm. I am far too trusting. A curse on your…” he stopped himself before committing to a full pox on my forebearers.

“I am a core of my word. We will be excavating parts of our new dungeon, and you will get to explore the new halls. And true to our pact, I will allow you to visit the world above.”

Shadow glanced at me, while her puppies jumped all over her. “You promised Overseer Bolton…”

“I promised that Kainhelm wouldn’t be a threat to the clans above, and he won’t be. We’ll take Kainhelm to the surface at night, and only after we have constructed some kind of covering for him to wear that stops his dark energy seeping out. A kind of anti-deathly-energy gown, if such a thing exists. And if it doesn’t, we’ll create it! We’ll make sure that nobody is around, and only lead him to areas of the wasteland where there are no people likely to stray. Then, Kainhelm, you will get to see the stars in the night sky.”

“Cover me in bloody robes? Lead me out like a dog? A blight on your ances…a blight on you, core. This is no life for a narkleer.”

“This is just a stop-gap until I figure something out. You have seen nothing but the same old passageways for centuries. I’m offering you a chance to look to the heavens above, to see the twinkling of faraway suns and the colorful swirls of distant galaxies.”

“Pah.”

“The rest of you, be nice to Kainhelm. Wylie, make sure your boys don’t stray too close to him when you’re mining, but at the same time, stop by and have a chat with him. Make him feel welcome.”

Wylie nodded. “Will welcome him, Dark Lord!”

“The rest of you, train in the arena. I want you in fighting shape.”

*

With the addition of a narkleer to my dungeon came a notification in my inner core.

Your dungeon difficulty has increased from Average III to Hard I

Bonus:

- Passive trait unlocked: Fear [The presence of a narkleer increases heroes’ fear when entering your dungeon, slowing reaction times and increasing the likelihood of poor decision making.]

- Dungeon fame increased. More heroes will now come to plunder your lair!

Woo hoo! Earning the ‘hard’ status was another milestone on my path to boasting a dungeon of mythical