The Crafter's Dominion: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 5) by Jonathan Brooks (e ink epub reader .txt) 📕

while.  It feels like only a few months ago I was able to run 40 miles through these tunnels without breaking a sweat; yet now I can barely stand for more than 30 minutes without needing to sit down.”

The Master Blacksmith leaned back against the wall behind him and crossed his arms in a relaxed posture, continuing his explanation.  “I happened to hear a report that you had returned unexpectedly, and on the back of a Roc, nonetheless.  I try to keep tabs on those Shieldmen that use the armor I’ve crafted over the years, so with your return to Stonebrink so quickly after being dispatched to Nurboldar, I knew I had to find out what happened to you…and to my armor.

“At first, I was furious that you had allowed my precious work to be destroyed and wanted nothing to do with you.  However, after your story seemed to spread around the Shieldmen here – and with me having a mutual relationship with them – the story you told Parten filtered its way to me.  Just like the First-shield told you, it sounded too fantastical to believe, and it seemed as if you were making things up to cover for your mistakes.”  He was silent for a few moments as he leaned his head back and stared at Gerold again.

“But then I heard that you mentioned a ‘friendly’ dungeon and how it helped you to regain some of your combat abilities.  Some sort of…suit…or something along those lines, am I correct?”

Gerold nodded.  “Yes, a Deep Diver suit.”

“Deep Diver?” the Master asked, surprised.  He tapped his finger against his mouth as if submerged in thought.  “Where have I heard that before…ah!  Now I remember; the Gnomes made those Deep Diver suits to allow them to enter dungeons, if I’m not mistaken.  Because their…Battle Mechs?...were too large to get inside the entrances.”

“War Machines, actually, but yes.”  Gerold just realized that he had corrected a Master, but fortunately the Blacksmith didn’t seem to take offense.

“That’s right! War Machines…I remember them being quite impressive.”  Jespin seemed to look off in the distance as if reminiscing about something.  “So, the Gnomes made you this Deep Diver?”

“Yes and no.  Sandra got the idea from some Gnomes that were staying there, and then she improved upon the design.”

“Wait, what?  I don’t remember hearing about that.”

Gerold went into an explanation of how, when he had arrived and lost his armor, Sandra’s dungeon had been occupied by a pair of Gnomes, an Elf, and later on a half-Dwarf/half-Orc named Kelerim.  He also briefly explained what happened to Nurboldar again for context, and how the villagers and remaining Shieldmen had taken refuge in the unique dungeon and were even producing many of the same crops that they had before their village was overrun.

“…this dungeon made the Deep Diver suit?  And a War Machine for the Gnomes?  How?  And more importantly, why?”

“The why is the easiest to answer, I believe,” Gerold answered honestly.  “Sandra isn’t like other dungeon ‘Cores’, who she says are insane and are constrained by certain things to want to kill everything around them in a mindless fury.  She used to be a Human that died and was turned into one of these Cores, but she was able to maintain her sanity; now, she wants to save our people from the worrisome dangers that the other dungeons present.  And not only us, but also the Elves and Gnomes – even the Orcs.”

“How does this ‘Sandra’ expect to do that?  The mere thought of it seems impossible.”

“Multiple ways, actually.  First—” Gerold said, turning his palms outwards toward the Master Blacksmith— “are these Energy Orbs that you see embedded in my hands.”

“Good Creator, Gerry!  Is that some sort of mark the dungeon put on you?  Does it control you even now?”  The Blacksmith shrank back a little in disgust, shaking his head.

“No, this isn’t about control, Master.  These marks are what she calls a ‘bond,’ which allows me to speak with her, and these Energy Orbs are something else entirely.  They regenerate my elemental energy automatically—”

“Impossible.”

Gerold chuckled at the Master’s insistence, the first bit of humor he had experienced since he arrived back home.  “That’s what I thought at first, as well, but it’s true.  As long as I was within range of Sandra’s Core, these Orbs would continuously supply Water and Nether energy to me forever.  Now, though, since I’m not near her, I have a feeling that if I use them up, they will shrink and disappear just like they would when used outside of my palms.”

“Your stories are becoming more and more fantastical…but for some reason, I believe you.  Did you say there are more of these ‘Energy Orbs’?”

Gerold again nodded.  “Absolutely.  I don’t know how she did it, but Sandra created them with enchantments and even installed them in my Deep Diver suit, which she also crafted from raw materials, using a forge and her constructs to build the suit – and War Machine – from the ground up.”

“It—She is a Blacksmith?”

“Yes, and much more.  She apparently loves crafting of all sorts, and you would be amazed at what she can produce!” he said wonderingly, before remembering who he was talking to.  “I mean, she can’t produce the quality of weapons and armor that Master Blacksmiths like yourself can create, but there’s no denying that it is quite good; I would dare say that it would be relatively passable to your inspection, even.”  He wasn’t sure why he was talking up Sandra and her abilities like he would a prospective mate he was presenting to his parents, but it also wasn’t a lie.  She really was that good, though she could likely learn a lot from Jespin here.

All of which reminded Gerold of his secondary purpose in returning to the mountain strongholds of his people.  He had already failed at trying to