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

“It took me a while to get back here. At first, I was seething. I wanted to destroy Riston, the guards, the whole bloody town. But the longer it took to return, the more I decided I wanted to think clearly. Not angrily.”

“And it’s as simple as that for you, is it?” said Gulliver “You just command your anger to leave?”

“Emotions aren’t supposed to affect me at all, but they do. More and more, lately. It’s like my human past is leaking into my core.”

“Did something go wrong when they forged you?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I spend so much time in Yondersun. Cores are meant to stay in their dungeons. Spend all their time killing heroes. I seem to be doing things above ground half the time, and it’s messing with me. But even if I feel human emotions, I don’t need to process them the same way. If I want them gone, they go.”

“It’s enviable, being able to banish your feelings. Many a time in my teens I would have loved such a gift.”

“You’re a scribe, Gull. You spent half your life following the Law of Scribalistic Neutrality. You saw horrible things happen, and you weren’t allowed to intervene while you were there as a scribe.”

“Being neutral and being unfeeling are two different things. Some of the stuff I saw, Beno. The wars. Massacres. Scribalistic Neutrality stopped me from getting involved. It’s also a law that lets scribes go to warzones and know we won’t get murdered. But don’t go thinking I can turn my emotions off like they’re water from a tap, like you. I feel them as strongly as anyone. I just had to learn not to show them. You can’t report on things like wars and famine if you let yourself get wrapped up in how they make you feel.”

It was funny. There was I, a core who wasn’t supposed to have emotions, but I did. Gulliver was a human and was supposed to have emotions, but he’d spent most of his working life not being able to show them. No wonder he was so quick to punch walls.

And then there was Wylie. Honest, simple Wylie. As quick to anger as he was to kindness. He wore his heart on his sleeve and his soul on his shirt. No pretense, no hiding.

That was why I had wanted him here while I decided what to do next. The three of us made for a good mix.

“The first thing I need to find out is who tried to turn the girl into a wraith, and why. As soon as she’s better, I need to talk to her.”

“Her parents won’t let you anywhere near their house. Everyone blames you,” said Gulliver.

“That’s why I’m going to recall Morphant from Hogsfeate.”

“Your mimic?”

“Who else?”

“You need him in Hogsfeate. Isn’t he pretending to be the leader of the heroes guild?”

“Needs must.”

“Why not create new mimic?” said Wylie.

“If this was just an ordinary trick, then sure. But new mimics have a tell, Wylie.”

“Ah. They stink.”

“Exactly. A low-level mimic has a tell that marks them as imperfect copies. People are already alert in Yondersun, and they already think I’m plotting things. If I send a mimic out and he gets rumbled, they’ll go crazy. And the way people are right now, they’d spot a novice mimic instantly. Whereas Morphant is a level 19 mimic. He can do the job without giving himself away. I’ll have him take on a new appearance, tell the girls’ parents that he’s a doctor, and then question her.”

“But what could it be? What horrible creature could turn someone into a wraith?” said Gulliver.

“Certain mages can do it. Demons. There are a few monsters that have the ability. Nothing that should be within a hundred miles of Yondersun.”

“Mages? What about…”

“Riston? I don’t know,” I said. “I’m beginning to sense what kind of mage he is. And I don’t think it involves wraiths.”

“No?”

“He was talking to the insects. Whispering to them. And then, just like that, they turned back. Think about what’s happening in town, too. Everyone’s falling over themselves to kiss his arse. Galatee is letting Riston command her guards. Don’t get me wrong: his beard is impressive, and appearances count for a lot. But not enough to win him this kind of influence.”

“So why not unmask him? Tell everyone what he is?”

“That’s the problem,” I said. “If he uses his spells to influence people, then I can’t just tell them he’s manipulating them. All he’ll do is double down. Use mana to keep them on his side.”

“Ah. You need to show them he’s doing it.”

“Cut his head off!” said Wylie.

“An idea wonderful in theory, useless in practice. We’d just look like murderers. If we ever get the chance to cut his head off, we at least need to show the townsfolk what he is before we do so.”

“The way I see it,” said Gulliver. “He’s got the guards on his side. Practically the whole town. He’s already got them to the point where they’re scared about people going missing. Now, he can show them the girl, use his mana to get them to believe you did it, and that’s it. They’ll run you out of town.”

It sounded bad. The worst thing was, I knew that Gull was right.

“There’s only one way out of this. The girl was in the caverns under the crater. Now, we know that people have been going missing for a while. I’d bet my arse that the rest of them have been turned into wraiths, and that they’re underground. So, I need to go down there and find them. If I can tie it all together with Riston, then all the better.”

“Shadow and Eric?” said