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

“Enough of this talking.  When are you leaving for the capital?  If you are somehow being transported by…Aerie Roc…then that means you’ll arrive there quickly; I need to go with you if that is the case.”

“I don’t know exactly when we’re leaving, but from what I understand it won’t be today.  I’ll have to ask Sandra if it’s possible for you to ride along; it may be that you won’t be able to ride on the back of the Roc unless you’re bonded to the dungeon,” Echo responded, trying to think of a valid excuse to prevent the Elder from going with her.  While she didn’t care for the older Elf on a personal level, she would follow her orders if she insisted on going; however, she also sensed some sort of ulterior motive behind the Elder’s demand to accompany her there.

“Fine; if that’s what it takes, then I’ll get this…bond.”

Now that was unexpected; the way that the older Elf had spoken of the dungeon earlier, she thought getting bonded to it would be the last thing the Elder would want to do.  It might make things easier, at least.  Echo wouldn’t have to explain Sandra’s motivations anymore – the dungeon core could do that herself.

“Ok, I’ll take you there later, as well as anyone else that wants to go,” the young Ranger offered, even if she weren’t quite sure that Sandra would approve.  “There’s a special bond that Sandra discovered recently that I think you might benefit from.  I have to warn you and anyone else that wants to come, though; I’ve heard the process is extremely painful – as in, any pain you’ve experienced up to this point in your life would pale in comparison.  Fortunately, it only lasts a few seconds.”

“I can handle pain, girl – have no doubt about that.  After the sun sets and everyone is back, we’ll take some of the Rangers to get this…special bond…of yours,” Elder Herrlot mentioned off-handedly, as if it weren’t a big deal.  “In the meantime, you’ll have to tell me a little bit about it.  Before that, though, I just have to know what it is that you are holding.  It doesn’t look like any bow I’ve seen before; I mean, it doesn’t even have a string!”

The Elder seemed quite excited about her bow, which confused Echo until she remembered hearing that Herrlot had been a Ranger in her youth.  While she had other means to defend herself now, the older Elf obviously had a love for a meticulously crafted bow or two.  Not that her bow was anything approaching a work of art or anything, as it was more form over function, that didn’t mean it wasn’t incredible.

“Absolutely!  I would love to show you how it works; why don’t we join the Rangers in the forest, and I’ll show you what this baby can do.  We’ll stay near the edges in case there’s an emergency here, though I know Sandra has been keeping an eye on things and will alert us if there’s a problem,” Echo said, gesturing and looking up into the sky.  It was hard to make them out, but she could see the light glint off of a couple of Sandra’s floating Shears patrolling over their village’s valley.

“I see; so your dungeon—sorry, Sandra—is spying on us now?”

Echo rolled her eyes, though she made sure she was facing away from the Elder.  “Of course not; she’s making sure she can respond to a sudden attack if it occurs.”

“Fair enough,” the Elder said, though she didn’t sound convinced.  “Let’s go then and show me this bow of yours.”  With that, the revered older Elf started walking out of the village and towards the southeast, where the beasts from the dungeon there roamed the forest.  Naturally, Echo started to follow, before she realized that Kelerim was following.

“Stay here, Kelerim; the forest isn’t safe for you there,” she said, even knowing he couldn’t understand her.  She pointed towards the central fire in the middle of their village, though she felt bad treating him like some sort of child that couldn’t venture out of the safety of their arborents.  He looked a little hurt at first and she nearly relented and let him come, but she knew it would be too dangerous for him, especially since she had found out he wasn’t any sort of fighter.  She slid up close to him, put her hand on his chest, and whispered, “Please stay here; I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Whether it was her presence or the tone of her words, he seemed to understand.  He smiled and said something she couldn’t understand, before blushing and turning away towards the center of the village.  She watched him go and sit down on a bench that was coaxed out from one of the nearby arborents when it was initially grown, before turning to her and waving with a strained smile on his face. Echo couldn’t decipher exactly what that meant; all she knew was that he was staying and would be safe there until she returned.

Hurrying to catch up to the Elder, who seemed to be able to walk quickly enough that it seemed like a run, she felt excited that she would be able to show off what she had helped Sandra craft in the core’s dungeon.  Echo thought it would be good to be able to connect with someone other than those that temporarily lived in the dungeon, considering that most of the other Rangers only tolerated her presence now.  Maybe if they get bonded too, some of that camaraderie will come back.

So focused on her bow and hoping to impress the Elder with how it could easily take down a monstrous beast with enormous power, Echo somehow missed the interested and predatory glances of the other village women as they watched the exotic “beast” within their midst.