The Dungeon Fairy: Three Lives: A Dungeon Core Escapade (The Hapless Dungeon Fairy Book 3) by Jonathan Brooks (the false prince TXT) 📕

“Yeah, well, if I don’t try, who will?  Besides, if I’m able to save some of these Cores, then perhaps their Dungeon Assistants could re-Bond with them when they are in a safer place.”

That certainly got the attention of the Head Instructor.  “You think they could?  I am having trouble finding places for many of them, so perhaps that might be the best solution.”  Of course, when it came to the well-being and happiness of his charges, Lapis was quite conciliatory.  “Of course, that still doesn’t solve the problem of where to put them, does it?”

“Yes, that’s one thing that I haven’t quite worked out yet…but I think I have an idea.”

“What idea is that?”

“Let me see if this ability will work in the first place, and then we’ll figure out where to stash them.”  He gave the Head Instructor a wink, but Lapis completely ignored it.

“Well, I still think this is too dangerous, but if you’re determined to put yourself at risk, I’m not going to stop you.  I do think you should take some help, though, if you’re going to be vulnerable.”

That was how he ended up a few hours later inside of a dungeon’s Core Room with Aster and Begonia, two Dungeon Assistants who had been formerly Bonded with Cores but had been removed.  The Core was located south of the northernmost Cores that were still intact, out of the direct path of the terrifying destruction caused by the mysterious people; since he wasn’t exactly sure what this ability entailed, or how long it would take, he wanted to be a little more cautious for this experiment.

He initiated the Core Bond with the Dungeon Core, and when the connection established he felt an enormous sense of relief pass over him.  It had been decades since he had last actually Bonded with a Core, and he realized that he missed being part of a team that wholly relied on and respected each other naturally – and where he didn’t have to deal with uptight Head Instructors that thought they knew everything.

“What is going on?  First, I had to dissolve the Bond I had with that hot flying chick Dahlia, and now you show up looking all official ‘n stuff – like when I got sent to the principal’s office in fourth grade.  All because I stole Jennifer’s cell from her desk – but she shouldn’t have had a phone at school, anyway, you know?  Besides, I was just holding it for her because Mrs. Elsasser was checking stashes and—”

“Whoa, whoa – too much information.  I’m not a…principal…nor do I know what a phone is, but that’s not important.  You’re Joshua, correct?”

“Yep, born and raised in good ol’ Colorado, you know?  I mean, those Donkeys sucked almost every year I was alive, but when you live there you gotta rep the orange and blue, am I right?”

The one thing Malachite had forgotten about Bonding with a new Core were all of the strange colloquialisms and obtuse references from another dimension mentioned by those inhabiting their new forms.  Granted, sometimes it was interesting hearing about strange “technology” and other forms of entertainment, but most of the time it was just plain confusing; luckily, these types of rambling conversations usually faded over time as the new Core got adjusted to the world.  Joshua, however, seemed to have grown highly bored in the time between being un-Bonded with his Dungeon Assistant and now and was apparently happy for some sort of conversation.  It probably didn’t help that his dungeon had been essentially abandoned and he hadn’t had any Raiders visit in weeks.

“My name is Malachite and I have a proposition for you—”

“Whoa!  I’m gonna stop you right there; I don’t swing that way, man.  I mean, there’s nothing wrong with it, of course, but it’s not something I’m into, you know?”

The Council Leader closed his eyes and leaned his head back, letting out a big sigh.  “Look, I don’t have time to play around here,” he finally said, exasperated, cutting off anything else the Core was going to say.  “I know you heard about the threat coming from the north, which isn’t too far from here.  If we don’t do anything, you’re going to be destroyed.”

“Are you threatening me, mother—”

“I have no need to threaten you, Joshua, this is just how it is.  Now, I’m here to help you, but I want your permission first.”

There was silence for a moment as the Core obviously thought about what he was saying.

“Help, how?  Are you going to kill these things destroying us?”

“I’m working on that, Joshua, but for the time being, what I want to do is move you.”

“What?!  You can do that?”

“That’s what I’m here to find out.”  Malachite went on to explain what he had in mind, and he could tell right away that Joshua was skeptical.

“How do you know this will work?  And is it safe?”

“I have no idea; this is a first for me, too.  All I can tell you is that this could be your only chance of surviving.  Now, what do you say?  Are you in?”

There was a 2-second delay, before Joshua said, “Shoot, dog – count me in.  You only die twice, right?”

The Council Leader was confused why he would want to shoot a dog, but he got the gist of the statement.  The Dungeon Core was willing to try it.  “Alright, here we go….”

Malachite pictured in his mind where he wanted the Core to Translocate to; it was one of the empty dungeons where a Core had been destroyed about half a year ago, though it hadn’t been caused by these mysterious people.  Instead, the culprits had been Raiders, at least according to the Dungeon Assistant that had thankfully been able to escape before she had