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

Normally, she might be sympathetic toward the Council Leader, but after she essentially went through the same thing for months, at the direction of the Council, she felt it was only justice rearing its ugly head.  While she didn’t wish the pain and suffering on him, she also knew it was for a good cause – just like hers had been.

Well, don’t kill yourself, but keep doing what you’re doing.  Believe me, you become numb to it after a while.

“Yes, that’s right, you probably would know.”  Malachite was silent for a few moments, before saying something that surprised the former Dungeon Assistant.  “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry that you had to go through all of that.  I don’t think Lily really understood what she was putting you through when she assigned you all of those Cores, especially one right after another.  It was a mistake, and I wish we could take it back,” he said sincerely.

Apology accepted.  I know now that it was for a purpose, but to be treated so poorly was…well, I’m sure you can commiserate, feeling how you do right now. 

“I can, I assure you.”  He turned to the others he had brought with him, and nodded.  “Let’s go; I have the location.  After that, I’ll probably sleep for a full day, because I don’t want to kill myself.”  Aster and Begonia looked somewhat mollified at that, though Tacca doubted a day would be more than a temporary salve on his pain and mental abuse.  She remembered having to rest for weeks in between some of her first painful Bond severings so that she was able to function again.

After they left, Shale spoke up with a smirk on his face.  “Well, maybe I should’ve taken that bet; it looks like we were wrong, and that you’ll be seeing a lot more of him.”

You could be right, but we’ll see.  I’d still be surprised if he finds more willing participants than not.  With that, she got back to work.

It took nearly 2 and a half weeks to finish all of the rooms, and in all of that time Malachite only showed up a handful of times to request another room after the first was delivered.  As in, a literal hand with 5 fingers, because that was all of the volunteers he got from those Dungeon Cores he approached.  In all, only 16 Cores (10 in vacant dungeons and 6 in the rooms she had dug out) had agreed to be reset back to CI Level 1 and start over, out of only 100 or so that the Council Leader had talked to and tried to convince to leave.

“There are still a few dozen on the upper edge of the area that I haven’t had a chance to speak with, but I’ll be heading there next.  I’ve been putting it off because it seemed as though the attacks have stopped, and I’m not sure where they will strike next,” Malachite reported shortly after delivering his latest volunteer.  It was strange knowing that there were 6 other Cores within a few miles of her location, but she couldn’t even sense them at all.  Fortunately, she knew they all had their previous Dungeon Assistants Bonded to them again, so they weren’t by themselves; from what Shale had discovered, they were slowly expanding and growing, if only to pass the time.

Isn’t that a good thing?  That they’ve stopped attacking?

“Normally, I’d say yes, but these monstrous people are far from normal.  I’m more worried about why they stopped attacking, though I suppose it could be in reaction to the mass evacuation of the mortal races, the departure of so many Dungeon Assistant Fairies, or even the relocation of those Dungeon Cores I was able to convince,” he responded bitterly.  He was certainly taking the inability to convince the others to leave as a personal failure, and she didn’t have the desire to explain to him that it wasn’t his fault.

Or they could be just done with what they wanted to accomplish and have decided to disappear for good? We can hope, can’t we?

He chuckled tiredly.  “Hope.  Yes, we can hope, but I thoroughly doubt this is the case.  Regardless, I appreciate everything you’ve done to help secure these Cores, which I have no doubt will be instrumental in repopulating the different sites across the continent.  Anyway, I wanted to give you an update, and now I need to get some rest before I work on those last 30 or so.  Wish me luck!”

Uh…yeah, you probably don’t want me to do that.  But good luck, anyway.

His tired smile looked forced as he disappeared, his helper shadows Translocating away just after.

Well, now; I guess I can get back to what I was doing before all of this happened. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Shale said, lifting his arms above his head in a stretch.  Her Dungeon Assistant had been sticking around her dungeon the majority of the time she had been working on the rooms – which seemed like a waste now, because less than 5% of them were currently filled – so that she would have access to more Dungeon Force; now that she was done, he could spend an hour or two investigating the outside world while she started to plan out her newest section.  “I’m heading out.”

A few minutes later, he initiated the Perception Link, and instantly she could feel that he was excited.

What is—?

It didn’t take her long to focus on what he was seeing, which was the familiar sight of two particular Hill Dwarves coming up the mountainside.

Finally!  It’s been way too long.

“Yes; yes, it has.  It’ll be good to see them inside of your dungeon again.”

Chapter 16

It felt good getting out