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

of capabilities fell over her Core, and she felt cut off from being able to alter anything inside of her dungeon.  That was the main reason she had worked so hard to finish all of her projects in the first place, because she knew that would happen; she was limited to giving orders to her Dungeon Monsters and creating new ones near her Core, but that was about it.  Well, except for forming Bonds, of course.

She was prepared in other ways, as well – just in case the Elder turned out to be not on the up-and-up.  Her traps were all armed and ready to go, every room was fully stocked with constructs, and there was even a quickly constructed – and thin – stone wall over the entrance to the Roc Tunnel.  It wouldn’t stop anyone determined to get inside, but it would deter them for long enough for Sandra to prepare additional defenses.  Either way, without creating brand-new rooms with which to add more traps and constructs or Dungeon Monsters, she was as prepared as she could be.

Still walking cautiously through the tunnel leading to the workshop (though the last half was basically open to the air now because of the Sphere), the Rangers fanned out and pointed their arrows towards anything and everything.  Sandra couldn’t blame them overly much, because there was a lot that they could consider threatening; all of the constructs that had just come back with the Dwarves – which included the Mechanical Dire Wolves and Jaguar Queens, as well as the Steelclad Ape Warriors and Multi-access Repair Drones – were completely stationary, and lined up against one wall.  The Deep Diver suit that Gerold had been using was standing on its own next to the wall, which looked threatening but was relatively harmless without someone inside.  Added to all that, there were also 7 Radiant Pegasi standing stock still along the opposite wall, looking a lot more friendly than everything else, at least.

Further back, there was a forge and the Gnomish Hauler and wagon that had gone unused (but which came in handy for making deliveries to the Orcs), as well as two multi-colored blobs that formed the unshifted shape of Unstable Shapeshifters.  There were also quite a few storage boxes around, though most of them were empty; one held all of the Energy Orbs she had created, however, which was sitting next to the large pile of bows and bolts that Sandra had created during the night for the Rangers.

Speaking of the Rangers, the bow-wielding Elves were so on edge that anything unusual happening might just set them off – which Sandra didn’t quite recognize in time.  She had one of the Unstable Shapeshifters move forward and start to change into Violet, as she was small enough to hopefully not cause much of a stir and wouldn’t be very intimidating; unfortunately, the movement caused one of the Rangers to whip around too quickly and trip over her feet.  Being an Elf – and a Ranger to boot – she caught herself from falling to the floor, but she had to let go of her nocked and ready arrow…which shot right into the back of the Elder.

* I swear, it’s almost as if it’s a requirement to be mortally wounded in order to get a Visitor’s Bond here. *

Elder Herrlot screamed and collapsed to the floor, blood immediately staining the stone as she bled profusely out of the wound in her back.  Judging by the angle and location, Sandra thought it was entirely possible she had been shot in or near the heart and perhaps even the lungs, which would explain the copious amounts of blood emitting out of her back and bubbling out of her mouth.

One of the other Rangers rushed over after throwing down his weapon, and the bright-white light of Holy Elemental Energy streamed out of his hands as he laid them on the wound in the Elder’s back.  “My Minor Rejuvenation spell isn’t going to be enough!  Does anyone have anything stronger?!” he said, in a panic.  “We need to pull the arrow out, but as soon as I do that, the wound will tear open even further; however, if I don’t start healing what I can right now, she’ll be dead anyway.”

“No, no, no!  I’m so sorry, Elder!  I didn’t mean to—”

“Stop sniveling, Chryla – it’s not helping.  We know it was an accident, but now we have to save her.  You’re the fastest; run back to the village and grab—”

Sandra’s Multi-access Repair Drones were already on the move, and the Violet Copy was already running towards the group.  The Dungeon Core thought it was only the fact that the Gnome was naked that prevented them from firing on her, though one did fire at one of the Drones getting closer.  Luckily, the arrow was hastily fired and ricocheted off the top of the white cylinder shape of the Drone, making the slightest scratch in the metal it was made from but not actually harming it.

Sandra had the copy of Violet wave her hands in as much of a “no” motion as she could, while also pointing between the Repair Drones and the Elder.  The Rangers all nearly fired on the two Drones when their “arms” emerged from their cylinders, but fortunately they only held their weapons at the ready.

“What—what are they doing?” the Elf trying to heal the Elder asked as soon as the two constructs got close, before backing off when they practically shoved him out of the way.  “Violet” crouched over the bleeding older Elven woman and waited for the “hand” pads of the two Repair Drones to slap down on her prone form.  As soon as they did, she gripped the arrow stuck in the wound and yanked it out, to a gush of blood that quickly covered the bare skin of the Shapeshifter.  At least now I have her form to