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

could wait until my essence replenishes and then let a few monsters loose in there. Or, we could wait it out. Mortal beings have a pesky reliance on food and water, so they would eventually die. But, I had a better idea.”

“Ah,” said Galatee. “I think I understand. Very clever.”

I liked Galatee. Not only did she seemed much more level-headed than her elder, but she caught on to things quickly. I resolved that she would be my point of contact from now on. I’d keep First-Leaf out of it as much as I could.

The First-Leaf faced the door now. The cockatiel knocker blinked at him. I knew that the knocker could appear on both sides of the door at once, since the riddle would need to be solved no matter where you opened it from.

First-Leaf tapped it with his staff, and the cockatiel gave a squawk.

“Ah, a new face. No time to waste. The goblins behind, they have taken their time. Perhaps you can solve my riddle.”

“What is it?” said First-Leaf.

The cockatiel spoke now. Though I could understand the words, I knew they would be in the kobold language.

“What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?”

“Simple,” said Godwin. “A river.”

Galatee eyed him strangely. “First-Leaf, the language you were talking…”

“It is Kobold. A harsh language, blunt on the ears and very throaty.” He turned to me now. “I am a polyglot.”

“And you just made a mistake,” I said. “There’s a reason this was locked.”

With the riddle solved, the door swung open, and now we could hear the Seeker party further up the tunnel. Luckily, it seemed they were trying their luck with the bullhead riddle door.

“I better close it and set a new riddle,” I said. “We need them locked in. The reason I called you here is that I thought you could bring some people from the caves. A dozen or so, all armed. If we can take the Seekers as prisoners, or some of them at least, you can find out more about them. Their numbers, their plans.”

First-Leaf ignored me, stepping beyond the riddle door and into the tunnel. He raised his staff, and now the base glowed a pond-water green.

He suddenly smashed it down on the ground. There was a flash of light, and a green mist spread out, snaking north through the tunnel.

Galatee gagged. Shadow retreated a few steps, holding her nose. I was glad I had muted my senses.

First-Leaf left the tunnel and closed the door. “It should only take a minute for them to die.”

Galatee seemed to recover herself. “First-Leaf, Core Beno was right to bring us here. What have you done? We have never caught a Seeker alive.”

I heard a muffled scream from beyond the riddle door. Several voices all shouting out. The First-Leaf had released some kind of toxin spell, I realized. In such a cramped, locked space, it would be deadly.

Someone really needed to take that damn staff off him.

“There,” said First-Leaf. “The matter is settled. Seven less Seekers to prey upon us.”

“The information we gained would have been more valuable than seven deaths.”

“You presume to question me, Second-Leaf?”

Both gnomes locked eyes now. I could see the conflict within Galatee. She was a strong gnome, firm of purpose and full of resolve. Yet, she nodded at the First-Leaf now.

“Good. Core Beno, your progress is much slower than I anticipated. I will expect better when I return.”

The First-Leaf left us now. Warrane, who had stayed back against the wall and kept quiet, watched him leave. When the rap-tat-tap of his staff got quieter, Warrane approached me.

“The First-Leaf has lost his mind!”

Galatee shot him a stern glance. “A Fifth talks such a way about a First?”

“This leaf is sorry, Galatee.”

“He should be. He is right, but he should be. He needs to learn when to swallow his words.”

She said this with a trace of affection. I knew then that Galatee respected her elder but feared him, and that she liked Warrane. I wondered what this place would be like if the First-Leaf was gone. He was like a heavy stone keeping them submerged in a pool of water.

I had so many questions now, and it was hard to know where to begin. I started with the most obvious.

“Was Core Jahn attacked too?” I asked.

“Your friend was not attacked.”

“And has he…tell me he hasn’t absorbed all of his essence?”

“Absorbed? I won’t pretend to know how a dungeon core works,” said Galatee, “But I can tell you this. He has grown a spread of vines on his wall. The books I read before purchasing you told me that this is essence, no?”

Ah, that was good to hear. Jahn had learned from his mistake, at least.

“Is there a way for Jahn and I to get messages to each other?” I asked. “We may need to coordinate with each other if the Seekers choose to attack on both fronts.”

“Our kobold miners use a system of crystals to send messages between each tunnel. I will see if there are any spare.”

“Thank you, Galatee.”

“That is not all, Core Beno.” She said this with a hint of a smile on her usually stern face.

“Oh?”

“I have a surprise for you.”

CHAPTER 13

Galatee walked away from us, heading back to the core room. Shadow, holding me, followed her, and once we arrived she helped me onto my pedestal point. There, floating above the rest of them, I felt a little more at ease.

The Second-Leaf carried on walking, and soon I couldn’t hear her footsteps anymore.

“A surprise,” I said. “I wonder what it is.”

Warrane shrugged. Shadow resumed her drawing on the mud in the corner.

Before long I heard Galatee coming back. There