The Crafter's Dominion: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 5) Jonathan Brooks (books that read to you txt) 📖

survive.  So, after making sure the Royal family member still appeared locked in her coma, she started to tell Sandra what had happened to her back in Gnomeria, as well as hearing about what happened to the Dungeon Core, the attack by the army of Orcs, and her (thankfully) temporary loss of control.

 

*I can’t wait to see those Weapons of War you helped to create!  I’m sure that I’ll be able to deliver more Energy Orbs to your people so that they can enchant even more. *

By the time the storytelling was done, she had arrived at the kitchen, where she stopped in delight when she saw the spread waiting for her.  Fruits, cooked and sliced meats, and halved loaves of bread were artfully arranged on two platters, just ready for her consumption.  There were also some thin, smooth wooden plates stacked up nearby them, as well as—is that glass?—cups next to the water faucet.  She grabbed some of everything she saw and placed it on one of the plates; when that was full, she set it on a nearby table with a stone bench in front of it, before grabbing a remarkably clear glass cup and filled it with icy-cold water.  Taking a long gulp before she even sat down, she went back to her food and started to dig in with a passion.

Which was where Echo found her moments later, scarfing her face full of delicious, still-warm bread.

“I had heard that you were back, Violet!  It’s so good to see that you made it back safely,” said the Elf (through a translation in her head courtesy of Sandra), before bending down and quickly hugging the smaller Gnome.

Violet paused, shocked, in the middle of chewing the massive amount of bread she had shoved in her mouth.  The Elf had always been a bit distant before, which was understandable given the tensions between the races, so it was definitely a surprise that the Elven Ranger had been so friendly.  Thinking about it, however, Violet realized she had missed the Elf, just like she had missed most everything around the dungeon.

She tried to say, “It’s good to see you, too,” but all that came out of her mouth around the food inside was, “Mmph whoo oo ee oo oo.”  Echo laughed at her, but Violet instantly knew it wasn’t meant to be mean, but more about the humor of Violet trying to talk through a stuffed mouth.  The Gnome laughed herself, but had to stop when she nearly choked on the bread.

Echo got her own food and settled in a seat near Violet, and they sat in companionable silence as they both ate like they hadn’t eaten in days.  Which was actually relatively accurate for Violet, because she couldn’t remember her last actual meal.

“…oh, yes – I can’t wait to see it!  Maybe now Parten won’t look at me like he does—well, hello!”  Gerold came through the nearby hallway, appearing as if he had just woken up as well.  A lot more chipper than Violet felt, though.

“It’s so good to be around people again!  You would not believe the accommodations I had to put up with back home! The silence and the solitude were wearing on me.”  The Dwarf walked over to the platters and picked up a few large pieces of meat and a hunk of bread for his plate, completely ignoring the fruit altogether.  “And the food is so much better here, too!”

His words sounded strange – almost as if he had been locked up or something.  A familiar feeling—

“You were locked up, too?” Echo suddenly asked.  Wait…Echo was locked up, as well?  That is a strange coincidence.

“Yes, I was.  Even though it wasn’t my fault that I lost my armor, they didn’t see it that way.”  Gerold didn’t seem too beat up about it, though, as he cheerfully tore into the food on his plate.  Looking around, he spotted the glasses near the water faucet, before his eyes lit on something else.  His mouth opened in shock as he stared.  “Is that what I think it is?”

Violet turned around to see what he was looking at, and for the first time she noticed what appeared to be a small barrel of something.

* Yes, I took a barrel of Ale from Teving’s stock down below and brought it up here in case anyone wanted some. I left the Whiskey down there, though, because it doesn’t seem appropriate to have that for breakfast. *

Gerold’s eyes teared up like he had just seen a long-lost family member, and he jumped up almost immediately.  A short time later, he was back at the table with a massive stoneware mug filled with what appeared to be (and smelled like) Ale.  He took a huge gulp, smacking his lips when he was finished, and Violet saw some of the foam was stuck in his beard.  She couldn’t help but smile at how much he seemed to be enjoying himself.

“Ah, yes!  Delicious!  A little more bitter than I usually go for, but I’m definitely not going to argue.  It feels like it’s been years since I’ve had a good Ale.”

Violet could see that Echo was amused as well, but in an instant that all changed when Violet heard voices coming from another direction entirely.  The Gnome could tell at least partially who it was, not from the voice itself, but from how Echo started to blush profusely and turned towards the hallway where the sounds were coming from.

“—to get comfortable with the hammer in your hand as if it belongs there.  For me, it’s when I don’t have a tool in my hand that it feels strange.”

“I feel like I could learn a lot from you, Master Jespin.  Not that Sandra isn’t a great teacher – no offense, Sandra – but it would be nice to have someone…flesh-and-blood, I guess.”

* None taken, Kelerim.  I