Dungeon of Chance: Even Odds: A Dungeon Core Novel (Serious Probabilities Book 1) Jonathan Brooks (book recommendations txt) 📖

walking down the hallway.  Focusing on them, he could see that they were the same 4 he had seen the day before, with an additional member of their little group – a young woman who looked extremely nervous compared to the others, all of whom appeared…eager…for what was to come.

As they approached his first room, he listened into their conversation….

*          *          *

“I can’t believe none of my peers wanted to join our group!” Rosara complained, not for the first nor twelfth time.  Jeska couldn’t help but smile inwardly at the situation, because it meant that the Mayor’s daughter didn’t get her way, though she was being a bit unfair.  It wasn’t any of their fault, after all – even Rosara’s – because certain circumstances led them to their final group member.

When they had left the dungeon the night before, it seemed as though the rest of the new Heroes had taken the time they were inside to mingle and talk with one another.  Without the focus being on them, and likely the stress of the situation, that led to groups being formed quickly amongst the majority of the Heroes.  What Jeska thought amazing was the fact that they weren’t even formed upon social strata, which was what she would’ve expected.

Merchants’ sons and daughters had grouped up with sailors and beggars. Ladies of the evening were grouped up with shipbuilders and semi-noble offspring (on Sunfall Island, some families were wealthy and had been around a long, long time; so, while not technically nobility, they basically functioned the same).  Even Bertun’s son, Bernard, had joined up with one of the former beggars and a fishwife, among others of different professions.

Asking about it later, one of the merchant’s sons revealed that he had felt a resonance, or so he called it, when interacting with the other Heroes outside of the dungeon.  It was this strange feeling that led him to his current group, who all admitted to feeling a bit of the same type of sensation.  I wonder if it had to do with proximity to the dungeon, as well?  It certainly seemed to start a lot of the other processes within us when we got close, after all.

As a result, there were already semi-formed groups awaiting them when they headed back to the city…except for one lone Hero who hadn’t found a group yet.

Kelty, former seamstress.

Neither Jeska nor any of the others in her group necessarily felt a resonance with the young woman, but then again, they hadn’t been looking for her specifically when they had left the area around the dungeon.  As soon as it was evident that she was their only option, though, Jeska felt a bit of completeness, upon inviting her into their group.  And when they arrived at the dungeon the next morning, the “resonance” that was hinted at before was there, though somewhat muted – probably because of her excitement.

Rosara, predictably, didn’t care for the fact that she hadn’t been able to choose their last group member, and had started to badmouth Kelty almost immediately, causing the poor woman to tear up – until Arcen brought Rosara to another room and spoke sternly to her about her attitude.  At least, that was what she hoped had happened, because when the Mayor’s daughter came back about an hour later, she was all smiles and had a much better attitude.  Any other alternative concerning her brother was something she didn’t want to think about.

From then on, Rosara wasn’t mad at Kelty anymore, but she certainly wasn’t happy with some of her friends among the merchants and semi-nobles.  As for the former seamstress, she still was a little wary around the Mayor’s daughter, but Pascale had taken it upon himself to make her feel welcome among their group.  They were fast friends right away, which led Jeska to believe there might be a little more in the future between the diminutive seamstress with short-cut, dark-blonde hair and the pickpocket with such average features that he could easily blend into a crowd.  I’m feeling a little left out, to be honest.  Whatever; this is about saving the people of this island, not about finding my soulmate.

“Just give it up already, Rosara,” Arcen said from up front.  “We’re with exactly who we should be with, and they are with exactly who they should be with.  We’re better off without them, anyway.”

“Yeah, I know, I can feel what they were talking about before, you know.  Still…ah, you’re right.  Screw them.  We’re going to be awesome in spite of their insult to my person.”

Jeska supposed that was a step up from being resentful of Kelty’s presence in their group, and hopefully it meant she would stop complaining, but it was more than silly for Rosara to keep thinking about everything in terms of her former life.  Ah, well, she’ll learn eventually.  For Jeska and her brother, there really wasn’t a significant change in their lives or the way they interacted with people when they became Heroes, but it was also probably because they had a very supportive father who encouraged them.  It must be hard being the Mayor’s daughter and being thrown out of everything you knew before; I guess I shouldn’t be so hard on her.

“We’ll just have to shove it in their faces, how awesome we are.”  Or maybe not.

Arcen stopped them all before they entered the first room, as they went over the plan they had concocted that morning once everything was settled.  Since they had the most experience, they had volunteered to be the first group inside the dungeon, and even now the 5 other groups were waiting outside for them to emerge.  The Mayor had objected, since his daughter was in the experimental group, but Rosara had easily turned it around to his advantage.

“Father, won’t it seem like you’re totally invested in the well-being of everyone on this island – not