The Crafter's Defense: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 2) Jonathan Brooks (large ebook reader TXT) 📖

hoping that will change soon.  I used to be what you would consider a Master Enchanter when I was still Human, despite having never enchanted anything at all. *

“What?  That doesn’t make any sense—”

* However, I’ve never seen anything like the runes placed on the War Machines Felbar and the other two Gnomes were controlling.  If you teach me how to make those, I can in turn teach others, as well as start making some of those War Machines myself. *

“But I only know a few of the runes, as I hadn’t finished—wait a minute,” Violet said, before stopping herself.  “Are you seriously asking me – a Gnome – to teach you – a dungeon – how to craft and make a War Machine, the only thing that has kept our people alive all these years from the monsters coming from dungeons roaming around our borders?”

When she put it that way, it sounded ludicrous.  Sandra didn’t know what she could say to convince Violet of her sincerity, so she said nothing.  They were both silent as the Gnome seemed to have some sort of internal struggle in her mind.

“What guarantees can you give that you won’t use the information against us?” Violet finally asked.

The others immediately protested.  “You can’t seriously be considering that, can you?”  “Are you crazy?  This is a dungeon we’re talking about!” “That’s a very bad idea, Violet; Felbar will kill you when he finds out!”

Violet held her hand up to shush them, which they did almost immediately, as she waited for Sandra’s response.

* There isn’t any guarantee that I can give to you that you would believe, especially coming from a dungeon.  However, I hope that my actions of late and the sight of my workshops here have shown you that I’m a different kind of dungeon than you’re used to. *

The Gnome seemed to think that over for a bit, before nodding her head once.  “That’ll have to do, I suppose; if you had actually tried to give me guarantees, I probably wouldn’t have believed you.  I agree with your proposition, for the survival of my people, if nothing else.  But, like I was saying, I only know a few of the runes; I had only begun to learn how to create the other one when my parents—I mean, the Enchanters Learning Academy was destroyed,” Violet choked out, sounding a little emotional.

There was some sort of personal story there, but Sandra didn’t pry – because it also sounded like it was private and still a bit raw.  She assured the Gnome woman that with enough experimentation, she could probably figure it out if she had a starting point; she had enough instruction in Enchanting over her decades-long pursuit of crafting knowledge that she thought she could work out a solution.

* Also, I would love to learn more about your temporary enchantment runes I saw you use on your Steel knives; Humans tend to do enchantments with permanency, so I’ve never actually seen more than a few temporary enchantments before. *

Violet looked skeptical.  “Are you sure you were a ‘Master Enchanter’?  Even our children can use simple runes like that.”  Sandra didn’t bother to answer her, as she didn’t want to explain everything about her own history.  “But I’ll see what I can do to have the others teach you what they know.”

* Thank you.  If you all want to head up to the Kitchen again and through there to the forge in the next room, I’ll see about converting an old room into a place where you can all sleep for the night.  The sun is starting to set, and I know that today has been a bit exhausting.”

Sandra saw them file out, the exhaustion that they had been ignoring with everything that had been going on visibly hitting them as they headed up.  Before Violet left the growing room, she stopped and turned to face one of the Articulated Clockwork Golems nearby.  “By the way, what’s the deal with the Elf?”

* Oh, that’s right, I forgot to mention that.  In a little over a week, a special party of Elven Elites are supposed to be coming here to destroy me unless I can find a way to stop them.  They think I’m some sort of danger or something. *

Violet just shook her head and departed, mumbling under her breath.  “What did I just get myself into…”

Chapter 25

It was easy enough for Sandra to send an Ape into Kelerim’s old room and disassemble the bed there; as soon as the leather mats were gone, she was able to manipulate the stone bed frame, add to it, and create 8 separate, smaller beds.  A quick use of her dungeon ability to eat away at a portion of the crude – nearly rancid, actually (she was going to have to make some more soon) – leather mats to divide them up to fit on each bed like a hard mattress.  It was a little cramped in the room now, but it was better than nothing.

The Gnomes didn’t care, however; as soon as they saw somewhere to sleep, they each picked a bed and collapsed, falling asleep within minutes of arriving.  Sandra figured they would be out for quite a while, which was alright for her, since she needed to get caught up on a few things.  Not only was there more crafting that she wanted to accomplish, but she needed to get some things ready for when her new Visitors all woke up.  First, though, she needed some information.

Winxa, I have a couple of questions.  First, the Core that had all of the reptiles; does its Core Size Upgrade take the same time as mine will?  And second, will the Gnomes here be able to help me stop the Elves from attacking by speaking to them?

The Dungeon Fairy had been listening to everything Sandra