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

wasn’t that he didn’t want to listen to her, but he had been quite immature and wanted to play outside instead of working.  Looking back, the “work” was just a series of simple tasks that would’ve taken him at most 15 minutes to complete, but when he was 6 years old it seemed to take forever.  His mother would get mad at his inattention, though she wouldn’t yell at him; instead, she would speak in a low, soft voice that he immediately knew was something he should pay attention to or else he’d get into real trouble.

In fact, the tone of voice was similar enough that he had a thought.  Hey, are you a…girl?  It didn’t actually sound like his mother, but the tone was distinct enough that he couldn’t help but think that was the case.

“Obviously, I’m not a girl.  I am, however, female,” Dwight, the female baby dragonling, said matter-of-factly. “I would think that would be common knowledge to all Heroes; monsters – one of which I am patterned after – that are found inside of dungeons are always female.”

That was certainly news to Clay.  Instead of reiterating that he wasn’t a Hero, he instead asked why he was there in the first place, if only Heroes were supposed to be shoved into this “Dungeon Core” thingy.

“Heroes have an intrinsic knowledge of how the dungeons they grind through operate at a base level, so they are uniquely qualified to run one themselves.  It has been this way for as long as there have been Humans and Heroes, though this relationship between Heroes and Dungeon Cores is not something that is shared with Humans, for reasons I will go into later.

“As for why you, I have no idea.  The highest-Tiered Hero that perished during a World Threat attack should have been the one here instead of you.  This makes no sense.”

Thinking back on what he had seen of the battle – which wasn’t a whole lot, since it had mainly taken place outside of Renton – a theory emerged in Clay’s mind, but he wasn’t sure if it was wholly correct.  And what would happen if no Heroes died during the attack?

“That is extremely unlikely, as at least one Hero always dies while repelling a World Threat. The monsters that they fight are much too powerful for there to be no casualties. It is their duty and reason for existing, after all.”

To…die?

“Of course not.  Their duty is to keep the rest of the world safe; sacrificing themselves for the greater good so as to ensure that safety is a well-known caveat of becoming a Hero.  How do you not know this?”

Uh…because I’m not a Hero?  That would explain a lot, wouldn’t you think?

“B-But—” The baby dragonling’s speech began to sputter as she began to work through all of the information; it showed Clay that Dwight wasn’t just a set of instructions inside of a Dungeon Core designed to help him, but was actually a personality that could reason and think.  “Hmmm.  If you are correct and not a single Hero died during the attack, then that would make sense that you might have taken the slot open at the time.  This isn’t good.”

Yeah, you’ve got that right.

“There is nothing in my stored knowledge that indicates this has ever happened before.  There is no protocol that I can fall back on to teach you the necessary elements of dungeons and Heroes,” Dwight said slowly, as if talking to herself.  It was strange watching a little dragonling cock her head to the side like a dog—  Clay stopped himself from thinking any more along those lines, for fear that Dwight would inadvertently be offended.

Either she chose to ignore it or hadn’t heard, because she didn’t make any mention of it when she spoke next.  “Hmm…unless…you happen to know what you don’t know?”

Uh…no?

Another snort came from her mouth, though there wasn’t any flame this time, just a tiny puff of smoke – that Clay just realized completely disappeared as soon as it got a couple of feet away from the little dragonling.  Huh.  You really aren’t there, are you?

“Correct.  I was created to inhabit all Dungeon Cores as an extension of the help system, and having a physical representation of a guide was thought to help with acclimation.”

Who was it that thought it was a good idea?  Not that I think it’s a bad idea, he hastily added.

“I do not contain that information,” Dwight said curtly.  “Besides, that really isn’t important right now.  What is important is that you get started on your duty.”

Why?

“I don’t understand your question.  Why is what you asked not important?  Why is getting started on your duty important?  Please elaborate.”

Clay actually wanted to know both of those things, and a whole lot more, but what he really meant was why this was his duty.

She answered him before he could even ask.  “It is your duty because as a Hero—” Dwight stopped herself, obviously realizing that what she was saying was wrong.  “I have no additional answer to that question that you shouldn’t already be well aware of by now.  Let me attempt to explain, however.”

For the first time, the baby dragonling stopped her constant flapping to keep herself stationary in the air.  In a few seconds, she was on the dirt and stone floor of the small cave, wings folded and lying flat against her back, and tail curled around her front legs as she took on a lecturing tone.  “From the information I have, which is scanty at best for some reason, Heroes and Dungeon Cores were both created…by someone or something…as a way to combat the emergence of World Threats, such as the one that killed you.  Before that, Humans were a savage race, more willing to kill each other than to help defend their own people.  When