The Dungeon Fairy: Three Lives: A Dungeon Core Escapade (The Hapless Dungeon Fairy Book 3) Jonathan Brooks (read me like a book .txt) 📖

to be heard by quite a few people around him.  Tacca had seen how much respect most of the other Raiders held toward the diminutive Hill Dwarf (as well as Gwenda), so the silence spread throughout that stand and through another and another, until the whole arena was nearly silent.

As she had figured based on the dynamic she had observed between the two, Gwenda took over.  “I believe there is something up there that may be a little disturbing to us, so I would offer fair warning that you might be alarmed by what you see,” she began, looking around at the crowd hanging on her every word.

“Is it some sort of horrific monstrosity?” a voice shouted out from the stands, and Tacca was too distracted to find who had asked the question.

Gwenda cocked her head to the side as if considering it.  She knows exactly what is in there; smart girl.  “In a way, you could say that.  If you consider that, at times, us Raiders can be…monstrous.”

The Hill Dwarf didn’t have to elaborate, obviously, because Tacca saw comprehension dawn on faces throughout the stands, spreading like a tidal wave as those that had caught on immediately whispered to their companions.  Very smart girl. 

“You’re saying that they are what…us?  Or at least Human or Elf or whatnot?” Anton yelled to be heard over the murmur of the crowd.

“I don’t know for sure, but that is what I would assume,” Gwenda answered with a shrug.  “So, it’s up to you if you wish to face something like that.  I just wanted to give you fair warning.”

There was a conversation that Tacca listened to going on within the middle of the arena, where Anton and the others were arguing furiously over what they wanted to do.  If she was being honest with herself, the Dungeon Core would actually rather they passed on facing her creatures inside there, but as luck would have it…they chose to go ahead.

“We’ll do it.  I’ve heard about some fighting pits in some of the larger cities, and I’m sure that most of you have, too, so I can’t see this being too different.”

That was news to Tacca, as well as to her Dungeon Assistant.

“They fight each other for fun?  Or for sport?  I thought Raiders were crazy before, but this just emphasizes the crazy even more.”  She could hear him shaking his head even as he answered.  He had taken to staying invisible near the top of the arena so he could watch the fights first-hand, as it was turning out to be entertainment not just for Raiders, but Fairies, also.  He was usually joined by most of the Dungeon Assistants from the Nursery, who were still on the fence about connecting with her dungeon – but one or two of them were reportedly getting closer to giving in every day.

With the proclamation of assent, she opened up the trap for the room and the 5 “Raiders” and 1 Dungeon Fairy slid down the ramp into the room, though the Fairy started flying almost immediately after the others started moving.  As the group of Tacca’s creatures raced out to the arena, a hush fell over the crowd as they watched the strange facsimiles of their own kind rushing toward the group in the middle.  They were mostly silent as they ran; the only sound was the pounding of their footsteps and the creak and jingle of their armor as they moved.  As for the Dungeon Fairy, it had rendered itself invisible the moment it flew out of the tunnel, and Tacca doubted many had actually seen it arrive.

When they were about 50 feet away, the Elven Caster stopped, held up the Exquisite Maple Staff it carried, and a Magistrike spell erupted from the tip.  It shot across the distance to the seemingly frozen Raider groups, striking Anton in the chest and knocking him on his back.  He didn’t appear too hurt from the strike, as his armor had likely blocked most of the damage it would’ve done, but it did have another effect.

It suddenly spurred his friends to jump into action.

The other heavily armored Melee Class from the second group of Raiders sprang forward, placing himself between Tacca’s incoming creatures and Anton, who was quickly getting to his feet.  It was just in time, too, because the dungeon-created Gnome Scout stopped and fired off an arrow, only to have it bounce off of the Raider’s shield.  A second Magistrike from Tacca’s Caster slammed into his shield a moment later, causing him to stagger backwards – but he held strong.

Her Orc Melee Variant reached the line of Raiders, completely passing up the armored defender as it aimed for the closest Healer, but it was slammed into from the side by Anton, who seemed to have gained his feet.  Meanwhile, Tacca’s Hill Dwarf rammed his own shield into the off-balance Raider who had blocked the arrow and Magistrike spell, nearly knocking him down.

The rest of the Raiders immediately counterattacked, their 3 Casters flinging out spells not only towards the Melee creatures that were closer, but toward Tacca’s back line of creatures that were actively attacking from afar or sending out their own healing spells.  Injuries on both sides came fast and furious, though her dungeon group was losing to the better prepared, more numerous, and higher-Level Raiders.

Tacca’s Dungeon Fairy suddenly appeared over the heads of her creatures, though no one fighting actually saw it.  That didn’t matter too much, though, as Blinding Flash was activated, sending out a pulse of shockingly bright light that immediately caused half of the crowd in the stands to cry out in surprise, drowning out the pained reactions from those closer to the epicenter.

“Aaah!  I can’t see!  Neville, can you fix this?” Anton screamed out, and the Raider Healer stopped his own complaining to answer.

“I don’t know!  Let me try something….”

Meanwhile, Tacca’s