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

because she already had a route to an exit that was large enough.  For this joining of her dungeon to another Core’s however, she had a feeling she needed a full connection in order for it to work.  Whatever “working” fully entailed, she wasn’t exactly sure.

“There is still time to stop if you want,” Shale mentioned.  “No one knows exactly what will happen, after all; this could destroy both Cores.”

She’d heard it countless times from both her own Dungeon Assistant and the others responsible for the Cores in the Nursery, but she was determined to take care of them the best she knew how.  This, the connection she wanted to form with them, was potentially a way to strengthen and let them grow instead of stagnating for decades or centuries underneath the mountains.  They would eventually be able to reach the surface, of course, but it could take a while; they were anywhere from a half-mile to a mile from reaching the air above, and at their current Core Improvement Level, digging out that far could take years as it was just so slow.

In addition to being slow, it was difficult for them to actually determine the correct direction of which to Carve their way out.  Tacca remembered how she was able to “feel” the surface once she was close enough, but at the start it had been more of a guess than anything.  At her current CI Level, she could sort of see through the solid rock of the mountain for nearly 500 feet in every direction – other than outside – so it made it a bit easier to find her way around, but for those Cores in the nursery, they would be digging nearly blind.

Fortunately, the Dungeon Assistants that Tacca had Bonded with could sense the direction where Tacca’s Core was located, even if they weren’t inside her dungeon.  This helped Tulip get Brandon started on a tunnel heading toward her Core, even if it wouldn’t progress very far or quickly; still, it would be enough that Tacca could find it and hook up with it.

I’ve made up my mind, Shale.  I told Malachite that I would keep them safe, and that’s what I intend to do.  You still have the option of me severing our Bond, if that’s what you wish.

There was only the slightest hesitation from Shale, before he shook his head.  “I’ve thought about it over the last month or so, and while it might save me if something bad were to happen, I don’t wish to be disconnected to you.  We’ll do this together or not at all.”

It warmed her heart to hear him say that, and she put all of her concentration on extending the new tunnel towards the east, where she had a general idea where Nursery Room #3 was located.  It took a couple of hours to progress far enough that she could begin to see some of the smallish rooms she had Carved out; most of them were still empty, but soon enough she saw a few that had expanded outward, with a few small passageways connecting some recently built rooms.

It was strange, seeing another dungeon from the perspective of a Dungeon Core.  Or more accurately, not seeing them, because even though she could sense and “see” around them with her range of view, she couldn’t penetrate their outer walls and look inside.  In effect, they were large voids in her perception that seemed to not exist as far as what she could perceive.

Of the 6 she could at least identify as Nursery Rooms 1-6, all but 1 were rather small and contained, ranging from 2 to 3 smallish rooms.  The outlier was one that was approximately the same size as the others, but it had a tunnel leading out directly toward Tacca’s Core, which made it obvious that it was the one she was looking for.  It was only about 10 feet long, which was impressive considering how slow Carving Earth at CI Level 1 was, but it was enough to aim for and connect with.

Stopping about 30 feet away from the other tunnel, she got Shale’s attention.

I’m just about ready to try this.  Can you let Tulip know we’re ready, and if Brandon is having second thoughts, now is the time to express them?

Shale disappeared after a quick nod, and Tacca could suddenly sense him nearby, though not in her own dungeon.  Focusing on the sensation, she realized that he was inside the void that was the other dungeon she was located nearest to.

A moment later, he was back.  “They’re ready.”  He paused.  “I’m not sure I’m ready, but go for it anyway.”

Without a reason to wait anymore, Tacca charged ahead with her Carve Earth ability, eating away the solid stone that separated the two tunnels in less than a minute.  When there was about an inch left separating the two, she stopped.  With a figurative deep breath, she focused on the remaining stone and activated her ability one last time, breaking through to the other side.

Unimaginable pain suffused her Core, unlike anything she had experienced before – and she had experienced a lot over the last year and a half.  It was so bad that her mind started to fray at the edges, while at the same time it felt like someone had jammed a claw into her Core, rummaged around in it for a bit, and then started yanking stuff out like she had been disemboweled.  She wasn’t sure what was happening, and the agony she was experiencing was so great that she abruptly lost all awareness of the world around her, despite the continuing pain, and her mind went completely blank.

When Tacca came to, her consciousness coming alive as if from a long, deep sleep, she immediately felt different.  A throbbing ache still permeated throughout her Core, but she could feel it fading even as she took in