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

Firstly, she could sense that her dungeon had expanded, though not by a great bit.  Focusing on Nursery Room #3, she identified it as the expansion, though now she could see inside.  It was a Swamp Environment, that she could see right away, with small pools of stagnant water, surrounded by sickly-looking blackish trees, with thin branches drooping nearly to the ground.  At first, there were no signs of creatures, but suddenly she focused on the room and identified them: Giant Spiders.

Ick. 

They were at least 3 feet across, when you considered their leg length, and there was a veritable nest of them hiding in the trees, camouflaged in the drooping branches.  If a Raider tried to walk under the branches, they would be in a prime spot to have one of the 8-legged arachnids fall on them, which would make for a horrible day for the delving person.  Looking further into the rooms, she could see that there were traps set up next to the pools of stagnant water, which took her a moment to understand.  Focusing on them, she saw that they were Entanglement-based traps, which would shoot out small vines from the water, wrap around a victim, and then drag them back into the pool – where they would inevitably drown unless they were cut free by some companions.

“What, you don’t like spiders?  I used to love horror movies, and I thought I’d try to recreate something like that here.”

The strange male voice in her mind made her thoughts freeze even as she looked around for the source.  It didn’t take long to figure it out: Brandon, the other Dungeon Core.

You can hear me?

“I guess so, now that you’re awake.  You were pretty out of it after our dungeons connected, what with all of that incessant screaming and all. Are you alright?”

He sounded genuinely concerned, which was comforting to hear, as she hoped it meant she wasn’t suddenly sharing her dungeon with someone like the Cores she had Bonded with as a Dungeon Assistant before.  Of course, it was still too early to tell.

I’m…okay, I think.  I’m still trying to figure out what happened.  We didn’t shatter, at least, which was certainly a concern of mine.  She thought about what she had experienced, and she had to ask, Did you experience the unbelievable pain of being disemboweled and having your mind fray at the edges, too?

“Oh, wow…uh, no?  I’m sorry that happened to you, but nothing like that happened to me.”  He started to explain.  “As soon as you broke through the last of the stone separating our tunnels, I felt a warmth infuse my Core, as well as some weird wrenching going on inside, but it was more uncomfortable rather than painful.  That, and it didn’t last for more than a minute or two.  After that, I heard you screaming in my mind, which I had to admit was a bit concerning, so I busied myself with looking over your dungeon.  Amazing job, by the way, and I love how you set up the gladiatorial arena – I can’t wait to see those fights!”

That was…unfair.  At least she was alive.

Have you noticed anything else?  Anything different?  A lot of the throbbing ache had faded from her ordeal, and she was trying to take stock of her situation herself.

“You mean aside from being able to look at your dungeon like I would my own?  Now that you mention it, I haven’t checked my Dungeon Core Status since we connected and—WHAT?  My Dungeon Force has been cut in half, and so has my Regeneration!  What have you done to me?!”

Tacca internally winced at hearing that, remembering discovering that had happened to her Core when she first came into existence.  She had put it down to being partially Fairy and partially Core, but it seemed as though she had somehow passed on that handicap to Brandon.

Is there anything else?

“Like what?  My Control Limit being cut in half, as well?  Luckily, that seems to be fine, no thanks to you.  Wait…that’s not right.”

What?

“This says that my Core Improvement Pending/Countdown is now 198 in 30 days, whereas before it was only at 89 in 323 days.  And—I have 3 additional Special Characteristics!  How is this possible?”

Tacca suddenly understood what happened, and one of her new abilities was beginning to make sense.

I’m assuming you have a reduction of 40% Dungeon Force cost to creatures and traps, a 60% reduction in your Control Limit requirements, and access to all Variants for your creatures?

“Exactly!  Wait, how did you know?”

Opening up her own Dungeon Core Status, she saw that she now had an additional Special Characteristic, as well: Increased Dungeon Force Regeneration by 25%.  If she remembered correctly, purchasing that Characteristic cost a little less than 100 SCPs, which was what most Cores started with – unlike Tacca, who started with only 50 SCPs to spend.  Obviously, this was the Special Characteristic that Brandon had chosen, and now it was also hers.

If what I think happened is true, my Shared Risk ability has forced us to share some elements of our Cores together, including the bad parts.  Sorry about the reduced Dungeon Force and Regeneration, but that was what I had to live with when I was a new Core – so I guess you got it, too.  At least my Special Characteristics you now have should offset some of that, though…would you try something for me?

“Shared Risk?  I don’t understand, but I have to admit that these Characteristics are awesome!  I now have access to all of my Giant Spider Variants, which is amazing!”  He was silent as he was likely looking through his new Variants.  “Wait, what did you want me to do?”

If you’re full of Dungeon Force, can you attempt to spend most of it to create something powerful?  Either a trap or