The Crafter's Dilemma: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 3) Jonathan Brooks (me reader TXT) 📖

Gerold was newly added to her Visitor’s list and had been around her dungeon for less than a day, in fact, so Sandra didn’t expect much enthusiasm from the Dwarf.  He had just been essentially exiled from his home, and it wasn’t likely that he was up to helping, considering the circumstances.

Sandra shouldn’t have been surprised by their responses, but, nevertheless, she was.

“We’ve already talked about it and Violet and I are seeing this through; the undead were our responsibility, so we’re staying until the situation is taken care of – which means that dungeon is destroyed, obviously,” Felbar stated first without hesitation.  “When it’s gone, then we’ll take the wagon back to Gnomeria and discuss with those in charge about you and what you have to offer with some cooperation.  The only thing is….”  He trailed off, visibly searching for words.

* What is it? *

“Well…I want to go with you when you destroy this dungeon; I want to see it through to the end.”

* That’s extremely dangerous, Felbar.  When I sent my constructs against that Reptile-based Core, every single one of them perished and I almost didn’t succeed.  This Undead Core is much stronger, has more Mana available, and therefore I would only assume will be much harder to destroy.  That, and it probably knows I’m coming for it, so it’s had time to prepare.

* Not only that, but there’s no way the War Machine will fit down into the dungeon, so I don’t know what you’re planning on doing there. *

He didn’t seem to be persuaded by her warning.  “That’s completely understandable and I understand the risks, but it’s something I feel I need to do,” he said confidently.  “As for the War Machine not fitting, I’m well aware of that – which is why Violet thinks with your help, we can make a Deep Delver.”

It took Sandra a moment to remember Violet’s mention of a special Gnome construct made for destroying dungeons back when they first met.  The Apprentice Enchanter at the time had never worked with one and barely even knew what they looked like, so there hadn’t really been a point in asking about it before this.

“The War Machine is specially designed to cull dungeon monsters outside of the dungeon, where they can take advantage of the space and can match just about anything they come across,” Violet explained, taking a cue from the other Gnome to speak.  “The Deep Delver is very different from that, as it’s approximately 5 feet tall and made entirely of steel; it’s also much more agile, allowing whoever’s piloting it to move quickly to avoid danger – which is important, because it is also not as…tough…as the War Machine.”

“I piloted one in my youth, before all of the troubles we’ve been experiencing lately,” Felbar said, continuing the explanation.  “I was one of 120 others that went into a Goblin dungeon that was getting way too powerful to easily cull anymore, and which had expanded its territory to encompass one of our smaller villages – unbeknownst to us.  It was only after multiple disappearances that we discovered what had happened, so the Dungeon Destroyer Brigade – of which I was one – was dispatched to destroy it before it could cause any more problems.

“Only 92 of us made it back from that expedition, which was actually one of the best results over the last few decades, if you can believe that,” the older Gnome said while looking off in memory.  He shook his head after a moment and then continued.  “So, yes, they aren’t nearly as powerful as the War Machines, but they are a heck of a lot better than just me going in there with a knife expecting to kill some undead.  So, we’d like your help and permission to build one, so that I can at least contribute some.”

Sandra wasn’t exactly sure what to think about that.  She didn’t want him unnecessarily risking his life, but she also knew that it was his life to do with as he pleased.  Hmm…perhaps this might actually coincide with my overall plan of cooperation between the races; I always knew that it was probably only going to happen with my help, so I guess it has to start somewhere.

“If you can make me one as well, I’d like to go with you into that dungeon,” Gerold suddenly said.  Sandra had been automatically translating everything the Gnomes were saying to the others, but his statement was so unexpected that it took her a moment to figure out what he was saying – and to translate it to the other three.

* What?  Why? *

“Because it’s my village that’s in danger, and despite their refusal to listen to me, I still want to do whatever I can to stop them from being overrun and killed.  That being said, without my armor, I’m pretty useless; hearing about this ‘Deep Delver’, though, I think that could be just the thing to allow me to do…something.”

That actually made a bit of sense to Sandra, because it was true that he didn’t really have much to contribute to the whole thing.  She was going to ask him to help with any information he had about planting the “samples” she had taken from the Dwarves’ fields, because farming had been more of a profession rather than a craft to her in the past.  She had some knowledge of it from some of the other crafting information she had pursued, but other than being able to make it grow, the types of food she was going to plant she had no clue about – unlike many of the other plants she had already grown and cultivated, because they had alternative uses.

But if he was willing to fight for his people, to delve through the dungeon with the intent of destroying the