The Crafter's Dungeon: A Dungeon Core Novel (Dungeon Crafting Book 1) Jonathan Brooks (sites to read books for free .TXT) 📖

Sandra held her figurative breath as the warband leader raised himself off Kelerim far enough to bring his Steel short sword up in preparation to strike.  As he brought his hand down to end her friend’s life, her Steel Python shot out like a blur from across the room and wrapped itself around both Razochek’s neck and descending arm, preventing it from completing its fateful arc.  Sandra could see the strain as the Orc strained to move his arm, and her Python started to stretch unnaturally (as much as a metal snake is natural) as he forced his hand downwards.

Kelerim wasn’t taking the threat to his life lying down – other than lying down underneath the larger warband leader, of course.  He pulled out a simple Iron knife from the side of his belt, the first he had ever completed in his new forge inside the dungeon.  It wasn’t as sharp or as balanced as the ones he had eventually learned to make, but it was sharp enough to punch through the armpit of the Orc holding him down and just long enough to pierce his brother’s right lung and heart.

Razochek’s eyes opened in surprise, and as he looked down at the knife sticking out of his armpit, blood started to froth out of his mouth.  He coughed up more blood as he mumbled, “A coward’s weapon…I should’ve known…” before he slumped to the side, all strength leaving his body as his eyes closed in death.

Kelerim had tears in his own eyes as he struggled to push the heavy body of his hate-filled brother off of him and to the side.  With the warband leader’s death, Sandra could feel the restrictions put in place by the invader’s presence disappear, though she didn’t do anything immediately.  She was more concerned about her friend; he was still lying there on the floor with tears silently streaming down his face.

Sandra couldn’t even imagine how he felt.  After learning who his father was – and that he had a brother – he had been forced to choose between family and…her.  And it wasn’t only that difficult choice that he had to make, but he had to kill his new-found brother – which made everything even worse.

A portal opened up in the room above Kelerim and Winxa popped out unexpectedly.  Sandra looked around her Home and noticed that the Dungeon Fairy had left her room unnoticed, only to appear looking down at the Blacksmith in contemplation.

“Ok…I think I trust him now.”

*         *         *

* Are you sure you have to leave?  Are you coming back? *

Kelerim started to nod automatically, before he stopped himself as he considered it.  Am I coming back?  Do I want to?  Honestly, he didn’t know – and that was what he told Sandra.

“I don’t know, Sandra.  All I know is that the last few days here since Razochek…died… haven’t been the same.  I appreciate all that you’ve done for me, but I need to find my father.  I need to tell him about…you know.”  He didn’t like thinking about what he had been forced to do, but he knew that he would have to face the consequences of it when he finally met the Orc that sired him.  Hearing from his brother that his father had actually been in love with his Dwarven mother was welcome news, as it was likely that the head of the powerful Bloodskull family wasn’t as prejudiced against other races as most everyone else was.

He tried to go on like nothing had happened, but the urge to go back to Orcrim was too strong.  True to her word, Sandra wasn’t going to keep him in the dungeon, and she even went out of her way to provide as many supplies as she could for his journey.  He now had as much gold and silver coins as he could carry – which were copied by Sandra from the few examples the Orcs had in their pockets – so he wasn’t worried about buying what he needed along the way.  He’d never actually handled any money before, as growing up he had had to rely on handouts and working odd jobs for a place to stay and something to eat.

He had also explained to Sandra his original thoughts about just staying in the dungeon and helping her craft and supply all sorts of weapons and armor for the people of Orcrim, as she deserved to know why he had acted the way he had at the village.  However, it wasn’t long before he realized that he didn’t want to stay anymore, at least not at the moment; which was one of the reasons he was leaving.  He would like to come back to learn some more, but he had other things on his mind now.

* I…understand.  Getting to know your father is important; I know I wouldn’t be the woman – or Dungeon Core – I am today without the love and support of my own, so I respect your choice.  Just know that you are always welcome here, and I hope you at least come back to visit!  There is still a lot that I can teach you, but I think you’ll do well when you start your own smithy.  Maybe we can still do that supplying the Orcish race with weapons and armor thing from here, but you’ll have to set that up for me.  As you know, I’m kind of stuck here and my constructs aren’t the most talkative. *

She had a point; he still wanted to help her out with saving the Orcish race, and she couldn’t do it on her own.  He only had a singular contact in the village of Grongbak, however, and there was no way he was going back there right now because Razochek’s old warband were