Garden Core: Green Dungeon by M. E. Merrell

Author:M. E. Merrell [Merrell, M. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-07T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The Hills Have Elves

Jennifer stared down at her garden rooms, taking in the meadow of colorful flowers and her beautiful rose hedge. Adventurers waited on the Green World side of the gate for her to give permission to enter. River waited in his shanty. Jennifer could hear the drumming of his fingers on the wooden floor, and Sequoia stood in the middle of her gate, hoping for the go ahead.

Big Blue rose halfway to his human shape, his head, shoulders, and arms looking odd without the rest of his body. He lifted his hand. It was in the shape of something Jennifer couldn’t make out.

“What is that? A tiny… Wait, what? A violin?” Jennifer was speechless, but only for a second. “Not you too, Big Blue.”

He pointed at her.

“Me?” Jennifer guessed.

Then Big Blue flexed his arm, his bicep bunching with plant-based muscle.

“Oh, I get it,” Jennifer said. “I have to be strong.”

The vine held up his hand with four fingers, and then mimed rocking a baby cradled in his arms. He pointed at Jennifer again.

“Me, rock.”

Big Blue gestured for her to continue like he was playing charades.

“Four rock a baby.”

Big Blue pointed at her again. Then at his bulging bicep.

“Four…muscle.”

He pointed at her once more.

“Me, four rock a baby.”

“Be strong for your child,” River translated, poking his head over the edge of his house. “He’s telling you to be strong for your man-child.”

Big Blue gave River a thumbs-up.

“Oh, yeah.” Jennifer knew they were right. If she wanted to see Jacob again, she had to take her garden duties seriously. Build the rooms, create the monsters. Allow adventurers through her gate.

“This is perfect timing,” River said. “You can see how a real adventuring group operates, and you have enough mana to fix whatever they destroy. Make it better.”

“You’re right, River.”

“Think about it. Your first room is finish—Wait. What?”

“I said, you’re right.”

“Okay, then.” River pointed at the redwood gate. “The ladies are waiting for you to tell them to let the adventurers in.”

“They’re hill elves,” Sequoia yelled out, like that should mean something to Jennifer.

The hill elves would be Jennifer’s first real adventurers. The goblins really didn’t count. They weren’t an actual group. No abilities. No levels.”

They would begin in the entryway, the first room of the floor. Then the second room was the meadow with the path where they would come up against Jennifer’s trap and floor mob. If they made it past the moles, then they’d reach the third room, Slinky’s area.

Jennifer couldn’t wait to see how her monsters performed, and neither could the nymphs. They stood in front of their gate, patting their hair and smoothing down their dresses. As usual, Sempie hopped on her toes, both hands over her mouth. They looked so excited.

“Release the kraken!”

Silence. “No one gets my jokes. Please let the adventurers in.”

Sempie clapped and jumped in place, her feet leaving the ground.

“Sempie,” Vivian hissed. “The gate is opening.”

The nymphs stepped away from the trees, turning invisible as they backed toward the forest behind them.

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