Monster Core 3 by King Dante

Author:King, Dante
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

It took me a moment to gather my thoughts.

My champions knew pieces of what I’d been up to over the last two days, but I wasn’t sure if all of them had the full picture of the goings-on within the walls of my dungeon and beyond it. I’d kept Ralph at arm’s length, and part of it had been a lack of trust. The Adventurer had tried to conquer my dungeon, after all, but he’d since proven himself just as capable and important to my plans as any of the others.

I took five minutes to sketch out everything I’d found out, everything I’d faced, and everything currently happening to my champions. Each of them took up positions around the Map Table and listened intently as I described my exploits against Lilith, the fight against the Tainted Elves, and the situation in both Avalonia’s kingdom and the wider Infernal Realm as I understood it.

Not a single one of them interrupted as I laid out everything before them.

A troubled shadow sat on Ralph’s face as he finally got the full picture, and I made a mental note to take him aside later to bring him up to speed. The others were all bonded purely and securely within my core’s facets. Ralph had never died, and I’d never needed to absorb him into my core before, so I had no idea how that particular interaction would work out.

I was glad for it. The farm boy had become a damned impressive Adventurer.

I reached the end of my rundown, and a tense silence fell over the Throne Room.

Puck broke the quiet with a deep, resonant chuckle. “Zagorath grows in power and influence, my lord. Your agreement with Seraphis will bear fruit, I am sure of it.”

I gave him a grateful nod. “In no small part due to your own efforts, Emissary.”

“These Tainted Elves,” Abby said nervously. “How much of a threat do they pose?”

I shook my head. “If they try to breach the dungeon, little to none. Each of you should be immune to their powers, and we’ve gained ourselves a valuable new ally who has little love for their fallen kin. They could wreak havoc beyond our walls, however, and that’s what we need to prevent.”

Ralph raised a hand, and I gave him the floor to speak with a nod.

“I understand why you’d ally yourself with the Deadeye Guild,” he began. “But these Fire Lords seem to be more powerful. Why not broker a deal with them instead?”

I chuckled. “We may yet, but not before Avalonia and its surrounds are at peace.”

“Why is this Nature Dungeon so important to you?” Ralph asked.

I gestured to Abby. “A Storm core was one of the earliest additions to Zagorath. She’s proven herself over and over again in combat and in fashioning each of us quarters to live in. Another element at our fingertips will yield different fruit but useful, nonetheless. And I should imagine that any refugees we might house would appreciate a piece of their own realm within these halls.

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