More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Dakota Krout
Read between
January 16 - January 24, 2021
Evan gave a mighty swing of his pick and the wall in front of him shattered with a thunderous roar. Splintered rock bounced off the Dwork’s armor, sending him staggering back a few steps. Instead of moving forward again for another blow, he waited a few moments. The fallen rock in front of him started to vanish, leaving behind chunks of pure iron ore.
“What is that?” She pointed at a rock-like formation that was tinted green to blend in with the plants. Hans’s eyes gleamed. “That, my dear, is a treasure chest!” He rushed over and caressed its surface, rubbed his face on it, and then lifted the lid.
Hans whistled when he saw why they were there. “Look! They are kind of hiding that chest, and it is glowing! Can we go open it? Pretty please?” He batted his eyelashes at Dale as if he were trying to be seductive. “I’m greedy and owe a flesh Mage a lot of money.” Dale chuckled; he was glad that Hans had asked and didn’t try to undermine him as the leader of the team. “Really hard to report what we don’t know about, right?” That was the phrase they had always used to make Craig give in when they wanted to explore. “Aww, yeah.”
<What kind of Beast Core? What do you mean by ‘standard’?> I was always happy to learn new things. “So, you know how I told you about the different ranks of cultivation?” Dani prodded. She continued after I mentioned that I did, “At the different cultivation levels, Cores gain different properties. There are flawed, weak, standard, strong, beastly, immaculate, luminous, and radiant Beast Cores. Essentially the Beast’s diet, age, and strength of cultivation affect the quality of their stone. Immaculate Cores are usually only found in B-ranked or higher Beasts and are extremely receptive to
...more
Easier to get to a rank when you’ve been there before, isn’t it? Don’t worry, it happens sometimes.” Adam looked at him curiously. “You have lost a rank in the past?” “Yeah… everyone wants to try enchanting at least once, ya know?” Hans ruefully sighed. “Let’s just say there is a reason you should buy them and not make them.” The others fell silent as they thought about his words; they had all considered enchanting in the past.
Humans have no use for corruption, right? What if it drew their corruption out of them and fed it to the weapon? It would make it harder to break, and if my door was any indication, no one could move or replicate it! Then when they die, I don’t need to clean up all their taint!>
“A strong enough flesh Mage could remove it by… well. They basically need to skin your arm. They take the top layer of skin and draw the whole construction off you. Very painful and very expensive. Also, with those wraps… I am uncertain that would work. They may just wrap themselves higher up your arm.”
The Elf this came from was a master of earthen Essence and had mastered this technique over years of experience.” Dale groaned miserably. “I thought the whole point of memory stones was to be able to bypass that whole process…” “No, they allow you to bypass the years of trial and error that go into creating the technique. You still need to practice it! There will be many failed attempts before you are able to use it at even a fraction of its strength.”
You have no armor and a new weapon that you have not trained with. Are you sure jumping into the dungeon is a great idea?” Brianna questioned him. “Nah, it is a terrible idea. I’m doing it anyway. I’ll see you later.”
so they don’t have spores anymore. I don’t want an unknown factor in here.> “Smart. How about–” <Then later we will get some Bashers infected with the spores to see what happens,> I stated gleefully. “O-o-of course we will,” Dani muttered. “I rescind my ‘smart’ comment.”
“Look at that! We have Amber, Brianna, Chandra, and Dakota all in the same room! Go talk with them. It’ll be a conversation between A, B, C, and D!” “Who is Dakota?” Dale whispered back. “What?”
“He is a master of human hand-to-hand fighting, but if you want a true martial art… I know a guy. You could be the first ever human to learn the Moon Elf style. You are entitled to it as an Elven Noble after all.” She ended tantalizingly. Stunned silence met her words. Hans broke it with a drawl, “Yeeeah, I would go with that one. The Moon Elves are considered the deadliest fighters without weapons in the world.
flexibility training alone takes a year, but it is worth it—if you know what I mean.” She winked at Hans as she said this.
Tell you what, fill my order and I won’t start telling people that you are the reason they got food poisoning the other night.” “So good to see you a-again,” Dale stammered. “Of course, I’ll get some. It would be my pleasure to help you out.” “Mmhh hmm,” grunted the cook, eying Dale critically. “See that you do soon, oh fearless Baron.” He turned and walked off in the direction of his slacking kitchen help. They needed to learn how to properly make that porridge. “Why is he so terrifying?” Dale muttered softly to Hans.
She had ignored Snowball during their play session, and he was able to land a blow for the first time ever. It was certainly a play attack, but Dani instantly vanished! <Dani!> I screamed in horror. <Dani, are you alive? Did he kill you?> Snowball was looking around in confusion, then peered at my location and cocked his head to the side. While I was frantically looking around for my beloved Wisp, Snowball took a few wobbly steps and fell. This caught my attention, and I peered closely at the gigantic Cat. His eyes were pink! <Dani,> I whispered. <Are you in Snowball?> The Cat nodded, a
...more
Adam was focusing intently on his arm, and with a concentrated loop of celestial Essence, he removed the barbed thorn from his arm and healed himself. I was suitably impressed; most of the people I had seen attempting to self-heal were unable to focus enough past their pain.
“This is certainly… not a gem…hmm.” He was talking slowly as he examined every facet. “If I had to make a guess… I’d say it is a… half carat Beast Core with standard properties, possibly from a D-ranked Beast that had progressed with help from the dungeon. It may have been a metal-type as well.” Rose snorted. “A shot in the dark, huh? You probably knew what it was as soon as you saw it. You just wanted to be the center of attention for a while.” Hans looked hurt. “Rose, how can you say that? It is like you… know me better than anyone else, and we would be a perfect couple!” “Keep dreaming. Why
...more
“My Lord, please!” one of the men in a uniform was saying. “I just think that this is bizarre. A dungeon is a dangerous place, and you are forcing two of your guards to carry around an aquarium. What would happen if you needed protection?” “Nonsense!” a haughty voice drawled. “The movements of the jellyfish amuse and relax me. Also, this is a D-ranked dungeon. With a hunting party of this size, what could happen? I could traipse through here alone and be fine, so don’t question my orders again!” This is about where I started losing my temper, but he did have a point. Every time a Basher or
...more
Dani dreamily mentioned that the man had a point; the jellyfish were indeed fun to watch. That was enough for me to know that she wanted to keep a few as pets,
“You are thoroughly insane, you know that, right?” Dale thought at me angrily. <Untrue. An insane person is unable to process events around them in a logical manner or react appropriately to situations. I am simply doing what is best for myself in order to protect what I care about. At worst, I am a sociopath,> I rebutted, causing Dale to pause in his negative assessment. “You kill people! What in the world are you protecting?” Dale furiously demanded. I gave him a harsh reminder of the past, <You know, the very first time you were in here, you killed a human as well. Since then, you have
...more
<Everything okay, Dani?> I worriedly inquired. “I am fine, but they killed Purrrrty. I want revenge,” she growled back to me. <Was… was that a pun?> I was watching her in amazement. She had never been more beautiful to me. She chuckled. “I knew you would like that.”
Skin this Cat, and crack its skull open. I am nearly positive that this is also a Cored Beast, so find me the Core it is hiding.” “Skin it, my lord? How do you want us to do that?” “What do you mean? Take its fur. I want this as a cloak! Do it the way you normally would.” The man looked confused; he was concussed quite badly. “But, my Lord… there is more than one way to skin a Cat.”
The term ‘tips’ is an acronym for ‘to insure proper service’. If you aren’t a generous person, the people who can make your life easier will find ways to make it much harder instead,” Rose explained in a hurried hiss.
“I’ve been looking for a reason to put Adams on a short leash ever since he had a maid executed for refusing his bed.” Dale looked at her oddly. “Wait, people can refuse orders? The way they looked at me when I told them ‘no’ made me think that orders were unconditional.” “Only legal orders. Submitting to arrest or bowing when you have broken a law, even if it is a stupid law, is different. Rape is illegal no matter what Kingdom you reside in, and trying to use your position to force another into bed can be nothing else.”
The only Tom I know that speaks like me is a northern barbarian, a giant, red-haired Prince.” Henry chuckled at his memories. “Dale, while we are in town, I’ll make sure to keep the other Nobles on a short leash. You likely won’t even see them for a week or so.” Dale looked at Henry in horror; he had gotten caught on one part of the conversation. “Tom is a prince? Oh no… and I have him training with Hans. I need to leave. Please make your way to the temple. I will arrange accommodations on my way.”
<How about a trade? I’ll ask you a question, and you can ask me something,> I offered generously. “No thanks.” What the…? <You don’t have questions?> I was mind boggled at the lack of curiosity. “I have many, but I feel that giving you any information would be a bad deal for me.”
aluminum. It is worth more than platinum—per weight—and holds Essence so well that the metal itself becomes stronger. When enchanted, it becomes something that he calls ‘Mithril’.
“If only a third of the groups can make it down to the third floor, that means they will need to pull double duty, guarding and escorting as well as fighting. Then they are stuck until the miners are done and likely need to help haul ore outside.” I watched her in awe. <Wow, you came up with that on the fly? I’ve been thinking about this all day and night, and you still hit a few points I hadn’t considered.> “I am very intelligent,” Dani noted breezily. <And humble as well,> I replied dryly. “I am afraid that virtue does not exist among my many talents.” Dani laughed at the strangled noise I
...more
An Enchantment. How droll. It is weakening and obviously High-Elf workmanship,” the male Elf muttered. Minya appeared curious. “How can you tell?” “Because it is hastily and poorly done but artistic.”
“Why isn’t the Essence pure upstairs anymore?” she demanded with a demented stare. “I would assume because we are slowly getting farther away from the surface,” Dani soothingly told her. “Essence is flowing in from outside as well, and away from Cal, the pure Essence has a chance to mix with what is already there.” “Well, fix it! It is inside your influence. You are just getting lazy and fat with this Rune feeding you like a hedonistic emperor.”
“You want them a specific one? A set of Dwarven mathematics?” <No, I want all of them. I want to know everything that anyone knows,> I replied dreamily. <The sum total of all knowledge.> She looked crestfallen. “I’m not… that rich.” <You will be.> I chuckled, mentally rubbing my hands in greed. I had her, I just knew it. <Anything you need in order to get them, I will provide. Money? Done. Empty stones? I’ve got hundreds. You will also be well-paid for your services. I’ll make you fantastically rich if you want it.> “I just want to live,” she softly muttered. <Then that is even easier for me!
...more
“I am yours forever, Cal. Anything you need, anything in my power to do, I will. Your whim is my order!” A line of her aura suddenly raced to me and connected to my Core, then dispersed into the dungeon at large. Also known as my aura. <Celestial crap, what was that?> “That was an oath. At the B-ranks, when Mana is a part of our body, our word becomes our law. Words have real power, and a spoken oath is binding.”
His Elven political tutor liked to slip in documents to test him. Sure enough, here was one saying he would wash dishes for a week in the Guild mess hall. He shuddered.
Looking at him was a stunning beauty. She was smiling at him, wearing a set of clothes that could have been painted on. “Are you Dale?” Dale felt a bit crestfallen. “Oh gods, not another one.” “Excuse me?” “Sorry, it has been an odd day.”
Half-Orcs are almost exclusively products of, shall we call it, forced impregnation?” Evan shook his head and leaned back stretching a bit. “My case is a bit different, though. You see,” he laughed bitterly, “my father is a Dwarf. He and a war-band got drunk on stone-piss, and he took a bet saying he could bed any woman. They got to choose who he would try to get with. That bet was made right before they attacked a small Orc camp, and guess who his friends chose? My mother. So, I have no love for Dwarves.”
<Ohhhh, yes. Ready to do some experimenting?> I was already setting up the testing room. “Never,” Dani whimpered, making me laugh.
unrelated effects. Like a patch of rock melting across the room or my rabbit transforming into a bird. That last one was really disturbing, all the extra mass peeled away in what had to be a painful way. Dani asked why I insisted on having rabbits in the room while I worked, and after an arm appeared and pulled a rabbit in, I explained over the squelching noises drifting through the portal, <You see, I thought that pattern was correct. There was no indication that I had it wrong, and I would have started testing it. Something on the other side was waiting, something hungry. If the rabbit
...more
the reason the elder races are so against intermingling of the bloodlines. A cross between Gnomes, Orcs, Elves, and humans. The cross made a monster race that was enslaved by Orcs centuries ago. These are freaking Goblins.”
enter the dungeon in an attempt to get stronger as well as make enough money to replace the gear that was stolen from me when I was beaten, robbed, and left for dead in the dungeon. I also need money for my instructors.” He changed position to stretch his back. “After the dungeon run—which takes usually two to three hours—I go train with my Essence instructor, trying to harness my affinities into a useful skillset. Now after that, I have lessons in administration, mathematics, politics, logic, debate, tactics, and a few other things I am sure I have forgotten. I’ll remember them in a
...more
“Looks like you aren’t the only dungeon born around here anymore.” “What did you just call me?” Dale had never heard the term, though it sounded like it would make an amazing title for a book. “It means that you are beholden to a dungeon for your life. It either created you, gave you back your life when it was lost, accepted an oath from you, or your parents were created by the dungeon. You don’t even know what you are? You didn’t bother to ask?”
The water of strength has made us powerful enough to revolt against our former masters. They who had become reliant on our compliance. We offer ourselves and our children to you. All we ask in return is enough power to defend ourselves from those who would again attempt to destroy us or force us into servitude again! If this is acceptable, we offer our oaths to you freely!” the Goblin sang in a guttural voice. Now, this is not what he said but what he meant. He was simply not able to shape his mouth enough to say the words, making me wonder if other races saw them as unintelligent simply
...more
What is your name?> He responded with a name that was far too long to say quickly, so my response was, <Bob it is then. That is your new name, may you wear it well. Bob, I accept your oath and will do my best to honor it.
“…I never thought I would feel bad for Goblins,” Dani muttered quietly. I almost didn’t hear her, but I still chose to ignore her barbed comment. I began working
Some warrior with more money than brains had fallen and dropped a flaming sword. A flaming sword. It was ridiculous! Holding a shining sword in front of his eyes—while in a dark dungeon—had destroyed his night vision.
The Orc blood in us does not do well with green foods. While they reduce our hunger, our body does not process it, and there is no gain on our part unless we are in dire need of pooping.” <…Very informative, thanks.
This is a race hated and enslaved by almost all the others in the world, mainly because they are considered unintelligent and ill-mannered. I saw a race that tried to survive, even against all the odds stacked against them.
“Yes… Cal,” he murmured reverently. <What do you know of memory stones?> He had no idea what they were, so I talked with Dani and came up with a plan. We would attempt to store the entirety of the Goblins’ memories in a memory stone before working on altering their bodies. When asked for someone to test the idea on, Bob cheerfully offered a Goblin to me that the others barely tolerated. Apparently, he was somewhat lazy and complained too often.
<It’s like this is the pattern from a brand-new dungeon just learning how to make things. If Goblins have a natural lifespan of thirty years I will be surprised.> A quick conversation with the wizened old Goblin—Bob—convinced me I was correct. He was twenty-eight human years old. <It is all wrong! I can fix this bit here by reducing bone thickness a bit; that will allow them to open and close their jaws without issue. I’ll increase bone density here in the spine, that had a similar structure to what I would assume an Elf would have, and their feet are too narrow for their weight because of it.
...more
I would let them live out their lives in as much peace and luxury as possible and add those memories to the stones so that I was never asked for vacation time.
“Someone has a sick sense of humor.” They took a look; there appeared to be a High-Elf made of stone on a marble altar surrounded by statues of bunnies playing in flowers. Dale choked on a laugh. “Wow, I mean, yeah she was insane, but it is still sad that she just let herself die for no reason.” Hans glared at Dale. “If I die in here, and you find a statue of me, you’d better smash that shit. Especially if it is surrounded by bunnies and flowers.” “I’d rather take it to the capital and have it immortalized in their history museum.” Dale started walking deeper into the dungeon as Hans let out a
...more
