Dakota Krout - Dungeon Born (The Divine Dungeon Book 1)

“I am the best archer you will ever meet.” Rose broke into the conversation hotly. “ And I do it all without using Essence! Once I am able to cultivate, I can only improve.”

“Can you work as a team? Can you follow orders? Will you duck when I say duck? Have you ever been in combat or just shot at stationary targets?” Dale was brutal in his questioning. “These are the same questions I needed to face when I first became a cultivator. The others knew the answer and took the time to train me for months . You know the first job I had in the team? I quote: ‘Don’t die, that is your only job until you become useful.’ My team will not be experienced and strong like theirs was, I can’t protect you like they could me. So I ask you again. Why should I risk my team's’ life, and my own - for you?”

Rose’s face was burning and Dale knew his questions had hit their target. Like arrows. Ha, because she was an archer. Anyway. “I can be a good teammate.” Rose quietly promised. “I am a fast learner and know the stakes. Just give me a chance to prove myself! No one… No one else will even look at me without that stupid look on their face!” She pointed at an affronted Father Richard.

“Ok then. We’ll see.” Dale made his decision with finality. “I’m going back into the dungeon tomorrow morning. Meet me at the mess hall at dawn and we will make a temporary place on the team for you. If you can’t handle the dungeon, I will take no blame for the outcome.” He looked at Madame Chandra when he mentioned this; she nodded gravely.

Rose’s face cleared and she soberly nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She was teetering between jubilation and fury with this man who talked to her like a child. She left the room without another word.

“Thank you, Dale?” Chandra halfway questioned, thinking that maybe things had gone well.

Dale shook his head. “That was how Craig taught me. That and letting Josh beat me on the sparring grounds for hours at a time. This life is not for the faint of heart, which I am sure you know. I’m nervous about this whole situation. Not only about going in with an untested team, but her attitude really worries me. I know that I could have handled that better but I needed to know if she would react professionally. Make no mistake, I intend for my team to be exceedingly professional.”

“I was worried about her reaction because I feel like people have either only treated her one of two ways: Giving her what she wanted and not spoken harshly to her out of pity, or given her nothing and despised her for shortcomings that are not her fault. If she could not control herself here when it was only harsh words, how could I trust that she would care what I had to say mid-battle? Her lack of experience with other people and teamwork could seriously hurt us.”

“Still. Thank you Dale. Is there anything I can do to repay you?” Chandra motioned to the food still on the table.

Dale was quiet for a moment. “Yes. I hate to admit it but I am ignorant of the world. I may have made a very bad business deal recently because of it.” He thought of the Dark Elves. “I can read the trade language, I can do my figures well enough to count small amounts of money, but have no other administration skills. I just found out that my purchase of armor had interest on it, and have no idea how to calculate that or even look for it on future deals. If Frank had wanted to ruin me, all he would have had to do was give me a document ceding my rights to the land and told me that it was a Guild application form.”

Dale looked at Chandra. “I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants, going with the flow and listening to others. My ‘Council’ makes major decisions without me and I have no idea if those are ideas that I would agree with. I need to find a way to take a stand and really know what I am doing. Can you find me some teachers? If I am going to live as long as they say, run my own team, and build this camp into a city - I need to do better in nearly every aspect of management.”

Chandra was impressed by his forethought. “I can think of a few people. I’ll make some arrangements, but it won’t be a cheap or fast process. We could speed your understanding of words and numbers with the use of memory stones, but the cost is even more astronomical.”

Dale perked up. “I hadn’t thought of that! How much does it cost?”

Chandra laughed at his shift back into the young man she thought she had known, “The spoken and written languages are always sold apart from each other: fifty gold each. The finest counting system is provided by the Dwarven Underkingdom, and is roughly one hundred gold.”

Dale’s mind boggled at that cost. Who could afford that kind of expense?! Then he remembered that he could, given enough time. He supposed that it was normally reserved for nobles or other wealthy people. “Why is that number system so expensive by itself?”

Chandra nodded at his question, it was a good one. “The number system is very complex. It consists of more than simple concepts like the others - adding, subtracting, and dividing. What sets this system apart is their advancement into higher mathematics, which give answers to questions such as: How many loads of gravel do I need for a road? What angle does this building need to be built at for the road to have the correct size? What is the compound interest rate of loans from multiple banks? How much weight can a support of this size hold if it is placed horizontally? Believe me when I say, it is worth the cost.”

Dale nodded slowly. If he wanted to be trusted to make large decisions, he needed to make the sacrifices now to learn what he needed. “How about other things? I’ll need to know history, how to argue, and trading skills.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Might I make a suggestion?” Chandra raised a hand to slow him down. Dale nodded, surprised by her subdued question. “Work to open the pericardium meridian. It is known as the guardian of the heart and will allow you to function normally with half the amount of sleep you normally will get. If you want to learn quickly, you will need to devote a substantial amount of time to your studies. Opening that meridian will allow you to do so without interrupting your current work schedule.”

“Thank you.” Dale warmly smiled, “How about a teacher to explain the meridians as well?”

With a laugh, they turned back to their meal and discussion.

I questioned Dani, thinking I had all my preparations complete.

She thought for a moment, looking around the room. “I don’t know Cal; it looks like it is ready. Should you just activate it?” The once smooth floor of the Boss room was now intricately patterned, the Runescript of hundreds of matching Runes deeply scoring the floor.

I had planned this out well, the pattern of each Rune interlocking seamlessly to the next. I had adjusted my walls to allow enough space for the large pattern to end perfectly at the entryway of the room, to maximize the amount of Essence pulled in. I had not yet explained to Dani the steps I really wanted to take.

big , right?> I started nervously.

She answered brightly, “Well yeah! Look at them! That is the most beautiful, largest Runescript I have ever seen! You should be proud! I know I am.”

I ‘blushed’,

“What do you mean?” Her voice took on a tone of exasperation.

BIG , Dani.>

She snorted, “That’s what every male says.”