Dungeon? This Tree? Why Don't You Join Me for Lunch? (Dungeon Core)
Chapter 63: Desmond…

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Desmond...

My family was in harmony! My mud golems were clearing away the damage!

I sent them off to the goblin and human villages. I mean, yeah, I loved having Anne and Grannie Almira around. Even Bob.

But just yesterday one of the villagers, the human ones, took a branch from my tree and used it for the campfire!

A fallen branch, but the rules were clear: We take fallen branches from the other trees! Never from the Tree of Memories!

I had to ensure my survival.

They were just tourists in my mind, once.

And they were slowly retaking that spot.

"Just one more month," I told the gathered humans, who were eating from the healing stew. Some of them had been sneezing earlier.

Better be safe than sorry. Anne and my babies, who had helped cook the stew, were in the dungeon with me!

Mordred and Mortimer looked at me, eyebrows raised. They have been eating less now that they have to cook their own food.

"And, by the way," I heard as Nate took the word. Oh, it wouldn’t be to the humans’ liking. But he was still an undead Boliarin.

They had nothing to scare him with!

"Why aren’t any of you paying for the food?" It was a heartless question to ask refugees, but it has been two months. Nate has been feeding us all in that time.

Without asking for money.

He looked at me, seemingly reading my mind. For all I knew, he might have done just that.

"I will provide you with food, but just you," Nate smiled at me. So, as if that was what I wanted to hear.

"Nate, they can’t feed themselves," I protested, jumping to my feet.

That was the wrong thing to say.

"What do you mean: they can’t feed themselves?" Bob roared, jumping to his feet. "You used to get your food from us! And we are almost back to producing enough to feed both us and you! How dare you?"

Bob the Gnome Chief began to breathe heavily. I knew that I had dealt him an insult he would never forget.

I fell to my knees, my bottom lip trembling. No! I couldn’t lose the gnomes!

They were my mini farmers!

But as Bob quit our contract and even paid the fine, I just fell down on the ground.

Darkness enveloping me.

0000

When I woke up, there was just my family around me. No humans, no gnomes, no golems.

Wait... no golems?

"Where...?" I began, feeling groggy. Now, I was a dungeon core, even if I didn’t work with what the mana gave me most days.

So, when 90% of my mobs just picked up and left, it was like a heart attack.

"I’ll kill them," and, of course, Nate was reading my mind.

"No!" I was ready to beg him on my knees. "They are family!"

Nate snorted.

"Then why are they gone? They could have killed you!"

"Because we have our pride," I heard Grannie Almira’s stern voice from the darkness.

It spoke volumes to me that the old lady refused to come to me. That she didn’t want to look me in the eyes.

She had stayed. I had no idea why, but as I heard Anne let out a sob, I could guess.

"If the two of you haven’t stayed, he would have died!" Nate roared.

I saw as Aron reached out and tugged Nate on the sleeve.

"Hey, you’re scaring the little girl," Aron whispered, as he brought Nate into his arms. I watched as Aron did his Bear Hug of Ultimate Warmth with Nate.

Something that had managed to calm me down after more than one burned pancake.

Nate was clutching at him for dear life.

"Well," I whipped my head at the sound. Huh, wasn’t he mad at me? "I guess that I am not needed to resurrect him."

There he was! Redheaded and blue-eyed. With short hair, and his doom and gloom black robes.

Desmond!

"Wait!" I yelled, springing to my feet. I was by his side in an instant.

Hugging the youngest of Solas’ Boliari close to me.

"I am sorry! Now that I got to speak with Nate, I know that you are undead, yes, but you are also alive!" I was putting my foot into my mouth.

That was not something Desmond wanted to hear from me. No, I would learn later that Nate had to threaten him into coming in here.

Where they would have sacrificed both the villagers and the gnomes to bring me back.

But back then, as I clutched at him and yelled how sorry I was, listing all the tasty food I was going to make him, he just sat there.

I couldn’t see it, but his eyes were shining. I could still feel as he was gathering mana into a truth pendant.

I let my brain just bubble all that I felt and then spew it out.

Little by little, his arms began to tighten around me.

I was in the middle of telling him how I was going to make him the best pancakes he had ever eaten, when his nails dug inside of my vest.

The next second, I was lips to lips with him. He was attacking me! That was no kiss! He was all teeth and tongue!

I began to clop him on the back.

I was married with children!

But he refused to let me go. Slowly, I came to the realization that if I didn’t want to end up with my bottom lip being eaten by an apparently starving Boliarin, I needed to act.

I reached out, using my mana as a magnet.

My frying pan was soon in my hand.

One hit to the head was all that was needed.

"Did you kill him?" Nate asked, his eyes shining.

"No," because I really hadn’t. He was breathing. His limbs were sprawled, yes, but not at that unnatural angle that came with death. "Nate! Why didn’t you tell me that Desmond was starving? We need to feed him!"

"Drake," both Nate and Aron chorused. I saw that they were resigned about something but decided to not pay them any attention.

I needed to get the fire started!

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