Dungeon Walkers 4

Dungeon Walkers Book 4 Written by Daniel Schinhofen Edited by Sammi Katt Copyright © 2023 Daniel J. Schinhofen No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews – without the written permission from the publisher. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental and not intended by the author. Copyright © 2023 Daniel J. Schinhofen All rights reserved. Table of contents Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-one Chapter Twenty-two Chapter Twenty-three Chapter Twenty-four Chapter Twenty-five Chapter Twenty-six Chapter Twenty-seven Chapter Twenty-eight Chapter Twenty-nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-one Chapter Thirty-two Chapter Thirty-three Chapter Thirty-four Chapter Thirty-five Chapter Thirty-six Chapter Thirty-seven Chapter Thirty-eight Chapter Thirty-nine Chapter Forty Chapter Forty-one Chapter Forty-two Chapter Forty-three Chapter Forty-four Chapter Forty-five Chapter Forty-six Chapter Forty-seven Chapter Forty-eight Chapter Forty-nine Epilogue Chapter One Stern woke early, pinned between his loving wives. To his right lay Cyra, sleeping peacefully, her face unlined with one of her floppy bunny ears covering her eyes. Her ears were nearly the same color as her hair, a mixture of blonde and brown. He might’ve tried to stroke one of her soft ears if not for his arms being pinned down. After a moment, he turned his head the other way to look at Cammie. The blonde-haired dwarf was using his left arm as her personal pillow. Her hair was tousled from their time together before they went to sleep. Snuggled up behind her was Trish; her short red hair gave her the most shocking color out of all of them. She was also the most aggressive and forward of their family, not that he’d complain. It was her personality that had led them to this moment. Healer, trap finder, and a bulwark, Stern thought of each in turn. Nearly a full crew all by themselves… It’s finally time to put our gear back on. Breakfast with the family first, then after that, they’ll head south and we’ll go north. “Mmhm?” Cammie murmured as she opened her eyes. Stern met her sky-blue eyes with a soft smile. “Good morning, Cammie.” “Good morning…” she murmured back, then giggled when she felt Trish stir behind her. “It seems I’m going to be a handful this morning.” “A delightful handful,” Trish snickered, kissing the back of Cammie’s neck. Green eyes peered past the dwarf to look at Stern. “Hello, lover.” “Hello, trouble,” Stern chuckled softly. “Is it time to wake up?” Cyra yawned. Turning to look the other way, he gave the green-eyed rabbit lykian a smile. “We’re all awake, so probably.” Cyra leaned in and kissed him sweetly before she got out of bed. “Okay. We’re having breakfast with your entire family, right?” “Yeah. These last two weeks enjoying our honeymoon have been lovely, but it’s time to move on again.” “While they go south to meet your family’s friends,” Trish sighed, giving Cammie a kiss before she also got out of bed. “Your father seems awfully sure that the Travelers will be here soon.” “He’s always been like that,” Stern shrugged, following Cammie as she got up. “Not sure if he knows somehow, or if he’s just guessing.” “Do you think the two Travelers will be okay with your brother, sister, and Josie?” Cammie asked. “I’m pretty sure. My parents are, and they’d know their friends. It’ll be interesting if the couple will be short-term or more like my parents. If the Travelers come and go often, it could make it a very spotty climb up the ranks for their crew.” “Agreed,” Trish nodded. “I’ll wish them well. Ana, Josie, and Joseph were really meshing the last couple of days. I’m not surprised your parents funded a stint through the mock dungeon for them.” “Neither was I, but Jon’s head almost exploded,” Stern grinned. “Will you need help with your armor?” “Still getting used to it, so yeah, I could use the help. Your parents went a little crazy on their wedding gifts to us.” “Showered us with them… new armor and weapons for us and our friends,” Cyra said. “We’ll be the best-geared Walkers at this tier.” Cammie nodded in agreement as she started to pull her leather armor on. “We’ve taken the time to get used to the feel of the armor and weapons, but it still feels different.” “I’m glad my younger siblings were happy to have our old gear. It’s good to see them wanting to get used to wearing it,” Stern smiled. “And I’m glad we got some training in the last couple of days,” Trish said as she put her plate armor on. “It was nice having a couple of weeks mostly off, but I know I needed to keep up with the exercise.” “You, most of all,” Stern said. “The front line is always the most physically demanding spot in a crew.” “Wear the heavy armor, swing the weapon— it’s also very straightforward,” Trish grinned. “I can help,” Cyra said, having gotten her armor on. “I’ll get the buckles and straps that you can’t, Trish.” “Thanks. Never thought about the fact some pieces of this really require a second person to help get on… or at least make it far easier to get on.” “You could do it by yourself,” Stern said, “but it would take longer, at the very least.” ~*~*~ They grabbed their bags before leaving the room. Jon and Nicole were waiting for them, sitting on the sofa snuggled up to each other. Zasha was lounging at their feet, and Pawly was splayed over their laps, getting belly rubs. “Glad she’s behaving herself,” Stern said. “Having to heal claw wounds would slow the day