The Dungeon of Loving Beast Chapter 2: A Woodland Encounter (Patreon)

David flickered, feet carrying him into a high leap, falling far short of his intended goal. With a muttered oath, he landed at the base of the tree he was trying to scale. Jean landed beside him, leaping down from a tree. “Missing your height?”

“I’m used to be a lot bigger.” he murmured. “And stronger. Making up the difference will be hard.” He turned a glare on his current partner. “Weavile are not much bigger than Sneasel. You don’t have my problems, do you?”

“Not as much, anyway.” the Sneasel shrugged. “So, what have we seen?”

David shrugged. “I’ve scooped up a few acorns and some seed pods. No sign of other Pokemon.” He paused. “Have you seen…”

“The animals?” Sneasel grinned, holding up a dead rabbit. “Lots of them.” Her grin dropped. “We really aren’t in our world, are we? I haven’t seen any Pokemon. No bug-types, no grass-types, and the animals aren’t anything special. Except that black wolf.”

David tilted his head. “Dark-fighting, maybe?”

“I don’t think it had types. Or any mores. It was just big, and had command of the others.” She flexed one claw. “I wonder-”

Both of the Pokemon tilted their heads in surprise as a familiar voice sounded in their head. <Appraisal lists it as a DIre Wolf. It’s level 23; dangerous, especially with its pack. Not enough to beat you and a few others, though.>

“Are we hunting it down?” David asked, snapping off a nearby twig and putting it in his mouth, gnawing softly.

<You will be. I’m sending Steven, Eevee, Keldary, and Semiramis to help you in the hunt, and Togepi will be attending as healer.>

“Understood. Will they be joining us afterwards?”

<Yes. We’ve not seen anything you can’t handle, or any signs of intelligent life. Move back to get in range of the pack, so I can guide the others to you.>

<”Got it. Let’s head out.”> Jean replied, making a running start at a tree and using her claws to draw herself into the canopy. <”Coming, slowpoke?”>

<”Right behind you.”>

Cale wasn’t lost. He didn’t know exactly where he was, but he wasn’t lost.

He was sure of it. He’d get home eventually, even though the forest seemed the same no matter which way he wandered.

It had been a stupid thought, really. The Spring Solstice was coming up, and he wanted to be able to show off to Lea a little. But he didn’t have any money (his midwinter gifts had been spent months ago, and his father hadn’t given him enough free time to go pick up some work elsewhere) so he’d had to resort to less orthodox ways of getting coin.

Since he’d finally hit level 10, he’d opened up his second class slot; and he was pretty close to qualifying for Ranger, thanks to his skill with throwing knives and woodcraft. Meanwhile, the tavern was looking for morel mushrooms for their festival dishes. Put these two together, and the plan came clear; find the mushrooms, sell them for a few silvers, and have the money to show Lea he was responsible, and maybe finally tip over into getting a class besides Farmer.

Simple. Plausible. But with complications.

Again, he wasn’t lost. But at midday, the sun above gave no indication of the proper direction to go, and any landmarks he recognized were now far behind, hidden by the trees.

Once he found the river or a stream, he could follow that to town. Once the sun began to set, he’d be able to walk towards it, leading him to the fields near the village.

Until then, he’d just have to keep finding mushrooms, putting them into his basket, and wandering.

And keeping an ear out. After all, there had been some talk of savaged sheep recently. Maybe wolves. But Cale had his knives, and that would be enough to fend off a wolf or two.

David leapt between one tree and the next, keeping an eye on the small group of circling wolves below. “Found the outriders. This group is a pack of four, looks like they’re on the hunt.” Treecko’s grip relaxed as he watched the wolves sniff the earth, as he sat back for a moment’s rest. “When will the others get here?”

<Not long. Jean is shadowing the Dire Wolf, with Steven and Semiramis getting in position nearby. Eevee is escorting Togepi, and Keldary is heading over to join you. We should be ready to attack->

<”Umm… Core-san? Were there supposed to be any humans in the area?”> Eevee’s squeaky voice cut across the line without difficulty.

<No, there weren’t.>

David’s eyes widened as the group of wolves below him jerked, heads swiveling as their eyes began to glow red. As one, they began to howl, before breaking into a fast lope, heading towards an unseen goal.

Jean’s harsh voice cut across the chat. <”The Dire Wolf just picked up the scent of something, and has taken off running. Anyone want to make odds on who their prey is?”>

<No bet. Team->

“Moving to intercept my group.” David growled, leaping off the branch and dashing after with a loping quick attack. “Should catch up shortly.”

<...okay then, I suppose we’re being heroes. Jean, start picking off the outriders- Steven, shift your direction forty-five degrees to your right. Yeah, that’s it. Pick up the pace, please!>

Cale didn’t have time to admit he was lost. He was too busy running.

He’d heard the howls, and for a moment, he’d let a grin stretch across his face. Bringing back news about the local wolves would be a great ending to today’s venture; he might even get a silver coin from the town guardsman, if he managed to bring back a corpse. Wolves weren’t stupid enough to hunt men if there was other game about, after all.

Then another set of howls rose from a different angle, and another grouping at a third. And soon, they’d sounded again, closer. And closer again.

Then there had only been the surge as his young fearlessness had been overwhelmed by fear, and panic drove him into the woods at speed. Cale had thought he might make it closer to the village, or at least a place he could find safety, when the first wolf, this one silent, had sprung from the brush ahead. Cale had managed to dodge aside and clamber up a cliff the wolf couldn’t directly follow, but it had only brought him a short reprieve, and driven him further into what he knew were the cliffs and crags surrounding the mountain foothills.

As the wolves gained, Cale’s breath rung heavy in his lungs, before abruptly giving out. Skidding to a stop, the young hunter found himself facing the most dreadful sight he’d ever seen; a dead end, where the rising earth jumped into a sheer cliff face, the path he followed ending in a long-abandoned animal hollow. No cover, and no way out.

Cale spun on one leg, pulling his knife free of his belt. “If you go to meet the end, go with sword in hand.” He murmured, reciting the twelfth stanza of Alezar. “...hope this counts.” His voice cracked as a half-dozen yellow-eyed wolves advanced from the bush, before they came to stop. At first perplexed, Cale felt his heart plummet as a much bulkier form moved to fill the gap between the hunters.

Cale swallowed. Half again as tall as any of the other wolves, dark gray fur glistening with reddish oil, and red eyes; a monster. Dire Wolf. A monster, not just an animal. And those creatures savored not just the meat, but the fear of their victims.

As the massive wolf advanced, Cale felt his limbs shake. “St-stay back-”

“VEE!”

Cale’s jaw dropped as a brown blur slammed into the marauding beast, sending it toppling. Behind it, the other wolves convulsed as the grip of the Dire Wolf shuddered, but before they could either flee, attack, or go to its aid more shapes dropped upon them. A black-furred creature squeaked and shrieked as its claws tore through the animals, while a small black lizard spat purple flames to immolate several more wolves tearing towards the clearing.

But Cale’s eyes were fixed on the small brown creature as it wrestled with the much larger monster. The tumbling figures split apart, revealing the boy’s savior. Fluffy tail, petite face, large brown eyes, with a creamy ruff around its neck. The little creature was hardly even a fifth the size of the monstrous wolf.

It was, however, only suffering a few scratches from their first clash. The dire wolf, meanwhile, was obviously battered as it climbed back to its feet, one eye closed where a nasty cut bled into it. As it righted itself, it bared its fangs, letting loose a vicious snarl.

The little brown creature seemed unperturbed, opening its mouth to bark back. “Vee, vee! E-veh!” At the last word, its mouth opened a little wider, and it breathed outward, a shower of tiny stars bursting outward. The dire wolf lunged to one side, only to howl as the motes of light changed course to plunge into it despite the dodge.

Cale gulped, his eyes flickering across the savage brawl. On the one hand, he was saved. On the other, these were clearly more monsters. Was this a fight over territory–

His thoughts were disrupted as one wolf made to attack him, only for a bipedal blue and black dog-creature to intercept the animal, laying it out flat with a blue-flaring fist.

-or was this some sort of rescue? Cale found his knife dropping from shuddering fingers, clasping his hands together. “To-to whoever’s listening, whoever- please, let this be help.”

“To-gi!”

Cale blinked and glanced down to see… his mushroom basket. Bouncing slightly a foot from his feet, the basket was righted and filled again, despite him abandoning it in his flight. Reaching down with one hand, Cale lifted it, to find yet another tiny monster peering up at him. This one was mostly white, except for red and blue marks covering the eggshell it wore. Wiggling tiny arms, the little monster smiled up at him, dancing slightly. “Pi-pi!’

“Umm… thank you?” Cale managed to sound out, only to jerk slightly as the bouncing grew a bit more insistent. Almost like… Cale blinked. “Do you… want to come up?” At the excited chirping, Cale set the basket back down, and closed his eyes as his hands grasped the little creature, lifting it into his arms. Immediately, most of the stress he carried seemed to melt away, and with a sob, he dragged the little critter into a hug.

After a few minutes, Cale opened tear fogged eyes as the sound of battle slowly faded. The little brown creature (it looked like some sort of fox-cat) was still battling with the massive wolf, fur now matted with blood and obviously favoring one side. The dire wolf was in a similar state, bleeding from a dozen puncture wounds and limping, single open eye flickering in panic as it was slowly surrounded by half a dozen victorious monsters. With one last growl, the massive monster rushed the little brown fox, only for the critter to jump, flip, and slam its suddenly silver-colored tail right between the monster’s eyes, driving the muzzle into the earth. With a final “EE-VEE!” the fox leapt, golden light covering it as it slammed its forelimbs down on the monster’s neck with an audible crack.

Silence filled the air, before the black lizard began to cackle with a distinct ‘Landidititit’ and clap its foreclaws together. Cale started as the tiny egg-creature wiggled in his grasp, and he quickly crouched, watching as the little critter dashed forward as soon as its stubby legs touched the ground, blue light gathering and then washing over the brown fox, wounds and blood both washing away.

“...healing magic?” Cale muttered, starting as the monsters turned their attention to him. After a few seconds, the black lizard sniffed, lifted its snout, and began to walk off, a few hissed murmurs passing from its jaws as it sauntered off; Cale could almost read dismissal in its departure.

Most of the other creatures cocked their heads or gave their own verbalizations, moving to either gather the corpses or head back into the woods after briefly cocking their heads. Two remained; one, a much larger creature resembling a blue lizard, moved to the corpse of the dire wolf and began to study it. The other approached, brown tail wagging, inspecting him briefly. After a few moments, the still-wet fox creature smiled, gave one last yip, then turned and headed back into the woods. Behind it, the large reptile gave one nod, grunting as it turned and trundled off, the much larger corpse over its back and shoulder.

Cale watched as the two monsters walked into the woods, before his voice found him again. “Thank you!”

As one, both the creatures turned back, the fox’s smile widening and the reptilian face shifting into a small grin. The blue monster lifted its free arm in a short wave, while the fox’s tail wagged hard before the two turned and vanished into the tree line.

Cale’s breathing slowed as he watched them depart, before he took a look around at the torn apart clearing. His eyes passed over the two corpses of dead wolves and back to the path, before his gaze rose to meet the sun, starting to set in the sky. “...dad’s never going to believe this.”

<Well done, everyone.> I chuckled, watching as the corpse of the massive wolf dissolved into cinders as it touched the floor. <This is going to make things significantly easier.> I stopped, considering the new research options unlocked. <Well, if we want Houndour, Poochyena, Rocktruff… Lotta canine Pokemon this thing gives research credits to.>

<“Great, more dogs.”> Semiramis sniffed, then paused in thought. <”Hmm, though a few Furfou attendants would not be amiss. Could we-”>

<A little too pricey for now, though I can add them to the list.> I responded absently. <For now, my focus is going to be on getting the backbones of our internal ecosystem up and running.> I paused as a round of inquisitive sounds came from my guardians.

<”Explain that in simple terms, boss.”> Jean asked, idly stripping one of the game animals I hadn’t absorbed for meat.

<”Negative, I comprehend.”> Yahenni offered, emerging from the rune lab without preamble. <”Focus has been on allowing dungeon to feed and provide habitats for all monsters within; berry bushes, foliage, trees, non-sapient game.”>

<”Tryin’ to make this place a home?”> Togepi summarized, plonking herself down on Semiramis’ side, drawing a pleasant chur from the lizard. <”That’s good!”>

<”We are not addressing the Copperrajah in the room.”> Keldary spoke up from her place near my core, shut eyes opening as she joined the meditation. <”Slow and steady may not be enough to see us through our development. That young man saw us fight; he will tell others.”>

<He will and he has. Steven and Carnwennan have shadowed him back to his village, which rests roughly five miles from our current home.> I acknowledged. <But we had no choice.>

Keldary nods. <”That was not in doubt. Our actions were necessary, I merely hope we’re prepared for the results.”>

<”So far, things seem stable enough.”> I replied, once again turning my attention outside. Night had fallen, which sent most folks scurrying back behind the palisade walls of their village or the fortified farmsteads which made up the local homes. This was the time of monsters and shadows; and Carnwennan could be considered both.

Could be.

“And you’re certain they don’t have more defenses? Maybe a few mages about?” Carnwennan murmured as she lighted next to her partner in espionage for the evening. Beside him, Steven shifted, moving to a better spot on his branch.

“Not that I saw. Most of the older village members seem to have the ‘militia’ class, or at least one which gives them some weapon proficiency. But I haven’t seen a single magic-user, and I know you’ve not detected anything of the sort.”

“They just seem so vulnerable.” the Zubat responded, her normal wide grin absent. “Can they keep themselves safe? And their kits?”

“They have the walls, and there aren’t many monsters like the Dire Wolf around.” Steven reasoned. “We didn’t sense anything, and the locals seemed surprised that one showed up.”

“That means little. We are unexpected; what other things might lurk to crawl from the woods?” She murmured.

David sighed. “I know. But it’s not a fight we can fight, even if we decide we should.” The Treecko turned to watch as a group of men in leathers and armor approached the palisade, his eyes narrowing. “Hmm. I think that’s the group that went out to track down our battlefield.”

Carnwennan’s ears twitched. “Are those Zebstrika? Or Rapidash?”

<They’re horses. Not Pokemon.>

“... this world is strange.” the Zubat murmured.

“Your lad speaks truly, Jakob.” The town’s single ranger, Issac, leaned forward, spreading a sketch of the various tracks he’d spotted. “There are wolves in the woods; and at least until very recently, they were led by a dire wolf.”

“It’s sure, then?” A heavyset man crossed his arms behind the bar. “We’d heard the howls…”

The gathered men and women looked to Issac, frowns and oaths filling the room. One man raised his hand, cutting off the shouts. “You said until recently. Was that boy’s tale true?”

“If you don’t trust my boy-” A lean man swore from the corner, only for the woman at his side to elbow him. The incredulous shouts and arguments began to flare, before the bartender slammed his fist into the bar twice, bringing the din down to a murmur once again. He nodded to Issac.

“Aye, the lad seems to have the right of it.” Issac acknowledged. He upended a pouch, red-stained earth and oily black fur spilling onto the table. “Too much blood at the site of the fight, but none leading away. The beast fought and died in that copse. And the battle…” Issac trailed off. “The glimmer of spent magic. Vile poison, melting ice, touches of fire. Unless young Cale’s a warmage in hiding, something else intervened to help him, and took the beast and most of its pack with them.”

Despite accepting that the monster was gone, most of the gathered farmers and townsmen did not relax. On the one hand, the Dire Wolf was gone. On the other… “Issac. Do you recognize any of the signs?” One of the town elders asked, her voice iron-hard.

“None.” Isaac traced the shape of a small pawprint. “Some of them look like ordinary beasts; cat and lizard, but the sizes are strange. There’re prints I’m sure came from some sort of young fox, but are dug into the ground deep enough to be those of a creature three times its size. And there were a few tracks I’d only seen in a swamp.” He shook his head. “No natural animal made them, I’d stake my life on that.”

“So we have another group of monsters roaming about?”

“What do we know about them?”

“Should we send for the lord’s hunters?”

“That’ll cost a fortune!”

Issac raised a hand. “I’m not sure it’s necessary.” As the arguing quieted, he continued. “If these creatures meant us ill, Cale would be dead. Instead, they let him live.” He frowned. “It’s not natural to have so many different monsters working together. Like monsters, sure. Such variety? Hardly.” He tapped the table. “We may be dealing with a summoner, or a biomancer. And we can negotiate with those.”

“That’s hardly better. Lady Emelia would have sent word if there was a mage sent to the area. So this one has to be a rouge, right?” One man offered.

“If they exist, they sent their beasts to save my son. That deserves thanks.”

“It could be a trick.”

“Or he might just be moving through. We can’t know…”

Issac groaned as another argument broke out. He sighed, eyeing the bar, only for the barman to set a wooden mug near his side. “Thanks, Aelfric.”

The man grunted softly, eyeing the arguing group. “...you think we should post a quest?”

“Do you think any adventurers are going to come out here for a snipe hunt through the woods? With the funds we can gather?” He sighed. “We might be able to leverage a few of my old friends to come out, but that’s not likely for moons. Right now, it’s just us.”

Aelfric paused. “...and if it’s not a weird group of monsters, or a man?”

“It’s not… demons.” Issac whispered the last word, making the sign against evil on his chest. “No.”

“Not what I was asking.”

Issac sipped his drink as he tried to process the question, before he realized the direction of the question. “Are you suggesting a dungeon?” He coughed, his expression evolving into a strangled laugh. “Monsters from a dungeon don’t stray out and save people. No, there’s a mind behind this one. It’s not some rock in the earth summoning monsters.”