The Dungeon of Loving Beasts 5: The First of Many Challengers (Patreon)

Cale reached up, pulling his hat from the peg as he called out to his mother. “Ma, I’m headed out into the woods!”

“Cale Johnson, you will do no such thing!” Cale’s mother, Arina, ducked out of the kitchen room, glaring at her son. “You nearly died last time you went out alone, Cale. I know you are set on a Ranger class, but it’s not worth your life to go out there alone.” She huffed.

“Ma, the woodsmen have been searching over the woods for weeks now.” Cale shot back. “If it’s not safe to head in there now, then when can I go?”

Arina sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Do you really need to go out?”

“I’ll fall behind if I don’t pick a second class soon.” Cale said softly. “And… I haven’t met all the requirements for Ranger. I don’t want to get stuck with Farmer, ma.” He paused. “Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but Godfrey and Anabelle already have the farm–”

“I know.” She looked down, then met her son’s gaze. “And I think you’ll make a good Ranger, Cale. But I don’t want you taking risks. What do you need to do?”

“Befriend a wild creature. Something simple, like a rat or a bird would do, but it can’t be domesticated.” That was the big hurdle for Ranger. Some classes, like tradesmen or the laborer classes only needed a few seasons or a bit of effort in their fields to unlock the class; more powerful and complex classes needed meeting milestones before they would become available.

But waiting too long to choose a second class was seen as foolish. The Human class capped at 12 until a second ‘Profession’ class was unlocked; without the steady income of increasing stats and experience, self-improvement slowed to a crawl. It wasn’t as though you couldn’t still learn or grow as a person, but without the reinforcing loop of the gods’ blessing, one could never learn as quickly as one who had a class they could develop.

Arina peered at her youngest son, and sighed. “Gods watch over you, Cale.” She murmured. “Stay safe, and at the first sign of trouble, run home.” She reached into the room behind her before tossing her son a curled horn. “Take this.”

“Ma, that’s our signal horn!” Cale yelped, catching the small instrument. “What if–”

“If monsters or bandits attack the steading, the rangers are out and about.” Arina replied briskly. “We can hold for a little while, while you may need help immediately. Come back safe.” She huffed.

“Right.” He nodded. “I’ll be home before dark.”

She accepted his final words with a nod, and bustled back inside, back to work on her own tasks for the day. Cale carefully tucked the horn onto his belt in easy reach, before hoisting his bag over his shoulder and heading off down the road, towards the line of greenery rising in the nearby valleys.

Cale’s eyes passed over the ground as he knelt, examining the tracks on the loose soil. He groaned as he ran one finger through the slurry which had once been a fox-print. “Worthless. Nothing’s passed on this track in days.” He grumbled, looking up at the small clearing in the tree cover, spotting the sun coming to crest in the sky. “Midday, and nothing but squirrels and mice.”

Cale sighed as he stood. It had been a long shot, but he’d hoped the predator animals like foxes would have been out and about. Most rangers had hounds, wolves, hawks, or foxes as their companions; at least, when they hunted in the highlands. He’d heard of plainsmen having horses or more exotic beasts as their partners, and the rare ocean rangers choosing shaques or dol-feen for their partners…

…whatever those were.

Still grumbling over his lack of options, Cale nearly missed the broken soil which marked a trail, only to stop as he nearly put his foot into a clear print in a bit of creek mud. Pulling the limb back, Cale knelt, eyeing the print with trepidation. Three long claws in front, and one in the rear; not a track he recognized. Looking closer, Cale felt something trigger as he saw the sweep of a stubby tail in the mud a few meters forward; something walking on hindlegs, with their tail dragging. “...that monster, the blue one. These are his tracks.” He muttered. Standing, he looked up the hill, following the trail of the creek and a newly-weathered track which followed it. “...nothing ventured…” He mumbled. “Gods and goddesses, watch over this fool as he goes to make his fortune..”

It took nearly a candlemark to follow the creek and the winding trail up to the base of a narrow valley, one which capped out with a falling waterfall and a small pond, which spilled over a natural dam to start the creek he’d been following. Cale panted slightly as he crested the dam, looking around with a frown. He’d expected a camp or a nest, but–

There. In the shadow of the waterfall, a dark hole in the stone, half the falling water drifting backward into the darkness. Cale trotted forward, skirting across the stones surrounding the pond as he approached the cave. That must be the home of the monsters who’d saved him. And their creator. Cale swallowed as he stepped closer, then froze as he saw something.

In the stone above the cavern opening, a simple plate of polished granite, marked with a familiar symbol. A rectangle, capped with a half-circle, divided in half. The sign of the Gate.

“Dungeon.” He whispered. Dungeons meant power, wealth, death, and trial. Dungeons meant hostile creatures crawling out of stone, brutal battles…

Dungeons did not mean friendly creatures which rescued lost travelers from wolves, or bartered for buckets and information with ancient gold. Cale swallowed, then stepped forward, into the cavern mouth, his eyes blinking as the normal gloom brightened the moment he stepped beneath the symbol in the stone.

Cool light surrounded him as he descended, walking beside an even channel cut into the rock, ferrying water deeper into the cavern. As he followed the water around a switchback, he looked up to see regularly spaced tiles fitted to the ceiling, each shining with the thin light of an overcast sky. Putting his attention back to his front, Cale gasped as he took in the sights ahead of him.

Before him, the water spilled over a short cliff, gathering in a large pond. Surrounding that pond and the cliff, acres in all directions, stood a forest, mirroring the one he’d walked through on his way to the dungeon itself. The roof above was composed entirely of the panels he’d seen in the corridor, natural light falling from the ceiling in a reflection of the overcast sky he’d left behind.

As he peered into the forest below, Cale jerked back as a flock of massive butterflies rose through the air, swooping around him in a dizzying display before breaking off and scattering back into the woods, calling out happy cries of ‘Butter-free!” as they left him behind.

“Isn’t a dungeon supposed to be a bunch of caves?” Cale whispered, peering into the darkened woods below, the thick canopy of trees blocking his sight.

“That depends on what you think a ‘Dungeon’ should be.” Cale froze as a voice sounded in his head, whirling to face the ‘direction’ of the voice. Floating at head-height was a small creature, an insectoid carapace covering a tiny humanoid form, the bulk of its mass made up of the half-orb of red and black attached to its head.

“...what are you? And how are you floating like that?” Cale murmured, awe-struck, his curiosity outweighing his fear.

“I am an Orbeetle, young man.” The creature spoke in return. “And my abilities, including communication and levitation, are a result of psychic power.”

“I’ve never heard of those. Is it like a mindspeech spell?” Cale asked, peering closely at the floating insect. “Oh, and I’m Cale, Mr. Orbeetle.”

“Orbeetle is the name of my species, young man. My name is Alexi.” The insect corrected, one arm wagging slightly. “I am curious. Why did you venture into a dungeon on your own? It is not the wisest of decisions.”

“Umm.” Cale ventured, his mind whirling as he realized he was intruding on this monster’s lair.

“Were you seeking wealth? Are you here for treasure? Perhaps the thrill of exploration, or the promise of power?” Alexi snapped a tiny finger, a roll of parchment and a tube of metal appearing before him. Cale blinked as the tiny being began taking notes. “On a scale of one to ten, how much danger do you believe yourself to be in? What is your level of your primary class–”

“You can’t just ask that!” Cale blurted before he could stop himself. He shook his head, speaking a little more softly. “It’s not something people talk about, you know?”

“I do not, actually! How fascinating.” Alexi’s scribbles picked up the pace. “Socially, I would think knowing the strength and ability of your allies and families would be useful information.”

“Why don’t you know? I mean, everyone knows it’s really rude to demand level information.” Cale shot back. Then paused. “Wait… I guess if you’ve been in a cave all this time, you wouldn’t know. Sorry.”

“So there is a concrete reason, beyond ‘it’s rude?’ Would you mind sharing?”

“I mean, I guess.” Cale muttered, scratching the back of his head. “It used to be that there weren’t levels and classes, but then magic was wild. At least, that’s what the priests say. And then the gods made the Law and Writ, which made the system work. But people started basing everything on levels and classes, and that’s… not entirely how it works.” Cale shrugged. “The blacksmith in the village has the Blacksmith class, but he only learned it after taking Soldier for his first class. He learned smithing and unlocked the class because they needed someone to fix equipment, and he figured out he had a talent for it. Ya can’t know your path from the very beginning of your life and get stuck on it.”

“So you do not ask about classes and levels because people would rather be judged on what they do, not the titles they are given.”

“That, and some classes have a bad reputation, ya know?” Cale shrugged. “My ma’s second class is Thief because she wanted Darkvision and didn’t qualify for Huntress or Watchwoman. Doesn’t mean she steals things, she just wanted to be able to see clearly at night.” He chuckled. “It does mean she always knows when people are trying to surprise her.”

“Interesting. Thank you for that information.” Alexi noted down everything. “Back to my first question, though; why are you here?”

“Well, I recognized the tracks of that blue lizard– um, does he have a name?”

“He goes by Steven, yes.”

“Right, Steven– I wanted to thank him. Well, I really wanted to thank the little brown fox-dog, but I need to thank all of them; if they hadn’t jumped in, I’d have been wolf food.” Cale said. “So when I saw his tracks, I followed them up here. Plus, I figured I could befriend an animal, and maybe one of you would work.”

“Oh?” Alexi looked up, eyebrows rising. “And why would you want to befriend one of us?”

“It’s one of the possible requirements for the Ranger class.” Cale explained. “I can’t go hunt down a monster on my own or shoot down an eagle yet, but I’m getting too old to put off choosing my first class.”

“That makes sense, then. David unlocked Ranger based on his defeat of several monsters…” Alexi confirmed, the scroll in his grip rolling up and disappearing with a pop. “This has been very enlightening. As for Lee, the Eevee you encountered– she is not an Eevee anymore, but I believe she would be happy to meet you face to face.” He looked down into the forest spreading out from the pond below the cliff. “Hmm. She cannot come to you… but I could guide you to her. The woods are not without danger, though Anwyl can grant you safe enough passage so long as you stay out of the tall grass.”

“Tall grass? Why would that matter in the woods?”

“Tradition, mostly.” “Beet-be-be-eetle.” Alexi chuckled aloud, even as the words colored with amusement sounded in Cale’s head. “You might even find someone to befriend in the forests, if you know the way of it.”

Cale perked up. Befriending a Dungeon Monster? That would be cool. “Well, lead the way, Mr. Alexi. And, who’s Anwyl?”

“Our… creator? Leader? Commander? Parent doesn’t quite fit. In truth, their name is Gwyn, Anwyl being a title more than anything.” Alexi mused as he floated toward the side of the cliff, Cale jogging to keep up. “Hmm. A question; do most dungeons have a Core which… thinks? Reasons?”

Cale shook his head, before the implications caught up with him. “Your core’s alive?”

“Indeed. I assume that is unusual? We assumed so, but we have not been able to ask.”

“No. That’d explain… a lot. Did he send the other monsters– um, do you–”

“Monster is technically accurate, but we prefer the term Pokemon.”

“Po-keh-mon…” Cale sounded out the word as they descended into the woods. “But he sent you all to help me?”

“He might have, but Lee and some of the others were already in motion before Anwyl spoke up. We are all free people, Cale. We may have come into existence in the service of the Dungeon, but its hold upon us is loose and easily slipped should we will it. For those of us with free thought, anyway.” Alexi sighed. “As much as we would all wish it otherwise, a Dungeon must have defenders willing to die for its defense. So many of the creatures here are… hollow. Shells of magic without thought.”

Cale looked around as the slope ended. The forest was almost too neat; rather than the randomly spaced screes of rock and open clearings he was used to, the forest stretched in three directions, the rock at his back the only distinguishing features beside small thickets lurking in the shadows of the woods. It was even mostly level, which was… “This forest is weird.” He said finally.

“It is artificial, and still in development, really. Do you have any suggestions? Anwyl will hear them if you speak up.”

Cale frowned. “I guess… First thing, there needs to be some sort of animal paths. And leaf litter.” He murmured, looking at the near-uniform layer of moss and dirt splayed out beneath the trees.

“Good point, do go on…”

--(0)--

“...and I guess there’s just… not a lot of noise. I mean, sure, there are some monst- Pokemon making noise, but it’s mostly just quiet.” Cale finished as he ducked under a Spinarak web. “It’s more like what a forest is like in a book than anything alive.” He summed up.

“Excellent. We will put all of that into consideration.” Alexi allowed as the two travelers passed out of the dense forest and into a small glade, a stream cutting through the meadow. “Now, we’re about five more minutes from Lee’s home, so–”

Cale stopped Alexi from speaking as he stared at the small group of creatures supping at the water up ahead. “Um, what kind of Pokemon are those?” He asked, peering ahead. Five little green creatures knelt or splashed in the water, alongside bushes of some of the brightest fruits he’d ever seen. “And those bushes…”

“Berry bushes. I believe those are a mixture of Cheri and Oran berries.” Alexi explained. “As for the creatures, those are Budew.”

“So far, all the Pokemon have looked like animals.” Cale peered a little closer. “But they don’t. What are they based off of?”

“They are grass-types, ‘based’ off immature roses.”

“Plant monsters? That move around?” Cale said, awed. “Are they guarding those fruits?”

“Their keeper is.” Alexi said, even as Cale began to approach. “Ah, wait, that–”

“Budew, right? They seem a lot less scary than the giant insects or the dog-monsters.” Cale said as he crossed the stream, slowing as the little Pokemon perked up and looked his way. He smiled down at them, even as they each began to sway back and forth, not noticing the small clouds of yellow pollen surrounding each one. “If they’re plants, do they even eat anything?”

“They do not eat much, but they do have defenses against being eaten. I would advise staying at a good distance.” Alexi replied, floating up to flank him. “And their… elder is far more threatening.”

“Elder?” Cale looked over, eyes widening as the colorful flowers on a bush shifted, a two-and-half foot figure emerged from the thorns. “Ack!”

The ambulatory creature placed its flower ‘hands’ on its hips. “Rose-elia…” It cooed, eyes lidded as a threatening grin crossed its face.

“Umm. Hello there?” Cale flicked his gaze between the two species. “Does one grow into the other?” He asked after a moment. “Is that their mom?”

“These ones are all dungeon created, so no to the last point. But very astute of you to recognize the first! Yes, Budew do mature into Roselia in time.”

Cale paused, then knelt to get on the Roselia’s level. “Umm, is it alright if I get some berries and talk to your… wards?” He waited, even as the plant-monster froze, then cocked their head.

“Rose. El-ia.” The creature eventually said, stepping back and giving a wide wave of one arm. They continued to watch carefully as Cale approached.

“Thank you!: Cale said, first stepping over to the bush and removing a few berries, stopping when the Roselia shook her arm at him. “Got it, no more.” He pulled out a knife and cut apart the blue fruit, marveling and the bright flesh within. “Mmph, that’s good.”

“Oran flesh has a number of healing properties. Cheri acts as pain relief and counter-paralytic, if ingested in sufficient quantities.” Alexi observed.

‘Right.” Cale knelt, putting the sliced Oran on the ground, then pulling out the bread and jerky he’d brought with him. “So–” He paused as all six of the grass-Pokemon fixated on the dried meat, the Roselia licking its lips with a smile. “-I didn’t think they’d like that so much.”

“Most grass-types enjoy meat far more than fruit or grains. They photosynthesize their own sugars, but proteins are harder to produce, and fat is extremely rare.”

“Photosynthesis? Proteins?” Cale muttered, before shaking his head. “Not important. Any of you want a bite?” He asked.

The Roselia stepped up, vines coiling out of their rose to scoop up the dried meat. With a chuckle, they broke up two of the strips into multiple pieces, keeping one for themselves before dropping the broken ones to the smaller creatures. As the Budew began to happily gnaw their snacks, Cale took a deep breath.

“So… I can’t promise any of you meat every day, or anything extravagant like that. But I bet I have access to foods you don’t get here, and… well, you seem interesting, and I’ve never seen a plant-Pokemon before. I want a partner who can help my whole family, and if you can tend to plants and fight both… that’d be wonderful.” He finished lamely.

After a few minutes, one of the Budew looked at its guardian and chirped, bouncing forward. It came up and nuzzled up to Cale’s hand, and with a push of energy, the boy felt a link snap into place.

“Wow…” Cale murmured, watching as the little Pokemon perked up, bouncing on its feet. “Hey there, little– guy? No, girl. Thank you!”

“Dew! Dew!”

Alexi drifted down to float beside Cale. “Unexpected. Hmm, unfortunate that Anwyl hasn’t finished the Apricorn trees yet.”

“Apricorns?” Cale asked, scooping up his new partner and leaving the bread and berries to be devoured by the other Pokemon, the Roselia giving a small salute before resuming their watch.

“Not important right now. Come on, bring her with you.”

--(0)--

Cale blinked as ducked under the last branches of the woods, coming into a small break between the woods and the stone before him. Alexi had led him to the edges of the dungeon, passing through a small tangle filled with thorny branches and to the rough stone which made up the walls. At the edge, he guided Cale to stand directly against a small outcropping in the wall, revealing a narrow passage into the stone.

“Gwyn has created several of these grottos for us to live in, hidden from most adventurers. You will keep them quiet, understood?” The insect Pokemon’s voice was stern and uncompromising, a tinge of malice coloring the last words.

Cale nodded, turning sideways to slip through the cleft in the stone. “I will. Dunno how anyone bigger than me would fit through, though.”

“Means and ways.” Alexi acknowledged, coming in behind the boy, while Budew hopped along after them. The three emerged from the passage to find themselves in a tiny valley, a small pool of water and a grove of trees surrounding a mossy hideaway. And within…

“Vuh!” “Vee!” “E-vuh!”

Cale’s eyes widened as he looked at the small group of brown fox-cats tumbling over each other, batting at tails and nipping each others ruffs even as they dodged and ducked. Watching over the tiny beings, a much larger creature with a similar body type but covered in a rich cream coat lay on a moss bed, leavy ears and tails moving as she watched her kits. “Umm… is the big one Lee?”

“She is, yes.” As the two spoke, Lee’s ears swiveled towards them, and the large fox creature gave a warbling trill as she stood, trotting their way even as the small kits all paused in their playing, turning to face the new arrivals. Coming to a stop half a yard from the human and his Pokemon escorts, she trilled again.

“She is asking what you are doing here. And greeting you.” Alexi added the second line absently.

Cale swallowed. Up close, the leafy fox-cat was the size of a small wolf, and he could easily recognize the intelligence in her brown eyes. This was far worse than the Roselia earlier. IN some ways. But in others… “Hello, Lee. That’s your name, right?” The Pokemon nodded, and Cale felt this stomach unclench as he smiled. “Thank you for stepping in to help me, with the wolves. If you hadn’t shown up when you did, they’d have eaten me.” He grimaced, then shook his head. “You saved my life.”

The fox smiled, nodding happily. “Leaf-ee.” She murmured, stepping closer offering her ears to him. With care, Cale reached down and started scratching, smiling at the feeling of soft fur transitioning to hard cellulose underneath his fingers. “Wow, you’re a wonder, you know?”

As the fox trilled, Alexi chuckled. “While she says her intervention is nothing worth bothering payment over, she also demands that you not stop scratching.” He peered down, and Cale followed the bug’s gaze to see six figures lining up for their own scratches; five little fox-kits and one little plant monster. “You may be here a while.”

Cale grinned, kneeling down to put his other hand to use on the first eager kit. “I don’t mind. I just need to be home before dark.”

Lee purred under his touch, flopping her ears about.

After half an hour of pets, Cale sat back, flexing his fingers as most of the group in front of him resumed cavorting, the mother of the kits joining in with most of her skulks’ play. However, two of the little Eevee (as Cale learned they were called) were sitting aside, talking to Budew as she chirped loudly.

Glancing up, Cale eyed Alexi, who was taking notes on his board once again. “What are they talking about?”

“Budew is quite proud of being the first Pokemon in the Dungeon to get a Trainer.” Alexi explained. “The siblings are asking her a great many questions, most of which she has no answer for save enthusiasm.” He twitched. “This whole experience has been very valuable thus far. Gwyn has informed me that you are to be allowed in to see the kits and explore the dungeon on a regular basis, though I might not remain your escort.”

“Thank them for me, please.” Cale said, then paused. “Are they male or female? Gwyn is… male, I think. But I can’t tell.”

“A core has no gender, though Anwyl tends to fluctuate in his mindset considerably.” Alexi admitted. “As a pronoun, ‘they’ will do.”

“Okay.” Cale finally stood, grimacing. “It’s got to be getting late,” he murmured, habitually glancing at the roof, then blinked as he noticed how the glowing stone above had gone from blue-white to pink.

“Indeed, the sun begins to set.” Alexi frowned. “If you live near the nearby village, I think you will be late getting home.”

“Yeah, that’s… probably true,” Cale said, grimacing. “Mum’s going to be pissed.”

“We can help with that,” Alexi said after a moment. “When you’re ready, let me know, and I should be able to send you home.”

“Wait, what–” Cale’s questions were cut off as Budew and the two Eevee she’d been speaking with bounded up to his feet, calling out loudly. As they chattered at him, he noticed Lee’s ears perk up before the big fox turned away from her play and loped over. “What now?” He asked, even as the Leafeon began to fuss at her children.

“It appears these two wished to join your team. Lee is, correctly, telling them they are too young to do so,” Alexi explained. “They are being petulant about it. Also, Budew wants training. You should work on that.”

“Training?”

“Combat experience, physical conditioning, move– I mean, Spell Practice. The usual.” The Orbeetle nodded. “Come back for advice as often as you’d like.”

“Okay?” Cale muttered, scratching his head. “Okay.” He knelt back down, drawing the attention of all four Pokemon surrounding him. “Listen, I think I’ll have a bit of a handful working out how to train Budew first,” he said to both the little Eevee. “Listen to your mom, get a little bigger, and give me a chance to work out how this will… well, work,” he said, causing the ears of both little foxes to droop slightly.

“Vuh…” “Vee…” They said, before Cale reached over and gave them both a scratch.

“I’ll be back soon, don’t worry. You just can’t come with me yet, alright?” As they both nodded, Cale pulled his hands back and stood. “Okay, so, how are you going to get me home?”

“Teleportation.”

“Oh– wait, what?” Cale squealed. “That’s a high-level spell!”

“Oh, interesting. You can explain that later. For now, just focus on home, please. I wouldn’t want to miss.”

“Waitwaitwait–” Cale said, waving his hands, before Alexi lashed out with a burst of blue-pink energy, the world twisting around him. “AHHH!”

--(0)--

Arina looked up from where she was watching the treeline, blinking as her youngest son dropped out of the air and landed on the thatch of her roof. She chuckled as she saw him sit up. “Cutting it a bit fine, son! How’d you end up over there, tossed by a giant?” She called, then blinked as a tiny yellow-green creature hopped off him and bounced down to the ground. “And what’s that little thing?”

“...give me a few minutes to get down, ma. Then I can explain,” Cale grumbled from the roof, wincing as the beams beneath the dried grass dug into his back. “I’m going to have words with that beetle…”

“Did you hit your head?” Arina called.

“No, ma. Just… let me come down,” Cale grumbled. Explaining this was going to be a chore, he could already tell. “Avoided some trouble, only to get in more,” he groused. “At least I’m home for supper…”