Dungeon Menagerie 33 (Patreon)

Commissioned by InfiniteChaosRei

Dungeon Menagerie

Chapter 33

-VB-

Bell stared at the creature, a new Friend of Vanessa’s, that ended the Goliath so easily. 

“Umm… Vanessa? Why are you angry with him… her… it?” he asked her. 

It’s been a full hour since her new Friend took down the Goliath, and they managed to get the biggest magic stone he’s seen yet out of Goliath’s corpse. Or what remained of it. She hasn’t stopped glaring at “Vel’Koz,” though.

“Because he’s a copy of the guy who caused our problem in the first place,” she grumbled as she tore her eyes away from Vel’Koz. 

Since they just had a really long and tough fight after days of continuous fighting and traveling, they were finally setting up camp here to rest for a long while. 

“A copy …?” he frowned. 

“Not the original,” Vanessa huffed. “Imagine if you were here but one of the gods and goddesses decided to use their arcanum to make an exact copy of you, memories and behavior included,” she pointed out as she sliced off a piece of the ham that they’d brought into the stew they were making. “That’s what he is.”

“O-oh,” he muttered. “Wait if he caused the problem in the first place, then he could fix it, right?”

She looked to glare at Vel’Koz again.

“No,” she gritted out. “Him and his … similar creatures aren’t exactly the kind of magic-wielding animals that can undo the damage they cause. This guy in particular is known for disintegrating anything and everything he comes across for the sake of ‘learning.’ Humans are a particular favorite of his to analyze.”

“Incorrect,” the deep voice of “Vel’Koz” interrupted Vanessa, and Bell looked up. “Humans are … fascinating. But they are not the only race that I thoroughly analyzed.”

Bell shuddered. He “analyzed” the Goliath, or said so himself right before firing that “disintegration” beam. If he had already “analyzed” a lot of races…

Vel’Koz was like Mori. Not exactly human or any human-like races but definitely powerful and ruthless.

“But I will acknowledge that humans are often analyzed more than any other race. Something about them can defy fate time and time again, even if not all individuals can,” Vel’Koz “hummed,” making weird and deep wobbling noises. His singular large eye, which was taller than Bell was, looked down at him, Vanessa, and Lili respectively before glancing at Mori. “And I see many individuals of note here.”

“You can tell that from a glance?” he asked in surprise. 

“Please don’t encourage him, Bell,” Vanessa interrupted. “He might just convince you to let him disintegrate you.”

“Only after an extensive research, my friend,” Vel’Koz drawled toward Vanessa. 

Vanessa glared. “Whatever. We rest today and leave tomorrow! We need to fix Chrysalismon!” 

-VB-

The return was much easier than their entry. Maybe it was because they cleared out so many monsters on the way in…

No, that wasn’t the case. 

Vanessa looked around with paranoia. 

The world and her own skill seemed to taunt her. If it wasn’t some random adventurers stalking her and her party to ambush them, then it was the Menagerie itself dropping Vel’Koz as her latest friend.

Like… what the fuck?! 

If the Menagerie had a physical form, then she would be strangling or throwing it everywhere to vent her frustration. 

She paused mentally. 

Was she becoming more violent as time went on? 

She scratched the back of her head. With its matted and sweaty hair. 

Ugh. 

Whatever. 

She’ll just be happy to be up there. Once she got Chrysalismon back to health, she was going to take a shower and then sleep for as long as her body wanted to. It deserved that rest after the shit she put it through. 

… But if she thought she could do it, then she would already be rushing out of the Dungeon as fast as her legs could carry her so that she could drop all of the magic stones on Chrysalismon as quickly as she could. 

However, she knew she would probably die from exhaustion or ambush.

There might even be another random adventurer group who wants her dead, too! Who the fuck knows, right?! 

“Curious.”

She looked up and glared at Vel’Koz. Just because he wasn’t the original didn’t mean that she was going to give him any slack. He wasn’t looking at her. No, he was looking off into the distance. The direction was … was that the entrance to this floor? 

“What?” she bit out, even as curiosity and alarm started ringing in her head. 

“A large mana signature is heading our way. Directly.”

Trouble after trouble! What the fuck?!

“Do you want me to take care of it?” 

She looked at him before narrowing her eyes. “Yes…?” Was she asking or answering? She didn’t care. 

“Good. At the very least, this will prove that I am … your Friend.”

She blinked as the floating alien eyeball drifted away and moving deeper into the woods away from her sight. 

Huh. She didn’t expect that from him at all. 

… Was she being too harsh on him? Maybe? 

“Ugh,” she muttered to herself as she got ready to fight again.

Mori, who had been watching it all, slowly stepped up to her side and waited with her. 

“Thanks, Mori,” she mumbled.

He cawed lightly. 

-VB-

Vel’Koz continued to analyze the mana signature. 

It was hostile.

As importantly as its intent, it was also stronger than him.

The situation was unfavorable. 

The enemy was an unknown.

The environment all too familiar yet different. 

However.

A strong enemy always made for a wonderful research subject, more so if it was another human or a human derivative, and if it helped to increase his standing with his new Mistress, then the calculus of this upcoming battle was simple.

He will win. Because he needed to. 

And if anything thought that he, one of the first Voidborn created by the Watchers, was weak simply because he was not stronger than his opponent, then he would prove them wrong.