TDH Vol. 1 pt. 34

Being in the dungeon with Elanah was dangerous. There was a chance that, at any given moment, she would pounce me and I wouldn’t be able to resist. Part of me wished that she would. The other part of me desperately wanted to hide doing anything like that from public view.

But that was the only way that the dungeon was dangerous. Elanah seriously proved how strong she was by making short work of any threats in our way.

That made me realize something.

As great as it would be to get stronger in the dungeon through repeated attempts… it served as a double-edged sword.

On one hand, making it through the dungeon would be easier. The first floors could easily be skipped past.

On the other hand—well, on the other paw, that would be boring.

I figured that the audience enjoyed watching people struggle, so what happened when that struggle was taken away? It might be fun watching somebody effortlessly stroll through the dungeon the first time after they’ve gotten stronger, but what about after that? It would take time for them to get to the “good” parts again that involved struggling against powerful beasts and traps capable of killing them at any moment.

I never thought of it that way before. Watching Elanah was impressive, but I realized that I felt like I was in no danger while with her. And if I was in no danger, that would be boring to the audience.

Even if we were to slow down our pace and if I got her to let me fight on my own, there still wouldn’t be that risky feeling due to the audience knowing that I’d be fine as long as she was nearby. They knew she would save me just like before.

The risk was removed and I was at risk of boring the audience.

Elanah was too strong for these earlier floors. While I was sure that we’d struggle at the lower floors, we needed to find a way to keep things interesting until we got there.

A few different ideas came to mind. Unfortunately, they all required communicating with her in a way more sophisticated than just using body language and barking. I wouldn’t even be able to write to her if I wanted to due to… well, I never did learn how to write or read more than a few basic words, and it wasn’t like I had the means to anyways. The closest thing I could get to writing would be using my claws to scratch symbols into the stone floor.

I doubted the audience wanted to wait for me to try and scratch a message to her using random symbols and attempts at drawings.

“Is something wrong, Woofen? You look bothered,” Elanah asked me as she walked by my side.

I sighed and shook my head. I didn’t want her to worry about something being wrong when I couldn’t even tell her what it was.

“You were supposed to say yes. I’m your fated and can tell when something is wrong, you know. And I love you! It’s impossible for me not to know something is bothering you.”

“You can’t understand me, so don’t worry about it,” I barked.

“Chi-children names? I—I already have a list! But it’s going to be really hard to narrow it down. There are two hundred and thirty-one boy names, and three hundred and seventy-eight girl names. If that’s what you’re worried about, want to hear some of my ideas?”

I figured that would happen.

As Elanah began on her list of names for our future children, I led the way around the next corner and found the stairs to the fourth floor.

A trail of dead rats and goblos was left behind us. Elanah also had her left hand full of gems that she apparently enjoyed rolling around between her fingers. Though, she occasionally dropped a couple and have to stop to pick them up. That slowed us down, but I thought it was endearing in a way. Kind of cute, even.

That aside, I hoped we were going to meet the dungeon’s master as we walked down the stairs. We were going to go up against Cheese without any boosts if we didn’t.

And fortunately, the usual portal opened up and sucked us both through it.

Unfortunately, I was quickly reminded of just how annoying the dungeon master could be.

Before me and Elanah could even land on the ground, the dungeon master opened his mouth to say, “Well, this is new for me! First time having a boyfriend and girlfriend come in here. I would congratulate on also being the first two lovers to come here together, but that honor goes to another pair. A couple of men, actually. They fell in love during their time in the jail up there. Quite the tragic story, if I recall correctly. They—”

“Just give us our options,” Elanah said.

Dang. She really just went and said it.

“Woofen, you could have picked somebody less rude. Of everybody who has participated in this game, she is potentially the rudest participant of them all! I am not sure what you see in her,” the dungeon master said, causing Elanah to practically growl at him.

“You always make me listen to your stories even though I don’t care and tell you to shut up,” Elanah replied. “Woofen doesn’t want to hear them, either.”

“Oh? Are you sure? Well, if you have no interest in listening to my tales and only want to speed through things, I suppose that you would not care to have me translate any messages from him to you.”

Elanah instantly perked up, her elongated ears twitching with excitement as she wore a completely different expression than the one from just moments ago. “You—you can do that?”

“Of course I can. I made him into one of my beasts. I am able to talk to every beast within my domain.”

Wait… I didn’t even think about that. If I can talk to her through him, then even if it’s only while we’re in this space… we can strategize. And… I guess I can—no. I want to let her know that I appreciate her, but to have him translate it for me is embarrassing. But at the same time… I’m not a man worthy of any woman if I can’t handle sharing my feelings the only way that I can.

“Tell your story,” Elanah said—no, she demanded.

The dungeon’s master clapped his hands together and smiled. “See? I knew you would be interested. Now, where was I? Right. A couple of men with a tragic tale. They were even the audience favorite for a while, or so they told me. Everybody wanted to see them and their love story succeed. They made it to the thirty-fourth floor before tragedy struck. And by tragedy, I mean before one stabbed the other in the back. The betrayer wanted freedom more than he wanted love. He believed that killing his partner and taking all of the items that he had gathered would give him the necessary edge needed to make it out of the dungeon. He was ambushed and slain while looting the corpse of his former love.”

Damn. But wait, they both got revived, right? What happened then?

“What happened?” Elanah asked.

Thanks.

“I can only go off what I heard for this next part,” he continued. “I was curious and asked one of the others what happened. They told me that, once they were alive again above ground, the betrayer was voted out and sent into that death game I have heard about. Well, the other death game. Not mine. The one where they make them all fight each other or something silly like that. I am assuming he was killed during that battle since I never saw him again. As for his partner, the one he betrayed, he killed himself. His final message was written in his blood telling his parents that he was sorry. Anyways, the whole reason I brought this story up is to warn you! I do hope that neither of you plan on betraying the other. Love is such an interesting thing that should not be so easily betrayed.”

“I—I would never betray Woofen! And I know he’d never betray me!”

Yeah, don’t worry. I’d never betray somebody. Well, I guess unless they betray me first. But is it really betrayal if I betray somebody who betrayed me? Probably not.

“Of course you wouldn’t,” the dungeon’s master said. “They said the same things. They meant it, too. I could tell. There was not a hint of deceit in their souls. All the love they spoke of for one another was as genuine as your love for Woofen. Yet, it still happened.”

“Then… then it wasn’t real love,” Elanah said.

“No, it most certainly was.”

“Then why’d they do it?!”

“All it takes is a single moment of doubt for a seed to plant itself within the soul. The seed then grows and corrupts the emotions around it until the individual is driven to an act of borderline insanity in the heat of the moment. He most likely realized that he had an actual chance to escape, and that was all the motivation he needed. And perhaps he did not think it would be as bad since he knew his partner would be revived anyways. But to answer your question more simply, one can never be sure of the soul’s motivations. No matter how much you believe in your feelings and are sure you would never act in such a way, you have no way of knowing until your soul is faced with the situation.”

“That’s…”

“It reminds me of young adventurers back in the old days. Do you have any idea how many foolish Chosen came into my domain thinking that they would have no problem going up against ‘simple rats?’ Young adults in light armor with basic weapons. No combat experience. They thought it would be a great beginning adventure. Most of them froze in their first real fights. The rest ran away. Only the tiny minority actually managed to fight back, and they were killed. Yet, before they came to me, they were all confident in their ability. They knew they would win. It was impossible for them to lose against my beasts. Well, so much for that.”

Elanah looked down at me with furrowed brows and a sort of sad look in her eyes. She looked like she was buying into what he was saying… right up until she wiped that expression off her face and glared at the dungeon’s master. “I don’t care. My love for Woofen is stronger than any of their feelings and I know it. I would kill myself before I ever dare think of betraying him. It doesn’t matter what happens in the future, my feelings won’t change.”

The dungeon’s master clapped for her. “What an amusing response! You are exceedingly foolish and naïve to not believe in me. I am a core that has evolved over hundreds of years, making the manipulation of souls my life work, and yet you still refuse my truth—nay, reality. That is a most admirable trait. After all, no matter how much I know, it is not as if it is impossible for me to be wrong. Hopefully, you prove that I am.”

I finally had my first question. “You want to be wrong?”

“Of course I do. I love being wrong. Being wrong means that I have an opportunity to learn more, and I do love learning. Where is the joy in life if everything is known?”

“What—what’d he say?” Elanah asked. “Did you really understand him?”

“He asked me about wanting to be wrong.”

Elanah looked down at me. “Is he telling the truth?”

I nodded.

“So… you really can understand him?” Elanah asked him.

“I did say that already,” he replied.

“Then—! Then… I… don’t want to know what he says.”

“Oh?”

What? Why?!

The dungeon’s master leaned forward with a hand on his chin. “What a surprise. Would you mind explaining why? I’m curious now.”

Elanah looked down at me as she answered. “I want to talk to him, but also… I’m afraid of him telling me that he doesn’t love me as much as I love him. I know it’s selfish, but it’s how I feel. And I think it’s kind of… romantic, not being able to understand him. I—I guess… in a way, it feels like he has to actually show me he loves me instead of saying it, and that’s even better. So, I don’t want to know what he’s saying. And I need to do better to show my love instead of only saying it, too!”

That’s… damn it, woman. How am I supposed to live up to you? How am I supposed to be good enough for you when you say stuff like that? Seriously!

“Interesting,” the dungeon’s master said. “What an entertaining response. Illogical, irrational, and full of emotion. Your soul is incredibly beautiful. That being said, let us move on if you two have no interest in talking.” Like usual, three different choices appeared on top of the table.

There was a bow and two different abilities that—

“Here,” Elanah said, tossing the gems onto the table. “Reroll.”

“Very well,” the dungeon’s master said. The next moment, the gems vanished and the items disappeared.

You decided that quickly?! I didn’t even get to finish looking at what they were! What if I wanted one of those?! I sighed. I’m starting to see some problems with this communication arrangement of ours.

Three more options appeared. The first was… the exact same bow as before. “I always feel a little bad when somebody rerolls and gets the same option,” he said. The next two options were new at least. One was what looked like leather armor for the torso and the other was a stone with glowing runes—an ability. The runes’ glow had a blue color to them, so it was mostly likely something related to water.

“The armor. Will Woofen be able to wear it?” Elanah asked.

What? That looks like it’s made for a Chosen. Or you. That’s way too big for me. Seriously too big.

“Of course,” the dungeon’s master answered. “I can modify it to fit him. All I have to do is snap my fingers and it will be on him.”

Elanah nodded before looking down at me. “Woofen, trust me. Choose the armor. I don’t need anything yet.”

I… well, alright. You know more about this whole thing than I do. If you tell me to take the armor, I’ll take the armor.

It was my turn to nod before looking up at him and saying, “I’ll take the armor.”

“Very well,” he said and snapped his fingers. The next instant, I found myself snugly protected by the leather armor around my torso. It left all my limbs exposed, but it covered everything from the base of my tail up to the beginning of my neck. I also felt it covered me up down there, so that meant I wouldn’t accidentally flash the audience if Elanah got me too excited.

“I don’t get to choose anything, right?” Elanah asked.

“Right. Only one of you will get something each visit. Oh, one moment.”

The sound of a portal opening up could be heard from behind us. I figured it was a portal to take us back. Instead, it was a portal to let somebody else in. Somebody else who looked like they were only just starting in the dungeon for the day. A tall, older man with short, black hair with one seriously ugly face. Looked like he got all scratched up by something, and whatever did it clearly meant to leave scars.

I never thought about what might happen if somebody else found a portal to the room while we were in there. Now I knew that they would enter it just like normal.

“Well, look who it is,” the man said. “The beast and his bitch in heat.”

Elanah summoned one of her daggers, but it didn’t matter. It was forcibly canceled and she was restrained by an invisible force under the dungeon master’s command. “There will not be any fighting in my room,” he said. Then a portal for our exit opened up. “You made your choice and I have a new guest to see to. Hurry on now.”

For once, he sounded like he was the one trying to get rid of us rather than the other way around. He didn’t even give us a chance to say anything back to him before sending us through the portal he opened.

Me and Elanah landed on our asses on the ground of the fourth floor.

She rubbed her rear as she stood up. “I want to kill that bastard.”

Which one? Wait. We completely missed our opportunity to come up with a strategy! Damn it! We could have left out all the romance stuff to at least talk strategy!

Well, at least I had some armor. I wasn’t sure how useful it would be since it was only leather, but it was better than nothing.

But I still wished we had an actual plan.

“Woofen, you trust me, don’t you?” Elanah asked me.

I looked up at her and nodded.

“Then I have a plan… but you’ll need to be really careful.”

That last part made me a bit worried, but I still nodded.

Though, the next time we went into the dungeon together, I was going to make sure to have some plans of my own. I didn’t want to always rely on her plans. I had to take control, too!

But at the same time, there was something satisfying about following a woman’s orders. Especially when it from a woman I could do lewd things with.

Yeah. That wasn’t bad at all. Seriously not bad.

I think I’ve discovered a fetish.