Is It Wrong to Try to Tame Monsters in a Dungeon? (Written seriously)

(This chapter was uploaded on Saturday 23/March/2024 8:15 PM, timezone GMT+3)

Special thanks to RikuKage for helping me with this story.

Just a quick warning. This chapter has a few successive jumps in PoV. Be wary of the confusion that may cause.

(Line Break)

('1), ('2), ('3), etc. means that there is some explaining for the thing in the notes at the end of the chapter.

"..." small moment of silence

"Talking"

[Dialogue] (What language it is: Accent if necessary)

"He-" Someone was interrupted.

'Thinking'

{Skills' names, chanting, spell keys and spells' names}

(PoV)

(Flashback)

Don't shy from commenting on typos and/or inconsistencies. That and/or suggesting a modification to certain things that didn't make sense to you.

I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.

(Line Break)

(Futura's PoV)

Our brothers died. Our sisters died. Our parents died. I.... may be unable to protect the blood of our pack.

Our cubs died at the hands of these dirty, upright wolves.

In my anguish, I led a charge with two others, leaving our pack's surviving nine cubs guarded by only two of my sisters.

We slaughtered the majority of the surviving filth. But by the time my senses returned, I was the last adult remaining. The two guardians of the cubs were murdered by four upright wolves who are now barely able to stand. I charged at them, stealthily.

As I approached them, they had already taken out four of the nine surviving cubs and killed them. My heart wrenched and my blood boiled even more as I noticed one of my cubs among the four.

I ambushed the upright wolves and killed one before standing between them and the rest of my family.

"LEAVE!!" I growled at them with enough anger to scorch the forest.

I wanted to tear them to shreds. I wanted to murder them as they gaze helplessly at each other. Oh, how I wanted them to taste our suffering.

But, to my dismay, they stepped forward.

Ah. They were here with the resolve of dying alongside us from the start.

...

Does this imply that they are guaranteed the survival of their pack? That means that even if I managed to kill all three of them despite my injuries and exhaustion, there were more of them someplace else.

They will be able to locate and kill me while I am weakened by injury and hunger. Not to add that the five cubs who survived aren't in shape to hunt for themselves. And my body wouldn't be able to keep up with the hunt for long before succumbing to my inevitable death. The poor cubs will be left alone, with no way to defend themselves against any threat.

Why did we have to go through this? What have we done to get them to focus solely on our pack? What did we do wrong that they will slay us even at the expense of their lives?

"We must finish the last of their blood!" Brothers!" Cutting my thoughts, the one I downed spook its last words before its head fell limp. It died wishing for our pack's annihilation.

'I HATE THEM! I WISH I HAD THE POWER TO WIPE OUT THEIR PACK! WE MAY HAVE DESERVED IT! BUT THE KIDS ARE INNOCENT!'

"Charge at her!" One of the three upright wolves that remained limped hurriedly towards me, leading the charge with what was left of its life. It was their dead march to end my life before their lives ran out.

"Follow h- *thud*...!" As another started moving, a twig got stuck in his side. His shocked expression as light began to leave his eyes removed a smidgeon of my anger. I'm convinced my family members' souls are pleased with his death.

Nonetheless, I maintained my focus. I knew the twig must have been thrown by something else. Is it an enemy? Or a potential ally?

As if to mock my hopes, I could vaguely see the silhouette of a creature standing on its rear legs and carrying something in its front legs.

(Flashback)

(A random silver wolf's PoV)

"Elder! Elder! "Does our pack have allies?" An enthusiastic pupper was leaping up and down, thinking about how awesome it would be to lead kin and allies into battle. I could see it in her big, sparkling eyes.

"If it isn't little Futura?" The elder, little Futura's grandfather, nuzzled their noses as a greeting and display of affection.

"Hehehe!" Little Futura giggled delightfully at the elder's adoration. She sometimes came merely for affection. It is amazing how a vexing, bothersome, exasperating, maddening, aggravating, and wicked cub can be so cute and infantile at times.

At the very least, she maintained her misbehaviour within acceptable limits. She might be a good pack leader once she's polished and her qualities shine through.

"I'm saddened to have to relay this to you, but our pack doesn't have many allies. Rather, we have many enemies" The elder sounded downcast.

I... We can't blame him. He and past generations attempted to form alliances with the other packs. Their efforts were always in vain.

"And the worst among them are humans and upright wolves, those who are not really wolves like we are. They stand on their rear legs and carry objects around with their front legs" The elder began speaking about a serious matter.

'Are they going to discuss that? I think it is a bit early for Futura to hear this, but the elder's wisdom was requested and he gave it as he is meant to. There must be a reason why he thought it was important telling her this piece of information'

"What makes them so dangerous? Tell me. Elder!" Little Futura's eyes widened, and her ears and tail twitched with interest. She had a childish, naïve curiosity for the matter.

'Truly, children and their innocent oblivion'

"That is especially the case with humans. If you see one, make sure you escape unseen. And remember, whatever you do, whatever you wish upon yourself, do not attack a lone human, more so a group of them. The previous elders told of some idiots that didn't heed their warning, only to end up killed. And humans didn't stop there. They came and killed as many of us as they could, thinning our numbers" The elder sternly warned little Futura.

Although we no longer see such types of wolves, there is a clear reason for this: they died and their blood ran dry. After that, the others' curiosity faded. We started avoiding humans instinctively whenever possible.

Whenever one appeared in the forest, it meant nothing but trouble for us. Especially since they take our fur and put it on their skin, as some form of trophy" The elder then looked sorrowful.

We despise them for it, but we attacked them first. Even if we wanted to detest them, they had reasons for fighting back.

"Little Futura" The elder's voice became extremely sharp and assertive. It gave us chills. It indicated that the following advise had to be heard and followed by the other wolves as well. "Never, ever attack a human unless you are desperate" The elder imparted to the young pup the wisdom passed down from one elder to the next.

(End of Flashback)

(Futura's PoV)

"Fey, tackle" (Koine) The thing shrouded by the foliage, which I now believe to be a human, made a call. An ally of its is on the way.

A swift shadow dropped and collided with the leading upright wolf. He was flung to the ground, but I was not pleased. I now recognised the creature hidden behind the woods as a human. It reminded me of the elder's clarifications from that day.

(Another Flashback)

(The random wolf's PoV)

"Although I said that, don't take humans solely as a threat. The other elders also told of some of the weaker and more timid cubs, the siblings of an elder who lived long, long ago, when our thoughts were muddled and less logical" The elder's face wrinkled with discomfort. It bothered him and harmed his pride to realise that our forebears were not the greatest out there.

I can understand his emotions. Just the concept of our forefathers not being the brightest makes me dissatisfied.

"They were taken in by the humans, raised, and developed an attachment to each other. The elder at the time observed as those cubs taken in by humans became a part of the humans' pack" All of the wolves were surely able to detect it. The elder was pained by what he was going to say next.

"If a human appeared and desired to take you while you are still a cub, listen to them. Be a family to them and they will try their best to make you keep on living. They aren't heartless. Wiping out entire packs only happened when those packs attacked them first" The elder said this in response to Futura's acceptance that humans may be an archenemy of our pack.

They weren't. They retaliated to save their own blood, much as we wolves attack the upright wolves to ensure that the pack does not perish completely. However, this was not the only reason why we continued to assault the uprights.

"EVERYONE! PURPLE STONE HEARTS ARE HERE! COME AND TAKE YOUR SHARE!" One of our hunting teams returned with good news. We had no idea why, yet their hearts were purple and hard as little rocks.

We found that eating them improved our mental abilities, which were passed down through our blood to future generations. As a result, prior generations' elders adopted this practice. Our pack may occasionally hunt uprights for their hearts in order to strengthen our young.

One heart every now and then was sufficient, perhaps even everyday. However, those who consumed more than one every day had to either quit for a while or face dire repercussions, forcing the others to put them down permanently. The consequences are too terrible to recall. I hope I could have forgotten them completely.

(End of Flashback)

(Futura's PoV)

While I was remembering the elder's words, the human decided to move. I kept staring his way, ignoring the shadow that had settled for consuming an upright wolf in the meantime. An occupied enemy isn't as significant as an unoccupied one. Not to mention that the enemy is human. I can't take my eyes off him.

The human walked gently, trying to appear nonthreatening. He was even respectful enough not to gaze straight into my eyes.

He positioned himself between me and the shadow, which was presumably a pack member, as our elders referred to a human's companion. This was an absurdly large bird with all of the tools necessary to be a solitary predator.

The human extended his claws at me and took a defensive stance, gazing behind me. He was clearly looking at the cub. I growled at him, telling him not get too close to the cub. He averted his gaze from me for a brief moment.

Despite the elder's guidance, I was tempted to rush at the human and rip his throat off. But after a single step closer, I was reminded of the bird. If it attacked me alongside the human, I would undoubtedly die.

Just as I came to a halt and placed my front paw down, the human's head instantly returned to gaze at me. He suddenly threw one of his claws into the other hand and brandished another claw.

'Could humans casually grow, throw and replace their claws? I envy them'

The human growled back, protectively.

'So, both of us are protecting our family members. I hate how enmity sparks between those who share their protective nature with their enemy. But I can also understand it, now that I have a family to protect. Humans, they aren't enemies unless you give them a reason to be'

"Fey, shoulders" (Koine) The human called his companion, who answered by climbing the human's shoulders and remaining there. In the bird's eyes, I perceive a strong desire for prey. It is eager for more than what it has just consumed. However, the hunger in its eyes was stained by frenzy. It was not in the correct state of mind right now.

'Overindulgence of purple stone hearts, I presume. But how deep is their relationship? How deep does it need to be for the bird to listen to the human even when it isn't in its right state of mind?'

"AAAWWWOOOOOOUUUUUU!!" That howl could not have sounded even worse. It's a howl of the accursed upright wolves.

As I suspected, there were still more of them. I wish they had all died after this. However, life is often disappointing, as our elder stated.

I don't want to, but I have to make the difficult decision here. Giving this human whoever is willing among our cubs hurts me deeply, but the survival of our pack lies with them.

I returned to the tree hollow and poked my head inside.

"Kids, there is a chance you could be saved" I revealed to the children. There wasn't much time to tell them before the human left. I can tell he was prepared to flee from them.

"Mom, can we really live?" I noticed my remaining son shivering with fear. He was terrified at the sight of his siblings and relatives being taken out and slaughtered in front of him.

'It was my mistake that this could happen. I would repent for it by holding the upright wolves back while the human runs away with whoever was willing to follow him'

"You can, son. You recall humans? the ones the elder talked about" My uncle, the elder of their generation, told them about humans, as was customary among elders and those who could use the advise. A few generations ago, the elder made it mandatory to study about humans, especially upright wolves. It helped for a while. Until the last few days, that is.

"Um" He hummed positively. He remembers them.

"There is one here, right now. He can take us out of danger" I murmur as my eyes start quivering and my vision darkens. I have limited time left in this world.

'It was the right choice to make the plan with my survival not accounted for'

"But if you want to go with him, follow his every command. Listen well, and only then can you be saved" I hope the human takes good care of them. For years, our elders cautioned us against humans, yet they urged us to be obedient if one of us was taken in by them. It would be preferable to be alive while humiliated than to maintain your pride at the expense of your life.

Although I completely trust our elders' wise advice, not all wolves are good ones. That logic also applies to humans.

I am betting on this one's relationship with that bird. If he could be so close to a solitary predator, he may be able to be close to the cubs as well. This human symbolises our pack's last hope. If he rejects them or turns out to be the wrong human, I may bid farewell to everything I was supposed to protect.

"What about you, mum?" My son was one of the more shy ones. He and one of his cousins were together. They were the ones most inclined to follow what a human told them to do or not do. The remaining ones, however, proved more difficult to control. They're unlikely to be saved, but there's still hope.

'Sadly, my niece was killed moments ago'

"Mom will follow you shortly after" I pushed the words out of my mouth with sheer willpower. My lungs are currently burning me alive. I began to lose my breath.

'I need to hurry, or I won't be able to carry them to the human'

"Promise?" He stared at me with beseeching eyes. I felt bad for lying to him. He was an innocent, well-behaved cub until now.

'He is not like the younger me, ironically. He should not be told a falsehood by his mother, to whom he is close to' 

However, in such severe circumstances, lies must be told. Where he wouldn't have survived otherwise.

"Promise" I nuzzled his lovely little nose with mine before scooping him up and out of the tree hollow.

I fought through the pain and agony to get him all the way to the human. It was an excruciating effort, but it paid off when I saw his shadow in front of me.

At this point, I could hardly see anything. And everything I see is either white or black, unless it's covered in flashing grey spots.

To make matters worse, the majority of things under the forest's shades appeared to be several different shades of black.

I set my son down as the human took a cautious step back and swung one of his claws at me, warning me not to get too close.

I prostrated myself submissively. I let go of my pride and knelt before him. Everything I do is for my son's survival.

"Please, I beseech you to find it in yourself and accept this son of mine. Raise him as your own" I pleaded, knowing that my words wouldn't cross the language barrier.

The human might not understand my words, but I hoped he would recognise the gesture that conveyed them.

"Mum?" My son came to check on me. He had never seen me kneel before. I was notorious for refusing to yield to anyone. It was so severe that others had to come to terms with it.

"Do the same, son" I encouraged him, hoping that the message would reach the human.

If the human knew we were smart enough to understand his signals and calls, he might be more willing to take in my son.

I could hear the rustle of grass as he submitted to the human. It hurt me to make my own son submit to someone at this age. But compromises have to be made.

After a few seconds of silence, I feel wetness running down my fur.

'Is it Rai-...'

My injuries were recovering.

'How? This should not be possible!'

I was completely shocked. Although my limbs were still too exhausted to move, I was convinced that after just one day of rest, I'd be able to move as if nothing had happened today.

'Is he telling me to make a path to help him get out of this? But I-' I could not finish that train of thoughts. I got picked up.

'What? But the weight would hinder him!'

I tried to get out but was unsuccessful. I was helplessly carried on his shoulder, terrified, as my son was placed beneath the human's left front leg in the meanwhile.

The human growled aggressively as he pushed the upright wolves out of his path. While fleeing, he was beset by upright wolves on both sides.

'I will not let you harm him!'

I have made up my mind. If he insists on helping me survive, I will make certain that he lives past this. Not to add that the remaining cubs are still in the hollow. Given that everyone I could see was pursuing us, the cubs should be secure inside the tree for the next few days. I should have him come back for them later.

'I could be greedy, right? I hope you would help us further, human. I really do'

I was deep in concentration when an upright wolf was about to lodge his claws in the human's back. I bit down on the upright's hand and switched targets once his throat was near enough.

My neck was one of the parts that had received the least amount of damage, therefore it was in good enough shape to injure his throat.

'Although we could carry each other to some extent, we could not be running with this much weight on our shoulders. This human is an anomaly'

I was glad to see a human den, but also anxious about how the other humans might respond to us.

'Would they kill us? If anything happens, I will stand between them and my son'

But now I can feel it. My legs had recovered sufficiently that I could run to that den on my own. I'll sprint there faster than this human, easing his burden.

I let out a calm call while wriggling around. He appeared reluctant to let me go.

'Is he thinking I might throw my life away?'

I was persistent. I fought my way free of his grip to sprint alongside him. It was painful, but I refused to be the reason my son did not make it to safety.

I rolled around on the ground before getting up and running to the human's side. I asked him to hand me my son, who had passed out by now.

I noticed the human looking at the bird, thinking about something. He then shook his head, dismissing the thought he had. He then stumbled and fell on the floor.

'I was not in a position to look at him'

I fled away to the humans' den for shelter. However, they didn't seem interested in letting me and my son in.

"LET THE WOLF IN!! I'LL TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY!!" (Koine) The human said something, and all of the other humans focused their attention on the uprights who were following us.

After entering the humans' den, I noticed some bushes I could sit by. I sat there, holding my son in my embrace. I would keep them away until that human was present.

(End of Chapter)

So, let's start with something the others may have had some objections towards. Some may have thought to themselves that there is a line of weakness monsters would never go below. I say otherwise. And that's backed by the fact that there are villages with falnaless guards killing monsters the like of kobolds and sometimes even small groups of loup garou.

If not, how can they not be wrecked by some random monster invasion? I mean, loups could do it on moonlit nights, but that is all that has been mentioned about their behavior. From there, I took it as them being not strong enough to do it outside of that scope.

And for the time it took to dilute the power in their magic stones, it is more than a thousand years. I used 1,000 years as an example, not a measure. From what I read, 1,000 years was around when the deities first descended on the lower world. But the dungeon has been sealed for at least a few centuries even before then. And by the time the deities decided to come down, monsters could not get out of Oratoria (Orario's old name) unless they were dead.

Going from that, I made another AU point in that monsters are only really twice as powerful as their animal counterpart without their magic. And since the silver wolves were eating magic stones for generations, they were able to use greater strength to better fight loups and other monsters.

Now, for an important thing for the progression of this story. Since people did not reply to my inquiry about the desirability of a timeskip, I decided to include one soon. It will be a small one for a few weeks' time. Some chapters later, another small timeskip will happen and shave off a few months' time. And some other chapters later, a major timeskip will happen and Henryk will go off into a journey towards Orario.

So, now, what do you think magic stones actually do to animals that eat them?

And on that note, what are your thoughts on this chapter?

Do you think this chapter contributed something to the story?

Would it have been more appropriate to label it an interlude? Or not?

What do you think Henryk will do with Futura and Prata (Possible name for the pup)?

What do you think the next chapter will show? A moment where Henryk comes out triumphant? Or not? And how? Or why?

Have a nice time, ladies and gentlemen.