Monster Breeder

After that ancient human bombshell of a revelation, I start to feel antsy. A sense of urgency begins welling up within me at the thought of lingering in this place a minute longer. We’re trespassing here, And we’ve basically raided the Elves for all the good shit. Yes, that too. Probably best not to overstay our welcome. ““Guys, we should go.””

“No rush,” Jing reassures us, “This has been fun; we’d happily help you find the Cores to complete your Trios. Our other bodies have a visual on most of the Elves patrolling the Dungeon, so the chances of us getting caught are slim.”

As much as I believe in my… ‘father-in-law’s’ competence, it’s not really about that. We got the bare minimum Cores needed for Brenda and Olindia’s evolutions, Flou has grown by leaps and bounds, Tink joined our party, Chris Ranked-up to a Snow Bunny, and we looted a small library’s worth of treasure tomes. Bonus points for Gale, Monal, and Rosie's Evolution Tokens! It’s time to head home and cash in our chips. I don’t want to trudge through the Misty Grove in the dark, either. Let’s go report back to Alex!

““It’s getting late, and there’s a war tomorrow,”” I settle on. ““We need to finish our preparations.””

“Agreed,” Flou says, and the others nod.

Jing sighs heavily, but nods. “Alright, alright, we’ll lead you kids back to the surface. Don’t be a stranger, though, and come back to visit your Papa. Hey, bring that dickgirl friend of yours next time—it’s been a while since we've gotten some non-Elf cock around here.”

“Dad!” Tink slaps his arm.

“Darling, a Dungeon Fairy Swarm has needs, too!”

“Ooh! Gale wants Alex’s cock!” our favorite horny Rainbird cheers.

I wouldn’t mind catching some of that, either—how about a threesome when we get home, handsome? Anything for you, Brenda.

We all laugh at Gale’s antics and finish wrapping this thing up. Olindia scoops the Blue Core, Saint Lilith’s letter, the torn pages, and four secret tomes into her purse. The rest of us file out of the hidden study into the Library proper with success lightening our steps.

*Sniiiiiifff!* “Ahhhhhh.”

Everyone freezes at the sound of an unfamiliar voice on the other side of a bookcase. We all look to Jing with a single silent question. The Dungeon Fairy shakes his head with a dead-serious expression. Whoever this is, they aren’t supposed to be here.

There’s a shuffling sound followed by footsteps as the mysterious person stands and begins walking toward the corner.

Jing recovers from their shock, puts on their game face, and zips around the edge of the bookcase. “Lanyth! What are you doing here?!? You know you’re supposed to be patrolling the first floor, not sniffing cheap Powder behind a bookcase.”

“Ah! Jing! I, um, f-fancy meeting you here!” The voice is undeniably male, but such a bright and airy tenor as to be almost feminine.

“Oh, don’t ‘fancy’ us!”

‘Run!’ Tink mouths at us even as this ‘Lanyth’ character stumbles backward into the bookcase from Jing’s aggressive pressuring. The impact disturbs a layer of dust in a fine cloud that hits Gale in the face.

“Ah… ah… ah… aaah!” Our Rainbird companion starts taking these adorable little involuntary breaths in preparation for a sneeze. Rosie and Monal both extend their wings to lay a feather under their Mistress’s nose. Chris reaches up on her tiptoes to pinch Gale’s nostrils, and Flou covers Gale’s mouth with a palm. “Ahhhh…”

Everyone sighs and sags with relief as the potential sneeze defuses, fading to nothing.

“Did you hear something, Jing?” the (presumably) Elven male asks.

“Don’t try to wriggle your way out of this one, Lanyth! If you don’t get back to your patrol right now, I’ll tell Daenelis you’ve been ditching.”

We all creep or float away as quietly as we can. Every second it takes us to leave is an unbearable eternity.

“W-what?!? No, no, no, come on, what have I ever done to you, Jing? Alright, I’m going!”

A pointy-toed shoe steps into view, and we all scatter to hide behind the shelving. In our rush to reach cover, Olindia’s wide berth bumps into a bookcase. A dozen volumes tumble to the ground, courtesy of the curvy Slime’s potent posterior. Thankfully, Tink’s quick thinking gives the Fairy a split-second to bubble the books, which stop to hover in place, before they land. Chris facepalms, the slapping sound almost as loud as the avalanche of tomes would’ve been.

“Why are you going that way, you dolt?” The Fairy’s cry drowns out the bunny’s blunder as a lucky coincidence.

The pointy-toed shoes cease their progression at Jing’s prodding.

“…Because it’s faster? And, hey, that’s no way to talk to your betters, Jing!”

“Hah. I may be a Fairy, but at least I’m a Dungeon Fairy. You’re just the Princess’s underling. The only one here I answer to is her! Now, follow me; there are a few Slimes along the way ready for you to collect their Cores.”

There’s some more banter between the Elf and Jing, but they quickly leave earshot with our parties headed in opposite directions. Our group makes its way to the Tomes-a-Trillion entrance without further incident.

That was close! We almost didn’t make it out of there without getting caught.

Before I can find wood to knock on to avoid tempting fate, an Elf absentmindedly rounds the corner in front of us.

“Where the hell has Lanyth gotten off to? He better not be sniffing F-grade Powder in the Library ag…” The Elf is male, wearing pointy shoes, a tunic, breeches, and a cloak clasped at the throat. Long, blond hair cascades from his head in an elegant waterfall, his knifelike ears cutting through the flow like tall rocks jutting out of a stream. His features are inhumanly sharp as if carved from stone rather than flesh—from the angled, slanty eyes staring at us, to his pointed chin and razor cheekbones. Despite the extremity of that face, I can’t deny its beauty. There’s something mesmerizing and otherworldly about the Elf’s handsomeness that gives us pause. That second of hesitation allows the enemy to register our presence, flip his cloak over his shoulder to reveal a sword at his hip, and draw the rapier to level it in our direction, “Intruders!”