A faint, smokey smell greeted me when I came to, gently cutting short my night. I still remembered having felt sleepy after meeting my heavenly mother, but that didn’t explain that delicious smell. Had Kiomi prepared breakfast for me?
My tails grew slightly restless at the thought. A hearty breakfast sounded perfect right now! So, with a smile, I opened my eyes, only to be surprised to see Kiomi’s sleeping face right in front of me. Then who was preparing the food?
It was only now that I noticed a small treat that had been placed in front of me, a strip of dried meat that, albeit it being a snack size at best, looked especially tasty for some reason. With a smile on my face, I reached out for it, stuffing it in my mouth. It was hard and chewy, as expected, but it had a strong taste with a hint of smoky aroma. Needless to say, I loved it.
I spent about a minute nibbling on my treat, all the while staring at the girl who had given it to me. Despite her being friendly and welcoming, maybe a little bit too naive, I had treated her rather unfairly, harsh even. This was especially true now that I both knew just what she had gone through and had heard Cilia’s side of the story.
If this girl was really supposed to be the future of our kin, it was my duty to be a pillar of support for her in exchange, and maybe a sister or a friend. The gods knew she needed someone to take care of her, someone who would make sure she didn’t make any mistakes she would come to regret.
First and foremost, I had to tell her that I was sorry about treating her the way I did. And I should probably spend some time teaching her how to become a proper foxkin, including telling her what her shrine missed. Maybe I should also teach her the letters while I was already at it, as I couldn’t make any sense of the golden inscription I had found on the pedestal that carried Cilia’s statue. It looked like human writing, which should allow me to understand the words at least a bit, but most of them were foreign to me. Maybe they, too, had changed over the millennia that had gone by after the Great War.
Kiomi would surely be willing to teach me if only I asked her. But first I had to make sense of everything I had learned. Maybe the humans outside of the dungeon would be willing to tell me their side of the story, if they still knew what happened back then, that was.
With a sigh I raised myself up to prepare myself, only to be surprised yet again. Six foxes now surrounded me to all sides, all but one of them small, white, and friend-shaped; Liri Foxes, as Kiomi has called them. Every single one of the flame monsters was sound asleep just like their summoner or mother, or whatever she considered herself to be now that she was the dungeons’ avatar. Even the much larger obsidian fox had been resting at my side, her three tails slung around her own body as if they were soft and warm rather than hard, sharp-edged, and uncomfortable. I couldn't grasp how she was able to move them like that.
It took me a few more moments before I was really awake and found about three dozen wooden boxes and barrels waiting at a nearby wall, a more-than-enticing smell coming from most of them.
Before I knew it, I was already sneaking my way over there, careful so as to not wake up Kiomi, who likely needed her rest going by how peacefully she looked right now. Only the obsidian fox noticed me, but it quickly closed its eyes again upon realizing who it was that had disturbed its sleep.
It didn’t take me more than a few moments to reach the containers. All of them had foxes branded on their sides, meaning Kiomi was involved with their sudden appearance, with the majority of them additionally featuring sometimes a single, sometimes up to three words that likely described their contents to those that could actually read them.
Obviously, I trusted my nose more than I trusted the slim chances of me being able to make sense of any of the words, so I began sniffing at the first one of the barrels, trying to discover what was hidden behind the thick layer of rather weird-looking wood. The planks lacked any imperfections, and there wasn’t even a gap to be found in between them, making the whole container look like it had been grown in one piece rather than being built by a proper cooper. Still, the faint smell of grape wine surrounded five of the barrels, meaning that at least the lids weren’t perfectly sealed. Still, it was good work for somebody who very likely wasn’t experienced in woodworking, and could easily be improved on.
With a satisfied smile, I went to check on the second set of barrels. These greeted me with a familiar sweet scent, reminding me of mead, a personal favorite of mine. But contrary to the elven mead I was used to, the barrels lacked fruity additions, making them pure honey and water instead. I wasn’t the biggest fan of this, but Kiomi likely didn’t know any better recipes, making this the best she could come up with. I would love to teach her.
The last few barrels gave off basically no smell. There was a slightly warm feeling waving through my body as I sniffed at these barrels, meaning they contained something that was likely blessed in some way or another, but I couldn’t make sense of it.
The fox boxes that came next, however, contained something that I knew from my travels. I almost immediately noticed the distinct aroma of dark bread, a valuable travel companion. Foxkin had no real tradition of baking bread themselves, as we didn’t grow large fields of crops, unlike most other races, instead relying on community gardens and the help of nature magicians, which worked well enough. Still, I liked the taste, especially after slightly roasting it over fire and with a thin slice of smoked meat to add more flavor to it.
Speaking of it, the very next crates contained such precious treats in the shape of both dried and smoked meat in different sizes, shapes and tastes. I could only assume the last of which as the strips and chunks had different shades of red and brown, meaning they didn’t all come from the same animal. Well, not a single one of them did come from a living thing to begin with, if Kiomi really had summoned them using her mana, but still.
The by far strongest scent came from the last set of crates. These ones contained whole wheels of cheese in different colors and sizes, with the smallest ones being slightly larger than a fist and the biggest ones already being difficult to carry by the looks of it. This treasure of flavors once again reminded me I was no longer home, as cheese was a rare import from the human or dwarven kingdoms, and expensive to boot. Still, I fondly remembered the treat from my travels, and even though the dwarven cheese was a little bit too strong for my taste, it was great for cooking. I would need to ask Kiomi for a pan or pot first, but I would surely be able to present her with a nice meal even with the limited variety she seemed to have if only she would give me some basic tools first.
It would take quite some time to get a proper smithy or workshop running, let alone to acquire all the necessary tools required to operate them. Given what I saw right in front of my eyes, Kiomi would be able to help me out with that, but looking at the barrels, I questioned her ability to produce anything that would overcome the work of a skilled artisan. She would surely be able to get me going, though, which should be more than enough.
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Still, all of that had to wait. For now, I had to figure out just why she had placed all of this food near her dungeon’s entrance, where it would be easily found by the humans waiting outside. Did she really plan on giving it to them? Wouldn’t that go against the rules the gods had set on dungeons? She would at least know about them, right?!
With a sigh, I decided to take the matter into my own hands and prevent her from making this mistake. While handing them away for free was forbidden or at least toeing the line, that didn’t mean I couldn’t use this as a chance to trade for something useful with the humans outside.
Kiomi surely wouldn’t mind. It was she who had allowed me to leave the dungeon in the first place, so I would make great use of the little freedom she had given me.
Having made my plan, I made my way towards the tunnel connecting her dungeon to the outside world. It had unnaturally smooth walls like most of her dungeon had; another aspect she would need to improve upon, if only for aesthetics. Maybe using those earth foxes she had mentioned would work?
Despite the tunnels having no tight or steep passages, it took me an unusually long time to traverse them, meaning the dungeon itself was dug rather deep into its mountain. With the tunnels being perfectly dark, I had to use my fire magic to light my way. The blue flames worked more or less well for this purpose, although it took me some time to get used to the vivid colors it produced on the nearby rock. At least this issue could be improved upon rather quickly, as there was surely a dungeon in reach that could be used to gain some glowing moss or shrooms, maybe even light crystals Kiomi would be able to stuff into the ceiling.
When I finally noticed the light coming in from the outside, many minutes had passed. I noticed two human men in armor guarding the entrance, meaning they really had set up camp just outside the dungeon’s entrance.
A smile grew on my face as I closed in on them, my bare feet perfect for giving me an advantage over their weak sense of hearing. I would need to ask Kiomi for proper clothes and some boots once she woke up, but for now, the cloak I had would need to suffice. At least it hid all the important bits, so there was that.
Neither of the men noticed me approaching, seemingly being too busy preventing their kin from stepping into the dungeon. This confirmed at least two things: Kiomi’s story was correct in that the dungeon was dangerous for those men to be in and they knew just how precious the metals used in the prayer room alone were and thus set up guards to prevent thieves from trying their luck. With one of the strongest foxes ready to defend the site, there was little to fear, honestly, but I still felt satisfied knowing they were trying to stay on good terms.
A few more steps and I finally reached the two. I passed by them with a jump, landed on my feet and, still being blinded by the sunlight, greeted the invisible masses.
“Good Morning!”
Panicked voices reached me before my eyes could even adapt to the sun. It took a few seconds for the dozens of silhouettes to become clear, but I could soon see the men and women scramble for their weapons. Many of them had the tell-tale tails and ears of foxkin, meaning they were among those who had delved Kiomi’s dungeon; the vast majority, however, were just regular humans.
It didn’t take long for the first few to make their way over, weapons in hands and ready to face me in battle, only to quickly be told to stand down by a foxkin that wore slightly-too-fancy plate armor. The man in question walked up to me and reached out his hand for a greeting, a gesture I readily accepted, knowing that this was how humans did things. I still pulled him in for a quick sniff, which spooked him quite a bit, but he soon overcame his surprise and greeted me.
“My name is Aspen Lowee, son of Richard the Dragon.”
“You don’t smell like dragonkin,” I couldn’t help but refute.
“It is a title,” he confessed, clearly ashamed of the fact. “He earned it for his exploits during the Second Break of the Alumine Dungeon,” He explained before shaking his head. “Anyway, with whom do I have the honor of speaking?”
“I’m Myra.”
After introducing myself like that, I fanned out my tails for him to count my blessings. It was an unneeded show of authority, but one he would surely understand even having been born as a human. And sure enough, it had its effect, as the color in the man’s face quickly changed upon seeing all four of them.
“You- you are…”
“The boss of the first floor of the dungeon of…” I hesitated as I realized I didn’t know the name of the place. “What is its name?”
“We haven’t decided yet.”
I nodded, accepting this for now. I knew adventurers would have to thoroughly explore all accessible rooms, reach the core, and touch it in order to receive the honor of naming both the dungeon itself and its various rooms. There was even a deity in charge of this, Diona, Goddess of the Hunt, who not only watched over adventurers but also made sure they behaved in honorable ways. It was due to her that naming dungeons after people was a very rare and frowned upon occurrence, with the dungeon’s location, appearance, and common monsters being much more popular choices. Still, there were many possible names, and I could only trust this stranger to make the right decision, as I would personally make sure it was them who received the honor, as per Kiomi’s wishes.
Bringing them to the core room was risky, but our heavenly mother would make sure they couldn’t make a mistake they would deeply regret. And even if she wasn’t doing so, there was still me ready to burn them to a crisp with this unique flame of mine.
“You might want to make your decision soon,” I told him, before explaining what I had come here for. “The dungeon’s avatar wants to make a deal.”
“A deal, you say?”
“You get to explore the dungeon in peace,” I offered. “And we will even ensure your safety while doing so and help you feed your men.”
The man’s face immediately changed. A barely hidden smile now formed on his lips, openly revealing that this was at least very close to what he really wanted to achieve by coming here.
“What is in it for you?”
“You will keep your men in line and make sure they do not bother Kiomi more than they need to. They are free to fight the monsters and gather anything they find while being in the dungeon, but I will personally make sure to burn them to crisps should they try to touch anything she holds dear,” I explained, before showing him a small ball of blue flames. Seeing the fire made the man take a step back, but I simply suffocated the danger by cutting off the mana that supplied it, making it die away in mere seconds. “As for feeding your men,” I added. “I am sure you know exactly what her dungeon is missing. Make sure to offer her any materials and plants you can get your hands on, just a little bit should be enough. She desperately needs some more variety when it comes to food as well, as you will soon see. Some ink, feathers, and paper would be nice, so I can teach her a few things. Maybe some chalk?”
“That- we could do that,” he answered with a nod.
“A few prayers wouldn’t hurt either.”
Aspen nodded again, satisfied with my demands. He then began shouting orders and calling names. A black-haired foxkin named Sarah was tasked with procuring a list of plants they had seen in the dungeon so they knew what they were looking for. The same woman was also put in charge of listing all the other materials that would soon be gathered.
Needless to say, she was quite overwhelmed by the sudden workload, but soon hurried over to her tent to gather a big, slightly singed backpack that seemingly had all of her writing equipment in it. Only when she unrolled one of the large pieces of paper on top of a nearby crate did I notice how colorful the list on it was. It apparently listed most, if not all, plants Kiomi’s dungeon had, every single name accompanied by a few small but highly detailed pictures.
Before long, several men had appeared around her, looking over her shoulder to determine what was missing. Soon, they were making their way out of the camp and onto the meadow, where they kneeled down to gather the first few flowers and herbs.
Aspen himself was coordinating the search for materials and food instead, which mostly meant tasking the men and women to search their belongings and the few chests, crates, and barrels for anything they had managed to bring here. Soon, the woman named Sarah was busy compiling three lists for plants, materials, and food items respectively, with nearby crates being filled with samples of whatever they had found.
I couldn’t help but look at all of this business happening with a smile on my face. It was still hard for me to accept that they were humans—well, most of them still were—but they were able to be reasoned with, which was a big plus in my book. And maybe, just maybe, they would end up helping us in fulfilling our dreams. I could barely wait to see that happen.