We were now back at the Monster Town after a quick detour and a bite to eat. Luke and Nicholas followed the both of us (Catalina decided to separate for the ti being to talk with Tigre and his group of demi-humans) because they felt that it was a part of their responsibility to correct the mistake they have made.
And that is to stop Erika from ever harming any more innocent lives… Permanently.
It's a sad scene to see Drake, Nicholas, and Luke lancholic like that, but that's life. Sotis, it gives you what you want. Most of the ti, they throw a curveball at you and you can't help but rage at the world for what it has done.
"Hey, Drake, you gonna be alright?" I inquired the downtrodden figure, who was busy ruminating on his thoughts. He perked up and looked at with a smile that told everything I needed to know.
"Probably… I've dealt with situations like these before… Never gets easier…" Drake admitted, and I nodded at the fact that he had just stated. Just imagining soone close to , like Catalina or Domino, going down the wrong path and the only solution to end the madness is to kill them…
'I would've probably gone ntal at that point…' I sighed, and the four of us continued towards the wall where Gong was currently stationed. He was keeping watch of the entrance with the binoculars I gave him via spending so DP in the Dungeon Market.
"Can I ask about her? What Erika was like in the past?" I asked the trio who knew her the most, and all of them chuckled. All at once, they responded.
"She's racist." That got to do a double-take at their words. I cleaned my ears with my fingers and opened my mouth once more.
"Co again…?"
"Jionni, we're telling you she was racist." Drake said with a chuckle as he recalled the ti when everything was just simple. "Not completely racist, however. It was due to an incident when she was younger. Her parents were killed right in front of her eyes while she was raped by a group of demi-humans."
Drake growled out the words, while both Luke and Nicholas scowled.
"Luckily, I was passing by and saved her from her death. She was broken after that… It took months to get her to move on past the trauma, but she still couldn't be comfortable with demi-humans. That's why she's racist."
"… Oh…" Realization hit as Drake's words registered in my mind. That was one fucked up childhood, so I can see where she's coming from.
"But indiscriminately killing demi-humans, young and old, male and female? That's not what I and Nick taught her." Drake gestured towards Nicholas who was content to just listen as he stewed in his thoughts. "Once I get the opportunity, those bastards who brainwashed her will pay…"
From beside him, Nicholas and Luke nodded with anger beneath their visages. The four of us stayed silent after that while we scaled the wall. On the top, we were greeted by Wulfstan and the mute twins, and Tigre with his group. Catalina was also there, waving a hand at with a bright smile on her face.
The most eye-catching thing, however, was that Tigre wasn't glaring at with jealousy anymore. Instead, he was now cowering in fear of Catalina. I wonder what she did to put the fear of God in the tiger demi-human.
At least his harem of girls is happy since he isn't fixated on Catalina anymore.
"Gong, any news from the outside?" I asked Gong, who was looking through the binoculars with a frown.
"Yes, boss. Group of humans. Incoming." Gong relayed the information to , and I took the binoculars from him, which he happily obliged, to scout the entrance. "Primates now waiting for group. Set up ambush for trespassers."
"How many did the primates say there were?"
"Did not get good count. Just said over one hundred." I gripped the binoculars tightly at his statent.
'More than one hundred humans at the sa level as either an above-average soldier or a veteran combatant. There's also the factor that most of them are fanatics, which makes forcing them to submit even harder.' I groaned at the prospect of residents dying if the primates weren't able to stop their advance. 'I'll just have to trust them, and hope that I have enough manpower to fight them off…'
My musings were cut short when Drake tapped on the head. I looked towards him as I gave the binoculars back to Gong, who imdiately went back to checking the entrance to see if there was any movent.
"Jionni. You do know that you aren't alone, right?" He said, and I tilted my head in confusion.
"… Uh, yes? You're here, and I have reinforcents from other Dungeon Masters." Drake facepald at my answer, and so did Catalina, Nicholas, and Luke. "What's wrong with all of you?"
"Nothing. It's just that you're relying too much on yourself." Drake sighed in his palms as he grabbed my shoulders. "Look, Jionni. You don't need to worry. You've been alone for most of your ti here, so I can understand where you're coming from. That doesn't an you can just ignore the power of your allies around you. Not every problem coming to your Dungeon has to be solved by you alone."
"… But I hold etings before deciding on a course of action. Isn't that what you an?" Drake groaned even further.
"You're missing the point!" Drake sighed as he let go of my shoulder. "What I'm talking about is that you should trust us more."
I went silent at that as I reviewed my decisions over the past hours.
'… Holy shit. He's right…' Instead of assigning proper positions to my reinforcents, I decided to let only the primates handle the incoming raid. The goblins, alraunes, and arachnes were only used to make traps, and that's about it. I didn't give them any specific order other than to prepare because I was too caught up in minimizing the damage to impossible proportions. "… You know, you're a good friend, Drake."
Drake finally cracked a smile after the ntion of Erika coming here for his head.
"Wulfstan, from your gear, I'm assuming you specialize in picking off targets." Wulfstan nodded. "Then I want you three to help with picking off their upper ranks while the chaos ensues. Tigre-"
Tigre looked at with a neutral face, a far cry from his earlier scowl. "- You're all fighters, right?" They nodded, and I gave them a nod as well. "You will be with the primates on the frontline fighting the soldiers. If things are getting too hot, then you're allowed to pull back."
Tigre growled at the ntion of retreat, but otherwise nodded because life is more important than pride.
"Drake… I know you, Nicholas, and Luke will go after Erika."
"Hell yeah, we are." Drake nodded, determined, while Nicholas and Luke still held a solemn face. I guess Drake has been through so bullshit to bounce back from his earlier lancholic state faster than these two.
"Then go crazy. Since Catalina said that you're friends with the Demon King, I'm pretty sure you can go HAM on these fanatical fuckers and co out without a scratch." We both shared glances and gave each other nods of approval. I then turned to Catalina, who was watching the show with an amused grin on her face. "Lina, co with . We need to talk privately."
She was all too happy to lunge to my side and grab my right arm, her smile radiating just a tad bit too bright. Tigre didn't scowl or look at with jealousy, but with mild acceptance, which got a hoot from one of his group.
We separated from the group of mishmash humans and demi-humans on top of the wall and headed down towards a secluded area.
"Lina, I need to ask you so things about how our summoned monsters work."
"Then I'm all ears. Ask away." Catalina twitched her cat ears, and I chuckled a bit.
"When your monsters die, they co back right after the raid is over, right?" Catalina nodded and got a feel for where the conversation was going. "Does that apply when they are outside our Dungeon?"
"… No, they don't." Catalina said with a lancholic smile, her eyes growing distant. "Once they die outside your Dungeon, they're gone forever. What's even worse, the slot they took up in a room cannot be returned."
Fully comprehending her words, various plans that I had in my mind went up in flas. 'No way am I sending primates out to scout enemy bases then.'
"… Did I remind you of a bad mory?" I asked the catwoman, who was still looking into the distance. My words brought her back, however, and she gave a smile.
"Don't worry. It was an old one, and I was completely at fault for that." Catalina smiled gratefully as she regarded so people who weren't present in the area. "I have so good subordinates."
I looked back up at the wall, where Gong was still using the binoculars to check the entrance in case the group of humans entered.
"… And I do too." We both chuckled, and Catalina nuzzled against my arm. Feeling my body relax, I leaned in against her as well, sothing I didn't do for the majority of our ti together.
While the both of us were basking in the warmth of each other, Gong and the alarm in my Dungeon nu alerted to the enemy approaching.
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