New life and new companions

The sun rose to find the camp in a very different state than it had been at its setting. An exhausted but jubilant Kira cradled a dark bundle close to her bountiful chest, allowing the infant to take greedy swallows of her milk. She was in turn being cradled in the lap of Fenrir, who was watching them both closely. Nearby, Safara, Tsavani, and Chellise helped Saeko clean up. Myrina and Katari were down by the horses, hobbling them in preparation for moving them to a nearby meadow since Fenrir planned to stay put for a day or so until Kira was fully recovered from her ordeal.

The birth had taken most of the night, but fortunately it had not actually been very painful for Kira, possibly due to her nature as a succubus making her vaginal canal far more malleable than a human's. Even without any complications, however, Saeko had been invaluable as a midwife and both of the parents had already thanked her more than once for her assistance, each in their own way.

"Gotta admit, though, I'm a little surprised there was only one," Kira commented softly. "You talked like I was pregnant with multiple children."

"I did, because I thought you would be," Fenrir responded. "Normally my semen is potent enough to cause multifetal pregnancies, but I guess that might've been balanced out by how difficult it is for succubi to get pregnant. I wasn't specifically aiming for multiples, after all." He looked down at the dark bundle in Kira's arms.

She, for it was a she, was a direwolf just like him, complete with a stubby little muzzle, pointed but for the present still floppy ears, fine, soft fur, and a tiny little tail. Where she differed, however, was in coloring. While Fenrir's fur was jet black with just enough silver on his outer guard hairs to give him a silvery sheen when he moved quickly, her fur was a dark red, somewhere between the color of his fur and Kira's hair. Her eyes were still closed; Fenrir guessed she would probably open them in a week or two. She was big for a newborn, at least considering her mother's size, but not abnormally so. Fenrir estimated her to weigh a little over nine pounds, and her height, or perhaps length to be around twenty-two inches.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Kira, who asked, "What should her name be?"

Fenrir considered. "Good question. Do you have anything particular you'd like to name her?"

"Not really. I mean, hell, a month ago I didn't even know it was possible for me to have a baby."

"Good point." A moment of silence passed as they both watched the baby nurse. "Well, we don't have to pick right away. Let's give it a little time; after all, it's the name she'll be using for quite probably her entire life."

Kira raised an eyebrow. "Quite probably? I would've thought definitely."

"People have changed their names before. Some cultures even give their children new names once they reach adulthood, to symbolize their transformation from child to adult. I don't know if we want to do that, but it's a possibility."

Kira wrinkled her nose. "That sounds kinda confusing, and anyway, if she was born in a month, how long do you think it's gonna take her to grow up?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. She is my first child, after all. -Wait, no, that might not be accurate."

"Why? Oh wait, you're thinking about the rest of the succubi back at the castle, right?"

"That I am. Aimi in particular was already showing some signs of pregnancy before we left; I wouldn't be at all surprised if her children were born already. And you weren't the first one I impregnated either, so who knows. I had hoped to get back before any of their pregnancies came to term, but considering how fast yours developed I don't know if that's still possible." Fenrir shrugged, being careful not to jostle Kira or her baby. "Anyway, we don't have to give her a new name once she grows up, it's simply an option. Depending on how fast my children end up growing, it might not make sense to do so anyway."

"Yeah..." Kira looked down at her baby, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "...Boss, thanks for this. Seriously. I mean, I didn't ask for a kid or anything, but this, right now? I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Fenrir looked down at her and the dark little bundle in her arms for a long moment. "Nor would I, Kira. Nor would I."

It was midafternoon when Myrina came back into camp, swapping her run for a walk as she approached the fire ring. Most of the party had decided to occupy the morning by catching up on the sleep they had missed the night before, and she had been no exception. After lunch, she had left, presumably to take a run.

Fenrir had noticed that after their spar back at the Murtell estate, she had shown an almost fanatical determination to increase her strength, though he could not of course be sure that that was where it had started. He was inclined to think the origin of her resolve lay further in the past, most likely when she had been captured by the trafficking ring.

Just now, however, she strode up to him, saying without preamble, "I think I've found a dungeon."

That drew everyone's attention. "Are you sure?" Fenrir asked.

She shrugged a little. "Pretty sure. I didn't go very deep; I know better than to try to clear a dungeon by myself."

Fenrir took stock of the group around the campfire. Kira was out, obviously, and so was Safara, as without her magic she only had perhaps a week's training in swordsmanship, not nearly enough to consider risking her. Chellise had reached level eight already, but her only offensive spell was still Fireball, and her own swordsmanship wasn't much better than Safara's. Katari, on the other hand, was level thirty and had the skills to match, making her an excellent option as a frontline fighter.

As for the newer members of his party, Fenrir had nothing to complain of for any of them. Both Myrina and Tsavani's levels were twenty-six, and the catfolk's Rogue class was perfect for taking advantage of the distraction the amazon's Barbarian fighting style provided. And as for Saeko; well, he had yet to see her in action, but from what God's Eye and his experience with Safara told him, she had the skills to support the rest of the party satisfactorily enough.

"Safara," he spoke up, "what's the average party size for clearing dungeons and the like?"

"It depends a little," Safara replied, her brow furrowed. "Between four and six, normally, but having groups of up to forty or fifty people isn't too uncommon for the largest dungeons."

"They break themselves down into smaller units, though, no?"

"Yes." Urged on by Fenrir's inquiring look, Safara continued, "I think the usual makeup is two frontline fighters, two ranged units, one of whom is squad leader, and one agile fighter, to cover the rest or react quickly to changing battlefield conditions. Of course, it's not nearly that simple, but that's the ideal formation."

Fenrir nodded. "I see. Well, we don't quite have that, but I think we can make do. Myrina, about how big a dungeon did it look like to you?"

"Pretty small," Myrina shrugged. "I've only cleared a few dungeons myself, but it didn't look like it would take us more than a couple hours to clear."

"Good, good. All right, how do you all feel about doing some dungeon delving this afternoon?"

He was met by affirmatives from all sides except for Kira, who pouted at him. "No way you're going to let me go, are you? Just my luck Myrina'd find a dungeon just when I'm in no condition to help explore it."

Fenrir chuckled and ruffled her hair. "You're not the only one who's staying behind. Safara, you and Chellise should stay at camp as well."

Safara nodded; she had no doubt seen this coming, but Chellise set up a fuss. "I want to go too! Do I have to stay behind?"

"Yes." Fenrir's tone brooked no argument. "You're nowhere near strong enough yet. Have patience, you'll have plenty of adventures in future. Besides, I need someone to stay here to keep watch just in case anything comes sniffing around camp."

Chellise pouted, but said nothing.

"Chellise. No following us. Clear?"

"Fine, fine. I get it."

"Chin up," Fenrir said. "I'll give you some special attention tonight to make up for having to stay behind."

Chellise brightened at this. "Okay, Daddy."

"Be careful," Safara cautioned, her eyes bright with worry.

"We will," Fenrir reassured her. "Between the five of us, I'm pretty sure we can mop the floor with whatever that dungeon has in store for us, but we'll retreat if we find anything we can't handle."

As they started out, led by Myrina, Fenrir took stock of the party. Myrina was dressed in a simple tunic and shorts, and preferred her fists to any other weapon. Fenrir determined to find her bracers of some sort if she ended up becoming one of his as he was hoping she would. Katari was wearing her customary armor and wielding the two-handed katana-esque blade that habitually hung at her hip.

Saeko had no weapon other than a short dagger hidden in her clothing, but knowing her abilities, Fenrir did not believe she needed one, nor did she seem worried about her lack of armament. Her choice of clothing was a set of robes which she had altered to resemble a short-skirted kimono. She had chosen to combine it with a pair of sheer black stockings, which while not the most practical for traveling had so far somehow escaped any rips or tears, and soft slippers not too dissimilar from those Chellise preferred except for their thicker soles.

Tsavani wore simple pants and blouse under a leather jerkin along with a belt that held several daggers buckled around her waist. From what she had told him back at the estate when he had been trying to outfit her, she had achieved some proficiency with throwing knives as well as a more normal dagger, but unfortunately there had been nothing which exactly answered the purpose, so she had had to make do with one heavier and several lighter daggers.

And then there was him. On his back he carried his axe, though he had decided to leave his cloak behind. Tough as yeti hide was, without special hardening it only had passable stopping power at best, and the cloak was poorly adapted to serve as armor. His innate resistances and his speed were his real defense.

All told, they had very little in the way of armor, but their weaponry was adequate if not outstanding. Fenrir planned to use God's Eye to try to get an idea of the average level of the dungeon, which once he had some conception of would allow him to make a more informed decision of whether they were equipped to handle it. 'Of course, this is the first dungeon I've seen in this world, so either way I'm going to be proceeding with caution. I'm pretty sure the Twins shouldn't mind if I clear it out; there's no way to be entirely sure, but I'm fairly certain my destroying it to strengthen myself is something they'd be alright with.'

Shaking off the thoughts, he began discussing possible battle strategies with the rest of the group. It didn't take them long to decide on a battle formation. Myrina would function as their striker, while Katari would move to watch her back along with Saeko's ranged support. Tsavani's job was to sneak up on and take out the enemy's ranged units, if they had any. Otherwise, she was free to attack any targets of opportunity, retreating behind Fenrir if she garnered more attention than she could handle.

As for Fenrir himself, he deliberately kept his role fluid. He was to be the squad's leader and quick response, moving to support any of the members that needed it as well as keeping an eye on the battlefield in general. He thanked his lucky stars that he had had the forethought to spar with Myrina and Tsavani several times in the days since they had left the estate. The practical experience gave him a far more comprehensive idea of their capabilities as well as their weaknesses.

'Now it's time to watch our plan fall apart on first contact,' Fenrir thought sarcastically as the dungeon loomed up before them, really little more than a craggy opening in a low bluff. Shaking his head a little, he checked his train of thought. 'No, it's not going to be that bad, and anyway, no one moves until I give the go ahead, so things should turn out fine. I highly doubt there's going to be anything of a particularly high level in a dungeon like this.'

Notwithstanding his optimistic conclusion, Fenrir took the lead as they started into the dungeon, moving slowly and keeping a close eye out for any sign of enemies as well as traps. He didn't spot anything until they came to a small natural opening where the cave widened. Sunlight filtered down through cracks in the ceiling, illuminating four goblins. Two were wrestling on the ground, their rough spears lying a short distance away. The third carried an equally rough bow along with a quiver of arrows, and the fourth a rusted sword and battered wooden shield. God's Eye revealed their levels, all between ten and twelve.

Thinking back to the goblins he had met in Apollyon, Fenrir wondered briefly whether it would be possible to negotiate with these as well. Something, he wasn't sure what, seemed to caution him against trying. These goblins seemed fundamentally different than the ones he had made friends with, though he found it difficult to pin down what exactly gave him the impression. 'Still, they're only level tens. It's not as if we need the element of surprise to handle them. I'll give it a try.'

Sharing his intentions with the rest of the squad in a low voice and getting multiple odd looks in return, Fenrir stepped out into view of the goblins. As he did, he heard Myrina mumble, "But they're goblins."

Ignoring her, he stepped slowly forward until one of the goblins noticed him. It was the sword and shield carrying goblin who saw him first, and with a high-pitched shriek it brandished its weapon and sprinted at him, not even waiting for its comrades to ready themselves.

"We come in peace." Fenrir held out his hands in the same placating gesture he had used that other time, but unlike then, neither his stature nor his words seemed to make the slightest difference to the goblin who charged him.

It swung its sword in a high but vigorous arc with the obvious intent of splitting Fenrir's belly wide open. Activating Sand in the Hourglass, Fenrir plucked it out of the air and wresting it from the goblin's grasp, tossed it aside. This made no difference to the tiny Dark-race, who now tried to attack him with a shield bash. Dodging, Fenrir groped for the few words of Gobbish he had picked up from Chief Shazrak's tribe. "[No fight!]" he shouted, but it made no difference, and a moment later he ducked as an arrow whistled past his ear.

"No use," he called back to the rest of his party. "Just kill them." Drawing his axe from his back, he buried its blade into the head of the goblin before him, easily knocking aside the shield which had been raised in an attempt to block his strike. As he extracted the axe from the newly made corpse, Myrina whipped past him, eager to come to grips with the two spear users, who had by this time untangled themselves and were nearly upon him. Katari was hot on her heels, and Fenrir only just caught a glimpse of Tsavani as she slipped through the shadows at the edge of the cave towards the archer.

A fire bloomed between the two spearmen, making them shriek in dismay and leap apart. As Myrina and Katari both made good use of the distraction to separate them further, Fenrir glanced back to Saeko, who even as he looked dispelled the fire and summoned another directly beneath the archer. Screaming in pain, it hopped backwards, stumbling on a stray rock and falling. Tsavani took advantage of its **** state, pouncing upon it and driving her dagger deep into its chest. At almost the same time, both spear users were brought down by the superior strength and skill of their respective combatants, and the fight was over.

"Nicely done, everyone," Fenrir said. "Saeko, can you determine whether any of the goblins' gear is worth taking with your Appraisal skill?"

The kitsune's eyes flashed to him and then away again just as quickly. "...Certainly, Fenrir-sama, though I doubt any of it will be." She began on the goblin Fenrir had brought down, picking up and examining the sword and shield, then going through the small pouch that had hung at the goblin's side. As she did, she inquired, "If I may ask, why did you attempt to negotiate with them?"

"I've opened friendly relations with goblins in the past, so I thought I should at least make the attempt," Fenrir shrugged.

"But these are dungeon-spawned goblins."

"I wasn't aware there was a difference. Are dungeon-spawned goblins less intelligent or something?"

Saeko shook her head, straightening and moving to one of the spear users. "It is not that. Dungeon-spawned monsters are under the control of the dungeon, and newer dungeons are almost without exception hostile to all outsiders. The commonly accepted theory is that new dungeons are barely sentient, but that they become more intelligent the older they become. This makes older dungeons far more dangerous, not only because the monsters which inhabit them are stronger, but because the dungeon itself uses more sophisticated traps and directs its monsters to fight more effectively. Dungeons also tend to become larger as they age."

"Interesting. I confess I know very little about dungeons, so I appreciate you sharing your knowledge."

"It is the least I can do." There was a moment's silence as Saeko finished going through the archer's equipment, then she straightened and turned to Fenrir, holding out a small handful of coins. "This is all that is worth taking."

Taking the coins, Fenrir stowed them in his pouch. "Thank you." He turned to the rest of the party, who stood ready to follow his lead, and said, "Let's go."

They found another group of goblins several minutes' walk further in, and this time aware that negotiation would be an exercise in futility, Fenrir had Tsavani put herself in position to **** the two archers the moment they were distracted by him, Myrina, and Katari moving to engage the two club users and the spearman. This time they dispatched the group with even less trouble than before, and as before, the only things worth taking from the bodies were several coins.

The next obstacle they found was a primitive deadfall trap, activated by a tripwire. The tripwire itself was large enough to be obvious even to one who wasn't paying attention, so obvious in fact that Fenrir didn't even recognize it as a tripwire immediately. Now being warned of the presence of traps, they proceeded more cautiously, but they hardly needed to bother. Though they ran into several more traps in the course of the dungeon, all were primitive in the **** and easily spotted.

"This dungeon must be very new indeed," Saeko remarked as they passed the third such example. "This is the first time I've ever seen traps this rough in a dungeon."

More groups of goblins were found and subsequently dispatched, but the loot continued to follow the already established pattern, only a few coins per encounter. Fenrir wasn't certain what value the coins would hold; they didn't look like the currency Mavenia used, but they appeared to be made of precious metals, and he trusted Saeko's judgement on the subject.

The traversal of several more rooms brought them to a larger cavern, in which they could see multiple goblins. Fenrir did a quick head count, calculating there to be between forty and fifty total. There were no females, but on a rude chair near the back of the cave sat an unusually large goblin. God's Eye identified him as a hobgoblin, and unlike the rest of the horde, he was nearly level thirty.

While the hobgoblin undoubtedly deserved special consideration, Fenrir's primary concern was the sheer number of enemies. Despite their relatively low levels, they were numerous enough to overwhelm his party if given the chance. Quantity, after all, had a quality all its own.

On the other hand, the entrance to the cavern was fairly narrow. If they baited them back to fight in the corridor, the goblins' numeric advantage would be largely mitigated, though it would leave less room for Tsavani to do her thing.

Stepping back from the corner, he turned to his party. "There's about fifty goblins out there, including a hobgoblin. If we try to fight them head-on, we're likely to be overwhelmed, so we're going to bait them back to here where the passage is narrow enough that they can't surround us. There's still enough room to fight two abreast, but be aware that you'll be weathering the full brunt of the horde."

The last sentence was directed to Katari and Myrina specifically, and they both nodded in acknowledgement.

"If either of you get tired or just need to fall back for a bit, I can fill the gap, so don't hesitate to let me know. Alright, everyone ready? Let's go."

They opened hostilities by having Tsavani and Fenrir sneak up on and **** the two closest goblins. While she didn't have a specific skill for sneaking, the catfolk had a knack for moving unseen, and Fenrir's Shroud kept him effectually hidden. Before the first two goblins had even hit the dirt, Tsavani and Fenrir had both moved on to the next closest targets, and then the next. Upon killing their third pair, however, they were discovered, one of the goblins nearby noticing the falling of his comrades and letting out a high-pitched shriek that immediately drew the attention of the entire room.

As planned, both immediately retreated back into the passage, falling back behind the screen provided by Saeko as she conjured a wall of flames to give them ample time to retreat. Not that they needed it, Fenrir noticed. Tsavani was fully as nimble as himself in these tight quarters.

The instant the wall of fire fell, the entire room stampeded in their direction, jostling each other as the passage narrowed. Their eagerness was their undoing, the first few goblins running headlong onto Katari's blade or into Myrina's ready fists. That did not stop the rest, and Fenrir was momentarily concerned that even with the advantage provided by the terrain his two frontline fighters would be overwhelmed by the impetuous rush, but the two women were too experienced to fall victim to the disordered charge.

Together they fell back just quickly enough to maintain room to fight, reaping a harvest of blood and broken bones for every foot of ground lost. Even the goblins, or perhaps the dungeon master was **** to respect their prowess, and the **** halted for a moment. But only a moment. The more heavily wounded were shoved towards the back of the horde, shield-users were shunted to the fore, and the goblins re-engaged, now behind a little more protection.

Fenrir's party had no intention of giving them any room to breathe, however. As they approached within melee range, Saeko started several new fires almost directly under their feet, making many of the shield bearers scream and try to jump away from the sudden heat. Katari and Myrina made good use of the distraction, adding several more bodies to the already uncertain footing of the corridor.

Shrieking in dismay, the goblins retreated to where the passage opened up, Fenrir's party moving up with them. On the way, Fenrir scooped up several of the bodies and hurled them into the mass of goblins before them, bowling many of them off their feet. It didn't seem to do much permanent damage, but the action did add to the confusion and demoralized the goblins further. Several also lost their weapons in the tumble.

Katari and Myrina stopped deep enough within the passage that the goblins could not slip around them, and looking over their heads, Fenrir was surprised to see that the hobgoblin on the makeshift throne had not moved. It glared balefully across the intervening space, but it did not seem to want to engage the interlopers just yet. That was fine with Fenrir. Mopping up the trash mobs, to borrow a phrase from his previous life, would be made much easier if the de facto boss stayed out of it.

Speaking of the trash mobs, they seemed hesitant to approach. Fenrir could see several archers among their ranks, however, and had no intention of letting them figure out that they held the ranged advantage. "Myrina, with me! Katari, keep them off the backline!"

Without waiting for a response, Fenrir leaped forward into the midst of the horde, swinging his axe in wide powerful arcs that sent blood and viscera flying. He heard a crunch close to his ear and ducked as a goblin went flying past, sprouting blood from a shattered nose. A momentary glance backwards revealed Myrina standing ready to guard his back. She smirked at him, that same wild joy dancing in her eyes as she said, "I've got your back, give 'em hell."

An answering smile touched his lips, and giving himself over to the joy of battle, he hewed his way through the horde in the direction of whatever archer happened to catch his eye. They had by this time begun launching arrows at him and Myrina as well as a few at the three left at the cavern entrance, but the goblins were so closely clustered that any projectiles had an excellent chance of striking a friendly, and more than one goblin went down with an arrow in its back. None of them could do much to slow him down, any attempted blocks entirely ineffectual due simply to the difference in size and strength.

Perhaps the dungeon became aware of this, for there was a sudden movement near the back of the cave as the hobgoblin stood up. Hoisting a large club in his hands, the human sized goblin strode forward towards Fenrir, its smaller brethren scattering to get out of his way.

"Keep the small fry off me," Fenrir said, moving forward to meet the approaching boss.

A flash of movement at his side made him pause for a split second. Tsavani had moved up to his side and was dancing around Myrina, taking advantage of the chaos she provided to strike targets of opportunity. Fenrir's eyes widened at the speed with which she darted around; evidently she had been holding back during their sparring sessions. His eyes flickered to the rest of his party, but it seemed Katari and Saeko needed no aid. They fought in close synergy, each covering the other against the goblins that chose to try to fight them rather than face Fenrir's axe or Myrina's fists.

Satisfied his party had things well in hand, Fenrir refocused on the hobgoblin. It was strong; the club it carried could have fit Katari inside were it hollow, armor and all. Speaking of armor, it was wearing some of its own, a fairly crude and primitive iron chestplate, helmet, bracers, and greaves. It looked thick enough to stop a blow, but it was still a far cry from full body coverage.

It swung its club as soon as it came in range, forcing Fenrir to step back to avoid the gnarled hunk of wood, but he stepped right back in, his axe splitting the air towards the hobgoblin's unprotected shoulder. It reacted more quickly than he had expected, however, and instead of flesh, what his steel blade chewed on was the tough handle of the club. He jerked it free, blocking a jab from the hobgoblin and starting the duel in earnest.

It quickly became apparent to him that as fast and strong as the hobgoblin was, there was little science in the way it fought. Its attacks, while vicious, were predictable, and even with the added complication of having to occasionally dodge a goblin that tried to interfere or simply got in the way, the fight wasn't going to seriously challenge him. Fenrir was surprised to find that he felt a little disappointed. Apparently he had been subconsciously hoping for a real fight.

Ah well. Waiting for the right opportunity, Fenrir deflected one of the hobgoblin's swings at an oblique angle, leaving it wide open for an answering strike which buried the head of his axe so deeply in its neck that it was almost decapitated.

The hobgoblin fell with a resounding crash, mostly due to the armor it was wearing, and the few remaining goblins shrieked in dismay before throwing themselves at Fenrir in a body. Due to their greatly reduced numbers, it only took a few more minutes to kill the rest of them.

Once the last goblin fell, Fenrir straightened, glancing around the cavern. It was a bloody sight, bodies scattered everywhere, some more and some less dismembered depending on who had brought them down. Over near the entrance in particular, there were burns on many of the corpses, though Fenrir noticed that almost all bore evidence of Katari's handiwork as well.

He took stock of his party. Myrina had several scrapes and other small cuts, but by the feel in the air he was positive she had already attuned herself to the Serpent. Tsavani had a rip in her jerkin, but there was no blood, and Saeko and Katari appeared untouched. As for himself, he had taken a few shallow wounds, but the few hits that had gotten past his guard had been largely foiled by his fur.

"Well done, everyone," he said. "If I didn't know better, I'd say we've all fought together before."

"Yeah, we make a pretty good team, don't we?" Tsavani asked, preening a little. Myrina nodded, falling back into taciturnity now that the battle was over. Fenrir was sure the glance she shot him held more respect than it had before, however.

Saeko nodded as well, approaching the three in the center of the room with Katari at her side. "I haven't often fought with a party as quick on the uptake as all of you. There's almost nothing for me to heal."

Fenrir smiled. "It probably helps that all of us were at least twice as strong as the strongest of our enemies, barring the hobgoblin. But, fun's over. Everyone, start going through the bodies and grab anything of value that you find."

He himself made his way back over to the hobgoblin to more closely examine its armor. Unfortunately, it was simply too crude to be worth taking, so he joined the others in taking whatever seemed valuable from the corpses that littered the ground.

Near the back of the cave, Fenrir noticed a chest tucked in behind the rude chair that had previously supported the hobgoblin's bulk, but the chair itself garnered his immediate attention. Set in its back near the top, a spherical gem glowed with a faint inner light. Fenrir approached more closely, looking it over.

The gem was smooth and round, black in color but glowing a muted red that pulsed ever so slightly as he looked it over, about the size of a large grapefruit. Fenrir suspected it to be the dungeon's core, but he called Saeko over to confirm.

"Yes, that is it. What do you intend to do with it?"

"...I'm not sure. What would you recommend? Again, I have little experience with dungeons."

"Well, most Light-races would simply destroy it, but for us Dark-races, there is another option." Saeko paused for so long that Fenrir looked at her quizzically. "My apologies, Fenrir-sama. I was only wondering whether it would be possible for a Light-race to make use of the second option as well."

"Which is?"

"If the core is compatible with you, you can absorb it into yourself, gaining some of its power. You can do so even if it is not, but I do not advise it. There can be adverse side effects."

Fenrir nodded. 'That matches up to what I remember of the Dungeon Master monster power.' Reaching up, he pried the core out of the back of the chair and looked at it more closely. 'Holding it like this, I can tell that I'm not compatible with it, though that doesn't surprise me much. All of the monsters we fought were goblins, and the core has the same kind of feeling. Hmm, I wonder if Mitzi would be able to use it.'

Stowing both the core and the thought away for later, he moved around the makeshift throne to the chest he had seen behind it. As he did, he noticed the rest of the party had finished going through the bodies and were approaching them.

Saeko's eyes widened a little at the sight of the chest. "This must be the dungeon chest."

Fenrir cocked an eyebrow. "Dungeon chest?"

"Some call it a boss chest. Every dungeon has one; it's almost without exception where the most valuable gear is found. It's also usually protected with almost the same care as the dungeon core itself."

"Any chance it's trapped?"

"In a dungeon this small? It's unlikely, but I'll check it just in case." Saeko stepped forward, leaning close to the chest to inspect it carefully. Fenrir noticed her eyes seemed to glow for several seconds as she did. "No, it is safe, though locked."

Fenrir looked around at the rest of the party, who were by this time gathered around them. "Anyone here know how to pick a lock?"

Tsavani raised a hand. "I do, but I don't have any lockpicks."

"That's unfortunate. We'll have to see about getting you some in future, but for now..." Fenrir knelt before the chest and looked it over himself. It was a fairly small affair, made of weathered wood with iron bands for reinforcement. The lock looked old and rusted, but Fenrir was more interested in the fact that the wood directly around the lock didn't look particularly strong. He extended his claws and carefully carved out the wood around it until the lock came loose and he was able to raise the lid.

"Ooh..." Tsavani breathed at the sight of the contents. The bottom of the chest was liberally covered by coins with several other items poking up through them. Fenrir lifted out a dagger made of some dark metal, a set of clawed bracers, and a pair of earrings, handing each of them to Saeko to appraise. Gathering up the coins, he placed them in his pouch as well before turning to see what Saeko had made of the items he had given her.

Seeing his attention was now on her, Saeko held up the dagger. "This dagger is made of black steel, but other than that it is fairly ordinary, though well made. The bracers are similarly well made but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary, and the earrings are enchanted."

Intrigued, Fenrir asked, "Can you tell what the enchantment's effect is?"

"They appear to draw in mana from the environment to help refill a person's mana reservoir more quickly, though I'm not entirely sure how."

"That sounds useful." Fenrir considered for a moment, then took the dagger and handed it to Tsavani. "What do you think of it?"

She looked it over. It had a single-edged blade about eight inches long with a slightly curved point, a rounded guard, and a leather-wrapped grip which ended in a flat pommel. Tsavani tested the edge with her thumb, then took a few experimental swings. "I like it. It's just the right size, but not too heavy."

"Good. Consider it yours."

Tsavani looked up at him with wide eyes. "You're just giving it to me?"

"Why not? I'm not going to use it; after all, I already have a dagger, not to mention my claws. Of the party, you're the one who would put it to the best use. Speaking of, what do you think of these bracers, Myrina?"

Myrina took the proffered gauntlets and pulled them on, tightening the straps around her wrists and forearms. They fit well, the metal-reinforced body providing respectable protection for her forearms while the blunt metal claws extended an inch or two past her knuckles to make her punches considerably more damaging. Her hands were left uncovered, preserving her finger dexterity, and the leather of which the bracers were made ensured long term comfort. They were lightly decorated with small fangs, which Fenrir thought rather suited the amazon's aesthetic.

Like Tsavani before her, Myrina gave several experimental punches, then slammed her forearms together. Satisfied, she nodded. "They're good. Not as good as what I used to have, but they're good."

"Then feel free to use them until you find something better."

Perhaps expecting this after his exchange with Tsavani, Myrina simply nodded. Turning his attention to the earrings, Fenrir looked them over.

They were simple in design, really more studs than proper earrings. Their gemstones were a deep purple, and Fenrir thought he could see a hint of movement within their depths, like the slow swirling of a substance somewhere between gas and liquid. It was difficult to tell, however, with how small they were. He raised his eyes from the jewelry to Saeko, opening his mouth to speak, but she forestalled him.

"Let me guess, you want to give them to me?"

Fenrir grinned. "That's right. Consider it your share of the loot."

Saeko looked conflicted for a moment, then with a tiny shrug of her shoulders she reached up to attach the studs near the base of her pointed ears. "Helping you clear this dungeon was really the least I could do, considering the debt I owe you, but I will not reject your generosity."

Fenrir glanced back into the chest, ensuring it was empty, then turned towards the last member of the party. "It seems everyone gets something but you, Katari. I'm sorry."

Katari colored a little. "Do not consider it, my lord. I did not come to seek loot; I came because you wished it of me."

"Still, it hardly seems fair."

"I am amply repaid by knowing I was useful to you, my lord."

Fenrir looked at her. She meant it; of that there was no doubt. "...Very well. But for the record, you were more than useful; in fact, I'd say you were invaluable."

Katari blushed more heavily at this, but Fenrir did not pursue the subject further. Turning to the entrance, he raised his voice to address everyone in the party. "Solid work, everyone, now let's get back to camp."

As they stepped out of the dungeon, with everyone in the party taking a deep breath of air untainted by the goblins' stench, his thoughts strayed back to the loot they had taken. 'It seems a little too convenient that there was something for each of my new girls. I'd bet a penny or two that there was some divine intervention going on there. Well, to be fair, when I last spoke with the Twins they did seem to imply that they intended to keep helping me out here and there. This might have been one such example.'

They made it back to camp a little before sundown. Most of the party immediately left again to wash off the dirt, blood, and other assorted grime that was part and parcel of dungeon delving, and Fenrir was no exception, only staying long enough to verify that all was well before cleaning himself in the nearby stream.

When he got back they enjoyed a sumptuous supper -Chellise was getting quite good at cooking- and then settled down around the fire. At the insistence of those that had been left behind, Fenrir related the details of their adventure.

Kira groaned. "I'm so jealous. I would have loved to test out how much better I've gotten."

Fenrir smiled. "I'm sure. Unfortunately for you, you'll now have a little shadow for the foreseeable future, so you won't be able to go anywhere she wouldn't be safe."

"I wouldn't say that's unfortunate," Kira smirked. "I'm perfectly happy to have a 'little shadow' following me around, especially considering the big shadow she came from."

"...Shadow, huh?" Fenrir contemplated the dark bundle in Kira's arms, watching as her tiny mouth opened wide in a squeaky little yawn. "Kira, what do you think of Penumbra as a name?"

"Huh?" Kira's eyes widened, and she glanced down at the baby herself. "...You know what, I like it. It suits her."

"I think so too." Fenrir paused as the newly christened Penumbra stretched her tiny hands out in front of her and burbled happily. "Even she seems happy with it."

Kira elbowed him. "Yeah, right, like she has any idea what we're talking about."

The direwolf laughed. "Hey, who knows?"

"I think it's a beautiful name," Safara spoke up from Fenrir's other side. Tsavani sat nestled up against him, but the white-haired elf was only one space removed.

"It's certainly... unique," Saeko commented.

Fenrir looked up, grinning. "What, don't like it?"

"I did not say that. It is simply a name I have not heard before."

"What does it mean?" Myrina asked, her brows furrowed slightly as she stared at the infant in Kira's arms.

"It means 'partial shadow'. You see my shadow there?" Fenrir asked, holding up his hand to throw a blurred and dancing shadow on the trunk of a nearby tree. "The main part of the shadow is called the umbra, but the bit around the edge that isn't quite so dark is called the penumbra."

"So it's because her fur's only partly black!" Tsavani burst out.

"Yes, that's part of it. If Kira's the light and I am the shadow, then she is in between; a penumbra."

Safara narrowed her eyes speculatively. "But that isn't the only reason you named her that, if I know you as well as I believe I do."

Fenrir shrugged. "No, but we'll have to see whether my hunch was correct when she grows older. Right now, there's no way to tell." He shifted his attention to Kira. "How are you feeling this evening?"

"Honestly, I feel pretty good. I think I should be fine to travel again tomorrow, if that's what you're asking. I could've kept going today if we really needed to," the redhead shrugged.

"Good, then we'll plan on that. Let me know if you start feeling tired, though, alright?" Fenrir fixed Kira with an expectant look until she nodded in acknowledgement, then continued, "Now, I believe I promised some special attention to a certain succubus..."

Well, this one took me a while. I was kept very busy over the past week, but thankfully I was able to find a little time to write here and there. While this chapter is pretty long, I can't help but think of it as a side quest. I even debating cutting the dungeon crawl altogether, but it does set up several plot points for the future and lets us get to know Fenrir's new companions a bit better, not to mention teaching us something about how dungeons work.
In other news, what do you think about the newly christened Penumbra? The first (though certainly not the last) of Fenrir's children that we've seen, barring Aimi's slimes in that interlude chapter.
Enjoy!