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Chapter 18: Reunion in the Fog
"How are you, my first friend, Bell?"
Hearing the towering silver-furred monkey speak in rough, but clear human language, the three adventurers froze.
Drake grinned. "I see you still attract trouble like a magnet, Bell. First that Minotaur with the giant sword, and now an infant dragon? Seriously, how unlucky can one guy be?"
Bell blinked in confusion. "Umm… mister monkey? Do I know you? I don't remember meeting anyone like you on the upper floors."
Lili stepped forward cautiously. "Wait… mister monkey, were you the War Shadow who saved me from those adventurers?"
Drake's grin widened—comically exaggerated on his beastly face. "I'm surprised you figured it out so quickly. Yeah, that was me. You look much better now. The name's Drake. Nice to finally meet and speak to you properly."
Bell's eyes widened. "Wait, Drake? You're that little kobold I met when I first started exploring!"
"Yep," Drake chuckled. "You've grown a lot stronger. I'm happy for you."
Both Bell and Lili smiled warmly, recognizing their benefactor. The tension slowly melted away.
A red-haired boy stepped forward, frowning. "Bell, Lili, are you sure about this guy? He looks strong. Maybe we should back off."
Drake let out a hearty laugh. "Relax, little guy. You look like a friend of Bell and Lili, so I won't hurt you."
The redhead turned beet red. "Little?! I'm not little! My name's Welf!"
Bell and Lili burst into laughter.
Drake smiled. "Alright, alright. Nice to meet you, Welf."
Just then, two large shadows swooped down from the fog above. Pidgeot and Staraptor landed beside Drake, nuzzling him affectionately. The three humans watched in awe.
Bell stepped forward, curious. "Mister Drake… I couldn't help but notice. Who are these monsters?"
Drake hesitated for a moment. "Okay… what I'm about to say, don't tell anyone. Deal?"
All three nodded solemnly.
"When I woke up in this dungeon, I somehow knew how to create companions using crystals from the monsters I slay. These two birds—Pidgeot and Staraptor—have been with me almost from the beginning. The others joined later."
As if on cue, Monferno appeared beside Bell and leapt onto his shoulder, staring at him curiously.
Bell yelped and stumbled back, but Drake just laughed. "Monferno, ease up. You're scaring him."
Before Bell could recover, an Imp lunged from the fog—only to be instantly incinerated by Monferno's flamethrower. The humans flinched, stunned by the sheer firepower.
"This guy's Monferno," Drake said, gesturing. "The little shark down there is Gible. And there's one more… Ralts, come on out."
A tiny figure peeked out from Drake's shoulder—Ralts gave a shy nod.
Lili's eyes lit up. "He's adorable! Can I pet him?!"
Startled by the loud voice, Ralts ducked back into hiding. Drake chuckled. "Sorry, he's shy. Maybe later."
Lili nodded apologetically. "I'm sorry, Ralts. I didn't mean to scare you."
Slowly, Ralts peeked out again, eyes filled with curiosity.
"Hey," Drake said, "want to party up with us for a bit? It's been a while since I've had anyone to talk to."
Bell and Lili nodded eagerly, but Welf pulled them aside. "Are you sure about this? He's a monster. If he turns on us, we're dead."
Bell put a hand on his shoulder. "Drake saved both of us. If he meant harm, we wouldn't be here."
"Yeah," Lili added. "Thanks to him, I met you two. I trust him."
"…Alright," Welf sighed. "But I'll be keeping my eye on him."
The trio returned.
"Done whispering behind my back?" Drake teased with a grin.
"Yeah," Bell said. "We'd love to explore with you."
As the group moved forward, the fog thickened—and then, the roars began.
From all sides, monsters emerged: twelve Silverbacks and three Infant Dragons.
"What the hell?" Drake muttered, drawing Yoru. "I've never seen so many at once."
"It's normal," Welf said, eyes glued to the dark blade in Drake's hands. "When multiple parties explore together, the dungeon responds by spawning more monsters."
"Then let's give them a warm welcome," Drake growled. "Pidgeot, Staraptor—take the dragons. Gible, Dig and destabilize the Silverbacks. Monferno, Flame Wheel the staggered ones. Ralts, Psychic to guard our backs!"
The battle exploded into motion.
Drake darted between two Silverbacks, Yoru cleaving through them like butter. Dark energy surged with every swing, reducing monsters to ash.
Above, Pidgeot summoned a massive Hurricane, trapping the dragons in a swirling vortex. Staraptor bombarded them with Razor Wind, turning the tornado into a shredding storm. When the winds settled, only mangled remains remained.
On the ground, Bell and Welf fought alongside each other while Lili provided support with her crossbow. Gible emerged beneath their enemies, disrupting their footing and giving the two adventurers the edge they needed to finish the job.
"Nice work, team," Drake called out, landing the final blow on the last Silverback.
"Yeah," Bell panted. "That was intense, but we're still standing."
The group pressed forward, cutting through more monsters as Ralts guided them to the next staircase. Just as the familiar stone steps came into view, Drake turned with a thoughtful look.
"Hey… do you guys always run into weird, powerful monsters right before you reach a stairway?"
All three humans stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
"What are you talking about?" Bell asked. "This is the first I've heard of that."
'Oh no,' Drake thought.
A deep croaking echoed through the fog.
A large figure emerged, the mist parting to reveal a grotesque toad-like monster with a massive mustache and a bloated belly. Its tongue lashed the air menacingly as it glared down at them.
Above its head, glowing text formed.
[SWAMP TOAD - TAHM KENCH - LVL 73]
All three adventurers went pale.
Drake cracked his neck, unsheathing Yoru with a grin. "Well… looks like we've got ourselves a boss fight."
A/N well mister cliff for you guys hope you enjoy the chapter heheh 🤣🤣🤣