Is It Wrong to Try to Tame Monsters in a Dungeon? (Written seriously)

(This chapter was uploaded on Saturday 13/April/2024 8:00 PM, timezone GMT+3)

Special thanks to RikuKage for helping me with this story.

For today's chapter, be wary. There are real-life problems that are being mentioned. But because they are shits, you might be disgusted. I will put a reminder right before it. Make sure to skip if you are eating, around people or doing something that might be disrupted by you hearing/reading that part.

(Line Break)

('1), ('2), ('3), etc. means that there is some explaining for the thing in the notes at the end of the chapter.

"..." small moment of silence

"Talking"

[Dialogue] (What language it is: Accent if necessary)

"He-" Someone was interrupted.

'Thinking'

{Skills' names, chanting, spell keys and spells' names}

(PoV)

(Flashback)

Don't shy from commenting on typos and/or inconsistencies. That and/or suggesting a modification to certain things that didn't make sense to you.

I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.

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(Nightmarescape) (AN: You know, derived from dreamscape... Okay 😒, I will see myself out) 

"My little Henhen, what do you think is our good news?" Victoria said to her son, an eight-year-old Henryk. She was sitting on the back seats with him while her husband drove the car. 

Henryk started thinking with a cute 'thoughtful' expression on his face. 

"I'll finally get my gaming consol that I wanted for a while?!" Henryk got a bit excited and said that while raising an index finger in the air. Norman and a few of the other kids already played a few child-friendly VR games he was thinking of and said that the device was a good one. He wanted to try it too. Henryk jumped a few times in self-given joy. 

"Henryk, no jumping in the car" Marcus reminded his son 'softly', however that could be with a rough voice like his. He feared that Henryk may accidentally get launched around inside the car if something happened. 

"Aye aye!" Henryk said as he saluted his father and sat down obediently. 

"Sadly for you, my little Henhen, that isn't the case" Victoria stopped there with a little smile. She knew that she got Henryk's curiousity up and high. She knew that he will ask what the case is. 

"Mommy! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" Henryk chanted while flailing his arms in the air and swinging his feet. Henryk was throwing a tantrum just as Victoria anticipated. 

"Then rejoice! My cute harpy! Mommy will tell you!" Victoria played along and acted as if she was his age by joining her hands between her legs while swinging her legs around lightly. 

"I'm not a harpy! Even if they're cool!" Henryk remembered the harpy eagles raised in the forest owned by his maternal family. They were clumps of flying feathers that horrifically ensnared your mind with their mere presence. It was scary at the start, until he also was ensnared. 

Henryk loved green and greenery. He loved how 'alive' green looked. Pair that with the eagles flying around, showing their majestic plumages, and you get a recipe for 'falconer haven', or so an older Henryk called it. 

"You're cute, though? Just like one cute harpy chick that I know very well" Victoria said with an expression dripping with her desire to be sassy. 

Somewhere in the forest currently under Hector's name, Victoria's father, a certain Harpy suddenly looked at the sky as she felt some goosebumps. An image of a very demon-like little girl, haunting her childhood, passed by her mind before she flew off to catch her prey for the day. 

"Fine~! Just tell me already!" Henryk gave in to Victoria likening him to a little harpy chick but egged her to tell him again. 

"We're having a baby! You'll get a cute little sibling!" Victoria said as she lunged at Henryk and wrapped him in a hug. 

"Will it be a little brother?!" Henryk was overjoyed. He was hoping a younger brother or sister would come to his life. He wanted someone to dote on. 

"We'll know later~" Victoria said in a teasing manner. 

All three were very happy. They could not tell what the world had in store for them. 

*HOOOOONNNNK!! HOOOOONNNNK!!* That was all Henryk remembered from that point on. All his memory kept of that day was the loud honking before a crashing sound and a black void. 

'This nightmare... again...' Henryk thought to himself as he recognised where he was. He was in his dreamscape again, with the same set of memories that haunted him for all his life. 

"I can't be with you. Mommy and daddy said not to spend time with an orphan like you, whose future is unclear" Henryk remembered the backs of those he thought were his friends. 

"Our parents told us that there is no benefit in being friends with some soon-to-be loser like you" He also remembered some of their hurtful remarks. 

"Sorry, but my father wants me to marry someone else, someone with a brighter future than an orphan like you" Coming from people his age, he remembered the most bitter memory. His supposed fiancée came out of nowhere and said that their engagement was annulled without discussing it with him and his grandfather first. It left a deep scar in him, which took a lot of Hector's efforts to heal. He, thankfully, was successful in his endeavour. 

Then, after that, came light and hope. 

'At least, it reminds me of him' Henryk thought with some fond memories coming to mind. This nightmare was still a thing Henryk purposefully kept in his memory. It was one of the things that reminded him of his grandfather, Hector Ostrowski ('1). He was one of Henryk's remaining living relatives, of which there were 3 at the time his grandfather was alive. ('2) 

'I think this is no longer a nightmare, is it? It's just a retelling of a collection of my experiences and memories. I should always remember it, like I did until now' Henryk resolved himself. It was already quite late that he should accept that this thing was no mere nightmare anymore. 

(Henryk's PoV) 

'Weird. Fey normally wakes me up the moment I start to stir awake or even before that. Where's she?' 

I groggily opened my eyes to look around me. 

'What is this?' 

All around me, I saw nothing but foggy silhouettes. I could barely hear things, assuming I wasn't hallucinating. My nose wasn't clogged but I smelled nothing. Rather, I couldn't smell anything because of the burning pain all over my respiratory organs. My muscles suffer a similar fate. They're burning me alive. I feel like hell for the slightest of movements because all of them are beyond tired. 

'The last time this happened, it was when I strained myself so much that gramps had to take me to the hospital. Natural recovery alone doesn't solve this' 

I grunted in pain as my muscles refused to move easily. 

'But why? What did I do? The last thing I did was-...' 

When I started trying to remember things, my head started throbbing intensely. It was as if I drank way more caffeine-rich tea than a human should attempt to. 

After moments of agonizing pain, I saw the door to the room opening as the pain slightly receded. 

'Right. Preblica. But why don't I remember returning after going on the mission? I remember departing, but not anything after that. Why's that?' 

In the corner of my eye, I glimpsed the vague silhouette of a large bird wrapped in white. 

'That size is Fey's. Being bandaged like that means that she's alive. But just to make sure, I should ask them about her condition' 

"How is Fey's condition?" I ask while gritting my teeth, resisting the residue headache. By now, I was laid back on the bed by the person who entered the room. My vision was quite foggy, but I saw a long gown and a bandana. 

"Good morning" The person, as I correctly assumed to be a woman, greeted me with a relieved voice. I couldn't see her facial features as my vision was very foggy. 

'That reminds me, I was rude there. I should've greeted her first' 

"Good morning. Sorry for not greeting you first but I must know what's happened with Fey" I replied to her then insisted on the matter. 

"*cough**cough*... *cough*..." I started coughing. It was painful, and it resulted in me coughing up blood. The metallic taste of blood flooded my tongue and invaded my nose. 

'Ah. I didn't lose my senses. There was simply nothing stimulating them strongly enough' 

"I will tell you of everything that transpired after you came back to the village a few days ago. So just lay down and stop talking. Your throat might get hurt at this rate" She kindly pointed out. As she was saying that, she was also helping me lay back down on the bed. 

'So, from what she just said, I was out for some days already? And now that she mentions it, my throat's dry. Although I'm not thirsty, or at least, I feel that way, I feel like breathing in itself is a chore' 

On top of having a parched throat, I had a great deal of hunger, aching muscles all over, lightheadedness, what may be a light fever, etc. I was also wounded in many places. Mainly, all over my body, if the rough feeling of bandages all over it made any sense. 

'I should listen to her for now' 

"So, after returning, Helix, Preblica's leading pharmacist, was rushed to the scene to tend to your injuries. It was a miracle that you lived through them" The woman said in a concerned voice. 

'Heh. I just gained back most of my "Badges of Honour". But to be more realistic, I should thank adrenaline for making me move through such injuries, as she described them. I should also thank this Helix. I could've died if they didn't treat me quickly' 

"Later, the eagle was treated as well. That is after she also collapsed beside you. We treated the eagle as well, as Shane told us that you consider her a daughter of sorts. You need not worry, as she is recovering well. She even woke up and headbutted you a few times before collapsing again" She said, showing some amusement in her voice. 

'I should thank Shane later' 

I didn't notice it until a few minutes later, but my hand drifted to Fey and rubbed over her feathers. 

"The loup garou who were following you were dealt with during a siege battle that lasted through the night and the following morning. Thankfully, it was a moonless night. Being alert and preparing to deal with them amidst the dark of night, when they arrogantly neglected the fact that we could also have countermeasures for their plans, that was enough. I reckon that those who escaped would not return" Her voice hinted at her having a happy mood at the fortune. 

'Well, they just earned the carcasses of whatever number of loups that was in pursuit' 

The woman put a finger at her chin in thought then said, "As for the wolves you brought back with you, that mother and son pair, they were recovering for merely a day before the mother moved. She insisted on blocking our paths and pointing her paw in the direction of the gate you used to enter the village, as if wanting to lead us to some place to do some specific something." She told me of how the mother wolf observed their hand gestures for a day while recovering before pointing at the place where the massacre of a pack of wolves took place. 

"Ugrhh!" I groaned as the headache returned alongside the memories of what happened while I was on the mission. Well, only up to the part where I started running. Anything after that was at best foggy and unrecognisable. 

'This shouldn't be. Even my most foggy memories are recognisable in some capacity. This... this, however, is totally unrecognisable. What have I done to do this to myself?' 

"Are you okay?" The woman sprang to check on my condition. 

I simply accepted her help silently. I ignored her common question, one that lack's common sense yet is asked by everyone around the globe. 

'Like, how do you not know if I'm okay or not? Do the bandages around my body seem like air to your eyes?' 

"Right, I told you to remain silent to not further worsen your condition. I should not have asked you a question" The woman said with an awkward voice. She then continued and said, "Now, back to the wolves. The silver wolves were all but corpses littered around the field, dismembered, their hides torn into, disfigured and dragged through the dirt. The mother wolf spent a moment of silent grief then led the men to a tree where they found two cubs who were barely clinging to life. Sadly, the remaining 2 were dead by the time we reached them" She wasn't that sad, but her voice hinted at having the emotion, even though it was a little thing and nothing more. 

"As of right now, the wolf and the 3 cubs are staying in a fenced area made just for them. It is made so that they would stay contained in it. They were given enough meat to live, but that would be on you once you are back on your feet. It is only right, as you were the one who brought them in" Her words felt like a judge's verdict. She was telling me to take full responsibility for them, and not to ask the villagers for help shamelessly. 

'I guess that's fair. I did bring them with me after... all...' 

I stopped thinking for a brief moment to stomach what I just heard. 

'Did she just say that the wild wolf knew how to use hand gestures to lead humans to a very specific location as if she knew the humans will understand it? Just how smart are they? I mean, I knew they should be smarter than your average canine, but this is pretty wild!' 

She giggled then said, "Yes, they are that smart. We are honestly shocked they did not take over our village when they have this much brain going for them" 

'Oh. Forgot to control my face for a minute there. Whatever. Just let it be' 

... 

'Did she just make a joke about them having enough brains to think that deeply? I've to give her that. It fits the situation enough to be pleasing to hear' 

Out of a very known place came some serious feral growling. It was rumbling. 

'If this was an anime, I'd be all blushy and shy because of this, with a woman looking over my injured self and taking care of me when this happened. But in reality, I just want to fill my stomach and get some more sleep' 

"I guess we need to bring you your food. If you did not wake up, we were planning to feed you soups to give you enough sustenance to survive through your unconsciousness. Now, if you will excuse me" The woman said as she was standing up, both relieving me and scaring me. 

'How were they planning to feed a sleeping person without choking them with the soup?' 

"By the way, my name is Shira. And this is my father's house, the chief's house" She said in an attempt to be cool while her back was turned to me as she walked through the door. 

'Honestly, her attempt is a bit of a cute one. If anything, a minor acting cool is generally a cute thing to witness' 

Well, that thought will come bite me in the ass later. 

Disregarding that, the young woman, Shira, left many blanks in there. She did not tell me in details how things are going. But that was also acceptable. It may have been calculated for all I know. 

"So, I was told you have woken up, Henryk. Congratulations on your survival, young man" Shane came in through the door a few minutes later. He came in with an energetic yet polite smile. 

'How did he reach here from his station in these short minutes? Unless, he was already patrolling around nearby or off shift?' 

"Shira told me. You can stay silent as not to hurt your throat. Now, I will fill you in on the details" Shane found a stool near the bed and sat on it then set his helmet on his lap. He then told me of what harrowing and dire situation I was in. It makes it feel many times worse when I already remembered things and his words confirmed things to me. 

"So, just how bad are my wounds?" I forced myself to choke this out. And let me tell you, I almost invited another coughing fit right then. 

"When you arrived, you had deep cuts everywhere around your body" I heard him sigh before continuing. "Helix had to stitch many of them shut and leave them to heal naturally, as potions do use some nutrients to heal your wound. They are not magical items; they are pharmaceutical items that boost your natural healing immensely" Shane was gazing at my bandages, by the look of his silhouette. 

(You can skip here if you are easily disturbed by sensitive subjects) 

"Say, *cough* who's gonna take care of me?" I asked him fearfully. If I couldn't move on my own, someone'd need to take care of my waste. I'm ashamed by the fact but willing to accept it. I'd rather be ashamed than be nearly dead due to an infection I could've prevented. 

"..." Shane averted his eyes, I assumed he did since he turned his head away, and stood up awkwardly. He started heading out of the door. 

"Shane? What's the *cough* meaning of th- *cough* of this?" I asked him again, with more apparent fear this time. 

Shane left me to my dismay and closed the door. A few moments of silent dread later, Shane came back with heavy news to me. 

"Shira will" Biting his lips, he kept it short and left after that. I was dead inside for the rest of the day. 

'I regret... everything' 

Later I knew that I was allowed to move the least amount necessary and took care of my own personal problems. Namely, the result of my bowel movement. I really might've taken my own life if another person had to attend to me like a newborn. 

It still stung, though, to have another person deal with the aftermath. No matter how 'behind cover' I did it, someone would have to carry the shit out for me, since I wasn't allowed to move past the door, or preferably at all. I really debated ghosting everyone after I leave this room for good. 

'Maybe the life of a loner might be a better option when compared to this shame?' I thought about the shame of having Shira change my bandages all by herself. While I was thankful it was only one person, it was still a woman who did it. It would've been a shame regardless of my caretaker's gender, but a woman made it worse. 

'If our roles were reversed, she may comment on how she couldn't become a bride because of this. Damned anime. It twisted my thought process' 

(End of Chapter)

'1:

That family name, Ostrowski, came from my British English teacher. I just couldn't not put that name there.

'2:

So, counting them, there was Hector, Henryk's grandfather, Henryk's aunt, who he was not introduced to for family-related reasons I will bring up later, and another who should not be named. I mean, they are not appearing in the story, are they?

(Line Break)

Now, to asking about your opinion of the chapter.

What do you think of Shira's behavior? Is it okay? Or is it not? And, why?

What do you think about what happened to Henryk? Do you think it was a balanced payoff for the strain he put himself under? (Fey will make a full recovery as she is simply too pure of heart to suffer a permanent injury under my watch)

What do you think about the period he would take to really recover from this?

Should there be lasting effects of the injuries that befell him?

What do you think about the new wolves? How many of them do you think will end up tamed? Would they be another, newer introduction of domestic dogs?

The time skip starts here. I am sure you know why. No one wants to closely observe the bedridden life of an injured protagonist. Like I said, I like to make my time skips more of a short documentary of what happened to some of the characters involved in my story. So expect around a few months' worth time skip to occur.

After that skip, Henryk will have another type of challenge to go through. Wait for it.

Until then, ladies and gentlemen.