Dungeon Menagerie 10 (Patreon)

Commissioned by InfiniteChaosRei

Dungeon Menagerie

Chapter 10

-VB-

A high-pitched shriek not unlike the sound of ripping metal sheet erupted out from the back of an old house near Orario’s walls and close to Maria’s Orphanage. 

Vanessa felt a shiver run up her spine as she stared at the giant bug looking at her expectantly after it had been summoned. 

It was not like Mori at all. Mori was smart, intelligent,, and sentient. The “Chaurus” in front of her was … arguably smart but neither intelligent or sentient. It was not pretty, kind, or gentle. 

It was, however, loyal, powerful, oddly affectionate for an insect, and capable of understanding basic orders. 

Oh, and it stood taller than her with only a third of its long body held up by its many legs. Oh, and it looked scary with antlion-like head and pincers that looked ready to lop her head off of her neck.

But instead of screeching and charging at her, it stood exactly where she told it to stand… but it bounced on its many legs like how a dog might excitedly bounce on its legs. 

Mori cawed.

The chaurus stilled, but it vibrated instead. 

She sighed. 

She supposed that a happy, enthusiastic giant centipede was better than an angry and hostile one.

Still… It wasn’t exactly an animal that was easy on the eyes. Unless someone out there liked giant insects. 

Somewhere out there in the multiverse, Nausica of the Valley of the Wind sneezed.

Mori cawed again and then nudged her with its beak, pushing her toward the chaurus. “Mori? What are you doing?” she asked warily. 

Mori used his left wing-arm to point at her spear and then at the chaurus. 

“You want me to kill him?!” she asked in horror. She didn’t know he was like that!

Mori cawed at her angrily. Oh, okay, maybe that wasn’t what he was telling her. 

He pushed her again. “What do you want, you feather brain?!” she hissed when he pushed her again. 

He cawed indignantly at her. He gestured to her, then to his back, and finally at the chaurus…

She squinted.

“You want me to ride him?” she asked and then looked at the chaurus. “Have you seen its spine?” she hissed. 

He glared at her with his covered eyes before rolling his head with his beaks slightly open in an unbelievable display of sass. He cawed, this time at the chaurus, which stood at attention. Mori walked over, got on the chaurus, and didn’t sit down. He turned and stared at her. 

“Caw!”

“I’m not stupid!” she hissed. “That’s not how you ride animals! I’ll just have to … get a saddle or something,” she grumbled. “Why do you even want me to …?”

He pointed at her spear again.

“... Wait, you want me to be a spear-wielding horseman? Horsewoman?”

Mori nodded with the energy of a teenager screaming “Finally!” 

Vanessa thought about it, even if she was a little miffed by Mori’s ever increasing brattish behavior. 

Wise judge of the forest, her ass! He spent more time crowing at her and playing with their goddess when they weren’t in the dungeon. 

She looked over the chaurus again, and th way it was wiggling.

… It was cute. Sort of. In a way only bug lovers liked. 

In a different part of the universe, Guzma of Team Skull sneezed.

But the idea of becoming something unique like a … bug rider? 

… Nah, bug rider sounded stupid. 

Well, she didn’t even know how to be a horsewoman, so she needed to learn that, too, right?

… From her goddess? Because who else knew how to be cavalry?

-VB-

“I hate this.”

“Huh? Did I hear something from you?” 

“No, ma’am!” Vanessa grunted out through her teeth. Sweat dripped down from her nose and splashed on the dirt ground below. 

“Then down!” 

She whimpered as she lowered herself with only her thighs. Her knees buckled as she kept a very slow speed as she lowered herself. Athena stood in front of her, looking over every inch of her for any mistake to correct. 

“You are a woman!” Athena started lecturing again. “It is not wrong for a woman to fight, especially a woman blessed by a goddess like myself!” 

Vanessa really didn’t want a lecture while she squatted. 

“But a woman is weaker than a man. This is a fact! Ignore this at your own peril!” 

She panted as she finally reached felt her thighs touching her calves and then, after just a second of pause, pushed back up. The head-sized rock she was holding onto her chest ground against her as she moved. 

“As such, a woman in combat must either stay away from the frontlines, use weapons that gives them a longer reach, or train harder and longer to match the least of the man’s warriors!” 

“I don’t want to be a muscle woman!” 

“You will not! You are currently holding onto that rock in a way that promotes your butt muscle development! It makes you look sexier!” 

“Wait, what?!”

“And helps you maintain your balance on a saddle!” 

Vanessa wanted to cuss out her goddess.

She groaned out as she finally reached the peak of her squat and whimpered again as she started moving down.

It was a good thing that this palace was so far away from the rest of the city and generally isolated, or she would be embarrassed by how little she wore. 

She wasn’t an Amazon, okay?! She felt embarrassed about exposing so much of her skin! 

“Stop moaning and groaning like an alley whore who’s getting paid minimum wage by her pimp! Pump those legs!” 

“I hate you!” 

“If you have the energy to hate, then you have the energy to squat more!”