Dungeon Chapter 23 (Patreon)

I straightened my tie, feeling nerves jitter in my stomach.

It was either that I was meeting Des’s parents and it was all going too fast, or it was the fact that her mother and father would likely torture me within an inch of my life only to heal me and do it again if I fucked up with Des.

Not that I wanted to mess up things with Des. She had my back in the dungeon, and after the ritual the other night, I couldn’t seem to get her out of my head.

Walking down to the first floor of the visitor’s center, Crimson was talking with Desmonda. But she blocked the warlock when she turned around.

“Oh, look, there he is.” Crimson appraised me and nodded. “He even cleans up nicely.”

Crimson was out of her dragonhide leathers for the first time. Instead, she wore a simple, but immaculately well cut red dress. It hugged her every inch, with a plunging neckline and a slit up the side that showed off her thighs.

I swallowed. “Are you coming with?”

“No. Unfortunately, Headmistress Marlow and some of the UG big wigs are having a ‘get to know each other’ party before the elves get here.” Crimson rolled her eyes, exhausted with the idea. “But maybe I can slip away and join you. Sneaking into your date would be fun.”

“It isn’t a date.” Desmonda clarified. The warlock stepped around Crimson to see me and smiled at what she saw.

I couldn’t help but mirror her. The woman in front of me was sinful elegance. She wore a purple dress that made my mind slip straight into the gutter and long lacy black gloves that somehow made it seem fancy, even if it made my mouth water.

“With the way he’s looking at you, could have fooled me.” Crimson snickered. “On second thought, I should let you have this night.”

“I appreciate it.” Desmonda said respectfully. “If there is a problem with my father, I’ll get in touch.”

Crimson nodded, the two of them becoming serious for a moment.

“Well, if you are ready, then we should get going. I’d hate to be late.” I walked past Desmonda with my arm out.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get us there in just a second.” Crimson grabbed both of our shoulders as we walked out and the next thing I knew, we were flying through the air with a single leap.

Everything was a blur until we landed amid the city, in an upscale area with people dressed up coming and going.

Our arrival caused a minor commotion, but Crimson fixed her dress and was gone.

Des pulled at the bottom of her dress. “That was… something.”

“Have you traveled like that with your father before?” I knew her father was close to Crimson’s level.

She shook her head. “When he travels long distances, it is as a purple mist. It is fast, but not so… jarring.”

I held my arm out to her once she finished and when she slid her arm through; I had to hold back a shiver as her touch did something to me.

A faint tension rose in my pants, and I silently cursed my secondary class.

“So, anything else you can tell me to prepare me for your parents?” I asked, seeing the restaurant up ahead, but there was no one outside on the patio seating. It wasn’t that cold out, must be short staffed.

“My father can be a bit excessive, so don’t worry about the price of things. He’ll probably pick the most expensive bottle off the list just to sort of impress me and you, if that makes any sense?” She frowned, trying to describe it. “As for my mother, just don’t hit on her, please.”

“No way.” I responded quickly to the last part. “The only Renard I’m interested in is right here with me.” I squeezed her arm. “Given how deep your father dives in the dungeon, I assume your family is fairly well off.”

“Filthy rich.” She didn’t sugarcoat it. “So, just be ready for something excessive.”

As I could see in the windows, I saw no one and frowned. “Are you sure the place is open?” I asked as we got up to the front door and a hostess opened it for us. “The Renard party?”

Desmonda sighed. “He rented out the whole restaurant.”

“That’s us.” I said, and the hostess turned to lead us back inside.

The entire place was empty, but that only highlighted the sort of old Italian winery vibe. Wine barrels stacked up to form pseudo walls to hide the more premium seats and give them privacy.

So when we walked around one that made a corner, I wasn’t surprised to see Mr. Renard sitting there with his wife as she tipped a wine glass back for him to drink. It was a corner booth and Mr. Renard was enjoying himself. Though it seemed that his other wives weren’t going to be part of the meal.

As soon as Desmonda showed up with me, he waved the glass away and the woman put it down and slid out of the booth to allow him to get up.

All of it without a word. She just knew what he wanted.

“Daughter.” Mr. Renard took her off my arm and hugged her. “You did well today, given that you lost to Crimson’s protégé and that you two seem to work together, I won’t hold it against you.”

“Thank you, father.” She bowed slightly. “Ken is quite skilled. His grandfather was Uzmaki Nagato, an assassin that first cleared the thirtieth dungeon.”

“Oh.” Her father reassessed me. “You fight like an assassin, I can see it. Uzmaki…” He trailed off at the name. “I think my father mentioned that name on several occasions. Things were far harder back then. Every generation has a new leg up to push deeper into the dungeon. I expect my daughter to push even further than I will.”

I wasn’t sure what her grandfather might have said about mine, but grandpa earned me at least a little respect.

“Come on.” Desmonda pulled me onto one side of the plush leather seat that wrapped three quarters around the large round table.

Her mother was sitting next to her and looked at me around Des with a glare that warned me once again of the horrors she would inflict if I hurt her daughter.

Just Des’s body brushing against me was lighting a fire in me. This demon class was really driving me a little crazy.

“Everything okay?” Desmonda’s mother raised an eyebrow.

“You know, I keep thinking of you all as her mother or father. I’m Ken Nagato.” I introduced myself.

“Arthur Renard.” The man chuckled. “This is my lovely wife, Bella.”

The spitting image of Des smiled at her introduction. Though I wondered why the others weren’t present.

“All of my brothers are full brothers.” Des whispered in my ear.

Her mother smiled deviously at me, and I had a new level of respect for how her family operated.

Arthur was clearly in charge, but it seemed that Bella ran a tight ship behind closed doors.

A server came by with a pad. “Anything I can get for you all?” They smiled that sort of polite smile when you knew the other person was your paycheck for the day.

“We’ll have one of all the appetizers and…” He flipped open the wine menu. “Number 132 and 164, you know what? Throw in a 587.”

If the server’s brows were any indication, those were very expensive wines.

“So, how did you impress Crimson?” Arthur asked me as soon as the server left.

I shrugged. “Not really that exciting of an answer. She saw my aberrant class but then she used that skill that makes her eyes glow and then suddenly I was her protégé. She didn’t really give me much of a choice.”

“I know the skill.” Desmonda shivered.

Her parents frowned at each other. “Interesting. And she really has no idea what your class is?” Bella asked.

“Nope. But when the elves get here, hopefully they can help.” I hoped to give them some hope for my future.

Arthur nodded. “Yes. Then help me understand, daughter, why have you used our family’s ritual on him?”

The question came out from left field and I froze like a deer in headlights.

Des wrapped her hand in mine under the table. “We are dating.”

“That isn’t enough for using our family knowledge on him.” Her father was calm, but I felt like he was a flip of a switch away from not being quite so calm and my head being not so attached.

“Now, Arthur, you said you fell in love with me at first glance. Maybe they are the same.” Bella calmed him down. She seemed to have a way with him.

Des’s father just oozed lethal danger, yet her mother who almost seemed like a shelter in the storm. I knew it was a trap. She had been not so subtle about making my life a living hell if I hurt Desmonda, and I believed her.

Bella leaned on Des. “My daughter is in love and maybe she overstepped, but as long as they stay together, then there should be no problem, right?”

Arthur narrowed his eyes at me. “I don’t even know if you are worth my daughter’s time.”

“My demon secondary class is from a level forty five floor boss.” I said, trying to impress him.

His brows rose high at that. “Impossible. Mine is from a demon from the thirty-second floor.”

I opened my character page on my CID and put it and my other hand under the table as I drew the heart shape to unhide my secondary class and brought it up for him to see.

He drew in a breath. “At level two, it is giving you that much stamina?”

Bella grabbed my arm and tilted it for her to see. “Oh, so it is an incubus type, too? So curious, you have to tell us how you defeated it.” She gave a throaty chuckle.

I had already told her once that I wouldn’t, but it seemed I would have to at least give her a little more. “I challenged it to a contest of stealth. That’s all I’m saying.”

Arthur laughed. “Brilliant. Demon Lords aren’t exactly known for their stealth. Where did the blood come from?” His face drew down into a frown.

“Crimson.” Des said. “She knew about our family ritual pointing out mother’s secondary class and that of Brutus’s wife.”

Arthur rubbed his chin in thought. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed and decided. “That’s fine. Besides, it ties you to Crimson’s protégé. Tell me, Ken, what are your intentions with my daughter?”

“Uh…” I was caught off guard again. “To date her and to strive to keep this relationship healthy as long as we are diving the dungeon.”

Bella put a hand on his arm. “Let the young lovers be young lovers. We’ll take care of it if something happens. Maybe we could steal him out from under Crimson in time.”

I wasn’t sure if she was on my side or not, but she was helping me at present.

Somehow, bringing Crimson into it made Arthur smile.

“Fine, then, as part of our family, I’ll hold you to the same standards. There will be no failure from you, ever.” His tone was filled with warning.

“Understood, sir. I have no intention of failing.” It wasn’t like grandpa and Crimson weren’t already pushing me a ton.

The server came out with three open bottles of wine, letting Arthur taste each and then filled glasses for each of us.

Shortly after, each of the appetizers came out, and we picked from them.

“I do like the meatballs.” Bella said.

Like that, Arthur was snapping his fingers and ordering another two plates of them, while the rest were only barely touched.

“Sorry about this.” Desmonda whispered to me. “He’s always like this.”

I chuckled, but the movement made my bladder strain and I winced. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

Getting up from the booth, I stepped away, casting about for the bathrooms.

Sign spotted, I was off.

Only for someone to slip in behind me and push me up against the wall.

Bella’s eyes nearly glowed red as she pinned me and the bathroom door close. “My my, aren’t you cute?” She trailed a nail down my jaw and everything in me tensed.

I swallowed, but kept my spine straight, staring back at her. “What are you doing?”

She pouted. “You don’t want a moment alone with me?”

I wasn’t in the mood for her to tease me. “That’s not what’s happening and we both know it.” I pushed against her arm and she let me go.

Straightening my jacket, I knew I looked like a grump, but I was also tired of her threats.

“Look, you are in here to threaten me a few more times, maybe give me a taste of what’ll happen if—or when, not quite sure which one you’d go with—I break your daughter’s heart.” I rolled my eyes and continued. “Can we just pretend that part is done and we can get onto what you really want?”

A nail found the soft skin under my chin and kept my face level with hers. “You are smart, but not that smart. Your seal is problematic. You really need to have my daughter look at it. If not, I can help you.”

Desmonda and her father were the warlocks. If I had to guess, Bella was some sort of caster, but not a warlock.

“Wait, really?”

“Yes. However, you beat that level forty five floor boss, you didn’t do it with your strength and it struggled as the seal was placed. Didn’t it?” She paused.

I nodded. “Yeah. How do you know?”

“Because you and I are similar, we are both the partner to a Renard.” Her red lips parted into a smile. There was a strange camaraderie in that smile. An understanding.

I realized though she was Desmonda’s mother, she also understood more about Arthur than anyone else. That the rest of the women surrounding her man had faded to the background made me realize who really ruled the Renard family.

“Any tips?” I asked, knowing the best way to make a friend was to ask for an easy favor.

“Treat her right and you’ll be fine. Arthur is a lot of bluster, but at the end of the day, if Crimson really dotes on you, then you are safe.” She paused as an afterthought. “From him.”

There was the threat.

“Look, I have no intention of breaking Desmonda’s heart. Crimson and her helped me get this secondary class because my aberrant class wouldn’t work to level my stats.” I explained.

Bella nodded. “Crimson, I assume, was the one to get the blood?”

“Yeah, and most of the ingredients, I think.”

She nodded slowly. “That’s not a small effort to get. Either she went down herself, or she bought it. Either way, she really does see something in you. More importantly, she’s willing to go to that sort of effort. So, I have high hopes as well. I know you’ll take care of my daughter. Should I send her in to inspect the seal now?” Bella’s lips quirked up in one of amusement.

She had come in here to get more information, that much was clear. I don’t really think the threats were her purpose as much as to understand how much Crimson was invested in me.

“No. That’s okay. I’ll just be a minute and be back out there.” I grabbed Bella’s arm and pushed her out of the bathroom.

Just in case she came back in, I’d use the stall.

***

“Mother.” Desmonda scolded the woman as she crawled out of the booth.

“What? Just using the restroom, too.” But the glint in her eye told Des another story.

Rather than leave Ken defenseless, she glared at her mother. “If you make him complain to me, I won’t talk to you anymore.”

Bella’s mouth dropped open. “You’d ignore me over him?”

“Yes.” It was what Des could do. Her mother was devious, and she didn’t want her bothering Ken more than she had to.

“Fine.” Her mother slipped away in a sway of purple silk.

“You really like him?” Her father asked with a frown. “This isn’t some ruse to bring yourself closer to Crimson?”

“Father, you don’t understand. I’ve watched how Crimson treats him. She isn’t just tutoring him, she’s preparing him to go down into the dungeon with her some day.” Des said, crossing her arms and watching her father paus mid-sip from his glass.

She quietly enjoyed how much Ken and Charlotte cared about her. Even Harley was kind when things came down to it.

Her father had frozen at her words, as if stuck processing what she’d said.

Only after a moment did he become animate again. “Truly?”

“Her focus is on him entirely. In class, she performs her duties as a teacher, but often she’s just confirming that Ken is ready. She approached me about the ritual, and she’s trying to set him up with the elven envoy’s daughter when they come.” Des knew that Crimson was going above and beyond what anyone expected her to do for Ken.

“Then you’ve bound him close to you with this ritual. Good planning.”

“Father, I like him.” She realized after a moment that it wouldn’t be enough for her father. “He’s very dependable in the dungeon, and as you saw, he could surmount the odds and tackle a powerful demon for his ritual.”

“Good, good.” Her father stabbed at more of the food. “I expect you to exceed me and your mother, that and his blood will produce strong heirs for the Renard family.”

Des knew that her father was obsessed with their family legacy. “Yes, it really was a level forty five boss, that plus he’s likely to become strong in his own right will do well for the Renard family.”

“I have hopes for you.” He worked at his meal. “You are my last chance. Your eldest brother is a man-whore and my second son seems too focused on just surviving. To really descend the dungeon, you need to take risks.”

It was a time for a change of subject. She didn’t want to talk about her brothers. “I understand, father. Now that list?” She raised a brow, knowing that he most likely had it in his pocket.

He grinned and pulled it out, setting it on the table. “I’m sure there’s something you must be interested in here.”

Des picked it up and knew immediately that she was going to make her father a little angry with her choices. “This one, this one and this one. Then you’ll throw in another from your own stores.” Her decision was swift.

“But that’s not a warlock skillbook.” Her father frowned. “It doesn’t do an adventurer any good to spoil them.”

Des sighed. “My party is part of my strength. Haven’t you worked to make the rest of your party stronger?”

“They are committed.” He argued.

“So am I.” Des stared back. The two Renards stuck in a stubborn stare.

“Oh, cut it out, you two.” Her mother came back far too quickly. At least that meant Ken wasn’t likely to be in too much trouble. “Now what was it about spoiling my daughter?” She bat her eyelashes and Des knew she could get that fourth skillbook.