A full month later.

Forty of this world's twenty-seven hour days.

It was easy enough to keep the patrols from finding their hideout. The dungeon had simply back-filled all of the entrances. But not the hidden air vents, of course. Wouldn't want everyone to suffercate.

In the last few weeks, the dungeon had improved the accomodations in the hideout he built for the freed beastkins. Starting from 'underfunded storm shelter' level of quality, passing barracks and eventually reaching dormitories. Setting up a living, functioning, but hopefully temporary, miniature town underneath the surface one.

Each semi-random assortment of six individuals get a shared living space/kitchen, a private bath and also a washroom. With three bedrooms to pair up within. Compared to what conditions they were kept under before, this was heaven.

The human slaves/captives are left in one of the barracks for now. Even so, that's much better than what they had allowed for their beast slaves.

The one exception to this segregation was the human child Koko being allowed to stay with her mother Kestral. This pair stayed with their aunt/sister Dara and two of her hired guards, the remnants of Rex's Wreckers. Pan the tigress and the wolf girl, Vela. Dara being the only one out of the whole complex who had a private bedroom, all to her lonesome.

At first, the six beastkin guys all shared one dorm. But they started shuffling around almost that same day, to pair up with an interested lady.

Or two.

Or even three, in Rolaf's case. The lucky wolf. First with Tivor, who was interested in becoming a warrior wolf like him. Then with one of the maids from the manor raid. A leopard who pledged to serve her rescuers. Third was with the rabbit Gogoya. Her natural Attributes and skills (from before being taken as a slave) made her an excellent student of his dual swordsman Class. And two of the other wolves are eyeing (and scenting) him in the halls. So he may need a full dorm all to 'himself' pretty soon.

The only rule I have for such situations is {'no infighting.' If someone is exceptional enough to have multiple lovers, they can have as many as they want. As long as everyone gets along fine together.} This works out well enough for this world's inhabitants, as there was never any strong movement in favor of monogamy. In fact, the guildmaster slave Willarm had married his (current) third wife before either of the first two died. One in childbirth, the other from a plague.

Among all the humans, the only one to actually enjoy the new situation was still little Koko. It turned out she was bullied and humiliated in the guildmaster's manor. Being a bastard child, being of mixed breeding - human and fox beastkin, and the child of a lowly slave. The best life she could have hoped for in that situation was to be trained as a maid, and allowed to serve a different master/mistress in another household. She was already being trained for this at her current age of three (time difference; that's four in earth years).

In fact, in the current situation, she only had one complaint:

"Mommy, why am I not pwetty wike you?" (brush, brush, brushing her mommy's fox tail)

"What do you mean, darling?" (brushing her daughter's hair)

"I wanna has a fuffy tae-al an poofy eaws wike you do." (hugging her mommy's fuffy tail)

[Actually, that's something I can help her with. I'd better let mom discuss it with them. Later.]

In comparison to her, the other three little kids took to being captured by 'beasts' like a housecat takes to swimming. The youngest one was aware enough to recognize the change in situation. But too young to understand the cultural biases that led to it. His older siblings though. When they were informed they weren't really their 'daddy's' kids? Moreover that they were mix-heritage just like 'the beast's bastard daughter' they had so long enjoyed tormenting?

They absolutely refused to even consider it a possibility. After all, the only evidence that anyone had was a beastkin's sense of smell.

Even when their mother admitted to it. That they are each the result of a tryst with a different beastkin slave. The brat duo tripled down on their refusal.

It's kinda like what they say on the interwebs: 'pics or it didn't happen!'

It's not like there was a way to do a paternity test in this instance. It wouldn't be difficult at all for the dungeon to purchase a test kit for them. Nor would it be hard to inform them how to use it. The real stopper to this idea was [Where do I send it in for processing?]

Another random tidbit is that this same woman is long since showing as pregnant. So she's over a month further along than the Hero's mother. No idea yet who the father is though. But with her track record, it'll either be another mix-heritage, or another funeral. Either their family is monumentally unlucky, or there is some kind of genetic incompatability between them.

Of the forty-nine beastkins that had been rescued from the brothel and manor, forty-three of them asked for combat training. In addition to their savior, Dara. For a wide variety of reasons, each their own.

Some wanted to go back to their previous life.

Many wanted to start a new, better one.

Some wanted to protect the innocent.

Many more wanted to punish the guilty. (slavers, slaveowners)

Some wanted to burn it all down.

But whatever reasons they had, they all knew they needed to be able to fight in order to protect themselves and their loved ones.

The first two categories would be allowed to go their separate ways. Once the path to safety was cleared out of course. The last group would have to be carefully screened out of the Hero's entourage. Those remaining would be asked to volunteer to join 'The Freedom Army.'

But that's a future problem.

For now, these forty-four ex slaves wanted some good combat training to improve their chances in the near future. Also to pass the time.

All of their weapons were 'liberated' from the humans above. Who they may end up fighting. Disarming one's opponents in order to equip your allies was killing two birds with one stone. Among the pilfered weapons was a new, better bow for Dara. A much stiffer one with a heavier draw, nearly 60kg. To make use of her significantly boosted strength and stamina.

Of course they all wanted either sword-training, archery or magic. The problem here was that each of these choices required a lifetime commitment to be any good at it. So the trainers; Rolaf, Vela and 'the stoned slave' respectively, only allowed those who already started training before to continue on these paths. Like Dara who had learned archery from her mother, and also magic from her father.

The rest were trained and equipped instead with much simpler weapons. Hammer, mace, dagger or crossbow for the most part. The one bear-limbed beastkin unarmed, plus with axes.

Most of these students spent some of their day with Pan. Especially because she made the best training dummy partner they could have asked for.

Using 'live' dummies was exceptional for their progress. They weren't just swinging their 'sticks' for the practice of swinging. They could see what works, what doesn't, and the why to both. Along with some expert advice. To fix their bad habits before they could even form.

They also wanted to use the ex-guildmaster as a training dummy because of his incredibly high Con and Tuf stats. He was about as durable as the movie version of a comic book superhero. He could have been ordered by his new master, Dara's sister Kestral, to not harm his training partners. So if he ever broke an arm, or worse, even by accident, he would suffer mana burnout in return.

However they couldn't use him for that purpose. He is a retired S-rank adventurer after all. His willpower is much more than that of most others. An ordinary person could easily enough be conditioned to be obedient. But this guy, is a different proposition entirely. The best they could trust him was simply to just stay put, out of the way.

While the former slaves, future freedom army were making excellent progress on their Skills. They weren't yet making significant progress on their teamwork. The first proper step would have been months, plural, of group drills. A simplified version of army training from Earth. But they don't have time for that. Instead, they settled on group combat drills. 5v5 open sparring sessions and 10v5 position overrun spars. If they at least learn to work together in small mobile teams, they could build upon that later.

Of the beastkins who didn't want training, one is too old for it to matter to her. Another girl was simply too kind. Both of them chose to spend their time cooking or cleaning for the others.

But four of the former whores..

They simply don't do anything if they aren't directly ordered to do so.

Not even eat.

With the sole exception of using a chamber pot.

It seems this, and only this, was so ingrained into their behavior, that it still remains.

Even after their very minds had simply. Shut. Down.

These poor women don't respond to any stimuli. Not hunger, thirst, tiredness, pain, boredom, laughter, a passerby poking them in the cheek . .

They spend all day, every day laying on their beds staring at the ceiling. Or sitting on their beds staring at a blank wall.

And none of us know how to even try to help them 'snap out of it.'

One of the guys suggested to just let him have them. "They won't even mind continuing on as whores. They won't care or even know, so what's the difference?" That idiot is now ostracized by everyone here. Even his girlfriend/mate left him.

But that's enough of the home life.

The beastkins weren't the only ones making progress in their Skills. The dungeon core had also trained up his Inventory a bunch to level 17 now. The capacity increased to 50 kg at 10, continuing from 1 in a linear fashion. But from then on it began increasing exponentially. Doubling every 5 skill levels. It now sits at 130 kg max. to hold and/or move.

And he finally got to level 2 in his Unique Skill, Modification. Allowing four daily uses, four types of Mod per target, and six total within each stack. So he started raising his and his mother's stats once more, continuing where he left off. Unfortunately with only the two to reach by touch. So two of the daily uses will now go unused. Or they would if he didn't finally try to summon a monster to his core's side.

The first dozen or so attempts didn't go so well. They were pulled from just outside the town. To then frenziedly attack the walls. This could have been useful if that's what he wanted. Maybe try again later?

But then he got lucky. One monster was 'convinced' to wander into his core's cave.

Better yet, it was pregnant..

Very pregnant.

¤¤¤¤¤

The manic panic plagueing the town of Caluzar has long subsided. Replaced by a simmering undercurrent of fear. There was still no sign of what actually happened to the missing people, or their slaves. Even after Count Jigao Quroth personally led a search through both locations, top to bottom.

So far, the only clue was a signet ring from Xerwan Boyu. But to those who knew more than the common rumors, it was obviously a false trail. No one truly knows what that secretive organization is truly about. But they do have commonly used tactics. This is so far out from their methods, it's not even funny. Until it is again.

When those bastards get their hands on whoever framed them?

Whoahohohoho!

The missing S-class ex adventurer, Guildmaster Willarm had been temporarily replaced by his already overworked secretary, Bill. But a permanent* replacement (until he returns) was on her way.

One of her first tasks will be to lead the investigation into the possibility of a monster wave. One day last week there was much more random monster attacks than the usual. Instead of just 3 to 5 attacking monsters in a day, there was over 20. They had to disperse to several places, to keep individual monsters from breaking through to attack civilians. Leaving them spread thin. It was bad enough that three of the guards on the wall got injured. Granted a true monster wave is much larger, and all at once instead of seemingly random. But it may indicate some other, yet unknown problem.

Another task is to coordinate the search for the culprits in a wave of mysterious thefts. A lot of food goes missing each day without any explanation, or witnesses. Reminiscent of the missing people. Mostly from closed pantries or food cellars. But too often a prepared meal simply vanishes, if left alone.

It isn't only food going missing. The list includes clothes, small furnishings and unsurprisingly, weapons and magic gear. Most surprising though is that hardly any more money than usual is stolen.

When the town's Lord, Count Quroth read the full report, listing out what was known to have been taken, he became extremely worried. It seems to indicate a second, much more competent thieves' guild. Which is stocking up to prepare for an actual war. Their most likely target, being the town itself. Using their own logistics against them.

Of course he sent the nearby Governor a request for a full company of about 200 soldiers, led by a Major. To reinforce and help patrol the town.

Oh, how close his fears came to the actual reality bearing down upon him and his.

There was no new thieves' guild, but the war he guessed at. Is. Coming.