Tamer and the Tamed

The party was quite merry rather than wild and a drunk Loki kept bragging about Nox's achievements like a proud parent but still somehow keeping her mouth tightly sealed when it came to the important stuff.

Still being praised so flagrantly in from of so many people left even Nox a bit embarrassed, just a little bit.

Syr was the one most interested though and kept asking Loki for more. Nox noticed it and hoped Freya did not get any weirds ideas. He knew the goddess already had something for him but he honestly did not need her kind of "help" to get stronger.

That aside, Nox got to drink surrounded by several kinds of beauties ready to refill the hero's mug so, suffice to say, to say he was pretty happy would be an understatement.

Nox's body didn't really let him get drunk or hungover so he was absolutely fine the whole night, drinking everyone under the table to the cheers of the waitresses, well, Chloe and Lunoire since Ryuu and Syr did not approve.

Even then, the next morning he was in perfect condition and ready to get back at it. He still needed to talk to Loki about the Panacea business but she was pretty trashed from the previous night of celebration so Nox let her be and decided to spend the day spoiling his tamed companions.

Nox honestly felt bad about leaving them alone for so much time but they simply could not keep up with him so they just followed the girls from time to time when they went on riskier dives in the Dungeon where backup was greatly appreciated. Otherwise, they just hunted by themselves, carefully avoiding adventurers.

Recently, Luna had become a great swimmer in an effort to spend more time with Marie but Ash hated the water which, considering she was a fire type monster, was not a big surprise.

Despite the outright neglect Nox had shown them some times, the Mutant Al Miraj and Hellhound, as well as the Mermaid all still loved him, rubbing themselves onto him as soon as they met, even the sexy Marie.

'I was honestly thinking of putting in work for my level up in the lower floors but, since the Colosseum is really the best place for that, I'll just accompany my little friends who are not so little anymore until the dungeon recovers.' Nox decided.

Despite his neglect in terms of time spent together, Nox had not skimped on their "food" at all. Countless magic stones from lower floors for them to consume at will meant that the three were already extremely powerful enhanced species with loads of special abilities.

Marie's fish scales became tough like armor and gained a pure jade appearance. Her skin, despite looking much the same had also become much tougher despite her entire body remaining quite soft to the touch, at least to Nox's touch.

Her charm had also grown incredibly powerful and she even had a Voltimeria pet which Nox did not yet know about since she was scared he would be displeased. However, once Nox praised her to the moon for her achievement, Marier proudly showed off her new pet.

She had also gained the abilities to provide area buffs through her singing and even healing magic was possible for the current her.

Finally, Marie had also upped her proficiency in water magic and could now cast some simple spells Nx created for her but, unlike him, she needed chants for them to work so Nox had to create some basic chants for her.

Moving on to Ash, not only had she gotten even bigger, big enough for Nox to feel small riding her if she took on her biggest size, he magical abilities also greatly improved.

Greyish black fur that pulsed with a red glow, forming markings across her entire body that shined like lava when she used her innate magical abilities, red hot claws like flaming daggers and an ominous burning Ash cloak that obscured her features made her look like a nightmarish field of hellfire.

As for her magical abilities, they were:

Ash Breath: Exhaled burning ash that covered a wide cone shaped area in front of her.

Ash Bolt Barrage: Rapid fire burning ash orbs.

Ash Missile Storm: Barrages of tracking explosive ash orbs.

Ash Cloak: A cloak of burning ash that incinerates those who approach and can be extended over a large area.

Ash Shell: A tough defensive shell of ash that can also be fired as an immobilizing substance at enemies.

Yellow Springs Hell: Ash's ultimate move that summons highly corrosive superheated yellow ash to cover an incredibly large area, incinerating everything whin continuously while massively boosting her abilities within that area.

Finally, there was Luna. Her physical changes were the most obvious, she was now a fully humanoid rabbit. Still a full rabbit with the features of one but standing on two powerful legs and having actual arms rather than just front paws as well as a height similar to Aisha's.

Her raw physical power was the greatest among Nox's tamed monsters and she had learned to use her own version of Nox's basic Invictus with an extra move called Airwalk that allowed her to make steps on the air itself.

The last ability she gained was one that drove Ash to jealousy and left Marie very happy, it was the ability to speak. Luna had a very high toned cutesy voice, that suited her cute white furred appearance.

Marie didn't like conflict much so she let her new pet do the fighting for her when needed and just provided assistance with her support abilities.

Ash was the main firepower using her destructive spells to soften up the enemy so the Luna, the physical attacker could quickly close in a finish them off.

Even without Nox's constant supervision, they grew stronger at an increasingly fast pace due to the high quality magic stones they received from their tamer.

Although Nox's own abilities still surpassed theirs by a fair bit, as his Level increased, his speed of growth dropped which would allow them to catch up in the future.

Even if that never comes to pass, they could become companions or protectors for his team so that they could attack lower floors even without extra team members.

Recently, the Ganesha Familia had been pushing for Nox to participate in their Monsterphilia, battling captured monsters with his own tamed ones but he was hesitant to reveal the power of his partners, which was one of the reason he didn't really bring them around to the surface anymore.

They could disguise themselves and appear quite harmless but those with enough skill and experience can sense their inherent power anyways so he prefered to let them hide in the Dungeon.

Still, it was a good chance to raise his fame, build relations with the Ganesha Familia and perhaps, even the Guild and Ouranos who was behind the events as a why to normalize the existence of monsters for the common people, his purpose for doing so though, as anyone's guess.

Whatever, the case, Marie would stay in the Dungeon since she belonged in the water but, if Ash and Luna became famous, they would no longer face as much danger from Adventurers, at least honest ones, they might be able to walk around tow without trouble and that was something to consider as well.

The next Monsterphilia was still some time away however, so Nox had time to think about it later. The urgent thing right now was the matter of the Panacea.

It was certainly something that could net him unheard of profits, not in terms of money but in terms of influence, the kind that money could not buy.

Special requests from powerful Familias, connections to the various kingdoms of the world for the supply of special materials and other kinds of favours, there was a lot to gain indeed.

After spending a full day with his tamed companions, Nox did as he previously decided and brought the matter of the Panacea up to Loki.

Needless to say, the red haired goddess was not expecting such a shock oh so very soon after the previous one but she once again learned not to underestimate Nox when it came to making waves, or tsunamis in this case and others if they actually became public knowledge.

"Ya've really outdone yerself this time Noxy! This is not just good fer ya! Brokering the deals will mean a whole lot of authority and influence will be given to the Familia but ya knew that already, didn't ya?" Loki exclaimed.

"Just giving back all the love everyone in the Familia, except Bete, has given me." Nox proudly responded.

"Hahahahaha!" Loki was amused at the sudden strike on poor Bete.

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P.a.t.r.e.o.n is officially up!

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You'll get to read up to FOUR weeks ahead, a full month, but I'll still post here.

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I would greatly appreciate any support since this is going to be my breadwinner.