CHAPTER 89: CHAPTER 89: THE CREATURE COMFORT CORNER.

The day of the quarter-finals had arrived. My team stood ready in their new "Creature Comfort Corner," dressed in the simple, beige tunics FaeLina had designed, with a logo of a smiling, happy monster on the front. They weren’t a team of warriors; they were the staff of the world’s first five-star monster spa.

The air in the room was thick with a tense, nervous energy. Pip was anxiously checking his inventory of squeaky toys for the tenth time. Gilda was practicing a "gentle but firm" belly-rubbing motion on a very confused Sir Crumplebuns.

And then, a golden arena portal opened and the commentator’s voice boomed through the open portal, echoing from the arena.

"Welcome back, folks, to the quarter-finals of the Royal Dungeon League Tournament!" he announced, his voice was full of energy.

"Today, our eight champions will face the legendary ’Beast Taming’ trial! The rules are simple: the Royal Mages will release a captured, wild Manticore directly into each dungeon, one by one. The winner is the dungeon that can subdue the beast in the fastest time!"

A roar went up from the crowd in the arena.

"And our first competitor," the commentator continued, "is the Infuriatingly Fortunate Anomaly that has taken this tournament by storm... The Comfy Corner! Let’s see what they have in store for this angry Manticore!"

FaeLina gave her team one final, frantic pep talk.

"Okay, team, remember your training!" she whispered loudly, zipping back and forth in front of them. "Kaelen, brush gently but firmly! Pip, do not let the Manticore eat the squeaky toy! And Gilda..." she paused, her eyes pleading with the giant warrior, "...for the love of all that is holy, please be gentle with the belly rubs."

And then, the wait was over.

The golden portal, which had been showing a view of the arena, suddenly shimmered and changed. The image was replaced by a dark, terrifying cage. Inside, a massive, snarling beast was pacing back and forth.

A deep, guttural, and very angry SNARL echoed through the portal.

A massive paw, tipped with claws as long as daggers, stepped through the portal onto the soft moss of my floor. It was followed by the body of a giant lion, the leathery wings of a dragon, and a long, segmented tail that ended in a wicked, poison dripping scorpion’s stinger. A wild Manticore, pulled from its natural habitat and clearly in a very bad mood, had just been unceremoniously dumped into my dungeon.

It let out a furious roar, a sound of pure, caged rage that shook the every stones of the room.

Its eyes, burning with a wild fire, scanned for a threat, an opponent, a victim.

Instead, it found... a small waterfall that smelled faintly of chicken.

The roar died in its throat, ending in a confused, guttural cough. It sniffed the air.

There was no blood, no fear. Only the pleasant, calming scent of cinnamon and something that made its feline brain itch in a very pleasant way... catnip.

On the Scry-Screens, the commentator’s voice was a hushed, baffled whisper. "And the Manticore has entered The Comfy Corner, folks. It appears to be... confused by the decor."

The Manticore’s initial roar, however, had done its job. For a moment, my entire team was frozen in pure, primal terror. Pip looked like he was about to faint. Gilda had her hand on her axe.

Then, FaeLina’s sharp, managerial voice cut through their fear. "What are you all standing around for?!" she shrieked. "We have a high-stress client who needs immediate pampering! Go, go, go!"

Her words seemed to snap them out of it. This wasn’t a monster to be fought; it was a job to be done. With a new, strange sense of purpose, the team went to work.

Zazu was the first to move. He slowly, calmly, approached the confused beast, holding a single, beautifully prepared "Gourmet Treat" on a silver platter. It was a small, magically infused piece of meat that smelled of roasted chicken, calming herbs, and a hint of something wild and musky that he had spent an entire day perfecting.

"A small offering," Zazu said, his voice a low, soothing murmur, "to welcome you to our sanctuary."

The Manticore looked at the small elf, then at the snack. It let out a low, suspicious hiss, its scorpion tail twitching dangerously. Its instincts, honed by a lifetime of brutal survival, screamed that this was a trick. A poisoned morsel.

But its nose told a different story. The smell was... incredible. It was roasted chicken, yes, but also something wild and musky that spoke to the deepest, most primal parts of its predator’s brain. Its stomach rumbled, a sound that was completely at odds with its aggressive posture.

Just as its hunger was about to win the war against its caution, a new, deeply annoying sound cut through the air.

SQUEAK.

Hiding behind a giant, enchanted scratching post, Pip gave a small, squeaky toy shaped like a mouse a tentative squeeze.

The Manticore’s head whipped towards the sound, its predator’s brain now completely overwhelmed. A delicious-smelling snack in front of it. An irritating squeaking sound to its left. A giant, inviting scratching post that smelled faintly of catnip. It had been prepared for a fight, not... a buffet of confusing choices.

It let out another roar, but this one was less angry and more... frustrated.

It took a hesitant step towards Zazu’s snack, its nose twitching.

’It’s working!’ FaeLina’s psychic voice was a squeak of pure, disbelieving joy in my mind.

But just as the Manticore was about to take the treat, the squeaky toy in Pip’s trembling hand let out a particularly loud and, frankly, very annoying SQUEEEAK. The sound seemed to snap the Manticore out of its confusion. Enraged by the irritating noise and its own indecision, it forgot all about the snack.

Its eyes glowed red again. It lowered its head, its wings flaring, and prepared to charge at my team.

"Plan B!" FaeLina shrieked. "Deploy the belly rubs! DEPLOY THE BELLY RUBS!"

Gilda, with a face of grim determination, stepped forward. "I’ve got this," she grunted.

But before she could move, a silent, graceful figure moved past her. It was Kaelen.

In her hand, she held not a dagger, but a single, long-handled, and very luxurious-looking brush with soft, magical bristles. She moved with the same lethal speed and focus she would use to approach an assassination target. She didn’t approach the Manticore from the front; that would be a challenge and it’s not in her assassin nature.

Instead, she circled around it, a silent shadow, using its own enraged focus on Zazu and Pip as a perfect distraction.

The Manticore, its attention still on the distant, annoying squeaking, didn’t even notice her until it felt a strange, new sensation on its back, right between its powerful dragon wings—a spot it could never fully able to scratch itself.

A gentle, firm, and surprisingly pleasant scratching.

Kaelen had begun to brush its fur.

The Manticore froze. Its entire body went rigid with a shock. What was this new sorcery? A wave of pure, blissful relief washed over it, a feeling it hadn’t felt since it was a cub. A deep, confused, and very, very loud PURR rumbled in its chest, a sound so powerful it made the every stones of the room vibrate.

The team just stared, their mouths hanging open. The Manticore was purring.

________

Author’s Note:

The pet spa is open for business! And their first client is a very angry, very confused Manticore.

I love the team’s coordinated attack of snacks, squeaky toys, and, of course, a sneak-attack grooming session from a master assassin. Kaelen is the true MVP of this Chapter.

But the Manticore has started purring! Is it working? Can you really tame a mythical beast with a good brushing? The most important question in the history of our dungeon will be answered next time! Thanks for reading!