"Here we are, finally! Let this nightmare end quickly!" Hashana thought that his nightmare would end if he fulfilled its objective. He was wrong. He was so very wrong. This nightmarish reality will continue to haunt his life, probably.
"This's the 20th floor hidden village, huh?" Henryk remembers his walking-spoiler saying something about one of the crystals on the walls here, like breaking it would open some path. 'I hate you, thank you'
"Fey, my dear, from here on out, you shouldn't talk. I want to see what they would do if they thought you weren't like them" Henryk said as leaned down a bit to let her hear him better without raising his voice.
"Fey's a good girl. Fey can do that" Fey's ever bright personality was sure to ease the xenos to it, especially since she is one of them. Although that needed to wait until she met them and introduced herself to them first.
"Now, we will saddle you" 'I wanna die. My girl shouldn't let anyone ride her back, no one! The only reason I went with this is her clear desire to give me a ride. Otherwise, I would've discarded the idea. Saying the idea out loud was a grave mistake' Henryk pushed through the guilt. Her chirping made him feel both at ease and more guilty.
"PIE!" Fey was moving around like a happy horse would. It alleviated some of Henryk's guilt-ridden thoughts.
Henryk eyed the crystals.
"BREAK ALL CRYSTALS! I HEARD THAT SOME TALKING MONSTERS ARE HIDING BEHIND ONE!" He shouted his lungs out. He hoped the xenos inside would hear him and get ready.
*CRACK* A crystal was broken.
"Tsk. IT WASN'T THE ONE! NEXT!" He shouted. Well, he knew which one it was. Hashana was pointing at it with an empty, dumbfounded expression. He chose to do this to have them not think of it as Ganesha sending him in.
*CRACK* Another crystal was broken.
"NOT THIS EITHER! BREAK THE LAST ONE!" He faked lots of excitement into his voice.
*CRACK* Fey broke the last of the large crystals.
"Finally, a path to my talking money" Henryk formed a very twisted and crooked grin. He wanted to give them the worst image possible. 'How would they react?'
Henryk entered the tunnel with a torch in his right hand while holding Fey's rein in his left.
Abruptly, his torch was snatched by a bluish-green blur.
'Ray the siren, huh? According to Ganesha, she's the only one with this color among the current flying xenos'
"Leave, and we will leave you alive. Proceed further and die by our hands" A multitude of voices sounded from all around him, except for the path he took to arrive here.
They were giving him a chance to escape with his life. They normally did not talk. But since he already knew, they discarded the thought.
"You are telling me to leave riches behind? Impossible! I'll capture and sell every last one of you! My living money!" Henryk was too absorbed in his act, he did not notice the crazed smile on his face. It was turning more genuine by the second.
"You are hopeless" A few tremors headed his way. "DIE!"
'Now, it's time to act scared' "Huh?! YOU HAD THIS MANY LOWER FLOORS' MONSTERS IN YOUR RANKS?! I GIVE UPPPPPP!!" Henryk steered Fey towards the exit.
The xenos followed him to the entrance of their hidden village, but they never shortened the distance. They kept at a distance that would leave him hope of escaping.
Henryk pulled the reins gently to tell Fey to stop. 'I should go into self-reflection after this' "You pass, Ray. This was all an elaborate test from me"
"What do you mean? And how did you know my name?" Ray stepped into the light, her purple eyes glaring holes into him.
"My name's Henryk Williams. I was informed of your existence by Ganesha. He requested me to help you" Henryk said as he turned around and raised his open palms, showing that he had no weapons ready. "So, I came to test your attitude. If you showed any signs of not being good of nature, I would have refused to help" Henryk removed the saddle from Fey's back.
"GIVE FEY'S SADDLE BACK, PAPA!" Fey got all worked up demanding Henryk put the saddle on her back again. She left him no room to argue, as she laid down with him underneath her weight.
The xenos' eyes widened in welcomed surprise. They were starting to form a better opinion of him already. Why, one of their kin sees him as family. 'She called him "Papa"?!' Some xenos already wanted to swarm the duo. A group hug, some may call it, to welcome a new member.
"Dear, I don't think you should allow anyone to ride your back, nor put a saddle on it" Henryk barely said that with a weak voice. His breath was cut by Fey's weight.
"Ehhem. I think there is some explaining to do?" Ray coughed into her wing to grab Henryk's attention.
"Before that, is it disgraceful for a four-legged xenos to let someone ride on their back?" If it was okay by xenos standards, he would reluctantly allow it.
"It's fiiiine" A slightly masculine, yet childlike voice rang out. The tone made it seem as if the guy was too relaxed. Carefree might be a better word to describe him.
'Another hippogriff. Then it's fine by hippogriff standards, at least' Henryk relented. "Dear, I will give you your saddle back"
"Fey loves papa!" Fey threw the rest of her body at poor Henryk, who was now completely suffocated. He still managed to pet her head through the lack of breath.
"Little one, how about you go play with Cliff over there? I have something to talk to your papa about" Fey had stars in her innocent eyes for two reasons. One was that she found someone who looked like her, a hippogriff, as her papa called her new body. The other reason was-
"Then Fey'll leave the rest to papa! Fey wants to return to a mama added to Fey's family! He-he-he" Her papa's mischievous angel ran towards Cliff, giggling at her papa's red face. He understood what she meant.
"Oh my. What a mischievous little girl you have there" Ray's face was more composed, only her cheeks were a little pink at the thought of being romantically involved with someone. She did not imagine Henryk in the position just then, or anyone in particular.
'Would I find such person in this life?' She wanted to fly under the sun and to be held by someone she loves. She longed for the day she had both things accomplished. It was laughable how she knew that basking in the sun was easier than forming a relationship with another xenos. They viewed her with the respect befitting a leader, some even put her on a pedestal. She lost hope of having any love interest amongst her kind.
"Yeah, she can be a little daredevil, and I know where that trait came from" Henryk sighed while getting back to his feet.
"Back to our topic. What did Ganesha ask your help with?" Ray said, turning back to face him.
"I'll be helping in bringing you closer to the sun" All xenos in earshot stood rigid.
'He will bring us near the surface?' They looked at him with eyes that were hopeful. If Ganesha sent him, then there was substance in him. He can do something to help.
"How so?" Ray remained calm, externally. She is one of the xenos' leaders. She has the responsibility to keep a calm demeanor to be able to lead them effectively.
"The plan was to ease them using Fey. Our excuse was that she is too tame and adorable, which she is" Some of his personal feelings, particularly his fondness of Fey, seeped into his voice. "With enough time, I could go as far as to introduce all of you as my tamed monsters, of which all somehow became xenos"
"You... could make our kind out of normal monsters?! That is simply an outrageous claim!" Ray, and the other xenos, were taken aback by the news. Their race was going to gain members just by him taming monsters?
"Fey wasn't even a monster at the beginning. She was just your everyday eagle. My taming skill turned her into a monster, then a xenos. The same happened to four kobolds and a minotaur" He said, preparing to tell them all to come over.
"Where are they right now?" Ray narrowed her eyes at him. He needs to prove his claims.
'Crap! I shouldn't have mentioned Taurus. I dug this hole for myself. At least I can call Ouros and the others here' "How much time are you willing to wait?" Henryk said.
"Why?" Ray's eyes narrowed.
"The kobold are still hunting somewhere above. It'll take them at least a few hours if they went full speed" He said.
"They... Can they look at the sun every day?" One xenos voiced his jealousy. Some of his kin already experienced the sun. When was the rest's turn coming?
"They can. Your turn 'll come someday too. Just wait" He said.
"What about the minotaur? You said you tamed one. Where is that one now?" Ray was getting suspicious of him.
"Well, let's say I made a mistake while taming that one. I said something that made him go on a rampage, killing and devouring every non-intelligent monster he lays his eyes on" Henryk was bashfully looking away at his own words. Admitting to a mistake like this one was embarrassing to him. "He could be anywhere right now, and I don't think I can call him here, either. If you saw a minotaur that looks too menacing and with fur that seems to always be drenched in fresh blood, then that's Taurus, the minotaur I tamed" Henryk had the decency to scratch the back of his head awkwardly.
'Ouros, Mont, Blanc and Noland, come to my current location' He sensed a positive response from all four of them. They started moving towards him.
'Taurus, come to my current location' He ordered Taurus separately. Taurus also responded positively, although he took his time to reply.
"As we wait, I want to ask you something" Ray was curious.
"Go ahead" Henryk did not think a lot before giving her the green light.
"Why did you keep your eyes closed since I stepped into view?" Ray said.
"... Well, you are wearing practically nothing, Ray" There was a pause before he answered her.
"It feels stuffy otherwise. Wearing only this makes me feel free, and helps my body cool down better. Is there a problem?" She said with a raised eyebrow.
"No, not really!" He waved his arms around nervously in denial. "It's just that I don't want to look at a woman's naked body if she isn't my wife, or at least my lover. You see, a race of the surface, called amazoness, are all women who normally wear scandalously revealing clothes. What I do with my opinion? I simply look elsewhere or close my eyes outright if I can. I didn't want to allow myself to lust after a woman who isn't my wife. That proved lethal, or emotionally lethal, for one too many a person for me not to be wary"
"How noble" Ray said with a voice halfway between respecting his opinion and laughing at him.
"You don't need to be poking fun at me for it. Anyway, are Lyd and Gros on missions right now? What about Four?" Henryk said, revealing that he knew about their other leaders in this village. "I want to talk with them about it.
"I am surprised you know" Ray said. By now, she felt less guarded around him. Not enough to be unguarded yet, just less guarded. "They would be on missions, as you said"
"How about we listen to music to pass the time?" Henryk suggested.
"Really? That would be most welcome!" Ray was hooked.
"The one you will hear today is called 'A hero's wish'" Henryk loved that one. It was a soundtrack that played when Bell fought the red minotaur. It was so fitting and uplifting, brimming with Bell's sense of responsibility and bravery in facing the minotaur for his party member that it left a mark on Henryk.
(Line Break)
After an hour of hearing "A hero's Wish" and variations of it, the kobold squad arrived.
"ARF!" "ARF!" "ARF!" "ARF!" Four kobolds entered the xenos village. The xenos were not weary because they wore clothes and light armor that protected their hearts and magic stones. Only xenos did that on the upper levels.
"Our time's up" Henryk deactivated his skill. "How are you doing there, Ouros? How about the rest of you?" They acted like a group of big dogs. They swarmed him and started asking for some pats. He gave them daily. Blanc was the only one who showed a little reluctance when it came to asking for pats.
"Your words are true! These kobolds are truly our kin!" The calmness and dignity of an intelligent being behind the eyes of the four of them were not lost on the other xenos.
""OOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"" The xenos issued a celebratory cry.
"Welcome to our village. You will always have a place here" Ray welcomed the four of them.
"So, let me introduce them to you. The one in the front's Ouros, he's like a leader of the pack. Standing behind him, from the left, they're Mont, Blanc and Noland, respectively" He turned his closed eyes towards Ray. "The four of you, this's Ray. She's one of the leaders of the xenos who live here"
Ouros stepped forward and stretched his hand in a greeting. "With pleasure" Ray replied as she shook limbs with him. They agreed to cooperate with and respect each other.
(AN: Paw? Hand? A wing and a paw/hand? Me brains confuse)
"MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A charging bull came inside the hidden village, charging through and widening the entrance with his body.
"LOWER YOUR VOICE, TAURUS!" Taurus's deafening roar nearly cost Henryk his ears.
Most of the weaker xenos retreated in fear. The appearance of this one looked too menacing, what with all the gore that painted the rest of his body a bloody red, and the somehow-still-materialized monster guts that were stuck in his fur.
"This's Taurus. He may seem like a b-" "RIP. AND. TEAR!" Taurus cut Henryk's words. He was only recently born, and his mind was still stuck on the only instruction he was given. He did not learn any other thoughts yet.
Some of the weaker xenos stepped back in varying amounts of fear and unease. Announcing violence as his first impression did not serve Taurus well, especially not with the guts of others hanging on and stuck to his body.
"Dammit, Taurus! You scared them further away from yourself now!" Henryk berated Taurus.
"R-" "Stop!" This one was a clear order.
"Why?" Taurus finally stopped.
"Talk normally. If you still want to go ripping and tearing, then I will just tell you a few things and let you go. Do you agree with that?" Henryk said and Taurus nodded.
"Fine" Henryk sighed while massaging his temples. Something at the back of his head told him that this minotaur would be a recurring headache. "You see, eating magic stones is beneficial to you. One of my skills makes it replace excellia for a fake falna that will require my blood once you are going to the next level" Henryk then turned to Ray. "Do you have any empty containers? Preferably ones that could be securely closed"
"Yes, we have them" She called for one of the other xenos to bring them a few. She had a thought on why based on what Henryk said.
"First, listen to summoning orders like the one that brought you here. It means I need you for something. Next, if and when I tell you "Drip blood", it means that you should drop one drop of my blood onto your back. I can raise your strength much more than usual with that. Say, the blood dried, then you can mix a clot with just enough water to liquify it again. There's also the fact that I will monitor your growth and direct it. Once I tell you to go to a floor, then, and only then, are you allowed to go there. For now, you can go down until the twentieth floor, no further" Eina's naggy lessons came in handy here.
"The dungeon loves swarming its targets with armies of monsters. You don't want to die too early" Henryk already viewed Taurus's fake falna and deduced that his level and skills were appropriate for the floors he was allowed to go to. Floors down to the twentieth could easily be soloed by a level two adventurer with Taurus's skills.
For a monster with skills like those of Taurus and the ability to heal injuries by devouring the magic stones of his enemies, that made him capable of clearing the floors with relative ease. He can heal mid combat and remain on the battlefield for longer.
"True. I want to continue killing monsters in any brutal way possible" Taurus expressed his concerning thoughts. Thankfully, his focus is non-intelligent monsters for now.
'I don't know. Maybe telling him this now will save us trouble later' "Lastly, if you encounter a xenos down there, leave them alive" Henryk cut himself on the palm to fill the container with his blood. It was small enough that the blood loss posed no threat to his survival whatsoever.
"Acknowledged. Anything else?" Taurus's feet were already visibly trying to lift off the ground to walk away.
"No, you can go" Henryk said as he handed Taurus the container. It was a simple wooden tube with a lid.
"RIP AND TEAR!" Taurus issued a battle cry and went back to his mission.
"He is... intense" Ray sweat dropped at Taurus's dedication. "Would he be alright?"
"Don't worry. He may as well kill level three monsters as he is now" Henryk invested all of Taurus's magic stones into his strength parameter.
(Line Break)
Name: Taurus
Variant: Bloody Menace
Level: 2 (AN: I view a minotaur as an abnormally strong level 1 monster with lacking agility. How else could one explain a minotaur failing to catch up to a Bell Cranel whose status was practically empty at the time?)
STR: H128
END: I0
DEX: I0
AGI: I0
MAG: I0
Abnormal Resistance H
Magic:
None.
Skills:
Xenos
Humanification (AN: As confusing as it is to some, Bulls are a demi-human race that exists canonically in DanMachi)
Sacrificial Strength:
By sacrificing half the excellia gained in your agility basic ability, you can gain more excellia in both strength and endurance basic abilities. An adjustment is also made so that the actual worth of the STR basic ability is more than the numbers displayed.
Glory of Gore:
The more of your enemies' gore is spilled on your body, the more your basic abilities shine.
Brutal Hands:
If you are trying to rip something apart, using only your bare hands, your STR gets an adjustment of x2.
Stacks multiplicatively with other buffs.
Ability Absorption:
You can acquire a monster's ability by eating its magic stone. (AN: Snowballing goes brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!)
(Line Break)
"He should be able to solo the middle floors all by himself" Henryk stoically said. "Now that I think about it, can we sleep here?" Losing all that blood made him feel tired. He has already wrapped bandages around his wounded hand.
"Just find a spot that fits you. Goodnight, Henryk" Ray flew away, leaving him to be at his own pace.
"FEY! IT'S TIME TO SLEEP!" Henryk called Fey.
She flew from god-knows-where and landed in front of him. "Fey wants to sleep with papa" She reverted to her true size.
"Whoah! Beautiful!" Henryk muttered involuntarily. Fey was now twice as large.
Fey was ecstatic after hearing her papa's words. She laid her horse half in a way that he could lean on for comfort.
(AN: Think of how a horse lays down while raising its head)
After that, she snuggled him further in by wrapping him under her wing and her neck.
"This's blissfully warm" Henryk was feeling the effects of her skill full force this time. Being soothed to sleep is a blessing he appreciated. "Sweet dreams, my daughter" He kissed her above the eyes, the place where it should be her forehead.
"Sweet dreams, papa" Fey did not sleep, but deviously thought of something mischievous again. Her papa was a heavy sleeper when he was in a safe environment. He has a hard time waking up whenever he is sleeping peacefully. Not even the mighty sun could wake him up in that state. Even if she pealed as strong as she could, he would at most flip to the other side.
(Line Break)
'Different feath... No, not that. I actually feel a humanoid body being enveloped in Fey's feathers with me' Henryk ceased moving. The other person was most likely still sleeping.
He was intrigued. Why would Fey have another person in her feathers? 'Oh! This must be Ray. My little daredevil may be playing a prank to bring me closer to her 'new mama', or who she wants her new mama to be anyway'
'I've convinced myself up to now that they're just some fictional characters. But, feeling this nervous being in proximity to Ray, my body acknowledges her being a woman. I can't ignore the fact that this's my new reality anymore. I may hurt someone's feelings doing that. I need to start by trying to see others for who they are, not just some character with a set thought process. They can and will change their beliefs since they're alive. Now, I should break out of my awkwardness around women' Henryk finally decided to confront reality for what it is.
"Have you woken up? Open your eyes" Rays voice told him enough about her being awake.
"What?" He did open his eyes, still, he tried avoiding looking at her body. 'I'm mesmerized. This neatly arranged color combination of her feathers and her purple eyes. Her facial features are too beautiful. I may fail at not looking at her. I may fail particularly because of the feel of her feathers' Henryk has developed an attraction to feathers. The better-quality feathers attract him, giving him a desire to own the bird with said feathers. 'This is a person, though'
"Are you done admiring my feathers?" Ray smiled at him.
"..." Henryk averted his eyes. "Well....."
"Can you release my hip? I have things to do in the morning" Ray said, chuckling at his oblivious reaction. He seemingly had not realized it yet, that he started holding onto her while sleeping.
"Ooh" Henryk did not know what to say. 'How long have I been holding her like that?! This's so embarrassing! We only knew each other for a day, and I went and held her as if we were already a thing' Once his brain caught up, he snapped away from her with a blank expression. She noticed the tips of his ears but did not talk about it.
"You can stay however long you want" Ray said her piece and went to attend to her duties.
"Papa, can Fey play with Cliff again?" Fey wanted some more play time.
Henryk thought about it for a moment and reached a conclusion. He could let Fey play for some more time while he thinks of what to do later. "You can"
"Fey loves papa!" She licked his face and went to play.
"This daughter of mine. I can't even tell her to stop this licking. Why did it have to be her way to show affection?" Henryk said faintly, mumbling to himself.
*THUD* Out of nowhere, a bound individual was thrown in front of him.
"Ummm, are you okay? Are you even a xenos?" Henryk thought as he squatted in front of the individual. 'Is he Gros? Or just some other gargoyle?'
"Stay away from me, surface dweller" The unknown individual growled at him with distrustful eyes.
"Well, that answers that. But why are you bound with rope?" Henryk said. He entertained the thought of untying him.
"It doesn't concern you" Gros huffed and turned away, refusing to get help from a surface dweller.
Henryk raised an eyebrow at him then ultimately decided to leave the gargoyle there.
"Good morning, Henryk" A chummy red lizardman greeted Henryk.
"Lyd, I guess? Good morning" Henryk smiled. "Why's he like that?" Henryk nodding in Gros's direction.
"You see, Gros doesn't trust surface dwellers in general. When he saw you sleeping while hugging Ray and laying your back across another xenos, he wanted to force them away from you. It was fun seeing Ray glare at him then order for him to be bound. The new kobolds gladly did it" Lyd explained the situation, all the while snickering at Gros. "Is that hippogriff, Fey, really your daughter?" He asked with a cheerful voice.
"Yes, she is. I raised her from when she hatched from that egg seven years ago. She was just a normal chick, a ball of young, fuzzy feathers. I raised her as my family, and I'm glad to see her express herself happily among you here. Her having a sense of belonging's very good" Lyd was observing Henryk's facial expression as he said that.
"That's a father's face. I welcome you here, friend" Lyd patted him on the shoulder. "Hey, what do you say about me calling you Hen-chi?" Lyd offered a handshake.
"Wha?! No, that's never happening. It's like calling me a chicken. You can call me Henry, if you are insistent on a nickname" Henryk rejected the nickname Lyd wanted to use. Even if Japanese sounds cool sometimes in his opinion, being called that sounded wrong for Henryk. Henryk accepted the clawed handshake without hesitation, though. He successfully avoided the sharp claws.
"Say, Lyd" Henryk said, preparing for a question.
"What do you want to know Henry?" Lyd said.
'It may sound hurried or unhealthy, but I feel that I'm at a precipice. If I don't take this chance, I feel like I may be barred it' His chest felt as if it was tightening. 'A starting point's that I see them as people. Another's that I may form a relationship with a non-human woman, something seen as normal in this world. They're all people, after all'
Henryk, against his better judgement, decided to ask a question that will decide the direction his life takes.
"What should I do to ensnare Ray's heart?" He said with an uneasy voice. "Nothing personal, just what everyone knows"
"Hoh?!" Lyd heard some welcome surprise over this. Someone will finally actively try that.
"She's beautiful, and I feel like I need to take my chance before it goes away forever" Henryk said on pure instinct, his thoughts a jumbled mess with no room for proper thoughts.
Gros opposed that thought process. "HOW DARE YOU?! DAMNED SURFACE DWELLER!" He was clobbered and dragged away by Ouros and the others.
They did not concern themselves with the fact that he was estimated to be level five in strength. They did not appreciate someone insulting their master.
Gros had to accept it if he did not want to get ganged. The lineup consisted of Ray, Lyd and Four. Those were the real problems. He would have retaliated long ago if not for these three.
"Good job, boys. You can continue, if you want" Henryk said, scratching his ears. Gros's screams of hateful protest hurt Henryk's eardrums.
"EVERYONE! LISTEN HERE! HENRY WANTS RAY'S HEART! HE WANTS HER TO BE IN LOVE WITH HIM!" Lyd went and announced the news to the entire village's people. Some of them laughed outright while some sneered in jest.
"Did you have to do that?!" Henryk was flushed and was aggressively trying to stop what already happened. He tried to stop Lyd, but that proved impossible with Lyd's superior strength. He was held at an arm's length from Lyd.
"She's a woman" Lyd's eyes softened. "Treat her like a proper woman you're courting with the intent to marry. She said some time ago that she'd love to one day marry and be held by the one she loves" Lyd shrugged when Henryk opened his mouth, could not find words to describe his emotions, then closed it. "Whether she meant simple hugging and cuddling, or something entirely different, it eludes me"
"Thanks. I will try my best" Henryk calmed down a bit.
"And that starts by letting me to the surface" Ray's sudden intervention startled Henryk a little. He jumped away in fright. "But I want to know why you chose me. Of course, it is not because of your daughter, right?"
"You scared me there. How are you so stealthy?" He said, internally trying to calm his alert heart.
"I learned how to be" Ray said, stepping closer and into his personal space. "Now, can you tell me?"
"Okay, I will tell you why" Henryk said, leaning away slightly. "So, you remember when I said that I don't want to lust after a woman who isn't my wife?" His voice was thinning out and getting fainter by the end.
"Yes? And?" Ray said, confused on why he wanted to point that out again, or to what purpose.
"You sleeping in my arms and telling me to open my eyes to look at you got me to think that you, understanding my words, gave me an invitation to try getting closer to you" His mind grabbed loose thoughts, trying to think of anything other than what was causing him to be stressed. He remembered something rather delightful. "Oh, and the feeling I get from your feathers and your beautiful singing voice. Those also got me. I wanted to get closer to you for who you are, and also because you have a skill that I liked just that much" Henryk had to stop himself before he went on to say something inappropriate.
"It's natural to feel-" Lyd got a stare that gave him goosebumps. "What Lyd said is true. You need to treat me like a proper person and we can work it out from there" Ray said.
"Then I will get you to stick to my side until I get used to your presence. Are you okay with that?" Henryk said, turning away, embarrassed.
"While it was not the reason originally, I have been preparing another person to replace me. I was about to propose to go outside the dungeon with you, as a way to scout the surface and see the world outside as one of your tamed monsters" Ray smiled gently.
"Then, bring me a siren's magic stone. As I said before, I can take you to the surface as long as I apply my taming skill to you" Henryk said. He then started to frantically clarify. "That needs to happen because gods, being able to detect lies, would attempt to take your life as an illegal monster otherwise"
"Would I be stripped of my mind and free will?" Ray was still doubtful of his skill. She wanted to stay away from it if possible.
"You can see that Fey's willful even though my skill's applied to her. Wasn't she the one that suggested you lay in my arms as a prank?" Henryk pointed out.
"That is true" Ray nodded, confirming that it happened like that.
"She can totally ignore orders if she so desired. This skill just makes it more likely for you to accept my orders. But if you have a reason, my orders will no longer have an effect on you"
Hearing Henryk's argument, she agreed to his suggestion. "Does it have to be a siren's magic stone?" She wanted to avoid eating another siren's magic stone.
"Can be another type. There's a downside in that a skill I have evolves the monsters I tame. The requirement's that they have to eat a magic stone of the same monster they were" Henryk said.
"We can assure you. It only affected our outer appearance, nothing more" A serious and deep voice added to their conversation. While the others saw him coming, Henryk was not startled because the individual made himself known through loud footsteps. When they looked at the xenos, it was Ouros who was talking. "When he ordered us to come over through his skill, we could have refused to do so"
"Here's another possible proof that my skill wouldn't harm you" Henryk pointed at Ouros as he took his words as legitimacy for his claim. As for why he was not surprised by Ouros talking, he expected it. That was especially true when Taurus talked immediately after being tamed.
"For further proof" Henryk stood in front of Ouros with his arms wide open, exposing himself. "Attack me with your weapon" He channeled the order through the skill at the same time.
"No" Ouros sighed at the crude method, even though it was effective to a degree.
Ray finally had less to worry about concerning his skill. She went flying out to bring the magic stone, as they did not have it in the village at the moment.
"While Ray's gone to bring the stuff, I have a question for you" Lyd said. "Will you really help us go to the surface? To be accepted by the people there?" He had hope for the others. They were talking with Ray while Henryk was sleeping. They knew why he was here then. 'How did Henry sleep through all that ruckus back then, though?'
"It'll take a while to achieve that feat" Henryk shook his head regrettably. "Getting people used to some monster or two someone tamed's easy. Getting them used to a small army of them isn't. With the participation of Ray, a siren that only spawns from floors 25 and 26, the process'll be sped up. Maybe by next year, you'll see the sun even if I didn't use my skill on you" Henryk raised a finger. "Don't get your hopes high on that, though. I may also be unable to do it as quickly"
"Gros, would you at least greet him properly?" Lyd was kneeling by Gros's side, poking him with a claw.
"Not yet! That one he calls his daughter and those kobolds may be a facade to his true intentions!" Gros still did not believe a word coming out of Henryk's mouth.
After some chatting and arm wrestling, which Henryk lost on every attempt, Ray was back.
"Here it is" She carried the magic stone in her foot. She had no hands to hold it with. "I want to confirm things with you one last time"
"Go ahead" Henryk was still flushing a little at the thought of starting the spring of his life.
"I want you to leave me with my freedom intact" Ray stated her first priority.
"That's up to my skill. It proved more than once that it leaves a monster's freedom intact. Ouros talked on his own there" Henryk said.
"Promise me that you will allow my kin to also see the sun one day" She stated her second priority, stimming from being a leader amongst her kin.
"I promise that I will accomplish that or die trying. I already promised that to Sir Ganesha" Henryk said. His tone almost sounded as if he was making an oath of that one.
"I want you to let me hear the music I favor repeatedly and to introduce me to new ones whenever you can" She said something much more personal, posing no direct benefit to anyone beside her.
"I will do that" Henryk made the promise. It was an easy one, almost too easy it felt like he needed to add something on top to make it feel satisfying to treat it as a proper promise.
"I want you to share your important moments with me, as lovers tend to do" Ray said, appearing a lot more innocent with what she asked for this time. The look she gave him then stirred something inside of Henryk.
"I will do that too, as much as I could" Henryk promised.
"Then I will come with you" Ray said, a resolution having formed in her heart. She will be his lover starting today, and she will also act as the one who opens the path to the others behind her. There was still a healthy amount of unease, but Henryk did not appear as someone who would be lying or manipulating them now.
Ray has met the Ganesha Familia member stationed in the floor, Hashana Dorlia, who confirmed to her that Henryk really was here after Ganesha himself evaluated Henryk's character for some time. That happened when she got out to welcome the other leaders back into the village.
"Be prepared. When Fey took her first magic stone, it hurt her to the point she writhed on the ground. The point in that is that a being that wasn't a monster has become one. In Ouros's case, he was already a monster, so he didn't experience the same pain, if at all" Henryk said, clearly frightened of something that might happen. "I don't know how my skill might identify a xenos. I don't know how your transformation might affect your body, and if it might hurt you or not. Be prepared for that"
"If it is just some pain that will allow me to go to the surface permanently, without lasting effects to my body, then I will take the risk" Ray swallowed the magic stone handed back to her by Henryk.
"I feel like something at the edge of my mind, and that I can reject it"
"That is master's skill. On a normal monster, their mind is weak, their will nearly nonexistent. They are going to be overwhelmed by the skill and be forced to change, to acquire a stronger mind, to acquire a firmer will. A xenos already has a mind and a strong enough will to resist. Accept the change" Ouros explained it from his perspective as someone who experienced the effects of the skill.
He still clearly remembers the experience. Being freed from the dungeon's control, it was worth swearing his loyalty to Henryk, who treated them with more respect than they expected him to.
Ray accepted the change. She started to feel the itch and pain of new feathers being added to her body, but she forced herself to stay silent, biting her lips shut.
Feathers with the same color scheme as the ones on her wings started sprouting all over her exposed skin, growing around the body horizontally and angled downward all the way, interlocking at the front.
Some other similarly colored feathers also grew from between the ones on her back to cover the spine in a similar manner. More feathers grew from her shoulders down the small exposure the other feathers did not cover. Lastly, similar ones grew out of the back of her neck in the same manner as the other feathers, covering it.
The feathers sprouting around the spine, growing to the front or not, were not sticking out in an unpleasant way. They were arranged smoothly and beautifully. A pair of purple stones that looked like magic stones appeared on her neck and solar plexus.
The armor-like long feathers unfurled into a cloak around her shoulder and back, revealing the smaller feathers that grew underneath them. All the smaller feathers were colored yellow with blue tips like the rest.
"Lyd?" Henryk said, lost in the image before him.
"Yes?" Lyd said, similarly lost in the image before them but for different reasons.
"You heard of Freya's rumors? The ones describing her appearance?" Henryk asked.
"From the adventurers we make contact with regularly. What about it?" Lyd started to get a feeling as to what Henryk wanted to say.
"Ray just destroyed her. I've seen Freya before. And let me tell you, she just lost her place among the three best looking women on my list" Henryk said, attempting to whistle. He thankfully did it without any fumbles.
Henryk was mesmerized anew. Her brand-new appearance shattered any chance for any other woman to be of romantic attention to him by virtue of appearance alone.
"Henry, bud, calm down. Your face became redder than my scales" Lyd became worried for his new friend. Ray seems to have become a heart-stopping problem in his life.
"You flatter me" A moment after the transformation was done, Ray's countenance returned to normal. It helped that she heard him compare her to a goddess of beauty, putting her above said goddess. It made her feel pleasant. She was still going to see herself in the mirror to confirm that, however.
"If you allow me, I will view your abilities" Henryk said with a jitter to his voice.
"I will appreciate it if you tell me" 'Maybe there was an ability I did not know about. And this feeling of becoming stronger, some new ability may have appeared' Ray thought.
"Roger that"
(Line Break)
Name: Ray
Variant: Mystical Feathers
Level: 6
(Empty I0 stats)
Abnormal Resistance G
Hunter G
Magic Resistance H:
Mystical Feathers D:
This is a variant-specific development ability. Your feathers are impenetrable and nearly indestructible. This ability's rank is proportionate to your level, the maximum rank being S at level ten.
Mystical Body D:
This is a variant-specific development ability. Your body is resistant towards both physical and magical attacks. This ability's rank is proportionate to your level, the maximum rank being S at level ten.
Magic:
Ethereal Feathers:
A magic spell that enchants your feather arrows to ignore all physical might in favor of piercing the opponent's soul directly. Enchants two feathers in each wing. The damage the feather arrows do depends on your magic basic ability.
Chant:
You who are immaterial, you who are beyond understanding. All that lurks in the unknown, all that is ethereal. Take my feathers and pierce the souls of my enemies.
(Line Break)
"Now, we go for the skills" Henryk said. Silently, he sent an order to Ray, who bared her sharp teeth at him in displeasure but refused the skill with ease. When he told her it was to confirm to her that she had nothing to fear, she huffed a little and looked away as she listened to the describtions of her skills.
(Line Break)
Skills:
Freedom of Mind:
Your mind is incorruptible.
Any attempt to alter your mental state with immaterial methods will always fail.
(AN: Some may remember a certain skill here. Forget about it. That skill was never worth considering as a part of this story. The first following skill replaces it. Also, Henryk told her that this skill functioned to protect her mind from another of his skills that could give one order she has to listen to, or should have to but does not, or how even divine charm may have less of an effect if any on her)
Feather Arrows:
You can fire deceptively sharp and arrow-like feathers from your wings. The speed of a feather's flight depends on the user's agility basic ability.
Mystical Feathers Armor:
Armor made from feathers that grew around the spine. It can be unfurled at will. Once in danger, the armor deploys itself to protect you.
Fake Magic Stones:
The magic stones studded in your mystical feathers armor are fakes that would not kill you upon being destroyed. If your enemy managed to destroy only one, a strong magic explosion pushes them away. No matter how strong, your enemy will be pushed away.
If both fake magic stones were broken, your level and development abilities temporarily go up a rank. You can replace the broken ones with any random magic stones of appropriate size.
The duration of the boost in rank is one second for every fifty points in your magic basic ability. Rank ups increase the duration by what is worth two hundred and one points in your magic basic ability.
(Line Break)
"Wait a minute! When did you sit shoulder-by-shoulder with me?" Ray sneaked her way into his side without him noticing.
"Do you remember? I can move stealthily. I need to stick to you as much as possible, no? All to get you used to my presence" She leaned on his shoulder more. She was lightheartedly teasing him about what he said.
Henryk hesitantly wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "True that" His face begged to differ. His thoughts were tangled into a mess, distracting him from Ray's teasing. Both felt weird in that hug, but both felt okay staying in it. It was not a negative weird, but the weird feeling of experiencing something new.
"Papa, has Ray become Fey's ma...ma?...!" Fey trotted towards them after she finished playing with Cliff, who was left exhausted, somehow. Taking care of a child with endless energy may have been more demanding than his capabilities could deliver.
"No! Fey, stop! I know what you want to do! Just stop! It's embarrassing!" Henryk wanted to stand up and evade for dear life, but he was slow. Fey was as fast as a level two horse. Not a level two human, but a horse, which were already as fast as level two human without the aid of a falna. Fey with a level two falna was much faster, maybe as fast as a late level 3, or even a fresh level 4.
"MAMA!" Fey charged them into the ground. She was trying her best at a hug. The attempt resulted in Ray being sandwiched between her and Henryk, while Henryk was crushed to the ground. He still somehow patted her head.
"Fufufufu" Ray chuckled. "Such a close bond you two have" Ray was not bothered in the least by what is happening.
"Can... we... call you father?" A new voice asked. He was hesitant at first, but he gathered enough courage to ask his question. Henryk did not know it was Noland because Fey's feathers obstructed his vision. He assumed that it was one of the kobolds, considering the request.
"You... can" That was all Henryk could wheeze out, being out of breath because of Fey's crushing weight. That was not the only one, mind you. The four kobolds joined the hug, crushing him down further. Good thing the falna made him tougher.
After more than half a day of forgetting Hashana outside, alone and unable to sleep, his torment continued for a few more hours. Scratch that. It actually worsened when he saw Henryk holding onto Ray, who was wearing a cloak that went past her feet, while riding on Fey's back.