(3rd person PoV)
"Aaahhh, the misty mornings of Orario, how I hate them. They're too cold for me" Henryk was waiting for Bell to finish some talk with Welf to finalize the last details of his commissioned weapon.
His sons and daughters were looking around the city. They were ready for him to call them using his skill when everyone is ready to go to the dungeon.
"Papa's weak! Papa should fear Fey!" Fey said with a sleepy voice, yawning all the way through her words.
"..." Henryk looked at her with pitying eyes. His eyes, however, pitied himself, not Fey.
"Give me these feathers so I can be as strong as Fey!" He ignored the eyes of the few that walked around. He did not care about how others saw him.
'What the heck is that man-child doing?' The passersby looked at him, and some were repulsed.
What he did was dive into Fey's feathers and wrap her wing around himself in a very childlike manner.
"Comfy!" He displayed such a pleased face that some people considered coming closer for a feel of Fey's feathers.
"Should I play something new while we wait?" He directed his eyes at Ray, who was in the process of worming her way into the comfy space.
"It would be a pleasure to hear it" She felt around under the feathers until she wrapped her wings around him. She then laid her head on his shoulder.
"Then I will play you a piece about a lonely lady who stays atop a clock tower" He started it and started to doze off due to the cold around them and its contrast to the warmth surrounding him giving him a special sense of comfort.
When he came to, after not sleeping, a group of people, mostly elves, were gathered in front of him.
"We would not ask you where that music came from, but you should know that it was one of the finest we heard. Accept this" The elven man who was talking to Henryk trusted a wooden sword into the ground.
"This is the utmost honor we could bestow in our home forest, a wooden sword made from a branch of our sacred tree" He said no more words then turned around and left.
Just as that elf turned around, Henryk's attention went to his ears. They were shorter, being those of a half elf.
One of his party members looked at his departing back and then turned back to Henryk.
"Be proud. Twin sacred swords were given to him when he was recognized as a warrior despite his father's blood. The music coming off of you reminded him of one that his dear mother used to play for us when we were still in the forest. He thanks you for the reminder" The others turned away and left. "Take care, then"
"We might see each other again in a few days. I hope to hear that music another time, then" Another one said, and the remaining members of their party nodded in agreement.
'A warrior giving me one of his swords, I should at least thank him' "Tell him that I'm honored to receive such a gesture from a warrior!" Henryk told them as they went.
"What are you planning on doing with this sword?" Ray asked while observing the wooden blade.
Ray had to move to the side since he got out of the feathery blanket. He picked up the sword and appreciated it for a moment.
"I will keep it in display to not ruin it. It will be there for me to admire its balance. If I relied on the weight alone, I may've thought it was a metal sword of sorts" He put the sword to the side. It was leaning on the fountain, blade down.
"F-" Henryk was about to wake Fey up when he saw Lili being harassed by another adventurer behind some bushes. 'Isn't that the raccoon from Soma's familia?'
"Hey, you're with that girl, right?" Another one approached him. He intentionally stood where he "blocks" Henryk's view of Lili and pointed a thumb at her. "Then you must know something"
'Here he is, Tod. He's gonna regret his life soon' Henryk completely forgot this lanky goon's name. The goon's name is Ged Raisshu. 'Fey, Ray, pretend you don't hear or see what this idiot says and does'
"You mean the money she's been saving somewhere?" Henryk played along.
"Heh, so you do know. You too aim for that money, right? Both of us're adventurers, so let's help each other to it. Let's cooperate to take that useless whore's money" Ged acted awfully close by getting closer to Henryk and slinging an arm around his shoulder casually. He had an expression that irked Henryk for many a reason as he barely reached his shoulder, the shorter man's arms starting to strain.
"Nah. I don't think I want to. What little money she has is mere pocket change to me" Henryk brushed the guy's arm off him.
The thug felt that he was being belittled by a measly 'scum'. He threw a punch at Henryk's face. You see, the problem here is that Ged did not have enough agility to be of any threat to Henryk.
Henryk caught his fist and twisted it around and behind his back. He then pushed the arm against Ged's back after putting a foot in front of him. He pressed him to the ground and did a neat little thing.
Henryk took a deep breath in and readied his throat. "GUARDS!" He screamed his loudest into Ged's ear, ruining his eardrum.
Shortly after, a guard came to inspect the situation. "What is happening here?"
"This unknown man came and suggested I band with him against my party member. When I refused, he threw his fist at me"
"WH- ghhgg-" As Ged tried to move, Henryk choked him using his other hand. He blatantly did that, disregarding the guard's watchful gaze.
"Please, take him before he hurts himself" Henryk said shamelessly.
After a few more questions were answered, Ged was taken away to whatever it is they do with his likes. The guard did so readily since even Lili attested to him harassing her.
"Papa could've won a fight with such a weak pretense of an adventurer! Hmph!" Fey huffed at Ged's poor character.
"You see, dear daughter, not everything's solved through throwing your power around. If you can have the authorities solve it for you, that'd be preferable. Also, as you said, he was a pretense. He wasn't worth the effort of fighting him, especially when it's illegal to fight in the middle of the city" Another lesson given.
"Okay, papa! Fey'll try doing the same as papa!" Another lesson learned.
'The mind to not fight first, but to solve the problem that causes the fight, that is likable...' Ray was thinking in a way she did not before. She caught her thoughts before they started running.
"Master Henryk?" Lili finally came closer. It seems that she was done 'talking' with the raccoon guy, Canoe Belway. Her voice was wary, heavily so. 'So, it is finally time to betray this one, too'
"Don't overthink it, miss Lili. I handed that fickle thing to the guards. To think he'd try to trick me into getting him the key hung on your neck, not even in his wildest dreams" He scorned those who exploited the innocent and the weak.
'I need to remind her again that I mean her goodwill. If I remember right, she was distrustful of Bell until he saved her on episode six? Seven? It doesn't matter which episode it was. What matters is that I need her to trust not just me, but all of us' Henryk thought as his eyes squinted in unadulterated disdain for Ged.
'Lili knew that master Henryk was a monster himself, but to have those scary eyes.... That is not to mention how he knew of my key' He looked back at her with very serious eyes. The depth of his green eyes scared Lili this time. She could not run away from them no matter how alert she felt now.
"Don't get scared that easily. Sorry if this hurts your pride, but if I was aiming for the meager amount of money you saved up using any dirty means available to you, I'd better look back at my life choices. I want my money clean and shining" Henryk was direct with her. He did not want her to misunderstand his intentions and go away for gods know where and not return.
Lili was upset, he called her savings meager and dirty, but she knew he was right. If he already knew about her secret, he could have taken it any time he wanted with the help of his 'children'. She slumped against the fountain, still upset.
'Fey, go help her calm down' Henryk told Fey.
As Fey got to work, Bell was struggling to drag Welf into the scene by force.
"I've a new idea for a weapon in mind, Bell! Let me go make it happen! I'll also give it a glorious name!" Bell flinched at that last part. That resulted in Welf's hand slipping off, making both him and Bell fall off in different directions.
By now, the rest of the party knew very well what shortcoming Welf's gear suffered from, their names. Nobody said a thing to him about it, though.
"Get up, both of you. We got some experiment to do today" Henryk offered his hand for Bell and helped him up. Welf was left to stand back up on his own.
"Poor me. To think I'd not get help from my bro" Welf sighed jokingly.
"What?! You want me to leave this frail rabbit all alone on the hard, cold ground? Not a chance!" Henryk was pointing at Bell's adorable face.
"I see your point, bro" Welf rode the wave with him.
"WELF!! HENRYYYYYK!! YOU IDIOOOOTS!!!" Bell was Bell, after all.
They ended up laughing at Bell's antics, which further fueled his flusterometer.
'Come to the dungeon's entrance' The others gathered with Henryk's group shortly after.
(Line Break)
(In the dungeon)
"Noble father" Blanc approached Henryk.
"Speak your mind, Blanc" Henryk said.
"I want to know if our names held meanings to them" Blanc laid bare what plagued his mind for a few days.
"Just that? That's an easy yes. Do you want to know them?" Henryk said, baffled at how Blanc thought it was such a heavier subject than it really is.
"Yes, noble father" Blanc said.
"The rest of you, do you want to hear the meanings of your names or the reasons I chose them?" Henryk offered the rest of them.
"Yes, dad. I'm sure all of us do" Olympia rolled her eyes at him.
"Alrighty, then.
Fey was named after a harpy from a fictional story. The fictional character was a collected and caring woman. Calling Fey with a similar name's a play with words, referring to how Fey appears childlike and friendly to everyone. It's similar, but different.
Ouros's name was derived from a word that means gold in a different language. A metal that's very resistant to rust, corrosion and most other forms of decay. A fitting name for a leader.
Mont, Blanc and Noland are actually named after one person. I had a childish wave of nostalgia hit me, and on a whim, I decided to split the name of that man in three. The name of that man was actually only two words, Montblanc Noland. (AN: Montblanc Noland, the Liar. A One Piece reference)
Gladia's name could sometimes mean strong and/or brave one.
Olympia's name was derived from a mountain's name. The mountain's name's Olympus. Her name means "from Mount Olympus". It has a godly, glorious feel to it, as that mountain has a myth saying that gods resided at the summit.
Gracie's name means favored/blessed. It's also another form of the word grace. Her current behavior fits that name in many ways" With a flick, Gracie brushed some hair behind her ears.
"Scarlet was named based on a collection of things. Her variant's called 'bloodhound', the blood part of it's red. Her hair's red. Her skill controls fire if she knew how to utilize it. I also sense that her personality might deserve that name once it settles on what it will be for good.
Flora's name came from her skill. She's a butterfly that could be the best gardener if she put her mind to it. Giving her a flowery name was a necessity when we had no other girl with a name of the same category.
Alexander was named after another fictional character, a living jar. The living jar's story will be told another time, though. It's a lengthy one, a story where a literal living jar slew a godly being and challenged the god-to-be of their world and almost won. But otherwise, the name Alexander could be interpreted as 'Defender of men'. With him being a healer, that name fits in the fact he keeps people alive not by harming others, but by removing the injuries that could've killed them.
Peppers's name came from his skill that allowed him to switch between poison powder and spice powder and his red color.
Although Bones's name could've come from his skill, the initial reason for me to give him that name was his variant. The horn moth's one that feeds on keratin, with a rare case that fed on bones. His skill makes use of both keratin and bone alike.
Luna's name came from her variant. The Luna moth, a nocturnal insect, and having a skill that deals with the moon, those two things made for a good reason to give her that name. Don't underestimate how beautiful the moon could become.
Taurus is a word that means bull in a certain language. The word has a neat link to him being a minotaur. The word minotaur originates from a legend, the bull of minos. Minos was a human king whose son was born with a bull's head and tail; thus, he came to be called the bull of Minos, minotaur. Minos's bull-headed son lived in the center of a labyrinth and was named Asterion, some say Asterius.
Fjord's name could mean a branching river. The flow of a river could never be stopped, as it goes around whatever blocks its path forward.
Aura's the name of the Titan of the breeze and the fresh, cool air of early morning. Wind, although a gentle force most of the time, could be a world-ending disaster if stirred too much.
Acco is a word that has many meanings, across many languages. In one, it could mean blade. In another, it could mean serpent. But the meaning I had in mind when I gave that name to him was that of overwhelming speed.
Melia's name's one that has nothing to do with her skills and is one that could refer to many things. One such thing's its meaning in one language, ash-tree. It could also refer to the meliae, nymphs that're mostly associated with trees.
Ray's name was chosen by someone else. I don't know what it means, sadly"
"Can I make an assumption, noble father?" Blanc was noting the meanings down, his mind analyzing them and making some links.
"What's the assumption? You can say it" Henryk wanted to sate his own curiousity about Blanc's findings.
"I noticed that we naturally took Ouros as our leader. Then, after a few days of staying together, Mont, I and Noland were close enough to each other that we could break each other out of character and were fighting with better synergy than the others, even under the effects of [Pack Member].
Olympia acts as if she is placed above others but knows where she would be crossing a line that she should not"
"Hey! You little prince! Don't go around spreading rumors!" She was ignored.
"Gracie has a different class to her appearance. She feels like a noble. She avoids saying a lot of things to avoid mistakes and only eats to satiate her hunger, not to eat her fill.
Gladia fears no monster no matter what and goes to challenge a few of them even if they are weaker than her. She purposefully uses [Duelist] on weaker monsters just for the sake of a challenge.
Scarlet is starting to act a little grumpy over the least of things that displease her. She looks at those things as if she was always ready to burn them.
Alexander is the only one who could talk, so he is the only one I can safely give an opinion on. He is boisterous, overly so. He is also overly optimistic and is hungry for combat in spite of his body's anatomy.
But if I can say anything about our other siblings, then I will say this.
Flora always searches for plants and hovers over them if she finds any. Melia is starting to follow in her footsteps.
Peppers always seems to want to spray anyone with some spices to irritate their eyes and noses.
Luna always goes to the roof at night and stays there, looking at the moon, or so I assume. Her eyes do not move for me to know where she was really looking.
Bones always goes around searching in the remains of monsters we slay, as if looking for something. He may be looking for the bones and furs of monsters in their remains. He has also searched many trash cans and ate any bones he found before we could stop him.
Acco was trying to slam into some monsters after accumulating sufficient speed. Some of them even staggered and were left prone on their backs.
Fjord was trying to get out of the back lines and weave through monsters to heal us and go back.
Silvius was with us only from yesterday, there was no time for me to see or observe anything from him.
What applies to all of us is that we see each other as family. When you welcome us to the world and call us your family, we start seeing each other that way over time"
'I just heard something I shouldn't. They may have gone to the dungeon yesterday. I know I told them to do what they wanted, but they went back to the dungeon? Really?' "So, you're suggesting that your names and the meaning I had in mind for them, my first words to you and the things I intended for you decide your personality and how you see things? Is that what you're trying to reach?" Henryk said.
They kept on having small talk for a few minutes before they reached the seventh floor.
"The experimenters are simple. We test the limitations of [Claim] today. Blanc, I want you note the experiments and their results down on the site. Can I leave that to you?" Henryk said.
"Yes, noble father, with pleasure" Blanc said while giving a small bow to Henryk.
"Now, Ouros" Henryk said.
"Yes, father" Ouros said.
"We will start by testing how big you can make the area you claim. Next, we will know how many can be claimed at a time. After that, we will also test its flexibility in the shapes it allows you to make. Any further testing will be discussed once we're done with these three" Henryk said while looking around for any ill-fated monsters that could cross their path.