Take#1, Chapter 4: Party and Taming

"When is he going to arrive?"

"Captain, I know you are excited, but be patient"

After their little extra adventure yesterday, meeting Welf and getting Bell's armor and Henryk's mace and shield, they woke up today anticipating a few things.

While they waited for Welf to arrive near the fountain in the plaza, Henryk was combing through Fey's feathers with his fingers.

Some passing adventurers eyed Fey for a bit. They ignored her existence because of a collar she was wearing. The guild announced that any monster wearing this is to be left alone until it attacks first. Ganesha familia would issue collars for monsters that are under their tamer's control.

Although Fey was not under control, nobody could prove it. The collar was issued after a series of tests and allowed her through the city. It was under the condition that Henryk, her tamer, was in proximity.

If adventurers saw her in the dungeon, they are to leave her so long the collar was not removed by Henryk himself. Across the entire city, he was the sole holder to the keys that remove the collar.

"Good morning, both of you. Have you been waiting for long?"

"Good morning, Welf" Bell gave back the greetings.

"Look who finally decided to show up" Henryk said it his way, it was accompanied with a relaxed smile.

"Let's go" Bell was the leader. If he went on an adventure, they followed.

(Line Break)

They first wanted to see how far they could go with Welf in the party. They were able to go down to the 6th floor without getting into trouble.

It was not just Welf who fought well against war shadows and frog shooters, Fey was also strong enough with her new body.

She now acquired the ability to perform a multitude of new moves.

Some of these moves include a slam attack, running and ramming into the monsters, claw swipes, backwards kick and also a grab attack.

Her strength improved to the point she could pick up light monsters like those present in the upper floors and fling them around. He did not view her fake falna yet.

Henryk also observed an improvement in her ability to understand and follow commands. He told Fey to just eat the magic stones of monsters she hunted herself.

He told Fey to go hunt on her own if she wishes, staying in earshot.

(Line Break)

"So, can we start experimenting? I will voice the plan aloud again. Today, we will conduct an experiment with my skills as a tamer"

"Are you sure a person like me should know of your skills?" Welf needed answers. Things like these were normally top secret. Even among familia members, some kept their skills secret.

"With you treating captain like your younger bro, I see no problem. Also, Hephaestus's beloved Welf is a trustworthy man"

"You, how did you know? I'm pretty sure I didn't hint at it, even" They only met once, in which, he did not mention Hephaestus at all.

"I heard a thing or two"

"I wonder which drunk bastard told you" Welf was okay with it, really. It was not so much of a secret that he still looks at Hephaestus in that way.

"A very sober bastard. Don't worry, I smacked him good" Welf smiled wildly and gave him a bros' handshake.

"Henryk, I think we should hurry up"

"Nuh huh, captain. You should sound more confident. Say this, "Hurry up". That would sound more confident and much more suitable for a leader" Although he said that, Henryk already stood up and prepared for what was to come.

"I seriously question who's the captain here. No hard feelings, Bell" Welf doubted.

"I am new to this" Bell tried to reason in his favor.

"That's why you are learning. Now, back to the experiment. We will purposefully go to floor 6 to acquire magic stones of stronger species. After which, we will search for kobolds and try to tame them" Henryk looked towards Welf, who noticed the attention on him. "My skill needs us to weaken the monsters first. Then, I'm to feed them a magic stone. We want to know the limits of this skill"

*crack* "Arrgg"

"How lucky" Henryk smiled deviously. His target just spawned when he needed it. What more, it was alone.

"If you excuse me, captain?" Bell nodded. "Flank it. We will surround it and tire it out. The first test is to know if weakening the monster includes getting tired"

After tiring it out by jumping away from its attacks, baiting it to attack empty air to simply push the kobold around, it finally started getting exhausted.

"Hold its arms and legs for me"

"Yes" Bell responded.

"Roger that" Welf responded after him.

"AWWWWW AW AW AWWW- omm ooommmm" Henryk threw the magic stone in its mouth and shot it close with his hands. He was not stupid enough to put his delicate and soft fingers in that mouth, filled with sharp teeth. His fingers might be bitten off.

After struggling a bit more, the kobold calmed down. "Release it, slowly, and carefully"

They started by releasing the legs. They then grabbed their weapons and readied themselves. After releasing its hands, they jumped away before its feet touched the ground.

"Wuff hah hah hah wuff" The kobold's eyes lost their red glow and showed a pair of normal canine eyes behind it. This one's eyes were dark brown, like dark chocolate.

"Arf?" The kobold tilted its head. It did not know why Henryk was hesitating.

"Come here" Henryk trusted that the other two were ready just in case it did something. So, he put his mace on the ground and readied the round shield strapped to his left arm. He stretched his right palm forward with his other arm ready to bash the kobold.

"Arf" *sniff* The kobold sniffed his hand and then rubbed his snout and face all over it affectionately.

"Look at this good boy. Haha, get some more rubs" Henryk rubbed it even more. It seems to like it.

"You know what? How would you like the name Ouros?"

"ARF" Ouros liked his new name, evident by his licking of Henryk's face.

*crack* "The dungeon is such a killjoy" Henryk complained.

*crack* *crack* "Okay. I won't say that again, promise" An apology was in order, the dungeon was alive after all.

The dungeon spawned around two goblins, initially. The petty thing responded to Henryk's taunt by spawning seven more goblins and nine kobolds from a side path.

*WHISTLE* Henryk whistled in a certain way, with a lot of alternating ups and downs. Fey would understand that a threat is where he is and come to assist.

"PIE" Right as the first monster got out of the wall, Fey arrived and murdered it mid-flight.

"Captain, can you and Welf stay back? I want to experience the thrill and enjoy my fights as a tamer" Henryk said with a glint in his eyes.

"Yes. Welf, you will be our support. Kill any monsters that add to the already existing ones. Can you?"

"Be assured and fight to your heart's contents" Welf readied himself for defending the party's back.

"Fey, Ouros, keep three kobolds alive. We will try taming them"

"Pie"

"Arf"

They both agreed with Henryk's words. It would not hurt to have a larger party.

"Fey, kill the first goblin with your talons then fling the next using a headbutt. Send him towards a stalactite. Ouros, slash the necks and inner thighs of the kobolds you will kill. If you can't, then stab at their hearts" Henryk gave his instructions.

As Ouros got to his job, Henryk monitored Fey's progress. She just reached the first goblin and scratched its magic stone, turning it into black dust.

"Fey, as you lower your beak, bite down the third's neck. Then fling its corpse at the fourth. Aim for the fifth's life then return for the fourth's" He gave her some more instructions and went back towards Ouros.

"Ouros, duck" Ouros avoided the fourth kobold's sneak attack. He already managed to kill two of the nine kobolds and left the third bleeding from its femoral artery, fated to soon die.

Ouros noticed the pesky kobold who tried the stealthy approach. "Hold your claws out and spin as you stand up. Then jump at the next kobold in front of you"

Henryk looked back at Fey's side. She was almost done. "Fey, above you and a little to the front. There is a dungeon lizard. Backflip under it to catch it off guard with your beak. Bite its life out" And Fey listened.

As the lizard fell from the dungeon's ceiling, Fey backflipped and caught it in her beak. The flip helped to absorb the momentum of the falling lizard. The next thing the lizard knew was a world of pain, followed by darkness that will never end.

"Fey, kick backwards and then charge at the goblin in front of you, ram it through the wall" Fey felt the weight of a goblin against her hooves. The kick broke its ribcage, making it harder to breathe or move. As Fey charged at the other goblin, Henryk went to crush the head of the downed goblin with his mace, splattering its brain everywhere.

Fey slammed her head against the goblin's, giving it a concussion. She then bit its neck, severing an artery. The other goblins were easy pickings.

As for Ouros, he was toying with the last three kobolds. He kept them alive as instructed.

"Fey, step on the backs of two kobolds. Ouros, hold the third from behind" They went to action quickly. The two kobolds were given no chance to retaliate.

"Now, we have three magic stone types to test today. A frog shooter's, a kobold's and a floor one goblin's"

The first was the frog shooter's, it was a success. This one was named Mont.

The next one was a kobold from the same floor. This one was named Blanc, and he was the first to change form as the skill described. He took the form of a grey Irish Wolfhound.

The third and last one was the floor one goblin. It failed. "Captain, should I feed it a few more?" As Henryk suspected, it will not always be a success.

"You can try" Bell gave him approval to try more.

"Here we go" Henryk tired the kobold out again.

After repeating the process around three more times with floor one goblins' magic stones, it finally bore fruit. This one was named Noland.

'I must admit. Naming them like this feels a little cringe' Henryk internally cringed at their names.

"Well, conclusion time. It seems that the same level stones have a high success rate, rather than a guarantee. Lower levelled magic stones don't succeed from the first try or they just have lower success rates. Higher levelled magic stones are likely to be a guarantee, if not near guaranteed to succeed"

"That's busted. Do you know how many monster materials you would be able to gather with this type of ability?" Welf's inner craftsman was crying for not having this ability. How many weapons would he be able to make without stepping foot in the dungeon or purchasing materials for exorbitant prices from the market?

"That, young Welf, is called farming. I know what I could do if I exploit this ability"

"Now that I noticed, your sizes are not natural, eh?"

Blanc's height became 2.1 meters. He had a grey shaggy coat and amber golden eyes.

Ouros was fed a kobold's magic stone and became a black and red German Shepherd variant. His height became 1.9 meters. His eyes remained a dark chocolate-brown.

Mont became a black Great Dane variant with ocean-blue eyes. His height became 2.1 meters.

Noland became a black and silver Siberian Husky with soul-piercing, bright cyan eyes. 'Hopefully we will be able to sleep the night without any emergency sirens going off'. His height became 2.3 meters.

All four kobolds were moderately muscular. Their muscles were not buff enough to hinder their movement, unlike some bodybuilders.

As for Fey, she was approximately 1.9 meters high at the shoulders and 2.05 from shoulder to tail. Her wings relocated to her back rather than her neck, which was the eagle part of her. The eagle half consisted of the shoulders, front legs, neck and head. Her feathers did not grow to where her wings were but still gave her a softer feeling when looked at. "I can ride your back now, Fey" 'Shit! I said it in front of her. What would she think of me now?'

"PIE" Fey was happy and horsed around. She forgot how big she had become and threw herself at Henryk, pushing him to the ground.

"That's my girl" 'She's happy, I guess' He rubbed her neck lightly. "Now, if you could move aside, Fey. We are returning home after visiting Ganesha's familia"

"Pie" Fey complied and moved aside.

(Line Break)

"MONSTERS!" Civilian 1.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Civilian 2.

"UWAAAA MOMMMYYY" A kid who is scared shitless.

"RUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNN!!!" A passing civilian screamed at the crying kid, scoping him up and running to safety with him.

"Um, sir guard? These are tamed monsters. Can you lower your weapons?" It was good that Henryk instructed everyone to never bare a fang or a claw at anyone outside the dungeon, unless they attack.

"No can do" The guard was being stubborn.

"I was just going to the Ganesha familia to register them"

"Papa told Fey and Fey's brothers to not hurt people. Papa told Fey and Fey's brothers to run first. Oh oh, papa also told Fey and Fey's brothers to only defend but not attack" Fey started talking. She talked in a slow, stretched out manner.

"Is there a kid here?" Henryk heard the soft voice and speech pattern of a kid. He was wondering who the calm and collected kid was. They must have been the bravest kid out there, to speak from beside a monster.

"PAPA, FEY'S NOT A KID ANYMORE!" Henryk turned to his front, to where the sound came from. He saw a dream come true. His girl was the one talking.

'But monsters should not be able to talk?' Everyone aside from Henryk thought.

"THAT'S MY GIRL!" He cared no more about her supposedly not being able to talk. He hugged her neck dearly. It comforted her.

"They are in their own world, huh?" The leading guard said. This scene left a little impression on him. He lowered his weapon.

"Sir, are you sure? We are still not sure of this monster's state. It may be dangerous" An accompanying guard said. He was still raising his spear, as he had no guarantee on this monster, aside from the collar that seems all the more uncertain now that the monster spoke.

"Look at them. Although he rides the monster's back, he hugs it like his own child. That is something you cannot fake this good. What you see in front of you right now is a family". The lead guard breathed in, and then, "ALL GUARDS, LOWER YOUR WEAPONS! WE ESCORT THEM TO OUR FAMILIA'S HOME TO GET THE OTHERS THEIR OWN COLLARS! WE, THE GANESHA FAMILIA, WILL NOT BE TEARING ANY FAMILY APART, EVEN ONE WITH MONSTERS IN IT"

"OOOHHHHHHHH!!!"The group, especially the women, were touched by the scene. It reminded the guards of a family. They will not be people who pull a family apart because of their appearance or race. They raised their weapons high and issued a battle cry to signify their determination.

(Line Break)

"BU-HA-HA-HHA-HA-HA-HA-HHA-HA-HA! HOW MUCH FUN THAT WAS!" Ganesha was laughing his heart out. "You must inform me beforehand the next time you tame something, though. The masses don't take well to unidentified monsters roaming the city, or any monster, to be more accurate. Forget that. I, Ganesha, would be the reason they remain calm once they see them standing near me without me reacting negatively" Ganesha still somehow managed to slip in his name in the middle while he was wiping the tears his laughter formed. Henryk wondered how his face looked under that mask, though. Ganesha did not remove it.

"As you say. Now, Ganesha, shall we give them the collars?" Henryk was feeling eased in the face of the elephant-masked god.

"Papa's right. Fey's new brothers need to be given freedom" Fey commented wholeheartedly. She wished for the day she and her new brothers would be able to run or fly around without their collars.

"Of course, little Fey. We will give your brothers their freedom eventually, however long that may take" Ganesha's tone turned serious at the end there. 'I must have a meeting with Ouranos. This may be our best shot at freeing the xenos from public opinion. Sorry in advance, little girl. I will be using your unique situation to our advantage'

"I may need to give the kobolds some clothes as well" Henryk contemplated aloud.

"What a wonderful idea. I, Ganesha, wouldn't think of a better thing to give them to wear in public. They have a human build after all" 'His skill is fascinating, truly. Especially how it transformed a normal animal into a monster, then into a possible xenos. This is the first of many steps. Ouranos is going to be pleased with this news, if he didn't hear them already'

(Line Break)

After bidding farewell to Welf, the duo, and a pack of monsters following them, headed back to the church.

"We are back, lady goddess" Bell announced their return.

"BEEELLLL- BELL, MONSTERS!!!" Hestia was about to launch herself at him, that was until she saw the monsters behind him. There were a bunch of what looked like overly furry and jacked humanoid dogs. They were too big to be anything but monsters.

"Calm down, Hestia. These are all monsters we tamed today. They are all good boys" Henryk assured his goddess.

"Yes, short lady. Fey's new brothers are good brothers" Fey said in her piece.

"HUH?!! FEY TALKED!! FEY TALLLLKEDDD!!" Hestia could not handle so many surprises at once and fainted on the spot.

"Short lady, wake up" Fey pecked Hestia's forehead after some time had passed.

"Who is the rude person calling me short?" Hestia's hazy eyes were heavy with sleep. Her hazy eyes focused on Fey, who was bending her neck to reach Hestia's vision. Hestia was laid on Fey's feathery side to sleep on till now.

"But short lady is a short lady?" Fey tilted her head in confusion. She truly saw Hestia only as a short lady.

"WH-"

"Can you hear us first?" Henryk was not going to tolerate someone treating his girl in a way that may harm her emotions.

Hestia took a moment to recompose herself, then nodded.

"Good. Now, apologize for getting scared of my sweet girl"

"I'm sorry, Fey. I shouldn't have been scared of you" Hestia apologized to Fey. She was still confused about how she should feel towards a talking monster, but Fey was Fey, and she was part of the familia already. 'Damn it. Gather yourself, Hestia. Fey's been a good girl all this time. What's the difference when she starts to talk?'

"Fey doesn't mind it. Short lady's kind to Fey" Fey lowered her neck and rubbed it on Hestia.

"Fey, your feathers are suffocating me. FEY!"

"Hehe" Hestia's cries for help continued for a little while longer, while Fey giggled and continued suffocating her.