Bird Shenanigans

"Ahem. Please rise, then show your back to me. I'll give you a Falna."

Hearing Isaac's words, Ray got excited. She had aimed to escape the shackles that the dungeon had restrained her kin with for many years now, and with a temporary escape from them finally within reach, her heart couldn't help but beat a lot faster.

After she had done as he had instructed, something suddenly occurred to her, causing her to frown in worry and glance at him with concern.

"What about the dungeon? If it detects your Ichor, then…"

In response, the young man only shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry about it, this isn't the first time that I've given someone a Falna while still in the dungeon. I have my ways of concealing it."

Successfully having placated her with his confident demeanour, Isaac repeated the procedure that he had tested on Titania a short while ago. Needless to say, it went a lot more smoothly this time. He didn't mind the other two Xenos curiously observing everything from the side and mainly focused on avoiding even the slightest slip up regarding blurring the existence of his Ichor from the dungeon.

He could have also attempted to give the Siren a Falna from afar, but there was no need to complicate matters. What if he actually, against all odds, messed up and caused the dungeon to react, purely because he wanted to increase the difficulty for his own enjoyment? It was fine to put himself at risk, but implicating others - at least the ones that weren't irrelevant - wasn't one of his favourite pastimes, not in the slightest. He could experiment with combining both of these techniques another time.

Although she couldn't feel his Ichor coursing through her back, a certain warmth still spread through Ray's body shortly after Isaac had begun. She closed her eyes to concentrate on the sensation, a radiant smile spreading on her lips. For a while, or maybe just a moment, she was lost in this state. She wasn't clear how much time had passed when she finally opened her eyes again. Right after Isaac's finger had left her back, her entire body had started to feel... ever so slightly different.

Leaving the Siren to thoroughly inspect the very minor changes that were a result of his blessing, the god responsible for it all spared some time to glance at her Status via the system, as well as to read the notification that had appeared in the process of giving her a Falna.

[ Ray has joined your familia.

Quest 'Have six familia members.' completed. 600 AP rewarded. ]

[ Name: Ray ]

[ Familia: Isaac Familia ]

[ Affiliation: Isaac Blackshaw's Subordinate (Retainer, Familia) ]

[ Race: Siren Variant ]

[ Level: 5 ]

[ Age: 19 ]

[ Loyalty: 70/100 ]

[ Stats ]

[ Strength: B-789 (31,047) ]

[ Endurance: B-780 (31,101) ]

[ Dexterity: A-893 (34,295) ]

[ Agility: S-958 (37,129) ]

[ Magic: S-957 (37,134) ]

[ Magic ]

[ None ]

[ Skills ]

[ Siren's Voice ]

[ Development Abilities ]

[ Hunter: G ]

[ Flying: F ]

[ Can be chosen from when ranking up: Abnormal Resistance, Spirit Healing ]

It was no wonder that Ray had been taken aback when they met again - after all, the last time that she saw him, her stats had been about two and a half times his own! And even now, they were still markedly impressive. Most veteran Level 5 adventurers wouldn't be her match, even by the time that they would finally get a chance to rank up.

What caught Isaac's attention first was her abnormally high Loyalty from the very beginning. While this would make the path to maxing it a bit shorter, which was welcome, it still caused his right eyelid to twitch a little upon recalling how she had behaved just moments prior.

In an attempt to clear his head from these distracting thoughts, he focused on something else - the fact that she had the 'Hunter' Development Ability. She could have only obtained it when she was still at Level 2 - in other words, shortly after she had been born. As monsters attacked Xenos as well, it wasn't hard to imagine how harsh her early life had to have been, all alone in the depths of the dungeon, surrounded by enemies on all sides. Somehow, she had made it through, but only after leaving a veritable bloodbath behind.

Even adventurers who tried their best to accomplish the necessary feat to unlock 'Hunter' frequently didn't succeed no matter how thorough their plans were, yet a lonely Xenos had done what they could not. But if looked at from another perspective, maybe this was only natural - those who ultimately managed to survive down here could only have done so by slaying countless monsters. Another reason for the Xenos being so exceedingly rare to encounter could also be that most simply didn't survive this ferocious baptism and succumbed to their endless foes.

Right underneath 'Hunter', there was a Development Ability that Isaac hadn't seen before - 'Flying'. It really didn't take a genius to guess its effects, but even if it was just to acquire the exact numbers for future reference, Isaac still set aside some time to take a glance at it.

[ Flying (F): Supports the stability of flight, decreases air resistance and improves the comprehension speed of three-dimensional maneuvers by 18%. Increases all stats by 9% during flight. ]

Of course, her as-of-yet-unknown Skill didn't escape his eyes either.

[ Siren's Voice: The user has the voice of a Siren.

Enables the user to infuse mana into the sound of their voice to achieve various effects that are mainly dependent on personal understanding. Enhances the user's hearing, making echolocation possible. ]

Most likely, every single Siren in existence relied on this Skill, so it was no wonder that Ray had it as well. It was similar to Averin's 'Atalantan Accelerate' in that it was inborn. Compared to that pure Agility-enhancement, however, it had far more potential because it didn't have a predefined limit of any sort. Depending on one's effort, it could produce vastly different results.

Thinking about the very miniscule amount of excelia that had been present when he had given Ray her Falna - not even enough for a single stat point - Isaac recalled something that he had wanted to ask for a while now.

"Ray, I have a question."

Taking note of his voice, she stopped observing the changes in her body, turned around and raised her head to look at her new lord.

"What is it, milord?"

For a considerable amount of time, she had thought long and hard about what to call him when finally ending up under his command. Originally, she had expected to only be in this position when he successfully found a way to rid all of the Xenos of their shackles, but due to Gros' determination to perform a proper deal and Lyd's and her own wordless acquiescence with his decision, she had become one of Isaac's people far earlier than planned. In any case, because she was already somewhat familiar with the way that some of her new comrades called the young man, she had long since chosen a proper way of address that fell in line with the others - or, more specifically, with Mina. Maybe it was due to the stories that Ray was infatuated with, but the term 'milord' seemed to have a nice ring to it…

A moment of silence followed her query. The expression on Isaac's face appeared to be frozen.

'It's spreading.'

Although he had never been the most ardent fan of being called 'milord', he wasn't against it either. Rather than feeling unpleasant, it felt… surreal. If one of his goals actually would have been to become a conventional ruler of some kind, then he wouldn't have even blinked an eye at this, but none of what he currently had in mind was even close to such a future! Still, because he had grown somewhat accustomed to Mina calling him this, and because it didn't make him feel uncomfortable, this new development - albeit taking him by surprise - only made him pause for a bit, followed by a short sigh. Without allowing himself to dwell on the topic any further, he voiced his inquiry.

"Before today, you couldn't earn excelia in the same way that adventurers do, so how did you all manage to grow stronger?"

At first, Ray was surprised, as she had expected him to already know about this matter, then she nodded in understanding.

"Ah, I see. Milord, you probably found Averin before he discovered this himself. We Xenos can digest other monsters' magic stones and improve our strength that way. I assume that the 'excelia' you mentioned is acquired in that process."

Isaac raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. Wasn't that similar to the way that Titania grew in strength? Then maybe, this quality wasn't inherent to Demi Spirits, but rather to monsters in general. Because the regular mindless ones would never attack each other, they also would never get an opportunity to notice this. But because the Xenos, as well as the Demi Spirits, were sentient, they had succeeded where their lesser brethren had failed.

'Wait a minute…'

As if he had suddenly realized something, a smirk played across his lips.

So far, Averin had only gained excelia by defeating monsters, due to having been bestowed with a Falna. But if what Ray said was true - and there was no reason to doubt her - then wouldn't it be possible for him and all other monster subordinates to gain double the excelia gain per slain foe if they simply ate the magic stones afterwards? Ray had grown to this point purely through magic stone consumption, so it wasn't hard to imagine that she would soar far, far faster in the future.

Of course, that was only if his assumption actually was the case, which was relatively likely. Perhaps a reason as to why it hadn't been possible to bestow a Falna upon monsters was that the 'balance' would have been broken otherwise. But then why had Isaac been able to bless them? As always, the answer to this question was - probably - the system, which simply disregarded such rules and barriers. Because it hadn't even deemed it necessary to notify him of this, it couldn't have been too fundamental of a law of this world that had been circumvented, else he would have had to fork out some AP to actually achieve this feat.

'I guess I finally have a use for all of these magic stones.'

Even if he wanted to lavishly spend his money, Isaac would still have a huge surplus of magic stones piling up in his inventory. He would need a decent number of them to study them in detail, but there would still be many leftovers. So instead of letting them rot away or exchanging them for more valis than he would ever need, he could just feed them to his numerous monster subordinates!

With these thoughts in mind, Isaac fished out a Nykur's magic stone from his inventory, masking its use with a pouch that was fastened to his belt as usual.

"Thanks for telling me, now it all makes sense. Here, dig in."

The Siren's eyes sparkled when she saw the 'delicious treat' in her lord's hand. It wasn't actually that large, maybe four or five bites would be sufficient to consume it whole. Because she didn't have hands, Ray couldn't truly hold anything and would usually awkwardly place her magic stones in a spot that was easy to eat from. As long as she didn't have to kneel down and eat them from the ground, then she was already happy. Hadn't Isaac given her a direct order to consume this stone? Didn't his hand make the perfect plate? As he was taller than her, she wouldn't have to do much more than to lower her head a little…

CRUNCH.

An awkward smile hung on Isaac's lips when he saw his new subordinate literally eat out of his hand. It felt like he was feeding a pet, but due to Ray sporting the face of a beauty, the whole situation turned a little uncomfortable. He had originally planned to test whether Ray could somehow hold the magic stone herself by pressing her wings together - although he didn't have high hopes for that - and would have levitated it in front of her after making sure of this. Well, due to his admittedly suboptimal word choice, he had given her the impression that it was already time to eat, so he hadn't had any time to implement or even mention this plan of his.

Due to her high stats, Ray didn't have any problems shattering the magic stone with her teeth, and the resulting sharp shards couldn't injure the inside of her mouth either. When coming in direct contact with her saliva, the shards melted at an incredible speed, causing Isaac to forget the discomfort of the situation and take note of this phenomenon. He hadn't noticed any oddities regarding the Sirens' saliva during his previous research, and admittedly, he highly doubted that there was anything special about it in particular. Instead, it was a lot more likely that this reaction was a result of the monsters' inborn ability to devour and digest magic stones. In any case, he would look into it in the future.

Right after Ray had gulped down the last of her snack, Isaac pulled his hand away quickly. For some reason, he felt like she might lick it clean otherwise, just like a cat lapping up the last remnants of her food. Thankfully, magic stones didn't actually stain his hand with any residue at all, but he just wanted to make sure.

Wordlessly, Isaac took out another Nykur magic stone and made it float right in front of Ray's face, before looking at Lyd and Gros, who both sported similarly awkward expressions. At this point, he really didn't feel like testing Ray's physical capabilities in detail.

"Lead the way."

All three of them wanted nothing more than to dispel the sensitive atmosphere, so they quickly hurried to a staircase leading to the 19th floor, one of the ones that weren't located in Rivira. While they were rushing through the next few floors, Ray silently munched away on the various magic stones that her lord sent her way. Although she felt extremely embarrassed for having misinterpreted his words and instinctively eaten out of his hand in the beginning… it wasn't too bad a memory.

[ Ray's Loyalty has increased by 5. ]

Whether this notification popped up due to the happiness that resulted from getting fed a steady stream of nutritious delicacies, or because he hadn't openly chided her for her unbecoming behaviour, that couldn't be determined.

About half an hour later, the group of four arrived on the 24th floor, in a region quite far from any of the ones that adventurers would usually explore. Another five minutes after that, Isaac, who had been using his Eyes of Hermes all this while, perceived something at the edge of his mana-based vision.

A distance of multiple kilometers away, deep within this labyrinth of trees and caves, a huge cavern could be made out. Hundreds of monsters, consisting of plenty of different species that shouldn't be on this floor, could be found within, all interacting peacefully with each other. Some of them behaved remarkably human-like, while others only had the light of sentience shining in their eyes. The chatter of several hundred individuals entered his ears at the same time.

"I wonder when Ray will come back? Is that mysterious deity really as dashing as she said?"

A Harpy was drowning the Arachne next to her under a flood of words, starry-eyed and excited like a teenager talking about the latest celebrity news. Although the only answers that she got were distracted "Mhmm"'s and "I see"'s, she blabbered on nearly unabated.

"Have you eaten already? If not, I'll whip something up."

Seemingly, the Xenos didn't only feed on magic stones and the nutrients obtained from Pantries - which Isaac had yet to study in any relevant detail - but also consumed regular food. Some of the plants growing down here in the dungeon could be cooked and would make outstanding meals, and a few of the Xenos gathered here had picked up the necessary skills. One of them was the amicable-looking Hobgoblin currently talking to a Needle Rabbit who had just awoken from her midday nap.

Many heartwarming scenes laid themselves bare to Isaac, but there was also some conflict that would never be absent when there were people. It was a lot less prevalent than usual, mostly because all of them were legitimately in the same boat and doing their best to survive together, but a few individuals couldn't help but stir up trouble or mutter unhappily under their breaths, cursing their fellow kin for perceived injustices. In other words: same old, same old.

None of all of this surprised Isaac, what actually did was the fact that all the paths leading towards this cavern led to nowhere. Or rather, straight into walls.

He had seen such a method of concealment before, back when he had discovered the manmade labyrinth, Knossos. But this time, all of these walls were completely natural and couldn't be told apart from the rest of the dungeon under normal circumstances.

From what he could gather at a quick glance, there were mainly two ways to notice this particular massive cavern and the associated peculiarities. Firstly, if one created a 3D model of the surroundings, one would notice that there was a larger empty space than normal, so one could possibly deduce that there might be 'something' there. And secondly, by comparing the mana flowing through the walls, one could observe that it was a tiny bit less dense in the portions of the walls that hid the caves that led straight to the cavern.

Honestly, without the ability to do either of these things - or to directly see it, like Isaac just did - it would be close to impossible to stumble across a place like this.

Very quickly, the group arrived in front of one of the walls that Isaac had taken note of. After looking around cautiously, to make sure that nobody else was around, Lyd turned to Ray. The Siren nodded, closed her eyes, opened her mouth and let out a sound. Although it couldn't be heard by anyone aside from her due to its frequency, Isaac could still pick up on the powerful soundwaves. Seconds later, she opened her eyes again and gave a reassuring nod.

"It's all clear."

These words observably lightened the burden on Lyd's and Gros' shoulders, so after relaxing a little, the Lizardman decided to address Isaac.

"Right behind this wall is one of our hidden villages. We just have to break down this obstacle and mother will ensure that it will perfectly recover in a matter of minutes. Oh, 'mother' is what we usually call the dungeon, by the way!"

Isaac didn't bother to reveal that he already knew about what lay beyond, so he asked a question instead.

"How did you find this place if it is so well hidden?"

In response, Lyd awkwardly scratched his head, as if searching for a proper answer. It wasn't like he was trying to mislead him, rather, what he was trying to explain was simply difficult to put into words.

"I… I don't know. Sometimes, one of us just 'feels' like there is a safe place nearby. It happened to me once. I had the gut feeling that if I broke down a specific wall nearby, I would discover another hidden village. But really, I honestly have no idea why that happened. We Xenos just assume that mother is guiding us, as well as providing safe havens for us."

After a short pause, the friendly Lizardman continued.

"There aren't actually too many of these places. They start to appear on the 19th floor, and in all the time that our kin has been around, we have only found less than a handful of them on each floor. But anyway, it's time to enter. We shouldn't keep everyone waiting."

While Gros was getting into position to charge straight through the wooden wall, Isaac nodded to himself. Lyd's explanation had answered another one of his questions: Why hadn't he found any of these places himself so far? If it truly was as Lyd had claimed, and they only started to show up in the latter part of the Middle Floors, then it was no wonder. He hadn't fully explored any of these floors - far from it - and as these hidden areas seemed to be few and far between, he just hadn't come upon any ever since obtaining the Eyes of Hermes. Yet again, what was at play was simply probability.

With a loud crash, the wall in front of the group gave way to Gros' massive body. Wooden splinters shot in all directions, so everyone shielded their eyes in advance to avoid getting injured in those most delicate spots. Well, admittedly, due to Isaac's high Endurance stat, he didn't have much of a need to actually do this. His Agility would also enable him to dodge every single one of them...

"Come on in, milord!"

Sporting a smile, Ray led Isaac into the revealed pathway that was connected straight to the Xenos' hidden village, following right after Lyd and Gros who were trotting ahead.

When they arrived at the end, right where this long cave opened up into the massive cavern, the huge assortment of monsters was already waiting for them. This was only to be expected, as the method of entry to this place was extremely loud. Most of them were excited, happy to welcome back their leaders, the pillars of their spiritual support. Then, when they finally noticed that the three had brought someone along, the majority became guarded. Yet, there was still a sizable portion that mainly eyed Isaac with gazes full of curiosity and many other positive or neutral emotions.

"Everyone, we're back! This is our benefactor, Isaac Blackshaw, who will help rid us of our shackles. He's the one who Ray mentioned before."

With a cheerful grin, Lyd opened his arms wide and walked towards his fellow kin, introducing Isaac in the process, to dispel the wary atmosphere a little.

Upon hearing his words, most Xenos began to cheer, which sounded quite… odd. The voices of many different monster species blended together, resulting in a weird chorus. Still, their joy and welcoming intentions were clearly conveyed. Some shed tears upon finally seeing a glimmer of hope at the end of this dark tunnel, while others cautiously glanced in Gros' direction. Only upon seeing him - reluctantly - nod did they allow themselves to show joyous smiles as well.

The Xenos were a tragic community bound by an unfortunate fate, so even though this could just as well be a false hope, a hoax, most of them still allowed themselves to fall for it. Being cautious is all well and good, but when one's back is against the wall, one doesn't have the luxury of missing out on a chance that may never come again. They were well aware of this.

"RAY!"

After she had overcome her initial surprise at encountering a stranger, the same Harpy that had gossiped about Isaac moments prior flew directly at Ray and used her wings to envelop her in a tight hug. It seemed like the two of them were quite close, judging from how the Siren beamed happily and hugged her back.

"You don't need to worry about me every time I go out, Fear. It's only been a few hours this time, too…"

Cheeky laughter escaped the Harpy's mouth, then she looked up at the Siren that she thought of as her elder sister and stuck out her tongue.

"No matter how many times you tell me, I'll still do it!"

As Ray was smirking helplessly, Fear seemed to remember something and turned her head to look at Isaac, the interest in her eyes blazing at maximum output.

'Introductions, especially when meeting such massive crowds, are always a pain…'

Even though the young man inwardly complained, he only showed a likeable smile on the outside, preparing himself to listen to hundreds of names and to shake just as many hands… or wings… or whatever other appendages that his conversation partners actually had instead of the standard ones. That was when Fear let go of Ray and rushed up to him, gazing at him from up close. She seemed naive and innocen---

"You're even hotter than Ray said! Can I have a turn as well~?"

Nevermind, scratch that. This one was a free-spirited pervert.