Is It Wrong To Skitter In A Dungeon? Chapter 42: Aliens

Chapter 42: Aliens

“Hmm, not this one,” Taylor hummed to herself as she looked over a group of a dozen Gun Libellula she’d collected from the 23rd Floor. “I think this one could be decent… hmm.”

The Hestia Familia had gone down quite far in the Great Tree Labyrinth that day, only stopping and turning back before the 24th Floor once their training session was over.

“What are you doing, Lady Weaver?” Oriana asked as they headed back to their camp on the 18th Floor.

“Trying to decide which Gun Libellula I want to bring back with me,” Taylor replied.

“Oh… aren’t they all the same?” the knight asked, blinking a little.

“Not quite. While it’s true most monsters seem to be identical clones of each other, there are some subtle differences between some of them. Mutations that occur during manifestation,” Taylor said, pointing to one. “That Gun Libellula right there can regrow his spikes faster, but they’re weaker than the spikes of his brothers. And that one next to him has longer spikes but they’re a bit more unwieldy because of that, making them drop off sooner.”

“Huh,” Oriana muttered, squinting at the two monsters, trying to spot what Taylor had just pointed out. “Nope can’t tell.”

“My Skill helps,” the parahuman admitted.

“What exactly are you looking for in your next monster companion?” Lili wondered.

“Range and speed,” Taylor eventually said. “I want the Gun Libellula with the fastest and furthest shot.”

“I thought you would want the one with the strongest spikes,” Welf said.

“That would be nice, but the laws of physics still apply to certain things, and the greater the momentum behind an object, the more force it can deliver, meaning that even something small and soft, like say a coin-size piece of lead, can punch clean through a metal if fired fast enough,” Taylor replied. “Same principle behind why water jets can sheer through solid stone.”

“Oh!” Welf said, eyes brightening in understanding. “I get it, now!”

Taylor nodded, pleased she’d managed to impart some wisdom to him, before looking ahead at where Tammuz and Bell were acting as the vanguard, cutting down monsters left and right.

The former Vice-Captain of the Ishtar Familia was clearly skilled, as evidenced by how he cut down one Lizardman with his scythe before sending a wind blade flying off on the backswing that sliced apart a Dark Fungus that’d been behind it, using the reptilian monster as a meat shield in order to get closer.

The walking mushroom exploded, spraying spores everywhere, some of which landed on Tammuz, but he didn’t even flinch and just brushed them off.

“Are you okay? How did you do that?” Bell asked.

“Once you have G-ranked Abnormal Resistance you’ll be immune to anything the Great Tree Labyrinth can throw at you, as well as anything from the Upper and Middle Floors,” Tammuz revealed to Bell. “It doesn’t do to become arrogant, though, as there are still monsters on the Deep Floors with toxins that make everything up here seem like child’s play.”

“Whoa,” Bell muttered.

“Eye forward, Bell!” Taylor called out. “There’s a group of Battle Boars coming!”

The white-haired adventurer nodded, turning serious as a trio of massive boars smashed through the undergrowth. He shot forward, piercing one in the eye and killing it instantly before leaping over its crumpling remains, slashing through the neck of the second before landing on the skull of the third and crushing it.

In an instant all three were dead, and Lili snatched up the Magic Stones that’d dropped, as well as a single tusk.

Tammuz gave a single nod at Bell for his attack, acknowledging the talent he’d display. While they did that, Mikoto cut and peeled strips of wood from the walls around them, selecting only the best pieces for their Familia’s future use.

When they reached the 18th Floor, Taylor had finally made her decision, and selected the Gun Libellula that could shoot its spikes fastest and furthest after testing them all. The losers were slain and their Magic Stones fed to the ‘winner.’

“Yes, yes, you’ll get a treat, too,” Taylor assured Chris, who was looking at her with his best approximation of puppy dog eyes. She took out a Magic Stone from a Lizardman that’d dropped earlier and tossed it to him. He happily gobbled it up out of the air.

“You really enjoy the Magic Stones from the reptilian monsters, don’t you?” she hummed as she patted the giant mantis on the head. He chirped in agreement, causing her to smile a little before she checked his back.

“Looks like it’ll be time to trim some crystals, too,” she commented.

The crystalline growths on his carapace could be removed when they got too big without hurting him, and they didn’t dissolve into ash afterwards, meaning they could be used in armor.

Was it because they could become Drop Items in regular Crystal Mantises? Or did all the Magic Stones he gobble up transfer some of their essence into his body and make him more stable? Whatever the reason, it meant Welf got to craft with the free materials at least, and he was working on creating an entire suit of magic reflecting armor for her once he had enough.

'Of course, that's not the only change I've noticed around me,' Taylor thought to herself, glancing down at her false arm.

Ever since waking up from her coma, her prosthetic had seemed... better. Magic flowed through it far more smoothly than ever before, and Welf's Magic Blade Cartridges seemed more potent than usual. It responded to her thoughts better than her own, organic arm.

And, sometimes... she felt sensation through it. Almost like Phantom Limb Syndrome, but at the same time, more than that. As if her arm could somehow feel and act like a regular limb once more.

Furthermore, the golden limb was shinier than normal. More golden, if that made sense. Almost impossible to notice when on the surface, even at night, but in the dark corridors of the Dungeon? A faint, sun-like shine radiated off of it. Her arm didn't stay filthy, either. Grime, be it dirt or blood, just slid right off, leaving the limb as perfectly pristine as the day it'd been forged. More so, given the whole 'shining' thing going on.

But the most unusual aspect of this was the fact nobody could detect any magic from the arm. Neither Welf, the creator, or Hestia, a literal goddess, could figure out why the arm was acting this way. They all saw it and noticed the changes to her limb, but couldn't work out how it was possible.

'I have my suspicions as to the cause, though,' Taylor mused.

It all boiled down to what had happened that night when she'd confronted Ishtar and slain her. Rather, a memory from a few books she'd read back on Earth Bet of a process known as 'Mantling.'

Was it possible her arm had become attuned to the essence of Khepri when she had claimed that name as her own? There was, indeed, a god - or rather, goddess - with that name in this world, and she'd even descended, but nobody had seen her in over four centuries.

'Could it even be possible for that to happen?' the parahuman wondered.

While she was thinking all of this, they left the Large Tree Labyrinth and began making their way back to the spot they'd agreed to meet up with the rest of the Familia.

Walking through the 18th Floor, the group Taylor was with found the other half of the Hestia Familia trudging back from the 17th Floor, tired and dirty but with great big smiles on their faces.

“Seems like you had fun,” Taylor said with a smirk.

“This kids have a ton of potential!” Aisha said, slapping Haruhime on the back. “And this one here is a real game changer!”

“Yes, Miss Sanjouno’s Spell is very impressive,” Ryuu agreed.

“It doesn’t last very long and it can only affect one person at a time,” the renard said bashfully.

“Being able to temporarily go up a whole Level is already a boon,” Karen assured her. “And you got the hang of using a spear quickly as well.”

“Yeah! In fact, I bet your Spell will get stronger as you do!” Iris agreed.

The blonde fox-girl just blushed, but the wagging of her tail gave away her true emotions. Taylor knew she still had nightmares, and had more than once helped comfort her afterwards, but she was slowly recovering from her ordeal.

“Good to hear it,” Taylor said, glad they managed to get some good exercise in before looking around. “This seems like a good place to set up camp. Lili?”

“Yes, Miss Taylor!” Lili said, summoning the tents and other camping supplies out of her pocket dimension. Everyone got to work setting things up, and afterwards the girls went to take bathes, leaving the boys to watch over their stuff.

“Shampoo, please,” Taylor asked Lili, and the pallum passed over a bottle, along with a brick of soap for the whole group to use.

“Ooo, is that the lavender-orange stuff the Miach Familia has started selling?” Lucia asked as she smelled them.

“It is. I rather like it,” Taylor said.

“Can I borrow some?” Ryuu asked.

“Of course,” Taylor assured her. “There’s enough for everyone. Though only for two days.”

‘What did you eat to get such a body?” Gina asked, staring enviously at the older Amazon’s curvaceous figure, Primo and Leo also looking on with envy.

“Camels!” Aisha replied with a laugh as she sank into the small, secluded lake.

“Really?” Gina blinked.

“Really!” Aisha nodded. “I grew up in the Kaios Desert. Goats, sheep, and camels are pretty much the only livestock over there. Some horses, though those aren’t for eating. And if you’re desperate there’s always Sand Snakes, Rock Lizards, or a bunch of other things out in the desert.”

“I hear snake is a lot like chicken,” Karen hummed.

“It is,” Oriana confirmed. “Stringier, though. I prefer wyverns. They taste like a fattier pheasant.”

“You’ve eaten wyverns?” Emma asked, surprised.

“Of course! Monsters outside of the Dungeon don’t disappear when they die. Gotta use ‘em for something!” Aisha spoke up. “Had to eat a Sand Worm, once. Do not recommend it, even with hot sauce!”

“Sand Worms… are they some sort of descendant of the Dungeon Worm?” Taylor asked

“Guess so. Look like ‘em. They can get a lot bigger than ol’ Debbie, though,” the Amazon said. “Most tend to be small, but the oldest and biggest can swallow entire caravans!”

“Your hair is as beautiful as always,” Mikoto praised Haruhime as she ran a brush over her silky blonde locks. “I missed being able to brush and comb it.”

“You’ve gotten better,” Haruhime said with a smile. “How are Chigusa and the others doing?”

“They’re in Orario with Lord Takemikazuchi,” Mikoto told her. “I’m sure they’d be happy to see you again.”

“That sounds nice,” the renard said softly.

As the girl’s had girl-talk, Taylor could hear the boys having their own discussions through her swarm.

“So, Bell, what’s it like, dating the Sword Princess?” Welf asked Bell.

“I-it’s nice,” the white-haired adventurer said, blushing slightly. “She’s a bit quiet, but she likes walking around the city and people-watching.”

“People watching? Is that like bird watching?” Welf wondered.

“Yes. Ais likes to wander around and just see people doing their own things. She also likes playing with children. She and Syr have that in common.”

“Syr? The waitress?” Welf asked.

“Yes, she plays with children in an orphanage,” Bell informed them.

“So, what you’re saying is that you’ve gone on dates with two women?” Welf asked with a grin.

“I underestimated you, Lucky Rabbit,” Tammuz said. “To have two girlfriends at once… perhaps you would have indeed fit in with the Ishtar Familia like my former mistress desired.”

“Wh-what?!” Bell gasped. “Syr isn’t my girlfriend!”

“Sure she isn’t,” Welf drawled.

“W-what about you, Welf?” Bell asked, trying to distract them from his philandering ways. “Didn’t you say you were going to confess to Lady Hephaestus after the War Game? How did that go?”

“Another man of culture,” Tammuz hummed, looking at Welf in a new light. “Though my heart now belongs to Lady Hebert, I cannot deny that for a long time, Lady Ishtar had claimed it for herself.”

This time, it was Welf’s turn for his face to turn red from embarrassment. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“So it went well,” Bell said, smirking at his red-headed friend.

“Shut up!” Welf shouted, and Taylor shook her head.

‘Boys!’ she thought to herself in amusement.

One bath and a hearty meal of soup later, and everyone was feeling a lot better after their hard work that day.

‘Who knew a simple soup could taste so good?’ Taylor wondered to herself, before noticing somebody was approaching them. He was still a way out, and the captain of the Hestia Familia held back a sigh.

‘Now what?’ she wondered as she sent some of her insects towards the adventurer.

“Modaka, good to see you,” Taylor said through a bug clone that formed in front of the Ganesha Familia member.

“Y-you remembered my name?” he gasped in shock, more surprised by that then the eldritch buzzing swarm that’d just appeared.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” Taylor asked, confused.

“Most people tend to forget I even exist,” the Ganesha adventurer said with a sigh, before brightening up. “Oh! Thanks for the birds! Fresh eggs are a real luxury down here!”

“No problem,” the parahuman replied. “How can I help you?”

“Some guy from the Guild wanted me to pass on a message to ya,” the Level 4 said. “Said he’d be waiting for ya down at the lake near the stairs leading to the 19th Floor around midnight.”

“I see,” Taylor muttered. “Thank you for passing this on.”

“No problem,” he said. “Now I’m gonna go see if Bors has anything new on tap before I turn in for the night!”

With that, the Ganesha Familia member walked off, and Taylor shook his head before turning her attention back to her Familia.

“Everyone, I have a meeting to get to with a representative of the Guild at midnight,” Taylor informed them. “Ryuu, Bell, you two are in charge while I’m gone.”

The duo nodded, and Taylor lay onto her back to get some shuteye before her departure.

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A short nap later, and Taylor felt a little bit better. Her superhuman constitution really made it easier to recover from an intense session of killing monsters and she wasn’t a direct fighter in the first place.

She rose from the spot next to the fire and glanced around the camp, summoning Chris after seeing everyone was resting, with Debbie and the Gun Libellula keeping watch over them.

The ceiling was dark, the crystals that lit up the 18th Floor devoid of light, yet Taylor made her way without issue towards the spot she’d been told to go to.

At first, it seemed like nobody was there, but her swarm wasn’t so easily fooled unlike her eyes, and she was able to sense the aura of a Falna nearby, and turned to look in the direction. The invisible person was Level 4, but something was off about them.

“If you’re not going to show yourself, I’ll just leave,” Taylor called out. “I don’t have time to play games.”

“Forgive me,” a smooth voice called out as cloaked figure flickered into existence nearby. “I was simply curious about the woman who’s thrown Orario on its head, and wanted to see if your power of perception was as fearsome as they claimed.”

“Fels?” Taylor asked, squinting suspiciously at the cloaked figure.

They were dressed in an entirely form-covering black hooded robe, with metal gauntlets covering their hands. A blank mask covered their face, with no holes for eyes or mouth.

“Yes. A pleasure to meet you, Lady Weaver,” they said, a masculine voice emerging from the hood.

“Huh. I see why Ouranos said I’d be able to tell who you were when I met you,” Taylor muttered.

‘I suppose if gods can be real, why not animated skeletons?’ she thought to herself as her swarm examined him from a distance.

Because that was what Fels was beneath his robe: a walking, talking skeleton. Human, if her anatomy lesson from high school were worth a damn. Not that she knew what the skeleton of an elf or beastfolk would look like. Probably the same, honestly.

“Yes, most people tend to be taken aback by my appearance,” Fels chuckled. “Hence why I prefer to work in the shadows.”

“So what exactly do you want?” she asked. “Ouranos wasn’t very forthcoming.”

“There’s a good reason for that. First, though, we have to travel somewhere else.”

“I don’t like being lead around like a dog on a leash,” the parahuman warned him.

“Do not worry, this is the last step,” Fels promised.

“Where are we going?” Taylor asked.

“Are you up for a quick trip to the 27th Floor?” Fels asked, and the parahuman blinked.

“Pardon?”

“The 27th Floor is where we need to go,” Fels said. He gestured at her. “You are a Level 3 and can control monsters. I am Level 4, and know a few secret paths. We can reach it in a few hours and be back here by morning.”

Taylor frowned but after a moment nodded. “This better blow my mind,” she warned.

She got the feeling he was smirking at her as he turned away and led her towards the lower levels. Descending onto the 19th Floor, they rushed through, Chris keeping up with them easily enough.

A few monsters tried to stop them, but it seemed that the Dungeon wasn’t very active at night. Only a couple Dark Fungus and a few Bugbears parred their path. Chris cut them down easily before they reached the lower reaches and made all the way down to the 24th Floor.

“Welcome to the Second Line,” Fels said as they entered the 25th Floor, and Taylor took the chance to examine the new area, taking it all in so she could bring information map to her companions.

It wouldn’t be long before the Hestia Familia would venture down here on their own, after all, as the Great Tree Labyrinth’s recommended strength was Level 2 with stats of at least C rank, and most of them Level 2s would soon reach that point after a few more intense training sessions.

“So this is the Water City,” Taylor hummed. “It’s beautiful.”

The Water City, a semi-aquatic environment from the 25th to the 27th Floors. The three floors were connected to each other by a massive waterfall, the Great Fall, and long stretches of slick stone walkways.

If an adventurer wanted, they could ride the waterfall all the way down to the bottom, though only the strongest would risk such a thing, as here, numerous aquatic monsters were birthed from the Dungeon, including the terrifying Monster Rex Amphisbaena, which could travel freely between the floors using the Great Fall as a watery road.

The recommended Level for this area was 3, though veteran Level 2s with at least one Stat above B could handle the area if they worked together as a team and watched each other's backs.

‘We’ll have to take another training trip to Melen in order to get everyone accustomed to fighting around and in water,’ Taylor mused to herself. She wasn’t sure how many of them could actually swim in the first place.

“Follow me,” Fels said as he removed a bell from his robe, and rang it as he jumped off the edge of the Great Fall. Instead of plummeting like a stone, he was surrounded by a white glow that slowed his descent.

After a moment Taylor summoned her wings and flew down after him, while Chris leapt in after her. The trio plunged all the way down to the basin, bypassing most of the other floors while avoiding the monsters.

“When you said you knew shortcuts, I expected something a bit more than leaping off the edge,” she commented.

“It worked, didn’t it?” Fels replied with a chuckle. She rolled her eyes at that, before looking into the water.

“Looks deep,” Taylor muttered, peering into the basin’s depths.

“It is,” Fels confirmed. “The basin connects to Lolog Lake and Melen. Well, it did, before the Leviathan Seal plugged it up.”

He then turned away and walked towards a section of the cavernous depths that made up the 27th Floor and Taylor followed without a word.

From the basin, dozens of rivers spilled out and snaked their way around the floor, forming annoying obstacles when they were too wide to simply jump over. Some were fast flowing as well, so swimming would be an uphill battle.

After some traveling, the group made it to a section of wall that looked completely ordinary. Fels knocked on it in a rhythmic pattern, which seemed to be a password as the wall started to slide open.

“A pantry?” Taylor wondered, before stiffening as her power, previously stymied by the Dungeon’s unusual materials, suddenly were able to enter the chamber. And upon doing so, she was able to latch onto an insect’s mind.

Except it wasn’t really an insect. Or an arachnid. It was something her power had never encountered before.

Dwelling within the Forest Ravine of the 29th through 36th Floors, the half-human, half-spider monster known as an Arachne was something Taylor had only ever heard about. The silk it spun its webs out of were highly sought after as a material, and the monster itself was considered one of the ‘Deadly Beauties’ of the Dungeon due to the fact the nudity of its human parts tended to distract male adventurers.

And right now, there was one of these dangerous monsters hiding in the pantry. But for some reason, it was like no other monster she'd ever encountered.

Taylor had wondered what, exactly, would happen when her power ran into an Arachne. Her Falna’s description of her power said it controlled invertebrates, so what about something that had both a spine but also lacked one?

It turned out her power still considered an Arachne as something she could control, but that was the least odd thing about the encounter.

‘Why the hell does it have a human mind?!’ Taylor mentally screamed, her swarm barely able to redirect the sheer panic she felt as she had Khepri flashbacks.

She couldn’t exactly remember her time as the parahuman-controlling villainess, only experiencing it through dreams and nightmares that occasionally surfaced and vanished upon awakening.

But Taylor did have what could be described as muscle-memory that twinged as she felt the Arachne’s mind, and was reminded of what it felt like when her power brushed against a thinking, feeling, sapient mind during the fight with Scion.

Because the Arachne definitely had a human mind, with human-like thoughts. This was not a mindless beast spawned from the Dungeon with the only desire to kill embedded within it. No, this spider-woman was feeling anxious as the door to the pantry slid open, and also excited.

Through her power, Taylor could tell that the spider portion was black and red, sort of like a Black Widow except the design on the abdomen was different. More like a red lightning bolt.

The upper half, the human part, of the Arachne was indeed beautiful, worthy of being called ‘bewitching’ with her short, pure white hair and red eyes, making Taylor think of what an older gender bent version of Bell might look like.

She also wasn’t nude, and wore a purple and pink shirt underneath looted armor, along with a helmet.

The Arachne wasn’t alone, either, as she was surrounded by around forty different monsters, all of which were completely different species from Floors that were often far apart. Harpies, Lizardmen, Goblins, Even a large Green Dragon! They were all standing around and were talking. Talking!

…what do you think Gryuu?” an Almiraj wondered, the rabbit hopping over to the Green Dragon.

“I think Fels is overly optimistic, but at least he means well,” the dragon rumbled, sounding oddly British for some reason.

“Do you think he will bring more cloth?” a Harpy wondered. “I wanna make more stuff to wear!”

“Why? It’s not like we need it,” a Hippogriff inquired.

“I just like looking pretty, Cliff!” the Harpy replied. “Ooo! Here he comes!”

“Anyone know anything about this other adventurer he wants us to meet with?” a Siren inquired.

“Ray, we don’t know anybody,” the goblin said, rolling his eyes.

“That’s not true! We know Fels, and Shakti, and that other guy who-!” the Harpy said energetically.

“Calm down, Fear,” a Fomoire rumbled. It then turned to look at the Arachne. “Ranye, is everything alright?”

“I can feel her,” the Arachne whispered, and Taylor tensed up. It could sense her power? What exactly did that entail?

Her curiosity would have to wait as Fels was entering the secret Pantry, greeting the intelligent monsters with a wave of his hand.

“Welcome back, Fels,” a Lizardman said.

“It’s good to be back, Lyd,” the hooded figure replied. “How have things been?”

“They could be better,” the Lizardman said evasively. He turned to Taylor, eyeing her and the Crystal Mantis at her side curiously. “So, this is the adventurer you wanted us to meet?”

“This is the Level 3 adventurer Taylor Hebert, alias Weaver. She is Danny Hebert’s daughter,” Fels said, and instantly the wariness many of the monsters shifted into one of disbelief and then acceptance.

“She is?” Lyd uttered.

“Seems like everyone knew my father around here,” Taylor muttered under her breath, before glancing around.

“Curious about these fine folks, are you?” Fels asked.

“Obviously,” she replied.

“These are the Xenos. As you can see, they are monsters with the same level of intelligence as any other adventurer,” Fels said, waving a hand at the surrounding monsters. “This is the great secret I wished to show to you.”

“Huh,” she hummed, looking at the newly named Xenos. “That’s not something you see every day.”

“Your reaction is a lot more subdued than I expected,” Fels admitted, and several Xenos nodded.

“In the place I lived before Orario, there were people with extreme body conditions,” Taylor replied with a shrug. “One had transparent skin and snail shells growing from it, another sort of looked like an orange lizard with hallucinogenic sweat, and there was a guy who was literally made of metal. And those were the more normal ones. So yeah, talking monsters don’t seem that out of the ordinary.”

“Ah, yes, you’re a Faller,” Fels hummed. “Though I hadn’t expected your world to be so odd as to make intelligent monsters seem unimpressive.”

“How did this happen?” Taylor asked, folding her arm across her chest.

“It is not known when it happened exactly, but approximately thirty years ago the Xenos started to be born from the Dungeon,” Fels explained. “They have minds of their own as well as disjointed memories. And unfortunately, for some reason, they are also targeted by the other monsters born from the Dungeon. Still, they are quite clever. As you can see, they can learn to speak, use tools, and comprehend modesty.”

“You want to use the Xenos to populate the 18th Floor!” Taylor suddenly realized. “They can live and work on that floor and help the adventurers!”

“That is the eventual hope,” Fels confirmed. “But sadly, it won’t be easy. It might not be impressive to you, but for the inhabitants of Orario and the wider world, monsters are to be feared and destroyed on sight. The very idea of them having minds of their own is… hard to reconcile.”

She then blinked. “That’s what you’re doing with the Monsterphilia, isn’t it?” she asked. “Shakti told me it was a fairly recently thing. Only a decade or so old. You’re trying to get people – civilian and adventurer alike – used to seeing monsters walking around!”

“Yes. In time, Ouranos and Ganesha believe that this will help the integration process.”

“It’s a nice sentiment, but it won’t work,” Taylor said with a shake of her head. “Exposure therapy has only limited effectiveness in the first place, and it’d take many more years before people are willing to accept monsters walking around freely! Not to mention it won’t solve the underlying issue of lack of trust adventurers will have. They spend their lives fighting creatures who look identical to the Xenos. And the only way to tell if a monster is actually a Xenos is if they speak!”

“I’ll admit, there are still some… kinks to work out, but the ultimate goal is a noble one,” Fels protested.

“I don’t deny that. If you can think for yourself, freedom, safety, and self-determination are the rights of every sapient being, human or not,” Taylor declared firmly, her voice full of conviction. “I’m simply warning you it won’t be so easy as you think. Just using circus performances to get the populace of Orario’s attention will only go so far, and possibly even harm your efforts. After all, if people only see monsters as a carnival attraction or something to display in a cage, then they will make dangerous associations when it comes to the Xenos.”

Fels was silent, while the Xenos murmured amongst each other.

“Then what do you suggest, child?” the Gryuu, the Green Dragon inquired. “How would you make it so the surface will not fear and hate us?”

Taylor frowned, racking her brain, before uttering, “A picture book!”

“Pardon?” Fels asked, while the Xenos looked at her in confusion.

“A picture book for children. Write stories about intelligent monsters who are kind and interact with people. Who protect the innocent from bandits and other monsters,” Taylor said, elaborating on her idea. “Spread these stories, make it clear that a monster who talks and wears clothes isn’t like the others. Put the idea of the Xenos into the public zeitgeist and educate the children, the future adventurers of Orario, and when people do finally meet them, they’ll have the concept of ‘friendly monster’ already somewhere in their mind.”

Taylor couldn’t read Fels very well, but his body language seemed surprised, hopefully in a good way. The Xenos seemed to like it if their expressions was any indicator. However, like everything, there were some who disagreed.

“This is a fool’s errand!” a Gargoyle declared, slamming his tail into the ground, cracking it. “Trying to make the surfacers like us is pointless! And then they want us to work for them as cheap labor in exchange for mere promises of better treatment?! That’s no better than what the kidnappers are doing!”

“Gros!” one of the Xenos, a harpy, exclaimed, but the Gargoyle shook his head.

“I don’t trust ‘em! We’ve lost people to those damn adventurers and had friends stolen away by slavers, and yet nothing has been done about it, despite their claims of wanting ‘integration’ and ‘co-existence!’” He slammed a fist into the wall. “We ought to follow Asterios’ plan and just attack those bastards!”

“Hang on, are you saying there are people kidnapping Xenos?” Taylor demanded, anger flickering within her.

“Yes,” Fels said grimly. “We have been trying to track them down for a while, but they’ve proven elusive. We have no idea who they are.”

“Surely you’d be able to notice if somebody was bringing a talking monster out of the Dungeon!” Taylor protested.

“Exactly! That is what is so problematic,” Fels stated. “Somehow, whoever is kidnapping the Xenos is able to bypass the Guild’s watchful eye. And that means…”

“Another entrance to the Dungeon,” Taylor realized.

“Yes. We have reason to believe that somewhere within Orario is a secret path that has managed to get past Ouranos’ watchful eye,” Fels said as he pointed to the ceiling. “Technically, somebody could dig through the sewers and fall into the First Floor. But Ouranos is connected to the Upper Floors through his suppression of the Dungeon’s activities, and would immediately notice if this happened. “

“So, if I help you find these smugglers and rescue your friends, you’ll consider helping us with the Rivira project?” Taylor asked, turning to the Gargoyle.

“Yes,” Ranye spoke up before Gros could. “We would be very grateful!”

Taylor could feel the sincerity in the Arachne’s words through her power, and nodded slowly.

“Then I will find them,” she vowed.

“You would really help us find our friends?” a mermaid asked, hope dripping from her words, and Taylor nodded.

“I hate human traffickers. And just because you’re not ‘human’ doesn’t mean you deserve to be hurt like that.”

“Thank you!” the mermaid whispered tearfully.

“Do you have a list of Xenos who are missing?” Taylor asked next.

“There are quite a few of us who’ve been kidnapped. But the most recently taken one was a Vouivre named Wiene,” the Siren, Ray, spoke up. “She was also the youngest of us, the most recently born Xenos, just a year old!”

“Anything that makes her standout?” Taylor inquired.

“She’s more humanoid than most,” Ranye the Arachne helpfully supplied. “She could easily be mistaken as a regular human, if not for the blue skin and jewel embedded in her skin.”

“I see, good to know,” Taylor nodded.

She spent a bit more time speaking with the Xenos, getting names and descriptions of different members of their community who’d gone missing. Not all of them might have been kidnapped, as it was entirely possible some had run into adventurers while out on scavenging runs.

When Taylor was done, it was starting to get late, and she and Fels bid the Xenos farewell, before leaving the hideout and heading back up to the 18th Floor.

“That was a clever idea with the storybook,” Fels said as they flew up the waterfall, the skeleton having pulled out a new magic item that let him hover over a surface, and luckily for him, the water counted as something he could float up.

“It might not help,” Taylor admitted. “Even in my world, which had only humans, people weren’t exactly working together and living in harmony. There was always discrimination of some form throughout history. Honestly, Orario is a lot more tolerant when it comes to accepting different races and cultures than even my old home, though I can’t help but wonder how much of that is due to superhumans who can crush someone’s skull if they insult your heritage.”

“You’re quite the cynical soul, aren’t you?” Fels queried dryly.

“I prefer the term ‘pragmatic realist,’” Taylor drawled, before turning serious. “How did my father meet the Xenos?”

“I am unsure,” Fels admitted. “I first met the Xenos seventeen years ago. By that point, Danny had already known them for about a year, and was responsible for teaching many of them how to speak Koine, and even read and write. He also helped provide materials to them. He never explained how it happened, but I believe the Zeus and Hera Familias – or at least their executives – discovered them on an expedition.”

“That’s another thing: how did my father get so far down?” Taylor wondered. “Hermes said his nickname was ‘the Weakest Vice-Captain’ and was only Level 1.”

“That had to do with your father’s two Skills,” Fels explained. “They were quite terrifying, and made a difference in strength utterly meaningless. Keter allowed your father to reflect any damage done to him back onto his opponent, though he still suffered injuries from the initial attack. When the Skill was active, monsters seemed to avoid him, perhaps instinctively knowing they’d be killed in return. Didn’t stop most of them, I’m sure, but still, it gave him an advantage in combat.”

He then shook his head. “But it was his second Skill, Malkuth, that gave him his reputation. He could force an opponent to match his stats. So, a Level 3 monster or adventurer would suddenly find themselves significantly weaker, and equal to Danny in terms of strength. He would use the disorientation to finish them off. It was quite brutal, and he weaponized his own weakness in a way that made him renowned in Orario.”

“Huh. My dad was a badass… I can’t really imagine that,” Taylor muttered.

She’d known he’d had an anger problem, and been highly respected by the Dock Workers Union, but the idea of him being seen as up there with this world’s equivalent of the Triumvirate was just weird.

“He was very popular, especially with the ladies,” Fels said, and she choked a bit.

“Please don’t talk about that,” she pleaded. “It’s hard enough thinking about dad and Bell’s mom getting together due to the age gap… please don’t make me think about him being a playboy, too!”

“If you insist,” Fels chuckled, enjoying her discomfort. “But don’t worry. You likely don’t have any other half-siblings running around.”

“Joy,” Taylor sighed, and focused on running back through the Great Tree Labyrinth.

It was the early morning when Taylor reached the 18th Floor, the trip down having taken a bit more time than expected. The ‘sky’ was already lighting up, and the captain of the Hestia Familia estimated it was around six or so in the morning as she made her way back to the camp.

Yet as she got closer, she could sense Debbie and the Gun Libellula were tense, and several adventurers, including Bors, were surrounding the camp. The rest of the Familia was awake and facing down the people who were encircling them.

Bell and the rest weren’t that worried, as with Ryuu and Tammuz there was nothing the group of mostly Level 2s could do to them, but it was still a problem that needed to be solved, and hopefully without escalating it into violence.

“What is going on here?” Taylor demanded as she arrived, and Bors grimaced while a few other adventurers nervously backed away.

“Miss Taylor!” Lili said tearfully. “Thank goodness you’re back! They want to arrest Ryuu!”

“Why?” Taylor asked sharply, looking from a tense but confused elven waitress to the angry expressions of the crowd around them.

“Your elf has been accused of murdering someone in Rivira,” Bors explained. Taylor stared at him, waiting for the punchline. It never came.

“I beg your pardon?” she uttered.

“Maybe you should start from the beginning,” Ryuu suggested, sounding more amused than insulted by the charges levied against her.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Bors said, sounding tired. “So, it all began last night…”