Down in the dungeon’s 20th floor.

"How many did you manage to find?" asked Fels.

"Seven actually." Said Lyd, a Lizardman.

"That’s far better than I had expected."

"Hm, the dungeon has been acting very odd." So said Ray, a Siren.

"Odd? How so?"

"Well… It’s like something has been moving around but we can’t seem to find it, you know? If we try and find the source, it’s just nothing."

"Hmm…I will need to discuss this with Ouranos."

"Say, could you bring us some more bags?" said Let, a goblin. "With the new people, we can carry more stuff now."

"I’ll be sure to bring more bags next time."

"Say, how is that son of yours?" asked Ray.

"Cirrus? Why bring him up?"

"Well, you haven’t talked about him in a while, so I thought something might have come up?"

"Ah... Well, I have learned he is going to get married, but the distance is too far for me to go."

"Married? What’s that?"

"It’s when you make a union between yourself and the one you love."

"Oooh… I see! Well, that’s a shame…"

"Yes... Maybe I should have introduced him to you all, I’m sure with his help he could have done more for you than I."

"No what your doing is more than enough for us…" said Lyd. "We should get going. Is everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Then until next time."

"Hm!" Lyd held up the crystal and left, along with Ray.

"♪ For our grief, for our pain ♪ To the white light, we’re praying for the lost ♪ So we try to find solace, empty hands together ♪"

Fels quickly turned to Ray as she sang a song, but they had already left.

"…I wonder if you have already met them…"

 

A bit later back in the Room of Prayer.

"How was the Xeno, Fels?"

"They are doing well. They managed to find seven new of their kind, but it seems the dungeon is acting odd for them."

"Is it…hmm… We will have to take their word for it. Did they mention anything related to the poachers?"

"Sadly no, they lost 2 members just a month ago, a Kobold named Wan and a Bicorn named Kalion. We have no word of either of them. Currently, the Hermes Familia has been investigating this."

"Let us hope they manage to find a trail of them."

"Hm… Ouranos, do you think we should have told Cirrus of the Xeno?"

"…I do not know, but given his deposition, it would help keep them safe."

"Maybe when he returns one day I can tell him…oh, I did ask Lord Hermes to send an early wedding present to him."

"Ah yes…" Ouranos says, as he leans back on his throne. "It feels just like yesterday when you brought him to me as a baby and now... he’s grown up so much." A smile grows across his face. "And to think he would marry more then one bride... heh."

He made a slight chuckle, a first for Fels in their long years working together.

"Marrying one of heaven's virgin goddesses and even his beloved... I fear what he would accomplish in the future."

 

On a ship bound for Yamato

"Kukuku!! To think these dam nobles would pay so dam much for a monster!" said a man.

"Yeah what was it? 500 thousand valis? What a steal!! Hear that, you stupid monster!" said another.

Bam!

Bam!

"You can ram it all you want, but you’re not going to break it! It’s made from stuff only high-class adventures can break!! So shut up and enjoy life while you have it!"

In a metal cage covered by wood, a bicorn slams into the cage trying to break free.

‘Dammit! Dammit!! Wan!! If only he hadn’t talked! Grr!!’

Having talked to Wan, the Kobold Xeno was sold off for 1 billion valis to some rich noble in another country. His fate was left unknown to Kalion.

He could feel the swaying of the boat, and with each wave it hit, another wave of fear that Kalion feels.

Eventually, he stopped trying to escape and simply conserved his energy.

 

Time went on and he no longer felt the swaying of the sea but the more steady ground.

They would bang on the wood, and he would knock with his horns against the metal just so he wouldn’t have to see their faces or hear their irritating voices.

But as he waited, he heard a beautiful sound.

♪♪♪♪♪♪~

It was such a gentle sound that it eased his heart, but then he found it disturbing as it was interlaced with screaming and cutting.

‘So this is my end…hm.’

The pleasant tune stopped as he heard them opening boxes after boxes, and then they reached him.

"A monster, sir! What do we do?"

Kalion looked around to see several people of mixed races all in dark clothing, and then a different tune came up.

"♪ Dun, dun, da-da-dun ♪"

The leader of these people who attacked and defeated his captors was a human. His eyes were the greenest things he had ever seen, but his clothes were also as dark as his men, with an owl as pure as snow resting on his shoulder.

"A Bicorn... hmm, they're dealing in monsters and slaves. Free all the slaves and find out where they are from!"

"Yes sir!"

Several of his men left while a white-haired Renard in black attire came up to him.

"Cirrus! We got word that another shipment is coming!"

"Ai go deal with them, open up more ports and things like this happen… Make sure you get some of them alive."

"On it!" she said, then took off, leaving him with Kalion.

"Now... what to do with you..." He kneels down and looks at Kalion. "…You…your different from the other monsters…are you tamed?"

‘He can tell! But he is a human... I can’t trust him.’

"Well, seeing as no one has a taming skill, killing you would be better than a life in bondage." He reached into his shadow and pulled out a blue spear.

Kalion could feel the reaper’s scythe on his throat.

‘No! I want to live!--'

"I want to LIVE!!!"

"…Eh?"

"!!"

‘D-did I just shout!?’

Cirrus looked at him again with widened eyes.

"…You can talk... can’t you."

‘I heard it talk!! You’re not imagining it!’ Nox said.

He could feel the scythe loosen up, but the eyes sharpened on him even more.

‘I have to take this opportunity! Or else I will be dead!’

"Y-yes! I can!"

Cirrus stared at him, and a big smile grew on his face.

"Ha….hahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He laughed loudly as he covered his face. "Life is always stranger than fiction..." he swung his spear, cutting the cage into pieces.

"I-am free..."

"If you can talk, then I assume you aren’t like those other mindless monsters, are you?"

"N-no! In fact, monsters will attack me as well!"

"Interesting… Do you have a name?"

"K-Kalion! And I’m a Xeno!"

‘Kalion? A good name but a Xeno? It’s a word used by the gods to describe a new lifeform.’

"A Xeno huh? very well. From now on, you 'belong' to me." He said in quotation marks. "Stay by my side so no one tries to kill you alright."

"Y-you aren’t afraid I’ll attack you?"

"…." Cirrus looks at him and a smirk grows on his face.

Kalion could feel death bearing down on him even more.

"Do you think I will go down so easy??"

‘Powerful!! I have never met a person so powerful!’

"N-no! I will follow you!"

"Good, for now, I have to put this on you for appearance sake," Cirrus said, getting some chains. "Once we get back home, I’ll be sure to get these off."

"Do I have your word?"

"My word? Of course! A person is only as good as their word! Besides, you’re the first of your kind I have seen! So I’ll be sure to keep you as safe as I can! By the way, what are your food preferences?"