"So, um, what should I call you, sir?"

Seiichi bowed his head before the son of the halo-headed dragon, having bid farewell to Master Genku, and promising to do all he could to remain safe. He'd hugged his fellow students goodbye, one after the other, and now was at the temple, in the back, not far from the forest entrance as his beloved animal friends watched on. Seiichi had very little, if anything, to pack. Being a student of Buddhism meant, plain and simply, no real attachment to physical possessions. After all, you took nothing with you into the next life but your soul, of what need did you have of fancy sandals or the like? Really, all he had was a small rucksack that he had slung over his back at the moment.

By comparison, the young-looking dragon before him was very much superbly dressed and with quite a lot of luggage. He had set down loads of bags upon the ground and was wearing something much more impressive than Seeichi's rather baggy Buddhist robes. It was an ornate gown, silver writing glittering along the sleeves, wrapping around his body almost like chains, and with taloned feet that had been finely and carefully shaved. He wore a fancy set of jewels that hung down in a necklace about his rather thick, scaly neck, his scales like gems themselves as he almost glowed in the light of the sun a-filtering down through the clouds above. He, like his father, had a halo-esque crown, but had a far shorter, almost cute, stubby tail, no whiskers, a distinctly draconic, reptilian face and his deep grey eyes that contrasted against his scales had the same ring of light surrounded them. But there was something different about him besides the clear youth in his eyes. There was…a very plain, ordinary-looking little copper ring that had been wrapped about his halo-horn, on the left side.

It was quite strange. Everything else about him was as haughty and regal as most dragons but that copper ring was so odd. Still, Seiichi didn't ask about that as the dragon spoke in a voice that was also not very regal at all, and distinctly youthful, almost…childlike. Had that voice not come from such a terrifying-looking fanged maw, Seiichi would have said he was hearing a 10 year old rice farmer's son speaking.

"If I tell you my name you have to promise me you will not, under any circumstances, make fun of it, laugh at it, mock it, anything like that. Okay?"

"Of course I won't make fun of you, no way. Not at all. It's not like my name's all that good, sir." Seiichi added. "It's supposed to mean "refined first son" but it is something of a joke, considering all of the other students here in the Buddhist temple come from fairly well-off, decent homes, and my family are…well, we're all farmers. We aren't important at all, let alone refined and posh. My name's almost an insult, when you think about it."

"Well, we actually have something in common, then. Because my name's Ryu."

Seiichi had promised he wouldn't laugh, but he almost burst out into a snort as he shook his head a bit, staring at the dragon in front of him. "Really? I mean, there's nothing really too bad about that name but…your name is literally just "Dragon"?"

"My father's name is Ryu, his father is named Ryu, his father's father, and their fathers, and so it has gone on and on and on." Ryu mumbled in a baleful tone. "It's a tradition, plain and simple, and I don't like it, not at all, but I'm nevertheless stuck with it." Ryu mumbled balefully.

"Are you more comfortable with me calling you by your surname, sir?" Seiichi offered, the dragon looking a bit surprised at this.

"I've never had anyone ask me that. It's Sakamoto."

"Would you like me to call you that?"

"I would." Sakamoto said with a small smile coming over his features. "Thank you, Seiichi. It's very kind of you to show such consideration towards me not because of what I am, but WHO I am. You're a very interesting human." He confessed. "I think it best we take our leave now."

"I'll miss all of you dearly. And I know, for some of you, I'll never see you again, most likely." Seiichi said as he turned back to the many animal friends he had made, giving a deep, enormous bow to them, hands clasped. "I want all of you to know that the memories I've made with you will, I hope, last a thousand lifetimes, and I pray even longer. I hope, when the time comes for all our ends, we find each other again somehow, in better times, perhaps better lives."

"We will miss you, Seiichi." The animals all said at once, as they, too, gave a bow. They didn't truly, completely understand all the tenets of Buddhism, but hey…neither did Seiichi. And besides…they knew this gesture was one of respect, and he had always respected and loved them. They could, at least, do this much.

With a final smile, Seiichi turned back, walking off with Sakamoto as he found a nice large spot to transform, his body mass shaking, muscles bulging as his form grew and expanded, turning into an enormous, sort of serpentine figure. A snakey body without wings, and yet he flew, hovering in the air, picking up his belongings, attaching them to his scaley body using a belt he manifested through a quiet chant murmured under his breath. He almost seemed like a big, scaly fish in how he hovered about in midair, turning to Seiichi, holding out a large, clawed hand. "Come on up." He intoned, helping Seiichi onto his back, and onto the spot on his belt where Seiichi could firmly tie himself down to.

It wasn't long before they soared up, up, high into the sky, Sakamoto slightly sliding up, then down, up, then down, as if riding upon waves as they barreled straight west, heading for the green lands of Ireland. "There truly is nothing better than a good wind in your face." Seiichi remarked.

"Well, I get that a lot." Sakamoto intoned. "I will admit though, human…the first few times you learn to fly, and you cascade about the land, they are magical, and beautiful experiences. You never forget your first. An entire world opens itself up to you, and all seems majestic when gazed upon from up here."

"I'm sorry the joy doesn't linger. I think, though, one of the teachings of Buddhism is that nothing truly lasts forever. All is fleeting."

"Indeed it is. I've also heard your kind don't believe in true evil." Sakamoto inquired. "Tell me, Seiichi. And be honest." Sakamoto now seemed somewhat pained, his voice sounded funny. "Do you, personally, think evil actually exists?"

"I'm not sure. I thank Buddha I've not ever seen it."

"Do you believe in selfishness? Cruelty? Because you will see much of that on the front lines." Sakamoto muttered. "And I think you may begin to believe in evil then. But for now, tell me. Tell me stories of when you first learned you could speak to animals. I'd like to know how you first learned of that gift."

"I'd love to. But I would like to ask you something. Um…is it…true…that you, um…that dragons…I mean…you eat people?"

Sakamoto very clearly hesitated, a faint stiffening perceptible in his frame as Seiichi knew he'd asked something the dragon was obviously uncomfortable about. At long last, Sakamoto spoke and he sighed.

"Yes. One of the reasons why we weren't exactly too put off at the prospect of war between monsters and humans is that we could offer ourselves to go to the front lines. Some of our kin were very happy to armor themselves and join the monsters, others even now have joined humans like I've joined you…because, in essence, it means a banquet for us." Sakamoto confessed. "Especially if there are many prisoners. And being able to easily change our size means that we could, if we wanted to, devour entire armies, cities even."

"Doesn't that…bother you?" Seiichi asked. "I mean…killing so many just to satisfy your hunger?"

"Many of us don't see it more much different than a human killing a chicken, or a pig or anything like that."

"But they can't talk."

"They talk to you."

"Oh c'mon, you know what I mean. They can't talk to most people. Besides, I'm a Buddhist, I don't eat meat anyway."

"Well, we unfortunately have to, human. Or we die. And we'd rather not do that, so if the choice is the death of others over ourselves, many would rather do the former than the latter. If a dragon has more…I suppose "decency" in them, they try to limit those they consume to unrighteous people. They'll get offered criminals by villages or cities or things like that. It is an arguably kinder arrangement than simply razing kingdoms, dragging damsels off like the western dragons like to do."

Seiichi was silent as the wind ruffled through his ponytailed hair and he bit his lip.

"You don't have to like it, Seiichi. But try to understand. Our race literally can't survive without meat. Until there's found some better way, this is what we have to live with." Sakamoto asked of him. "Can you understand that?"

"I want to try, but it still feels ugly inside just thinking about it." Seiichi confessed.

"Well…that's another something we have in common." Sakamoto mumbled quietly back at him.

…

…

…

… "You can't stay hidden down below in the cargo hold forever." Hadiya insisted to Uttu, the night sky slightly clouded over as she whispered to her spidery compatriot. The purple-skinned spider-woman folded her arms over her chest as she and Hadiya remained hidden behind large crates of cargo, Hadiya having snuck down some fish for Uttu to eat. Hadiya wasn't as put off or weirded out by spiders as Eri, and she didn't want to tell Eri that Uttu was down here. She didn't want to tell anyone, so she'd keep it nice and quiet and wait for Uttu to get off the ship and then talk about it to Eri later. She noticed Uttu's big, pregnant belly and she cringed a bit as a realization struck her.

"How far along are you?"

"If we remain here on this ship for more than a couple weeks, I'll give birth right here in this hold. They'll hear me for sure, and they'll toss me overboard. Their type are like that." Uttu muttered, glaring up at the exit to the cargo hold, her many eyes narrowed as she balefully glanced to the side and murmured curses under her breath. "Stupid Catholic scum. MY Goddess lives with me, theirs leaves behind an empty house. PTUH." She spat on the floor. "I hate them. Oh, how I hate them."

"I don't think Captain Rogers would do that, he seems very honorable and kind." Hadiya confessed. "He'd just have you work it off, I think."

"What, the way those Crusaders tried to get me to work for them? I think not." Uttu mumbled.

"Can I ask…who was the father, and, well…I've heard rumors." Hadiya bit her lip. Where she came from, the great myth of Anansi the Spider had been told, spread from the land of Ghana to her homeland of Nigeria. She rather enjoyed hearing about his tales, she enjoyed trickster stories. But there was one story she'd heard of that kept repeating when people talked about the "Arachne" monster. It was rumored that they would imitate their counterparts and devour the husband after sex. "Do you…I mean-"

"We don't just gobble up our husbands, if that's what you're asking." Uttu said, looking at Hadiya, shaking her head. "I've heard that tale before, we all have. I've heard stories about your own land, too. Don't you have the Mama Wata spirits?"

Hadiya cringed. "Yes. They're like…serpentine mermaids. They're very beautiful, and they seduce men to go to the river, but once they get in the river, their frames become scaley, like snakes, their mouths grow fangs, their nails grow out, and they drag men screaming into the rivers, never to be seen again. And even they're not as scary as the bush babies."

"Those are real?!" Uttu looked astounded, her jet black eyes widening. She picked up one of the fish Hadiya had brought, biting down on it, slurping up the fluids from within, desiccating it with small sips as Hadiya leaned in closer, whispering softly.

"Oh, they're very, very real. Picture a calm night, no wind. You're just at the point of peaceful slumber, when you hear faint cries from outside. A baby's cries. Of course, you're concerned. You go out to help the little one. You kneel down, seeing a baby in the middle of a bush, face down, you reach out to pluck it up, and then…it wheels around! Eyes as red as burning coals, teeth like needles and daggers, a face that's not truly a face, and then…it GETS you!" Hadiya added with a dark grin, Uttu almost shrieking.

"Oh my! That is horrifying, absolutely horrifying. Are they some kind of monster?"

"We think they're some kind of demon. But nobody knows for sure, because there's barely been anyone who's ever found them…and lived to tell the tale." Hadiya whispered.

Uttu slurped up the fish she had been snacking on and looked at Hadiya thoughtfully. "You know, I think I can be honest with you, Hadiya. So I'll tell you something personal because…I see a lot of myself in you. And you're keeping my secret so well, what's one more? We Arachne don't gobble up our husbands. We only choose husbands that will willingly offer us themselves as food for us after we're finished giving birth. It isn't after every single sex act, it's only after our children are born. It's a way of life passed down from our earliest ancestors, it gives our male parents a sense of pride and self worth."

"Really, you actually…why?" Hadiya looked rather concerned over this, a faint queasy feeling rising in her body. "All of that seems a bit…harsh."

"Don't most of the western African tribes subscribe to selling captured prisoners and towns and cities into slavery? Except for the kingdom of Nri?"

"Well y-yeah, but…I'VE never personally done that, my father and mother never did, my grandparents didn't, that-that isn't fair!" Hadiya insisted, blushing a bit in the face, cringing, looking very hurt. "I can't be punished for what my ancestors did!"

"But I should be punished because of what my ancestors believe?"

"But that-that's not the same, I…I…" Hadiya trailed off, as silence uncomfortably grew, and she finally slumped against the wall of the cargo hold, biting into her lip as Uttu folded her arms over her chest and tilted her head a little to gaze at the young Nigerian woman.

"That's what I thought." Uttu remarked.

Elsewhere, Cu Chulainn was holding his head in one hand, the red-haired hero feeling, perhaps, at his absolute lowest point. His eyes seemed sunken as his wife rested a hand on Connla's shoulder. The camp was a burning, fiery mess, and she and he were the only humans still left there. Cu Chulainn's men nervously looked from him to his wife Aife as she gazed at him.

"You shouldn't have kept the elemental. You should have killed him." She growled darkly. "You should have just put an arrow in his head along with your other prisoners."

Cu Chulainn looked up at her, and his expression of dejected defeat now turned into astonishment. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You were the one who told me to keep prisoners and put them under the charge of you and-"

"Stop making excuses for your failure!" Aife demanded. "I can see Connla's not going to be safe with you anymore. We're leaving. I'm making sure he's far away from all of this." She insisted, looking down at her son. "Come now, dear. We're leaving. We're going to get far, far away from this land and someplace better." She remarked as Cu Chulainn rose up, a faint edge entering his voice.

"Aife, I forbid you to go. I've endured much from you, and yet never raised my voice nor struck at you, but you're making me feel a burning new level of anger I've never known. You can't take my child away from me. He's my son too, and you're refusing to take responsibility for your part in-"

Aife was already halfway across the campgrounds and before anyone could do anything…

SMACK!

Her hand slapped him hard across the face and he gaped, feeling the harsh, burning stinging of his cheek as Aife glared back at him.

"You shut up." She snapped, racing back over to Connla, taking his hand. "Come on, sweetie. We'll be better off away from this…monster."

Cu Chulainn looked back at her and he stammered and shook. He was trying to get the words out, trying to say something, but it was as if his brain had broken down. He could do nothing but watch as his son and his wife left through the forest, vanishing long into the dark depths, and he stared in the direction they'd gone, his eyes unblinking.

"Sir…? Do…do you want us to go bring them back?"

"I…I don't know what I want except to hit something." Cu Chulainn murmured out. "I think everyone ought to leave me alone right now and get out of here." He insisted, as he felt waves of boiling, furious, baleful anger rising in him. He had never, ever been so furious, and yet so cold. The level of betrayal, the sheer audacity of what had just happened, it was all washing over him, crashing into him again and again as his men wisely decided to head back the way they'd come, to race back to where the battle had been. Elisud, after all, had been left behind, perhaps he was still alive and could be rescued!

Cu Chulainn was howling like a madman. He screamed and bellowed, he tore his armor off, his muscles bulging, eyes becoming filled with seven pupils, making a large diamond shape within. His hands were now clawed and his teeth were fanged, his voice distorted by raw rage and pain and sorrow, his skin now burning red in color as he wailed and shrieked and cried. He struck at trees and stumps and rocks. He slammed his fists into the ground, craters forming with every strike. Again and again Cu Chulainn lashed out at all about him, as bitter tears swelled from his eyes and slid their way down his cheeks, and yet the more he lashed out, the worse he felt. Nothing he was doing was helping, and finally, at long last, he was just left in a clearing of his own making, chunks of forest floor upheaved all about, everything muddy and dirty and ruined as he flopped down. He sank on all fours, covering his head, openly sobbing again and again as the rain now began to fall heavier still.

This was the one thing he wished his future self had told him about. But he'd just assumed that, despite all his wife had said and done, she'd never…

His son would never…

"Damn…it." He managed to get out between his sobs. "Damn…it…I…I hate…I hate this…I hate…everything. I…hate…"

He didn't get the last word out. But he didn't have to. It was clear enough from how he looked.

Me.

…

…

…

… "So tell me the s-story again. About the "invisible" m-mage."

Elisud was not in the best position at the moment. Even now he kept his arms held up and was heavily panting, stripped of most of his clothing save for a quickly-getting-sweat-soaked undershirt and a pair of briefs. He was struggling desperately to hold his arms up high, the green, shimmering shield of protective magic still surrounding him and his compatriots. Bowen, Iolo, Gawain, Arthus and Dylann had helped get the clothing off so he could feel more at ease, and his very soul itself shimmered, manifesting before them all, glowing a beautiful bright green…

But heavily shaking and quaking. It was as if it was in spasms, almost in a death throe. Elisud was trying to have a strong face as he looked over at Gawain, who's face remained hidden behind his helmed head.

"You sure you want me to tell you that one?" He asked. They were all closely crowded around Elisud even as the various monsters that surrounded him, Prince Asgore and Garamond included, waited patiently. Asgore was currently trying to set up a fire and a teapot to boil over it, Garamond, meanwhile, was scribbling down onto parachment, and writing a letter to his family.

"A-Absolutely." Elisud insisted.

"Very well. So, one of our old compatriots, Hector, was very, very drunk, and he liked to pretend to be a mage at parties with all of us, casting "spells", and having us do strange, wild things to impress the women. One thing he'd do is pretend to be "invisible". He'd cross his fingers like this." Gawain held up his pointer and middle finger, crossing them along with his arms over his chest. "And remain stock still, and go "I'm invisible! Can't see me!" And we would all see how still he could be. We'd poke him, we'd balance things on his head or his shoulders, it was a lot of fun."

"Uh…huh…" Elisud moaned out, panting a bit. Iolo rose up to wipe his brow as Gawain went on.

"So one night, Hector's done his "invisibility" spell for a woman. And she says she wants him to stay invisible while she slips into something more comfortable." Gawain went on. "But he has to stay standing on the bar. So we all leave him there and head out, back for home. But I come back early the next day, because old Hector hadn't returned. I open up the door…and what should I see? Hector's still there, arms and fingers crossed, looking about, and still as drunk as a skunk. And he asks me "Is…is she still here"? And the thing was, he'd been stuck like that for so long, his body had frozen all up, cramped and everything. I had to carry him over my back like a sack of twigs!"

"That's f-funny!" Elisud laughed, giggling a little as his arms waved. Bowen and Arthus raced to them, lifting them back up as Dylann knelt by Elisud's soul.

"It looks very sickly, Elisud. I don't know how much longer you can hold out. Can't we do anything more?"

"I'd n-never ask you to g-give your souls to me or a-anything like that the way I've heard m-monsters c-can."

"Only "boss monsters" can do that, you insensitive lout!" Garamond snapped, looking insulted. "The ignorance of you people! You know, we MONSTERS bothered to do research on all of you and your people, we know the very cities you're from, who your kings and queens are, even your cultural traditions, like your symbol of the red dragon!"

"My, my, those western dragons can be so very…uncivilized." Asgore confessed as he shook his head. "They do, in fact, eat people."

"You barely know anything about our kind. Yet you act like you're so much more "civilized". What audacity. What presumption." Garamond said as he finished angrily scribbling down on his parchment, finally finishing the letter. "The sheer nerve. You're all a bunch of dumb mules pretending to be noble horses."

"Beats being a horse's ASS." Dylann said, deciding to turn around and stick it out, tugging down his pants, exposing his VERY fat, rotund behind as the monsters gaped at the sight, and Elisud began to laugh hysterically along with the others, who slightly rested themselves against Elisud.

"HA HA HA HA HA!"

"Oh, it feels good to laugh!"

"Looks like there's a "full moon" out!"

Elisud smiled, feeling the warmth of his friend's frames against his. This felt nice, to still be together again, and so close, even despite everything that had just happened. It felt…natural…normal. Good…

His soul faintly shimmered, and pulsed, and Dylann gasped in surprise. It looked…better than before. Less sickly, more strong. He gazed from Elisud's smiling, happy face to the others all about, realizing he could faintly, ever-so-faintly, see their own souls a-manifesting in front of their chests, like an afterimage. "That's it! That's it! We can let our Souls help share the burden. He can't absorb our souls, but our Souls can strengthen his through sharing our comradery!" He remarked aloud. "By trying to keep him safe and happy, we're showing…kindness! Our kindness can empower the shield too!"

"Then I think a rousing song's just what we need." Bowen proclaimed. "Well a Scotsman clad in kilt left the bar one evening fair! One could tell by how he walked that he'd drunk more than his share! He fumbled round until he could no longer keep his feet, then he stumbled off into the grass asleep beside the street!"

The other men all began to sing the chorus, laughing uproariously, a delightful, warm, fuzzy feeling rising in Elisud as he heard their voices cascading all about.

Ring-ding-did-a-little-la-di-oh, Ring-di-diddly-eye-oh,

He stumbled off into the grass asleep beside the street!

"About that time two young n' lovely girls just happened by! One says to the other with a twinkle in her eye, "See yon sleeping Scotsman so strong and handsome built, I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt!" Gawain proclaimed.

Prince Asgore snorted, the tea in his cup slightly spilling out as Garamond groaned and tugged down on his skeletal face. "Ughhhhhh. Welsh and Scottish humor is so broad!"

"I find it charming." Asgore confessed with a small smile and a blush on his features. Truth be told…this was actually his favorite Scottish song.