[theme music playing]
DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON
[Marcille panting]
[Laios grunts]
[Marcille yelps]
- [Laios] Izutsumi, Chilchuck. - [both] Hmm?
You mind slowing down a bit?
The floor is full of gaps and it's hard to walk on.
[soft gasp]
[Chilchuck] I didn't even notice.
- [panting] - [Laios] Let's take a little break.
[Izutsumi] Sure, whatever you say, Grandpa.
[Chilchuck] There's something I've been wondering.
- [all] Huh? - In these bodies,
what's the gap between our actual age and the age we look?
[Chilchuck] Laios, how old are you?
I'm 26 years old.
[Chilchuck] Senshi, now that he's a dwarf, how old does Laios look to you?
[Senshi] Hmm...
I would say around 60?
[Laios] Dwarves live about two and a half times
longer than tall-men.
So, if I'm 26 as a tall-man...
I'd be 65 as a dwarf.
[Chilchuck] If our appearance adjusts our age relative to what race we are,
I'm kinda worried about our remaining lifespan.
Will we age at the rate we did before we transformed?
[Chilchuck] Or will that change based on our new bodies?
- Hey, Marcille. - Huh?
If you think that doesn't affect you, you're wrong.
Since you're a half-foot now, if it's the latter,
- you'll only live till about 50 years old! - [grunts]
In less than 40 years, you're gonna get all old and wrinkly,
and then die!
[horrified scream]
WRINKLECILLE
[Marcille] A half-foot's lifespan is that short?
I thought they lived to 100!
There are some who live that long.
But it's pretty rare.
[shocked gasping]
[whimpers]
[Chilchuck] I'm only kidding.
What I'm actually trying to say is, if that was the case,
then this mushroom is too good to be true.
There are tons of people out there
who would pay a fortune to become another race,
but I've never seen
- this mushroom in the markets. - [sniffing]
[Chilchuck] Which means the change is only temporary,
or... has some kind of awful side effect.
Side effects, huh?
Possibly...
[Laios] I thought about using the Changelings for something,
but I don't think it'd go well.
What kind of something?
You wanna be a demi-human, don't you?
[Laios] No, that's not it.
I... was honestly thinking more in regards to Falin.
What about her?
[Laios] Now, this is all hypothetical,
but what if everything worked out and we defeated the mad mage?
- [bright victorious music playing] - [Thistle] I've learned my lesson.
[Laios] Falin regains her sanity.
[gasps]
- What was I just doing? - [whistling]
- [both] Falin's back! - [applause]
We return to the surface.
Man, that was really rough, wasn't it?
[villagers screaming]
She scares people.
So...
in that case, having a dragon's lower half would be a problem.
- You-- - Hold on!
- Let's hear what he has to say. - [grumbles]
[Laios] I thought about hiding that part by putting her in a hole.
What can I get ya?
However...
a large monster can't survive in a human town with how thin the mana is.
Like how a fish can't survive outside of water.
Falin might not be able to live among humans anymore.
- [Laios] Unless... - [gasps]
...we use those mushrooms.
[Laios] With the Changelings, we could change her lower half
into another type of dragon that's smaller.
And that way, Falin could live in town after all!
What?
He's so stupidly optimistic!
[Falin] Mush! Khush!
Though... I won't deny wanting to change into something else too.
Tall-men don't have any kind of special trait, which makes us plain.
- Chilchuck. - [Chilchuck] Hmm?
- Do you hear something strange? - I just think it'll be really useful...
Oh, uh... do you think it's the dwarven relic or something?
[Marcille] No, it's like stones scraping against each other.
From what I can tell, it actually sounds like it's getting closer.
[Marcille gasps]
This is bad.
The Gargoyles found us!
[Izutsumi] You idiot! Did you really not shut the door all the way?
W-We need to hurry and get out of here...
- [Laios grunts] - ...before they catch up to us!
[Laios] They're just gonna keep chasing us unless we do something.
Let's set up an ambush and take them down.
But Laios...
[Laios] I'll draw them to me.
Chilchuck, get the pan.
Izutsumi, attack from behind.
- Senshi, wait for an opening. - [Marcille and Izutsumi gasp]
[Laios] Marcille, where are they?
I told you!
[Marcille] They're right there!
[grunts]
[groans]
[Marcille] Laios!
- [tense music playing] - [Laios] Damn it!
- Watch out, everyone! - [yelps]
[grunting]
[groaning, grunts]
Now do you understand
why I quickly run off and find a place to hide?
Don't stand around people's legs.
- [Marcille] You say that, but... - [sighs]
[Chilchuck] You're clumsy no matter what body you're in, huh?
This way!
- [blasts] - [both grunt]
[Chilchuck coughs] Where'd this smoke come from?
[gasps]
- Did you cast something? - Mm-mm-mm.
[Laios] Are you two hurt?
[Chilchuck] No, we're fine.
It went right between our arms.
[Laios sighs] Good.
You mind grabbing Kensuke for me?
[Chilchuck] Sure.
[ominous sting]
Has it always looked like this?
No.
How and when did it change then?
You think that maybe the smoke we saw...
- was actually Changelings' spores? - Was actually Changelings' spores?
But hang on, there wasn't a mushroom ring anywhere near here.
Our arms were a ring when it passed through them.
[gasps]
Wait, so that means...
[groans]
[graceful, soft groan]
[Laios grunts]
Quit buzzing around, damn it!
You guys!
Grab each other's hands and make a circle right now!
Think before you open your mouth for once!
Just trust me, okay?
Well?
What do we do now? Is this it?
We're gonna have the Gargoyle pass through our arms.
If my theory is correct,
then the Gargoyle should change into something else!
- All right! It's time! - [Marcille gasps]
The wall's in that direction, come this way!
- [Chilchuck yelps] - Wait! Stop!
- [Laios and Izutsumi grunting] - You're... hurting... me!
[Marcille gasps]
[both grunt]
Ow, ow. [gasps]
- [loud thud] - [Marcille grunts]
[burbling, grunts]
- [gasps] - [debris clattering]
[metal clanking]
It can't fly away anymore!
Come on! Let's surround it!
[all yelling]
[all grunting]
[Laios and Marcille grunt]
[blasts]
[coughs]
We did it!
Where did it go?
- [Chilchuck] Look! - [gasps]
[men vocalizing]
[Izutsumi] This is the Gargoyle?
[Laios] It really did change.
I see. It works like this too?
So nonliving things transform faster.
- [Laios groans] - Laios!
Are you okay?
My head hurts, but I'm fine.
[Laios] Dwarves' bodies are as tough as they say.
[groans]
[growls]
Doesn't seem like it's gonna come down here.
How are we supposed to get it to pass through our arms?
[all] Hmm...
[Laios and Chilchuck] Hmm.
- [Laios] Marcille? - Uh, yeah?
- [Chilchuck] What if we... - Huh?
- [Laios] It should work. - What should...
- [Chilchuck] Let's do it. - [Laios] Right!
- Huh? - We're gonna bring ourselves closer to it
and get it to attack us!
- [Marcille] Hey, what am I... - Keep in rhythm so we run in sync!
Let's go!
[all] One, two...
- One, two... - [whimpers]
[all] One, two...
One and two and one and two and one and two and...
[dramatic music playing]
It's making its move! You ready to do this?
Ready? Ready for what?
[Laios and Chilchuck] Ready, and...
[Laios] Take to the sky, Marcille!
[Marcille groaning]
[all grunt]
[groans]
[grunts]
- Huh? - [scraping]
[thumps]
[thuds]
Good riddance.
[Laios] It's kind of anticlimactic,
but if you wash off the spores stuck to your body,
you'll go back to normal.
Can you please not?
All it is is water, so it's fine.
Gotta rinse the spores off thoroughly.
[Laios] We're basically the mushroom's seedbed right now.
[Laios] I think I finally understand why the mushrooms behave the way they do.
[blasts]
An animal steps into a Changeling ring and transforms.
- [deer] Run away! - They get shunned by their kind.
- [dings] - Then they die.
And eventually, become new Changelings.
What an awful side effect.
[Laios] Since we're not Gargoyles,
it's gonna take some time to go back to how we were.
Why don't we prepare a meal while we wait?
- Hmm. Very well. - [Chilchuck] Uh...
[yawns]
[Laios] Kensuke, it's hard to believe that this is you now.
Maybe it's a bit of a stress to think the mushrooms were the cause of this.
Will washing you change you back?
Hmm...
[Izutsumi] What's on the menu?
[Senshi] We have some leftover dumplings, so I'll be boiling those.
[Izutsumi] Really? Again?
Is there a problem with that?
[Izutsumi] Nah. I'm just kinda sick of them.
[shocked gasp]
- [Senshi] Sick of them? - Wish I could be that carefree.
- [Senshi] Let's cook them another way. - [enchanting sting]
- [calm music playing] - Heat some oil in a frying pan,
then gently put the dumplings in.
- [sparkling] - Ah, hot!
When golden brown,
remove the dumplings and blot the excess oil.
On top of Izutsumi having a small appetite,
she won't eat anything she doesn't like.
So it's important I take extra care to make sure she eats her fill.
[whimsical sting]
Tell me, what do you think?
- [music stops] - You just fried them.
- [gurgling] - Could you not?
[Senshi] Huh?
[Senshi] What if...
[hisses]
- [Chilchuck and Marcille gasp] - Whoa! It changed its shape!
[Senshi] It seems as though the mouth does indeed act as a Changeling ring.
And there are many different kinds of dumplings in the world.
[Izutsumi] What if eating that makes mushrooms start sprouting
inside our stomachs?
[Senshi] That didn't happen when we ate the Hippogriff meat,
thanks to digestion.
Isn't it great?
Now then, Izutsumi...
- [whines] - ...help me set the dishware.
[Senshi] It's ready!
DUMPLINGS TRANSFORMED BY A CHANGELING FAIRY RING
- So much variety. - [Marcille] Hmm...
- [sniffs] - [Marcille] Huh?
[blowing air]
There's Barometz meat in this one!
Oh, lamb meat, huh?
The insides change too.
[Marcille] Whoa!
No way! I got cheese!
This one tastes sweet.
[Chilchuck] I can't figure out the meat in mine.
[snoring]
[groaning]
[angry grunt] Hey!
Keep your stupid legs out of my face!
[Laios groaning]
Neat!
My body is finally back to normal!
[Chilchuck] Damn it... What a lousy way to wake up.
[Senshi sighs] Thank goodness.
I've never been happier...
[Chilchuck] All right.
- I think we should start heading out. - [grunting]
[Chilchuck] Actually, let's change into lighter clothing first.
It's pretty warm on this floor.
[Senshi] You know, this is the perfect temperature
for creatures to breed in.
Though the more we keep going,
who knows if we're gonna see all that much life up ahead.
I should have made some sausage to prepare for this kind of thing.
[Chilchuck] Hang on, didn't you make some before using the Red Dragon meat?
[Senshi] I did.
BONELESS DRAGON HAM
[Senshi] But sadly, I lost all that.
That so?
It's no big deal.
[Laios] Man, I hate it when it's hot. [grunts]
[Marcille] Why are you covering your sword with a cloth?
Huh? But, uh, what cloth?
Let me see it, Laios.
No, I would rather you didn't.
- [Marcille] Let me see it now! - [whimpers]
[Izutsumi] So what should we do with him?
My vote is that we form a circle and kick his ass.
[Marcille] Go wash this off immediately.
You find anything?
[Marcille] All that's here is a strange building,
but there's nowhere else to go.
What? You mean this thing?
[both] Oh.
[Izutsumi yelps]
It's probably an automated trolley.
- [Senshi] Let's go inside and have a look. - [Izutsumi snarls, hisses]
I doubt this thing works anymore.
If we took it apart and sold the pieces, I bet it would sell pretty well.
- [clanks] - [both gasp]
[engine whirring]
- [rumbles] - Why is it moving?
Senshi, what the heck did you do?
[Senshi] It wasn't me.
This might be the kind of trolley that moves when people board.
I'm gonna try reading this information sign,
so why don't you all just sit tight for a bit?
[trolley rattling]
[yawns]
[Senshi] Hmm...
I don't really think any of this is gonna help us.
Well, I'm not sensing anything dangerous just yet,
so why don't we try going as far as it'll take us?
I guess I'll brew some tea.
What's that?
[Senshi] These are Dryad seeds I roasted earlier.
You draw the magic circle?
Think so.
[Laios] But I don't know if it's working right or not.
- [burbles] - [Laios gasps]
It's a little bit slow, but it does seem to be heating.
[Senshi] So I've been meaning to ask,
why'd you and your sister become adventurers anyway?
Huh? Us?
[Senshi] You two don't really strike me as "get rich quick" kind of folks.
[Laios] Hmm...
It's a bit of a long story, but...
[Laios] When I was in my teens,
I got fed up with the people in my hometown.
So I went to school, then joined the military.
Unfortunately, I didn't fit in there either.
At some point, I joined a passing merchant caravan.
[Chilchuck] Wait, he's a deserter?
[Laios] I did chores for them as we gradually traveled south.
[gasps]
Falin was living at the magic school in the area,
so I stopped by just to see her, but...
she insisted on following me.
- [Falin screams, gasps] - [grunts]
[light music playing]
The two of us arrived at this island together.
When we first got here, gold stripping was prospering,
which meant there was plenty of guard work.
Us taking those jobs is what led to us entering this dungeon.
[light music continues]
[Laios] And that's our story.
[Senshi] Hard to believe you did all that without a single plan.
Your whole thing makes sense, but why did Falin tag along?
I feel like her life would have been easier at school.
[Laios] Hmm...
[Laios] If I'm being honest, Falin's childhood wasn't great for her.
She had a talent for magic, but was shunned for it.
I got sick of living in that environment,
so I left the village a year before she did.
Until magic school... [grunts]
No, until she met Marcille,
she probably ate her meals alone.
[Laios] When I think about it, it hurts my heart.
Though mentally, Falin's a lot tougher than I could ever dream of being.
So it's quite possible she didn't let it bother her.
Regardless, I decided I'd never leave Falin behind again.
Not until she meets someone new
that she wants to be with all the time anyway.
[grunts, groans]
[surprised grunt] What are you doing? Stop it!
Falin, she... [sobs]
She would always pick up weird things and bring them to me.
- [soft somber music playing] - [Marcille] Like strange-smelling fruits.
Or bits of grass and herbs.
[chuckles]
I never knew why she chose me specifically.
[Laios] I bet she wanted to eat that stuff with you.
[both gasp]
- [Marcille sobbing] - [groans]
[annoyed groan]
[sobbing continues]
[sniffles]
- [Marcille sobbing] - [gasps]
[whimpers]
[uncomfortable groan]
- [Marcille sobs, sniffles] - [sighs]
[Marcille sobbing, sniffling]
I wanna... [sniffles]
...eat another good meal with her again.
[Laios] I'm sure we will soon.
[Senshi] With the way I'm looking at it,
Falin is most like bacon and eggs right now.
You know, if we're comparing souls to eggs like before.
[Senshi] There's an egg on some bacon and they're stuck together.
However, it still seems possible to separate them cleanly.
That's how I see Falin.
In comparison, Izutsumi is like a mixed omelet.
[Senshi] If you work hard enough at it, you can remove the various ingredients.
But I imagine that would probably cause the egg portion of it to fall apart.
Because of that, in Izutsumi's particular case,
we need to find a more delicate and elaborate method to help her.
[Laios] Then what you're saying is...
if we manage to cut off her lower half,
then we'll be able to turn Falin into a human again?
It can't possibly be that simple.
[Senshi] At the time,
I made sure to preserve some of the Dragon meat
in order for us to eat it later.
But all of it ended up turning back into flesh and blood
and fused with Falin.
However, there were parts of the meat that didn't return to the Dragon.
And that was everything we all ate for dinner that night.
Meat digested by another creature loses its identity.
In this dungeon where life and death are completely ambiguous,
that could very well be the one clear rule it has.
So basically, if we ate the entire Dragon,
isn't it perfectly reasonable to assume
that it would drive its soul away from Falin?
- [Marcille gasps] - [disgusted groan]
What... What can I say?
I never expected all that from you.
I thought you would be opposed to that stuff.
[Senshi] Don't get me wrong, I'm still against reviving people.
But as far as we've seen, Falin is still alive.
Your main focus right now is to find her and free her from the dungeon, isn't it?
I'd be more than happy to help you out with that.
[Laios] Eating the entire Dragon...
S-Sorry, but, uh...
how many servings do you think that is?
[Marcille, Chilchuck and Izutsumi] Why is that where your mind goes?
- 'Cause we need to know! - [Marcille shrieks]
[Laios] This is the best plan we've come up with so far.
Do you have any better ideas?
In order to take claim to what you kill, you have to eat it first.
Of course, why didn't I think of that before?
We've been doing exactly that this whole time!
[Laios] Although...
She's huge.
If we each ate one kilogram a day,
then it'd take over ten years to finish the whole thing.
You really think I could eat a kilogram's worth?
Considering the state she's in, we really don't have that kind of time.
[Senshi] Looks like we're gonna have to reach out to others
for a little help then.
It's time to call on all those personal connections
you've been building up.
You make it sound like I have more than I do.
[Senshi] I know there's more than zero.
Surely some faces come to mind?
Hmm...
[Laios] The orcs seem like they'd eat a lot,
so that's promising.
The Golden Castle residents.
They won't have too much of an appetite,
but they have the numbers and livestock to make up for it.
And I think Namari and Shuro's parties would likely join
if we appealed to their emotions.
Oh, and there's Kabru too!
He seemed interested in monster cuisine.
[Laios] Uh, that's pretty much all I can think of.
[Senshi] That's plenty.
But still not enough to eat a dragon.
One more mid-sized group would do it.
Well, at the very least,
our goal from here on out has become crystal clear.
[Laios] One!
Release the Winged Lion from the depths of this dungeon.
Two!
With the Lion's help, we finally neutralize the mad mage.
Three!
Gather people who are willing to assist in eating Falin's dragon parts.
I suddenly have hope this is gonna work.
It sounds like it's gonna be one hell of a party.
We're not gonna find a mid-sized group in a dungeon.
[all gasp]
What's this feeling of uneasiness?
The dungeon air's become pretty stagnant.
While you guys were down there this last time,
it changed a decent amount again.
Wait, what do you mean?
You'll understand it when you see it.
[Namari] But to be honest,
I don't think these are the kind of changes
the folks behind us will like.
[tense sting]
Hmm? [gasps]
Ah!
- Don't you dare consume that! - [gasps]
There's something going on up there.
[Laios] Walking Mushrooms.
If we took Falin's dragon parts and cooked up some steaks,
would that be a good garnish for them?
[Laios] Or-or maybe a stew would be better.
- We can make stock from the bo-- - That's enough!
Now's not really the time to be crafting a Falin menu.
[groans] I'm so hungry.
[Senshi] Mm.
Let's start prepping something.
You got it!
[narrator] Dungeon food.
To eat or be eaten.
There is no hierarchy here.
Only the simple concept that eating is a privilege of the living.
Ah, dungeon food.
Delicious in dungeon.
[closing theme music playing]