Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After a bit of discussion, the majority of the Loki Familia had retreated to the far side of the room near the stairs. Since the Goliath would attack everything in the area, they had to maintain a certain distance to avoid trying its attention. One person, however, had stayed in the area and was currently having a lively conversation with Vahn."So~You think you will be able to beat it? I don't mind helping you out, you know?" Tiona was sitting close to Vahn while dangling her feet. The small golden anklets made pleasant rings as she hummed the words. Vahn found her aura to be very comfortable as it was gentle like the sun with a tinge of pink.Shaking his head, Vahn showed a firm conviction on his face as he responded, "I want to try on my own. I feel like I would regret it if I gave up without making an effort. If anything, I almost wish your Familia wasn't in the area, since it gives me confidence that I'll be able to retreat if things go south." Towards the end of his sentence, Vahn couldn't help but release a sigh. It wasn't a lie, as the presence of the Loki Familia did ease his mind a great deal.Tiona laughed a bit as she leaned back, laying against the floor of the dungeon with her hands behind her back. She stared toward Vahn with an innocent and pleased expression. "I believe you can do it, even if we weren't here. I'm happy to be around to see you create a miracle~!" Tiona could tell that, though Vahn had grown much stronger recently, he was still a bit far from the point of being able to fight the Goliath alone. But, it was that same growth that gave her confidence he would succeed regardless. It had been less than a week since their spar, but she felt as if his strength had more than doubled in that time. In a way, it was already nothing short of a miracle.Hearing someone speak so confidently about him, especially someone much stronger than he was, Vahn found his own confidence increase. He closed his eyes and focused his mind to recover the energy he had consumed summoning Fafnir. From his right, he could hear Tiona mildly humming a soft tune as she ceased trying to converse with him. Now, though Vahn couldn't see her, Tiona had become content just staring at the serious Vahn with an expectant look on her face.---Forty minutes later, cracks began to appear on the 'Wall of Grief'. Everyone in the area noticed it, and Tiona rose from her spot next to Vahn and quickly retreated to the door. As she left, she turned toward Vahn and shouted, "Good luck Vahn~! Beat it up good!!" Vahn, who had also started to rise with a serious look, nearly fell over after hearing her complacent and excited remark. Shaking his head and laughing a bit, Vahn started to release his domain and transformed into his Báihǔ form.While Vahn was transforming, all the members of the Loki Familia showed somewhat surprised expressions on their faces. Tiona had sparkles in her eyes while Ais had a serious expression on her face. Riveria looks toward Gareth, who nodded in response before she turned to Finn. "He has grown much stronger since we met him last week. His aura and that transformation, everything about him had increased to an incredible extent."As Riveria spoke, Finn showed an intrigued smile as Lefiya, Ais, and Tiona all seemed to agree with Riveria's assessment. The only person who didn't seem impressed was Bete, who was brooding off to the side as he watched the change in Vahn's form. He could also see Vahn's strength increasing by a surprising amount, but he wasn't impressed so he loudly snorted through his nose to dismiss the atmosphere. Tione and Tiona both looked at him with annoyed expressions while Ais's brow twitched slightly.Vahn wasn't paying attention to the Loki Familia; His vision was completely focused on the expanding crack. He watched as it slowly increased in size as small shards of the nearly indestructible material began flaking off of the wall. Curious, Vahn scooped up a bit into his inventory to be analyzed by the system later.After doing so, he got into a low form and began tensing his body. The white and black hairs on his body began to stand as his hair slightly danced from the energy emanating from his body. His aquamarine eyes were entirely focused on the crack as his pupils shrank to the size of a pinhole. Vahn began to release slow and steady breaths as the ground beneath his claws slowly started melting from the flame elements building up in his body.The aura of his domain, which used to take on a golden hue, was now an intermixture of gold and vermillion colors. From the side, members of the Loki Familia actually began to feel a sense of danger coming from Vahn as the intensity of the aura increased and the room temperature began to rise. Riveria, as the most sensitive to magic, actually had a shocked expression on her face. She waved her hand and noticed that the flame elements couldn't be condensed by her. It was like everything in the surrounding 78m had been completely dominated and was now only listening to Vahn's command.Finally, the cracks on the 'Wall of Grief' had reached a critical state as a massive 7m tall grey giant burst forth from the depths. Vahn immediately accelerated and greeted the roaring figure with a powerful double-palmed strike directly to its chest. The momentum that the Goliath had burst forth with from the wall actually paused for a moment as a shockwave slowly spread through its chest before dispersing.Vahn experienced the entire event in slow motion and frowned after seeing his full power attack dissipate so quickly. From his memory, Vahn thought the Goliath should be weak against shockwaves, but his attack didn't seem to cause it any serious damage. Before it was able to react, Vahn kicked off of its chest to open up a distance between the raging figure.The Goliath, who had briefly paused after Vahn's preemptive strike, roared loudly as it tried to smash Vahn to a pulp. It began mindlessly chasing after his figure and caused huge cracks to appear in the hard bedrock of the room. Vahn continued to dodge about whilst evading the devastating blows as he looked for an opportunity to strike. Fortunately, with the agility increase from his Báihǔ form, Vahn was easily able to deal with the speed of the Goliath.Unable to hit the nimble Vahn, the Goliath stretched its body to the maximum its height allowed while raising both hands high above its head. Vahn saw the act and his instincts began sending danger signals to the back of his mind. The moment the Goliath reached its maximum extension, like a blur, it fiercely smashed toward the floor of the dungeon.Vahn bent his body into a bow before the attack landed and launched himself upward with his full strength. His body shot like a bullet, but he wasn't able to completely escape the massive shockwave created by the Goliath's attack. The dungeon floor cracked and seemed to sink several inches as large rocks and shrapnel exploded out from the surface. Vahn felt a wave of energy pass through his body as a sweet taste rose from the back of his throat.Slightly stunned by the impact, Vahn was helpless as a palm swept through the dense cloud of rubble and smashed into his body. With a velocity far greater than he had launched himself with, Vahn spun through the air before colliding heavily with the dungeon wall. He left an impact crater more than 5m wide as he felt like all the bones in his body fractured.Seeing Vahn's body sent flying, Tiona and Ais almost leaped into action but were stopped by Riveria and Finn. Riveria looked toward the two who seemed to be very flustered by the situation. "He is still alive, and look...he hasn't given up." Riveria could still feel the elements converging in the air and knew Vahn still possessed the will to continue. Ais look toward the crater with a serious expression while Tiona had a mixture of concern and anticipation on her face.Vahn, who had been sent flying, had begun to rapidly change. His body was no longer in his Báihǔ form, and he had now transitioned into his turtle form. The wounds on his body were healing, but he accelerated the process by consuming one of his remaining senzu beans. Looking toward the Goliath, Vahn could feel a powerful anger welling within his chest as he dislodged himself from the wall.The moment he landed on the ground, Vahn felt a peculiar sensation from his body. Though his mind was rapidly spinning, he couldn't will his body to move with the same intensity as he was able to in his Báihǔ form. It seemed as if the turtle form greatly increased his endurance and regeneration, but it didn't provide any enhancements toward his agility. As Vahn had become accustomed to fighting in the Báihǔ form recently, he was unable to adapt quickly as the Goliath rapidly approached his position.With a powerful roar, the Goliath advanced toward Vahn and twisted its body. As the movement reached its waist, Vahn could see a powerful kick rapidly approaching from his left. Gritting his teeth, Vahn crossed his arms and prepared to receive the blow. The tattoos on his body seemed to react to his motion as they began to glow with a green light.At the moment of contact, when Vahn had expected to be sent flying, he was instead dragged back slightly before coming to a stop. The foot of the Goliath had impacted his arms, but instead of the shockwave traveling through Vahn's body, it instead bubbled outwards and dispersed into the atmosphere. Vahn was still carried a bit by the momentum, but he received almost no damage from the fierce blow.Vahn began to laugh loudly as he launched himself toward the torso of the Goliath. His speed may have been reduced, but he was still capable of moving relatively quickly. At the moment the Goliath had tried to recover its balance, Vahn launched into its chest and punched forward with his black scale-covered fist. During the motion, the black scales and tattoo seemed to light up with that same green glow, but instead of dispersing the shockwave, it now converged it to a point as Vahn's punch blasted a large hole through the Goliath's chest.The blood in Vahn's body began to boil after seeing the sight. It turns out, his turtle form didn't simply increase his defense. Much like how the Báihǔ form enhanced his senses and flexibility, the turtle form also had other uses. When he focused his energy on defense, it was able to disperse shockwaves away from his body, while, during his attacks, it did the exact opposite and prevented the shockwaves from being dispersed!After suffering the fierce blow from Vahn, the Goliath fell backward and tried to stop its momentum with its hands. It looked toward the figure that had injured it so severely as it opened its mouth and spat out a compressed shockwave. Vahn was a bit surprised by the sudden super-sonic attack but managed to deflect the energy while only being lifted slightly from the ground. While he was in the air, the Goliath spat out another blast, and Vahn tried to receive it in the same manner.Unexpectedly, the green energy didn't activate, and Vahn found himself launched backward by the blow. Though he was able to resist it with his enhanced endurance, Vahn still suffered a heavy amount of damage and couldn't prevent himself from coughing out a mouthful of blood. He didn't know why the green energy didn't activate and tried focusing his energy into his hands as if he was going to attack. Once again, the tattoos and scaled began to glow, but after two seconds the energy dissipated. After it faded, Vahn realized he couldn't converge it anymore and realized it must have a cooldown.While he was slightly distracted, the Goliath hadn't been waiting around. Though only a few seconds had passed, the hole in its chest had already begun to close up as it charged toward Vahn with heavy steps. Vahn took evasive actions but was very frustrated with how slow his body felt in the turtle form. Though he managed to evade a few blows, he didn't prevent the Goliath from being able to eventually grab his body.The Goliath roared loudly after it had grasped Vahn, and used its other hand to begin trying to squeeze the life out of the small figure. Vahn grits his teeth while channeling his energy to resist the attack, but he could feel his bones slowly being ground down. From the side, he could see the Loki Familia beginning to take action, but Vahn called out. "STOP! I can handle this!"Hearing his shout, everyone stopped and had various different expressions on their face. Seeing the situation Vahn was in, even Tiona had lost her confidence in his victory. From the side, Bete began laughing in a cynical manner. "Hahahaha, look at this! That stupid kid is going to get himself killed for his own pride!" Tiona, hearing Bete's snide remark looked toward him and shouted, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Bete flinched slightly at the loud outburst as his rage began to build due to his embarrassment at being startled. He was about to try and teach Tiona a lesson when a sudden heat completely enveloped the entire group.Moments after Vahn had called out to stop them, the damaged he had accumulated reached a critical point. Crimson cracks had started to spread on his body as a powerful burning sensation came from the 'eternal flame' beating in his chest. It seemed to have grown to twice its normal size as it danced about excitedly in his heart. The blood in Vahn's body felt like it had turned to magma, but instead of being painful it was incredibly comfortable.From within the cracks on his skin, wisps of flames began to sprout which quickly turned into small vermillion colored feathers. The tattoos on Vahn's body receded as crimson hue began to glow beneath his flesh. His hair, which had been an onyx black with a green sheen, had now turned a vibrant red with vermillion accents. His aquamarine eyes now looked like fire as energy surged through them.The Goliath, who had been gripping Vahn's body began to roar out in anguish as he released the boy from his grasp. The flesh of its hands had completely charred black with a crimson ember spreading through the palms. The bones within the hands had become visible as they too were slowly eaten away by the flames. Before it had time to recover, Vahn exploded with a fierce energy as he launched himself for the third time at the Goliath's chest.Unlike his turtle form, which had slowed his movements by a large amount, Vahn had now recovered some of the agility he had possessed in his Báihǔ form. He wasn't nearly as fast, but it was still much easier to move when compared to his turtle form. Within a blink, Vahn had reached the Goliath and struck forward with both hands.Unlike his previous attacks, this time Vahn's hands passed almost effortlessly through the flesh of the Goliath. There was almost no resistance at all as the flesh around the impact site seemed to dissolve into black ash as a powerful burning smell permeated the air. Vahn continued forward with his momentum until he was almost entirely submerged within the Goliath's body. His hands made contact with the large crystal within and it too began to shatter after contacting the immense heat.Vahn felt a powerful force wrap his body as the crystal broke into small particles. The Goliath, which had been rapidly burning around him, immediately turned to dust the moment the core was destroyed. Without the Goliath as support, Vahn began falling toward the ground which began to melt the moment he made contact. From the side, he could see the majority of the Loki Familia cheering for him as a brown blur entered his vision.In a panic, Vahn immediately dispersed the heat as quickly as he could as a figure tackled his body and dragged him out of the molten pool. He was dragged nearly 5m through the air before sliding along the ground with a second body attached to him. Looking down, he could see Tiona sticking closely to his chest with an almost feverish expression on her face. The two made eye contact and Tiona smiled widely before saying..."I want to have your baby!"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Burn, flame of my soul, PSYCHO BURGUNDY!','Three Stages of Triumph','Deus Ex Zhuque','Grey Goliath becomes Black Ash Goliath')

Hearing Tiona's proclamation, Vahn was incredibly confused by the sudden situation. He could see her aura was almost trying to wrap itself around him, and it made him feel a tingling sensation in his temples. Looking into her eyes, he could see she was very expectant and waiting for his answer, but Vahn didn't know what to say. He had never considered having children, and he didn't even understand the process very well.While Vahn was flustering about with Tiona clinging to him, the rest of the Loki Familia had made their way over. Finn was very impressed with Vahn's fight and wanted to know what kind of skill he had used at the very end. He wasn't the only one either, as Riveria had a curious glint in her eye as she wanted to see through all of Vahn's secrets. Tione was also very impressed but seeing her sister acting in this manner made her somewhat uncomfortable.Tione reached forward and snatched Tiona off of Vahn's body. The moment Tiona was pulled away from Vahn, both amazons stared with wide eyes at the sight before them. Tiona's eyes were sparkling while even Tione couldn't prevent a mild blush from surfacing on her face. Vahn, finally being freed from Tiona's grasp, climbed to his feet and released a restrained sigh. After doing so, he noticed a strange reaction from all the Loki Familia members and followed their line of sight.As Vahn had once against transformed into the vermillion-bird, all of the clothing and equipment he had been wearing was incinerated. He now stood naked before the entire Loki Familia group which consisted of Finn, who was giving him an awkward look, Tione and Tiona who both had mild blushes, Ais who had a somewhat surprised look, Gareth, who seemed rather impressed, Riveria, who had a subtle and somewhat incredulous look, and Bete, who looked like he was almost in shock. Wrapping up the party, there was Lefiya whose face looked beet red as she flustered about behind Ais. (A/N: That friggin sentence~!)While they were staring at him, Vahn was also looking between them, almost entirely unfazed by the situation. Finn felt his brow begin to twitch as the atmosphere continued to become increasingly awkward. Seeing how the members of his Familia wer acting, and the fact that it had been several seconds where everyone just gawked, Finn decided to put an end to the situation. Taking a cloak from Lefiya, Finn walked forward and handed it to Vahn."You can use this to cover yourself..." Finn felt rather awkward handing clothing to the unfazed Vahn. He couldn't understand what kind of person would use a skill that burned their own clothing. Vahn accepted the cloak, and without hesitation, wore it like normal. Seeing his action, Finn nearly fell over. "THE BOTTOM! COVER THE BOTTOM!"---After realizing the fact his nakedness was the source of the awkward atmosphere, Vahn frowned before wrapping the cloak around his waist. The moment he did so, he noticed everyone had strange reactions, though most of the group seemed relieved. One notable reaction came from Tiona, who seemed somewhat disappointed. She was currently being held off to the side by her sister, who was trying to prevent the situation from getting worse. The most interesting reaction though came from Bete, who seemed like he was struggling with something internally.Now that Vahn was 'clothed', Finn sighed before trying to ease tensions. "That was an amazing fight, especially at the end. I've never seen such a powerful technique before. I heard you were only Level 2, but that type of power is generally only seen in high-level magics from Level 3-4." Finn was very interested and almost wanted to inspect the Status Board on Vahn's back. The fact he was currently shirtless only made the desire more prominent.Before Vahn answered, Riveria also spoke. "That wasn't magic, but something I've never even seen before. It was closer to 'controlling' the elements instead of just making use of them. A physical body shouldn't be able to withstand that type of change." Even more than Finn, Riveria really wanted to know what allowed Vahn do something she considered impossible. She had lived for 99 years and was considered the most prominent mage in the City. Seeing something completely outside her understanding was a first for her.Hearing them ask so many questions annoyed Vahn a bit. From his experience and the information he obtained, it was considered improper to question other adventurers regarding their secrets. The fact he was being asked by two of the highest ranked adventurers in the entire City made him feel frustrated. It was like they considered themselves above common sense and expected him to answer just because they were asking politely.Though Finn and Riveria noticed his discomfort, they were still very curious and hoped he would answer. From the side, Gareth harumphed before stepping in and handing Vahn a red cloak to wrap around his back. Looking towards his companions, Gareth said in a firm manner. "Don't pressure the kid. Aren't you two supposed to be adults? Since when were the Captain and Vice-Captain of the Loki Familia lacking in etiquette?"Hearing Gareth's words, Finn released an awkward laugh while rubbing the back of his head. Riveria closed her eyes and bowed slightly toward Vahn. "Forgive me, Vahn, I was simply curious. If you don't wish to discuss the information, I will not force you." Vahn nodded in response, but he didn't say anything about accepting her apology. He could tell that, even now, the two still wanted to find out his secrets. Though they didn't have a malicious aura, they were both an off-yellow with a sickly purple on the edges.While the atmosphere was still very awkward, Ais had walked forward and stood in front of Vahn. "I want to fight you again." The moment she spoke, the entire Loki Familia seemed to be affected. Finn, Riveria, and Gareth all had helpless expressions. Lefiya seemed to be somewhat angry at Vahn, while Tiona on the side just shouted out, "Ehhh? No, Ais, Vahn is mine~! I want to fight him too!" While flailing about, Tiona managed to release herself from Tione and grabbed Vahn's arm.Tiona had an almost hostile look as she stared at Ais, but Ais just frowned slightly before saying, "We can both fight. I will wait." After her curt response, she stood to the side and Tiona made a triumphant 'guts' pose. Opening up some distance between the dumbfounded Vahn, she took a relaxed stance with both palms facing toward him.Vahn just stood there like he couldn't make sense of the situation when, very suddenly, Tione fiercely smacked the top of Tiona's head with her fist. "You dumb monkey girl! Does he look like he is in any condition to fight!?" While rubbing the bump on her head, Tiona looked towards Vahn who was only garbed in two cloaks. Remembering that he was nude previously, her eyes were drawn to the crack in the bottom cloth before another fist hit her head.---After things had settled down, Vahn agreed to fight Tiona, Ais, and then Tione when he got back to the surface. Bete also wanted to fight, but all three of the girls refused saying he was unable to restrain himself and it would be counterproductive. Once they had made the agreement, Vahn moved over to collect his spoils. The Goliath crystal had been massive, and when Vahn broke it, it had shattered into thousands of small fragments. Some of them had burned up, but Vahn was able to recover 1,018 pieces which were all worth 150OP each. In a single battle, he had earned an additional 152,700 OP, so he was in a great mood.Seeing the massive pile of crystals disappear, both Finn and Riveria were able to understand Vahn had 'storage magic'. As they had previously caused tensions, they didn't say anything, but, Finn very much wanted to ask why Vahn didn't have a change of clothes. And, if Vahn did have spares, why he didn't wear them immediately after the battle ended. Fortunately for their curiosity, they didn't have to ask since someone else had done so."Ehhhh? How did all the magic core shards disappear!?" Tiona was inspecting the area with a befuddled look. Since Vahn had used it right in front of everyone, he decided it wasn't worth 'lying' about it so he explained that he had 'storage magic'. Hearing his response, Tiona was smiling but also had a confused expression on her face. "Do you not have any spare clothing?" Though she didn't mind much, it was still strange to her how Vahn had been standing completely unfazed, especially after she had tackled him previously.Vahn nodded his head and took out some of his spare clothing. All of his equipment had burned up, except for his weapons, but he still had a few pairs of casual clothes. While he was getting dressed, he noticed Finn's, Bete's, and Lefiya's auras began to fluctuate. Unable to contain himself any longer, Bete shouted out, "THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU WEAR ANY CLOTHING, YOU BASTARD!? DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WANT TO SEE YOU NAKED!?"His shout seemed to echo the sentiments of most of the group, but Vahn just frowned and responded. "I would have eventually; I didn't make you look." Vahn's words seemed to have set Bete off as he jumped toward him and tried to deliver a kick. Vahn was much slower than Bete, and tried to take a defensive stance, but it proved to be unnecessary. Before Bete had gotten anywhere near him, Ais and Tiona had both intercepted the attack. Ais smashed the sheath of her sword into Bete's armguards while Tiona launched a kick of her own into his stomach.Bete, though he didn't take much damage, held his stomach as he looked incredulously at his two 'companions'. "What the fuck are you two doing!? Are you trying to fight me over some nudist brat!?" In response, Ais spoke quite a bit more words than normal. There was even the undertone of anger in her voice as she said, "He is right. Nobody made you look, and he had just finished a fight when Tiona ambushed him." Hearing the words 'ambush', Tiona faltered a bit before responding herself, "Y-yeah, it was my fault. You can't blame Vahn just because you have wandering eyes!"Seeing the two berate him while defending Vahn, Bete scratched his head with both hands in a demonstration of frustration. "I am much stronger than him! Why are you taking his side in this!? Don't tell me you two actually LIKE him, HUH!?" Bete stared directly into the two girls faces as he shouted the last word.Without any hesitation, Tiona shouted out while triumphantly throwing her fist in the air. "Of course! Vahn is the person I've chosen to sire my children! There is no way I don't like him!" She said the words with a big smile on her face as she glomped the startled Vahn. She just dangled off his neck and laughed in a childish manner. Ais, who was also being stared at by Bete, looked between Vahn and Bete a few times before giving her own response. "He is better than you. You are just older."Hearing both girls refute him, Bete released a loud yell before smashing his leg into the dungeon wall. His kick left huge cracks as he put his hands into his pockets and started walking toward the stairs. "Fuck this shit! I'll be in Riviria when you assholes finish playing around." Without waiting for anyone's response, Bete continued walking away without turning back.The whole time this play was going on, Vahn just stood idle with a blank expression. Even with Tiona leaning herself against his body, he was too distracted by the information he had read in his system.//'Tiona Hiryute' Has Reached Maximum Affection////Quest Completed: [The Hearts Desire:C-SS]//Completion Grade: BRewards:10,000OP, 1x [Hearts Desire: 'Tione Hiryute']Grade Rewards: Skill [Fist Strike:B] obtained.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tiona's Decisiveness','Bete feels 'inferior'','Airhead','Hearts Doki Doki for Various Reasons')

Vahn was dreaming of flying through the sky far above the world. Above, he could the see stars, while below, everything seemed so inconsequential and small. Reaching out his hand, he felt like he could encompass mountains with he hands, and even turn the seas if he put in just a little effort...Vahn's eyes suddenly shot open as he jumped to his feet. He had just sensed a group of people approaching, coming from the direction of Riviria. Given the current situation, Vahn assumed they were either trying to get back to the 'Wall of Grief' so they could exit the dungeon or, they were likely the group that had initially killed it. If it was the former, he could just ignore them and let them pass, but, if it was the latter, he would have to make his claim and potentially even confront them.After a bit of hesitation, Vahn put the crystal containing Fafnir, which he had been holding, into his Inventory. Though he wanted to summon it to dissuade anyone from causing trouble with him, if the group ended up being very powerful, it may cause a fight to occur. Intimidation wasn't the best tactic to rely on against multiple opponents, especially if it consisted of any higher level adventurers.The group finally entered his line of sight, and Vahn felt a chill creep down his spine after seeing who it was. Had he called out Fafnir, it would have most likely led to his new companion getting instantly killed without the time to explain anything. Among the group of eight, the lowest was Level 3, while everyone else was much stronger. It was the Loki Familia, following behind Finn and Gareth with Riveria taking up the rear. Tiona, Tione, Ais, Bete, and Lefiya filled out the rest of the numbers.Remembering that Ais had a trauma related to 'black dragons', Vahn would have to explain before he summoned Fafnir, or the last experience it might have would be blade winds cutting through its body by the aggravated Level 5 Ais. Fortunately, Vahn had given into his own reason at the time, or he very well may have caused a minor catastrophe.Vahn wasn't the only one to notice the situation of the floor; the moment the Loki Familia entered the room containing the 'Wall of Grief', they all looked toward him with caution. The fact another person was located in the area meant they would likely be trying to compete for ownership of the next Goliath. Bete (A/N: I swear, it tries to rename him to Beta for me) had a pissed off look on his face, while Finn frowned slightly. However, not everyone was bothered by the appearance of the boy in front."Yaho~! It's Vahn!" Before Finn or Bete could say anything, Tiona called out and started running toward Vahn while waving her arm excitedly. Finn's expression became a bit calmer after realizing it was Tiona's acquaintance, but after a bit of consideration realized it could become a bigger issue. Ais also started walking toward Vahn with Lefiya trailing not far behind. Gareth and Riveria explained the situation to Finn, while Tione gave a curious look toward the boy her sister was fawning over. The only person still high tension was the frizzled white-haired werewolf boy that looked towards Vahn with a hostile expression.Vahn returned Tiona's wave as she came within just a few inches of his body and started circling him. He was very confused at her actions, but Ais had shown up and spoke to him before he was able to determine Tiona's motive. "Alone...?" Vahn saw Ais looking around the area, likely for anyone that had accompanied him.Showing a small smile, Vahn nodded in affirmation. Ais's eyes opened a bit wider, but after a while, she, along with Tiona who had finished her inspection, also smiled. Even Lefiya, who was standing to the right of Ais, seemed to be somewhat impressed by the fact Vahn had been able to delve to the 18th floor unassisted. It had to be known that she, as a Level 3, wouldn't have been able to match the feat.The group had an amiable atmosphere as a shout came from afar. "Eeeeeh? Who is this pipsqueak? Don't tell me he got lost and separated from his group!?" The person who spoke was a white-haired man with a fierce expression. Vahn could see he had the look of a predator but noticed that his aura was actually split between purples and greens. This was a bit confusing for Vahn since he had come to associate the colors with fear, trepidation, and envy.Hearing the abrasive cackling, Ais frowned slightly while Tiona turned toward Bete in a huff. "Lay off Bete! This is Vahn, the 'Vulcan, and he is perfectly capable of getting to this point on his own." Bete glared toward Tiona who had reprimanded him; his eye twitched slightly and he seemed to become even more aggressive. "Huh!? This shorty is supposed to be THAT Vulcan? Wasn't he supposed to be some hero wannabe? Hmph, he certainly looks like some kid playing hero, that's for sure!"Seeing Bete constantly deride him with a scornful expression, Vahn's brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't take any action. Everyone in the group, including Lefiya, made Vahn's instincts flare up. Even among similarly leveled adventurers, the members of the Loki Familia were all elites. Bete, arrogant as he was, had the freedom to be expressive as he was already a Level 5, while Vahn was still Level 2.Tiona and Bete glared at each other like an offended cat and a feral dog. The tensions began to build up slightly before Finn and the rest had made their way over. Finn, with a somewhat exasperated expression, looked towards Bete and spoke out. "Bete, Vahn is a protege of Hephaestus and Tsubaki. As an executive of the Loki Familia, you should be more reserved or you'll embarrass our Goddess."Bete, hearing Finn, spat out and turned his head away. He gave Vahn a sideward glance before putting his hands in his pockets and walking over to a nearby wall and leaning against it. Vahn followed his figure for a moment before turning towards Finn. As a pallum, Finn was actually smaller than Vahn and stood at a height of 119cm. He had blonde hair and blue eyes with a calm and composed expression on his face. His aura was a stable yellow with a tinge of sky-blue along the edges which made Vahn believe he was a kind and reliable person.Finn smiled towards Vahn after Bete had walked off. "Sorry about that Vahn. Gareth and Riveria had informed me about the situation. I'm surprised you're able to make it this far...did you really come down here alone?" Finn showed a very interested expression on his face as he looked at Vahn. He was constantly on the lookout to recruit talent into the Loki Familia.Vahn returned the smile after nodding towards Riveria and Gareth. "Yes, after I lost the spar against Tiona and Ais, I wanted to temper myself in the dungeon. Though I hadn't expected to get this far at first, my strength has been rapidly improving and it was easier than I expected. That isn't to say I didn't have any help though..." As he was speaking, Vahn looked toward Tiona and Ais. Tiona had a large smile on her face after hearing his reason for entering the dungeon, while Ais was relatively expressionless but had an almost imperceptible smile on her face.Hearing that Vahn was embarrassed at having lost to Ais and Tiona, Gareth and Riveria both gave an appreciative nod while Finn seemed even more interested in the honest Vahn. "Tell me Vahn, are you here to fight the Goliath? And, where is the help of your's?" Since the moment of their arrival, Finn hadn't seen anyone else in the area so he was somewhat confused by Vahn's earlier statement.After a brief hesitation, Vahn decided to explain that he had a skill that could convert tamed monsters into a dormant state similar to a magic core. Riveria showed a very intrigued expression during his explanation while the majority of the group had confused looks and even disbelief on their face. By the time he was done, Vahn asked the entire group to step back and promise not to attack his tamed monster.Finn nodded and had the group stand a few meters away. Gareth and Riveria both moved closer to Ais while Tiona and Tione had slightly anticipatory looks on their face. The only person that seemed to lack interest was Bete, but Vahn could see him look over every now and then. After everyone had stepped an appropriate distance away, Vahn sighed and hoped for the best as he infused his energy into Fafnir's crystal.Everyone observed with surprised looks as a chaotic swarm of energy coalesced into a gigantic form that was around 6m in length. Riveria, who usually had a very taciturn expression, had now furrowed her brows with an incredibly serious look as she observed the situation. As the mass of energy began to take shape, both she and Gareth realized what was being formed and they tried to move and intercept-Before they had managed to react, Ais had already launched herself towards the fully formed Fafnir with a hateful expression on her face. Seeing the black dragon in front, even though she had promised not to attack, the only thing Ais could think of was her mother and the dragon that had destroyed her happiness. She wanted to tear the creature limb from limb and reclaim what she had lost long ago.Though Vahn was a bit tired, he had expected the situation to occur and immediately returned Fafnir to his dormant state and recovered its crystal. Ais, wrapped in a swirling green magical cloak, continued her path through the air where Fafnir's head had been previously. Given the ferocity and ruthlessness of the strike, had Vahn not reacted quickly, Fafnir would have been reduced to a headless mess in an instant.Vahn angrily looked towards Ais before staring directly into Finn's eyes. Finn saw his look and had a sorry expression on his face as he, and the rest of the Loki Familia, went to restrain the heavily panting Ais. Even after Fafnir had disappeared, she hadn't been able to regain her calm state and appeared to be unaware of the situation."Don't be mad Vahn..." From his right, Vahn heard a dejected sounding voice and turned towards Tiona who was looking at him with an awkward and sad expression. Seeing the usually vibrant girl looking down, Vahn furrowed his brows further before releasing a sigh. He knew Ais had a trauma associated with dragons, so he couldn't fully blame her for the situation."Its okay, I was just a bit flustered at almost having my companion killed. I'm sure she has her reasons, so I won't be mad at her." Vahn tried to smile at Tiona who, seeing his 'understanding' nature, beamed with a smile of her own. Before he was able to react, Tiona had wrapped her arms around his neck and was laughing joyfully. "Ahahaha~! I knew it, a hero would be different~!"Hearing the bubbly laughter of Tiona, the tensions that had been building in the air seemed to lose power and disperse. Everyone had somewhat awkward expressions, including Ais who had regained her sanity. She was very disappointed with herself for having attacked Vahn's tamed monster, even though it had done nothing deserving of her wrath. As her senses were well honed, she had also heard Vahn say he wasn't mad at her, and now felt both confused and lost. Seeing Tiona hanging off of Vahn's small body, she noticed the small figure seemed to stand firm, almost like it could bear anything.Ais broke free of the encirclement of her Familia and slowly walked towards Vahn. She had a sad look and wanted to explain things to Vahn so he would understand why she had attacked. Vahn, seeing her approach just shook his head and smiled. "It's fine Ais. I'm not going to judge you, and I'm certain you had a good reason. You don't need to feel obligated to explain things right now." Vahn knew she really did have a good reason but didn't want the atmosphere to become awkward again due to the circumstances.Vahn pointed toward the 'Wall of Grief' and everyone's sight followed his finger. They noticed that the shadow had reached a somewhat critical point and the Goliath would likely spawn within the next hour or so. Finn, frowned slightly before considering the situation a bit and asking, "Vahn, were you intending to fight the Goliath? You never answered me earlier..." Seeing Vahn nod at his question, Finn released a sigh. Though they could contest the right to fight, as the Goliath had yet to spawn, it would be very awkward to force Vahn away after what Ais had done previously.While Finn was thinking, Riveria had approached Vahn and asked. "That dragon...I would like to ask about it later...for now, would you like our help against the Goliath?" Riveria noticed Finn had been hesitating somewhat, so as the Vice-Captain, she decided to step in and make the decision easier.Hearing Riveria, Bete acted as if someone had stepped on his tail. "Are you fucking kidding!? We can't just let some kid steal a Monster Rex out from under our noses! It would be an insult to the entire Loki Familia!!!" Bete quickly approached Vahn and Riveria with a fierce look in his eyes. It almost seemed like he wanted to attack Vahn, or at the very least force him to give up.Finn saw his actions and shouted out, "Bete!! Stop immediately! Vahn has as much a right as anyone to the Monster Rex. He was also here before us and, even though it may not have spawned, it would be plenty of us to force him away on a technicality." Next to Finn, Tione also spoke out with a condescending tone. "Hmph, this dog talks about pride and insults, but here he is acting like a fool and trying to bully others.""What did you say, you bitch!?" Bete looked towards Tione and shouted. Ever since she and Tiona had reached Level 5, they had acted more and more unrestricted. As their senior, it really pissed him off seeing how carefree they acted.Tione just turned her head up at Bete and looked down on him. "Bark." Bete grits his teeth and prepared to fight, but stopped himself after noticing everyone was looking at him with cold eyes. Even Finn seemed to have a disappointed expression on his face as he stared towards Bete with furrowed brows. Bete felt a peculiar feeling in his chest rising up as he relaxed his fists and rubbed his forehead. "Fuck! It's not like he'll be able to fight the damn thing on his own! This is a fucking waste of time..." Bete retreated like a dog that had been kicked by its owner, returning to the area he had been resting against previously and closing his eyes in dissatisfaction.Finn sighed and looked toward Vahn. "Looks like you're up first, but don't hesitate to ask for help if you can't handle it. You only have one life."Vahn nodded at Finn's concern, but couldn't help but feel a peculiar sensation in his chest after Finn's 'one life' remark. As someone that was currently experiencing his second life, Vahn found the phrase to be lacking in impact.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Dragonicide Ais', 'Finn's Troubles Continue','Bark Bark Bark','Loki Familia Appears')

Chapter 91: Fierce Clash (2/2)