Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn had begun to regret his decision. His thoughts began racing a mile a minute through his mind as he tried coming up with a believable story."He died several months ago. He was a hunter in the Western Forests where he raised me. When I was younger he would tell me stories of his youth and his travels as an Adventurer. I came to the City after his death to follow a similar path."Before he could continue further, Hephaestus began questioning him again. "Oh? And where did these adventures of his take place? How long ago was this? And have you used this sword at all after he left it to you?" She continued pressuring him to find holes in his story.Vahn began to get visibly flustered, and his [Will of the Emperor] began to activate subconsciously. Hephaestus noticed this and began to smile like she had obtained victory. "These should all be relatively easy questions to answer Vahn. Unless of course, you're planning to lie and can't come up with a viable story?"Hearing her words, Vahn looked directly into her eye. "Miss Haphaestus, everyone has things they want to protect. I thought you were just going to ask about the sword, not my family and background. I don't think that was part of our original agreement at all." He decided to take a firm stand to prevent himself from divulging too much information. [Will of the Emperor] seemed to affirm his stance as it began to emit a subtle pressure on Hephaestus's body and mind.She squinted her eye and looked seriously at the boy in front of her. Perhaps she did overextend her boundaries by asking so many personal questions. She couldn't really fault him for his anger and her trying to divulge his secrets. Sighing, she eased her expression a bit before continuing. "My bad. I won't ask about your past, but I'm still curious if you've used the sword since obtaining it. That should be an easy enough question to answer."Vahn calmed down and began to repress his [Will of the Emperor] a bit. He thought about the question a bit before deciding it wasn't too far outside their original agreement. "Yes. I've been using the sword in the dungeon for a few days now."Hearing his words, Hephaestus felt her curiosity grow exponentially. She had determined the blade was a composite iron that had been reforged more than one-hundred times using a variety of unique techniques. Though the blade was carved with a powerful enchantment, she could infer it only increased the sharpness of the blade and not its durability. Given the low quality of the materials, there would be no way to prevent the blade from accumulating the signs of use. However, the blade before her was in a pristine condition...almost as if it had been forged and polished hours ago."And how far into the dungeon have you ventured? What level are you? Since you have a temporary pass, I'm assuming you are a freelancer, right?"Vahn noticed she had begun to deviate from the topic again, but since the questions didn't ask about his past he decided to respond. He didn't want to offend her by avoiding questions that most people would be willing to answer. "I've gone down to the 7th floor alone, and I'm still level 1 since I've never joined a Familia before."Hephaestus's eyebrow shot up hearing his response. He was still lv 1 but had gone into the 7th floor of the dungeon alone? This confirmed her suspicion that the boy was keeping a secret, and she began to wonder how to get him to divulge it before a plan began to form in her mind."Vahn, I've understood the composition of this sword and know that it isn't made of a very durable material. How are you able to keep the blade in such pristine shape if what you've said is true? The blade should wear down after cutting through so many monsters, and their body fluids should dull the blade after continued use. I can tell there is an enchantment to enhance the sharpness, but it still wouldn't explain the current state." Instead of looking directly at him, she began to closely inspect the runes on the blade, pretending she was only mildly interested in the answer.Vahn didn't think the question was abnormal, so he told her that he maintained the blade using whetstones.Hephaestus couldn't help thinking, 'he maintains the blade himself using whetstones?'. As a master blacksmith, she had used hundreds-of-thousands of whetstones during her time, and nothing would be able to emulate the result of the blade in her hands. "Can I see one of the whetstones you use? I'm quite curious what material can bring out so much luster in a sword."Without thinking too much, Vahn decided to hand over one of the whetstones. As far as he knew, there wasn't a difference between the ones he used and normal stones. When he passed the flat piece of rock to Hephaestus, both of their eyes lit up when the stone launched itself out of her hand of its own volition.They both stared at the stone that had fallen to the floor with blank expressions. Hephaestus looked incredulously towards Vahn for an explanation as Sis began speaking in his mind. (*Vahn, you can't give items to people that were obtained through the system without activating the 'Gift' function. That is especially the case for items obtained from other records.*)Vahn remembered that this was indeed the case, and moved to pick up the stone. He returned an awkward smile at Hephaestus who continued to stare at his movements. "Sorry Miss Hephaestus, it doesn't seem like others can use the stone."Hephaestus was very curious about the implications behind his words and asked that she be allowed to examine the stone while he held it. Nodding, Vahn moved forwards and extended his hand holding the stone. Hephaestus used her eye to look as closely as possible but was unable to see anything unique about the whetstone in his hand. It seemed to be made of Novaculite and other dense minerals, and she was unable to sense any enchantments or curses that would prevent others from holding it.As a test, she tried using her tools to interact with the stone without making physical contact, but there seemed to be a small rebounding force repelling the tools on contact. She was more confused that she had ever been and began to develop a powerful curiosity about the origin of the stone. "Vahn, where did you obtain this whetstone? It seems like a common stone, but has a mysterious force even my 'god's eye' can't detect."Vahn began to realize he had made a mistake. What he thought was a simple whetstone ended up drawing unnecessary interest from the Goddess before him, and he was unable to think of an explanation. While he was thinking, Hephaestus reached towards one of the weapons that had been displayed near her desk. She used a strange cloth to mar the surface of the blade and reduce the luster it emitted.Turning to Vahn, she handed him the blade. "I want to see your skills. Show me how you use that whetstone. Since I can't handle it myself, I want to see how it affects a high-quality item."Since Vahn didn't know how to dig himself out of his current predicament, he decided it would be best to just move forward without stepping back. If he retreated now he would feel pathetic, and he didn't want to create friction between himself and the third most powerful Goddess within the City. He grabbed the blade and began using the whetstone as he had done many times before.Hephaestus stared closely, and the first thing she noticed was that he had no idea how to properly handle a whetstone. She began to suspect he had been lying to her the entire time, but as the stone came into contact with the blade her concerns vanished. The moment the whetstone touched the marred blade, it began to glow with a subtle white luminance that only a god would be able to see. Each successive stroke of the whetstone increased the luminance until the third stroke, where the blade flashed a bright light before being restored to its pinnacle state. Even the nick in the blade she had left had completely vanished.She grabbed the sword as he handed it to her, and began to inspect it from every conceivable angle. The blade was in perfect condition! It was even polished to a state unattained by the previous sword, as it had yet to be sharpened properly since it was just a display piece. Now the blade had a cold gleam that seemed to be able to cut anyone that stared at it too intensely. As a test, she used another one of the display pieces and crossed the two blades and inspected the result. The first sword had easily cut into the blade of the second, even though their materials and construction were of similar qualities...She looked towards the stone in Vahn's hand with intrigue but noticed that it had turned into dust. "What happened to the whetstone?" She couldn't understand how the stone turned to dust when it was previously in a whole, unused, state.Vahn shrugged at the question and gave what he thought was an obvious response, "They always break after one use."She could tell he was speaking the truth and lamented at the loss of the godly tool. Even if the whetstone was a single-use item, it could be a powerful asset to any familia adventuring into the dungeon. If it could restore the state of damaged weapons to their optimal form, it would be an incredibly useful tool for long expeditions. "Can you tell me how you found that stone Vahn? It could save a lot of lives in the dungeon if people didn't have to worry about their weapons breaking down from overuse."Vahn shook his head and decided to speak the truth. "I can't really tell you where I got them since it is an important secret I can't divulge to anyone..."//Optional Quest Triggered//[Quest: Convince Hephaestus to Reveal her Eye]Rank:(G)Rewards: Development Ability: [Blacksmith], 1x Hephaestus' FavorFailure Conditions: Death, 30 seconds pass [0:19S]Penalty: 100 KarmaVahn was surprised at the notification that appeared mid-sentence and became shocked after seeing the failure conditions. He had less than 20 seconds remaining!? Since he was unable to come up with a viable excuse, he decided to repeat his last sentence. "I can't really tell you where I got them since it's a secret, but I can use them to assist the Hephaestus Familia if..."Though she was disappointed he was unwilling to divulge the information about the whetstones, she became curious seeing the hesitation in his body as he slowly trailed his words. "If what Vahn?""I will use the whetstones to aid your familia if you let me see what is under your eyepatch. Since its something deeply related to my secret, it would only be fair to reveal something of your own..."Hearing the continuation of his words, all the curiosity she had previously faded away. Now there was a melancholic and sad expression on her face, and Vahn almost blurted out an apology by reflex. He kept trying to think of how to convince her to reveal her eye and began to panic as the timer counted down.Hephaestus sighed but noticed that Vahn had begun to panic when her mood changed. She thought he was just curious and hadn't meant to offend her. He was right; she had tried time-and-again to pry out his secrets without exchanging anything even after offending him earlier. If he wanted to see her eye in exchange for those magical whetstones, it was a fair trade considering the benefits she could gain for her Familia."Very well Vahn...but know that what lays under my eyepatch isn't something interesting or mysterious. In fact, it might even disgust you...do you still want to see whats underneath?" She looked into his eyes as he began to calm down. She could see his eyes were clear as he returned her gaze before giving a gentle smile."Please. I really want to see." Vahn knew she was often looked down on by the gods in heaven, and that was the reason she had become friends with Hestia. Hestia was the only Goddess that had seen her eye without showing fear or disgust. Though he hadn't thought to ask before the quest triggered, he was genuinely curious what made so many gods ostracize one of their own, especially when she was such an accomplished blacksmith.Hephaestus saw he didn't waver, so she removed her eyepatch. After a brief hesitation, she slowly looked at the boy to gauge his reaction. Though she tried to pretend she wasn't worried, her eye had been a trauma to her for so long that she subconsciously lost confidence whenever anyone gazed upon it. She looked towards him, expecting to see the familiar disgust or contempt that everyone except her best friend Hestia showed...but it wasn't there. He still had the gentle smile on his face as he gazed directly into her disfigured eye. There wasn't any disgust or feigned calmness, only an undisguised intrigue, relief, and even...concern?As various thought began circulating through her head, Vahn continued to observe the eye. The white sclera had turned completely black, surrounding the glowing crimson eye at its core. The eye looked almost demonic, a thought that would only be emphasized when seeing the malformed skin around the socket. It seemed like the skin had dried into a wrinkled red mess like a bloodstain surrounding her eye.Vahn was actually relieved seeing the eye since it wasn't nearly as bad as he expected given the mentions in the story. If anything, he even thought it looked kind of cool...but he could see by the expression on Hephaestus's face that it brought her a lot of pain. He began thinking of ways to cure it and started inquiring with Sis for a solution.Hephaestus continued to stare into the face of the boy and noticed that he was able to easily look directly at her for such a long period of time without changing. Her interest in the boy began to grow, as he was only the second person in her several-million-year lifespan to react this way. She almost felt the urge to cry as she continued to enjoy the kindness in his gaze."You aren't afraid of my eye Kid? Isn't it disgusting like a monster?" She saw his expression change for the first time since removing her eyepatch. He seemed confused at her question."That's a dumb question. Though your eye might be different, it doesn't change who you are. Why would I be afraid of you after all our interactions so far?" This was genuinely what Vahn thought since he always respected the actions Hephaestus took in the anime. She was always kind to the people she cared about and even forged Bell a 200,000,000V dagger just for her friend Hestia. She didn't deserve to be looked at like a monster by those around her since she was actually a kind and gentle girl.Hephaestus was shocked. She couldn't see any falsity in his words and could tell that he was actually offended not by her eye, but the fact she thought he would be afraid of it. She decided she had to re-evaluate this kid and began to examine his features a bit and noticed that he was actually quite handsome, albeit a bit young...Given a few years, he would likely grow to be a capable Adventurer, and he was currently without a Familia. There was also the unique aura he possessed which likely meant his "Grandfather" wasn't a simple adventurer turned hunter...A lightbulb went off inside her head as she looked towards Vahn with both her eyes gleaming. "Vahn, would you like to join my Familia?"

Hearing Hephaestus ask him to join her Familia, Vahn began seriously considering the idea. He knew if he wanted to grow stronger without drawing too much attention he would need a strong backer, and the Hephaestus Familia was one of the best. There was also a chance that he can convince Hephaestus herself to forge him a weapon since many of the ones within the shop were higher quality than his current sword. If he could get a weapon that can grow, he would have a much easier time in the future when he delves further into the dungeon.He began to consider his other options, such as the Loki Familia. He was really interested in joining that Familia, as it was home to many memorable characters like Finn, Riveria, the Amazoness twins Tione and Tiona, as well as the infamous airhead Ais, who Bell had fallen for in the manga. His main reason for not joining was because he wanted to join the Hestia Familia later, and there was an ongoing discourse between Loki and Hestia.Seeing him in deep contemplation, Hephaestus didn't know why, but she began to get a little nervous. She wanted him to join her Familia, but didn't want to pressure him too hard since he may end up being pushed away if she was too firm. Thinking it was due to how she expressed interest in the whetstones that was causing his indecisiveness, she tried explaining things in a manner that would help alleviate his concerns."If you're worried I just want to use you for your access to the whetstones, then don't be. My reasons for asking you to join the Familia have nothing to do with any of that. I'm just...curious about your potential. I won't force you to reveal your secrets without your consent, I just want to see how far you can go with my support." Towards the latter half of her words, she began to feel her face heat up. This wasn't like her usual self.Hearing the reason she had come up with, Vahn couldn't help but let out a smile. Maybe he was overthinking things too much, as there weren't really any downsides to being in a Familia in the first place. He also knew Hephaestus wasn't the type to divulge secrets about the people she cared about. This would also allow him to get close to people within the Loki Familia, since the two different Familia often teamed up together when going on expeditions into the dungeon."Thank you, Hephaestus...sama. I would very much like the opportunity to join your Familia." He gave the most polite bow he could manage and waited for her response.Staring at the boy bowing before her, Hephaestus felt an uncomfortable feeling in her chest. Though she didn't mind him calling her 'Miss' earlier, now that he was agreeing to join the Familia at her request it felt awkward having him address her with 'Sama'. It was almost like a wall was built between them, and she wanted to smash it down to prevent future complications."Call me Hephaestus." She stated firmly, causing Vahn to look towards her in confusion. Seeing his expression, she turned her head as a warmth crept onto her cheeks. "I said, you can call me Hephaestus. There is no need for sama or anything like that..."Vahn nodded in agreement but found her actions to be very peculiar. It was almost like she was...shy? He knew she had a soft spot for people due to her trauma, but he didn't imagine it had such an immediate effect on their relationship. He actually felt a bit guilty but shook the thought away since he genuinely didn't find her eye to be disgusting. In fact, he wanted to help her heal it, but the only solution Sis came up with was to learn alchemy.Noticing she had started looking at him as if waiting for his response, Vahn smiled while gently calling, "Hephaestus."Hearing the intimate way in which he spoke, it felt like electricity went up the back of her spine. She could feel her heartbeat accelerate, and tried to cover her embarrassment with a cough. "Hmmf, anyways. Let's go ahead an perform the crest ceremony. I want to see how strong you are and if you have any potential in becoming a blacksmith. Don't worry though, even if you can't become one, I'll still allow you to be my assistant...or you can venture into the dungeon and collect materials. Though most of the members in my Familia are craftsman, we aren't completely without capable explorers, else we'd be at the mercy of other Familia to procuring materials."As she spoke she pulled out a chair and positioned it in the center of the room. She was trying to remain calm but still noticed that her heartbeat had yet to normalize. Gesturing for Vahn to sit, the next words actually got caught in her mouth.After waiting for a few seconds without anything happening, Vahn looked curiously towards Hephaestus who seemed to be in a daze. "Hephaestus?" When he spoke he saw her flinch before giving him a weird look."It's nothing...You just need to remove...your shirt." She didn't know why she had such a hard time saying such simple words. Though she appreciated the fact he didn't shy away after revealing her eye, she didn't think she had fallen for him. He wasn't even a fully grown man yet!As she watched him remove his clothes, she could help but have her eyes drawn to his body. He had a very athletic figure and wasn't overly muscular. His physique was likely the result of intense training, and she could see the lines of his muscle drawn into his lean frame. She began to feel like she was developing a devious tendency as she struggled to pull her eyes from his body.After removing his shirt and cloak, Vahn sat with his flesh exposed to the air while leaning against the backrest of the chair. Waiting a few moments, he began to turn around as a voice interrupted him."Stay facing forward, I'm going to begin. Try to relax, since the ceremony can sometimes cause discomfort." Hephaestus couldn't understand what her own expression might be, and she didn't want Vahn to see the look on her.Staring at the well-developed back muscles, she slowly placed her finger to his back after pricking it with a needle. She began to mutter an incantation as she draws the crest of her Familia onto his back. Though she is a bit distracted by the physical contact she manages to complete the ceremony without incident. Throughout the entire duration, she noticed Vahn was able to maintain his posture without flinching in the slightest. 'He must have good tolerance', she thought as she began to inspect his new status board.What she saw just about sent her soul back to Heaven.==========================================================Name: [Vahn Mason]-Level:1-Power: SS1001-Endurance: SS1108-Dexterity: A887-Agility: S940-Magic: SSS1611Skills: [Bow Mastery:C], [Stealth:D], [Chainbreaker:S], [Yggdrasil's Favor:S], [Veil of the Traveler: S]Magic: EmptyDevelopment Skills: [Wound Transfer:B], [Spirit Healing:B], [Blacksmith:F]==========================================================His lowest parameter was A, and even possessed three stats over the limit!? And how did he have so many skills related to stealth and concealment!? She remembered he claimed to come from the Western Forests, so it wasn't too much of a stretch to have a way to survive, but his current skills seemed a bit obsessive. He even had three skills she had never seen before, and each of them had incredible effects that would incite jealousy from other gods.However, what she didn't expect was that Vahn still had skills she couldn't even detect through reading the status board. Had she known, she may have passed out on the spot due to the sheer ridiculous of the situation.Though she desperately wanted to ask what kind of circumstances he had, Hephaestus decided it could wait till a later date. He had already joined her Familia, and there would be plenty of time to question him when he opened up on his own."Vahn, your stats are incredible for a Level 1. They're some of the highest I've ever seen, and your magic stat is probably some kind of record...When I infuse my Falna into you to complete the ceremony, it'll consume all the exilia you've obtained from slaying monsters and increase your level. Are you okay with that?"Vahn thought for a moment before nodding. Ever since he rescued Lili earlier, there had been an ache within his body even after the full recovery from the effigy. After asking about it, Sis told him it was due to overtaxing his body as a result of his rampant growth. Without leveling up it would become increasingly difficult to increase his parameters, and even if he could it may result in his body exploding due to the stress.Hephaestus dripped another drop of blood and updated Vahn's Status board. She looked for any changes that may have appeared as a result of the increase and was surprised to see he had gained an additional two skills, bringing the total to seven normal and three development.Vahn could feel the change in his body as his pressure in his abdomen broke through some kind of floodgate that had been preventing the energy of his body from properly dispersing. It felt very refreshing, and he could see the two new skills that had been obtained through the system.---[Swordsman:D]Increases comprehension of sword skills and techniques. Provides a slight increase to the kinetic vision and spatial awareness of the user.[Featherfoot:E]Increases comprehension of movement abilities and footwork. Provides a moderate increase to stealth related abilities.---As he was reading the newly acquired skills, Hephaestus had used some kind of parchment to transfer his information. When she was finished she handed the paper to Vahn with a tired look."I knew there was something special about you, but you're really something else. I don't even know what to say when you've managed to acquire so many skills while still being level 2. Even with my eye, I can't see the limit of your potential. Fortunately, you have the [Blacksmith] development ability, so I can at least guide you with that. I can also introduce you to a swordsmanship instructor later if you want."Vahn dressed while listening to the Hephaestus speak. He looked over the paper she had given him and saw that all his parameters had reset to I10, which was also reflected in the system. Fortunately, he had the advantage of seeing his hidden stats, so it wasn't too sorry a sight.He turned towards Hephaestus while giving a slight bow. "Thanks, Hephaestus. I look forward to your guidance." Vahn could see her look away, and couldn't help but smile.Seeing how Vahn was seemingly taking advantage of her, she got a little annoyed but decided to ignore it. She grabbed a hammer from the wall next to her desk before triggering a mechanism which revealed a secret workshop. Gesturing for Vahn to follow, he began to trail in her direction before they both stopped next to a forge that burned with an eternal flame."You might have a monstrous level of talent for combat, but let's see how much potential you have as a blacksmith." She turned towards Vahn with a unrivaled confidence on her face. Unlike all the emotions she had shown to him previously, this was what Vahn felt to be her most suitable expression.Vahn nodded, taking a seat next to the forge to observe her actions. It wasn't every day a person had the chance to watch an actual 'Goddess of Smithing' display her skills. He began to focus on her every word and movement as she began to process of teaching him how to forge.

Vahn continued running in the direction of the Guild while checking the time within the system. At his current pace, he would still need around 20 minutes to reach the Guild, which would leave him less than an hour and a half to make his way to the City gates and back to the Inn.He began to sweat after realizing he would most likely be unable to finish everything in time. It would take several minutes to wait in line at the Guild, and even if he was seen immediately upon his arrival it would take time to process the exchange. As his worries began to compound, Vahn felt energy begin to slowly release from his abdomen as his speed began to slowly increase.("I can use [Will of the Emperor] to increase my speed!?") Because he hadn't been switching between the two recently, he was unaccustomed to the differences between his normal state and empowered state. He knew the skill seemed to increase his speed, but thought it was just a result of the increased perception and mobility within the domain.While fully activating the skill, Vahn resolved to perform more experiments over the next few days as he trains Lili. After completely activating [Will of the Emperor] he noticed his speed more than doubled and began to have hope that there was enough time to complete everything.In his gleeful state of mind, he hadn't been paying attention to the looks of the surrounding pedestrians. The moment he activated [Will of the Emperor] they felt a suppressive wave pass through them. They stared in horror as the boy ran with a terrifying speed through the City streets with a demonic grin on his face. Weaker civilians even had hallucinations that the boy was the grim reaper himself come to collect their souls, which resulted in some of them passing out on the spot.Vahn continued forward blissfully unaware of the rumors he would cause to circulate in the following days. His only focus was arriving at the Guild as fast as possible, so he began using some of the alleyways he had previously mapped to circumvent the populated roads. With his minimap and the mobility he had polished within the forest and dungeon, he was able to easily navigate through the various corridors without losing speed.When he was close to his destination, Vahn began to further increase his speed due to his excitement. Unfortunately, even with the increased perception brought about by the skill, he was unable to prevent himself from colliding with the body of a person that had just walked by the entrance of the alleyway. At the last moment, he tried to shift his weight to avoid a direct collision and ended up losing his balance after bumping into the unsuspecting passerby and slamming into the ground. Hard.He sat on the ground in a daze, unable to recover from the near head-on-collision. From an area behind him, he could hear the sound of a woman addressing him."Hey kid, are you okay?"After shaking his head a bit, Vahn looked towards the source of the voice. He fell into a daze after seeing who had been speaking to him. Looking towards him with an expression of intrigue stood a character he was familiar with from the manga.Probably due to her identity as a Goddess, she looked nearly identical to her manga counterpart. She stood at 165cm with matching red hair and eye. She was garbed in casual attire, wearing a loose linen blouse and black pants which seemed to hug her figure. On her arms and legs were a pair of brown knee-high boots and black gloves that went past her elbows. Her most striking features were her large breasts that peaked through the open collar of her blouse, and the large black eye-patch covering the right half of her face.It was Hephaestus, Master Smith and Goddess of the 3rd ranked Hephaestus Familia. Vahn knew that she would be the one to receive Hestia in the future and that she would one day forge the living dagger for Bell which would aid his monstrous growth.While he was staring at her, Hephaestus was also evaluating the boy that had nearly crashed into her. He seemed rather young but had a handsome face with a bit of a naive and detached look. What caught her eye, and the reason she hadn't simply walked away, was the aura being emitted by the boy and the sword that was on his back.His aura was remarkably similar to that of a god releasing their divinity, albeit on a much smaller scale. It seemed to have a repressive force that even made her soul tremble slightly. She suspected that he was likely the descendant of a god, but she couldn't identify which. Her main interest was the sword at his back...As a goddess of forging, she had seen and practiced almost every technique between the heavens and earth. This was the first time she saw such a uniquely forged blade, and the most surprising thing was the materials used in its construction. Given her eye's unique ability, she could easily discern between the grade and constituent materials used to forge a blade. Though it seemed similar to a magical composite of iron and heavier elements, she couldn't see through the make-up of the blade or its grade!"Hey kid, if you're not in a hurry I'd like to take a look at that sword on your back. You can treat it as my accepting your apology for nearly tackling me. What do you say?" She really wanted to get a better look at the sword, so tried to come up with an easy compromise that wouldn't harm either party.Hearing her speak yet again, Vahn quickly got to his feet before bowing. "I am very sorry for nearly running into you, but I'm in a hurry right now so I can't stick around." He began to turn away to make his way towards the Guild which was just a few blocks from his current location. From behind, a hand grasped at the collar of his hood and prevented him from moving forward. Vahn was surprised at the amount of power in the grip."Come on kid, I'm sure whatever it is can wait for a few minutes. What's the rush?" Hephaestus didn't know when she would get a chance to inspect the blade in the future and seeing how the boy trying to leave without introducing himself or explaining the situation left a sour expression on her face.Vahn noticed the look she was giving him so he quickly explained his current predicament. He was hoping she would be understanding and allow him to leave, but her reaction surprised him."Hahahahaha, is that it? Then it's no problem at all. Let me introduce myself, kid. My name is Hephaestus, and I'm the Goddess of the Hephaestus Familia. You should have heard of me, right?" She gave a cheeky grin which irked Vahn a little, though he wasn't sure why."My name is Vahn Mason, and yes, I've heard of you and your Familia." He could see her expression light up a bit at his words, and she nodded as if to say, 'of course, of course~'."Then how about a trade, Vahn? My Familia has something called a 'guest pass' that can be issued to the merchants that transport materials for us from outside the City. As long as you hold the pass you'll be treated as a guest of the Hephaestus Familia, and none of the City guards would dare harass you. In exchange, I'd like you to accompany to my workshop nearby so I can inspect that sword on your back. Deal?"Vahn weighed her words for a moment before finally nodding. If he could get around having to run back-and-forth between the guild, gate, and Inn, that would be helpful. It would also give him the opportunity to build some rapport with Hephaestus which would make it easier to approach Hestia in the future.Hephaestus nodded, expecting his agreement before leading the way to a building nearby. Vahn was surprised when he realized the workshop was in the same commercial district as the Hearth's Embrace. He began to realize why so many businesses in the area seemed to be named after fireplaces and forges...It turns out the main workshop of Hephaestus was within the same district.She continued to lead him through the lower floors of the shop that showed a variety of uniquely designed weapons and equipment. Vahn noticed that none of the items on display had a price listed, and the security of the store was incredibly tight. Even with his use of [Will of the Emperor], he could feel a sense of danger coming from each of the shops' guards as they gave him a cold glare in response to his curiosity."Hey kid, when are you going to stop emitting that aura of yours? Don't tell me you can't control it?" Hephaestus had been growing a bit annoyed at how much attention Vahn had been drawing to them. She began to suspect the kid behind her was missing a few parts inside his head."Ah, sorry, I had forgotten about it..." Vahn laughed awkwardly while Hephaestus just released a big sigh while placing her hand on her forehead."Anyways, we're here. Make sure not to touch anything without permission." She had led him into a room within the most secure area of the workshop. When he entered he could see weapons and armor that almost seemed to possess life. Though they weren't presently being used, he could feel an aura of danger emitting from the blades while the armor seemed to possess the unassailable qualities of a mountain. He could see a large disparity between his own equipment and the masterpieces in front of him.While he was staring in awe at the items, Hephaestus gave an appreciative nod seeing his expression. She sat behind a large desk where several blueprints and designs could be seen spread out along its width. After cleaning the designs and storing them away, she tapped the table to get Vahn's attention."Go ahead and place the sword here. And if you don't mind answering my questions, that would be helpful." Vahn nodded, but before placing the sword on the table he asked about the guest pass. Though she seemed a bit annoyed, she removed a metal emblem from her desk that depicted two hammers crossed over a volcano. She tossed the emblem towards him, and Vahn stared at it briefly before putting his sword on the table.Hephaestus inspected the make of the metal closely and even used various tools to knock along the length of the blade. She would lightly tap while listening for something Vahn wasn't able to hear, and she would nod her head on occasion as if realizing something from her actions. Vahn was very curious what she was able to discern from the blade and began to get nervous...Seemingly satisfied with her investigation, Hephaestus turned towards Vahn with a curious expression on her face. "Where did you obtain this sword?" This was the most important question in her mind, as she was genuinely curious about its origins.Since he had agreed to answer her questions, Vahn told her the lie he had prepared while she was inspecting the sword. "It was an heirloom of my deceased Grandfather. I'm not sure where he got it." Using his 'grandfather' as an excuse again, Vahn began to feel indebted to the man he had never met."Hmm, and when did he die? What was his profession?" Hephaestus could sense a feeling of incongruity in his words so decided to pry more deeply. It was very difficult to hide anything from her eyes, and she was determined to see through the boy in front of her.Vahn became nervous seeing the look in her eyes and began to regret agreeing to come here...

Chapter 35: Hephaestus Familia (2/2)