Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Vahn saw the expressions of the gods and goddesses, as well as the various expressions of everyone else around. The matter of a goddess being slain wasn't a light topic, nor was it something that most people considered commonplace. However, no matter how difficult matters became, Vahn resolved himself to bear the brunt of the pressure without letting everything fall to Chloe.Loki had a serious expression on her face and let out a tired sigh since she knew Vahn was aware of the identity of the killer and wouldn't reveal it no matter what. Even if he wanted to, she would take action to prevent it from coming to that point. Looking over toward Hephaestus, she could see the resolute gleam in the fiery goddesses eye and knew they had similar thoughts. After bouncing around various ideas in her head in a rapid manner, she got the attention of everyone present with a clap.With a mischevious smile on her face, Loki said, "Okay, we can worry about everything else later~! Right now we should be more concerned with getting the little ones to bed and cleaning up this mess before it gets too late. Leave the important matters to the adults~!"Vahn knew Loki was probably up to something and could see that even Hephaestus was in agreement as she nodded her head and said, "Loki's right, we'll concern ourselves with the aftermath of the situation. Vahn, take Milan and Tina someplace safe for the time being-"As Hephaestus was speaking, a sound rang out from behind the group, "Umm..." The entire group looked over toward the speaker and saw Syr showing an awkward smile as she approached with Ryuu and Arnya at her flanks. Though she seemed to feel a bit of pressure from all the eyes gathered on her, Syr turned toward Milan and said, "We have plenty of space in the dorms if you'd like to stay at the Hostess of Fertility...I heard about the matter of your Inn, so we can provide you with shelter and work if necessary."Vahn wanted to speak out to refute since he wanted the two girls to stay with him, but Milan cut his words short as she accepted Syr's offer. Seeing his confusion, Milan smiled while stroking the hair of the sleeping Tina and explained, "I can tell there are various matters that need to be dealt with in the aftermath of everything that happened today. For now, I don't want you to worry about us and I think both Tina and I need some time to process everything that happened. I think staying in a woman's dorm will be beneficial for her, since I don't think she'd be able to leave your house if she returned there now..."Hearing Milan's words, Vahn remembered that Tina had suffered a severe trauma and would have problems dealing with men in the future. If he took her back to his workshop, she might coop herself up inside as a defensive mechanism. Though it wouldn't be a problem at first, if she adapted to that kind of life she would never be able to socialize with people easily in the future. Many of the girls at the Hostess of Fertility were women that had suffered trauma in the past, and Vahn also agreed that it would be better if they stayed there for the time being. With people like Mama Mia and Chloe to look after them, Vahn believed they would recover sooner or later.Vahn stroked the sleeping Tina's head before giving Milan a hug to comfort them both. He could see that her aura was mildly chaotic and understood it wasn't just Tina that needed time to recuperate. Milan had lost her home of ten years and suffered the cruelty of several people while stressing about the circumstances of her daughter. Even though she was putting up a brave front right now, he could feel the tension in her body as he hugged her.After a few parting words and several thanks, Vahn parted ways with the Alliance members before making various promises to meet in the future. Though he wasn't required, Vahn wanted to escort the girls back to the Hostess of Fertility the ensure their safety personally. They had a relatively large group that consisted of Naaza, Lili, Tiona, Ais, Syr, Ryuu, Arnya, Milan, and Vahn who was carrying Tina while walking next to Milan.When they departed, Loki turned towards the gods present before staring at Chigusa until Takemikazuchi asked her to stand to the side. The final group that remained was Hephaestus, Miach, Anubis, Takemikazuchi, and Loki herself. All of their surrounding Familia members had been asked to move away as the group of gods and goddesses made their way into a tent that had been erected and acted as a command post. Since there was no telling how many people would be injured, they had set up various medical tents and command tents at the beginning of the operation.After everyone settled in, Loki began the miniature Denatus with the most important topic, "This matter regarding Laverana won't blow over easily. We need to come up with a countermeasure and confirm the standing of everyone present." Passing her eyes over Miach and Takemikazuchi, the two gods spoke out in sequence.Takemikazuchi had a firm and resolute expression on his face as he said, "If possible, I would like to join the Alliance that had been created between the Loki and Hephaestus Familia. Even if he doesn't represent the entire Hephaestus Familia, I have developed a sense of respect for Vahn Mason. He has a strong and righteous character and it's my belief he would be a good influence on my children. I may not have much to offer in regards to power and authority, but I will contribute what I can and hope there will be mutual cooperation between our Familia as allies in the future." As Takemikazuchi spoke, he bowed low to the rest of the group until his head nearly touched the floor.Miach himself just had a complacent and gentle smile on his face, but there was also a subtle hint of resolution in his eyes as he said in a soft tone, "Vahn saved one of my important children in the past, and has even cared for her till this day. I would like to return the favor he had paid my Familia and already made a vow to that end in the past. If possible, I too would like to join the Alliance and help resolve this matter." Though not nearly as low as Takemikazuchi, Miach also bowed politely.Hephaestus had also been observing the two and responded in a somewhat exasperated but grateful manner as she addressed Loki, "These two have helped me with matters in the past, and I think they would be a good contribution to our Alliance. Though they lack personal strength, they have good characters and I think they'll be strong allies in the future. We need the support of any gods that we can get if we want to pressure Ouranos."Loki nodded her head before turning her eyes to Anubis who had been sitting silently the entire time. Seeing Loki's attention drawn to her, Anubis showed a smile and said confidently, "No matter what, I will always stand at the side of my Master." Her words caused Takemikazuchi and Miach to have strange expressions until Hephaestus explained the circumstances that had occurred between Vahn and the Anubis Familia in the past. Loki had also never heard the story before and she nearly facepalmed after hearing how easily Anubis weaseled her way into Vahn's life. For the first time in a long time, Loki felt like she had been out-schemed by another goddess.After explanations were finished, everyone present reaffirmed their vows and swore to uphold the terms of the Alliance that had been laid out previously. Even though Anubis had already sworn to follow Vahn for the rest of his life, she was only now joining the Alliance officially. This was to create a stronger sense of unity between the five gods and goddesses present. The moment their vows completed, Vahn, elsewhere in the City, heard a notification in his system and flinched slightly as he continued to gently stroke Tina's back.Now that they had officially allied, it was decided that Hephaestus would be the leader of the Alliance since she had the largest amount of wealth and authority. Loki became the moderator of the group and was given leniency by Hephaestus to hold a similar amount of authority as her as long as she deferred to her for any decisions related to her Familia. Though they might disagree on matters, Hephaestus knew that Loki was the most suited to the role and would always pursue the greatest benefit for the rest of the group as long as she was bound by a vow.Loki continued the earlier matter and discussed how they would deal with Ouranos and any backlash related to the death of Laverna. Fortunately, since Laverna's Familia wasn't officially recognized by the Guild, they had a bit of leverage to use in the coming negotiations. No matter how matters played out, Laverna would have always been forced to return to Heaven for a probationary period while her Familia was stripped of their blessings. The fact that she had plotted, even indirectly, against the Hephaestus Familia and, by proxy, the Loki Familia gave them a lot of leeway to deal with her Familia as they pleased.The difficult matter was that Laverna had been killed by a mortal as it would become a point of contention amongst the godly community. There were various laws in place to prevent mortals from taking action against gods as the majority of gods were non-combatants. Since the gods were already prevented from using their Arcanum when they came to the mortal world, if there was nothing to protect them, they would be exploited by mortals instead of taking advantage of them. The current system where gods gave blessings to people and received their offerings was an almost irrefutable truth that was required to maintain the status-quo. If the idea that a mortal could go around killing gods without punishment spread, it would lead to chaos and disrupt the established order that maintained the balance between the mortal world and Heaven.Though everyone present believed Laverna got was she deserved, Hephaestus, Loki, and even Anubis wished they had been the ones to deal the blow. Not just for personal vindication, but because they would be able to accept responsibility and pass it off as a conflict of interests. Even still, they didn't blame whoever killed Laverna as everyone present understood something had to have occurred for the situation to progress to this point. Hephaestus and Loki even have a good idea of who the assassin had been and knew she likely acted to protect Vahn.Unable to come up with a permanent solution, it was eventually decided that they would have to take a firm stance and confront Ouranos directly and sway negotiations using their combined authority. Though they would undoubtedly have to compromise so that Ouranos had an excuse to give the other gods and goddesses, nobody present was willing to let harm come to the victims of Laverna's scheme. Hephaestus herself was willing to accept punishment since it was her purchase of the materials that led to the fiasco in the first place, but Loki forced her to back down after she used Vahn's words against her.After everything was decided, Loki and Hephaestus gave orders to their respective Familia as Miach, Takemikazuchi, and Anubis sent their children home. The majority of the people they had brought along were Level 2 or lower, so they weren't contributing much to the current situation. The only reason Anubis's children had been called in was due to their ability to track down people and disarm traps. After they had identified the direction that Vahn had went, they split off to assist the other search parties as the main groups of the Loki Familia pursued Vahn. When Nanu found out that Vahn was safe, she was very relieved and led the children back to the house double-time to patiently wait for his return.Finn was placed in charge as they continued the operation which had turned into a joint investigation with the Guild personnel that had arrived. Using the opportunity when two of the top three Familia had gathered, the Guild had actually requested the cooperation of the Alliance to weed out several other well-known dens of criminals. Though they would have normally refused, Loki and Hephaestus allowed the cooperation to continue since it would give them more leverage in their coming negotiations.Once everything was taken care of, Hephaestus, Loki, Anubis, Takemikazuchi, and Miach all made their way toward the Guild's main branch to confront Ouranos before Laverna had any chance to sway things in her favor. Since it took time to rematerialize in Heaven after death, Laverna wouldn't be able to make use of an Oracle to contact anyone for several hours at the earliest. If they got the initiative, things would be much easier to deal with even if she tried to make things difficult for them.Without any hesitation, the group made their way into the main hall of the Guild before they were intercepted by Royman Mardeel, the Guild Head and public representative of Ouranos in the mortal world. He was an arrogant, yet servile looking, elderly elf with white hair and green eyes. His face seemed to wear a permanent scowl and he radiated an air of superiority when dealing with mortals. However, if any of them saw his current behavior they would have to perform a triple-take because he was presently bowing low and reverentially towards the group of gods and goddesses.Though he acted arrogantly toward mortals, Royman had a profound level of respect for all gods and goddesses unless they proved themselves unworthy of their title according to Ouranos, his Master. After hearing the reason for their visit, Royman quickly made way and personally escorted the group to a hidden elevator at the back of the Guild Head's office. As he was unable to enter without permission, he bowed low as the godly group boarded the platform.As it was the first time for Anubis, Miach, and Takemikazuchi, they couldn't help but ask about where the elevator led. Loki's brows furrowed for a brief moment before she showed an almost crazy smile and responded, "Prepare yourself, as you're about to witness the greatest testament to hypocrisy in both the mortal world and Heaven!"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Alliance Grows','Confronting the Sky','Anubis is just happy to be included')I'll be increasing the number of chapters starting next week~https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $717/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

Hephaestus sighed at Loki's outburst but also had a grim expression on her face as she explained, "This elevator leads to the throne of Ouranos...and the seal that keeps the dungeon sealed." Unable to understand why Loki and Hephaestus were upset, Takemikazuchi asked, "Is it a bad thing that the dungeon is sealed? Isn't it necessary to keep the One-Eyed Black Dragon at bay?"In response to his words, Loki nearly spat, "If that was the only thing it did, it wouldn't be a problem. But did you ever ask yourself what keeps the seal powered?" Seeing that none of three understood her implication, Loki continued in a grim tone, "It uses the vitality and mana of the people that enter the dungeon. The greater the number of deaths and the more mana expended to slay monsters, the stronger the seal becomes. As the seal grows in strength, so to does the strength of the monsters which causes more people to die and a higher expenditure of mana..."This time, Miach frowned as he asked, "Though it sounds terrible and will result in more death, it should still be a good thing since it keeps the dragon sealed." Loki began to laugh at his words before explaining, "If the dungeon is advancing at a pace faster than the growth of adventurers, it leads to a cycle where it cannot be conquered even as the dragon grows progressively stronger. Eventually, things will progress to the point where even high ranking Adventurers can't enter into the deeper floors. When that happens, there will be fewer and fewer people killing the high leveled monsters and the dragon will eventually escape. When that time comes, the majority of strong adventurers would have died just to keep the seal functional!"At this point, everyone in the elevator had frowns on their face as they processed Loki's words. If what she said was true, that meant it was next to impossible to conquer the dungeon and it was only nurturing the calamity within. Seeing they had started to understand, Loki said, "The only way to guarantee the death of the One-Eyed Black Dragon would have been with the cooperation of various gods and the use of their Arcanum to destroy it completely. Instead, Ouranos created the pathway from Heaven to the mortal world and we're restricted in the use of Arcanum to the point where it would immediately eject us from the world and return us to Heaven. Now, after Zeus and Hera failed to subjugate it, all gods are prevented from entering with the excuse that it makes the dungeon evolve in an uncontrolled manner. Ouranos demands that mortals be the ones to kill the One-Eyed Black Dragon, but he has created a death trap that prevents them from ever becoming strong enough to do so!"As her words finished, the elevator came to a stop and everyone stepped off the platform that opened up into a dark space where even the ceiling couldn't be seen. The only light within the room shone down from the void onto a large throne where and elderly, yet powerful looking, figure that they all recognized sat. Even when sitting, Ouranos was more than two meters tall and had a proud expression with piercing blue eyes. He had long white hair that curled toward the ends and a neatly trimmed beard with a powerful physique clothed in traditional ceremonial attire with a hooded cloak covering his upper body and head.The moment they entered the room, everyone could feel a subtle pressure throughout the entire room as Ouranos sat with a perfectly upright form and asked with a deep and powerful voice that resonated through the air, "Loki, Hephaestus, Anubis, Miach, and Takemikazuchi...what matter brings you here to my domain so late in the evening?"As they had agreed on previously, it was Loki who answered with her usual expression and devious smile, "An interesting question considering it comes from you, Ouranos. Even if you took a vow to personally attest that you had no involvement in this matter, I still wouldn't be able to believe it~!"Ouranos frowned slightly and said in a heavy tone, "I've no patience for your riddles, Loki. If you've nothing to discuss, I will have you leave this place. It is not a playground for your galavanting and licentious behavior."In response, Loki began to laugh as if she didn't consider his words seriously at all. Ouranos's frown deepened further before Loki's expression turned serious and she said, "Do not play me for a fool, Ouranos. Do you truly believe you can scheme and trick the goddess of trickers herself!? Even if you had no direct involvement with the events that transpired tonight, there is no way your cohorts weren't involved. I imagine you've been plotting to get more information on the Vulcan since the moment he awoke."Ouranos didn't immediately answer her accusation as he stared at Loki coldly before passing his eyes over each of the other gods and goddesses at her back. Ignoring Loki's words, he turned to Hephaestus and ordered, "Hephaestus, tell me why you have come here this evening."Hephaestus had a cold, but fiery, look in her eyes as she said in a low voice, "I am of the same mind as Loki on this matter. I don't believe for a moment you're unaware of everything that has been happening. There are far too many coincidences and everything lines up too perfectly with how your men usually act." Though they had no proof, both Loki and Hephaestus knew how Ouranos operated. There was no way he would allow Vahn to keep secrets from the moment he became aware of his existence.Ever since Hephaestus confronted Freya and forced her to take an oath before Ouranos, he had likely already started targetting Vahn. Even if this event had nothing to do with him, Ouranos wouldn't be able to deny having any involvement with the matters concerning Vahn. Though they wouldn't be able to force a confession out of him, as long as they stood their ground they would be able to edge out an advantage by taking advantage of his character.Though he had expected her to do so, Ouranos was still displeased hearing Hephaestus side with Loki and her accusations. He had indeed been investigating Vahn and even had Fels gathering information on him since the last Denatus. Because of the protection of Hephaestus and Loki, it had been very difficult to gather any concrete information and he had used the events of tonight to extrapolate various pieces of information that he wanted to make use of. Vahn made an excellent pawn for his future plans, but now he would have to somehow deal with the two troublesome goddesses before his plans were even set in motion.As the voice of moderation in the mortal world, Ouranos was under a powerful oath to never lie. Even if he could be misleading or dismissive, if they truly continued to press him he would be unable to refute his involvement, even if it was indirect and unprompted. If it was just a single god or goddess, he would have been able to pressure them to silence, but now two of the top three goddesses were confronting him with the support of three others.Squinting his eyes slightly, Ouranos spoke out confidently with a challenging look in his eyes, "I will admit to knowing the events that have transpired tonight as well as the fact that I have been investigating Vahn Mason. I will also state that I, nor any of my subordinates, had any involvement in the matters that have come to pass. It is my job to be informed of all matters that take place within the City, and you'll find your accusations and libelous claims have no weight."Contrary to his expectations, Loki's smile grew wider and she seemed like she was about to burst into laughter. Ouranos's frown grew deeper as he glared toward the tricker goddess with his cold blue eyes. His domain began to spread, but it was immediately offset by Loki and Hephaestus before the other three joined in shortly thereafter. Gritting his teeth slightly, Ouranos pretend to be unaffected as he focused his pressure on Loki who continued to laugh.After a few seconds, Loki stopped laughing as she looked toward Ouranos with the eyes of a snake and said, "If you're aware of the matter, you know that Vahn Mason cannot be held responsible for the death of Laverna. It was her Familia and their actions against Milan Yuel and Tina Yuel that led to his counteraction in order to save the Mother-Daughter pair. Not only was she the goddess of an unlawful Familia, but she violated several of the laws and prohibitions that all gods and goddesses are meant to follow in the mortal world."Ouranos listened to her words in silence before immediately responding in a heavy tone as he continued resisting the combined Divinities of the five opposite him, "That may be the case, but it stands that Laverna was killed, not by a god, but by the unlawful action of a mortal. He may not be personally responsible, but his actions led to her death without trial or judgment. It was not his right, nor place to-"Before he could finish, Hephaestus's pressure grew stronger as a pale red light covered her body and her ruby eyes began to glow crimson. She gave Ouranos a fierce look and said, "If Laverna hadn't died by the actions of another, I would have killed her myself! If you think you can justify her death by making an example of her victims, you'll find I'm not going to stand by passively!"A sky blue and purple aura began to spread from Ouranos as he locked eyes with Hephaestus and spoke in a voice that caused the void around the ripple, "Someone must answer for this, or there will be chaos amongst all the gods!" For Ouranos, maintaining order was of paramount importance as chaos would lead to the collapse of everything he had fought hard for a millennium to build.In response to his outburst, Loki said plainly, "We have already discussed the matter and planned concessions of our own. You have no moral grounds to hold Vahn accountable, but you will be able to press that he relinquish his position in the Hephaestus Familia for failing to cooperate with the investigation. You'll find that, even with Laverna's testimony, the identity of the assassin is unknown and there is no justifiable means to force Vahn to reveal the information given the fact Laverna's scheme not only involved the people he cared about..." At this point, Loki paused before congealing her own godly aura which took on a chaotic glow.She continued in an icy voice, "Her scheme was also was an affront against the rank 1 and rank 3 Familia within the City! She plotted to steal billions of Valis in items and compromise one of the core members responsible for the Alliance we had established. If she got her hands on Vahn and forced him to take a vow, it would have caused no small amount of chaos to disrupt the precious 'order' you're so fond of! If anything, you should be rewarding the assassin for ridding this City of a tumor! Not to mention, you even have the gall to use this situation to your advantage and conduct a joint investigation to purge even more criminals and corrupt Familia!"As Loki continued her tirade, Ouranos sat silently with a stone-faced expression as he glared between each of the opposing gods and goddesses. Each of the things Loki said had some degree of credibility, and it was true that he used the situation to further his future plans. He had actually benefitted a great deal from the death of Laverna and the swift and spontaneous actions of Vahn. Not only did he obtain more information on the 'demigod' but, even now, there were a number of thorns that had been deeply rooted in his side being removed by the Hephaestus and Loki Familias.Ouranos considered his words before speaking in a firm voice, "Very well, I will propose that Vahn Mason is exiled from the Hephaestus Familia henceforth. He will also be prevented from joining any of the Familia that he is currently associated with. I will have you all swear an oath to offer him no aid for the probationary period of one year an-"Before he could continue, Hephaestus unraveled the package that she had been carrying on her back since parting ways with Vahn earlier. The moment the cloth was undone, she gently waved the massive sword through the air and it caused an oppressive aura to spread out. Ouranos frowned and glared at Hephaestus for daring to interrupt his words, but he was also drawn by the power he could feel emanating from the sword. As far as he could tell, it seemed to almost possess the power of Divinity and shouldn't be something that existed in the mortal world.Hephaestus stroked [Lævateinn] affectionately and explained, "Though he is not yet a [Master Smith], this sword was forged by Vahn Mason. I will be announcing it during the upcoming Denatus, but it is my intention to marry him after the Monster Feria comes to a conclusion...You should be able to sense it as well, but this is no ordinary sword. I will allow you to 'force' Vahn to withdraw from my Familia; I will even agree that he be unable to join any of the Familia present...but, I will not allow you to cut him off from us and be at the mercy of your goons and the people that would conspire against him!"Loki piggybacked Hephaestus's words and continued, "Vahn Mason will become an important figure in the future and is already the lynchpin of the Alliance between two of the top three Familia in the City. I can almost guarantee that, once certain matters come to light, there will be a number of gods and goddesses that will ally with him as well."Ouranos had been distracted by the sword in Hephaestus's hands, but he turned his gaze toward Loki after hearing her words. He asked in a questioning tone while squinting his eyes, "I see...that must be why even someone like you has taken to his defense? I knew he had some involvement in the formation of your alliance, but I couldn't determine what was special about him at the time...is it related to his origin?"Loki laughed at his inquiry and said in a taunting tone, "I guarantee it will be something that benefits your future plans and impacts the lives of every god and goddess in both the mortal world and Heaven. Even that bitch Freya will likely come to his aid the moment she finds out about it, so do you really want to stand against the three strongest guilds just to uphold the honor of a degenerate goddess?"Knowing that he wouldn't be able to get any answers in the present moment, Ouranos continued to remain silent for several minutes before turning his attention back to the sword in Hephaestus's hand. He said in a somewhat muted, yet still powerful, tone, "Allow me to inspect that weapon. I will weight my decision based on what I am able to infer from it."As it had been part of their initial plan, Hephaestus handed over [Lævateinn] before cautioning, "Be careful, the flames emitted by the sword cannot be extinguished by anyone other than the wielder." Hearing her words, Ouranos's brows raised slightly as he stood from his throne and towered over the others in the room. His standing height was nearly three meters unless he changed his size to accommodate his environment.Taking the sword into his hands, Ouranos admired its make and the power he could feel resonating from the blade. Though subtle, he could detect the Divinity of fire and darkness within the blade and it caused even him to feel a bit of pressure. Though he was one of the more prominent and influential gods in both the mortal world and Heaven, he could feel a tyrannical 'pride' emanating from the sword in his hands.Swinging the sword, Ouranos felt his mana drain as a large swath of flames spread from the blade and began to char the floor black as they began to corrode the reinforced stone in his temple. Using his Divinity, Ouranos tried to forcefully suppress the flames and even used a powerful magic spell to try and extinguish them. As Hephaestus had claimed, none of his actions had any effect on the flames other than causing them to spread more quickly. It wasn't until he willed the flames to extinguish by focusing on the sword in his hands that they finally burned out.Ouranos understood the power of the weapon and the significance such a thing would have in the future. Though it wasn't to the extent Loki claimed, it would certainly influence the position of several gods and goddesses if they found out Vahn could create such weapons. However, Ouranos also understood that the weapon in his hands had little to do with what Loki had been hinting at. Since the sword was already something so impactful, he couldn't help but be curious about what else Vahn had hidden. Until he could find out, Ouranos determined it would be a detriment to take a hard line against the two goddesses before him.Handing the sword back over to Hephaestus, Ouranos took his position back on his throne and resumed his authoritative demeanor. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke out in his characteristic and powerful voice, "Very well, you have my attention..."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Loki Takes Control','Ouranos likes playing with fire','Hephaestus's Intentions')I'll be increasing the number of chapters starting next week~https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $717/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

As Vahn was making his way back towards the surface, it wasn't long before he came across a group of people that were slowly making their way through the escape tunnels. Since the majority of people weren't adept at detecting and dealing with traps, it meant they weren't able to clear the path quickly. Seeing who was in the group, a lot of the negative feelings that Vahn had been feeling began to disperse.Noticing Vahn's presence, two of the members of the group immediately ran forward to intercept Vahn with varying degrees of happiness on their faces. The first person to arrive and tackle his body had been Tiona and she immediately used her monstrous strength to stress Vahn's ribs as he rubbed her hair with a pained smile. Soon after, Ais showed up next to him with a smile on her face and asked, "Is it over?"Tiona finally stopped squeezing Vahn, but she didn't let go of him as she stared at his face waiting for the answer. Vahn smiled and began explaining everything that happened as the rest of the group caught up. The members comprised of the entire first and second parties of the Loki Familia as well as a few powerful looking adventurers Vahn had never seen before.When he approached, Finn had an amiable smile on his face as he said, "Good job, Vahn, it looks like things will wrap up smoothly after this. We've already sent groups to inspect each tunnel, so you should make your way to the surface and explain the situation there. We'll continue clearing the area before making our way back and regrouping with everyone else." Then, after tilting his head for a few moments, Finn smiled and said, "There don't seem to be many strong enemies, so those two can accompany you back."Finn had been staring at Tiona who was literally dangling from Vahn's neck while Ais stood close to his side and split her attention between the surroundings and Vahn's face. He realized that the two would be useless for the rest of the operation, not that they were very helpful in the first place. Since they had been rushing through the corridors, they actually set off a number of traps that had caused problems for the rest of the group.Hearing Finn's words, Tiona laughed out and said, "Hahaha, good going Captain~!" Ais also seemed to be pleased as her smile widened by a marginal amount and she grabbed Vahn's hand and said, "Let's go, everyone is waiting." Vahn nearly dropped Tiona when Ais pulled him forward, but she managed to correct her own balance before jumping onto his back.Vahn was surprised by her action and barely managed to prevent himself from falling over as he used both of his hands to support her legs. Ais looked back after Vahn let go of her hand and stared at Tiona with slightly furrowed brows. Tiona saw her look and smiled wide enough that both of her eyes were nearly closed. She pressed herself against Vahn's back and nuzzled against the side of his face as she said, "I want to feel like a damsel that got saved by the hero as well~!"Ais's mouth became very small and it looked like an upside down v as her brows furrowed to a degree Vahn had never seen before. She looked toward Tiona and muttered, "Unfair." In response, Tiona giggled and before patting Vahn's shoulder and climbing down from his back. She walked forward and poked Ais's cheek which caused the taciturn girl to puff out her cheek in response.Everyone in the area, including Vahn, looked at the sight and felt like laughing. Tiona leaned forward and stepped back a few steps before spinning around on her heel and trotting over next to Vahn. Grabbing his arm, she looked toward Ais and said, "This is better, right~?" Ais stared at her for a few seconds before her expression loosened a bit and she nodded her head before grabbing Vahn's right arm.After storing the two girl's weapons into his inventory so it wouldn't get in the way, Vahn made his way through the corridors while flanked by Tiona and Ais. Though he felt happy to be escorting him, he couldn't stop himself from blushing every time they passed by one of the rescue operation members. Each time he met someone they would give him a strange look before staring at the two girls he was leading. Most of the time, they would immediately move on after giving a curt greeting while other times Tiona would shoo them away to keep them from spoiling the mood.More than a half hour later, the trio had made their way into the room where Laverna had indulged in her interests. Vahn turned his head toward the bed and all the strange instruments which caused Tiona to ask, "Are you interesting in that kind of thing~?" Vahn shook his head and explained, "Not really, I was just thinking about a few things and got distracted..."Tiona cocked her head sideways with her finger on her chin as if she was contemplating something. Deciding to keep the matter to herself, she just smiled before hugging Vahn's left arm tighter. Vahn was confused by her reaction and wanted to ask when Ais muttered something in a low voice that he couldn't hear. Turning his head toward her, he noticed she had a 'confident' look on her face as she looked towards the bed.Vahn could feel his brain buzz a bit and he began dragging the two girls away from the stagnant air and low-lighting of Laverna's den. Along the way, he explained a bit of the detail related to Laverna and cautioned the two girls about over-indulging in things. Though the words felt strange coming from his own mouth, he wanted to make sure the two girls didn't walk down a strange path out of curiosity. They listened to his words attentively and nodded every time he made a point, but Vahn noticed the gleam in Ais's eyes hadn't diminished by much.Once they got in the actual safe house area, it wasn't long before the three made their way out through the front door of the compound. There were nearly a hundred people outside and Vahn could see a number of individuals spread about and searching nearby buildings as well. His eyes widened as he observed the chaotic scene and realized that matters had exploded to a larger extent than he had realized. It wasn't until the two girls holding his arms released him that Vahn broke away from his absentminded state of mind.Tiona grabbed his hand as she pulled him toward the group of people that had been making their way over. It wasn't long before she was forced to release him, however, as Vahn had to open his arms and catch the small body of Tina who had launched herself at him with tears in her eyes. As he was consoling her, the larger group showed up and Vahn gave them a somewhat apologetic, yet grateful, smile as he said, "Thank you...everyone..."The group consisted of Hephaestus, Loki, Anubis, Miach, Milan, Naaza, Lili, and various other gods and adventurers Vahn recognized but had never actually met. They were Takemikazuchi, a tall eastern-looking god with black hair and eyes. He had very gentle and well-defined facial features and there was a shy looking girl with black, somewhat short hair, that covered her green eyes. She was wearing an outfit similar to a purple kimono and had a very docile expression on her face as she accompanied her god. Though she didn't have much of an impression in the manga, Vahn still recognized her as Chigusa. Since he didn't see the other members of the Familia, Vahn assumed that Ouka and Mikoto were part of the search teams.Off to the side, but not approaching, Vahn could even see Ryuu in her combat attire which consisted of a white blouse, small green shorts, a leaf-like mantle that framed her face, and a strangely shaped wooden sword that looked more like a staff. She noticed his gaze and showed a gentle smile before nodding her head slightly before walking toward an alleyway where Arnya and Syr were waiting. Vahn locked eyes with Syr, who had a gentle and cheerful expression, and gave a grateful bow to the group.Hephaestus was the first to speak as she crossed her arms and had a happy smile on her face, "You did good, Vahn." Vahn turned toward her and could see the hints of a fiery wrath behind her gentle smile. Even though she had let him do as he pleased earlier, Hephaestus had a lot of hatred towards the people that had caused this incident.Loki had her characteristic scheming smile on her face as she stared at the chaos around her before asking about the details of what had happened. Her words caused everyone to turn their attention toward Vahn as Milan picked up Tina's body after she had cried herself to sleep. She gave Vahn a grateful and caring look as she joined the rest of the crowd and listened to his recounting of events.Vahn explained everything from the beginning, starting from the ambush that he had experienced after leaving the Twilight Manor. He talked about how he had obtained the information about Milan and Tina's capture and how he was able to use his tamed monster, Fafnir, to quickly arrive at the scene of the fire. Using his enhanced senses from his Báihǔ form, he managed to lock onto the girls' scent before meeting up with Hephaestus outside and explaining the situation. From there, he tracked the scent to the safe house where the girls were being kept before saving Milan and Tina.Since it wasn't pleasant, Vahn left out the details related to Milan's situation though several people had already intuited something terrible had happened considering her hairless ears and tail that Milan tried to keep hidden with the hooded cloak Vahn had given her. Naaza and Lili were especially sensitive to what must have happened since they had benefited from Vahn's [Wounds Transfer] in the past.Vahn continued explaining what happened after he parted ways with Milan and used Fafnir to evacuate Tina. Though everyone present was aware of its existence, Vahn sent a mental command for Fafnir to exit from the shadows while turning his attention to Ais. As the giant body of Fafnir came out of the ground, Vahn noticed that she twitched slightly but otherwise maintained her calm as she continued to lock eyes with him. Vahn smiled before reaching out his hand for her to hold onto as he continued his story.When Vahn got to the point about his fight with the drugged up Kuji and his confrontation with the goddess Laverna, almost everyone present had angry and conflicted expressions on their faces. Hephaestus had the biggest response because she had just heard that the reason behind the kidnapping in the first place had been the materials she had given Vahn in the past. Even though she had taken action to prevent it from becoming a problem, she had overlooked several details since she didn't have a proper understanding of the relationships of Vahn.Vahn saw Hephaestus gritting her teeth and fists with a face of regret on her face. Furrowing his brows a bit, Vahn said in a serious and firm tone, "Hephaestus, don't even think for a single moment you are to blame for this. You have no control over the actions of others, and evil people will always do as they please regardless of our intentions."Feeling empowered by his own words, Vahn continued as he held Hephaestus's gaze firmly with his own, "Even I want to blame myself, but I know it serves no purpose. Though I have regrets about my own actions and the events that have happened, I'd rather focus on becoming stronger to prevent things like this from happening again. If we get caught up in the past and let fear control our actions, we'll never be able to move forward and face the future with a smile on our faces!"His words finished, Vahn began to breathe heavily as everyone in the surroundings looked toward him with expressions of surprise on their face. Vahn didn't know what came over him, but after he recalled everything that had happened with Chloe, he couldn't allow others to hold any blame, even himself. Though he empathized with her, Vahn knew Laverna and her children were to blame for everything, regardless of her reasons and the nature of her Divinity.Though she still had her own doubts, Hephaestus smiled and affirmed Vahn's words with a smile on her face. From her side, Loki was laughing in an almost 'evil' sounding manner while people like Takemikazuchi and Miach gave approving nods to Vahn's words. Takemikazuchi seemed especially impressed by all of the events that had transpired this evening. He found Vahn's words to resonate with his own principles and wanted to get to know him better after everything concluded. Takemikazuchi believed Vahn would be able to influence his children positively, and he might even be able to help with their problem given Vahn's influence within the Alliance between the Hephaestus and Loki Familia.Loki stopped her strange laughter and opened her eyes slightly as she asked a question that caused everyone to turn silent, "So, what happened to that goddess, Laverna?"Vahn's expression changed and he began to explain everything that happened, including the death of Laverna. The moment they heard his words, the expressions of all the gods and goddesses present became complicated. Though Vahn told them she was killed by a masked assailant, everyone present knew there would be a backlash from the incident.Laws required that the children of a Familia deal with other children while gods dealt with other gods. It was a taboo for a mortal to kill a god and, even if Vahn wasn't the one to deal the blow, it would be difficult to resolve the matter unless someone was held accountable. Even when a god killed another god, there was always some form of punishment or restriction placed on them, since it was the duty of the Guild to resolve such matters through mediation. Since Laverna hadn't received a 'proper' judgment, it would fall to the gods and goddesses involved in the situation to be held responsible.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Many people, such wow','The Dangers of Overindulgence','The Situation Isn't Over Yet...')I'll be increasing the number of chapters starting next week~https://www.*******.com/user?u=14397149I am currently at $717/1200 of my new goal~! If I can reach this amount, I intend to start having character profiles and images of all the characters created so I can update the information to a wiki~! Though the Wiki will be accessible by anyone, only Patrons will receive the high-res versions of the images &lt;3

Chapter 197: Calm Before the Storm