Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

The rest of the evening was relatively uneventful as Vahn, Hestia, and Fenrir enjoyed a larger dinner before Vahn spent a little time pampering the two spoiled girls before bed. Hestia seemed completely comfortable with the massage at this point and Fenrir refused to be left out so Vahn tied up her paws before putting them both to sleep. Afterward, Vahn went to sleep before waking up and spending a bit of time researching with Eva who had been making her own improvement in forging with Vahn's permission to use his forge. Since she could change her clothing with magic, Eva had adopted the look of wearing nothing but a pair of overalls and gloves as she worked away on pieces of metal. Because she was very petite, Vahn almost wanted to remark that she looked like a child 'playing' blacksmith, but he knew her well enough to keep those words to himself.Leaving the Hearth Manor with Fenrir, they made their way to the Hostess of Fertility and waited for Ryuu to prepare before the three of them headed toward the dungeon. Even though she had agreed to meet up at the Manor, it wasn't a big detour for Vahn and Fenrir to pick her up instead. Vahn also wanted Fenrir to familiarize herself with the City more and wanted her to adapt to newer environments and some of the backstreets he often used. Though he had no intention of allowing her to roam the City freely, Vahn wanted to prepare for the eventuality that she would be moving around on her own in the future.Along the way, though they had discussed it previously, Vahn mentioned some of the things Ryuu had to pay attention to when interacting with Fenrir. Since she would be accompanying them in the dungeon for the foreseeable future, Vahn wanted to make sure Ryuu was on the same page. Responding to his words, Ryuu said that she would sit on the sidelines and let him teach Fenrir while she watched his back. Though Vahn wanted to agree, he actually suggested that she take the lead and help teach Fenrir since she was a veteran Adventure and would likely have insights that had been developed over the years she had been active.Ryuu deferred to his words and agreed while claiming it was a good opportunity to polish up her skills that had become 'rusty' due to her inactivity and lack of exercise. Raising his brow, Vahn gave a cursory glance at Ryuu's body from the side and couldn't see any indication that she had been 'lazy' at all. She had a very lithe and fit body with long legs and a healthy complexion similar to many of the elves he had seen in the past.Since she was attentive of his actions, Vahn's 'inspection' hadn't been missed by Ryuu and she gave him a sidelong glance of her own with her sky-blue eyes before continuing forward without commenting. Vahn felt a little nervous and followed behind her with Fenrir in tow. When they finally entered the dungeon, Ryuu wanted to watch Fenrir fight before she gave any pointers. Even though he had only suggested she teach Fenrir a bit, Ryuu seemed to have taken it as an indication that she become Fenrir's instructor from now on.Vahn knew that Ryuu was an incredibly capable fighter that could probably teach him a thing or two, so he watched from the side and listened to Ryuu's comments about how Fenrir could improve. After asking why she explained things to him, Ryuu explained that it was because he would be able to convey her words better for Fenrir than if she stated them personally. Realizing her words were true, Vahn nodded his head and repeated Ryuu's words to Fenrir while also telling her to do her best to follow Ryuu's orders.Vahn wasn't the only one learning new things while watching Fenrir, as Ryuu had been paying close attention to both of them during the 'training'. She had never experienced anything like Vahn's domain before and thought it was a rather unique thing with a lot of potential uses. Since she was an elf, Ryuu was very receptive to magic and could see that the elemental energies in the air were heavily influenced by Vahn's domain. Instead of remaining in their naturally chaotic state, all of the elements within his domain became somewhat 'obedient' and acted like they were 'waiting' for instruction.One of the things that impacted Ryuu the most was, when she had been prepared to charge forward and help Fenrir, Vahn grabbed her shoulder as the air seemed to freeze around the monsters Fenrir had been fighting. With her perception, Ryuu could see that not only the monsters froze, but the elements within the air had completely solidified in the space that was being locked down by Vahn. Though she was certain she could break through it, Ryuu couldn't help but feel a bit nervous at the prospect of facing an enemy with such a terrifying skill. Even if it could only hold her for a millisecond, that was more than enough for an equally skilled opponent to strike a fatal blow against her.Because of her curiosity, Ryuu couldn't help but ask Vahn about the capabilities of his skills and abilities while being overly aware that he still had his hand on her shoulder. Vahn had seen the fluctuations in her aura and removed his hand before explaining things while never losing his focus on Fenrir's fight. Since he trusted Ryuu, Vahn explained some of his more 'secret' skills and abilities and even demonstrated them to benefit her understanding. Not only Ryuu, but Fenrir paid close attention to Vahn's actions whenever he fought against monsters.Just like she did for Fenrir, Ryuu also gave Vahn several pointers while also complimenting him on his current capabilities. Though she hadn't been there for his rise, Ryuu knew that Vahn had only officially become an Adventurer around three months ago and had made an almost unbelievable amount of progress in that time. While happy to be complimented, Vahn explained it away as the influence of the various people around him and the patience they had shown in teaching him.Hearing Vahn speak so humbly, Ryuu smiled gently and said, "Everyone is strong as a result of the trials they have faced and the people that have influenced them. It is good that you remember that you were not always strong...you will be able to become much stronger in the future." Vahn had noticed that Ryuu had a look of reminiscence in her eyes as she spoke and knew she was likely recalling the past when she had comrades within the Astrea Familia. Though he couldn't ask about it yet, Vahn nodded his head and reached out his hand to stroke Ryuu's head through her leaf-like hood.Since she was surprised by his actions, Ryuu moved her head away before taking a few short steps and standing at the side. It was one of the first times someone had avoided his hand, so Vahn just held it in the hair with a bit of confusion on his face. Ryuu saw his look and gave the closest thing to an 'amused' smile that Vahn had seen on her face as she said, "Sorry...I'm not really comfortable being touched in such a familiar manner. Let's leave things like that for the future..."Before Vahn responded, Fenrir shouted out, "Graaagh~!? Fenrir want pat pat!" As if offended by Ryuu's refusal of Vahn's 'pat pat', Fenrir moved forward and held Vahn's hand to her head as she glared at Ryuu with a subtle glow in her eyes. Her antics caused Vahn's words to get stuck in his throat and he spent a few minutes helping Fenrir calm down as he gave an apologetic look toward Ryuu. Since she hadn't really been offended by his earlier attempt to stroke her head, Ryuu just shook her head with a polite smile and even squinted her eyes a bit.After a short break, Vahn and Fenrir stood off to the side as Ryuu fought against a group of War Shadows that had several Frog Shooters as their support. The best way Vahn could describe Ryuu's combat was 'fluid' and 'fast'. She had an almost unstoppable momentum, but it didn't seem like she got caught up in it at all as she maneuvered through monsters like water passing rocks in a stream. The most terrifying thing was, the faster she moved, the more powerful her attacks became without any drop in her speed. Without leaving the monsters a single chance to counterattack, Ryuu dispatched a group of thirteen enemies without stopping for even a second.While Vahn was in awe of the 'beautiful' sight, Fenrir was in high tensions and immediately ran forward after Ryuu finished off the last enemy and shouted, "Fast, super fast, Fenrir want! Teach Fenrir, please!" Though Ryuu smiled and nodded her head, Vahn, for once, couldn't stop himself from laughing a little as he walked forward and exchanged a few pointers with Ryuu for Fenrir's benefit. Fenrir seemed to have been 'inspired' by the fluidity of Ryuu's combat style and wanted to be, as she called it, 'super fast' as well.Though it was a little awkward, Vahn also agreed with Fenrir's assessment and even began to consider how he could improve his own combat style to be more fluid. As it stood, Vahn would almost describe his style as 'explosive' and 'dynamic', since he also dashed around his enemies and overwhelmed them with the use of his Innate skills. Since Ryuu didn't have any Innates, as far as he could tell at the moment, she had to rely on technique and skill to overcome her enemies.Ryuu was happy to explain things and even followed Vahn's example of demonstrating each of her skills and how she typically applied them. Because of this, Vahn got to experience [Concurrent Chanting] and also saw Ryuu's magic, [Luminous Wind], for the first time. Most of the magic he had seen was rather devastating, and it was the first time he had seen something so 'beautiful'. When Ryuu used [Luminous Wind], it was like there was azure starlight radiating from her body that obliterated her enemies. He also got to learn the name of the skill she used to convert her speed into power, which was called [Aero Mana]. With this skill, Ryuu was able to increase her power based on the speed she was moving her body at. Since there was no upper limit to this skill, Ryuu could get progressively faster as the fight continued and eventually eliminate opponents much stronger than herself.After her display, Ryuu walked back over toward Fenrir and Vahn, who stated in a serious manner, "That was beautiful. Your abilities, techniques, everything is just so beautiful!" Perhaps he was affected by Fenrir, but Vahn was also in high tensions and had a big smile on his face as he layered compliments onto the moderately 'bashful' Ryuu. She didn't seem to know how to respond to his behavior and just turned her head to the side as she stroked the back of her long right ear with her free hand. Though it wasn't the first time she had received compliments from a guy, it was the first time Ryuu seriously considered them and took them to heart.Realizing he was embarrassing her, Vahn calmed down and said a few polite words which resulted in him eventually hearing her 'former' alias, Gale. Since she had just joined the Hestia Familia, her old Alias would be lost and she would have to receive a new one at the next Denatus, same as Vahn. Now that he was aware of her former alias, Vahn couldn't help but agree with the gods' decision since her fighting style very much suited the title. Though he had compared her to water, due to the fluidity of her movements, it was also appropriate to describe her as a destructive wind. Though both wind and water 'flowed' around objects, Ryuu's appearance, green hair, and skills like [Luminous Wind] made it much more suitable to compare her to wind instead of water.Before the heading out of the dungeon, Vahn removed the large basin from his inventory and helped wash Fenrir clean. Ryuu was a bit surprised at first, but then she noticed the blood that had soaked into Fenrir's fur and agreed that it was a necessary action. Instead of letting Vahn tend to matters himself, Ryuu removed her cloak and gloves and offered to help. This left her wearing nothing by her white top, which was open on the sides, and her short green 'shorts'. Vahn couldn't help but admire her body at a glance before accepting her help. Fenrir was somewhat resistant but didn't shy away from Ryuu's assistance since Vahn was still cleaning her as well. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that Fenrir was actually happier when there were more people tending to her compared to less.After helping wash down Fenrir, Vahn couldn't help but notice that some of the water had soaked through Ryuu's thin white blouse. Though he didn't mean to stare, Vahn noticed that Ryuu wore something different than a traditional bra. He could see the outline of some kind of form-fitting cups covering her chest that didn't seem to wrap around her body completely. He couldn't identify the method, but Vahn assumed it had some kind of adhesive function and was somewhat curious about the details.Once again, Vahn's gaze didn't escape Ryuu's notice as she squinted her eyes before using magic to try her top. As if understanding his curiosity, Ryuu explained in a polite manner, "A lot of female Adventurers don't wear a bra since it can cut into the skin when they are within the dungeon for long periods of time. This is similar to an adhesive tape that helps conceal things..." Hearing her explanation, Vahn nodded his head and said, "Sorry...thanks...."Ryuu's smile widened marginally but she didn't respond to his words as she helped dry Fenrir off with her magic. She, like most of the girls around Vahn, could see that his gaze didn't hold any negative emotions and it wasn't uncomfortable like how other men looked at her. Perhaps it was due to her own 'acceptance' of Vahn, but Ryuu found it difficult to rebuke him just for staring at her body with interest. Though she was still a virgin, she also had some slight expectations since she lived in an all female dorm. While she never participated actively, Ryuu had heard the other girls talk about their fantasies and personal interests regarding men. Of course, most of the girls at the Hostess of Fertility were also virgins, but that didn't stop them from gossiping and discussing various possibilities...(A/N: I apologize if this chapter has any grammar issues. I went out with a friend to celebrate his birthday and got a bit drunk xD. Looks like we might lose the Top 3 spot to Last Wish System TT__TT. Well, thats fine I guess~! Thanks for reading, stay beautiful &lt;3)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Gotta go fast~!','Float like a purple moth, sting like a Needle Rabbit','Dangerous Gossip')I am currently at $730/1200 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

For the next couple of days, up until the weekend, Vahn spent his time splitting his focus between the real world and the world within the orb. He felt like he was becoming progressively distant with things happening in his own life due to the fact he spent only 1/7th his total time within it. Though it hadn't affected him too much, for the time being, Vahn felt like it was becoming harder and harder to maintain focus on the things he wanted to do. Things had come to a head when Vahn had promised Hestia and Fenrir to go shopping and then, after spending three days in the orb, went about his normal routine. Because he was 'busy', Hestia took Fenrir off to the side and left him to continue working and Vahn felt terrible when she mentioned it later.Hestia wasn't the only person to notice the inconsistencies and strange development of Vahn as it was also noted by some of the girls at the Hostess of Fertility and had been propagated somewhat by Ryuu's 'gossip'. Since she currently spent the most time with Vahn amongst the girls, Ryuu had become a central figure alongside Syr and had been speaking well of Vahn while also letting her concerns be known. Things had developed to the point where it actually spread through the network and everyone was beginning to worry about Vahn.Though he knew he wasn't 'forgetful' or 'overly stressed' as they had been pointing out, Vahn couldn't easily explain things away and ended up having to reveal the orb's existence. He had mentioned it in passing a while back, but word had never gotten around about the fact that Vahn 'experienced' six days within the orb in only six seconds in the real world. When the girls learned of this fact, their concerns only increased and Hephaestus even tried to ask Vahn to stop relying on the orb or it would hurt his mental development in the future.She was pained to see him 'stressing' his mind just so that he could speed up his progress and help 'cope' with some of the things he dealt with in the real world. Ever since the time with Milan and Tina, a lot of people had been worried about Vahn yet, apparently due to the orb, Vahn had 'recovered' quicker than they expected. Eina was one of the most affected by this knowledge because she suddenly understood why Vahn was 'maturing' so quickly when he was so 'broken' before.However, no matter how much the girls tried to pressure him, Vahn refused to stop using the orb because he couldn't easily abandon Eva and still wanted to learn the Magia Erebea. When the girls learned that Vahn had 'another' girl, even though she was a memory fragment, it caused a few ripples within the network. They had found out that, even though Eva wasn't 'real', Vahn spent the vast majority of his time with a woman they couldn't even see. Though he claimed to primarily focus on 'forging' within the space, Vahn wasn't able to deny any involvement with Eva since he didn't want to keep secrets from the people he cared about.This resulted in Vahn's relationships in the real world becoming marginally more 'meaningful' as people would often stop by the Manor to visit Vahn and play with Fenrir. She had become something of a mascot within the Familia and most of the girls were quite fond of her, especially Loki. When Loki found out about Fenrir's 'blank slate' mentality and 'limitless potential', she had a somewhat evil look on her face until Vahn chopped her head. Though she was fond of Fenrir, Fenrir wasn't very fond of Loki and proactively tried to avoid her during most situations.One of the things that had changed was, since they found out he was able to transfer physical items into the orb and train there, Vahn wasn't 'allowed' to work much in the real world. There always seemed to be at least one person that visited every day to spend time with him and teach Fenrir. During the evenings, there was now even some girls that would stay over during the night which had led to the discovery on the network about Hestia's 'sneakiness'. They had found out that she had been slowly whittling down Vahn's 'defenses' and had already gotten a few liberties from him in the form of bathing together, sleeping together, and his 'infamous' massages.Since Vahn was actually interested in developing his technique and enjoyed using it, it became one of the things he had taken a liking to when interacting with some of the girls. Though not everyone was open to it at first, it eventually got the point where Vahn had been 'promoted' within the network so often that it became hard to not want to experience it themselves.The most notable examples were when Vahn finally got to massage Ryuu, Syr, Arnya, Lunoire, and even Mama Mia. Since Vahn didn't have any aversion toward older women, Mama Mia had wanted to experience what all the fuss was about and nearly broke Vahn's shoulder when she slapped him on the back later while laughing with a 'vibrant glow' on her skin.Because it was such a 'popular' thing, the girls quickly learned the 'benefits' that massage gave them and that only made it more coveted within the network. Since it eased tension, enhanced beauty, and even promoted health and blood circulation, it was incredibly enticing for the girls around Vahn. This is how he had ended up finally meeting Lunoire, even though she was somewhat odd, and got closer to Mama Mia. She had even 'waved' his private booth fees in exchange for helping her 'loosen' up every couple of weeks.The girls weren't the only ones enjoying themselves as, as previously stated, Vahn also liked massaging various girls. They all had different bodies and Vahn had started to develop an appreciation for helping promote their health and wellness. For the younger, relatively pure, girls, Vahn's massage was a great way to relieve stress and was quite enjoyable. For the somewhat more 'mature' girls, it was arguably even better stress relief, even though Vahn had now confirmed without a doubt that his massage had 'different' effects depending on the mental status and 'maturity' of the woman receiving his massage.This wasn't the only thing Vahn had been doing in the real world, however, as he often spent his time touring the City on 'outings', generally accompanied by at least two girls. Vahn actually began to enjoy shopping, because he liked seeing the different outfits that everyone would try on. There would even be small competitions between the women he was accompanying to see who could get the biggest rise out of him. Though he somewhat felt like a 'baggage carrier', Vahn still enjoyed the 'outings', since many of the girls wanted 'personal' dates at some point and refused to classify a group outing as a 'date'.The 'pool' of girls he dated was much smaller than the ones that came to receive his massage, primarily due to the fact that the main group of the Loki Familia had left on their expedition. This left Tiona, Ais, and the potential duo Tione and Lefiya out of the candidate list. Instead, Vahn accompanied Chloe and Syr, Lili and Naaza, Syr and Arnya, Syr and Ryuu, Milan and Tina, Eina and Hestia, Hephaestus and Hestia, and even one strange outing where Vahn had been accompanied by Tsubaki alone. Anubis had been staying out of things and had been managing the 'pack', which left Vahn on an awkward 'outing' where one of the members hadn't shown up.During the 'date', Vahn took Tsubaki around to many of the same types of stores as the other girls and they had some rather unique interactions. Tsubaki teased him for treating her like one of his 'young women', but Vahn rebutted and gave her several compliments about her figure, character, and primarily her 'kindness'. Unable to withstand his 'barrage' of compliments, Tsubaki spent the majority of the date relatively docile while only trying to tease Vahn whenever she got frustrated or embarrassed. Of all the girls around him, Tsubaki was one of the only ones that didn't show up to receive a massage from Vahn after he moved into the Hearth Manor. Using this as an excuse to tease her, Vahn ended up taking a big hit to his gut that brought an early end to their date. In many ways, Vahn felt like Tsubaki was very similar to Eva and he wanted to break down her defenses and get 'even' with her in the future.When he wasn't 'relaxing' in the real world, Vahn spent the majority of his time within the orb researching and conducting experiments with Eva. He had also started a long-term project and was absolutely committed to bringing it to completion. No matter how he thought about it, given the amount of research that had gone into its design, Vahn was certain the final product would be, at the very least, S-Rank.Instead of simply forging items and hammering away while trying to improve through 'experience', Vahn had taken a much more 'scientific' approach to the process. Though he still used his hammer to forge, Vahn had a separate workstation that was comprised entirely of finer tools and large lenses that could magnify the details of the equipment he was working on. He had even taken to using his [Eyes of Truth] and learning how to control them since it allowed him to 'perfectly' destroy or emulate materials with enough focus. Vahn had learned that, other than a sphere, he could actually use his eyes to 'visualize' any shape that he could focus on. Though he couldn't do anything too complex, it didn't mean Vahn couldn't use his eyes as an ultimate tool for the purpose of level, embedding, and even altering the structure of some materials.One of the things he had been practicing was 'boring' through materials and 'carving' shapes into the surface of objects with absolute precision. Since he could see the composition and internal structure of the object, Vahn could increase his detail and even carve basic runes at the microscopic level. Though it had taken an incredible amount of focus, research, and time, Vahn had been able to segment and overlay 108 runic formations into a piece of equipment without any of them being visible whatsoever. Since the material he had been using was pure Adamantine, Vahn was able to guarantee the formations wouldn't break down over time or become weaker through wear and tear.Of the 108 formations, precisely 54 of them had been used to stabilize and reinforce the structure of the rest of the runes. Vahn had learned 'long ago' that the most efficient, simple, and balanced, form was the most practical. Even when he had forged the [Moonlight Piercer] in the past, Vahn had marveled at its simplicity and used it as the inspiration for an entire line of weapons. His current project just pushed that to an insane degree as Vahn used the 'simplicity' of the item as a foundation to lay an intricate and complex arrangement of runes.When Vahn was finally finished, twenty-one days had passed in the real world while he had spent 119 within the orb. Though it had only been three weeks, Vahn had experienced 1/3 of an entire year working on a single item while only diverting his focus to name two other pieces of equipment in the real world using [Keeper of the Akashic Tome]. After giving them both a flame seed from his [Prometheus], Vahn also gifted Lili and Naaza with their own permanent weapons to help support their growth and keep them safe. Remembering the name of her unawakened Innate skill, Vahn forged Lili a pair of gauntlets that he named [Atlas's Grip]. For Naaza, since she primarily used a bow, Vahn had forged her a weapon that he had almost wanted to keep for himself and was appropriately named [Yi's Bow] after the arrows that had once saved his life.[Atlas's Grips]Rank: S (Magic)Slots: 2P.Def: 1014M.Def: 1112Ability: Durandal(A), Atlas's Might(S), Shock Absorption(B), Abnormal Status Resistance(B)Gauntlet(s) forged to contain the record of Atlas, who bore the weight of the Celestial Heavens in an ancient record. These gauntlets gift the user immense physical strength and also allow for greater comprehension of laws concerning astronomy.[Yi's Bow]Rank: S (Magic)Slots: 9P.Atk: 1000M.Atk: 1000Ability: Yi(A), Indestructible(S), Shock Nullification(B), Visual Acuity(B)Bow containing the record of Yi, an archer famed for having extinguished nine suns in order to aid mankind. This bow imbues a portion of the might contained within the record into each arrow nocked on its string.When Vahn had gifted the equipment to the two girls, he had gotten a relatively passionate embrace in return, especially considering he had to place 'flame seeds' into their chests previously. Since the seeds burned through clothes, Vahn required the two to remove their tops and bras before Lili proudly accepted his touch from the front while Naaza took the more modest approach and had Vahn insert the flame from her back. Before then, Vahn hadn't realized it had been an option and was somewhat flustered within his mind after remembering the event with Nanu previously.Recalling the events, Vahn shook his head and took another look at the item he had spent the majority of the 119 days forging with an intricacy that far exceeded his own expectations. Even though it was currently (Nameless), Vahn had forged a simple, golden, pure adamantine, ring without any visible or unique qualities whatsoever. Verifying for what felt like the ten-thousandth time, Vahn saw that the Rank of the item was S and that, once he named it, he would be guaranteed to obtain the [Master Smith] Development Ability.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'AIYA, MAMA MIA~!','Disasociation, Focus','On the Precipice')(A/N: I don't often like to use time skips, but this seemed like an easy way to connect events together when there wasn't a lot of other stuff going on. Vahn gets to experience *muttered noises that you can't understand due to your current soul tier*. Look forward to it~!)I am currently at $730/1200 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

After settling in Fenrir, Vahn accompanied Ryuu back to the Hostess of Fertility. Fenrir wanted to come along, but Vahn knew she wasn't ready to deal with crowds of people yet. Though it took a bit of coaxing, Vahn managed to convince her to stay behind and 'protect' Hestia. Hestia had also wanted to come along, but she also agreed that Fenrir needed to be looked after. Vahn promised to take the two of them shopping in the future and left a large number of snacks for them both to enjoy.The walk with Ryuu back to the Hostess of Fertility was very quiet because Ryuu was actually very reserved and Vahn still didn't know how to treat her. He thought she was very beautiful and had a calming personality, but Vahn wasn't sure if he should even be making advances at girls right now. Not only was he 'halting' Hestia's actions, but he had even delayed his interactions with other girls because he wanted to keep his promise with Hephaestus first. He had been making incredible leaps within the orb, but he still couldn't cross the threshold required to reach [Master Smith].Though she was walking ahead casually, Ryuu was actually paying a great deal of attention to Vahn and actually felt very nervous. Since they were close to each other, she had an inclination to hold his hand but couldn't muster up the courage to commit. Even though Syr had been egging her own about approaching Vahn, Ryuu still hadn't resolved herself to take any steps forward. She knew how many girls were around Vahn, including some of the ones she was close to, and also knew that he was dealing with a lot of issues in his life. Now that they were in the same Familia, Ryuu wanted to find an opportunity to get closer to Vahn but hadn't yet found an appropriate method.When she released a slight sigh, Vahn looked over even though Ryuu was positive he hadn't heard her. With a smile on his face, Vahn reached out and gingerly grabbed her hand as if he had read her mind. Her heart throbbed a bit, but she just smiled as they walked along the back alleys towards the Hostess of Fertility. Though they hadn't spent much time together, Ryuu knew that Vahn was quite perceptive and she was grateful he had been the one to reach out and grab her hand. It reminded her a lot of the first time they had met and how he was easily able to approach her...While he had been hesitating, Vahn heard a notification in his mind and noticed that Ryuu's aura had been flickering a bit with an almost unnoticeable pink hue. Though he didn't look directly at her, Vahn could feel that her aura would occasionally gravitate toward him and he understood that she was probably hesitating herself. Remembering that she placed an emphasis on 'holding hands', Vahn decided to turn his head when he heard her sigh before grasping her hand gently. When she smiled and put a bit of strength into her grip, Vahn assumed he had made the right decision and walked forward casually with Ryuu all the way until they entered the alleyway at the side of the Hostess of Fertility.Ryuu had a subtle smile on her face as she stood outside the door and said, "Thank you for walking with me this far...will you be staying for lunch?" Vahn nodded his head so she said, "Please wait a few minutes, I will change into my uniform quickly." Since he wasn't in any hurry at all, Vahn nodded curtly and waited patiently outside the door as Ryuu went inside to change. He wasn't sure if they had 'progressed' in their relationship suddenly, but Vahn was already considering Ryuu to be part of his 'family' since she had joined their Familia.After Ryuu came back out into the alley, Vahn smiled and led the way with Ryuu following closely behind. They drew a few eyes from the patrons when they came through the double doors but nothing happened as a result since they weren't holding hands or anything. Vahn had already developed a 'reputation' among the regular clients, even in his Báihǔ form. There were quite a few young men that visited the Hostess of Fertility for the express purpose of trying to court one of the girls there. Since Vahn seemed to be the center of a lot of girls' attention, he wasn't really welcomed by most patrons.Ryuu ended up being their server for the day, and Vahn apologized to Tina and Milan as he explained the circumstances of his previous absence. They had already heard from Sry, but Vahn felt personally obligated to explain things to alleviate any concerns they might have. When they heard he had a new 'evolved monster', Tina was in somewhat high tensions since she had grown fond of Fafnir. Even though she wasn't in danger, Tina knew Vahn had ordered it to protect her so she would often call out to it and feed it treats when nobody was looking.After lunch, Vahn parted with the Mother-Daughter duo after promising to bring Fenrir by when she had become more stable. When it was just the two of them, Ryuu stood next to Vahn in silence with a small smile on her face. Vahn didn't know how to read Ryuu well since she wasn't very expressive and kept to herself, but he understood she was expressing her 'support' in her own way. In a low, polite, tone, Vahn said, "Thank you Ryuu. I'm glad you joined our Familia...from now on, we're a family, okay?" As he spoke, Vahn grabbed Ryuu's right hand and clasped it between both of his in a relatively gentle fashion.Ryuu showed a small smile and stared at her hand that was being held by Vahn as she said, "Okay...Vahn." For some reason, as she said his name, Vahn noticed that Ryuu blushed far more noticeably than in the past. Tilting his head to the side a bit, Vahn recalled that it was only the second time she had actually ever said his name, even though they had known each other for a few weeks. With a bigger smile on his face, Vahn lifted Ryuu's hand and, as if emulating their first meeting, kissed it for a few seconds before pulling away. When he looked up, Ryuu seemed to have grown several inches taller as she raised her chin and tilted her head back with a moderate blush on her face.Vahn laughed a few short syllables as he said, "I'll see you tomorrow...Ryuu." After pausing for a second or two and taking a shallow breath, Ryuu's face showed a small smile and she nodded her head as she said, "I'll see you tomorrow...Vahn." Though he wasn't sure it mattered, Vahn decided to start keeping track of the number of times Ryuu called his name. Since it seemed to be a matter of significance, Vahn felt like he would be able to get a rise out of her in the future if he brought it up.After parting, Vahn returned to his Manor and greeted Hestia and Fenrir before returning to his private forge. As they had done the day before, Fenrir cuddled with Hestia as they read books together. Vahn thought they had great synergy with each other, but he would never explain to Hestia that it was because they were both somewhat airheaded. Even though Fenrir was troublesome in a way, she was also a good restraint on Hestia who had been growing bolder by the day. Hestia's good-natured and cheerful personality was equally as important for Fenrir, as she was already starting to develop a gentler temperament, at least at home.During the afternoon, Vahn entered the orb and spent the entire three days stay reading books and designing diagrams for the future equipment he intended to forge. He had recently come to understand why Hephaestus, who was a literal goddess of forging, still designed blueprints for equipment now. Though he was able to use his inspiration to create 'masterpieces', Vahn realized that he would need to take a different approach if he wanted to take the final step toward becoming a [Master Smith]. Even Tsubaki, who was somewhat ditzy at times, also drew up blueprints, so Vahn was certain it was the correct decision to make.Even Eva, who was far more artistically inclined, helped him draw up the blueprints and came up with a host of ideas for Vahn to improve. Not only had she read all the books he left for her, including things regarding mechanics, engineering, and blacksmithing, but she also had a lot of experience in life and much more time than he had to practice. Though he felt somewhat guilty about it, Vahn was happy to rely on Eva and made a concerted effort to pamper her more often.After leaving the orb, Vahn continued to forge items until it was time for dinner. He had gotten the 'okay' from Milan and Tina to spend dinner with Hestia and Fenrir for the time being. Unfortunately, Vahn had made a slight oversight and, since he had 'cleaned' Fenrir earlier, Hestia tried using the excuse that they hadn't bathed since returning to try and talk her way into the same bath as Vahn. She had even gotten Fenrir on her side and Vahn struggled to come up with a way to refute their combined 'attack'. The final straw had been when both girls, since they were much shorter than him, gave him 'puppy' eyes and Vahn took a critical hit to his mental defenses.Their efforts had resulted in Vahn allowing them to bathe with him, but only after having Hestia agree to 'behaving' so she didn't influence Fenrir to develop any strange habits. Since they were quickly growing closer to each other, Vahn knew that Hestia's behavior would likely be picked up by Fenrir as her mental development continued. She had already gotten to the point, just after two days, where she was already beginning to laze around on the sofa with Hestia spoiling her. Since Vahn also spoiled her quite a bit, he knew she would probably become a somewhat lazy person while at home, but this would also prevent her from being stressed out...at least, that was Vahn's hope.During the bath, Fenrir acted normally, almost as if she didn't care about being seen at all and, she in fact, did not. Since she had bathed with Hestia the previous night and had been cleaned by Vahn more than once, she gave him the sponge and said plainly, "Master clean Fenrir." Vahn handed the sponge to Hestia, who was also nearby, and said, "Don't be selfish Fenrir, Hestia will be able to clean you properly."Fenrir looked at Hestia and frowned before turning back to Vahn and saying, "Fenrir want Master clean! Master better!" Vahn frowned a bit before looking over and giving Hestia a sidelong glance before saying, "If I wash your body, a certain goddess would try to use it as an excuse to get cleaned as well. Be a good girl..." Before he finished his words, Fenrir squatted down in the water and began scratching the smooth surface of the onsen with her claws as she blew bubbles and 'ignored' Vahn.Vahn could see her eyes were beginning to glow and Hestia spoke from the side, "Don't worry about me, go ahead and help her out. She is like a child that wants her Papa's affection~." Fenrir's ears twitched at Hestia's words and she looked up at Vahn while still squatted down, "Papa wash Fenrir, please?" Hearing her words, Vahn felt a pressure in his nose as his temples began to throb. He looked down at the 'pleading' eyes of Fenrir before giving Hestia a serious look that caused her to laugh awkwardly.Releasing a sigh, Vahn sat down and stroked Fenrir's head gently and explained, "You shouldn't call me Papa...you don't have to call me Master either. From now on, just call me Vahn..." As if she had never cared about the address, to begin with, Fenrir responded, "Vahn wash Fenrir?" Though he was somewhat hesitant, Vahn felt like he had dodged a bullet and couldn't help but smile as he agreed to her request. In a way, he could increase their bond while also enforcing the idea that she should call him Vahn from now on.Fenrir was very pleased by Vahn's actions and happily patted the water while squirming about as he lathered up her body. When she was fully covered in suds, Vahn helped her rinse off while also using a plastic brush to get any remnant materials out of her hair and fur. When she was finally cleaned off, Fenrir did something that Vahn didn't quite expect as she got out of the pool and, on all fours, began shaking her body from head to tail before finally kicking with her back legs to try and get as much water out of her fur as possible. Because she had absolutely no sense of propriety, she had put on quite the 'display' for both Vahn and Hestia.Without Vahn having to say anything, Hestia got out of the pool and said, "I'll make sure she learns how to properly dry off..." Vahn just nodded without responding as he submerged his head into the hot water to 'cool' off. Even though he didn't feel like he had any attraction to Fenrir, Vahn couldn't help but get caught up in her momentum a bit because of how peculiar her actions were. He had never seen someone that looked like a human behave in such a unique way and didn't think he was mentally prepared to deal with Fenrir if she kept displaying such adorable antics. Even if he didn't 'intend' to look, it was hard to ignore such behavior...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Ryuu's Hand Fetish v.2','Imprinting','Dangerous Behavior')I am currently at $730/1200 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 235: Gale