Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After the birth of his daughters, time seemed to move much faster than normal, something which Vahn was both grateful for and lamented greatly. He spent the majority of his time helping the girls master their [Pactio]s, as forging equipment for them wasn't nearly as important as the development of their new skills and abilities. The rest of his time was spent between his duties for the Alliance, educating the girls so they would be able to use the new magic system, and, perhaps most importantly, spending time with his children. Ina and Vana now looked to be closer to a year old, with the latter being much more lively and energetic than her younger twin. It was more than a little likely it was a result of their differing dietary habits, but Vana was already a few centimeters taller than Ina and seemed to contain nearly limitless energy, at least until naptime.Ina, unlike her sister, spent the majority of her time, especially after learning to walk on her own, following Vahn around, though he would usually carry her. She looked like a doll that had been sculpted from divine-grade materials, with her light blonde hair now extending past her shoulders with slight curls at the end. Most striking, however, were her pale blue eyes, which had become more pronounced with time and always seemed to glimmer with intrigue, especially when she watched Vahn work and train. Of course, this wasn't all she spent her time on, as her tendency to take things apart had developed further, causing Hephaestus to begin teaching her a few things for around two hours a day. As expected, she had a natural talent for crafting things and already had a very surprising amount of dexterity for someone that was around 12-14 months old, physically. She could already make small trinkets that didn't require any forging and, after seeing that Erika could already read, had taken up a few simple books of her own.One of the important discoveries that had been made recently was, after Erika appeared to be around a year old, it was decided that they would receive their Falna. It wasn't that uncommon for children to receive their Falna shortly after birth, especially if they were born into a Familia. Though it wouldn't make a drastic difference in their parameters, it would help them become marginally stronger as they trained. Unfortunately, the moment Loki tried to conduct the ceremony on Erika, the hieroglyphs began to fade away, almost as if the existence of the Vanir couldn't be bound by the influence of the Falna. Current speculation was, as they were already very close to being gods, who were unable to receive Falna from other gods, the blessing simply had no effect on them. This didn't mean they wouldn't be able to increase their strength, just that there would be no 'shortcuts' in their path towards the peak.By virtue of their existence, a god already had very high potential and, though they didn't have actual Levels, they could still be graded by the power systems used in the world. Ultimately, it depended on their efforts with how strong they became but, the most concerning matter, was whether or not the Vanir would be able to increase their strength in the Dungeon. There was a very high chance that the Dungeon may recognize their presence itself as a major threat, especially with the mixture of source energy and pseudo-divine energy. Vahn was already slightly worried that his presence was increasing the strength of monsters in the Deeper Floors and it now seemed as if he would have to take into consideration the influence of his own children...Fortunately, they had made several other discoveries over the last few weeks, including the fact that the guardians possessed by the Vanir could increase their strength very quickly. Though they were very small at first, Ina's tiger cub was now larger than most dogs while Vana's dragon pup was around the size of a pony. The only exception amongst the three was Erika's doppelganger, which seemed to be roughly the same dimensions as Erika herself, though their features were distinctly different. Most importantly, however, was that the strength of their guardians directly influence the power of the girls, especially when they were fused together. They provided a large amount of energy to the girls, allowing Vana to already create large fireballs, much to the lamentation of Emiru and Maemi, who often had to clean up the mess after Vana accidentally burned something.Vana was still very smart for her age but, unlike Ina and the startlingly intelligent Erika, she was very emotional and prone to outbursts. She never sought out attention proactively but, the moment you stopped paying attention to her, Vana would become teary-eyed and do something to draw your attention back to her. This was mainly aimed towards her younger twin though, when asked how she felt about Ina, Vana simply said she loved her sister but didn't want to 'lose' against her. What she didn't want to 'lose' at, Vana herself didn't know, it just made her feel sad if she didn't get to play around when Ina was playing. For someone like Vana, who was constantly full of energy and getting into trouble, it broke Vahn's heart to see her sad so he always relented and tried to play with both of them whenever possible.Erika wasn't nearly as 'clingy' as Ina and Vana but she had gotten into the habit of asking Vahn to help her study and to teach her new things. She also seemed to enjoy sitting in his lap and reading books, assuming there was nobody else around. For some reason, Erika seemed especially aware of how other people looked at her and, though she only looked like a 15-17 month old child, she didn't like being treated as such. The only exceptions were when she was with her 'Papa', who always made her feel safe and, no matter what she did, seemed to accept to her. Unlike her Mother, and some of the other girls and goddesses, her Papa didn't seem to have any expectations towards her other than the desire that she is happy. This made Erika feel very comfortable around him, though she had slowly started to open up to others, becoming good friends with Vana after the latter could walk around and form simple sentences. She didn't much like Ina, however, as her presence made it difficult to have any time to spend with her Papa...Of course, Vahn wasn't only splitting his time between Ina, Vana, and Erika, as, at this point, Aki and Arnya had both given birth to two healthy young girls with Tsubaki expecting any day. Both Aki and Arnya, taking notes out of Loki's book, ended up naming their daughters differently than their first choices, Aki deciding upon Anise while Arnya chose Meinya. When Vahn helped them deliver the children, he once against got to experience the overwhelming sight of new life being born into the world. Though they weren't visually as stunning as the Vanir at birth, Vahn felt like his daughters, especially with their stubby tails and droopy ears, were exceptionally adorable. Anise had been born with a tuft of black hair, having similarly black eyes and a small pointed nub at her lower back. As for Meinya, she unexpectedly had a mix between brown and white hair with similar rings on her tail as compared to her mother.Ina seemed a little saddened by the birth of new children within the Manor but, after being talked to by Vahn and Hephaestus for a bit, she decided to be a good 'big' sister. As for Vana and Erika, the former was very interested in her new sisters, spending time watching them in the cribs and saying a few quiet words when nobody was looking. Erika seemed the least affected but, from Vahn's perspective, she had undergone the biggest change since the presence of Anise and Meinya seemed to be the catalyst for her wanting to spend more time with him and 'uncharacteristically' acting her age...Much like his other daughters, Anise and Meinya came into the world with guardians of their own but, to Vahn confusion, lacked the inclusion of what he was referring to as a soul-grade artifact. Also, likely as result of the difference in their inherent soul tier, Anise and Meinya were considerably weaker than the Vanir at birth while their guardians, while still being strong, had markedly less potential than the 'primordial' grade creatures assigned to the Vanir. Anise ended up getting what looked like a grey wolf pup, called a Steel-backed Wolf while Meinya obtained a brown bear cub with tufts of red fur, descending from the Mountain Tyrant Bear species. Each was very powerful in their own right but the auras they emitted were significantly weaker than the Celestial Winged Tiger, True Flame Dragon, and even Erika's Doppelganger...Even so, it didn't matter to Vahn at all how much potential the girls might have at birth since, if they worked hard, it wouldn't be impossible for them to even exceed the Vanir in power. They still had strands of source energy coiling around in their bodies and, with capable mothers like Aki and Arnya, combined with the resources of teaching methods available to them, both could become very powerful. Most importantly, Vahn learned that all of his daughters could make use of the consumable items within his shop now, as their body could actually adapt and process the energy contained within the items. This meant he could help them train and refine their bodies through the system shop, even if the efficacy was limited by the development of their source energy.---Vahn was currently walking alongside Arnya, carrying Meinya in his hands as they leisurely strolled through the illusory forest, which was now much larger than in the past. Though she wasn't 'gifted' with an affinity for space magic, Terra had set up a large ward to encompass the forest, causing the interior to increase exponentially in size while it seemed completely unchanged from the outside. Other than passing through a viscous membrane, which only a select few like Vahn, Riveria, Ryuu, and Lefiya could sense, you would enter into the now massive forest. Terra also arranged it so there were some scenic paths to travel that could be safely walked, including one that led directly to the clearing in the center, now more than 1km in diameter.When they reached the center, Vahn saw the familiar figure of Mikoto, training hard while Haruhime sat at the side with a small picnic basket. Mikoto, sensing his arrival, momentarily stopped her training, nearly bowing out of habit before seeing Vahn's slight frown and deciding against it. By the time Vahn neared her, Haruhime had also walked over as Vahn said, "I'm going to be making a supply run down to the 39th Floor this Friday. I wanted you two to accompany me this time around, though I don't expect anything will happen." One of Vahn's duties had been making sure the supplies of Lil Geirr never ran out. This would be his second trip down after his previous return, making the round trip in as little as sixteen hours.Mikoto gripped her katana tightly, showing a small smile as she nodded her head and said, "Thank you for this opportunity, Master." Knowing that Vahn was giving her a chance to test her skills, Mikoto was determined to show him her growth. These past few months, much like several of the other girls, she had also been contemplating her own future. She wasn't ready to have a child just yet, as it would interfere with the development of her magical power and bring a temporary halt to her training. Her hope was to wait until she was around 18-20 years old, when her magical power began to stabilize, before finally committing to the deed. However, she also understood that there were no guarantees in life and, though just a little, she began to open up and try to spend more time with Vahn when the opportunity presented itself.Haruhime was also very happy to accompany Vahn, especially if the giddy Shirohime was any indicator. The little fox had been enjoying her time around the Manor more and more these days, especially since the number of people she could interact with had increased. Though she was fairly jealous of the fact that her 'counterpart' wasn't able to get Vahn's attention as much as in the past, Shirohime simply couldn't dislike the children. She often spent time playing with Ina and Vana, though Erika was her favorite since Vana would sometimes pull her hair and Ina would outright ignore her when Vahn was around...After Shirohime crawled up to his shoulder, looking down at Meinya with glimmering gold eyes, Vahn smiled and explained, "Our goal this time around, other than resupplying Lil Geirr, is to capture and subjugate another rare monster. Mikoko, I'll be relying on your scouting abilities to track down the unique energy signatures of any variant species and I want you both to practice using your [Pactio] in a live combat scenario. Fenrir will be accompanying us, but it will just be the four of us going down this time around." Haruhime showed an elegant smile as a thoughtful look appeared in her eyes. She didn't say what was on her mind but, judging by the fluctuations in her aura, Vahn expected Haruhime wanted to use the opportunity to spend some more time with him.As he already expected something like this to happen, Vahn had actually cleared up three days of his schedule since he wanted to try to capture a Unicorn or one of the variant species with a strong elemental affinity. Loki's Wyvern ended up becoming a large black dragon named Khaos, as it was one of the few names Vahn could find that related to both space and time that also suited a dragon. Its form was only 11m at present, making it much smaller than Fafnir and Terra, but the energy contained within its body was rather terrifying, It was presently only Level 3, but Vahn could tell it would become much stronger once it trained. The presence of Khaos seemed to motivate Fafnir quite a bit as well, now spending most of its free time 'pestering' Terra to help it train. Terra's response was to 'throw' Fafnir's spirit into one of the test orbs she had been working on, having her memory fragment deal with her 'troublesome' younger brother since she would much rather just soak up some sunlight.Terra had already finished the basic structure for a few of the orbs they were going to make use of but, as she was still trying to refine the laws contained within the orbs, they have yet to be used by anyone in the Manor. Fafnir became her 'willing' test subject and, as it was able to increase its strength a fair amount, didn't seem to mind becoming her guinea pig. Dragons, especially True Dragons, placed and instinctual emphasis on strength-based hierarchies. Since Terra was currently much stronger than it was, Fafnir had essentially become Terra's lackey, only ignoring her orders if it conflicted with one that Vahn had issued. Vahn had even found it, though it was entirely unnecessary, protecting Terra's egg when she had flown off to strengthen a section of her dominion. Seeing the slimmed down version of Fafnir, as it was getting progressively better at transformation magic, coiled around Terra's egg in a protective pose made Vahn shake his head with a wry smile...---After parting with Haruhime and Mikoto, now carrying Shirohime on his head, Vahn made his way back to the Manor. Along the way, he passed by the sleeping figure of Khaos, covered with red and black scales with four black horns framing its head like a crown, covered in small purple veins that radiated a frightening magic power. It opened its eyes as he passed, sending an icy but reverential voice into Vahn's head as it said, ("Good morning, Master. Mistress Loki had something to discuss with you...") before putting its head down. Khaos had a significantly easier time maintaining its form compared to all of Vahn's other subordinates as it could fly into space and absorb the chaotic energies present to sustain itself. However, it still spent a fair amount of time just lazing about and, if it was certain it could get away with it, complaining about Loki.Arnya laughed at Khaos's lazy behavior, nudging Vahn's arm to get him to continue forward since the latter had stopped moving. Before they reached the Manor, Arnya took Meinya from his hands, giving him a quick peck on the lips and saying, "Go see what Loki wants. I'll be in the maternity ward if you still want to spend time with Meinya." Then, without waiting for Vahn's response, Arnya happily made her way inside ahead of him, tail swaying about in a playful manner. She had been in very high spirits ever since her daughter was born, spending most of her waking moments accompanying Meinya and tending to her every need. Unlike the Vanir, Meinya was fed exclusively by Arnya and, though she sometimes relied on others to help babysit, Arnya was the primary caretaker of her daughter. She only really took breaks for morning training and sleeping, often times only really getting a few hours in every night and, much like Mona had in the past, taking small 'cat-naps' during the day.Vahn already had an idea of what Loki wanted to talk about as, very recently, the Dwarves of the Iron Hills had started to try and counterpressure Orario after getting annoyed with the constant requests for aid from the Elven Kingdom. Though they had no intention of actually fighting on the Elves' behalf, the Dwarves didn't mind trying to take advantage of the situation for their own benefits. They were actually trying to play both sides at present, greatly increasing the price of goods they were bringing into the City while also allowing smugglers to make use of their routes into the Western Forest in exchange for a toll fee. In exchange, the Elven Kingdom had sent several lesser clans of Elves to reside within the Iron Hills, totaling nearly 1,300 people, to act as 'breeding stock' for some of the larger Slavers Clans. The slave trade was one of the most successful business enterprises at present and, being notoriously greedy and focused on wealth, the Dwarves were the most successful slavers on the continent. Generally, the only way they could get Elven slaves were if they were either sick, criminal exiles, or males. Having 'fresh' stock was a major boon so, though they weren't putting that much effort into it, the Dwarves had finally decided to 'help' out the Elves...(A/N: I'm feeling a bit out of it from traveling so I'm not entirely sure how many chapters I will release today. At the bare minimum, there will be three and, if I'm feeling better after writing those, I'll put out 1-2 more, aiming for 15k words today. Tomorrow's releases should happen at the normal time, so you can expect them to come out ten minutes before the reset and every two hours after that.)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Slow down (TT_TT)','Loki, Goddess of Tricksters, Master of Khaos','Shameless Dwarves (o,...,o)~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

It was early in the morning, during the period of time when Vahn had been helping guide the girls in their studies when Vahn got a telepathic message. There was a small ping within his mind before Lefiya's voice sounded like a whisper in his ears, ("Hello, Master, can you hear me?") Vahn had paused in the middle of his sentence, earning curious looks from the girls as he smiled and explained, "Lefiya is sending me a telepathic message. Give me a moment..." After that, Vahn relaxed his mind and said, ("Yes, I can hear you, Lefiya. Are you almost at the surface?") Since the Dungeon blocked messages under normal circumstances, they must have already been within the Upper Floors of the Dungeon.There was a short delay before a small ping sounded once again, followed by Lefiya saying, ("Ah, I'm glad I was able to reach you~! Yes, we're on the eighteenth Floor right now and I was curious if my messages would be able to go through so many Floors. It looks like the weakened density of mana makes the transmission carry further in the Upper Floors as compared to those deeper within the Dungeon.") As this was already their expectation, Vahn wasn't too surprised by the information and simply asked, ("How is everyone? Were there any emergency situations that occurred after I left?")Once again, there was a small pause, causing Vahn to wonder if there was some kind of lag or interference with their messages. When Lefiya finally responded, he could sense a bit of tension in her words while a fair amount of pride was also present in her tone, ("Yes, there was a small attack by some strange green caterpillars that were able to spew acid. Fortunately, Ais and I were able to eliminate a large portion of them while the acid attacks weren't able to break through the defensive wards we had established. By the time reinforcements showed up, we had already beaten back the enemies and were able to set up a defensive perimeter around the entrances to the Floor while Finn arranged a patrol using the newly acquired reinforcements~!")One of the things Vahn had done upon his return was to request the reinforcements he had promised to Finn, though Lok had managed most of the details. She had even arranged a few concessions from Hermes, forcing the god to disclose a great deal of information about the Xenos in exchange for accidentally leaking information about the Alliance to their enemies. Asfi, Tallow, and Reid were also being held personally responsible for the failure and were required to pay a compensation of 100,000,000V each over the course of the next ten years, with Asfi having the inclusion of forging three magic items at Vahn's request.Asfi wouldn't be allowed to disclose any of the information she obtained during the production process, nor would she be able to share the details of the items he would have her produce. Though it was obvious that Hermes didn't mind such an outcome, even showing signs that he somewhat anticipated things to happen this way, it was still very beneficial to the Alliance. There was also the fact that Vahn also took responsibility for his own failure, showing leniency towards them since the original terms were 500,000,000V and 10 magic items. Tallow and Reid had suffered a pretty severe trauma and he had also been able to save Rufina, effectively eliminating a powerful enemy while increasing the strength of their own forces...Knowing that the girls had worked hard in his absence, Vahn smiled toward the void, not missing the small reaction from his bond with Lefiya that showed she was happy. Her Affection actually shot up ten points when he said, ("You did great, Lefiya. A lot has been going on at the Manor these days but I'll make sure to reward you properly when you return.") Vahn could practically feel Lefiya's giddiness when she hesitantly responded, ("Ano...Master...I think I want to try and use my 'Heavy Petting' coupon when I return. Please treat me kindly...!") Though he was momentarily dazed, Vahn nodded his head towards the void, sending Lefiya his affirmation before explaining to the spectators what was going on.Initially, Vahn was supposed to accompany the reinforcements into the Dungeon but, after learning about the birth of the Vanir through Hephaestus and Loki, Freya had taken the initiative to mobilize her own elites. With Ottar at the lead, followed by the Gulliver Brothers, the Freya Familia led a large Expedition, comprised of ninety of her own forces with more than three hundred people from the Loki and Hephaestus Familias as 'support'. In total, with the number of artisans set to accompany them, the Expedition had more than six-hundred people. The only downside was that they had to quickly make their way to the 39th Floor on limited supplies, choosing to forego carrying a lot of equipment since the stocks within the Lil Geirr were plenty to cover them.With the loss of only seven people, mainly as a result of traps within the Dungeon, the Freya Familia had successfully reached the 39th Floor, providing defense for the Supply Depot while Gareth led the return Expedition towards the surface. Unsurprisingly, with Ais, Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya at the vanguard, they were able to reach the 18th Floor without a single loss, though there were a number of casualties and small injuries. It was very possible for them to reach the Upper Floors without a single casualty but, as they were short on supplies, the speed they had traveled was faster than recommended. Perhaps as a result of having Vahn's support, but many of the people on the Expedition had a slightly skewed sense for the pace they should be traveling at. It was fortunate that the girls were now much stronger than in the past, or their haste may have caused a lot more problems than it had.Since it wouldn't take long for them to reach the surface, Vahn decided to go wait for the girls at Babel Plaza. It was a good opportunity so Vahn took along Tina and Milan to do a bit of shopping, as he had promised the young Cat Person a 'date' in the past. Tina was very excited to go exploring around Babel Tower with Vahn, as she had never had the opportunity to venture into the higher floors in the past. Though most people could enter the first few levels, you were barred entry to the higher floors unless you belonged to a reputable Familia, had high personal strength, or were escorted by someone with the clearance to do so.After waiting for Tina to change, which took a bit longer than expected since she somehow forgot her skirt the first time she came out, the three made their way into the City. Vahn had a basic grasp of telekinesis so he was able to lift both girls into the sky, giving them a beautiful view of the City from above while Tina embarrassedly held the front and back of her skirt, fearful that people below would see her Vahn-print panties. Milan shook her head but didn't show any other changes, clearly used to her daughter's behavior now that a few months had passed. Fortunately, nothing major had happened and, as a result of Vahn always tending to his daughters, they had avoided any significantly awkward situations.Though it was considered rude to do so, Vahn landed on the tenth floor of Babel, helping Tina and Milan land on their feet before escorting them into the Tower proper. Generally, nobody was allowed to enter the upper floors without passing through the security checkpoints at the elevators. Vahn, however, was a bit of a unique existence within the City and could take small liberties like this since he already inconvenienced himself a great deal out of respect for the Guild. In exchange, they tolerated minor grievances and, unless he caused a major scene, most of the security detail would completely ignore his actions.As it was her first time in the markets located on the upper floors, Tina was full of energy and kept running between the various stalls and shops with glittering eyes. Vahn, holding onto Milan's hand, followed behind her and, if it was an item that might be useful, purchased anything Tina took an interest in. Knowing that Vahn could easily make better items, she avoided most of the various weapons and armors on display. Instead, Tina focused on various interesting toys, accessories, and a few books that seemed interesting. Vahn was a billionaire so spending a few tens-of-thousands of Valis on the various small items wasn't much. However, when Tina stumbled upon a stall with an old man selling small books, Vahn was utterly shocked when one of the items she picked up happened to be a grimoire.The old man only had one good eye but, seeing Tina take an interest in the grimoire, both of his stark blue orbs focused on her before turning towards Vahn with a smile. With a wry grin on his face, Vahn asked, "How much?" in a calm voice. When the man held up two fingers, Vahn didn't bother assuming he meant 2,000V and instead pulled out two purple cards, each representing a value of 1MV. The man gave an appreciative nod, saying, "You're a good lad. Generally, people that accumulate a lot of wealth tend to be greedy. It makes this old man feel gratified knowing you aren't such a character..." Without any great flair, the man wrapped up the grimoire for Tina, not even bothering to explain the contents.Though he was using some kind of artifact to hide it, Vahn could tell that this man was a god that was doing his best to conceal his presence. Since there were numerous enigmatic gods, and Vahn didn't detect any form of negative energy coming from the Grimoire, he simply gave a polite bow to the disguised god before leading the mother-daughter pair away. The man, understanding that Vahn had seen through his guise, produced a wry grin before his complexion softened, revealing a handsome face with onyx black hair and an eye patch covering his right eye. Then, as if he was completely invisible to the crowd, he began walking through the streets while people absentmindedly walked around him, unaware they stood in the presence of one of the most powerful gods within the mortal world, Odin.Vahn didn't know the god's identity so he temporarily confiscated the Grimoire so that his Inventory could analyze it. He also intended for Riveria to scan it with her artifact, curious to know if it was able to analyze 'unique' grade objects. They had already tried to do so with the [Seed of the Tree of Life], but it hadn't been able to get any information other than a picture. The rest of the page was full of question marks, showing that Riveria's capabilities weren't at the level where she could identify such high-grade items just yet.After running around for the better part of an hour, Vahn sensed a fluctuation in his bond with the other girls, hearing several pings in his ears simultaneously. Tuning in to one of them, Vahn heard Tiona's happy voice shouting, ("Ya-ho~! We're on the surface, Vahn~! Come pick us up, hurry, hurry, hurry~!") Vahn smiled, informing Tina that it was time to meet up with the others, nearly allowing her to ride on his shoulders before Milan reminded him that she was wearing a skirt. Tina seemed to have suffered a mental impact because she had been excited to be able to ride on Vahn's shoulders. She regretted wearing a cute skirt for her 'date' with Vahn and had a strong desire to pout until Vahn began rubbing her head with his [Grooming] in full effect...It didn't take long for them to rendezvous with the other girls, already waiting for them a bit away from the Expedition. Unlike previous Expeditions, they weren't carrying back a lot of supplies and there was no need to report back to the Guild with their findings. However, this didn't do anything to the festive atmosphere and, even though they had already been dismissed by Gareth, several people were lingering about as they formed smaller groups, each heading to various bars to celebrate their return to the surface. Even Gareth, after grouping up with some of the other members of the Clubhouse, had already gotten into a carriage with a solemn look on his face as he prepared to sample any of the new alcohols that might be available.Vahn caught the Tiona-shaped projectile in his arms, returning her embrace without minding the crowd that was eyeing them in the distance. It didn't take long for the other girls to approach either, drawing even more attention to their small group as many envious eyes settled upon Vahn's figure. Though it would have bothered him in the past, Vahn was almost entirely unaffected these days, deciding he needed to have greater composure to set a good example for his daughters. The girls seemed to notice his change as well, prompting Tiona to give him a somewhat sloppy kiss that nearly caused him to trip over Tina, who had been standing slightly behind him. This caused her to fall back, 'dodging' the attempts of Vahn and Milan in catching her so she could land on her butt, pristine white panties on full display with a cartoonish Vahn 'smiling' back at him...After their short reunion, Vahn sent for Terra since he was unable to fly so many people under his own efforts. Unlike before, where she would have flown over to them, Terra appeared at his side in an instant, showing a gentle smile on her face as she said, "Welcome back to the surface..." before turning to her Master and saying, "Master, I have come to pick you up~." She had a somewhat teasing tone in her voice since, just the other day, she had commented about being able to 'ride' her whenever he wanted. Since she had been naked at the time, tracing her beautiful green feathers through the wellspring, the image and words were still fresh in Vahn's mind. Though his expression didn't change much, there was a light blush on his cheeks that earned him a peal of laughter from Terra as she changed into her dragon form.Terra could have teleported them all back, as the distance wasn't that great, but enjoyed serving as Vahn's mount, earning the right from Fafnir, who had now recognized her as its 'temporary' superior. Fafnir, though somewhat childish, was still very intelligent and it knew that Terra had made a large sacrifice in order to protect their Master. Since she was now more than 150 years old, Fafnir gave her the responsibility of protecting their Master and instead focused on its own training. In exchange, Terra had been teaching it personally, starting from the basics since Eva had only taught it a few select abilities as a result of its unique capabilities. Right now, Fafnir wanted to learn transformation magic, learning it alongside Fenrir, who wanted to get to the point that her claws wouldn't cut through anything she touched.After a relatively short flight, made longer by Terra lazily flying around the territory so the girls could take in all the changes, the group landed in the large training area in the back yard. Everyone was already waiting for their return, including the rarely seen Risna and the somewhat sleepy Eina. She had taken the morning shift and had only been sleeping for a few hours, deciding to forgo sleep in order to celebrate the girls' return since she could always ask for Vahn to help replenish her stamina before work. It wasn't that uncommon for the girls working in the Guild branch to sometimes ask for his assistance, as he would stop by occasionally to check the updated quests to see if there was anything important going on.Though the atmosphere was already very festive, it became even more so when the girls dismounted and saw Loki, Hephaestus, and Hestia all carrying a baby in their hands. Tiona's eyes shimmered like stars as she jumped over, nearly shouting her words before she noticed that two of the younglings were sleeping. Catching the warning look in Loki's eyes, Tiona laughed quietly while rubbing the back of her head, saying, "Sorry, they are just super cute..." As if on some practice cue, almost everyone present nodded at the same time, even Tione and Ais. Lefiya, one of the few exceptions, had a very red face on her head as the aura from her body wavered, almost like steam. She suddenly got caught in a loop, imagining what it would be like to have a cute daughter of her own before remembering what was 'necessary' to obtain one...Ina, being the only one awake right now, extended both of her small arms towards Vahn, not minding the other two sleeping children as she shouted, "Papa!" with a teary-eyed expression. Not only Vahn, but everyone present felt their hearts melt as he practically blinked forward, accepting Ina from Hestia's arms while Hephaestus continued holding Vana. Having played all morning, and eaten her fill, Vana was in a deep slumber. However, the outburst from Ina had caused a small head to peak up out of Vana's body, looking around at the new faces with a small amount of apprehension before retreating back to the interior of its host. With the 'annoying' male around, it knew that its host wouldn't be in danger so it decided to sleep in preparation for the next time they would 'play'. If possible, it really wanted to burn the annoying male, at least once...Unaware he was being plotted against by the tiny dragon, Vahn went inside with everyone as they began to celebrate the safe return of the Expedition. Lefiya and Tione took it upon themselves to explain the details since Tiona struggled to form cohesive sentences when she was excited. As for Ais, she had her eyes glued to Ina the entire time, sometimes matching gazes with the small child who shied away by hiding her face in Vahn's chest. Though it wasn't the first child she had ever seen, Ais felt that Vahn's daughters were exceptionally cute. Part of her wanted to just reach out and poke the chubby cheeks of the adorable little girl but, after seeing the inhibitions on Ina's face, Ais held herself back. Instead, much like how Chloe and Lunoire had, Ais began wondering if she should try to have a child of her own in the near future...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Leniency','Tina's [Luck] is Still Going Strong','Simply Irresistible (UwU)~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 673: Stirring