Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After gathering with Finn, Gareth, Haruhime, and Shakti, Vahn laid out his plans to delve deeper into the Dungeon while also ensuring their path of 'retreat' wouldn't be cut off. Since Enyo's forces seemed to rely on chemical and biological attacks, Vahn did a few rolls using the gacha system to try and find a suitable item to defend against that type of warfare. From this, he received a [Purification Stone], which had the appearance of a blue crystal the size of an infant. When planted into the ground, or powered by a formation, it emitted a hemispherical aura that could completely repel the majority of poisons, toxins, and miasma.They had variable prices, ranging between six-hundred and ten-million Origin Points, but Vahn only purchased a few of the 100,000OP stones to protect Lil Geirr. He also gave an interspatial ring to Gareth and entrusted him with sending someone to station themselves at Rivira on the 18th Floor. Though Vahn had been tempted to send Fafnir there to watch over the settlement, it was far more beneficial to have it lurking around in the shadows of the Artificial Dungeon. Since sealing off the main Dungeon would also cut off Enyo's means to attach to the surface, the only other route would be through the Artificial Dungeon. Since Fafnir could inform him of the moment such an attack occurred, it was better for it to remain near the Freya Familia for the time being...Other than the [Purification Stone]s, Vahn spent a bit of time performing maintenance on the various wards that had been set up around Lil Geirr while also taking the opportunity to investigate if anyone had been trying to use the settlement for their advantage. He wasn't even remotely surprised by the fact that there had been a hidden pathway carved through the plateau that was serving as a throughway for smuggled goods. Those associated were tried in accordance with the laws that had been established, resulting in a group of twenty-three people being blacklisted from Lil Geirr.This left them kicked out of the encampment with only enough supplies to reach the surface of the Dungeon, even though many of them lacked the strength to do so. If they wanted to make it up safely, they would need to survive in the surrounding woods for a few months before one of the return expeditions was held. Since their supplies wouldn't last nearly long enough, these people that wanted to exploit a system that was fundamentally designed to help people would have to hunt monsters and bide their time. There was also a system that would allow them to trade magic cores and drop items for additional supplies, but the conversion wasn't very favorable to them since they had earned the ire of the entire encampment.At the same time, in preparation for the expedition down to the 50th Floor, Vahn continued his investigation into the bodies, equipment, and intentions of every attending member. By the time he was finished, he had removed more than a hundred people off of the expedition and exchanged them with volunteers residing within Lil Geirr. It was also during this investigation that Vahn was able to confirm that, unless they had a means of hiding that were beyond his perception, the 'feeling' he had been having wasn't related to anyone within the expedition. This meant it was the fact the expedition was taking place at all which was the source of his instincts triggering...Since they had been inconvenienced over a three day period, Vahn gave the expedition leave for forty-eight hours so that they could experience some of the interesting aspects of Lil Geirr. As long as they showed up for their patrol duties, everyone had been allowed to use their time as they pleased while Vahn and the girls did much the same. He was spending his recreational time trying to learn how to use the other functions within his system efficiently while also spending time making preparations back on the surface for whatever Enyo would throw at them. At the same time, Vahn was a lot more open about his own wants and desires during the evening hours, even though he spent a fair amount of time just spending time with his children...Terra, flying over the City at his behest, very quickly found several areas where there were strange creatures laying dormant within the massive and complex sewer system of Orario. She even found that there were several tunnels that seemed to connect into the Dungeon itself, showing that the Artificial Dungeon and Babel weren't the only ways into and out of the Dungeon. This information had caused Vahn to release a heavy sigh before shifting the focus of the Alliance to the purging and sealing of the tunnels beneath Orario. Terra had already dealt with all the strange plant-like monsters, many similar to the Viscum he had encountered near the 24th Floor, so the rest was just busy work to prevent monsters from rising up and attacking at random spots throughout the City.Upon this relatively major discovery, Vahn had gone with a large group of gods that were associated with the Alliance and directly met with Ouranos. It was very surprising to see the massive seal that the elder god kept maintained but, other than memorizing its structure, Vahn ignored that and got to the point. Since the Guild was supposed to be regulating the various Familia, managing the flow of magic cores within the market, and keeping order within the City, it was a major fiasco that tunnels had been constructed that connected to the Dungeon. Just the fact that the Artificial Dungeon even existed, without any effort on the Guild's part to shut it down was a major red flag that Vahn wanted to be addressed.Ouranos admitted that the Artificial Dungeon, which was known through the Guild's network as Knossos, had been the ambition of a demigod by the name of Daedelus. Not only was he one of the principal founders of Orario itself, but he had constructed Daedelus Street and Knossos after becoming infatuated with the structure of the Dungeon. Since he made major contributions to the City, and hadn't actually done anything wrong, the Guild had no reason to prevent his ambitious project from coming to fruition.It wasn't until organizations like Evilus stepped in and claimed Knossos for themselves that it had become an issue that required the focus of the Guild. By that point, though they had the means of confronting the organization themselves, the amount of chaos that would have ensued would have greatly weakened the Guild and potentially brought ruin to the entire City. Other than entrusting the task to other people, the Guild had been 'powerless' to take any meaningful action. As for why Knossos was allowed to continue existing after the fact, it was due to the sheer number of people residing in its structure and the fact that they simply had no reason to destroy something that had been developed by one of the most prolific craftsmen in history...Though there were 'a lot' of things that Vahn didn't agree with, he was content with the fact that Ouranos officially recognized the Alliance's claim to Knossos since they had already purchased the land containing Daedelus Street. Since Vahn had already brought large reforms to the area, drastically reducing the number of people living underground, Knossos would now become the Alliance's personal back entrance into the Dungeon.Now, with some additional concessions that Ouranos had agreed to, Vahn had a perfect excuse to begin cleaning out the Artifical Dungeon and purging any criminal organizations residing within. He even humored the idea of turning Knossos into a 'practice dungeon' for the School in the future but, for the time being, just used the map that had been offered up by Ouranos to let Hephaestus and Hestia come up with a design to 'cap' off the Artifical Dungeon. They obviously couldn't build a second Babel Tower but, after negotiating with Penia, the 'ruler' of Daedelus Street, it would be converted into a massive trading center that would act as the central power base of the Alliance in the future...Before that was possible, however, Knossos needed to be swept clean so Vahn was currently standing in a large clearing where all of the buildings had been leveled. There was a massive set of stairs leading into the earth that served as the primary entrance to Knossos while all of the smaller entrances were being cleared out and sealed off. Freya stood next to him, causing the members of her Familia to give him cold glances that Vahn simply ignored.Vahn also had Fenrir at his side and the two of them were about to probe into Knossos so he could begin compiling a detailed map of its structure while simultaneously eliminating any threats contained within. They had already found thousands of traps that were built into the Artificial Dungeon's structure, so he had decided to just deal with it directly instead of waiting for results. After all, it didn't matter how many traps he triggered himself and, other than a mild inconvenience, he would be able to circumvent their effects entirely.With an eager glimmer in her eye, Freya asked in a seductive and 'sad' tone, "Are you really going in...?" Vahn nodded his head, turning to Freya and performing an action that would stun almost anyone that witnessed it. Reaching out with his hand, Vahn began to stroke her silvery hair as he smiled comfortingly and said, "Be a good girl and make sure nothing escapes while I'm inside. Your Familia has the strongest war potential of the Alliance and I trust that your children will be perfectly capable of rounding up anyone that tries to flee..."Freya had a very lovelorn expression on her face but still moved her head around adorably, seeking out his touch while saying, "I understand..." in a sad tone. Seeing this, Vahn chuckled lightly and said, "Don't worry, you'll be the first to know what I'm finished up here. When I return, let's have a small celebration..." These words cause Freya's eyes to shift into a hazy purple as an expectant smile spread across her face, seemingly brightening up the entire world around her. Vahn felt her charm break powerlessly against the defenses of his mind as Freya nodded her head and said, "I'll prepare an interesting surprise for you when you return, Vahn...ufufufufu~."Since he already had a good idea of what she intended, Vahn just returned a smile to Freya and said, "I'll look forward to it..." before turning away and stepping into Knossos' entrance. He had already discussed the same details that he had gone over with the other girls so Freya had started selecting members from her own Familia to turn into his retainers. Vahn wouldn't even be surprised if, by the time he returns to the surface, Freya had gathered an elite group of men and women who were waiting to pledge their allegiance towards him. Though the majority would likely be female, Vahn had already discussed it with the girls that he needed male subordinates and retainers as well, being that he couldn't always confide in women if he wanted to be a stable existence. To this, Loki had surprisingly mentioned turning some of the girls into men, and vice-versa, a thought that had sent shivers up Vahn's spine since he immediately recalled his 'experiment' with Tiona from the past...Shaking that thought from his mind, Vahn transformed into his Baihu form so he could easily see in the dark while Fenrir skulked behind him on high alert. Within his shadow, Fafnir was also present and ready for any sign of an enemy attack while extending his own unique senses to detect hidden threats. Though Vahn's domain had already increased to 1,008m, it didn't mean the would easily be able to process everything that was happening all at once. He had long noticed that, as his domain increased in size, it was much more difficult to focus his perception on any given object contained within.Though he was 'aware' of everything present, it was like being aware of a candle on the very edge of your periphery vision. Unless you looked at it directly, it would be difficult to describe the fine details of the object. Vahn current domain worked very similarly to this principle and, as it could also be interfered with by physical boundaries, it made his senses somewhat unreliable while in closed corridors. This is why he focused on his other senses to act as a supplement to the perception offered by his domain and, as his Baihu form also enhanced his 'instincts', it was the best possible form for this task.As a result, Vahn walked forward confidently and used very minimal movements to dodge a series of spears that had shot out from the walls. The entire corridor had been filled with holes to distract from the actual mechanism but Vahn was able to very clearly see which ones held the true dangers. At the same time, he would sometimes bypass the traps entirely just by manipulating Earth Elemental energy to disable them or having Fenrir simply freeze them completely. His main purpose was to compile a map of the maze-like structure of Knossos and he didn't actually want to destroy all the traps since they served the dual purpose of keeping people out while also keeping monsters in...There weren't many, but Vahn and Fenrir would sense the presence of monsters wandering around Knossos and, after confirming they weren't Xenos, quickly dispatch them. They would also periodically come across sealed rooms where people would be holed up, sometimes totaling more than a hundred laborers that were forced to produce things like drugs and black market goods. The first time Vahn saw such a sight, he had to take a deep breath to maintain his calm before manipulating the walls to create an opening into the sweatshop.After dealing with the thugs that were watching over the group comprised almost entirely of Pallums, Vahn had Fafnir escort them back to the surface while sending a telepathic message to Preasia requesting her to come and help deal with any psychological trauma the workers may have experienced. She had become especially capable of dealing with troubled minds and, using her Dreamscape as a medium, had managed to help many people recover from their trauma. Though some people were a little bothered by her rather peculiar appearance, as Preasia now had a very dense coat of platinum blond fur covering her body, they quickly opened up to her after she gave them counseling. As a result, Preasia's own fame had been steadily increasing and she was even called a Saintess by those that had received her care and guidance...Once Fafnir had returned to his side, Vahn had continued deeper into Knossos and wondered what other discoveries he would make by the time he reached the end. Thus far, he had only gone down around three levels and he knew that the complex maze-like structure would extend all the way to the Middle Floors of the Dungeon. As he went deeper and deeper, Vahn had no doubt 'something' would happen to bar his passage...(A/N: I know the 'punishment' seems rather light, but it wasn't as if they were murdering and raping people within Lil Geirr. Being exiled from the settlement and blacklisted by the most powerful organization in the world are pretty serious consequences to live with xD...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Get the fuck out...!','Ouranos, master of doing nothing','Pallum sweatshops (T^T)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

After spending the better part of twenty hours searching through the first five floors of Knossos, detailing all the areas where it connected to the main Dungeon, Vahn decided to take a break. He pulled out a single-person chair with super thick cushions and plopped down onto it before letting Fenrir curl up in his lap. Fafnir also popped out of his shadow and sat on the armrest so Vahn could pet the both of them while going over the map of Knossos within his mind. There were so many corridors and, much like how the Dungeon itself was structured, Knossos expanded greatly the deeper you went.He already knew his investigation would take several days but Vahn felt like he would rather be back at the Manor with his children, rather than sitting in these stagnant corridors with their low lighting. Still, he didn't let it weigh that heavily on his mind and only spent about an hour resting before ruffling Fafnir's onyx-black hair and saying, "It's time to continue. We don't want to keep the people that might be kept against their will waiting..." Since they had already liberated nearly three hundred people on just the first day, Vahn suspected there would be even more secrets as he went even deeper.Fafnir releasing a small yawn, as it currently had the appearance of a very young androgynous version of Vahn, before rolling off the armrest and 'plopping' into the shadows below. Its mastery over [Shadow Walk] had increased greatly and Fafnir could easily move through even a pinhole-sized shadow if it wanted to enter into the strange dimension that existed beneath reality. It was a terrifyingly useful ability as, with a few exceptions, Fafnir was able to move about without any real obstacles.With Fenrir hopping out of his lap, Vahn stowed away the comfortable chair and stretched his body a little before continuing onwards. He didn't actually require rest, especially with his other body able to recuperate mental energy for both of them, but Vahn wasn't beyond getting a little bored at times. Just like the girls needed to 'recharge' with him, Vahn felt like he needed to at least relax and recharge his own reserves on occasion. Still, he was starting to consider mapping Knossos from the bottom floor up at this point since it would potentially save him a lot of time and effort.Thinking this might be the best way to proceed, Vahn made his way towards a long shaft that connected to all five floors he had explored thus far. There were chains that were linked to a very complex mechanism at the top of the shaft and continued down into the 'abyss' below. Vahn also noticed there were a few ladders located all around the edges of the shaft but, after making up his mind, bypassed all of it by just jumping down. He didn't fall at a normal pace, however, and instead guided his fall with telekinesis as he inspected the structure of the 30m diameter cylindrical shaft.It didn't take a genius to realize the shaft was obviously a very complex elevator that should have been beyond the technological limitations of the record. However, if the person was a demigod with an Innate related to engineering and construction like Daedelus, it wasn't beyond expectations to see such a thing. After all, Babel Tower actually had far more complex mechanisms running through it, even though it hadn't been constructed by people and had instead been created in Heaven. Daedelus had likely drawn inspiration from the structure of Babel Tower itself when he was creating this elevator and, given how aged and ancient everything seemed, it was obvious that this elevator shaft had been a core component of Knossos since the very beginning. Even so, everything was still in working order and it didn't seem like it would break down any time soon, showcasing just how brilliant Daedelus had to be to construct such a timeless masterpiece.After descending nearly two kilometers, Vahn set foot on a massive disc-shaped platform that was filled with numerous crates of supplies, ores, and tools. He had already sensed several nearby auras and activated his [Eyes of Truth] to get a better look at the situation. Almost instantly, Vahn felt the tensions in his body increase slightly and he was compelled to release a small sigh through his nose. Fenrir's hackles had already been raised as well and, feeling a strange 'calm' seize his entire body, Vahn lifted his hand and brought the constituent particles of mana within the wall under his control. He then jerked his hand back, rending a gaping hole in the wall that revealed an area with several dozen people herding monsters into cages. This wouldn't have bothered Vahn that much but the fact that the 'monsters' were crying out and begging for mercy made their true identity very apparent...By the time the people in the room had reacted to the wall being completely removed, Fenrir had already darted forward like a midnight blue bolt of electricity and began cutting off the arms and legs of the cruel men and women that were present. Fafnir also pulled some of them partially into its shadow dimension and left them screaming for mercy as the shadows continued to encroach upon their bodies. Vahn knew how 'terrifying' the feeling of being swallowed by shadows could be but he didn't mind their cries since it was very obvious they hadn't cared about the 'people' they were harming.Vahn watched as a man came running out from a side corridor with another group of thugs in tow and began ordering them to try and get the situation under control. He had shaggy black hair and a pair of strange goggles covering his eyes while waving what looked like a shortsword around in a very haphazard manner. His voice was harsh and abrasive when he saw Fenrir, pointing his sword towards her and yelling, "Isn't this the little bitch Xenos that belongs to that arrogant asshole, Va-" Unable to finish his words, the man took evasive action to dodge the spear of ice that would have pinned him to the wall. His speed was actually quite fast but, before he was able to make a second movement, Fenrir was right underneath him with her scarlet eyes blazing.Though it was impossible to make out his eyes, the gaping mouth and the incredulity of the man's expression showed he hadn't expected things to turn out like this. He tried to swipe forward at a downward angle to cut into Fenrir's flesh but she was much faster than he was, twisting her body and cutting off both of his legs before catching his wrist and continuing her spin as she threw his body into the wall. Spiderweb cracks emerged outward from the central impact point and the man, who was now completely upside down as blood streaked from his mouth. This time Fenrir, very successfully, skewered him with a spear of ice before snorting through her nose and saying, "You aren't allowed to talk about Master..."Since he was in his Baihu form, Vahn had heard Fenrir's retort and it brought a small smile to his face even as he crushed the larynx of a man who tried to stab one of the Xenos with a spear. Then, tilted his head to the side slightly, Vahn evaded a black bolt fired from a crossbow and caught it out of the air before returning it back to the sender. There was a small Pallum woman with a scar extending from her nose to the left side of her face. She had a completely black aura and a fierce glint in her eyes, at least until she showed an expression of abject shock as she looked down at the hole that now ran completely through where her heart used to be.Vahn watched her slump to the ground before tossing the corpse in his hand to the side and using [Shundo] to capture a bald man with a beastial tattoo on his face. He had been part of the group that arrived with the goggles-wearing man and, after seeing the latter get devastated by Fenrir, this bald thug quickly tried to turn tail and flee. Vahn sensed that he was one of the stronger people within the group so he cut off the man's retreat, deflected the curved ax that drew a lethal arc towards his neck, and then pulled out a nondescript black spear and impaling the man through the pelvic bone.He released a guttural sound like a pig being slaughtered before spewing a great deal of saliva as he yelled, "You motherfucker! You bitch! You-" Vahn had moved outside of the range of his spittle and was preparing to incapacitate the next person when he saw the bald man get impaled by a series of ice spikes from behind. Fenrir was a few dozen meters away with deeply furrowed brows, causing Vahn to shake his head slightly and ignore the large bald man. He wasn't dead, but the cold temperature would likely rob him of his life relatively soon if they weren't removed. Though Ice might not appear to be as scary as Fire from the start, this was only because most people never saw how quickly frostbite could set in, turning skin necrotic and gangrenous in mere seconds...After a few short minutes of absolute chaos, most of the people that had been mistreating the Xenos captives were either horribly maimed or dead. Some had been smart enough to lay down their arms and curl up in a submissive gesture, but this only prevented greater suffering as Fafnir still skewered their legs to prevent them from trying to run during the chaos. Now, there were more than a dozen people with missing limbs that were laying about on the ground, begging for mercy or trying to crawl away to safety. Vahn even saw a rather buxom woman with purple hair hugging her severed leg with a pale expression of disbelief on her face.Vahn didn't consider himself a cruel person but seeing the state of some of the imprisoned Xenos made it very difficult to care about the wellbeing of the people that had wronged them. He stopped the bleeding of those that were on the brink of death but made no effort to help reattach their severed limbs, at least for the time being. They would be imprisoned back on the surface and, after being interrogated thoroughly, their fates would be decided by the laws of the Alliance. Many would likely end up as criminal slaves while the majority would undoubtedly be executed for their crimes...Though they had been shocked and scared during the raid, most of the Xenos had become quiet as the combat had started to come to an end. They were very aware of the energy that had coursed through their bodies and healed their wounds and realized that Vahn, Fenrir, and Fafnir weren't there to hurt them. By the time everything had come to an end, all of the Xenos had been completely healed while their captors were left sobbing, crippled, or dead on the ground. Though there were more than a dozen left alive, the number killed was more than triple that, all because of the efforts of the three people standing in the center of the chaos...Turning to get a proper look at all the captured Xenos, Vahn saw that the majority looked like normal monsters except that the color of their eyes was slightly different. Of the eight present, there was a Kobold, two Goblins, two Almiraj, a Silverback, and two War Shadows. Amongst them, only one had slightly more humanoid characteristics, even though it was somewhat hard to discern. Vahn was interested in all of them but this War Shadow, who had a muscular body and looked almost like a shadowy human, was easily the most eye-catching. He didn't know what determined if a Xenos obtained humanoid traits but figured their intelligence had a good chance of being tied to their appearance.Extending out his hand, Vahn noticed many of the smaller Xenos twitch in fear but he simply smiled and said, "My name is Vahn Mason...I'm not going to hurt you...please, stay calm and I will free you from your cages soon..." As he was speaking, Vahn moved his hand left and right in a soothing motion that caused petting energy to mix with his calming energy from [Hands of Nirvana]. This 'invasive' energy spooked some of the Xenos but they quickly began to relax as the energy spread through their bodies. Vahn noticed it was especially effective on the Kobold and two Almiraj, something he made a mental note of for future reference.Though it could cause a small riot, Vahn had Fafnir destroy the locks on the cages and released all of the Xenos from their bindings, turning to the more masculine War Shadow and asking, "Do you have a name...?" This caused the War Shadow, who didn't really have a face and mouth to speak from, to respond back with a wispy voice that seemed to emanate from the glowing red orb in its head, "My name is...Xude...I have heard of you...Vahn Mason..." Though it was very strange to hear the whisper-like voice, Vahn still returned a smile and jokingly mused, "I hope it was good things..."This caused Xude, the other War Shadow, and the Silverback to laugh along with his 'joke' before Xude's core glowed and it said, "It is rumored amongst the Xenos that you are the Savior that will liberate us from the Dungeon...I never thought I would meet you in person..." Towards the end of 'his' statement, Xude bowed low and, apparently having influence in the group, most of the other Xenos bowed as well. Though he would have felt awkward in the past, the current Vahn was relatively calm as this happened and simply raised his hand, plainly stating, "I appreciate your gratitude, but please do not bow..."As if this was something 'unacceptable', the Silverback that towered over the rest of the group had a 'solemn' look on its face as, very surprisingly, the voice of a woman sounded out, "You have saved us from a fate worse than a second death...please, allow us to at least do this much." With the completion of 'her' words, the Silverback lowered her head even further, causing Vahn to shake his head and 'ignore' them. Instead, he turned his attention to the only Xenos that wasn't bowing, one of the Almiraj who just sat at the side with red eyes staring directly at him. Vahn felt it had a strange similarity to Bell and followed his urge to squat down and pat the small Xenos' head.Though the atmosphere became a little strange when the bowing Xenos saw Vahn 'ignore' them, he decided not to care since he had already told them not to mind it. How they expressed their gratitude was up to them and he would rather get the formalities out of the way than have them behave this way. This ended up leading to an interesting discovery as well, so Vahn couldn't help smiling as the small Almiraj released a childish giggle and seemed to become very happy...----------------------------------------------------------------------//(Nameless)'s Affection +19, Intrigue +25//[(Nameless)]: Affection: 69(Trust), Intrigue: 75(Curious)----------------------------------------------------------------------(A/N: For those confused, Vahn had never actually confirmed if he could get affection/intrigue from Xenos before now. Before this point, he had always subordinated the monster/xenos beforehand, making this a very important discovery which will be extrapolated upon next chapter (UwU)...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Recharging Fluff Capacitors...','Fenrir doesn't tolerate insults to her Master...','Fine, keep bowing then...*proceeds to pet the bunny*')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

After the girls had awoken, Vahn spent around half an hour explaining things to them, keeping it moderately more concise than his discussion back at the Manor. Shakti and Rufina, who had already taken vows of secrecy long ago, were also in attendance. Neither girl really understood the true meaning behind his words, as they hadn't been privy to many of the things happening behind the scenes. However, once Lefiya volunteered to help him make a few things clear, allowing him to change her hair color and breast size a few times, it was a lot easier to believe what he was saying. Following this, Vahn also brought up the idea of becoming his subordinate or retainer, clarifying that it wasn't a means to simply change their appearance and they needed to put a lot of thought into it before making a decision.Tiona had been very keen on the idea of becoming his retainer after seeing Lefiya's breasts inflate and deflate a few times, but ultimately gave up after Vahn affirmed that she was fine the way she was. Since she was one of the girls that had the (True Love) parameter, it would be nearly impossible for her to become his subordinate or retainer in the first place. The only girls in the group that could easily fall into that category were Chloe, Lili, Haruhime, Mikoto, Shakti, and Rufina. There was simply a lack of 'perspective' on the part of the other girls, as their personalities and individuality had been defined long before their exposure to Vahn. Even Shizune and Tina weren't good candidates as their affection had developed to an extreme in a somewhat skewed manner.Ultimately, Rufina agreed to become his subordinate, but not before asking, "Tell me, Vahn...do you even like me...?" To this, Vahn nodded his head and honestly stated, "Rufina, I won't deny that I've always had an interest in you. However, with your past, I didn't want to pressure you in a strange manner and manipulate your feelings while you were still trying to adapt to a normal life. If you're asking if I love you, the answer right now wouldn't be a clear yes or no...I do care for you, especially after seeing how well you get along with the children...but it isn't at the level you may require of me, at least not right now."These words had dealt a bit of a blow to Rufina but she bounced back a few minutes later after thinking over the words carefully. When she had seemingly made up her mind, she lifted her head and said, "Even I'm not sure if what I feel is love...I can kind of understand where you're coming from...haaaa...this is fucking annoying..." As she was speaking, Rufina had walked toward Vahn and looked up into his eyes, adding, "Kiss me...at least once..." To this, Vahn unhesitantly pulled Rufina into his embrace, startling her a little as he made his affections known. She tried to pull away after a few seconds, but Vahn held her waist for much longer than she had expected before finally releasing her...When they finally separated, Rufina had a dark blush on her face but ended up releasing a sigh as she said, "It's weird...I enjoyed it...a lot...but I still don't know how I feel...something just feels off..." This time, Rufina looked over towards Shaki and Vahn was able to feel her heart thump a few times since they were still close together. Though her heart throbbed a few times when they were kissing, Vahn could tell through the Affection system that Rufina didn't quite love him. Her bracket parameter still showed (Love?) and it didn't seem like it would change any time soon. Even so, she agreed to become his subordinate just for the chance of spending more time with him in a more meaningful manner. She also requested to be converted from a half-creature into a pure human, something Vahn easily acquiesced to.Shakti was still loyal towards Ganesha and couldn't make her decision at the moment, even though Vahn could tell she had wavered a great deal. When he saw this, he clearly explained to the two girls, "If you've made the proper resolution, you are always allowed to stay within the Hestia Familia tent. Be warned, however, as I've decided to stop holding back on the things I want to do...the next time I find the two of you alone, well, I'll leave that to your imaginations..."Vahn cracked a smile toward the end of his words that made Shaki and Rufina blush furiously, especially the latter. She balled up her fist and looked like she wanted to take a swing at him but Vahn just kept eye contact with her until she averted her eyes and 'dragged' Shakti away by hand. As they were leaving, however, Vahn stretched out his hand slightly and sent petting energy through his domain as he caressed across both girls' butts. This caused Shakti to release a rare yelp, looking back with wide eyes as Rufina dragged her away even faster...Since they had understood what happened, Tiona had an expression of 'awe' as she said, "Vahn has become a lot bolder now...I'm a little excited~?" Tione nodded her head, swallowing hard as she said, "Yeah, it's like he finally grew up into a 'real' man all of a sudden..." This caused Vahn to furrow his brows slightly, sending her a 'warning' look from the side of his eyes that made both girls somewhat embarrassingly protect their butts with their hands. Seeing this, Vahn began to laugh boisterously as all of the other girls made a few comments of their own.Following that, each of the girls that had an easy means to become his subordinates/retainers ended up agreeing to do so. This resulted in Haruhime and Lili to become his official subordinates while Mikoto and Chloe became his retainers. Since what Haruhime and Lili had towards him was a very powerful 'devotion' that centered around feelings of love, they leaned towards the category of being subordinates. This was subtly different for Chloe and Mikoto, both girls who had wanted to be his 'shadow' or his 'sword' in the past, always thinking about how they could help him manage things instead of how they can be 'with' him.To prevent 'exploitation' of the modify ability, as Lili had almost immediately asked him to change her from a Pallum into something else, Vahn said they needed to come up with a justifiable reason for requesting changes, other than simple 'wants'. He did, however, help Lili increase her height slightly and was able to discover another 'limit' on the function. The 'maximum' height he could increase Lili to was only 122cm, much better than her 110cm default height, but still a bit on the short side. This was a natural limitation of a Pallum's physiology and, without altering the very structure of her body, making her any taller was impossible.Even so, Lili was very excited to have her height increased by more than 10%, even though it made her look much thinner than she had been previously. That was something that she could fix through proper diet and exercise so she didn't have any real complaints, repaying his 'assistance' with a monstrously strong hug that nearly brought him to the ground. As for the other girls, Mikoto surprisingly asked for her breasts to get reduced, giving the reason that they got in the way during combat and it was painful to wrap them. As a result, her breasts were reduced to a modest B-Cup and she seemed surprisingly happy by the change, apparently having been a little bothered by how much her breasts were growing.Though there were a few other 'minor' requests that Vahn gave in to, it was nothing that extreme since Shakti had eventually returned, informing that Finn had already started to gather people for the continued investigation. Vahn thanked her for delivering the message and chuckled when she very quickly left the tent after the fact.Before he left, Vahn turned to Alexa and stroked her head for a short while, softly whispering, "There is no rush to make a decision...I am your father, Alexa, and I will never lose my patience with you. Just remember that I do not wish to hurt your feelings in the future..." Vahn had already explained things for Alexa and believed that, even if she chose to remain a True Dragon, things would work out. Even if he had to break her heart in the future, that was something he would have to do as her Father, regardless of how difficult it would be for both of them.Alexa took a deep breath and rubbed her head against his palm, saying, "I like being a True Dragon...and I like being a girl...at least for the time being, I am fine with just being together with you, even if it never goes any further...one day, even if it takes thousands of years, I will eventually begin looking for a partner of my own...for now, I just want to stay like this..." As she was speaking, Alexa tightly wrapped her arms around his waist and brought her wings around his body at the same time. The girls all witnessed this and remained relatively silent, understanding this was something that needed to be worked out between father and daughter. There were some, such as Arnya, Haruhime, Lefiya, and Chloe, who wanted to help Alexa find a different form of happiness and Vahn had already exchanged glances with them, spreading a telepathic message to take care of Alexa for him...After leaving the tent, Vahn made his way over to where a long queue had already formed, heading inside where Finn was still cleaning up from the previous night. He had consumed the potion Vahn left for him, completely removing his hangover, so Finn showed a vibrant smile and asked, "So, did you come up with anything? You seem...different..." Vahn returned a smile of his own and said, "I'll explain the details to you later in the day. For now, let's get this investigation over with and start planning for our next course of action."Finn nodded his head and made his way out of the tent to send in the first person while Vahn sat down on the opposite side of the large wooden desk and disposed of the remnant alcohol from the previous night before setting out some incense. Though he had already dealt with all the people possessing negative auras, Vahn wanted to be 'fair' so he made sure to ask about everyone's reasons for wanting to assist in the production of Haven. Unfortunately, this sometimes led to very strange revelations and, seeing that the first person to come into the tent was an Amazoness, Vahn knew it would be much the same as the previous day...The Amazoness was an attractive and fit beauty with healthy brown skin, light brown eyes, black hair, and wearing an outfit many women would classify as underwear. Though she wrapped a pareo around her waist, like many Amazonesses who tried to 'fit in', she very 'casually' removed it after entering the tent. With a very similar expression as most of the Amazonesses who interacted directly with him, the girl has a somewhat eager look on her face as she smiled and said, "Good morning, Vahn...my name is Agda Jedha...will you be checking my body personally~?" As she spoke, Agda played with the clasp holding her panty-like bottoms to her hips and Vahn knew it would only take a small indication from him before a flash of tantalizing brown would meet his gaze.Unlike how he had simply been 'dismissive' the previous day, Vahn raised his hand this time and swept a wave of energy across Agda's body as he said, "Calm down...I just have a few questions for you..." From Agda's perspective, it was like a gentle and calming caress had touched every part of her body, causing her to release a hot sigh as a look of intrigue appeared on her face. However, when she saw the 'serious' look in Vahn's eyes, a shiver ran up her spine and she obediently sat in the chair opposite of him. Though her instincts were compelling her to try and get with the man in front of her, Agda felt a strange 'pressure' on her mind that made her fearful of trying to push things too far...Vahn had noticed this previously, but he was able to meet the requirements to view a person's affection by 'touching' them with his [Grooming] through his domain. He saw that Agda's Affection was at 78(Lust) and temporarily removed her name from his plans. Since he was serious when he mentioned acquiring 10,000 followers, subordinates, or retainers, Vahn was looking for people that specifically had the (Loyal), (Exalted), and (Respect) parameters. Though he would certainly be able to appease a large number of Amazonesses, this would instead cause greater problems until he had dealt with Telskyura. Thus, though he was somewhat tempted by the fit and curvaceous body of Agda, Vahn told himself that he could always go to Tiona, Tione, Lili, Fenrir, or Aisha if he just wanted to spend time with an Amazoness...After questioning Agda, learning that her reason for going to Haven was much the same as other Amazonesses, he sent her on her way. She was simply looking for a 'mate' to produce a capable offspring and had ended up joining one of the Alliance Familia after learning how accepting they were of Amazonesses in general. There had been a large flux of their people into the City, much like Pallums, Beast People, and Elves, and things had been going relatively smoothly thus far. They almost all followed the rules that were laid out for them so Vahn didn't have any problem with some of their people coming along just to satiate their biological 'need' for strong mates.Following the first, Vahn went through nearly an entire Unit of the expedition before finally wrapping things up in the early afternoon. He still needed to discuss things with Finn and Gareth before any attacks began and also had to wrap up some of the things taking place on the surface. Things were starting to get very busy but, after making sure things were running smoothly near Daedelus Street, he spent the majority of his day thus far in the orb making magic items with Asfi. She was also aware of the 'changes' now and had even wanted to become his subordinate by her own volition. Since she was already his 'possession', having the potential for greater benefits wasn't something she was going to pass up on...As a result, Asfi had asked Vahn to help her 'slim' down a bit but, outright refusing to do so, Vahn then spent the better part of an hour 'showing' her that she was fine just the way she was. Though they didn't have sex, as Vahn felt that Asfi simply wasn't ready for it just yet, it didn't stop him from allowing her to experience his 'Godhand' for the first time. Since she was still a virgin, things weren't as intense as they could have been but Asfi still ended up laying naked on a spare bed with a very large wet stain on the bed from when she had peed herself...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Next thing you know, Rufina is going to ask to be a male so she can smash Shakti...O_O','Poor Alexa, got Daughterzoned...?','RIP Asfi, may you rest in peace(piss)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 816: Artificial Dungeon