Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Upon arriving at the Xenos' Hidden Village, Vahn was greeted by the sight of what most would describe as a small Monster Party. There were 'monsters' of all shapes and sizes, including a number of variant species that stood out from the crowd. However, their impact paled in comparison to the numerous individuals that were attired in the equipment of Adventurers, some even wearing full armor while carrying swords, spears, and axes. Among this group, there were several that had humanoid traits and Vahn couldn't help but marvel at the uniqueness of their entire species. The fact they could all come together in support of each other made a warm feeling spread through his heart, even though the tiny 'pincers' at the ends of Naho's legs were digging into his back a little.From amongst the group, there was one particular Xenos that readily drew the eye, though it could have been a result of the fact he had another one of her species clinging to him. She was an Arachne-Xenos garbed in the attire of a female Adventurer, but it didn't do much to hide her mature and shapely figure. The armor consisted of a few plates that had been sewn together by what Vahn assumed to be her own silk and she had a visored helmed on her face with two glowing red eyes staring back at him. There was white hair sticking out from her helmet, causing Vahn to wonder if it was a trait of all Arachne-Xenos since her 'spider-bits' were significantly different than Naho's. If Naho was like a cute little jumping spider that was covered in white fur, this unknown Arachne-Xenos had black chitin that was glossy, even in subtle green light from the bioluminescent moss. There was also a startlingly red hour-glass like marking on her abdominal segment while the two 'mandible' protrusions at the front of her body looked significantly more fierce than the petite Naho's...The moment her eyes locked on him, Vahn felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as she scuttled towards him very quickly, shouting, "Let Naho go right now you-!" Before she was able to complete her journey, Fenrir had stepped out to block her path, eyes glowing with a fierce light as she said, "Do not insult my Master...he hasn't done anything wrong...look closely..." Though it looked like she had considered attacking Fenrir for a brief moment, the unknown Arachne-Xenos turned statuesque around the same time that Fenrir let her bloodthirst leak out. Since Xenos had very strong instincts, she was able to discern rather quickly that only death awaited her if she took another step forward.Following Fenrir's prompt, the Arachne-Xenos trained her eyes on Vahn and also saw that Naho was wearing high-quality clothing while also clinging to the human boy on her own. She had initially thought that Naho had been captured but, remembering the words of Terror, she remembered the supposed identity of the 'docile' looking boy. Realizing she had lashed out on an assumption, the Arachne-Xenos felt her body heating up slightly as she curled into herself and snorted before saying, "Naho, come to your Big Sis. You shouldn't be overly familiar with humans...they will-" This time, instead of Fenrir speaking out, the little Naho turned her head a little 'too' far and exclaimed, "Bigger Sis, don't be mean to Big Brother!"This caused the Arachne-Xenos to flinch as she released an 'Eh...?' from behind her visor, pointing to Vahn with her pale white finger and asking, "This is your Big Brother...?" Naho immediately nodded her head and tightly 'hugged' Vahn's body with six of her legs and both of her arms, happily giggling as she said, "Big Brother is great~!" To this, Vahn lightly pat her back and, keeping eye contact with the yet unnamed Arachne-Xenos, said, "It looks like we became something like extended family now. My name is Vahn Mason, Sage Aldrnari, and Captain of the Hestia Familia. May I inquire as to your name, Miss...?"The Arachne-Xenos shrunk away slightly and Vahn could see her trembling, not as a result of fear, but likely her own embarrassment. Fortunately, Naho was more than willing to sell out her 'Bigger Sis' as she giggled and said, "Bigger Sis is named Rayne. She is an Arachne-Xenos, just like me~!" Vahn smiled, nodding his head in response to Naho as he mused, "Yes, I can see that quite clearly, Naho...well, it's nice to meet you, Rayne. I understand you have been wronged by other surface dwellers so I will not force you to open up to me. My only expectation is that, unless I give you a reason to distrust me, please don't make assumptions that could cause problems for everyone...I am not the enemy of the Xenos..."Though she seemed 'very' unwilling, Vahn pulled Naho away from his body and set her down on the ground before kneeling down and whispering, "Go to your Bigger Sis so she can stop worrying...ah, and if she asks about your clothes, tell her that I can make her some as well. That way, you can look even more like family...okay~?" Naho perked up very quickly when she heard these words and, after a few more head pats from Vahn, ran over to Rayne and 'crawled' on her body in much the same way as she had Vahn, hugging the now relieved looking Arachne-Xenos from behind. The two then wandered away from the group, climbing up the side wall as if it were flat ground and retreating into a canopy house near the ceiling...Vahn watched this occurring with eyes of intrigue before turning to the larger group of Xenos, smiling as he said, "That was an interesting way to start introductions...well, as I said previously, my name is Vahn Mason. How you address me is up to you though, as long as it isn't anything blatantly offensive..." Since he already allowed Naho to call him 'Big Bro', Vahn figured there would likely be some of the younger members of this 'tribe' that would want to call him similarly. He noticed there were also several Xenos that had furry and fluffy bodies and, even if he tried to fool himself, Vahn knew his [Grooming] would see some heavy use while he stayed within the village.From amongst the more than one-hundred variable Xenos, three figures walked forward and Vahn could tell they were all much stronger than the others. The largest among them was a stout Gargoyle-Xenos with a rigid and stern appearance, though it could have been an illusion since he was seemingly made of stone. His skin was grey and there were strange runes covering his body, including the large bat-like wings behind his back. Even his eyes seemed to be made from stone and, if not for the fact he was wearing armor and moving around, it would have been very difficult to discern him from a statue.Leading the group, though he was decidedly less human in appearance than some of the other Xenos present, was what appeared to be a variant Lizardman Chieftan. His body was covered in red scales, except for his front and 'underbelly', and his orange eyes blazed like a Dragon's. As if he wasn't content with simply having his scales be red, this Lizardman-Xeno was also wearing red plated armor that was similar in design to the 'Samurai' armor worn in the Far East. Instead of a katana, however, this Xeno had a massive scimitar that was nearly 160cm long and, though there were several nicks and other signs of use, it was highly polished and well cared for. Though he slouched forward as a result of his two-jointed legs, his balance was impeccable with the spined tail that trailed behind him...The last of their group, even though he had noticed her first, was a strikingly beautiful woman that was similar to Terror. She appeared to be a Variant-Harpy with fair skin, features that appeared to be sculpted by the gods, and beautiful golden feathers that were tinged a subtle blue on the ends. Her eyes were a scarlet red that could almost compete with Fenrir's, if not for the fact her pupils were much bigger than normal, giving her a very fierce gaze. She was wearing highly revealing clothes that looked like they had been 'borrowed' from an Amazoness, her figure stood out even more. Vahn could even see small downy feathers poking out from the front of her panty-like bottoms and he wondered if he should give her something that can help properly conceal the tiny blue feathers...Even as he was evaluating their physical features, Vahn's expression remained placid and casual while keeping eye contact with the Lizardman-Xenos at the front. He could tell all three of them had already formed an opinion of him and they were likely the leaders of this particular village. The Lizardman-Xenos seemed pretty amicable and, if not for the fact he had a reptilian face, Vahn could have sworn he was smiling. As for the Harpy-Xenos to his right, she had a surprisingly gentle look on her face and, other than her somewhat fierce looking eyes, Vahn felt her impression of him was rather high. This left the only exception amongst the three as the Gargoyle-Xenos on the left, who had furrowed brows and a stern expression...though it was hard to know if he could even form other expressions from first appearances...The Lizardman-Xenos raised his hand in greeting, even before they had fully closed the distance, a lively and excitedly voice sounding from his carnivorous maw as he said, "Yo!" His eyes squinted as if he was very happy and Vahn's impression of the 'man' immediately went up a few points as he also raised his hand and said, "Yo." This caused the Lizardman-Xenos to laugh hard enough that he had to hug his stomach before he wiped a non-existent tear from his eye and said, "The names Lyd, a Lizardman-Xenos. I'm one of the three leaders for this here village. Nice to meet ya, Vahn!" By now, they were right in front of each other so Vahn accepted the offered handshake from Lyd and didn't mind it much when the rambunctious Xenos heavily pat his shoulder.Following Lyd, the female Xenos stepped up and offered her humanoid hand, significantly different than the 'talon' he had seen on Terror's. She seemed to be much further along in whatever process the Xenos used to become humanoid and, other than the extra joint located near her wrist that extended to form the fold of her wings, she had normal and delicate looking fingers. Vahn accepted her handshake as she smiled radiantly and said, "My name is Ray, a Siren-Xenos. I have looked forward to meeting you for a very long time, Vahn Mason. Welcome to the Xenos Hidden Village..."Vahn was a little surprised that Ray introduced herself as a Siren-Xenos, as they were a relatively rare creature that could use sound-based attacks that were very difficult to deal with. However, it was the fact that her Affection was already at 95(Exalted) that truly caught him off guard, so much so that he couldn't prevent his brows from raising slightly. Though he wasn't sure how she had interpreted this, Ray giggled pleasantly and squinted her glimmering red eyes as she moved off to the side to allow their final member to introduce himself. Unlike Lyd and Ray, however, this massive Gargoyle-Xenos stood at a distance as a deep voice emerged from his throat, saying, "So, you are the supposed 'Savior' of the Xenos...I don't buy it...you are just another person that wants to take advantage of our people, aren't you...?"As the 'man' spoke, a somewhat oppressive aura radiated from his body and Vahn had to send a mental command to Fenrir and Fafnir so they didn't outright kill the untrusting Xenos. After making sure the two were under control, Vahn took a step forward through the pressure with a completely calm expression on his face. He looked up into the nearly 3m tall Xenos' eyes and said plainly, "The reason the Xenos are feared and hunted is because of misunderstandings and prejudice from ignorant people. If you cannot see how your actions are the very same as those you hate, you don't deserve to be a leader among your people. Stubbornness, especially towards your own allies, will only cause greater misfortunes...what are you willing to sacrifice in order to keep your own people from seeking out the happiness available to them...?"To this, the Gargoyle-Xenos just remained stone-faced without any change in expression as he responded, "Surface Dwellers cannot be trusted...your kind only see the Xenos as an exotic commodity that can be exploited for labor, entertainment, and utterly disgusting acts. I will not stand by and watch as you mislead our people and turn them into your slaves and playthings, all for a dream that can never be...!" As he spoke, the Gargoyle-Xenos raised himself even higher until he was standing completely upright, now nearly 4m in height. Vahn, however, kept standing with an unperturbed expression on his face, even though there was a thoughtful look in his eyes...After a few tense seconds, Vahn turned his eyes towards Ray, seeing her smiling back at him with a slightly concerned expression. He also raised his head towards the canopy house above, seeing the face of a pale woman duck back into a hole when they made eye contact. This caused the smile on Vahn's face to soften slightly as he said, "I won't deny, not even for a moment, that I am very interested in the general physiology and appearance of the Xenos. There are even those among you that I find very attractive..." Since there was already a massive stone fist heading toward his face, Vahn brought his Xuanwu transformed hand up and completely negated the attack with incredible ease.Seeing how easily his attack was stopped, the Gargoyle-Xenos jumped back and flapped his wings, sending a powerful gust of wind as he stabilized himself in the air and exclaimed, "I knew it. You are just another despicable surface dweller that wishes to use the Xenos to sate his own perversions! I will not let you-" This time, without any effort on Vahn's part, the Gargoyle-Xenos was sent flying when Lyd jumped up and smacked him across the head with his scaly red fist. There was an angry look in his eyes as he shouted, "Stop causing trouble without thinking, you stone-brained idiot! Are you really trying to start a fight with the person that just saved a group of our kin and defeated the Hunters that have made our lives miserable!?"The Gargoyle-Xenos had been sent smashing into one of the residences that had been constructed but emerged unscathed a few moments later, the same stone-faced expression on his face. Vahn was slightly surprised that he didn't immediately begin lashing out and trying to attack again. Instead, he seemed to be considering things before releasing a throaty grunt and flying towards a residence at the back of the village. Upon seeing this, Lyd released a sigh of relief as he rubbed the back of his head and said, "Sorry about that, Vahn. Gros really isn't a bad guy...he has just been living this lifestyle a lot longer than most of us. The number of Xenos that he has seen come and go number in the hundreds..."Vahn nodded his head in understanding and knew that Gros didn't actually think too badly of him since his Affection was currently at 63(Trust). He likely had his own reasons for acting out and, after having his errors pointed out, Gros had backed away without stirring up further conflict. Just the fact he had the (Trust) bracket parameter fixed any negative impression Vahn had of the over-protective and stubborn individual. Since it was his intention to 'show' the Xenos he could be trusted, Vahn didn't mind if there were a few that showed greater caution towards him. If all the Xenos openly accepted his presence within their home, even after what could have been hundreds of years of mistreatment, Vahn would have been far more surprised...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Tsundere Black Widow...!? Oh god...','Those feathers though...','Grandpa Gros, rightfully skeptical...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Though Gros' actions had caused a bit of tension amongst some of the Xenos, typically those that were a bit older than the others, things quickly evolved into a more celebratory atmosphere. Vahn brought out delicious food and some mild alcoholic beverages, though the latter was reserved for the more humanoid members. He quickly learned that the physical appearance of the Xenos didn't have much to do with their age, as there were even Xenos like a Mermaid girl named Marie who had the appearance of a fully matured woman, even though she was only six years old.Their form was apparently completely random and, with the exception of a few species, none of them aged a day after their 'second birth' from the Dungeon's walls. Vahn also got to learn a lot about each of their pasts and, without exception, it seemed that most Xenos became as such after interacting with humans and developing bonds in their previous lives. Even Lyd wasn't an exception to this, admitting that he had been a Lizardman who met a powerful warrior from the Far East in his previous life and had been inspired to grow stronger after narrowly escaping. From that day onward, Lyd had trained hard and tried to emulate the techniques used by the Eastern Samurai, all the way up until their final duel that claimed his life. When he had awoken again, he was in the Dungeon and had developed intelligence comparable to a human, but could now no longer walk upon the surface in pursuit of his 'dream' of being a proud warrior recognized by others...Of course, not all of the reasons were positive, while some were outright strange and borderline unbelievable. Vahn had very quickly noticed that the majority of Xenos seemed to be female, while those that had humanoid features even as monsters had been lusted after and even developed relationships with people in their past lives. Not all of these relationships were willing, however, which is why Rayne was so hostile towards surface-dwellers. All Xenos were the same species as they had been in their first lives and, after being severely weakened by a group of Adventurers in the past, Rayne ended up taking her own life when they tried to ravish her body. When she was reborn in the Dungeon, more intelligent than she had been in the past, Rayne became a cold and distant Xenos who was completely untrusting of surface dwellers...As for what some people referred to as the 'bird-brain' group, they had very different pasts compared to Rayne and some of them enjoyed very intimate, albeit short, relationships with men in the past. Unfortunately, these positive experiences became the bane that resulted in their deaths, though none of them seemed to mind it that much. Their leader was, of course, the Siren-Xenos, Ray, and she had a group of seven Harpy-Subspecies who all shared the same residence. Among them was Terror, who was the speckle pattern of a falcon, a Xenos named Fear, who had dark red hair, similarly colored feathers, and striking blue eyes.The other four Xenos in their group had the appearance of normal Harpies, with the upper bodies of women, somewhat 'uncanny' facial expressions, sharp teeth, and shorter limbs. Three of them couldn't even speak any discernable words, though Vahn had been able to understand their speech easily, surprising the group and making him very popular in an instant. Though he got scratched up a bit by their talons and claws, it was mainly his clothes that suffered the brunt of their affections, drawing attention to his regeneration and sparking conversations about Vahn himself.Without revealing too many secrets, Vahn gave his 'background' information to the Xenos, including how he had been exploited and experimented on for having unique blood. This resonated heavily with many of them, as they were also persecuted for being 'different', even though they almost avoided conflict in its entirety. Since they were also very empathetic towards people that were similar to them, regardless of appearances, a lot of the more innocent Xenos opened up to Vahn very quickly after the revelations of what he had gone through. By the end of his personal recounting of events, Vahn was practically surrounded by Xenos who seemed to be trying to comfort him, causing Vahn to return the favor and literally 'bask' in system notifications...Though none of their Affection broke through 99, Vahn noticed that many of the Xenos had the (Kin) and (Familia Love) parameter, with only a few having the (Exalted). It seemed that the normal Xenos were simply happy to have a new family member while the more humanoid Xenos, who certainly had the highest base intelligence, were those that had more complex emotions. Lyd and Ray both had the (Exalted) bracket parameter and this was shared by most of the Xenos he had saved from Knossos. The only exception was the small Almiraj that he had carried along the way, who finally introduced itself as Mlem. It had developed a strange parameter that he hadn't seen before and Vahn was curious if there would be any changes to his Unit Management if he managed to get it to 100 Affection without changing its feelings...----------------------------------------------------------------------[(Nameless)]: Affection: 99(Constancy), Intrigue: 81(Very Curious)----------------------------------------------------------------------After the 'party' began dying down, as many Xenos were beginning to grow tired and drowsy, Lyd swished around the contents of his glass and said, "You're welcome to stay here as long as you want, Vahn. Though there have been some troubles lately, the Xenos will never turn away a friend...!" Vahn, covered in sleeping Xenos to the point that only his upper body could be seen, smiled in return and said, "I told my family that I will probably be in the Dungeon for a few days and there are a lot of things we still need to talk about. As for the troubles that have been happening...well, you can leave that to us to take care of. Now that I'm here, I'm not going to just watch the Xenos suffer any longer..."Lyd began laughing boisterously while some of the Xenos curled up around Vahn began to stir slightly and snuggle up closer to him. Even Fenrir, who had taken on a strange form that looked like a cross between a wolf pup and an Almiraj, was curled up on top of his head like a hat. Vahn had to sit ramrod straight to avoid accidentally knocking her off, especially since he knew she was a little upset with how much 'attention' he was getting from others. As for Fafnir, it had long ago fallen asleep while laying on the back of Green Dragon Xenos named Gryuu. The latter had immediately assumed a subservient position and had been 'waiting' upon Fafnir for the entire afternoon, now serving as the latter's bed...Once he had finished laughing, Lyd emptied the contents of his glass and had what Vahn could only assume was a teasing look as he asked, "So, we can fix you up a place to stay, or you can hole up in one of the other residences. Most of us stick with our own species for comfort but I think they might make an exception if you want to sleep in the same place~." In response to this, it wasn't Vahn who answered but the small Mlem, who apparently represented the more than a dozen Almiraj present as it exclaimed, "Vahn will stay with us~! We have plenty of space!"Since almost every Almiraj-Xenos was 'piled' up around him, they seemed to agree with Mlem as many of them began to wake up. It wasn't just them, however, as things quickly started to become chaotic within the large open area where they had been celebrating. This caused Lyd to laugh even more while Vahn just showed a calm expression as he thought about if there was a 'best' place to sleep. There were certainly a few 'dangerous' places, as he was certain the Bird-Type Xenos would probably get carried away if he joined them in their nest. The Almiraj were a pretty 'safe' choice, and they were all very adorable and fluffy, but Vahn felt that Fenrir would actually be more bothered by this fact than if he were to stay with the Bird-Types...As he was thinking this, Vahn sensed something enter into his perception so he tilted his head forward and cradled Fenrir in his arms as a thick and sticky strand of silk latched onto his back. Then, in front of the shocked and complaining group of Xenos, Vahn was pulled from the pile of fluffy and reeled in towards the canopy house near the roof. He already knew it was Rayne that had reeled him in, likely at the request of Naho who had been absent from the celebration. Though it would certainly be an 'experience' to cuddle up with an Arachne-Xenos for the night, Naho's fur was actually very soft and Vahn knew she would probably cry if he refused...assuming she could cry...?Though she had 'tossed' him rather roughly, Vahn landed nimbly on his feet as Rayne severed the threads and began using her spinnerettes to break down and reabsorb the silk into her body. At the same time, she was 'glaring' towards him with her red eyes, now bereft of the visored helmet she had worn previously. She didn't have the chance to say anything, however, as Naho had 'jumped' on Vahn and immediately started clinging to him as she happily giggled and said, "Vahn, you can stay here with us. Since you already played with everyone else, play with Naho and Bigger Sis now~!"Vahn didn't mind that Naho was clinging to his body but he still frowned slightly and asked, "Naho, what happened to your dress...?" Currently, she was only wearing the white silk sports bra he had given her while the 'panel' protecting her delicates was also on full display. He also noticed that her body temperature didn't seem to generate much heat and she instead felt a little 'cool' to the touch. As for why she was no longer wearing her dress, this was revealed by Rayne who averted her eyes to the side, an expression of guilt on her face as she said, "I'm sorry...I got curious..."Naho just laughed as if she weren't affected by the fact her dress had gotten ripped by Rayne and said, "It's okay, Naho isn't used to wearing clothes anyway. I'm sure Bigger Sis will be able to fix it with a bit of practice~!" She then began to nuzzle against Vahn, seemingly unconcerned about the loss of the dress she had been so excited about previously. Vahn lightly patted her head before, once again, 'peeling' her away from his body as he said, "It is important for a young lady to wear proper clothing. There are a lot of people that would see your normal appearance and try to steal you away...when you live on the surface, you will have to be very careful, okay, Naho...?"Since she had been enjoying the head-patting with her eyes closed, Naho simply nodded her head with an 'Nn', making Vahn feel a little worried about the young spiderling. He wasn't sure about her age but, based on how she was acting, Vahn felt like she was a child. The appearance of her 'humanoid' self matched this mental image and Vahn couldn't help but feel worried that she might be taken advantage of by others in the future. Fortunately, she had an 'experienced' Bigger Sis named Rayne who had a fierce expression on her face as she said, "If anyone tries to lay their filthy hands on my Little Naho, I will spin them into a caccoon and hang them upside down until the blood flow makes their head burst...!"Vahn, still patting Naho, returned a smile to Rayne and playfully mused, "Please don't hang me upside down, Rayne...I would never even think about harming your precious Naho..." This caused Rayne to show a complex expression and it didn't seem like she knew what to say. Naho, however, tried to jump on his body and cling to him again but Vahn managed to catch her by her armpits. She was apparently very ticklish as she began to squirm about, saying, "Big Brother, hahaha, put me down, hahahaha~!" When he complied with this request, Vahn could swear he saw a 'glimmer' in Naho's eyes as she once again jumped into his chest, clinging even tighter to him this time as she said, "Big Brother would never hurt Naho~!"Rayne, seeing the 'exasperation' on Vahn's face because of Naho's clinginess began to chuckle almost inaudibly. When he turned his attention towards her, she felt very flustered and immediately 'fixed' her expression as she 'hmphed' and said, "Out of consideration for Naho, I'll let you and that furry creature stay in our home...be grateful..." The 'furry creature' she was talking about was the still-transformed Fenrir, who was currently giving a deadpan stare towards Naho. When she heard Rayne's words, however, Fenrir turned her attention towards the mature Arachne-Xenos and said, "It is better to be honest. Master will be troubled if you are roundabout and act foolishly..."Given the fact that Fenrir was currently around the size of a large rabbit, and looked incredibly adorable, her words weren't as impactful as they could have been. Rayne, however, tensed up greatly when Fenrir's eyes trained on her, the result of her developed instincts warning her of impending doom once again. If she could sweat, Rayne's skin would undoubtedly be covered with a glossy sheen as Fenrir's scarlet red eyes bored holes into her mental state. Vahn managed to get Naho off of him once again, this time picking up the cute Fenrir as a means of 'protection' as he began stroking her fluffy ears and said, "This is Fenrir, one of my most important companions. She might come off as a little abrasive at times, but she is really a good girl...one of the best..."Naho didn't seem to entirely agree with this, as her five eyes trained on Fenrir with a slight pout apparent on her face. As for Rayne, she just nodded her head in understanding, hugging her body somewhat self-consciously before inclining her head towards what looked like a 'nest' made of web. It wasn't the kind that was sticky and clung to objects, but a very fine silky structure that almost seemed like a caccoon that could fit a few people comfortably. With Naho and Rayne, however, Vahn imagined it would be a little cramped and wondered if he should pull out a bed and just use that instead. This thought prompted a very different one to cross his mind and, with the half-naked Naho's presence a constant reminder, Vahn pulled out some clothes for the two Arachne-Xenos.This time, Vahn selected a simple white sundress for Naho and handed it over to the little jumping spider before turning his attention to the very flustered Rayne who shied away and said, "I'm fine with this..." Her current armor was just a bunch of plating that had been sewn together to protect her vitals, leaving several parts of her pale white flesh exposed. Since she also had rather large breasts, on the upper end of a C-Cup, this meant there was a fair amount of skin showing at the sides of the plating that barely kept them contained. Vahn was accustomed to girls wearing skimpy clothing, but Rayne's didn't exactly fit the bill, nor could it truly reach the 'standard' of actual clothing...Since she had an exotic appearance and was actually quite beautiful above the waist, Vahn decided that a black Kimono might suit Rayne. He purchased one from the system shop and noticed it actually had the motif of a spider sewn into it, an aesthetic choice that The Path seemed to make on its own. Vahn also purchased her a set of undergarments to wear and walked over to Rayne, even though she was halfway up the wall as she tried to 'escape'. Vahn issued a soft smile when he saw how cautious he was and decided to use his trump card, gesturing Naho over and handing the garments to her. With the smaller Xenos' insistence, Rayne didn't have a choice in the matter and eventually changed into the surprisingly suitable clothing before Vahn got to experience the admittedly disconcerting event of sharing a soft caccoon-like bed with two Spider-Girls...he was able to comfort himself by mentally commenting about how 'soft' the very clingy Naho's fur was...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'So, the Xenos are essentially created...because of fetishes...?','Fluffy Pile of Happiness','Oh god...I got weirded out just imagining this scene...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Though she seemed to be heavily affected by the revelations, Terror's expression changed back to normal a few seconds later as her hawk-like eyes trained on Vahn. She then flitted her wings to dislodge all the ambient water, becoming somewhat puffy in the process, before stepping out of the hot spring. Her overall height was around 175cm, much larger than a normal Harpy, and Vahn could now clearly see the four curved talons that made small divots on the wooden floor as she walked forward. She also made no effort to conceal herself at all and Vahn noticed that, instead of normal hair around her pubic mound, there were small downy feathers that were speckled with golds, browns, and greys...It was fortunate that he was able to see such things without looking directly or Vahn suspected this 'Terror' would have noticed his gaze instantly. Though she had eyelids, he hadn't seen her blink this entire time but, just as that thought crossed his mind, Vahn watched as a second set of eyelids moisturized Terror's eye, seemingly without obstructing her vision. He had to admit, the exotic qualities of a humanoid Xenos were very eye-catching...Terror walked directly up to him without breaking eye contact, stopping less than 15cm away from him, almost to the point that her rather large breasts brushed against his arms. She tilted her head a few times, as if she were inspecting him before turning her eyes towards the two Almiraj in his arms, including the transformed Fenrir. For several seconds, her head tilted progressively further to the left before it looked like she was finally going to say something. However, instead of following this rationale, Terror used the claw-like talons on her wings to lightly caress Fenrir's head before smiling and walking away. She flapped her wings and began flying off towards one of the ceiling tunnels as the Silverback-Xenos, Jude, explained, "Don't let her behavior put you off, Vahn...Terror is a little bit of a bird brain..."With this remark, many of the Xenos began laughing or chuckling as Xude rubbed the back of its head in an awkward manner. However, this atmosphere was broken very quickly as the small Arachne-Xenos suddenly shouted, "Eiii~! Don't make fun of Big Sis behind her back~!" Her lower body, which had been hidden by the hot springs, burst into view as she scuttled forward rather quickly. Though she had a 'relatively' normal upper body, everything past her pelvis was a rather difficult sight to behold.Where the thigh of a person normally would have started, the seemingly young Arachne-Xenos had a curved carapace-like cephalothorax with two segmented leg-like protrusions sticking out of the front the curled protectively to hide her lower body. Around this cephalothorax, there were six other segmented spider legs that had a base coloration of black while being covered in dense white furs. This cephalothorax connected into an abdominal segment that was also covered in white furs but had a few areas of pure black that created a skull motif before ending in a series of spinnerettes. Honestly, she looked kind of cute if you didn't look 'too closely', but Vahn knew she would probably creep out numerous people on the surface. After all, even normal spiders could be very creepy, and the two black fang-like protrusions at the end of her forelegs weren't exactly inviting to look at, even if they appeared strangely soft at a glance...As for how Vahn was able to attach the 'cute' descriptive to such an entity, it was because her height was only around 90cm tall, even when she was scuttling forward with her six tiny legs working in overdrive. She ran straight up to Jude and began to hammer against the latter's thick and muscular thighs, brows furrowed as she exclaimed, "Take it back, Jude~! Don't be mean to Big Sis~!" To this, Jude just released a steamy sigh and used her thick index finger to lightly rub the tiny Arachne-Xenos' head, saying, "Yare yare, Naho...you know I didn't mean anything bad by my words. Everyone loves your Big Sis a whole lot...that's why we can joke about her in good spirits..."If Naho had been capable of crying, Vahn imagined her compound eyes would be misting up greatly as she looked up at Jude with an expression as though she had been greatly wronged. Even when Jude was rubbing her head, she didn't seem to believe the words intended to pacify her and scampered away from the extended finger in a huff. She turned her five eyes back towards Vahn and curled up what he assumed to be her 'mandibles' in a protective display to prevent him from spying whatever she was keeping hidden behind them. Since he could see that her flesh extended quite a bit below her navel, Vahn could only assume that she had somewhat worth protecting as she furrowed her brows and asked, "Are you really Vahn...'the' Vahn...?"Though he heard her question, Vahn didn't immediately answer and instead wanted to test the limitations of his system shop by purchasing a dress for the tiny Arachne-Xenos. He was curious about what the shop would produce, especially since he also selected a pair of panties and brassiere. It didn't seem like any of the Xenos, including those that had humanistic sexual traits, wore clothing as he didn't see any around the hot springs. Still, it was obvious that the seemingly young Xenos didn't want to be seen openly so Vahn figured it would be a proper peace offering to give her cute clothing.With a smile that likely would have caused Tsubaki to comment about him coaxing young girls, Vahn pulled out a black and white gothic-style maid outfit and noticed it looked relatively normal. The brassiere was much the same, even though it seemed to be sized for a child, and it wasn't until he saw the panties that the first disparity appeared. Instead of wrapping completely around the hips, which would have been impossible from the get-go, these were comprised of a strange material that seemed somewhat sticky, especially on the edges. Vahn likened it to the tape-bound panties that Mikoto often wore, except that there was only 'half' of the normal garment.Though she had been spooked by the sudden appearance of clothing, scrunching down in a protective stance, Vahn noticed Naho adopt a curious expression when she saw what was in his hands. Then, with the same smile on his face, Vahn nodded his head and said, "I have never met another Vahn Mason so I can say rather decisively that I'm probably the one you're thinking about. That isn't really important though...here, these are clothes that I believe will be suitable for you. I'm not sure if Xenos wear clothing, but I can tell you're embarrassed to be seen..."Vahn had already set down Fenrir and the unnamed Almiraj before he pulled out the clothes so he turned to Fenrir and asked, "Fenrir, can you help our little friend wear these clothes? I don't want to scare her away..." However, before Fenrir even changed back into her Vanargandr form, Naho had already scampered up with a curious expression on her face and actually 'crawled' up his legs. Vahn felt a slight shiver run up his back but it was quickly quelled by the ocean of calmness that had been a part of his existence over the last few days. Even so, he still eyes the 'fangs' on the end of Naho's foreleg/mandibles and saw a glimpse of tender flesh behind them.Though it was strange to have spider legs touching him, Vahn tolerated it as Naho smiled excitedly and asked, "Can I really have these clothes!?" She practically snatched the dress out of his hands and moved around with little thumping sounds as her six feet tapped against the wood. Vahn was happy she was so excited but there was still a sense of incongruity as he watched what appeared to be a young girl with half of her body consisting of a spider's dancing around. He wondered if giving her a proper 'name' would alter her appearance into something more acceptable but, at the same time, Vahn couldn't help but reprimand himself slightly for humoring the idea that she 'wasn't' acceptable from the start...Naho eventually calmed down a little before scuttling forward and asking, "How do I wear this...?" Since the dress was a little complicated, even for a normal person, Vahn wasn't that surprised by Naho's question. Fortunately, Fenrir had already adopted a Chienthrope transformation and had relatively normal hands as she said, "I will teach you how to wear it. First, you need to wear your undergarments..." Fenrir snatched over the bra and panty set from her Master while she was speaking and displayed them for the curious Naho to see, explaining their purpose at the same time.Vahn left Fenrir to deal with Naho, even though he was admittedly a little curious about the physiology of all the Xenos, and turned his attention back to Xude as he asked, "Are we going to follow after Terror now?" This earned him a nod from the War Shadow Xenos who appeared to still be looking at the interaction between Fenrir and Naho. Still, this didn't stop him from answering, "This place is very close to the largest hidden village on the nineteenth Floor. Many of the most powerful Xenos reside there, serving at the leaders and protectors of our people. If she remembers to do so, Terror will likely inform the others of our arrival. Since you are an important guest that many Xenos have been looking forward to meeting...please prepare yourself..."Xude knew that most Xenos, especially when they were younger, had almost no understanding of personal space at all. Seeing a human that wasn't hostile, especially when it was their 'Savior', would likely cause Vahn to get crowded by the more curious members of their kin. The few times they had interactions with peaceful surface-dwellers in the past often ended up with some light injuries if they weren't properly prepared. After all, there were some Xenos that had large frames as a result of their species, while others would have poisonous quills, barbs, spikes, scales, or even corrosive touches...Vahn knew Xude was being considerate of him so he returned a smile and said, "Don't worry, Xude, I'm actually more durable than I appear. I'm not sure exactly how much the Xenos know about me, but there are very few things in this world that can genuinely harm me. Also, even in the event that some of the Xenos get out of control, I won't blame them for their behavior...rest easy." By the time he was finished speaking, Vahn felt like he had seen a heavy weight lift off of Xude's shoulders as the latter's core glowed relievedly as he said, "It seems like the day we Xenos may live upon the surface is drawing nearer..."Off to the side, Fenrir had managed to 'adhere' Naho's panty-panel into place before helping the Arachne-Xenos fit into her pure white silk bra. Vahn had picked silk intuitively since it seemed like something a Spider Person might wear. He didn't doubt that Naho was capable of producing her own silk and had started to wonder if that was a way she could 'appeal' to people on the surface. If she could become adept at the production of fine clothing, Vahn knew that, at the very least, there would be plenty of Adventurer women that would appreciate Naho's existence...Once Naho had on her undergarments, Fenrir helped fit her into the dress, noticing that the cords that normally tied up the back were instead on the front of this particular dress. Since Naho wouldn't have been able to tie them up at the back, and it would be difficult for others to assist in the effort, the system shop seemed to have 'inverted' the design slightly and made it appear more like a corset that tied together at the front. When she finally managed to get it on, Naho looked even more adorable than before, even though part of Vahn's mind still couldn't quite adapt to the segmented legs and the skull-motif abdominal section poking out from the back of the dress.Naho was ecstatic in her new clothing and was spinning around in circles as she tried to get a better look at herself. Vahn pulled out a large mirror to help her out, giving the Arachne-Xenos the chance to see her actual reflection for the first time. She seemed to appreciate this greatly and, causing Vahn's hair to stand on end, ran over to him before crawling up his back and 'hugging' him with her arms and legs. Vahn noticed the 'fur' on her legs was actually very soft so the tension in his body melted away quickly as he reached up and pat the spiderling on the head and said, "I'm glad you like it, Naho..."The following few minutes were a bit more taxing than Vahn had expected but, by the time the group managed to reach the rather wholesome looking village, he had grown accustomed to the two sharp 'fangs' that were resting on his shoulders as Naho happily played with his hair. Vahn never imagined there would be a day when he had a petite Arachne-Xenos clinging to his back. It was almost like he was giving her a piggyback ride, without the need to support her with his arms since her legs clung to him very firmly. Though this earned him looks of 'envy' from Fenrir and the smaller of the two Almiraj, neither voiced their complaints and just let Naho do as she pleased for the time being...Moments before they reached the location of the hidden village, Mest had inclined its head back, seemingly with a curious glint to the red core near its face as it said, "I'm surprised that Naho opened up to you so quickly...she is usually a very shy girl..." This was a statement that didn't require Vahn's answer as Naho happily giggled and said, "Vahn is the Savior that everyone has been talking about. He even gave Naho clothing so Naho likes Vahn almost as much as Big Sis and Bigger Sis~!" Then, as if to emphasize this statement, Vahn noticed as Naho's affection jumped up a few more points, reaching 88(Familial Love). This was the first time he had seen this parameter on anything other than his own children and it was the primary reason he had 'adapted' to Naho's presence very quickly.Since she seemed to call two of the other Xenos by familial associative names, Vahn reached up to grab Naho's hands, pulling her around to the front of his body and said, "If you want, you can call me Big Brother, or Big Bro, okay, Naho...?" Her six legs had already clung tightly to his torso but, upon hearing his words, Naho smiled radiantly and wrapped her two tiny arms tightly around Vahn's neck and said, "Big Brother~! I can't wait to introduce you to everyone!" In response to this, Vahn released a light laugh and, ignored the two coiled up 'mandibles' resting against his chest, gave Naho a warm hug while stroking her small back in a comforting manner...(A/N: I never realized how 'creepy' Arachne could be until I started trying to think about the mechanics of how to interact with one...)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Birdbrain','This is some uncanny valley type stuff...','Kinda cute...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 821: Introductions