Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

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

While he was dealing with matters both on the surface, and within the Dungeon, things hadn't exactly been quiet within Lil Geirr. There had been several monster waves that had appeared, even though it was supposed to be a safe zone, so the patrols had been rather tense. Though every attack had been dealt with very quickly, as defensive battles with heavy fortifications were quite easy to maintain, things become a little more troublesome when the expedition from the Noble Faction showed up. They were lead by two Level 5 brothers named Keith and Ike, both having retired from Adventuring years prior but now served as the head guards for the Deval Noble Family.Upon arriving on the 39th Floor, it was very apparent they hadn't enjoyed the same 'smooth' journey of the Alliance as nearly a third of their convoy had been wiped out. They had lost nearly half of their wagons and supplies as well, arriving beaten and battered as they 'demanded' to be allowed within Lil Geirr. It was their reasoning that the outpost, while operated by the Alliance, was supposed to serve as a rest stop for all Adventurers that were delving into the Dungeon. This wasn't exactly false, as anyone that hadn't been blacklisted by the Alliance could temporarily reside inside of Lil Geirr, but the guards weren't happy to have people who were obviously 'hostile' towards the Alliance making demands of them.Instead of acceding to the two brothers' provocation, the gates remained completely closed and a message was quickly sent via communication scroll, alerting Gareth, Finn, and, subsequently, Vahn himself. All three had been gathered in the public mess hall and were partaking of a small feast with other residents of the settlement as a means of increasing morale. When the messenger arrived carrying the report, the entire mess hall had turned silent as Gareth released a throaty hmph and rose from the table, saying, "I'll deal with these idiots..." As if he wasn't about to go deal with a group comprised of nearly two-hundred people, Gareth threw back another mug of alcohol and released a loud belch before moving rather quickly towards the exit.Vahn and Finn watched him 'waddle' away as the latter asked, "Are you going...?" with a slightly annoyed look on his face. Since he wasn't the type to just sit around, at least currently, Vahn nodded his head and swept away his food as he said, "We should probably prepare the next rotation and increase the defenses of Lil Geirr. I have a feeling these idiots have brought even more trouble with them than they themselves realize..." Finn nodded his head and began issuing orders to the people within the Mess Hall as Vahn quickly made his way to the main gate of Lil Geirr to see what kind of farce they would try to pull this time.Though Gareth didn't seem to be that fast from his physique, he had already run over to the gate without even bothering to wear his armor as he looked down upon the expedition 'camping' outside of the front gate and shouted, "Its obvious yer lot hasn't come here with good intentions. The Alliance will offer you aid to help lick yer wounds, but you're two shades shy of a piece of shit if you think I'll let you inside these walls!" Vahn nearly fell out of the sky when he heard this loud bellow, not quite understanding the logic behind the insult, even though it was hilarious.The two brothers gathered below didn't seem to find it nearly as funny, however, as the taller of the two, Keith, raised his sword and pointed it towards Gareth, screaming, "You and the Alliance believe you can do whatever you want without any consequences!? This trash heap is publically purported to be a place where people can seek shelter and supplies! But that isn't the truth, is it, Gareth Landrock!? No, this shitty-" In the middle of his words, Keith and Ike both jumped back to evade the large mass of muscle and bristly hair that was Gareth, smashing into the ground like a mountain falling from the sky. He didn't even have any of his equipment on at all as he gestured towards the two men, stating, "Less bullshit. Come, brats. I'm not yer Daddy, but I'll give you a spanking if you need it!"As entertaining the sight of Gareth spanking two grown men might be, Vahn decided to make his own entrance at this moment, using [Shundo] to appear next to Gareth and patting the man's iron-like shoulder as he said, "Make sure to get your equipment prepared, Gareth, I have a feeling things are going to escalate very quickly." Though his eyes were still focused on Keith and Ike, Gareth nodded his head before leaping back to the top of the 20m tall walls with an ease that didn't quite match his frame. As for Vahn, he now traded places with Gareth, staring down the two men as he plainly stated, "I have no interest in the games you wish to play. If you decide to cause trouble and run your mouth, expect to be dealt with accordingly. I don't care what you tell your Masters when you return, but make sure they know the Alliance will seek a reckoning with them depending on your actions..."Though he had been focused on the two men at first, Vahn's eyes darted towards one of their wagons since he had sensed a peculiar fluctuation of mana coming from within. His eyes flashed a mystical blue color and he peered directly into the tightly bound contents, immediately feeling his body tense up with what he saw. Waving his hand, Vahn placed the entire wagon into his Inventory before moving forward and striking both men in an instant. A cold light glimmered in his eyes as he asked, "You were never trying to build a settlement of your own...you sly bastards...hahahahaha~!"Within the cart, Vahn had seen a massive monster core that had been surrounded by a complex mechanism that radiated an incredible amount of energy, even though it had been contained. Since he had seen the explosives used back at the Elven Kingdom, Vahn immediately understood the purpose of the secret cargo and why they so desperately wanted to enter Lil Geirr. He even suspected that the tunnel that had been dug through the plateau had been specifically designed to move this massive bomb into the encampment.Having no intentions of playing around, Vahn bore his pressure down upon the injured members of the Nobles' expedition and shouted, "Leave this place, immediately, you curs!" At the same time, Vahn pulled his hands free from the chests of Keith and Ike, letting their dead bodies slump to the ground before moving several more carts of supplies into his Inventory. Though it was unlikely every member of their expedition knew what they were carrying, it was a simple fact that these people had come to cause problems for the Alliance. Vahn wasn't going to dirty his hands by killing them himself, but he wasn't going to let them get away without paying some form of reparations either.Seeing their leaders get killed in an instant, while most of their supplies simply 'vanished' into thin air, the remaining members of the Nobles' expedition began running down the slope leading up to the plateau as if their lives depended on it. Vahn didn't stop them from fleeing but he could also see what they were fleeing towards as he raised his hand and shouted, "Prepare to engage the enemy! Man the ballistae!" At the same time, Vahn took to the sky and pulled out his [Yoichi Bow] and began loosing arrows towards the forest surrounding the plateau. The members of the Noble expedition were confused by this, at least until they saw the veritable horde of monsters break through the line of trees and rush towards the slope they were currently standing on...To prevent them from doubling back and trying to enter into Lil Geirr, Vahn drew out [Laevateinn] and created a massive tidal wave of flame that barred access to the slope. This would prevent both the majority of scoundrels and monsters from ascending the slope, even if they tried their hardest to extinguish the flames. As for those that had the physical ability to leap over the flames, they were fortunately intelligent enough not to even try and instead abandoned the weaker members of their troupe and fled into the forests. This left the logistical support specialists and Supports completely unprotected as the horde of Loup Garou, Obsidian Soldiers, Spartoi, and Barbarians tore through them.Though he pitied some of them, Vahn's face remained unphased as he continued to draw his bow and loose arrows with enough force to pierce through several monsters before losing their power. Beneath him, as he had ascended above their trajectory, hundreds of arrows, ballistae bolts, and magic spells traced colorful arcs through the air and crashed into the approaching horde. Even so, with their sheer numbers, the monsters were slowly gaining ground as a line of Skull Sheep waved their magical staves and created barriers to block the rain of projectiles. Though this didn't do much against the ballistae bolts, and Vahn's arrows, it still gave the monsters a slight advantage...at least until they reached the sea of flames halfway up the slope.The monsters seemed intent to try and smother the flames with the corpses of their own 'allies', but [Laevateinn]'s flames were even more powerful than they had been in the past. Not only could the flames burn perpetually, but they carried a highly corrosive effect with the power of Destruction and Darkness contained within them. This gave them a bloody-red coloration with wisps of crimson and pure darkness as they continued to expand and devour the monster horde. Then, once the flames had reached a critical level, Vahn tossed his [Yoichi Bow] into his Inventory and 'pressed' both of his hands forward. The bloody flames then began to 'descend' the slope and proactively devour the monsters trying to use their allies as a foothold to proceed forward...Around this time, Gareth and Finn had shown up to command the defenses, the latter showing a slightly confused expression as he murmured to himself, "Where are Ais and the others...?" Generally, whenever there was an attack against the base, the girls would be the first to take to the defense. Vahn usually sat back and only assisted when necessary, generally serving as a support and preventing any casualties from occurring. This was the first time Finn had watched him put on such a showy display and, as the girls' presence was 'very' noticeable on the battlefield, it felt strange not seeing them slaughtering monsters with the ease of a skilled farmer harvesting wheat...While devouring the enemies with his flames, Vahn was actually sending telepathic messages to the girls, having them protect the perimeter and keep watch for any surprise attacks. This wave of monsters was much bigger than normal and Vahn suspected it was the result of Enyo's forces trying to take advantage of the secondary expedition trying to cause trouble. If things had proceeded in a 'normal' manner, the gates would have been opened to allow the Nobles' expedition to flee into Lil Geirr when the monsters attacked. This would have allowed them to set off their bomb in the core of the settlement, leading Vahn to speculate that the Nobles had some kind of dealings with Enyo and the Iron Hills...either way, it was very annoying.As expected, Vahn got a message from Lefiya a few minutes into the 'invasion', her panicked voice resounding in his mind as she said, ("Master! There is a strange plant monster here!"). Vahn blinked next to Finn, startling the Pallum as he held out [Longinus] and said, "You can borrow this for the time being. There are other enemies. Protect the Gate." Without bothering to explain further, Vahn vanished from sight, leaving a confused Finn holding one of the most powerful spears within the record. His attention was pulled to the spear a few moments later, causing his blue eyes to glimmer as he felt the 'power' emanating from the relatively simple looking weapon...It didn't take Vahn to reach Lefiya's location, finding her chanting a powerful magic spell as Tina 'rooted' a massive Minotaur-like creature that had a flower blooming out of its head in place. There was a cloud of spores in the area but they were unable to break through Tina's barrier as her rather petite frame stood stalwart like a mountain. Vahn felt this display was commendable and, if not for the fact there were other strange creatures assaulting Chloe and Shizune, he would have just watched the battle play out. Now, with [Laevateinn] in his hands, Vahn tore through the air like a meteor and bisected what appeared to be a Lambton that was nearly 20m long and had strange vine-like tentacles that kept trying to whip and pierce the two nimble girls.As his [Laevateinn] cut through the creature, Vahn noticed purple blood erupt from its body, acting as a powerful acid that burned into the ground at a very fast rate. It was completely ineffective against his [Laevateinn], but he could tell it would be a very serious issue for normal people to deal with. He sent messages to all the girls, warning them that the blood of the creatures was corrosive so that they wouldn't get caught off guard. He then picked up Shizune and carried her away as she complained, "If you let me use my power, I could have dealt with that monster on my own...!" To this, Vahn just laughed lightly and set her at the top of the plateau, stroking her ears to placate her as he said, "Your power is one of the Alliances most important trump cards in a war. Be patient, Shizune, you'll have plenty of time to show off in the future..."Since she wasn't really that upset, Shizune closed her eyes and simply enjoyed Vahn's caress until a loud explosion erupted, creating what appeared to be a miniature sun that wiped out hundreds of monsters in a single strike. Vahn turned his attention back to the fight and saw Tina walking away from the explosion completely unscathed, even though a large section of the forest was now destroyed in Lefiya's attack. She had one of the highest defenses amongst the girls and, with her [Pactio] and accessories bolstering it even further, Tina was nearly indestructible in 'normal' circumstances...Vahn released a sigh, blinking to Tina's side and using his cleaning magic to pull away the caustic purple blood that was dissolving the majority of her clothes. All of the armor was undamaged but there were several areas of tender skin that had been revealed as Tina showed a bashful expression and said, "Thank you, Vahn..." When he was finished, Vahn ruffled her hair and said, "Make sure to change back to your normal form to reset your raiment..." She nodded her head in response and returned to Lefiya's side as several other explosions sounded in the distance. At the same time, Haruhime's voice echoed in his head, relatively calm even though her message wasn't exactly good news, ("Master, there are a lot of strange caterpillar-like monsters trying to climb up the western side of the plateau.").Though she couldn't see him, Vahn nodded his head and sent an affirmation to Haruhime before turning to Lefiya, Chloe, Shizune, and Tina, saying, "Try to keep the monsters here at bay. Let me know if you need assistance." The girls nodded in understanding while Chloe brandished her daggers and said, "Nyahaha, leave it to us, Vahn~." As she spoke, Chloe's shadowy mantle completely surrounded her body and she vanished into her own shadow. It then 'bloomed' outward like a spiderweb, paralyzing any monster it came into contact with before Chloe would pop up next to them and slice them apart before vanishing once again.Seeing this, Vahn cracked a smile and pet the heads of Lefiya and Tina, wishing them luck before he moved towards the western side of the plateau. He didn't know if it was because Ais was there, her fate drawing more attention to the location, but there was a veritable ocean of massive caterpillars that were spewing forth streams of acid. The girls dodged them with relative ease, but Vahn could see that it would be very troublesome to fight against such enemies since their acid blood had caused the ground to turn into a murky 'swamp' that was comprised of the large volume of acid that had mixed together and diluted itself after melting through several meters of hard bedrock.Fortunately, Ais, Tiona, and Maemiru were devastating the enemies from the sky while Arnya stood at the top of the plateau, raining explosive spears onto the enemies that would wipe out several tens of them at a time. As for Haruhime, she was also in her [Pactio] raiment but was currently placing her palms against a defensive ward that caused a barrier to erect itself, preventing the streams of acid from affecting the plateau. There were also several dozen Adventurers belonging to the Alliance present but, compared to the girls themselves, their efforts didn't quite stack up...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Fools o3o...','RIP Noble Expedition-san...','Tina's [Luck] never quits...','Don't be mean, Vahn, they are doing their best~!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

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

Chapter 822: Celebration : Rest