Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After taking care of the port officials, Vahn and Tiona had joined up with the ready to depart Amazonesses, Tione silently sitting at his side. Her aura was weak but stable as she leaned against Vahn's shoulder, ignoring the looks of her kinsmen that would periodically glance toward her or, more specifically, Vahn. They were all interested in the man that their goddess was escorting back to their homeland, a place where men were not allowed to trespass. Vahn joined Tione in completely ignoring them, all while Kali made casual conversation with Tiona for the short trip between the shore and the blood-red Brig Sloop anchored in the port's center.By the time the Amazonesses onboard had thrown ropes down to those waiting in the landing ship, Tione had taken a deep breath before hardening her expression and sitting straight. Now, instead of ignoring the looks she was receiving, Tione stared down the curious Amazonesses. There would be plenty of time to think later and it was more important, for the time being, that she remembered her 'purpose' on this trip. She needed to keep others in line and, if necessary, set an example to prevent any 'random' Amazoness from trying to approach Vahn.Vahn put a little bit of pressure into the hand he had on Tione's waist before kissing the side of her head and saying, "You don't have to force yourself. Take as much time as you need...Tiona and I can manage the rest, at least for the time being..." Knowing the 'emptiness' that followed successful vengeance, Vahn knew that Tione would take a while to accept the reality of the situation. If she recovered instantly after dealing with the source of her trauma, it would have been even more problematic. Emotions weren't something to be repressed in such circumstances as it could lead to other problems in the future whereas, not caring about the situation at all, would be the first steps towards developing psychosis and apathy towards life and death...Tione turned her eyes up at Vahn, her brown eyes shimmering for a moment before a smile spread across her face. Without saying anything, she began ignoring the surrounding Amazonesses once again and instead hugged Vahn's arm as she continued resting her head against his shoulder. As for the Amazonesses themselves, they were slightly surprised that someone as strong as Tione acted so 'docilely' around Vahn. Though they knew of his identity as 'the strongest' in Orario, they had never actually seen him perform any feats. Even seeing his battle against Ottar on the projection sphere didn't really have the same 'impact' as watching the fight in person. There was a lot that wasn't conveyed properly through an image, especially when it came to the overwhelming aura that usually emanated from Vahn when he was fighting seriously.Tiona had also been eyeing the interaction between her sister and Vahn, forcibly restraining her urge to snuggle up with the latter since she didn't want to butt after such a 'serious' development. She let her mind wander to what they could do later as, unlike Tione, she hadn't been affected by the death of Argana that much. Because she hadn't been particularly close to Tione in the past, she had never really interacted that much with Argana and only knew second-hand what kind of things Tione had to go through. She had resented her sister's tormentor quite a bit so the death of Argana was more of a 'happy' event for Tiona, not something to mourn and lament...Sensing the peculiar atmosphere on the small landing craft, Kali displayed an innocent smile, completely playing the part of her Chandi persona. Even the members of her own Familia, while being deferential towards her, were treating her differently than normal as they were already accustomed to Kali's 'shifts' in personality. While she was in her Chandi persona, they would treat her as if she were a young girl while doing their best to avoid directly antagonizing her. After all, though she appeared innocent, Kali was actually more dangerous as Chandi than her real form.Usually, Kali would laze about and just observe from the side unless the situation called for her to act directly. In her Chandi persona, however, Kali would proactively engage people and, if you did manage to offend her, it was almost the same as signing your death warrant. She would instantly transform from her relatively innocent self into a brutal and merciless killer, often in less time than it would take her victims to even process what happened...Kali usually adopted her Chandi form when dealing with outsiders who were completely unaware of her true nature. All they saw was an 'abnormal' Amazoness child that stood out from her kin, especially with her innocent appearance. There was no end to the number of people who would try to exploit such a young girl, giving Kali more than enough justification to beat them into 'literal' meat paste. She did, however, make sure to always introduce herself as Chandi which, to those who knew her native tongue, was a very big 'warning sign' as it meant 'slay evil without mercy'.With the landing craft being pulled up onto the deck of the Brig Sloop, Chandi hopped up to her feet and trotted over to an elevated platform with a thick cushion. The surrounding Amazonesses gave her a wide berth while those closest to the landing craft observed its occupants with interest. Many had respectful glints in their eyes as they looked upon Tione while the vast majority looked toward Vahn was a slightly predatory glimmer reflecting across their irises. Vahn's gaze also passed over them, albeit very briefly, as he committed their appearances and strength to memory.Most Amazonesses had similarly brown skin while, with the exception of a veiled woman, each had brown or reddish-brown hair. Like Tiona and Tione, nearly the entire crew had various shades of brown eyes, making Kali, Bache, and the Amazoness at the helm the only exceptions. Kali's eyes, even in her Chandi persona, were still blood red. As for Bache, she had the same pale-gold eyes as her sister while the helmswoman had sharp hazel-orange eyes like a hawk. For the brief moment when Vahn made eye contact with her, he noticed her eyes retract to points and it felt like her gaze had pierced him before she instinctually looked away, now slightly pale.While Vahn was standing on the deck with Tione, Tiona had walked over the Bache with an amiable smile on her face as she mused, "I'm even stronger than you now, Bache~." This caused Bache to nod her head slightly before a soft yet womanly voice sounded out behind her veil, saying, "That seems to be the case. Even though I was a terrible Master, I'm glad to see how much you've grown, Tiona. You truly are the pride of the Amazonesses..." As she finished saying this, Bache turned her eyes towards Tione, her eyes squinting slightly as if she were smiling, adding, "Your sister has also grown a great deal. I am happy the two of you were able to live a fulfilling life outside of Telskyura..."Even though she was Argana's twin sister, it had been nearly two decades since the two were genuinely close with each other. Ever since she received the scar on her face at only eight years old, Bache had never treated Argana as her sister. She had genuinely been afraid that the day would come when Argana would try and kill her, all in the pursuit of greater strength. Now that Argana was dead, she felt more relief than anything else since, more than any other Amazoness, Argana had killed the greatest number of their kin. Though she also reveled in battle, Bache had never been able to understand why Argana had been so 'bloodthirsty' since their youth...Tiona rubbed the back of her head with a sheepish smile on her face as she laughed, happy and embarrassed after being complimented. Unlike Tione and Argana, she had never really resented Bache and, after the latter began giving her books to read, the two had actually grown relatively close. The one thing Tiona had resented Bache for was the fact that her breasts were much larger but, after meeting Vahn, such things had become inconsequential. Now that she knew Bache would probably be her 'sister' in the future, as it was almost guaranteed she would bear Vahn's child, Tiona felt a little happy about how things had turned out...Unaware of the 'arrangements' that had been made for her, as she was unable to speak any language other than her native tongue, Bache looked toward Vahn and Tione with mild interest as she asked, "Is that boy really as strong as the rumors say...?" Since she was speaking in the Amazonian language, Bache was surprised when it was Vahn who smiled and answered, "I still have a long way to go before I can confidently call myself the strongest. However, if it is for the people I care about, there isn't anything in the world that can hold me back..."Vahn's words had caused most of the Amazonesses on deck to show genuine surprise as even Kali gave him a curious look, asking, "You can speak our language...?" Her question had been in their native tongue, causing Vahn to turn his attention back to her as he answered, "I can read, write, and speak in any language, including the language of the gods themselves..." Though it was a boon granted to him by The Path, Vahn was inextricably linked with it for the rest of eternity. Each function and ability it provided was a part of himself, something he had grown to accept with the passage of time.Kali's curiosity was piqued even further as this was something that hadn't been mentioned in the file provided by Loki. She didn't believe that the latter was unaware of this fact and, curious about the veracity of Vahn's claim, asked, "What am I saying right now...?" This time, she had spoken in a voice that caused everyone except Vahn to wince slightly as the language of the gods was something that 'should' be incomprehensible to mortals. They were words of power that were rarely used in the Mortal World as it would also cause the god in question to feel extreme fatigue for a short while.Since Vahn's 'translation' worked automatically, everything Kali said sounded completely normal to his ears. When he tried to respond, however, Vahn felt his energy reserves drain rapidly as he said, "You asked me what you're saying..." By the time the words had left his lips, Vahn had a small trickle of blood coming out of his left nostril that caused him to furrow his brows and activate his [Magia Erebea] constitution. He quickly healed while his reserves were rapidly replenishing, all while Kali looked at him with wide eyes and a large grin on her face. She suddenly felt like the next three months were going to be 'infinitely' more interesting than she had expected...Vahn felt like he had erred slightly but quickly recovered a stoic disposition as his mind raced with possibilities. He had felt the power contained within the words and wondered what kind of effect they would have if he used them in a spell's incantation. As Eva had emphasized 'a lot', there was a lot of power in words and, the older the language, the more powerful the effect. In the record of Danmachi, the language of the gods was the oldest language, existing far longer than the Mortal World and the concept of Magic itself. Because of this, Vahn decided to look into it using one of the Space-Time orbs, as his intuition warned him that things could easily go awry if he used it in the real world...Unaware that she had just made Vahn inordinately more powerful, Kali was also thinking about the future as she leaned to the side, resting her elbow against a small raised platform. For a moment, she had forgotten she was in her Chandi persona and had fallen into her rather uncouth habits, invalidating the purpose of her blue smock as she sat in a rather slovenly manner. This caused Vahn to snap out of his own thoughts, furrowing his brows slightly as he asked, "Where will we be staying during the voyage...?"Kali had noticed Vahn's reaction, the smile on her face vanishing as she adjusted her seated posture and explained, "My ship isn't exactly suited for the transport of passengers. Your choices are to sleep in my private quarters or below decks with my children. We don't have a lot of the luxuries you may be used to so you'll have to bunk up with me if you want to sleep on an actual bed. Keep in mind that I'm a 'rough' sleeper, however, kukukuku~." Kali had defaulted to the native tongue of the Amazonesses, allowing her children to understand clearly what she was saying. Now, the looks they gave Vahn contained a great deal of fervor as their goddess had never really shown any interest in men previously...As he had already scanned his intent across the ship, Vahn knew that Kali's words were actually the truth. Other than a few barrels full of preserved fruit and a few other essential supplies, they didn't even carry any food reserves. The large area below decks just had a few tightly bundled hammocks where the crew would sleep while all of their food was harvested from the sea. Even their fresh water was produced by boiling saltwater and processing the condensation and runoff into potable water that could be consumed sparingly. There weren't even any onboard weapons for dealing with pirates and sea monsters. Only the small private quarters at the back of the ship was properly furnished, though that itself was a bit of an exaggeration. Kali's 'bed' was just a wooden platform with a matted cushion nailed to it while the rest of the cabin was filled with strange ornamental furniture that served no practical purpose...Vahn was admittedly impressed with how seriously the Amazonesses were devoted to their lifestyle, even if he couldn't personally agree with some of their traditions. The fact they could sail out into the sea, seemingly without making any preparations, showed that they were completely dedicated to surviving through their own capabilities. If not for the fact they were transporting a few goods and required sleep, Vahn suspected they might even forgo the use of ships entirely. Since he had seen how agile Tiona and Tione could be in the water, Vahn knew that the Amazonesses could actually travel through the water much faster than the ship itself...In response to Kali's obvious 'taunt', Vahn's expression didn't change at all as he said, "It is only three months, so I'll stay on deck and observe throughout the journey. I'm pretty interested in sailing so it would be a good opportunity to see how professionals operate..." Since almost everyone had been paying attention to Vahn at this point, there were varying degrees of incredulity on the faces of several Amazonesses as they processed what he had just said. As for Kali, she gave a small frown, saying, "You really are no fun at times, Vahn...well, I can't say I'm not interested to see exactly how long you can last without sleep. If you get tired and pass out, I can't promise you'll wake up in the same condition that you fell asleep in though, shishishishi~."After laughing to her heart's content, Kali hopped up off her elevated platform and shimmied out of her smock before tossing her black-haired wig to the side. An Amazoness quickly scooped it up as Kali manifested a spiked bone mask, placing it over the upper half of her face. For a brief moment, she had actually been completely naked, wearing nothing but golden wristlets and anklets before her divine raiment took shape around her. Once her extremely revealing outfit had completely formed, Kali gave Vahn a mischevious smile before licking her lips and shouting, "Looks like we'll have an observer for the next three months, girls! Make sure you do your jobs properly so our guest is properly entertained! Khodiva, set sail for home~!"Following Kali's words, the Amazonesses on deck released a loud war cry as they set into motion, furling the sails and manually pulling up the two anchors before tying them down to the deck. It took less than a minute and a half before the ship was in motion, propelled against the wind by a series of long red oars that protruded from the side of the ship. One of the younger Amazonesses on the ship, even smaller than Kali, began beating a large drum in a rhythmic fashion, setting the tempo for the rowers below as the large Brig Sloop began to steadily accelerate through the water...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Moving Forward...','Language of the God's','Wise Sailors fear the sea during a storm while Amazonesses sail into it with smiles on their faces...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Watching the Amazonian crew at work was almost like watching a skilled artisan create a masterpiece. Each coordinated their efforts according to the commands of the hawk-eyed Amazoness steering the ship, never once stopping to doubt or question the orders issued. Other than Kali, Vahn, Tione, and Tiona, there wasn't a single idle hand as even Bache took over one of the guidelines for the main masted sails. It would usually take a much larger crew to man a vessel of this size but, with the monstrous strength of the Amazonesses, they were able to easily perform the duties of several people with individual members.Tiona had been a little antsy ever since setting sail, eyeing the crew hard at work as she fidgetted about on the deck. Kali gave her an amused look, commenting, "See, Vahn, it is the instinct of a true Amazoness to take action. Life is a machine in perpetual motion, constantly threatening to consume those who sit in place, accepting a life of stagnation and complacency. The number of lives that have been lost because of such a foolish concept such as 'civilization' far outstrips the lives of those who live and die by the law of the jungle. As you continue to play at making a world where people can live 'free', you are really just creating a prison that perpetuates excess life and death. Those who live in such a society will turn passive, living amongst excess and going against the natural order as their numbers expand exponentially, leeching off the power and resources provided to them by the strong..."As a Goddess of Death, Kali was intimately familiar with Life as well, being that the two were the opposite sides of the same coin. There had been a time before Death, causing even the gods themselves to go mad as they sought an end to the endlessly perpetuating cycle. Without death, the world could never exist in balance while those who seek to preserve the lives of others indiscriminately only upset the natural order. She didn't fault Vahn for desiring a world with 'needless' suffering, but the world he envisioned also led to an increased reliance on resources, leading to greater consumption, waste, and inevitable decay. People propagated even faster during 'peaceful' times and, without the lingering threat of death, they would steadily grow complacent, dooming the very civilization that supports them out of the greed and expectation that always accompanies such development...Vahn had been standing near the center of the deck, making sure he wasn't in the way of any of the Amazonesses as they performed their duties. Hearing Kali's words, his expression hardened since most of the goddesses, especially Loki, had mentioned similar things. They had all seen Empires, Kingdomes, even entire civilizations, rise and fall over the course of the Mortal World's long History. Orario was only a City that had existed for a thousand years while there were several Ancient Kingdoms that had come to ruin well over ten-thousand years ago. Some of these had even persisted for far longer than Orario itself and, in almost every case, it was 'prosperity' itself that led to their ruin...Passing his gaze over the silent Tione and the giddy Tiona, Vahn then set his sights on Kali herself as he replied, "I won't deny that your words hold a great deal of truth, Kali...however, just because something has 'always' been one way, that doesn't mean it can't become something else. After all, more than a thousand years ago the concept of gods roaming amongst mortals didn't even exist. The world is constantly in flux, moving forward as other variables are introduced into the complex equation that is life. In my short time, I have seen and done many things that even gods older than you had deemed impossible...even if my vision of the future fails, I will pick up the pieces and try again, no matter how many times it takes. That is the persistence of humanity, the very thing that has intrigued gods since the birth of primordial man..."Vahn had accepted long ago that he was very likely to fail on his path, perhaps even several times in sequence. Over the course of an 'eternity' that even exceeded entire records, Vahn knew he may even experience events that led to the destruction of entire universes. Even so, he was determined to continue forward until he could create the world he envisioned, knowing full well that he may become the very lynchpin maintaining the balance between 'good' and 'evil' in the future. This was something even Kali, having existed more than five hundred million years, couldn't even conceptualize in a meaningful way...Kali was slightly surprised by Vahn's conviction and, knowing some of the feats he had performed, she couldn't help but agree with him, even if only a little. In fact, she was currently thinking about what it would be like to get pregnant and give birth, a thought that had never even crossed her mind previously. The existence of the Vanir, a completely new race that 'defied' nearly a billion years of 'common sense' was the truest testament to Vahn's words. Even his remark about the gods descending to the Mortal World was true, which was one of the reasons she herself had descended in the past.With a thoughtful expression on her face, Kali pulled up her leg to get comfortable, taking note of the fact that Vahn averted his eyes in the process. This caused her smile to turn mischevious as she made no effort to adjust the piece of fabric that was supposed to conceal her nudity. Though she would dig the eyes out of a normal man's skull for daring to peak at her, Kali treated Vahn an exception and found his reaction entertaining. She wondered how long he would fret over such a small and inconsequential matter and wanted to tease him since it was his decision not to 'play along' when she wore proper clothing.After averting his eyes from Kali's figure, Vahn looked to Tiona and said, "If you want to help out, I'm sure they could use the assistance. The same goes for you Tione, though you don't have to push yourself if you want to just enjoy the journey. I'll continue to observe for a while and try to pick up small duties after a few days pass..." Even though they were 'guests' on the ship, Vahn felt it would potentially become very boring for Tiona and Tione if they sat still the entire time. They were the type that needed to enter the Dungeon every few days to vent stress, even though they spent a lot of time training and sparring. The three-month long journey wouldn't be easy for them as Tiona could already hardly contain herself...With Vahn's consent, Tiona released a happy 'Yosh~!' as she ran over and 'liberated' one of the main mast's guidelines from an unsuspecting Amazoness. This was the paired line to Bache and, outside of steering the rudder, it gave the most control over the direction and progress of the ship. Tiona had a happy smile on her face as she easily coordinated with the other Amazonesses, almost as if she had been part of the crew for years. As for the Amazoness who had lost her duty, she immediately moved to assist elsewhere, not even sparing Tiona a second glance since there was a 'vast' difference in both their status and strength.Tione watched her younger sister with a small amount of incredulity in her gaze before releasing a sigh and saying, "I'll rest for a while before joining the fishing team once we get out to sea..." She hadn't really expected to start working alongside the crew so early but, after thinking about how boring and troublesome it would be to just stand around, Tione accepted reality and thought about how she could best help out without getting in the way. Back when they were both sailing on Kali's ship, her duty had been the same as the small girl beating the large drum so her actual sailing experience was lacking compared to Tiona's. Since it would be very demeaning for her to beat the drum at her age, Tione decided she would catch the biggest fish during the competition that was bound to occur later...After their short exchange, Vahn and Tione just watched the crew guide the ship into open waters, entering into the Serpent Sea as the mainland quickly began to shrink on the horizon. Vahn had seen the sea several times from high above but it was his first time seeing such a vast expanse of water up close. It was somewhat surprising and strangely 'eerie' to see so much water, especially with the land shrinking in the distance. His curiosity about what lay in the depths increased the further they went out but, even though he would easily be able to catch back up with the ship, Vahn stayed at Tione's side and continued to support her for the time being...During this time, Kali had been watching him intently and, even though Vahn was aware of it, he refused to look in her direction ever since they had reached open seas. It was surprisingly windy out at sea and, with Kali's 'negligible' clothing, there were constant flashes of tender skin that he'd much rather avoid perusing. Part of him wanted to pull out another dress and 'force' her to wear it but, given the circumstances, it would be impossible to convince her without coming to some kind of compromise. He knew this is what she was waiting for as her smile had grown increasingly large while her posture became progressively more slovenly...Eventually, a change occurred on deck as the hawk-eyes helmswoman issued orders to go half-sail while adjusting the ship's course at an angle against the wind. This started them on a zig-zagging pattern that allowed them to progress forward, even against a headwind, as most of the oars were pulled back into the ship. A few minutes later, some of the crew appeared from below-decks, the majority of their clothing removed. Other than their waterproof tops, bottoms, and some stockings, most of these Amazonesses had completely discarded the majority of their already revealing outfits.At this point, Tione also began to store her excess equipment into her storage bracelet, causing Kali's brows to rise slightly but otherwise remain silent. As for Tione herself, she turned to Vahn and said, "I need to catch the biggest fish, so I'll probably be under for a while. You don't have to worry unless I send you a telepathic message..." With these words, Tione began to stretch her body for a short while before leaping overboard and diving into the water below. This started a chain reaction amongst the other scantily clad Amazonesses who almost immediately dove in after her, each disappearing into the sea's depths. Even the small Amazoness girl, no longer having to create the cadence for the rowing crew to follow, jumped down into the murky and cold water below...Kali had noticed Vahn's reaction when he watched the youngest of her crew jump overboard, commenting, "She would be very insulted if you tried to advise her against fishing with everyone else. You'll come to understand Amazonesses better in the future, Vahn...for now, you should just observe. If you want to step in during an emergency, however, feel free...assuming you are willing to take responsibility~." Just as an Amazoness would get excited watching a strong potential mate in battle, they could become equally excited if a strong potential mate saved their lives. One of the ways to 'fish' for an Amazoness that would dedicate themselves to you, at least for a short while, was to try and save them when they were in dire straits. After all, even if you were weaker than them, the fact you helped them overcome a situation where they would have otherwise perished left quite an impression on the Amazoness in question...Vahn withheld a sigh after hearing Kali's words before doing something she, and most of the other Amazonesses hadn't quite expected. Since it was a little awkward to just stand in the middle of the deck doing nothing, Vahn unequipped his top before changing into a pair of diving shorts. This left his own tanned skin exposed to the brisk sea breeze as more than twenty pairs of eyes 'locked' onto his body. Ignoring the heated gazes, Vahn leaped high into the air, lingering for a few seconds before diving down into the water with unexpected momentum. His rather dynamic entry caused a plume of water to erupt at the side of the ship as he barreled through the water faster than most of the Amazonesses themselves could manage...Though he didn't possess the [Diving] Development Ability, Vahn was able to move through the water with even greater ease than he could fly through the air. He sacrificed a lot of agility but, by moving the water ahead of him to the side, Vahn was able to move at supersonic speeds through the water. Since his domain allowed him to detect life in the depths, he made a beeline towards a large shark-like creature that was around 18m long. It should have more than enough meat to feed the entire crew so he quickly skewered the side of its neck, sending a blade-like pulse of energy that completely decapitated the rather surprised creature.After grabbing the still-twitching tail, Vahn was preparing to make his way back to the surface before stopping for a moment and looking at his surroundings. He had gone down to around 300m in a very short period of time, causing there to be almost no visibility, at least under normal circumstances. With his [Eyes of Truth], Vahn could easily see through the murky water where even the sun's light could barely reach. He could see large schools of fish and even larger singular creatures swimming about in the distance. There was even a serpent that was more than 30m long, currently being tag-teamed by two incredibly agile Amazonesses who were quickly causing it to bleed out as it futilely struggled against them...Turning his attention away from the duo, Vahn's eyes passed over the area where the youngest Amazoness was rapidly swimming after a fish more than three times her size. It looked like a type of tuna and, even though it was darting through the water at more than 80km/h, the young Amazoness was keeping pace, matching every twist and turn with her tiny body as she steadily closed the distance between them. He noticed that, though Amazonesses weren't particularly known for treating their young well, there were a few nearby the younger Amazoness that were keeping an eye on her, both out of intrigue and just the smallest modicum of concern...After watching the chase for a few seconds, Vahn felt a shockwave pass through the water that was followed by a loud yet muffled thump. Though he had been keeping tabs on her, Vahn was a little surprised to see Tione dragging a massive crab that was over 10m across up towards the surface. It wasn't really the 'biggest' catch, but the strength and difficulty of capturing such a creature were much higher than even fighting against the serpent. Unlike the latter, the crab in Tione's grasp was known as a Titan Stone Crab, a type of monster that was the equivalent of a Level 3 monster. The serpent was just a large sea-dwelling creature that had grown large from exposure to the mana leaking out from some of the connecting points to the Dungeon below. If it were to come across the Titan Stone Crab, it would be killed almost instantly, making the latter far more 'impressive' of a catch...Vahn suddenly felt like his 18m long shark was significantly less impressive than his initial impression. However, not wanting to show up Tione, Vahn threw it into his Inventory before moving on to catch something 'slightly' smaller than her Titan Stone Crab. He found a relatively rare Emerald Tortoise that was also around Level 3 but was much easier to deal with since they were relatively slow. Using his Xuanwu form, Vahn easily broke through the monster's notoriously high defense before dragging it towards the surface. Though he could store it in his Inventory, everyone else was dragging their prey back so Vahn felt compelled to do the same...After Vahn had dived down below, Kali had risen from her seat before making her way to the side of the ship, her crimson eyes glimmering with interest as she looked at the surface of the water below. She didn't have the ability to see through the depths, but she could feel several lives being extinguished and was curious about what kind of prey Vahn would bring back. Even she hadn't expected him to suddenly strip down and jump into the water, causing her to stare slightly wide-eyed with the other Amazoness when he revealed his body. Though it wasn't the most impressive figure she had ever seen, Vahn was significantly more 'developed' than she had expected. As a result, slowly but surely, Kali's intrigue in the anomalous boy continued to grow...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Death is part of life. Those who cannot die, seek it. Those who can die, run from it. The truly wise seek a worthy death, the culmination of all their life's achievements, never fearing the future they had a hand in shaping','Clinging to the past denies the future; failing to learn from the past perpetuates the cycle anew...','Go, tiny Amazoness, catch the fishy...!')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

With Kali taking the lead, properly wearing her disguise, the four made their way towards the docks where a group of Amazonesses were waiting. Though Kali could have easily swum through the water, their Brig Sloop did have a few smaller boats for transferring supplies and, in order to receive Vahn, they had unloaded one to transport him and Kali over. That would have to wait until later, however, as there was currently an 'incident' occurring at the docks that caused Tione's eyes to glimmer with a murderous light...Currently, there were a few seriously injured fisherman laying around on the ground as an Amazoness with white hair, braided with golden twine, and a very revealing outfit. She had blood staining her hands and, with a predatory gaze, stared back at the surrounding fisherman as she licked the blood clean from her fingers. Vahn frowned when he saw this and, after confirming the men were only injured, not dead, he looked to Kali and said, "She can only blame herself for what is to come..." To this, Kali just shrugged dismissively before saying, "Our law is survival of the fittest. If she is too weak to survive then, just like those who have fallen at her hand, she too will die. It isn't anything to be upset over..."As a Goddess of Death, Kali didn't particularly care if any of the children, or anyone else for that matter, ended up losing their lives in battle. To her, death was a completely natural thing and, if you didn't have the power to stave it off, then the only person to blame was yourself. Since most gods were fully aware of the cycle of reincarnation, she had no real attachments to any of the children in her Familia, knowing that they would simply return to the cycle and live anew. Her only real interests were fighting, watching people fight, and observing the 'unique' Amazonesses that went against the grain and chose a different path from their sisters. It was this same mentality that allowed her to let Bache give Tiona books in the past, curious if the young girl that loved Heroes would be able to make her dream a reality...With Kali's words signifying her 'consent', Vahn gave a small nod towards Tione who, like a blue, vanished from sight before appearing near Argana. This movement caused Kali's brows to rise slightly as she uttered an 'oooh~?' in a small voice. As for Argana, her vicious gaze turned into one of surprise as she quickly twisted her agile body, kicking outward as her shin collided with Tione's hard enough to make a small shockwave. Vahn winced slightly upon seeing this, knowing both girls' shins probably had micro-fractures after contacting each other with such a forceful impact. He was tempted to transfer the injury from Tione to himself but, considering this was her personal fight, he decided to watch patiently from the side, trusting she would emerge victoriously...Now that she saw who it was, Argana's expression change from surprise to scorn as she intoned an amused, "Hooo? Look who's grown up. You know, I was hoping you would tag along with that boy, my sweet little disciple..." As she was speaking, Argana had gotten into a loose stance with both of her bloody hands up in a grabbing motion. Her style of fighting relied solely on her physical body, choosing to forgo the use of a weapon unless she was hunting monsters. Against human opponents, she preferred to rip them apart with her bare hands, bathing in their bloody and reveling in the act of slaughtering those weaker than herself.Tione chose not to respond to Argana's words, long having entered her berserk state, increasing her parameters further. Though she was actually more than strong enough to fight against Argana, the mental trauma Tione had suffered in the past was causing her to push herself from the outset. As a result, she launched herself towards Argana, shattering the paved stone of the port as she vaulted through the air and dropped her heel towards Argana's head. The latter, as arrogant and vicious as she was, wasn't a slouch when it came to actual combat. Her instincts warned her not to block the blow so she stepped back rapidly, spinning on her heel as she attempted to counter Tione's attack after the latter missed.With Argana having dodged, Tione's foot slammed into the dock and caused spiderweb fractures to spread out in an instant as her right hand shot up to catch Argana's foot. This caused Argana to tuck in her leg, turning her kick into a feint as her body twisted around in an instant. Her long braid came to an end with a solid gold ring that now sliced towards Tione's face with the intent to maim. It was this same attack that had cut open Bache's face in the past and, unless you were expecting it, most opponents would be caught by surprise. Tione, having 'trained' under Argana for years, was one of the few whom the attack was completely useless against...Argana hadn't been the only one twisting her body as Tione had also turned her attempt to grab the former's leg into a complete motion, turning her body and grabbing out with her left hand this time. For a brief moment, Argana had her back to Tione and, though she was preparing to vault away and get her distance again, her actions were one step slower. Tione had grabbed the long braid that her former 'Mentor' had prided herself over, causing Argana's attempt to jump away to fail. Instead, she was pulled off her feet as Tione jerked her hair, pulling Argana into a spin as she slammed the latter toward the ground with bone-breaking force.To Argana's credit, she reacted very quickly to being pulled by her hair, pulling up both of her legs to change her center of gravity as she moved with the motion of Tione's attack and landed on her feet. Even so, Tione hadn't let go of her braid just yet and now used it as a 'leash' that kept Argana in her range as she kicked towards the latter's abdomen with an explosive kick. Argana's expression had turned especially vicious since the moment Tione had grabbed her hair, screaming, "You bitch!" as she tried to meet the base of Tione's shin with her elbow. The elbows and knees were significantly harder than the straight bones of the body so Argana was trying to break Tione's shin with her counter attack.The moment Argana initiated her counter, Tione pulled the golden loop toward herself, knocking Argana's balance off-center and changing the vector of her elbow. This caused Argana's eyes to widen slightly as she tried to follow with Tione's pull while tucking in her arms to protect her ribcage. Tione's attack landed against Argana's guard, causing a ripple to pass through the latter's body as a pained grunt escaped her lips. Though Tione hadn't been using any weapons, the magic circle on her back was releasing a subtle glow that signified she had enhanced her parameters. It didn't reflect any changes on her Status Board, but Vahn knew the enhancement was very nearly 30%, though the effect would decay with time. This meant that, for the first few minutes of a fight, Tione's base Power easily eclipsed 6300 while Argana's maximum possible Endurance was only 5,994.Tione's attack wasn't enough to send Argana flying, but it had been enough to completely disrupt her balance for a brief moment as the wind was forced from her lungs. In that brief window, Tione had shifted her weight forward, planting her left foot heavily against the ground as she used the hand holding Argana's braid to smash the golden loop into the latter's teeth. Argana had tried to jerk her head back to evade the attack but Tione was slightly faster, causing the loop to slice through the soft tissue of Argana's mouth as several of her teeth were fractured and dislodged. She was then knocked backward by the attack but, with Tione still holding her braid, the latter simply yanked Argana's head forward again for another follow-up attack.Argana's expression had turned into completely murderous at this point as she completely ignored the injury to her face, grabbing her own braid as she brought her head forward and attempted to bite Tione's neck. Even with teeth missing, Argana's habit of trying to bite away chunks of her opponent was deeply ingrained into her attack patterns, something Tione was fully aware of. She responded to Argana's attempt by cutting her left fist upward in a short uppercut, forcing the latter's mouth shut before she slammed her head forward, slamming it into Argana's nose.Even after taking several painful hits, Argana didn't seem willing to back down as she quickly yanked her own braid away from Tione's vice-like grip. This caused the hair to rip, freeing her from Tione's grasp as her long hair slowly began to uncoil, blown chaotically by the cold coastal winds blowing inward from the sea. For a brief moment, the two Amazonesses stared each other down as Argana moved her tongue around inside her mouth before spitting out several fragments of teeth and a fair amount of blood. The inside of her cheek was ripped to shreds while the corner of her lips now extended several centimeters further than it should...As if it was someone else who was injured, Argana's expression remained vicious as she ignored the pain and spat, "You really have grown up, brat. I'm glad I didn't kill you back then...now, you will become part of my own strength...!" At this moment, Argana's pale-golden pupils became crimson red as her figure moved forward at several times the speed of sound in an instant. Like a spear, her hand tore through the air as it drew a fierce line towards Tione's neck. The only thing it contacted, however, was Tione's afterimage as she had completely avoided the attacked with the use of [Shundo].Argana had lunged forward with her fastest momentum, extending her body forward to try and end the battle with a single blow. With Tione evading her attack, her body was left completely exposed as a blur formed into existence at her side, turning into the image of Tione kicking upwards with similarly fierce momentum. Argana's body folded over Tione's leg as a powerful shockwave rippled through her abdomen before she was launched high into the sky. Her forward momentum from her lunge hadn't been lost, causing her to spin as she flew through the air for several hundred meters before smashing into a building on the port's periphery.After this attack, Tione was left breathing heavily but was otherwise in good condition as she looked towards the section of the building Argana had smashed into. She didn't think for a moment that the woman who had tormented her for years would be done in with such a simple, albeit effective, attack. As expected, there was the visual of the building 'exploding' outward, sending supersonic pieces of shrapnel outward as Argana's raging figure charged toward Tione once again. It wasn't until after Argana arrived that the sound of the building's explosion reached bystanders, as her speed was much faster than the sound of her movements.This wasn't something that Tione couldn't cope with, however, causing her to evade with [Shundo] once again. Argana wasn't caught off guard this time and, as she had kept low to the ground during her charge, he was able to palm against the ground and pivot quickly to reorient herself towards Tione. This showed remarkable adaptability on her part but, being weaker, less durable, and slower than Tione, it didn't provide her too many benefits. To her credit, she had made sure her back was facing towards the water this time so, when Tione's fist collided with her cross guard, Argana was sent barreling backward, skidding across the water a few times before sinking into the port's depths.Amazonesses could fight just as well in the water as they could on land and, being one of the Captains of the Kali Familia, Argana's aptitude in the water was above most. She had the [Master Diving] Development Ability, something Tione, with her [Diving: A], wouldn't be able to match. When Argana didn't emerge from the water, Tione knew she was being baited to chase after her but, even in her berserk state, she knew this wouldn't end well for her. Instead, surprising both Kali and the other Amazonesses, Tione held out her hand and shouted, "Adeat~!"Deep beneath the water's surface, Argana's crimson eyes glowed within the murky water of Lolog lake, patiently awaiting Tione's pursuit. She was genuinely surprised by how strong Tione had gotten in only nine years, causing her to momentarily reflect on her own path towards power. Since she had known Tione since the latter was born, Argana knew it couldn't have been her own talent that had allowed her to reach such heights in such a short period of time. Tione hadn't lacked talent, but it was a far cry from the truly prodigious Amazonesses that would periodically appear within the younger generation. Compared to Tiona, she had always been subpar and, with her emotional instability, it was easy to exploit the gaps in her attacks...at least it used to be.Now, Tione seemed to be stronger, faster, and tougher than she was, causing Argana to feel slight envy but even more excitement. She believed that defeating Tione would allow her strength to grow exponentially and, since Vahn should have been the source for Tione's quick rise, Argana believed she would be able to receive similar benefits in the future. For so many powerful people to come into existence around Vahn, he had to have the means to promote the strength of others and, now that he would be on their ship for the next three months, there would be ample opportunity to find out what he...Without being able to finish her line of thinking, a flash of gold tore through the water's surface, catching Argana off guard as she twisted her body to try and evade. She was extremely agile in the water so it wasn't too difficult for her to dodge a surprise attack, at least in most circumstances. Unfortunately for Argana, the blade of Tione's artifact could reach several thousand degrees and, cutting through the salt-filled water, a variety of detrimental things happened all at once. The surrounding water was explosively boiled while the super-heated salt became almost like a highly corrosive acid that pelted Argana's skin, causing chemical burns over a large portion of her exposed flesh. This had highly disoriented her while forcing her body to seize up slightly from the unexpected pain that now wracked her body. In this state, Argana was completely defenseless as the backwash of the water pulled her body back into the path of Tione's artifact, just as it was on its return vector...Argana didn't even know she had died as the last thought to pass through her mind was genuine relief that the pain she had been experiencing had ceased. The two split pieces of her body, charred and cauterized, sunk towards the bottom of the port as large fish, generally her prey, began tearing away chunks of her body. Just as she had lived, devouring the flesh of others, Argana's death was celebrated in much the same way. Her flesh would become the nutrients that nourished new life in the lake's depths, causing several large fish to explosively increase in size and strength over a short period of time. Just as she had consumed others to grow stronger, now Argana was being consumed by others, supporting the natural cycle even in death...On the surface, Tione had felt the feedback of her blade cutting through flesh and, after a few minutes of silence, it was Kali who announced, "Looks like Argana was the weaker one this time around. It's a shame you aren't still in my Familia, Tione, or I would have made you into my Captain. Congratulations on your victory; I hope you are satisfied by the outcome~." As if it was a stranger she had never met, Kali seemed completely unaffected by the death of her Captain, someone she had watched grow up over the last twenty-seven years. She gestured to the other Amazonesses, equally as unaffected by Argana's death, saying, "Prepare the boat so we can head back. I don't really feel like dealing with the Guild and Melen's Familia if I can avoid it."The members of Kali's Familia quickly set into motion, preparing for the departure while Kali lazily walked over to Tione's side and joined her in looked down at the water below. They didn't really say anything to each other, standing in silence as the sunlight cast its warm rays down upon the now devastated port. Vahn had sent Tiona to pass on a literal slab of Adamantine to the Guild, which should be more than enough to pay for the damages that had been done. He also took care of the injured and reimbursed the middle-aged couple who had their shop destroyed during the battle. All the while, he continued to pay attention to Tione, sending her comforting words through their [Pactio] link as she stared absentmindedly towards the cold water below...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A deeply rooted hatred...','The Student overcomes the Master...','What lays beyond vengeance...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 933: On Deck : Setting Sail