Vahn returned to the Hearth Manor early the next morning in high spirits, satisfied with his 'accomplishments' the previous night. Anubis was always highly receptive to his desires, so Vahn was able to 'push' her a bit harder than the other girls. Since she was an exotic beauty with a long bushy tail, beautiful brown skin, and pointed fluffy ears, it made the experience far more interesting since her 'stressed' appearance was quite beautiful...
Reaching the Manor, Vahn made his way to the inner courtyard, which had previously been the backyard, and attended the morning training as usual. He had been watching the progress of Tina and Shizune ever since his return from the Dungeon and they really had put in a lot of effort. Though they hadn't been able to gain exilia yet, both girls had some small growth in their parameters which showed how much they were pushing themselves. When he had checked their status last, Shizune had even awakened the [Featherfoot] ability. She trained at Chloe's protege and had also been putting in a lot of effort in the 'dance' lessons of Haruhime. Because she had been a slave for several years, she was already good at moving her body around to simulate a dance so it had come quicker to her than most girls...
Today was an important day for both girls because it was time for their 'graduation' from basic training. Hephaestus had already started on the development of their weapons, a process Vahn could do nothing but provide the materials for, and they would be using the next two days to relax before entering the Dungeon for the first time on Thursday. To prepare them for their first battle, Vahn would be taking them to the Western Forest today in order to hunt some weaker monsters, so they were already in very high spirits. Milan and Chloe would be coming along as well and they would be relying on Terra for transportation, as she had 'arranged' things with Fafnir to alternate between acting as his mount.
Fafnir had very obviously been 'tamed' by Terra at this point and it often spent time sunbathing within the garden as they talked with each other. It had even retracted its sharp scales to appear more streamlined, almost as if it were trying to copy Terra a bit. When Vahn had asked why Fafnir was so fond of Terra, it simply responded that 'she smells very nice and is fun to talk to'. However, when Vahn talked to Terra about Fafnir, she said that he was 'very cute, but a little 'peculiar'' and 'not to worry about Fafnir'. Terra was actually far more intelligent than anyone had expected and she spent a lot of time talking with Riveria and Lefiya, making great strides in her studies. It wasn't at the same level as himself, but her memory was amazing and she absorbed new information like a sponge. As for her reasons for doing so, it was very obvious that she wanted to get closer to him in the future by being recognized as 'mature'.
The final part of their training required Tina and Shizune to spar against their respective 'teachers', meaning Tina fought Milan while Shizune did battle with Chloe. They obviously weren't expected to win, but they needed to put up a good effort for an entire twenty minutes while evading the periodic counter attacks. To make matters even more difficult, they would have to answer questions about various monsters during the fight and only had thirty seconds time to consider their response. This was meant to develop the habit of 'thinking' during combat while also moving their body instinctively. There were a lot of stimuli experienced during combat, especially against multiple enemies, so being able to split your focus was a very important ability to adapt to. If you zoned in on a single enemy, you left yourself exposed to sneak attacks and this was how many new Adventurers died to monsters like Imp Assassins, War Shadows, and basic traps.
By the time their test had come to an end, Tina plopped down on the ground covered in sweat while Shizune collapsed backward and splayed out her arms and legs. Because of Chloe's influence, she had been developing some 'unladylike' habits lately, much to Milan's lament since Shizune had been making a lot of progress recently. Seeing the result, Tsubaki, who had been acting as referee and asking the questions, nodded her head with a large grin and said, "You both worked very hard! Congratulations on completing your basic training~! As a reward, we'll give Vahn to give you some 'special' treatment until it is time to go fight your first monsters~!"
Though she had nearly planted her face into the ground from exhaustion at this point, Tina's ears and tail twitched when she heard Tsubaki's words. There wasn't much strength left in her tiny frame, but she still managed to rise to her feet after a great deal of effort. As for Shizune, she continued gasping for air on the ground but there was an expectant smile on her face. Vahn wasn't sure what Tsubaki had in mind, but he rose to his feet and walked over to hear her say, "They have plenty of cramps and strains in their bodies, so help them out a bit and pamper them properly. Motivation is very important early on since the majority of Adventurers make mistakes in the early levels."
Tsubaki's 'request' wasn't really difficult so Vahn walked over to Tina and reached out his hand to pet her on the head. However, the moment he touched her head, Tina's legs gave out once again so Vahn had to reach forward and grab her to prevent the fall. She blushed in embarrassment and said, "Sorry, Vahnya..." before her ears twitched in frustration. Vahn chuckled and just lifted her up under his arm before walking over and throwing Shizune over his shoulder. Both girls were exhausted so Vahn was going to let them freshen up by taking a bath. It was almost time for the morning training to come to an end, which meant almost everyone would be taking a bath, so heading over a little early didn't make a big difference.
During the bath, Vahn helped wash the girls' hair and ears while also taking the opportunity to check their Status Boards once again. Knowing where their official starting point was would be very important since he wanted to document their growth under the influence of his [Mentor] Development Ability as accurately as possible. Neither girl really minded having him update their status in the bath because he also washed their backs afterward and it was a pleasant experience. Shizune had a lot more 'tolerance' than Tina, even managing to keep her composure after convincing Vahn to help groom her tail. As for Tina, she flushed a healthy shade of red since it had only been the three of them in the bath at first and she felt a little self-conscious until the other girls started to show up.
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[[STATUS]]
Name: Tina Yuel
Race: Cat Person
LV. 1
POW: I18
END: I22
DEX: I20
AGI: I25
MAG: I0
Skill: [Eclipse: Innate(sealed)]
Magic: -
Development Skill: -
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[[STATUS]]
Name: Shizune Yuel
Race: Kitsune
LV. 1
POW: I15
END: I13
DEX: I24
AGI: I33
MAG: I14
Skill: [Tamomo: Innate(sealed)], [Featherfoot:I](new)
Magic: [Moon's Prayer: Innate(sealed)]
Development Skill: [Abnormal Resistance(sealed)], [Insomnia(sealed)]
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Since he was supposed to be 'pampering' them as a form of motivation, Vahn helped Tina and Shizune pick out their clothing and equipment and dressed them up in preparation for their short field trip. Even though she was a 'sensible' girl, even Tina ended up wanting a thin black tunic that didn't completely cover her stomach. Though it wasn't on full display, her navel would peek out a bit if she made large movements. She also wore a white rounded breastplate that had a larger plate on the front and two smaller plates on the back covering her heart. It hugged her body tightly, but the bands were somewhat elastic and it didn't bite into her skin.
As for the rest of her ensemble, she wore a pair of black spats underneath white shorts and had a looped belt with a pouch for storing consumable items. For leg protection, she had a pair of white shin guards overtop a pair of black socks that came to an end beneath her knees, just enough to prevent the straps from the shin guards from cutting into her. She also had a pair of dark brown boots with patterned soles, which was relatively rare, and wielded a small round buckler and a double-edged sword that had a 50cm blade. To accent the look, as she wanted to look cute, Tina wore a big red bow around her neck that gave her a somewhat childish appearance.
Shizune's outfit was actually much simpler than Tina's, though it was difficult to tell simply based on appearances. Much like Haruhime and Mikoto, she wore a small purple kimono that was a little 'too short' in Vahn's opinion. However, she made sure to wear the same type of black spats that had become popular amongst the girls recently. The downside is, she wasn't fond of any kind of restrictive clothing so she didn't wear anything else other than the kimono and spats as her basic protection against the elements. Because her breasts hadn't started to develop yet in her current form, she didn't even wear a sarashi to protect her dignity and instead wore 'tape'...
To complete her outfit, she wore thin guards on both her arms and legs with a pair of black stockings underneath her shin guards. Instead of normal boots, she wore a type called 'tabi' that made her appear similar to a ninja since her weapons of choice was a katana-like dagger called a ninjato and a curved dagger that was the same as the type used by Chloe. She had become skilled at throwing it and there was an oil applied to the blade that could paralyze weaker monsters. She wore her dark-brown hair in a high ponytail, to prevent it from interfering with her movement, and had it pinned together with two red chop-stick like needles that also qualified as hidden weapons.
By the time the girls were ready, which had taken a while since they tried on several different outfits until Vahn gave them the 'correct' compliment, it was nearly 8 AM and almost time to depart. He hadn't been sure what to say to 'convince' them because they seemed to be basing it off his expression than his actual words. Fortunately, they were aware of the time and were very much looking forward to the small excursion and wanted to depart sooner rather than later. After helping fix their attire properly, Vahn led the two girls to the front yard where he got to see something he hadn't quite expected. Fafnir was laying on its back as Terra sat on top of it and flickered her wings gentled, almost as if she were showering Fafnir in the aroma. She had a small 'chisel-like' object in her hand and was freeing up the lighter colored scales off Fafnir's stomach. Unlike its black scales, which it could freely shape, Fafnir had no control over its underside scales and it appeared that Terra was helping groom and clean the dense arrangement of scales.
Fafnir cocked its head to the side in an obviously pleased manner considering that its tongue was dangling out of the side of its mouth. Seeing Vahn's arrival, its tongue darted back into its mouth and it said, ("Vahn, good morning~! Sis was helping clean my scales, ehehehe~") Terra stood up from Fafnir's stomach and gently flapped her wings once before jumping over and landing next to Vahn after fluttering about briefly. She had a gentle smile on her face and said, "Unless you return Fafnir to his core, you need to make sure to clean his scales properly. He may not get any infections, but it would cause some minor discomfort after a while~." Though she had a kind tone, Vahn felt like he was being lectured a bit so he nodded his head with an apologetic expression and said, "I'll make sure to help Fafnir groom every now and then..."
Terra giggled at Vahn's response and said, "Master is a good boy, very kind, fufufufu~." as she reached out and tried to pat his head. Vahn gave her a curious look that made her eyes squint slightly as she retracted her hand and giggled. Seeing the expressions of the two small girls behind Vahn, Terra gave them a 'playful' look before returning to her grooming of Fafnir. Vahn followed behind shortly after since they still had a few minutes before it was time to leave and the other three girls had yet to arrive. However, though it was still a bit early, the others appeared less than a minute later and Vahn decided it was better to leave early so they could return before lunch. He promised to help Fafnir clean its scales later before having Terra transform into her dragon form.
Terra actually wasn't that fond of having the other girls ride on her, but she didn't offer any complaints during the few times it had happened. Vahn wouldn't have even known if she hadn't casually mentioned only wanting to have him ride her when he was wiping down her feathers in the past. The only exceptions seemed to be Fafnir and the Elves, apparently due to the fact that the 'energy' she felt from the other girls made her feel a little uncomfortable while the Elves had affinities related to nature. Vahn could understand this somewhat since the color of each girls mana reflected their affinity and none of the non-elf girls had 'natural' elements. Chloe and Naaza even had the rare 'darkness' elemental affinity while the closest person to match Terra's 'preference' was Lili, who had an incredibly vibrant earth elemental affinity. Unlike the normal brackish-brown color, her's was closer to a yellow-brown and seemed to have a higher degree of purity than normal. Even so, Terra didn't like Lili that much because she could sense the somewhat selfish nature of the small Pallum and the 'darkness' contained in her heart.
As they weren't going that far, the flight was only twenty minutes combining the time it took for them to check out at the West Gate. They were only going to be looking for monsters like Goblins and Kobolds, so there was no need to venture that far into the depths of the forest either. Vahn humored the idea of revising his home, as this was a good opportunity, so he passed the idea through the other girls who unanimously agreed. Everyone was very interested in seeing where Vahn had lived prior to coming to the City, and he also wanted to share a bit of his life with them. They set his previous cave as their destination and took their first steps into the forest, allowing Tina and Shizune to take the lead...
Though monsters weren't actually that common within the Western Forests, unless you went into specially marked danger zones, Vahn quickly guided the two girls toward their first opponent under the pretense of giving them directions to his cave. Shizune was the first to notice the presence of the goblin, other than Vahn, Tsubaki, Milan, and Chloe, so she gave a signal to Tina and they both crouched down. When they were together, they needed to carefully consider their plan of attack since it was actually dangerous for both girls to fight with their current parameters. Shizune's ears twitched about and she said, "There is a Goblin around twenty meters in the two o'clock direction...I can hear the movement of another creature, but I'm not sure what it is..."
Both girls sniffed around in the air and tried to pick up any scents that might be helpful and Vahn could feel his heart itching because they were both very adorable. Because he wanted them to both have a chance to fight, while also showing their ability to plan properly, he had led them to an area where there were actually three Goblins present. Even though one of them had a small wooden club as a weapon, Vahn wasn't too concerned about the girls because they were already 'experienced' in fighting humanoids after spending more than a month sparring and training every day. He could also use [Wounds Transfer] and stun the Goblins with his domain if necessary and, though they weren't aware of it, both girls had an [Effigy of the Hero] in their packs. At this point, every girl in the Manor had an effigy and Vahn made sure they always carried it on their person, especially when they entered the Dungeon.
Shizune nodded her head slightly and said, "I can smell two different scents...they are quite pungent..." Tina, however, shook her head and confidently said, "I kyan smell three, but oneya them is much lighter thyan the rest~nyafuu..." Perhaps due to her nervousness, Tina's verbal tick was in full force and he had to rub his temples to keep his focus as Milan silently giggled from his side. As for Shizune, she trusted in Tina's nose and nodded her head saying, "I will draw their attention and try to kite them around. I want you to wait for them to show up when I cause a commotion and then try to flank the furthest one. With their attention split between us, we'll be able to confuse them and whittle them down..."
Tina nodded her head and held her sword and shield tightly as a fiery expression appeared in her eyes. However, it was very clear that she was nervous since the sword was jittering slightly and her tail was standing rigid like a pole. Shizune was much calmer, likely a result of her life experience, which is why she volunteered herself as the bait to draw out the enemies. It was actually Tina's role to take to the frontline, but the differences in their age made Shizune lenient toward the young cat girl. After taking a few deep breaths, she ran forward and jumped over the nearby brush to create a loud sound. Vahn noticed small scratches appear on her exposed thighs and sighed because this was one of the reasons he wanted her to wear 'proper' clothing.
Shizune reached up and pulled one of the hairpins from her ponytail and threw it at the closest Goblin, hitting it in the arm and lodging the projectile deep into the emaciated flesh. She then gave a strange cry like, "Shaaaaaaa~!" before jumping from side-to-side, waiting for the goblins to aggro onto her, and then bolting toward a series of large trees. Though they hadn't been visible at first, two more goblins emerged from the forest and joined their injured companion as they chased after Shizune. Just after the cleared the brush though, Tina kicked off hard from the ground and ran forward with her shield low before smashing it up towards the head of the third goblin. It was knocked off balance and, just as it landed on its back, Tina stepped forward and stabbed her sword directly into its chest before stepping back and taking a distance.
Unfortunately, Tina's attack hadn't done nearly enough damage to a vital point to instantly kill the Goblin so it thrashed about and released a loud feral scream that made the young cat girl tremble with a pale complexion. However, she still held up her sword and shield properly, a clear sign of the effectiveness of her training, and stood her ground. She might not have killed it, but the Goblin wasn't going to be going anywhere as it slowly bled out. Its shrieks also had the effect of causing the other two goblins to panic slightly because they weren't nearly as 'mad' as the ones found in the Dungeon, possessing a minuscule amount of intelligence.
In the resultant confusion, Shizune had run forward at a very low angle, making use of her diminutive size and combat style, and sliced the backside of the Goblin that had turned to face Tina. It released a loud shriek as well and tried to reach its arms behind its back in an attempt to stop the blood before Shizune's second attack, using the dagger she had obtained from Chloe, stabbed into the heart of the Goblin. It had a hooked curve so, as Shizune dragged it back and kicked away from the Golbin, it tore a huge piece of flesh away and the goblin quickly collapsed before turning to dust. This effectively made the fight a two-versus-one, with the only remaining enemy being restricted to a single arm.
The final Goblin spun around in a panic and swung its small club at Tina and Shizune as they encircled it. Shizune's eyes darted about before she made eye contact with Tina and nodded slightly before shouting, "Shaaaaa~!" once again and pretending to attack the Goblin. It flinched at the loud noise and turned to attack Shizune as Tina, having understood the signal from earlier, stepped in and stabbed the Goblin through the back. This time, her strike was true and she managed to nick the small monster core near the Goblin's heart and it immediately turned to dust. Both girls released a sigh before another shriek was issued by the slowly dying Goblin. As they looked over, however, they saw Vahn standing over it as he stabbed forward with his [001] sword and finished it off.
Seeing their confusion, Vahn smiled and said, "Remember that the fight is never over, just that there are moments of peace and quiet between an endless series of battles. Also, though monsters may be considered 'evil' by society, it is always the kinder option to put them out of their misery sooner. No creature deserves to suffer, even those created to wreak havoc and chaos. Remember that this isn't a life they chose for themselves, but a purpose they were assigned by powers higher than themselves. When we kill monsters, their sacrifice it was allows us to grow strong and gain the power to protect the people we love. Giving them a painless death is the simplest courtesy we can afford them..."
Tina and Shizune had attentive expressions on their faces and nodded their heads when Vahn had finished his words. They weren't the only ones either, as Tsubaki, Milan, Chloe, and Terra all had thoughtful expressions. Terra, especially, understood Vahn's words and appreciated the kindness he showed to creatures that simply had 'no choice' in their lives. Without having the fortune to develop her intelligence in her previous life, Terra would have also been a mindless killing machine and this made her feel grateful for every day she lived. She would also kill monsters, if necessary, but never because she enjoyed killing or resented them. Hearing Vahn's words made her show an appreciative smile on her face as Vahn heard the notification in his mind that Terra's Loyalty had increased 32 points...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Graduation Day o3o~!','Terra's Fierce Intelligence','Tiny Kemonomimi Warriors','Sagely Words')
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Over the course of four hours, Vahn continued giving directions to Tina and Shizune as they made their way cautiously through the forest. Though they had already earned the right to enter the Dungeon, they still treated this short excursion very seriously because it wasn't an exaggeration to say they were in danger of sustaining painful injuries if they got complacent. Tina, especially, had a bit of trouble at first but had started adapting to the stress and fear felt during combat after several engagements. Vahn couldn't help shake the feeling that she was simply too young to be fighting against monsters, but he wasn't going to challenge her desire to grow stronger.
Because monsters were very sparse, they had only encountered a total of thirteen goblins and two kobolds even after journeying forth for four hours. It wasn't that there weren't more enemies, but many of them were simply too strong for the girls at present and Vahn wanted them to take it slow. After all, they would be entering the Dungeon proper in a few days and that would be the true test so it wasn't a good idea to strain them too much for now. Fighting Goblins and Kobolds was more than enough for their present level of strength and they would likely be constrained to the upper floors for quite a while, meaning they would be fighting the two types of monsters often.
Once they reached the clearing where the creek and rock formations were located, Vahn brought the group to a stop and felt especially reminiscent seeing the surroundings. Terra's fragrance followed the entire group and Vahn felt it was very effective during moments like this. He turned to everyone with a gentle smile on his face and said, "This place was my home until I eventually made my way to Orario more than six months ago...it hasn't really been that long, but it almost feels as though it was a lifetime ago." Tina looked around with wide-eyes at the area and didn't even notice the cave entrance at first because Vahn had blocked it off. She had been curious about Vahn's lifestyle before he came to the Hearth's Embrace since his behavior at the time had been 'off'. Seeing that there was nothing but nature around them, she understood why he behaved that way and it made her feel a little sad seeing the 'proof' of the tragic past he had experienced.
Tsubaki walked over to a tree that Vahn had previously used for target practice as everyone else began looking around the area Vahn once called home. He opened up the entrance to the cave for them before heading inside to the place that had once given him shelter and also served as the location of one of the most significant moments in his life. It was in this moderately cool cave that Vahn became a 'man' and shared his life with other people for the first time, at least as man and woman. Before then, he had been living primarily to make other people happy without taking into consideration his long term actions. Now, he probably spent 'too much' time thinking about and preparing for the future...realizing how much he had changed made Vahn feel shocked at the influence of time.
Shizune looked around at the glowing stones in the cave and inspected the area with intrigue while Tina sniffed around the air, almost as if she were looking for something. Even though he had sealed off the cave, Vahn had made sure to air it out properly at the time because he didn't want to draw the attention of animals to the entrance. Though there was an ambient aroma that was very similar to his own, it had faded greatly with the passage of time and it was likely only someone like Fenrir would be able to smell it. After failing to find what she was looking for, Tina seemed to be a little sad as she said, "This place doesn't smell like a home at all...I'm glad you came to the City, Vahn..."
Unlike the 'warmth' that could be experienced in a place where people lived, the cave was cold and distant and it was very obviously a place unsuitable for living. She didn't know how long Vahn had lived here, but knowing this had been his first 'home' made her feel melancholic. Her own life hadn't been easy, especially for her mother, so she had done her best to mature in order to help out as much as possible. She knew about Vahn's past, but it was difficult to believe someone could go through so much suffering without ending up much worse than Vahn had been. Remembering his actions when he first showed up at the end made Tina regret not treating him better at the time, even though she never actually treated him badly at all. In fact, because of her mother, Vahn had become her first crush because he had been very handsome and looked to be just a little older than she was...
Terra walked into the cave after a short while and looked around the area much like Shizune and Tina had done before saying, "This concentration of energy within this place is abnormal...it's almost like Master has filled out the surrounding area completely~." She then moved over to an area before crouching down and sniffing about with a ruminating expression. Though her sense of smell wasn't actually that developed, her ability to sense energy, especially if it was Vahn's, was inarguably higher than almost anyone else. Vahn recognized the area she was sniffing and walked over as he explained, "When I first arrived at this area, I nearly died fighting against a Goblin...I had bled in this area and fought hard to survive. Things have changed quite a bit since then..."
Though his blood dispersed after being exposed to the air for around a day, it didn't mean the energy contained within the blood ceased to exist. It had permeated through the cave and nourished the energy in the surroundings during this small cavern into an energy-rich hotspot. The amount of blood and sweat that existed in this cave as a result of Vahn's training was quite a bit because he hadn't always walked away from fights unscathed. As a result, Terra felt the connection between Vahn and the cave and understood the 'significance' this place had. She flickered her wings and sent a gentle energy through the cavern and stirred the ambient energy to life at the same time.
The floor of the cave immediately became covered in a dense and fragrant coating of moss that spread all the way until reaching the mouth of the cave. Seeing this, the other girls outside made their way into the interior as plant life came into existence at a startling rate, including many relatively rare herbs and flowers. The crystals within the wall and roof shifted from emitting a dull light to shining like the sun itself as the entire cave came to life. Vahn watched the phenomenon with his [Eyes of Truth] active and could see pulses of energy radiating through Terra's feet as it 'activated' the dense energy located in the surroundings. He had never realized the effect he had on this place in the past and now knew that his own blood had many other potential uses...
By the time the energy had settled, there was even a small tree growing near the center of the cave, strangely enough where Vahn had spent his first time with Tiona and Ais. He had put in a great deal of 'effort' at the time, so it made sense that a lot of his own energy had dissipated out into the environment at the time. Having a tree mark the location was a little strange, but Vahn didn't mind it too much since the 'rays' of light coming from the now vibrant crystals made the entire cave look like a mystical micro-climate. Tsubaki had even removed one of the crystals from the wall and had been inspecting it with her magic eye before saying, "These glowstones have an incredible amount of pure earth mana contained within them. They aren't the highest quality material, but you could probably use them if you wanted to make some durable armor..."
Vahn shook his head gently and said, "I think it's better to leave this place untouched as much as possible. Exploiting the place I called my home just to get a few small benefits doesn't sit well with me. Besides, I can obtain higher quality materials from the Dungeon..." Though she couldn't put the stone back into the wall, Tsubaki tossed it near the base of the tree so that it would nourish it in the future. There was a fair chance the small cherry tree would die out due to a lack of real sunlight and nutrients, but it would still last for several years with the energy from the stones. It may even grow strong enough to break through the roof of the cave in the future, though it wasn't likely.
After eating lunch within the 'comfort' of the cave, it was time for them to return to the Manor so Terra returned to her dragon form and allowed everyone to ride on her back. Unlike the last time, where he simply covered it with a stone, Vahn spent a bit of time manipulating earth elemental energy to completely seal off the cave. Terra then placed her palms against it and vines began to grow from the area as the crawled up the rock and made it appear as though there had never been a cave in the area. On the inside, other than the cherry tree, Vahn had left a small 'shrine' dedicated to his past life and the many important experiences he went through. He also left a small lockbox that contained an emblem and a note to anyone that might one day discover this place. If they brought the emblem to the Alliance, Vahn would consider their fates somewhat intertwined and give them a favor.
The return flight had been relatively quiet and Vahn held both Tina and Shizune in his arms throughout the duration of the hour-long leisurely flight. They had to sit in a line to fit on Terra's back, as she wasn't nearly as 'wide' as Fafnir, so Milan held his body while Chloe held her, leaving Tsubaki holding onto Chloe. It was a little awkward, especially considering that Terra wasn't comfortable with being ridden by them, but the flight was uneventful and she didn't utter any complaints. As for the two girls in his arms, they had fallen asleep shortly after the flight began since Vahn's comforting embrace, compounded with Terra's aroma, caused their previous tensions to fade entirely.
Once they reached the Manor, Vahn carried the two sleeping girls to their room and left Milan to help change their clothing. Though it would have been better for them to take a bath, Vahn had removed the sweat, dirt, and any grim from their bodies with his 'cleaning' magic so they just needed to change into sleepwear. He then made the 'rounds' and spent some time with all the girls that were present in the Manor before finding his way to the back garden where Fafnir, Terra, and Riveria were located. He found Terra once again helping clean Fafnir's scales so he took over the task after promising to help groom her feathers when he was done.
With her time freed up, Terra sat with Riveria and poured herself a cup of tea as she looked over all the notes atop the table, all concerning her physiology and characteristics. Using Vahn's notes as a template, and conversing with Terra directly, Riveria had compiled a 'comprehensive' account of Terra's information and it was very 'interesting' for the elegant True Dragon. She was quite fond of Riveria, so seeing the High Elf's interest in her made Terra feel 'amused'. However, after combing through the information to 'validate' it, she noticed there a few details mentioned and said, "The liquid within the wellspring isn't the 'sap' that you have documented within your journal. My [Healing Sap] is entirely unrelated to your notes about potential applications of the fluid are somewhat flawed."
Riveria raised her brow slightly and looked over the information within her journal and realized she had related to the liquid within the wellspring to Terra's [Healing Sap] based on its properties. Since she had compared the data previously, it was strange that she would have made such an oversight but, after looking over her own notes, she realized the issue. There was actually no information provided by Vahn regarding the [Healing Sap] so she had made assumptions based on a lack of information. Though he was prone to oversights, this was very uncharacteristic of Vahn since he was typically very thorough when it came to such things.
After confirming it for herself, Riveria felt confused by the matter and asked, "Have you never discussed your [Healing Sap] with Vahn? Is there a specific reason why it isn't written within his notes?" Terra laughed in a playful manner that perplexed Riveria when she asked, "Would you like me to discuss it with him? I'm certain he would be more willing if you express you interest in the matter~." As they had interacted with each other a lot over the last week, Riveria knew Terra's 'nature' a bit and realized that there definitely had to be a reason Vahn had never gotten around to it. Much less an oversight on his part, he probably had avoided it based on reasons she wasn't currently aware of...
Before Riveria could properly consider the matter, Terra flickered her wings and shot up away from her chair before landing near Vahn. Riveria knew she had 'triggered' a landmine of sorts so she rose from the table to correct any misunderstandings that might occur. When she neared, she heard Terra saying, "Master, I have been patiently storing my sap for you...now that Riveria has brought it up, I believe now is the best opportunity to extract it~." Vahn had been using a rather large brush to help scrub down Fafnir's scales and had been completely caught off guard by Terra's words. Seeing Riveria walk over, Vahn asked, "Did you have an interest in Terra's 'sap'?"
Riveria furrowed her brows slightly and said, "I won't deny that I'm interested, but I can tell there is some information that isn't properly being communicated here. If it needs to be extracted in an awkward fashion, I won't press the issue an-" Terra's wings flickered and made a sound like a breeze passing through the trees as she laughed and said, "It isn't really awkward, at least from my perspective. Master is just a little overly cautious about the matter because of my human form~" Vahn shook his head in a slightly exasperated manner and explained for Riveria's benefit, "Terra's body doesn't process food and drink the same way as other people. Her basic physiology is closer to a plant and her body filters nutrients before storing in a gland around the base of her tail, where a normal person's anus would be."
She had already known about Terra's physiology, which allowed her to understand Vahn's words, but Riveria had been caught off guard by the rest of his explanation. Even if she wasn't really a 'person', Terra shared many characteristics of a woman and imagining her 'excreting' the life-giving fluid from her butt was rather disconcerting. She understood why Vahn would have avoided researching the subject since he often tried to at least 'try' to act with propriety. Given Terra's personality, she would have likely brought it up at some point and, given her general intelligence, it was very obvious she was using the current developments as an 'opportunity'.
Terra tilted her head and said, "But I read a lot of books and the 'anus' is supposed to be the opening at the end of the alimentary canal through which solid waste matter leaves the body. My body doesn't produce solid waste at all and I don't even have the same organs that would process such waste in the same manner. I have neither an intestinal tract, nor a liver, so it would be more accurate to call it 'nectary' or a 'sap-producing-organ' than an 'anus'~." Hearing her words, both Riveria and Vahn felt a bit of a headache coming to them because, as she had explained, there were some distinct differences. The problem remained, however, that she still had a human-form so Vahn said, "If you're that intent on producing it, you should be able to do it yourself or, if you are adamant about having it extracted, you should turn into your dragon form.."
Before Vahn had finished his words, Terra started laughing as a vibrant green light appeared and she turned into her dragon form. Vahn sighed because he thought she was just insisting that he should help her with the process but Terra suddenly asked, "Can you see the difference between my dragon and human forms, Master~?" As she spoke, Terra slowly rotated her body and 'waggled' her tail from side to side as she leaned forward. Vahn was very confused at first until Riveria commented, "She doesn't have the sexual characteristics associated with female dragons..." Hearing her words, Vahn stared at the 'bare' area that Terra was displaying and understood the situation. She was essentially 'showing off' that she couldn't produce it in her dragon form at all.
Vahn activated his [Eyes of Truth] and scanned over Terra's body and noticed that the 'important' part he was looking for didn't exist at all. There were already many unknowns about how her body was actually able to transform, but it apparently also included the 'disappearance' of entire organs during the transition. When she returned back to her human form, Vahn saw that the 'bladder-like' organ came back into existence and was completely filled with an emerald-green fluid. Before she could try to 'convince' him to help her, Vahn held up his hand and asked, "Tell me honestly, Terra, can you remove your sap on your own?"
Terra smiled and nodded her head before saying, "Yes, that is correct, Master, but I'll refuse to do so unless you 'order' me to. Unless it is 'necessary', I would rather not have produced it at all and, if you wish to make use of it for your research, I would want you to extract it yourself. It may be a little 'selfish' of me, but I believe it's within my right to request as it is also somewhat 'selfish' to ask for my 'materials' without harvesting them yourself." Vahn realized now why Terra had always gotten him to take the materials personally in the past...it was all so that she could make her current argument and remove any grounds he had to argue against her. Her intelligence was very high, but Vahn hadn't expected she had been scheming for an entire week. He was impressed by her foresight because he now found himself in a very difficult situation where it would be 'wrong' to insist she produces it for him. Terra knew well that he didn't want to 'exploit' them and she was now making use of that information to test his own convictions regarding the matter.
Vahn released a sigh and looked into Terra's 'gentle' expression and saw the expectation contained within her eyes. Because he couldn't stand not knowing the true reason, Vahn asked, "Why are you going to such lengths, Terra? Help me understand why you machinated this type of situation..." Though he already knew most of the reason, Vahn still wanted to hear Terra's explanation and, seeing how unphased she was by the question, she had already prepared her answer. Her smile turned softer than it had been previously as she explained, "Though it may not have been my place at first, I can see that Master treats us all as his companions in a very serious manner. You want us to have individual wants and desires instead of being bound by your words and orders...this is how I express my desire, Master. You can consider it a result of my 'pride' as a dragon that had been blessed with the opportunity to meet you. Now that I have the option, I can't be content with simply staying in the background and only being of use on occasion...I want to be needed by Master in a way I can 'feel' with my own body...Unless you change how you treat us, your subordinates, I can't help but want to reduce the distance between us even more~."
Terra had been content with simply being Vahn's servant in exchange for being able to see the surface, but the efforts he had put in to try and make her happy were deeply rooted in her heart. He tried to make sure she had everything she wanted and asked for very little, even going out of his way to help her get close to others so that she had more companions. However, seeing his relationship with Fenrir and how he spent his time with the other girls made her somewhat envious of them. Since he was a very 'structured' person that tried to keep his promises, she had been going through all the steps 'required' by him to get closer to him. She had also used his treatment of others, especially his 'pampering' of Fenrir, as an excuse to receive pampering of her own in the form of grooming. As he had inferred, this was all so that she could convince him to do even more things with her in the future all because, when she first became a human, she had seen the way he looked at her. It wasn't the look of a kind boy observing a monster, it was the look of a young man 'admiring' the appearance of a beautiful woman. She wanted him to always have that same intrigue in his eyes when they were together, instead of the 'pretense' he adopted...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Culvation Cave?','Cherry Tree...','Terra's Desires')
(A/N: I know people may be concerned with the late chapters, so let me explain what happened. Verizon was trying to charge me an additional $85.02 simply due to a clerical error and the fact that they had failed to transfer my phone service. Because I had used .083MB of a 500MB plan, they tried to shoe-horn me into paying for the service even though the only app I had run was the Verizon app itself. I was on the phone with them from 7:06 AM until 11:18 AM and needed a bit of time to cool my head. If you were on the Discord, you would have felt my wrath a bit and I even broke my mouse after having been transferred to the eleventh person. By the end, I had talked to a total of seventeen people until the savior, Chris, appeared. He did in fifteen minutes what sixteen people couldn't do in four hours...)
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