When Terra sat down normally, it required her to spread out her wings so, as she fell to the ground, her wings automatically shot out and Vahn wasn't able to step forward to grab her. The only thing he got for his trouble was Terra's wing clipping into his shin, causing an unexpectedly intense amount of pain to shoot up his leg. Vahn drew in a breath of cold air through his teeth and asked, "Are you okay?" as he resisted the urge to bend down and rub his shin. Terra's wings pressed against the ground like she was trying to lift herself up as she showed an apologetic smile and said, "Sorry, Master, I think your massage may have been a little too effective...I can't put any strength into my legs~."
Vahn smiled wryly as he walked around Terra's wing and helped her try to stand back up. Her body weighed around 170kg, so she was quite a bit heavier than most girls, though she still felt strangely light to Vahn. His strength would allow him to lift several hundred kilograms with relative ease, so other than a strange incongruity, he didn't have any trouble helping her stand. However, this didn't mean Terra was able to stay standing without support and her legs wobbled greatly as she tried to support herself by clinging to Vahn's shoulders.
Terra was still naked, so it was a little risque to have her leaning against him like this. Vahn looked over her body and pressed his fingers into some of the pressure points around her thighs to stir the nerves awake. He realized that, though she didn't have much of a reaction to his earlier touching, her resistance incited him to relax her muscles a little too much. Though it was a bit awkward, this was important information since it would enable him to make proper preparations in the future. Terra seemed apologetic as well, which made Vahn feel guilty since he should have held back and taken her state into consideration beforehand...
After releasing a sigh, Vahn looked toward the waiting area and saw that the only two waiting for him were Chloe and Shizune. Vahn frowned slightly because he was worried Shizune would act up if they were alone in the same room during a massage. As for Chloe, he was certain he could 'pacify' her when he returned so Vahn said, "Put on your robe, Terra, I'll carry you to the garden..." Though she had her own room, Terra spent the majority of her time within the garden, even when the mornings got a little cold. Vahn had rarely seen her actually sleep in her bedroom and she seemed a little uncomfortable in her human form during the few time she rested. He knew that she preferred to sleep in her dragon form because her wings didn't get in the way as much...
Terra showed a grateful smile and lifted her body a bit as an elegant robe appeared out of thin air, hugging around her body perfectly. Vahn turned his back to her and allowed Terra to climb onto his back, albeit with a bit of awkwardness that required Vahn to lean forward to pick up her legs. Terra was somewhat tall so her head peeked above his a bit when she was on his back, though this didn't stop her from leaning forward and whispering, "Master is very strong~." into his ear. Her tail also dangled down towards the ground and tapped against the floor as Vahn walked out of the salon under the 'curious' gazes of Chloe and Shizune.
Chloe tilted her head to the side and said, "Nya~? Did you get carried away, Vahn~?" with a playful glimmer in her eyes. Vahn released a long sigh and said, "Terra's physiology is distinctly different from the norm so I made a few mistakes trying to find the best way to massage her. I'll try to avoid this type of situation in the future...sorry, Chloe, Shizune. If you'd like, why not come to the garden with me and we'll have some tea and a light meal?" When she had realized Vahn was likely done with his salon duties, for the time being, Shizune's ears had flopped down a bit in dejection. However, hearing his words, her fluffy fox ears perked back up because she knew this was a good opportunity for her to 'monopolize' Vahn for a little while.
Vahn jumped over the back wall of the onsen carrying Terra while Chloe did the same after picking up Shizune. The latter was still far too weak to jump over the 10m tall wall so she had to rely on Chloe's assistance unless she wanted to walk around. Vahn would have carried her himself, but Terra's body was a bit awkward to support and her wings even spread slightly during their descent, slowing his fall by a marginal amount. This was a little interesting because Vahn could imagine Terra being able to fly around carrying him, even when she was in her human form. Of course, there were no benefits provided and it was decidedly more comfortable for them both when she was in her dragon form.
After a few short minutes of walking, the ended up in the secret garden and Vahn helped Terra sit comfortably on the ground before setting out a small picnic blanket for Chloe and Shizune. Terra preferred to be in direct contact with the earth but Vahn didn't want insects and stuff to get into their food so he set out a blanket for everyone else. As he somewhat expected to happen, Shizune asked in a slightly 'sad' tone, "Can I sit with you?" Vahn, however, shook his head and patted both his thighs, saying, "I know Chloe likes to be pampered as well, so the two of you can use my lap as a pillow and I'll feed you snacks..."
Though Vahn still spent a fair amount of time with Chloe, he never really felt like it was enough and he missed the times when he would spoil her for an hour or two at the Hostess of Fertility. She was a very intuitive girl so Chloe immediately realized what he was thinking and laughed in a mischevious manner before crawling over and resting her head against his lap. Shizune had a 'defeated' expression for a brief moment but inevitably decided that a lap pillow and pampering from Vahn was better than nothing. She laid her head on his lap as well and her ears touched Chloe's, causing both girls' ears to flicker about a few times, much to Vahn's amusement.
Shizune seemed a little annoyed at first but, after seeing how quickly Chloe 'adapted' to being pampered by Vahn, she eventually started acting lazy and spoiled as well. Terra watched their interaction with slightly squinted eyes but didn't interrupt since she knew her earlier actions had taken their salon time away with Vahn. After experiencing it herself, Terra knew how exciting such moments could be and she knew that, if someone were to take away the time she wanted to spend with Vahn, it would cause her to feel upset. Knowing that 'selfishness' was one of the things that troubled Vahn the most, Terra just made polite conversation with the two girls while slowly recovering the use of her legs...
After having a 'garden party' for around two hours, things were brought to a relatively abrupt conclusion when Riveria showed up at the garden, having returned from the Dungeon. She saw Vahn tickling under Chloe's chin while feeding a thin cracker to Shizune and blanked for a moment before speaking out and explaining that almost everyone had returned already. The only exceptions were Ais, Haruhime, and Mikoto, though they weren't really worried considering the composition of girls. Mikoto was still a bit weaker than many of the girls, but her strength had been increasing rapidly as she slowly polished her [Flying Heavenly Sword Scroll] techniques. As for Ais and Haruhime, they were somewhat monstrous in their capabilities so there shouldn't be any problems whatsoever.
Because he had offered to provide salon services when the girls returned from the Dungeon, essentially an extension of his earlier actions, Vahn returned to the Manor to greet everyone before spending the remaining time before dinner tending to the girls. His long garden party had caused Shizune and Chloe to 'forfeit' their own slots, as being pampered for two hours was also quite nice, so Vahn ended up tending to Fenrir, Lili, Naaza, Lunoire, Tiona, and Tione. Fenrir seemed to be very fond of Vahn 'exploring' her body now and, instead of a normal massage, had somewhat proactively guided his actions and played around on the table. As for the other girls, they were 'relatively' well-behaved and things had developed normally, excluding the fact that Vahn spent a fair amount of time massaging Tiona's and Tione's beautiful brown legs and thighs...
Though they were a bit late, barely in time for dinner, Ais, Haruhime, and Mikoto had finally shown back up, explaining that they actually encountered a powerful variant Minotaur on the 17th Floor. It had spawned with a large Monster Party and, because Mikoto had wanted to test her capabilities against the horde, Ais and Haruhime watched over her from the side. The fight had gone on for more than an hour, but Mikoto managed to come out ahead without suffering too much damage because her combat style was highly reactive and based on counters. With her A-Rank katana, she didn't have any trouble penetrating the defenses of the monsters at all, but their numbers had been a little overwhelming.
Mikoto had indeed gotten much stronger, but her foundation was a little weak because she had simply increased her Level too early in the past. Fortunately, the techniques she was currently learning would allow her to overcome this disparity and Mikoto would one day be one of the most terrifyingly skilled swordswomen in the entire world. Vahn expected that her 'natural limit' would be around Level 6 or 7, but her strength would likely make her a match for people much stronger than she was. It was hard to imagine how powerful people would be from Levels 8-10, but it was very possible Mikoto would be able to defeat them unless they had the means to mitigate the terrifying 'Godspeed' attacks she would possess...
During the evening, Vahn kept his promise and spent the night with the somewhat unique combination of Hestia, Milan, and Chloe. Things were a bit 'tense' at first, but Milan had a lot of appreciation for what Hestia had done for her and Tina, so she had opened up after Vahn had guided the situation forward. 'Handling' three girls, especially when one of them was Hestia, who lacked in the stamina department, was very easy for Vahn and this meant he had a lot of time to cuddle with them after the fact. It was strange to consider, but Vahn found himself becoming increasingly fond of just being with the girls instead of having sex all the time. The girls seemed to enjoy it as well, seeing as how they snuggled up close to him and just talked for a while before eventually going to sleep with the warmth of each other's bodies bringing them comfort.
---
Vahn awoke early the next morning and once again checked Eva's orb to see that it hadn't shown any other signs of change. He released a slightly melancholic sigh before storing it away and kissing the drowsy Hestia and leaving the room with Milan and Chloe to go take a quick bath before heading to the morning training. Vahn would be heading into the Dungeon with Chloe and Shizune today, while Milan would just be training with her daughter so that she could get used to the sudden increase in her parameters. Tina was also in a bit of a tense state after the massage fiasco that happened previously and, when Vahn finally showed up for the morning training, she gave him a bit of a stink eye from the distance with a light blush on her face.
Though he wanted to forge something for her later, Vahn looked through his shop for accessories that might be suitable for her before a sudden thought crossed his mind and he looked toward Milan. He had actually promised both girls he would give them ribbons at some point but had never gotten around to it because it was a little awkward at the time. Now wasn't exactly the best opportunity either, but Vahn felt like such things should be taken care of early on and decided to trust his instinct on the matter. He remembered that Tina wanted one that was similar to her mother's so he picked out two matching red ribbons before taking a deep breath and walking over.
Tina had been casting glances at Vahn periodically so she had noticed when he was approaching almost immediately. A small frown appeared on her face because she didn't know how to react around Vahn right now and it made her little heart beat faster than a rabbit's as he stepped closer toward them. As for Milan, she had a gentle smile on her face and brought their warmup exercises to a close out of curiosity for what Vahn was up to. When he was near enough, Milan asked, "Is there something, Vahn~?" with a fair amount of teasing contained in her voice as she eyed her daughter.
Vahn nodded his head and smiled before saying, "I promised to give these to you in the past, but I had never gotten around to it because of the circumstances. It may be a little late, but please accept these ribbons..." Not just Tina's, but Milan's eyes widened a fair amount as they eyed the ribbons that Vahn had pulled out of thin air. Milan felt a bit of warmth spread through her chest, but there was also a fair amount of anxiety rising up inside of her as she looked toward Tina. Her daughter was beginning to fidget slightly and Milan knew that, though Vahn would still require her to wait until she was older, this almost confirmed that they would eventually be together. She had already accepted this, on several occasions at this point, but Milan still felt worried for the future since it was a somewhat abnormal situation...
After releasing a sigh, Milan recovered a bit faster than Tina and said, "Thank you, Vahn..." as she turned around and perked up her tail a bit. During the day they had become one with each other, Milan had already decided to let the future play out naturally and react to the situation as it transpired. She still had a few years to be with Vahn on her own terms, so worrying about it too much this early on would just stress her out. There were many girls on the network she could seek guidance from, including several wise goddesses, so Milan decided that would be the course of action she took. She simply didn't have it in her to refuse the ribbon from Vahn because it made her feel like a young girl that had just fallen in love once again.
Vahn firmly tied the red ribbon around Milan's tail while Tina watched from the side with a beet-red face and a deeply frustrated frown. She felt both happy and terrified at the same time, though she wasn't really sure why herself. Tina felt it would have been 'better' if Vahn gave her the ribbon when she wasn't 'angry' with him because his current actions were a little 'unfair' to her. The happiness inside of her heart greatly overwhelmed her other emotions, but the frustration she felt wasn't that far behind it and she had an urge to beat him up for being a 'bully'. However, when Vahn finished tying the ribbon on her mother, Tina agitatedly turned around and perked up her own tail with a greatly frustrated as she 'refused' to smile...
It felt a little worrying to have to bend down and tie a ribbon around a young girl's tail, especially considering the implications behind his actions. For Cat People, having a ribbon tied to their tail was an act that was generally only appropriate for lovers, or those that shared a promise with each other. By giving Tina a ribbon right now, Vahn was essentially affirming their promise for the future and Tina would probably think about it quite often from now on. Just like when he had gifted ribbons to Chloe and Arnya in the past, Vahn would get affection from both girls even when he wasn't around them because they would often catch sight of the ribbon and be reminded of him. It was a very personal thing to gift a young girl and Vahn could understand Tina's frustrations and her chaotic aura that gravitated toward him like it was trying to 'burn' him.
When he finished tying the ribbon around Tina's tail, she looked back at it and flicked her tail a few times with a clearly happy expression on her face before showing a deep frown once again after seeing Vahn's face. As if she had no other way to express herself, Tina balled up her fists and beat against Vahn's chest for a few seconds with a "Nyuuuuuuuuuuu~!" sound before running off without saying a word. Milan laughed with her hand against her cheek before muttering, "You've really done it now, Vahn...don't worry, I'll go console her. Once she calms down, things will return to normal. Well, as normal as they can be considering the situation...nyafuuu~." Though they had drawn a great deal of attention after Tina's loud outburst, Milan stepped forward and gave Vahn a short embrace and a kiss before following after her daughter.
Almost immediately after she left, Chloe had appeared at Vahn's side and asked, "You really gave Tina a ribbon so soon~nya? That is a very bold move to make, Vahn~!" Vahn released a small sigh and said, "Though I'd like for her to open her heart to someone else, I don't think Tina will give up after having found her resolve. This was one of the things I had been worried about when we discussed the Divination...but, I won't let her down if that is the path she chose. Sorry for being like this, Chloe..." Chloe, by all rights, was one of the girls Vahn had the highest chances of being with before this 'unique' situation had occurred. He knew she was okay with how things had turned out, but he still felt a little apologetic at this moment.
Chloe laughed and squinted her eyes a little as she rubbed around his shoulder, clearly indicating that she had already found her own resolve in the past. Though it didn't hurt at all, Vahn could feel a phantom sensation on his neck where Chloe had bitten him in the past, a permanant reminder of the mutual affections they shared. She also always wore the blue ribbon he had given her in the past, much like Aki and Arnya wore ribbons of their own...
After things had calmed down a bit, Vahn talked with Chloe and Shizune about what they would be doing in the Dungeon today before the three of them ate a light breakfast together. After his mild admonishment in the past, Shizune now wore a thin cloth that covered her chest and was bound together by cords that wrapped around her neck and back. This left her back itself completely exposed so, after they had eaten, Vahn checked her Status Board so he would have a clear understanding of her progress when they returned. As for Chloe, she watched from the side with an intrigued expression, unable to make any sense of the hieroglyphs that had appeared on Shizune's back...
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[[STATUS]]
Name: Shizune Yuel
Race: Kitsune
LV. 1
POW: I15->I17
END: I13->I14
DEX: I24->I26
AGI: I33->I36
MAG: I14->I15
Skill: [Tamomo: Innate(sealed)], [Featherfoot:I]
Magic: [Moon's Prayer: Innate(sealed)]
Development Skill: [Abnormal Resistance(sealed)], [Insomnia(sealed)]
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Dragon Rider...','Tina's Frustrations','Shizune's Journey Begins...')
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Once they had finished their breakfast, Vahn headed toward the Dungeon with Chloe and Shizune, allowing Chloe to cling to his left arm while he held Shizune's hand like a child. She was still rather small, around 121cm, so Vahn escorted her like a little lady as Chloe playfully stuck to his left arm. Much like yesterday, Vahn was walking around in a transformed state but this time he had taken on a form that was easily recognized by many people, his 'white tiger' form. Nobody really knew the name Báihǔ within the City, so the rumors regarding his transformation simply described it as a 'Beastification', similar to a Weretiger but with white fur.
As expected, Vahn drew a lot of attention while a few people were more focused on Chloe and Shizune than Vahn himself. Chloe's identity as 'Black Cat' was unknown, but they had to make some concessions with the Guild to register all of the girls with ties to the underworld properly. Though it had faded into obscurity, as it was known to be related to 'false allegations', there were still a few people that would try to claim the bounty on Ryuu's head if they knew who she was. As for Arnya, Lunoire, and Chloe herself, they also had former reputations and had now assumed different identities, though Arnya's spear kind of gave her away for those that knew of her past actions. Even if it became a point of contention in the future, there were few people that would actually try to inflate the issue because the power of the Alliance was simply too strong.
The Guild had the most power within the City, as they were the organization that managed the Familias, controlled access to the Dungeon, and had a monopoly on monster core distribution. However, this didn't mean there wasn't a governing body that ruled over Orario and passed laws, regulated businesses, and managed things like taxation and property rights. There was a Governor, though Vahn had never met him, and several other people with various political positions that tried to wrest power from the Guild every now and then. They were the most likely candidates to stir up trouble, but there were few ways they could pressure large Familia since public opinion often favored the Familia over politicians that were known to be somewhat corrupt.
There wasn't anything like an electoral system within Orario, so most positions were things that had been arbitrarily created when the City first came into being and many were inherited. This made it so that, even though they were technically the people that passed laws, the politicians within Orario, including the Governor himself, had very little actual power. Without making compromises with the Guild, negotiating with the large Familias, and paying concessions to criminal organizations, they had almost no authority. However, this didn't mean they wouldn't just at the opportunity to try and tarnish the reputation of the Hestia Familia if they had the chance, and they were the primary perpetrators behind Vahn's own reputation being in the dumps at times...
After reaching the 1st Floor, Vahn looked over his shoulder cautiously and scanned the area before leading Chloe and Shizune into the interior of the Floor. Though it had been for a brief moment, Vahn had detected a large amount of hostility directed at him that had even been picked up by Chloe as her smiling face had become somewhat serious, even without her expression changing much. They had already discussed the possibility of their enemies taking action against him as he built up a pattern for them to follow, and it seemed like it would be sooner than expected.
Shizune hadn't sensed anything awry, however, and was just looking around the Dungeon with a curious expression on her face as her aura started to flicker somewhat chaotically. She had heard many rumors about the Dungeon and the dangers contained within, but it didn't seem nearly as scary as she expected. Shizune was more excited about the opportunity to grow stronger than she was genuinely worried about dying or suffering grievous injuries. Though she wasn't complacent at all, as experiencing pain was never pleasant, Shizune was confident that Vahn and Chloe would watch over her. She knew well how expensive her own equipment was so offering any complaints seemed petty and inconsiderate considering the difficulties other people would have to face when they first enter the Dungeon.
After progressing through the Beginning Road, Vahn brought their progress to a stop and freed himself from Shizune's somewhat clammy and worriedly small hand. She was even smaller than Tina, though her mental and chronological age made her much older, so Vahn couldn't help but worry a bit. Fortunately, he had watched over Liliruca and Tina in the past, so he knew his concerns weren't that necessary and that Shizune would be fine if she did her best. Reaching out his hand, he pat the 'mature' little girl on the head and said, "From here onwards, you'll be leading the way at your own pace. Make sure to consider your actions seriously and do your best to overcome difficulties without relying on our assistance. I will heal you if you suffer injuries, but don't expect me to step in unless you are in great danger..."
Shizune squinted her eyes slightly, enjoying the warmth of Vahn's hand, before asking, "How many enemies did Tina manage to kill~?" Though the difference in their 'age' was great, Shizune still considered Tina her 'older' sister and closest rival. They had very similar physical ages, sizes, and starting points. She was confident in being able to outgrow Tina if they trained at the same pace, but Shizune knew that Tina actually trained much harder than she did. Because of the difference in the amount of time they had lived, Shizune had a slightly jaded mentality compared to the earnest young cat girl and believed that doing things 'efficiently' and thinking ahead was better than working hard and following instincts...
Vahn briefly thought about inflating the number to urge Shizune to try hard, but he didn't like lying to people just to achieve results. After considering the matter, Vahn said, "She managed to kill twenty-eight Goblins, including a group of four..." Shizune nodded her head, knowing that Vahn's words were the truth because she had already heard about it from Tina herself. She was curious if Vahn was going to try and rile her up, but it seemed like he had confidence that she would do her best regardless. This made Shizune feel a little more relaxed and she smiled, saying, "I'm not sure I'd be able to fight four at once, but I think I'll be able to defeat more than twenty-eight before we return. I heard you gave Tina a massage for her efforts, so please take care of me properly if I work hard~." Though it was nice to be pampered by Vahn during their picnic, Shizune wanted a more 'meaningful' reward from Vahn.
Though he knew she was probably going to be a bit mischevious, Vahn nodded his head and said, "Sure, but you'll have to behave properly and I'll also have Milan and Chloe there to accompany you. I made a few mistakes yesterday, so having people watch the process will allow me to make more sensible decisions." Shizune looked like her brain had stopped working for a moment while Chloe began laughing cheerfully while holding her stomach. Everyone that interacted with Shizune closely knew that, though she had made great strides in her progress, she still 'struggled' whenever she was around Vahn. Even yesterday, though Shizune might have wanted to be alone with Vahn, Chloe would have never allowed it from the start...
---
Shizune had a somewhat dark and serious expression as she took soundless steps toward an unsuspecting Goblin. She had been studying assassination techniques with Chloe and was more fond of the idea that enemies could be killed without exposing oneself to danger. Though she would undoubtedly have to fight large numbers of enemies at once, one of the reasons she wanted to greatly increase her speed, Shizune still wanted to polish her ability to kill unseen. She already had the [Featherfoot] ability, but she was trying to awaken the [Stealth] skill by silently stalking her enemies. There was also an urge to 'vent' that had appeared in her body from earlier and she felt like the Goblin needed to pay the price for her own frustrations.
After approaching within five meters of the Goblin, it began to turn around and inspect the area as Shizune pressed herself low to the ground near a small rock. Though she had skin exposed in some places, her entire outfit, including her kimono, was a matte black in color and Shizune was trying to 'will' herself to be invisible. Fortunately, Goblins didn't have the best senses and their ability to see in the dark wasn't that great. After smelling around for a bit, the Goblin started walking off which prompted Shizune to step forward with quick, nearly silent, steps as she stabbed her dagger, [Moonshadow], into its back. Much like Tina, she tried to focus on precise strike but had easily managed to hit the monster core with her sneak attack.
The Goblin turned into dust in an instant and Shizune didn't get a speck of blood on her at all, also managing to preserve the majority of her stamina since she fought indirectly. This was already her seventh Goblin but she didn't feel like she had vented nearly enough. After releasing a sigh, she picked up the monster core and carried it over to Vahn in exchange for a few head pats from him. It made her feel a little frustrated knowing how childish her actions seemed, but the warm energy coming from his hand and the way he stroked her head and ears was strangely addictive. Shizune had vehemently disliked having her ears touched by men in the past, because they were often very aggressive and sometimes teased her cruelly, but Vahn always showed a lot of care in his caress. When he would inevitably pull his hand away, it always made her feel like the moment was very short and her urge to 'vent' on monsters became progressively stronger.
Vahn watched Shizune fighting from the side with Chloe, using a thin membrane of air to prevent their voices from traveling. Chloe had been explaining the type of training she had been doing with Shizune, including her assassination training. Since he had already noticed how Shizune was drawn to such methods, Vahn wasn't too surprised and, as long as she didn't actually want to become a 'child' assassin, he didn't have any problems with it at all. Chloe had also been worried about Shizune's nature and had said, "I think she wants to track down her previous 'owners' and kill them with her own hands...even though her body has changed, Shizune can't seem to let go of the past so easily. The happier she becomes, the more she wants to 'erase' the past completely..."
Not just Chloe, but even Vahn could understand Shizune's desire for vengeance as he couldn't even imagine being able to easily move on from that kind of treatment. Knowing that the people who caused him harm were still out and about, potentially harming other people, would make him want to seek vengeance as well. If not for the fact he was in a completely different world, Vahn couldn't deny there was a possibility he would have sought vengeance against the 'scientists' and 'doctors' that had experimented on him. It was a way of 'taking back' power from the people that had hurt you and he would have wanted to 'prove' to others that he had more value than something that was decided by others. As someone who was literally exchanged for currency, Shizune most likely felt a similar urge and Vahn couldn't blame her for it at all.
After thinking over the matter, Vahn asked, "Have you been able to find out who they were?" Chloe's expression became serious but she shook her head and explained, "Once she had been purchased and shipped to Orario, the trail had gone completely cold. Other than the name of the handler she had been purchased from, I haven't been able to find out anything. Without tracking him down and tracing the source back from one individual to the next, there isn't any way to find out who Shizune wants to kill unless she tells us. I've tried talking to her about it, but she has been tight-lipped so far..."
The fact that Shizune was keeping the matter under wraps was pretty much a clear indication that she wanted to take care of the problem herself. Though Vahn didn't expect that she would outright leave the Manor in the future, there was a fair chance she would hunt the men down if she got the chance. He would likely travel around himself and, when he went to the Far East, she would undoubtedly want to come along. Vahn worried about Shizune and would want her to avoid that kind of path, but he also didn't really have the right to stop her from doing so. What people decided to do with the power they obtained was entirely up to them, so the most he could do was try to guide her onto a better path. At the very least, he would have to make sure she kept her vengeance tied to the people that had harmed her instead of targetting the innocent.
As if she could understand his thoughts, Chloe nodded her head and said, "Don't worry, I think she will mellow out with time and there is little chance she would leave the Hearth Manor any time soon. There are too many things she has attachments to and this place really has become the closest thing to a home she has ever known. It likely wouldn't even be for several years and, even then, only when things had calmed down or the opportunity presented itself. Other than myself, there are several people looking after her so you just need to keep being the 'light' so she doesn't stray too far away..."
Chloe knew that the greatest reason many people had for wandering into the darkness was that they had lost direction in their lives. As long as she had a stable environment, Shizune would likely never actually go through with her plans to seek vengeance at all. She would be too worried about the people she was leaving behind, especially the voices of guidance and reason she had come to rely on. Vahn nodded his head with a serious expression and followed behind Shizune silently, making sure she never left his sight and wandered off on her own...
---
Almost as if decreed by fate, Shizune ended up coming across a room that had a total of four Gobline present. She had originally intended to avoid the confrontation but, after imagining Tina coming out ahead in such a situation, Shizune found it very difficult to take a step back. She didn't really consider herself to be a competitive person but, imagining a girl that was younger than her possessing more conviction, made Shizune feel anxious and a bit frustrated. After thinking for several minutes, she eventually unsheathed her black dagger and psyched herself up by saying, ("The only way to experience true growth it to willingly face your limits and overcome them.."). These were words that had been repeated often during their lessons, but Shizune specifically recalled hearing them from a confident Vahn and she had replayed the scene in her mind several times in the past few months.
For several long minutes after she decided to fight, Shizune waited in absolute silence with her dagger at the ready. She used the cover of the corridor itself to obscure her body and was paying attention to the paths and actions of the four Goblins that 'communicated' to each other with guttural sounds and ticks. They weren't actually intelligent, at least not by common standards, but they had a rudimentary form of communication when they weren't in combat. Eventually, two of the Goblins seemed to find the room less interesting and started to wander toward one of the connecting corridors in search of 'prey'. Shizune used this as an opportunity to stalk forward because the other two Goblins had been watching the departure, almost like they were seeing off their companions.
Shizune moved around to the flank of the closest Goblin, well outside of its peripheral vision, before running low inside its blind spot. She didn't have confidence in being able to hit the monster core without immediately alerting the other Goblins so she instead targetted the neck and jumped forward to nearly severe the monster's head from its body as she rolled across the ground and dashed to the next Goblin. It had been alerted to her presence and released a loud cry that caused the two departing Goblins to come running back from the corridor they had entered. Shizune pulled out her second curved dagger, and dual-wielded as she swung forward at a low angle at the Goblin's stomach.
Mindless as it may be, the Goblin wasn't going to simply take the dagger to its gut without trying to evade so it jumped back and arched its body to avoid the swipe. Unfortunately, Shizune had twisted her body and dragged the curved dagger toward its exposed head in the same motion, cutting through its ocular cavity and completely blinding the Goblin. The other two ran towards her, but Shizune used the flailing Goblin as cover and kept it between her and the two assailants. Unable to see, the blinded monster swung out at its surroundings and this made it difficult for the other two to attack since they were 'programmed' not to harm each other.
Shizune used the opportunity when one of the Goblins tried to move around its companion to throw one of her needles into its soft stomach, causing it to release a shrill shriek and mindlessly try to charge at her. This allowed Shizune to fight it in a 1v1 situation by stepping around to its flank away from the final uninjured Goblin. At this point, Shizune was already breathing a little heavily but she kept her focus and sheathed her dagger as she backstepped, reaching into her small pouch immediately afterward. Finding the familia orb she was looking for, Shizune tossed it forward into the screaming face of the Goblin and a small explosion of dust and smoke erupted in its face. It was a simple tool called a [Blinding Ball] that had small particulates that acted as a powerful irritant. On contact, exposed skin would become itchy, eyes would be blinded, and it could even cause weaker monsters to spasm just by breathing it in.
After taking a direct hit to the face, the Goblin breathed in a large volume of the small dust-like irritants and wailed loudly as it tried to rub away the particulates from its eyes, only causing further damage. Shizune waited for the dust to settle, as she didn't currently have the [Abnormal Resistance] Development Ability yet, before moving forward and stabbing the Goblin in the center of its chest after unsheathing her [Moonshadow] once again. She knew that the growth of the weapon depended on how she used it, so Shizune made sure to deal the final blows with her growth weapon whenever possible.
With the second Goblin dead, the one she had previously blinded continued to thrash about while it looked as though the final uninjured one was considering fleeing. Shizune watched it from the 'safety' provided by the blinded Goblin before moving forward in a swift motion when it had turned its back to her. She had used a few seconds to catch her breath and killed the third Goblin before moving toward the 'fleeing' final Goblin. Realizing it couldn't escape, it tried to turn around toward her and attack, but Shizune jumped forward with the greatest momentum she could manage and tried to keep to the back of the Goblin as it turned. It tried to turn to match her, but Shizune spun around and used their counter-motions to 'slam' both of her daggers into the Goblin's torso before it was able to actually face her.
Though the attack hadn't hit its core, the severe trauma experienced by the Goblin caused its body to turn into dust as the monster core fell to the ground at almost the same time as the exhausted Shizune. Fortunately, instead of the cold and dirty ground, Shizune found her body landing in a warm embrace that made her laugh awkwardly and say, "I have a little more respect for Tina now..." Vahn also laughed as he cradled her body and pressed his palm directly around her stomach to replenish her energy and help regulate her labored breathing. Thus far, Shizune had only killed 19 Goblins and there was still plenty of time left for her to continue onward. However, she surprised him a bit when she grabbed the sleeve of his tunic and said, "I'm not in a hurry to get stronger... let's go home, I'm tired."
---
(A/N: Some people have worried about how 'weak' Tina and Shizune are and how their stamina drains so quickly even against relatively weak monsters. To put it in perspective, an average adult would 'normalize' their parameters around 100 Power, Endurance, Agility, and Dexterity even without killing a lot of monsters. Since they are still very young, Tina and Shizune are fighting opponents that are marginally stronger than themselves while pushing themselves to their limits with their relatively lower parameters. This means that Tina actually achieved the 'base' parameters of a weak Level 1 Adult after a single day of fighting while Shizune actually has a bit of difficulty as a result of the damage to her soul. It hasn't bee that long since she used the [Virgin's Promise], after all. After a few weeks in the Dungeon, this type of thing wouldn't happen anymore and they would have 'superhuman' levels of stamina with the increase in their Endurance. If you think moving around in combat isn't that draining, you are in denial xD...Even boxers only have rounds that last 3 minutes long.)
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Animosity','The Right to Vengeance...','Lacking Stamina...')
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