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34.71% Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos / Chapter 816: Artificial Dungeon

Chapter 816: Artificial Dungeon

After gathering with Finn, Gareth, Haruhime, and Shakti, Vahn laid out his plans to delve deeper into the Dungeon while also ensuring their path of 'retreat' wouldn't be cut off. Since Enyo's forces seemed to rely on chemical and biological attacks, Vahn did a few rolls using the gacha system to try and find a suitable item to defend against that type of warfare. From this, he received a [Purification Stone], which had the appearance of a blue crystal the size of an infant. When planted into the ground, or powered by a formation, it emitted a hemispherical aura that could completely repel the majority of poisons, toxins, and miasma.

They had variable prices, ranging between six-hundred and ten-million Origin Points, but Vahn only purchased a few of the 100,000OP stones to protect Lil Geirr. He also gave an interspatial ring to Gareth and entrusted him with sending someone to station themselves at Rivira on the 18th Floor. Though Vahn had been tempted to send Fafnir there to watch over the settlement, it was far more beneficial to have it lurking around in the shadows of the Artificial Dungeon. Since sealing off the main Dungeon would also cut off Enyo's means to attach to the surface, the only other route would be through the Artificial Dungeon. Since Fafnir could inform him of the moment such an attack occurred, it was better for it to remain near the Freya Familia for the time being...

Other than the [Purification Stone]s, Vahn spent a bit of time performing maintenance on the various wards that had been set up around Lil Geirr while also taking the opportunity to investigate if anyone had been trying to use the settlement for their advantage. He wasn't even remotely surprised by the fact that there had been a hidden pathway carved through the plateau that was serving as a throughway for smuggled goods. Those associated were tried in accordance with the laws that had been established, resulting in a group of twenty-three people being blacklisted from Lil Geirr.

This left them kicked out of the encampment with only enough supplies to reach the surface of the Dungeon, even though many of them lacked the strength to do so. If they wanted to make it up safely, they would need to survive in the surrounding woods for a few months before one of the return expeditions was held. Since their supplies wouldn't last nearly long enough, these people that wanted to exploit a system that was fundamentally designed to help people would have to hunt monsters and bide their time. There was also a system that would allow them to trade magic cores and drop items for additional supplies, but the conversion wasn't very favorable to them since they had earned the ire of the entire encampment.

At the same time, in preparation for the expedition down to the 50th Floor, Vahn continued his investigation into the bodies, equipment, and intentions of every attending member. By the time he was finished, he had removed more than a hundred people off of the expedition and exchanged them with volunteers residing within Lil Geirr. It was also during this investigation that Vahn was able to confirm that, unless they had a means of hiding that were beyond his perception, the 'feeling' he had been having wasn't related to anyone within the expedition. This meant it was the fact the expedition was taking place at all which was the source of his instincts triggering...

Since they had been inconvenienced over a three day period, Vahn gave the expedition leave for forty-eight hours so that they could experience some of the interesting aspects of Lil Geirr. As long as they showed up for their patrol duties, everyone had been allowed to use their time as they pleased while Vahn and the girls did much the same. He was spending his recreational time trying to learn how to use the other functions within his system efficiently while also spending time making preparations back on the surface for whatever Enyo would throw at them. At the same time, Vahn was a lot more open about his own wants and desires during the evening hours, even though he spent a fair amount of time just spending time with his children...

Terra, flying over the City at his behest, very quickly found several areas where there were strange creatures laying dormant within the massive and complex sewer system of Orario. She even found that there were several tunnels that seemed to connect into the Dungeon itself, showing that the Artificial Dungeon and Babel weren't the only ways into and out of the Dungeon. This information had caused Vahn to release a heavy sigh before shifting the focus of the Alliance to the purging and sealing of the tunnels beneath Orario. Terra had already dealt with all the strange plant-like monsters, many similar to the Viscum he had encountered near the 24th Floor, so the rest was just busy work to prevent monsters from rising up and attacking at random spots throughout the City.

Upon this relatively major discovery, Vahn had gone with a large group of gods that were associated with the Alliance and directly met with Ouranos. It was very surprising to see the massive seal that the elder god kept maintained but, other than memorizing its structure, Vahn ignored that and got to the point. Since the Guild was supposed to be regulating the various Familia, managing the flow of magic cores within the market, and keeping order within the City, it was a major fiasco that tunnels had been constructed that connected to the Dungeon. Just the fact that the Artificial Dungeon even existed, without any effort on the Guild's part to shut it down was a major red flag that Vahn wanted to be addressed.

Ouranos admitted that the Artificial Dungeon, which was known through the Guild's network as Knossos, had been the ambition of a demigod by the name of Daedelus. Not only was he one of the principal founders of Orario itself, but he had constructed Daedelus Street and Knossos after becoming infatuated with the structure of the Dungeon. Since he made major contributions to the City, and hadn't actually done anything wrong, the Guild had no reason to prevent his ambitious project from coming to fruition.

It wasn't until organizations like Evilus stepped in and claimed Knossos for themselves that it had become an issue that required the focus of the Guild. By that point, though they had the means of confronting the organization themselves, the amount of chaos that would have ensued would have greatly weakened the Guild and potentially brought ruin to the entire City. Other than entrusting the task to other people, the Guild had been 'powerless' to take any meaningful action. As for why Knossos was allowed to continue existing after the fact, it was due to the sheer number of people residing in its structure and the fact that they simply had no reason to destroy something that had been developed by one of the most prolific craftsmen in history...

Though there were 'a lot' of things that Vahn didn't agree with, he was content with the fact that Ouranos officially recognized the Alliance's claim to Knossos since they had already purchased the land containing Daedelus Street. Since Vahn had already brought large reforms to the area, drastically reducing the number of people living underground, Knossos would now become the Alliance's personal back entrance into the Dungeon.

Now, with some additional concessions that Ouranos had agreed to, Vahn had a perfect excuse to begin cleaning out the Artifical Dungeon and purging any criminal organizations residing within. He even humored the idea of turning Knossos into a 'practice dungeon' for the School in the future but, for the time being, just used the map that had been offered up by Ouranos to let Hephaestus and Hestia come up with a design to 'cap' off the Artifical Dungeon. They obviously couldn't build a second Babel Tower but, after negotiating with Penia, the 'ruler' of Daedelus Street, it would be converted into a massive trading center that would act as the central power base of the Alliance in the future...

Before that was possible, however, Knossos needed to be swept clean so Vahn was currently standing in a large clearing where all of the buildings had been leveled. There was a massive set of stairs leading into the earth that served as the primary entrance to Knossos while all of the smaller entrances were being cleared out and sealed off. Freya stood next to him, causing the members of her Familia to give him cold glances that Vahn simply ignored.

Vahn also had Fenrir at his side and the two of them were about to probe into Knossos so he could begin compiling a detailed map of its structure while simultaneously eliminating any threats contained within. They had already found thousands of traps that were built into the Artificial Dungeon's structure, so he had decided to just deal with it directly instead of waiting for results. After all, it didn't matter how many traps he triggered himself and, other than a mild inconvenience, he would be able to circumvent their effects entirely.

With an eager glimmer in her eye, Freya asked in a seductive and 'sad' tone, "Are you really going in...?" Vahn nodded his head, turning to Freya and performing an action that would stun almost anyone that witnessed it. Reaching out with his hand, Vahn began to stroke her silvery hair as he smiled comfortingly and said, "Be a good girl and make sure nothing escapes while I'm inside. Your Familia has the strongest war potential of the Alliance and I trust that your children will be perfectly capable of rounding up anyone that tries to flee..."

Freya had a very lovelorn expression on her face but still moved her head around adorably, seeking out his touch while saying, "I understand..." in a sad tone. Seeing this, Vahn chuckled lightly and said, "Don't worry, you'll be the first to know what I'm finished up here. When I return, let's have a small celebration..." These words cause Freya's eyes to shift into a hazy purple as an expectant smile spread across her face, seemingly brightening up the entire world around her. Vahn felt her charm break powerlessly against the defenses of his mind as Freya nodded her head and said, "I'll prepare an interesting surprise for you when you return, Vahn...ufufufufu~."

Since he already had a good idea of what she intended, Vahn just returned a smile to Freya and said, "I'll look forward to it..." before turning away and stepping into Knossos' entrance. He had already discussed the same details that he had gone over with the other girls so Freya had started selecting members from her own Familia to turn into his retainers. Vahn wouldn't even be surprised if, by the time he returns to the surface, Freya had gathered an elite group of men and women who were waiting to pledge their allegiance towards him. Though the majority would likely be female, Vahn had already discussed it with the girls that he needed male subordinates and retainers as well, being that he couldn't always confide in women if he wanted to be a stable existence. To this, Loki had surprisingly mentioned turning some of the girls into men, and vice-versa, a thought that had sent shivers up Vahn's spine since he immediately recalled his 'experiment' with Tiona from the past...

Shaking that thought from his mind, Vahn transformed into his Baihu form so he could easily see in the dark while Fenrir skulked behind him on high alert. Within his shadow, Fafnir was also present and ready for any sign of an enemy attack while extending his own unique senses to detect hidden threats. Though Vahn's domain had already increased to 1,008m, it didn't mean the would easily be able to process everything that was happening all at once. He had long noticed that, as his domain increased in size, it was much more difficult to focus his perception on any given object contained within.

Though he was 'aware' of everything present, it was like being aware of a candle on the very edge of your periphery vision. Unless you looked at it directly, it would be difficult to describe the fine details of the object. Vahn current domain worked very similarly to this principle and, as it could also be interfered with by physical boundaries, it made his senses somewhat unreliable while in closed corridors. This is why he focused on his other senses to act as a supplement to the perception offered by his domain and, as his Baihu form also enhanced his 'instincts', it was the best possible form for this task.

As a result, Vahn walked forward confidently and used very minimal movements to dodge a series of spears that had shot out from the walls. The entire corridor had been filled with holes to distract from the actual mechanism but Vahn was able to very clearly see which ones held the true dangers. At the same time, he would sometimes bypass the traps entirely just by manipulating Earth Elemental energy to disable them or having Fenrir simply freeze them completely. His main purpose was to compile a map of the maze-like structure of Knossos and he didn't actually want to destroy all the traps since they served the dual purpose of keeping people out while also keeping monsters in...

There weren't many, but Vahn and Fenrir would sense the presence of monsters wandering around Knossos and, after confirming they weren't Xenos, quickly dispatch them. They would also periodically come across sealed rooms where people would be holed up, sometimes totaling more than a hundred laborers that were forced to produce things like drugs and black market goods. The first time Vahn saw such a sight, he had to take a deep breath to maintain his calm before manipulating the walls to create an opening into the sweatshop.

After dealing with the thugs that were watching over the group comprised almost entirely of Pallums, Vahn had Fafnir escort them back to the surface while sending a telepathic message to Preasia requesting her to come and help deal with any psychological trauma the workers may have experienced. She had become especially capable of dealing with troubled minds and, using her Dreamscape as a medium, had managed to help many people recover from their trauma. Though some people were a little bothered by her rather peculiar appearance, as Preasia now had a very dense coat of platinum blond fur covering her body, they quickly opened up to her after she gave them counseling. As a result, Preasia's own fame had been steadily increasing and she was even called a Saintess by those that had received her care and guidance...

Once Fafnir had returned to his side, Vahn had continued deeper into Knossos and wondered what other discoveries he would make by the time he reached the end. Thus far, he had only gone down around three levels and he knew that the complex maze-like structure would extend all the way to the Middle Floors of the Dungeon. As he went deeper and deeper, Vahn had no doubt 'something' would happen to bar his passage...

(A/N: I know the 'punishment' seems rather light, but it wasn't as if they were murdering and raping people within Lil Geirr. Being exiled from the settlement and blacklisted by the most powerful organization in the world are pretty serious consequences to live with xD...)

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Get the fuck out...!','Ouranos, master of doing nothing','Pallum sweatshops (T^T)...')

https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)

paypal.me/Einlion

Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE


Chapter 817: Raid

After spending the better part of twenty hours searching through the first five floors of Knossos, detailing all the areas where it connected to the main Dungeon, Vahn decided to take a break. He pulled out a single-person chair with super thick cushions and plopped down onto it before letting Fenrir curl up in his lap. Fafnir also popped out of his shadow and sat on the armrest so Vahn could pet the both of them while going over the map of Knossos within his mind. There were so many corridors and, much like how the Dungeon itself was structured, Knossos expanded greatly the deeper you went.

He already knew his investigation would take several days but Vahn felt like he would rather be back at the Manor with his children, rather than sitting in these stagnant corridors with their low lighting. Still, he didn't let it weigh that heavily on his mind and only spent about an hour resting before ruffling Fafnir's onyx-black hair and saying, "It's time to continue. We don't want to keep the people that might be kept against their will waiting..." Since they had already liberated nearly three hundred people on just the first day, Vahn suspected there would be even more secrets as he went even deeper.

Fafnir releasing a small yawn, as it currently had the appearance of a very young androgynous version of Vahn, before rolling off the armrest and 'plopping' into the shadows below. Its mastery over [Shadow Walk] had increased greatly and Fafnir could easily move through even a pinhole-sized shadow if it wanted to enter into the strange dimension that existed beneath reality. It was a terrifyingly useful ability as, with a few exceptions, Fafnir was able to move about without any real obstacles.

With Fenrir hopping out of his lap, Vahn stowed away the comfortable chair and stretched his body a little before continuing onwards. He didn't actually require rest, especially with his other body able to recuperate mental energy for both of them, but Vahn wasn't beyond getting a little bored at times. Just like the girls needed to 'recharge' with him, Vahn felt like he needed to at least relax and recharge his own reserves on occasion. Still, he was starting to consider mapping Knossos from the bottom floor up at this point since it would potentially save him a lot of time and effort.

Thinking this might be the best way to proceed, Vahn made his way towards a long shaft that connected to all five floors he had explored thus far. There were chains that were linked to a very complex mechanism at the top of the shaft and continued down into the 'abyss' below. Vahn also noticed there were a few ladders located all around the edges of the shaft but, after making up his mind, bypassed all of it by just jumping down. He didn't fall at a normal pace, however, and instead guided his fall with telekinesis as he inspected the structure of the 30m diameter cylindrical shaft.

It didn't take a genius to realize the shaft was obviously a very complex elevator that should have been beyond the technological limitations of the record. However, if the person was a demigod with an Innate related to engineering and construction like Daedelus, it wasn't beyond expectations to see such a thing. After all, Babel Tower actually had far more complex mechanisms running through it, even though it hadn't been constructed by people and had instead been created in Heaven. Daedelus had likely drawn inspiration from the structure of Babel Tower itself when he was creating this elevator and, given how aged and ancient everything seemed, it was obvious that this elevator shaft had been a core component of Knossos since the very beginning. Even so, everything was still in working order and it didn't seem like it would break down any time soon, showcasing just how brilliant Daedelus had to be to construct such a timeless masterpiece.

After descending nearly two kilometers, Vahn set foot on a massive disc-shaped platform that was filled with numerous crates of supplies, ores, and tools. He had already sensed several nearby auras and activated his [Eyes of Truth] to get a better look at the situation. Almost instantly, Vahn felt the tensions in his body increase slightly and he was compelled to release a small sigh through his nose. Fenrir's hackles had already been raised as well and, feeling a strange 'calm' seize his entire body, Vahn lifted his hand and brought the constituent particles of mana within the wall under his control. He then jerked his hand back, rending a gaping hole in the wall that revealed an area with several dozen people herding monsters into cages. This wouldn't have bothered Vahn that much but the fact that the 'monsters' were crying out and begging for mercy made their true identity very apparent...

By the time the people in the room had reacted to the wall being completely removed, Fenrir had already darted forward like a midnight blue bolt of electricity and began cutting off the arms and legs of the cruel men and women that were present. Fafnir also pulled some of them partially into its shadow dimension and left them screaming for mercy as the shadows continued to encroach upon their bodies. Vahn knew how 'terrifying' the feeling of being swallowed by shadows could be but he didn't mind their cries since it was very obvious they hadn't cared about the 'people' they were harming.

Vahn watched as a man came running out from a side corridor with another group of thugs in tow and began ordering them to try and get the situation under control. He had shaggy black hair and a pair of strange goggles covering his eyes while waving what looked like a shortsword around in a very haphazard manner. His voice was harsh and abrasive when he saw Fenrir, pointing his sword towards her and yelling, "Isn't this the little bitch Xenos that belongs to that arrogant asshole, Va-" Unable to finish his words, the man took evasive action to dodge the spear of ice that would have pinned him to the wall. His speed was actually quite fast but, before he was able to make a second movement, Fenrir was right underneath him with her scarlet eyes blazing.

Though it was impossible to make out his eyes, the gaping mouth and the incredulity of the man's expression showed he hadn't expected things to turn out like this. He tried to swipe forward at a downward angle to cut into Fenrir's flesh but she was much faster than he was, twisting her body and cutting off both of his legs before catching his wrist and continuing her spin as she threw his body into the wall. Spiderweb cracks emerged outward from the central impact point and the man, who was now completely upside down as blood streaked from his mouth. This time Fenrir, very successfully, skewered him with a spear of ice before snorting through her nose and saying, "You aren't allowed to talk about Master..."

Since he was in his Baihu form, Vahn had heard Fenrir's retort and it brought a small smile to his face even as he crushed the larynx of a man who tried to stab one of the Xenos with a spear. Then, tilted his head to the side slightly, Vahn evaded a black bolt fired from a crossbow and caught it out of the air before returning it back to the sender. There was a small Pallum woman with a scar extending from her nose to the left side of her face. She had a completely black aura and a fierce glint in her eyes, at least until she showed an expression of abject shock as she looked down at the hole that now ran completely through where her heart used to be.

Vahn watched her slump to the ground before tossing the corpse in his hand to the side and using [Shundo] to capture a bald man with a beastial tattoo on his face. He had been part of the group that arrived with the goggles-wearing man and, after seeing the latter get devastated by Fenrir, this bald thug quickly tried to turn tail and flee. Vahn sensed that he was one of the stronger people within the group so he cut off the man's retreat, deflected the curved ax that drew a lethal arc towards his neck, and then pulled out a nondescript black spear and impaling the man through the pelvic bone.

He released a guttural sound like a pig being slaughtered before spewing a great deal of saliva as he yelled, "You motherfucker! You bitch! You-" Vahn had moved outside of the range of his spittle and was preparing to incapacitate the next person when he saw the bald man get impaled by a series of ice spikes from behind. Fenrir was a few dozen meters away with deeply furrowed brows, causing Vahn to shake his head slightly and ignore the large bald man. He wasn't dead, but the cold temperature would likely rob him of his life relatively soon if they weren't removed. Though Ice might not appear to be as scary as Fire from the start, this was only because most people never saw how quickly frostbite could set in, turning skin necrotic and gangrenous in mere seconds...

After a few short minutes of absolute chaos, most of the people that had been mistreating the Xenos captives were either horribly maimed or dead. Some had been smart enough to lay down their arms and curl up in a submissive gesture, but this only prevented greater suffering as Fafnir still skewered their legs to prevent them from trying to run during the chaos. Now, there were more than a dozen people with missing limbs that were laying about on the ground, begging for mercy or trying to crawl away to safety. Vahn even saw a rather buxom woman with purple hair hugging her severed leg with a pale expression of disbelief on her face.

Vahn didn't consider himself a cruel person but seeing the state of some of the imprisoned Xenos made it very difficult to care about the wellbeing of the people that had wronged them. He stopped the bleeding of those that were on the brink of death but made no effort to help reattach their severed limbs, at least for the time being. They would be imprisoned back on the surface and, after being interrogated thoroughly, their fates would be decided by the laws of the Alliance. Many would likely end up as criminal slaves while the majority would undoubtedly be executed for their crimes...

Though they had been shocked and scared during the raid, most of the Xenos had become quiet as the combat had started to come to an end. They were very aware of the energy that had coursed through their bodies and healed their wounds and realized that Vahn, Fenrir, and Fafnir weren't there to hurt them. By the time everything had come to an end, all of the Xenos had been completely healed while their captors were left sobbing, crippled, or dead on the ground. Though there were more than a dozen left alive, the number killed was more than triple that, all because of the efforts of the three people standing in the center of the chaos...

Turning to get a proper look at all the captured Xenos, Vahn saw that the majority looked like normal monsters except that the color of their eyes was slightly different. Of the eight present, there was a Kobold, two Goblins, two Almiraj, a Silverback, and two War Shadows. Amongst them, only one had slightly more humanoid characteristics, even though it was somewhat hard to discern. Vahn was interested in all of them but this War Shadow, who had a muscular body and looked almost like a shadowy human, was easily the most eye-catching. He didn't know what determined if a Xenos obtained humanoid traits but figured their intelligence had a good chance of being tied to their appearance.

Extending out his hand, Vahn noticed many of the smaller Xenos twitch in fear but he simply smiled and said, "My name is Vahn Mason...I'm not going to hurt you...please, stay calm and I will free you from your cages soon..." As he was speaking, Vahn moved his hand left and right in a soothing motion that caused petting energy to mix with his calming energy from [Hands of Nirvana]. This 'invasive' energy spooked some of the Xenos but they quickly began to relax as the energy spread through their bodies. Vahn noticed it was especially effective on the Kobold and two Almiraj, something he made a mental note of for future reference.

Though it could cause a small riot, Vahn had Fafnir destroy the locks on the cages and released all of the Xenos from their bindings, turning to the more masculine War Shadow and asking, "Do you have a name...?" This caused the War Shadow, who didn't really have a face and mouth to speak from, to respond back with a wispy voice that seemed to emanate from the glowing red orb in its head, "My name is...Xude...I have heard of you...Vahn Mason..." Though it was very strange to hear the whisper-like voice, Vahn still returned a smile and jokingly mused, "I hope it was good things..."

This caused Xude, the other War Shadow, and the Silverback to laugh along with his 'joke' before Xude's core glowed and it said, "It is rumored amongst the Xenos that you are the Savior that will liberate us from the Dungeon...I never thought I would meet you in person..." Towards the end of 'his' statement, Xude bowed low and, apparently having influence in the group, most of the other Xenos bowed as well. Though he would have felt awkward in the past, the current Vahn was relatively calm as this happened and simply raised his hand, plainly stating, "I appreciate your gratitude, but please do not bow..."

As if this was something 'unacceptable', the Silverback that towered over the rest of the group had a 'solemn' look on its face as, very surprisingly, the voice of a woman sounded out, "You have saved us from a fate worse than a second death...please, allow us to at least do this much." With the completion of 'her' words, the Silverback lowered her head even further, causing Vahn to shake his head and 'ignore' them. Instead, he turned his attention to the only Xenos that wasn't bowing, one of the Almiraj who just sat at the side with red eyes staring directly at him. Vahn felt it had a strange similarity to Bell and followed his urge to squat down and pat the small Xenos' head.

Though the atmosphere became a little strange when the bowing Xenos saw Vahn 'ignore' them, he decided not to care since he had already told them not to mind it. How they expressed their gratitude was up to them and he would rather get the formalities out of the way than have them behave this way. This ended up leading to an interesting discovery as well, so Vahn couldn't help smiling as the small Almiraj released a childish giggle and seemed to become very happy...

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//(Nameless)'s Affection +19, Intrigue +25//

[(Nameless)]: Affection: 69(Trust), Intrigue: 75(Curious)

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(A/N: For those confused, Vahn had never actually confirmed if he could get affection/intrigue from Xenos before now. Before this point, he had always subordinated the monster/xenos beforehand, making this a very important discovery which will be extrapolated upon next chapter (UwU)...)

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Recharging Fluff Capacitors...','Fenrir doesn't tolerate insults to her Master...','Fine, keep bowing then...*proceeds to pet the bunny*')

https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu <-(p.atreon link)

paypal.me/Einlion

Discord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE


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