Though it was a bit earlier than scheduled, Vahn found himself in the underground tunnels that had, in a very short period of time, become the home of the Dwarves and Vulcanae. It was nothing like the complex network of tunnels that Da Vinci's micro-golems had mapped previously. Now, a small city had already started to take shape several hundred meters beneath the island, home to a total of 419 Dwarves and an equal number of Vulcanae.
Vahn had been invited by the Representative of the Dwarves, Gwent, and his partner Vulcanae, Firis, to the christening of their 'great forge', an object that represented the Dwarves intent to make the terrain beneath Avalon a permanant settlement. Previously, they only worked smaller individual forges, assisted in large part by their Vulcanae partners. Now, however, the Great Forge would serve as both the heart of the budding Dwarven community and the primary home of the Vulcanae.
As Fire Elementals, Vulcanae could only propagate in places of intense heat and pressure. Though they had vaguely feminine features, they were completely asexual Spirits who breathed life into the embers of a forge when the concentration of mana was high enough. Due to their Covenant with the Dwarves, they only propagated when a new Dwarf was born, the only exception being when a new 'queen' needed to be born.
This was the event Vahn was to bear witness to as, with the christening of the Great Forge, the new Vulcanae Queen was about to be born into existence. He knew from Merlin that Gwent intended to have the new Queen contract with him, essentially becoming his Partner while also serving to keep the other Vulcanae under control. Since they only listened to their Queen and their Partners, it was a necessary step to avoid 'accidents' like young Vulcanae setting fire to the surrounding forests, as they had an instinctual propensity towards setting things aflame.
After reaching the Dwarven City, Avalon's Hearth, Vahn admired the earthen structures that served as both home and forge to each of the Dwarves within the City. He also got to see a female Dwarf for the first time, another sign that the Dwarves had truly made this place their home. They would never put their womenfolk and young at risk if they didn't believe they were safe from harm. What Vahn a little peculiar was that the adult women all had beards, much like their male counterparts, but the children were all petite and rather adorable.
Though the males began growing beards as early as two years old, the females looked like human children with bronzed skin and slightly stocky features. He knew they would be this way for well over a hundred years, as Dwarves in the Nasuverse weren't considered adults until they were nearing their two-hundredth birthday. Since they had an average lifespan exceeding fifteen-hundred years, this wasn't too much of a surprise.
Along the way to the Great Forge, a massive structure that looked like a fat vase from the outside, each and every Dwarf he passed either bowed or bent the knee. As for their Vulcanae counterparts, they would just laugh mischievously while some of the bolder ones amongst them even came up to circle around him playfully a few times. Since Vahn had an almost ludicrous resistance to fire, their heat didn't bother him in the slightest and, to ease the tensions of their Partners, he even extended his finger to shake hands with a few of them.
Due to his 'friendly' nature, Vahn found himself crowded by a few dozen Vulcanae by the time he reached the Great Forge. However, since almost every Dwarf had been making their way over, this wasn't too much of a problem. Instead, he earned a few appreciative nods from some of the older Dwarves who, seeing how easily he tolerated the flames of the Vulcanae, understood why Gwent had spoken so highly of him. They were all interested to see his skills in the forge for themselves, as it was exceptionally rare for anyone to have skill rivaling even middling Dwarven Blacksmiths.
When the large metallic doors of the Great Forge opened, a powerful wave of pressure and heat escaped, rapidly increasing the surrounding temperature by several tens of degrees. Even this wasn't enough to cause Vahn to sweat and, without any hesitation whatsoever, he made his way into the interior of the Great Forge where several stout figures, few exceeding more than 100cm in height, were waiting.
At the foremost position of the group, Gwent, with his dark-grey beard now bereft of all ornaments, was wearing nothing by a thick smithing apron, dark gloves, thick pants, and sturdy looking boots. He was surrounded by a total of eight figures, six of which were males while two bearded women, possessing arms just as thick as their male counterparts, stood proudly with hammers at the ready.
None of the Elder Dwarves were dressed up as, while they showed propriety when necessary, the Great Forge was a sacred place where such formalities could be considered a great insult to the sanctity of the forge. This was a place for forging and producing masterworks, not for pretentious political discussions and flowery ceremonies. If not for the respect Gwent had for Vahn, he wouldn't even be allowed to enter the Great Forge directly, regardless of whether or not he was an Emperor.
Since Vahn already knew what to expect, he dismissed most formalities outright and simply nodded toward the gathering before smiling as he stated, "Thank you for your invitation. This place...is quite something. Truly impressive..."
Though it might sound like Vahn was just being courteous, the Fire Elemental energy in the air was swirling around him in a perfectly natural way. Even the Vulcanae in the surroundings were tempted to join in, regardless of the silent protests of their Partners. This scene caused the nine Elders to give an appreciative nod toward Vahn while Gwent stroked his beard with and remarked, "You are loved by the flames...it's a shame you weren't born as a Dwarf, grahahahaha...!"
With a few Vulcanae now seated on his head and shoulders, Vahn joined Gwent in laughing, causing the surrounding Fae to laugh alongside him. In truth, without the benefits provided by Akasha upon entering the Root, he wouldn't be able to resist the flames too easily. He no longer had the immunity granted to him by Hephaestus and the Eternal Flame but, as their flames didn't breach the damage threshold of a B-Rank attack, his body completely negated any damage they might have caused...
While the residents of the Dwarven undercity continued to congregate within the Great Forge, Vahn joined Gwent and the other Elders at the mouth of the kiln. The temperature here reached nearly 1500 degrees while, at the centermost region, Vahn could feel temperatures close to 10,000 degrees, nearly five times hotter than coal-forges with an oxygen-rich environment. If not for the Vulcanae, these types of temperatures would be nigh-impossible to reach, at least without burning chemicals and manipulating the flames using a variety of special techniques.
At the very center of the kiln, visible through the large opening, Vahn could see what looked like a pure white egg formed from flames. It was surrounded by several dozen Vulcanae and, after Vahn approached, most of the other Vulcanae in the room swarmed inside to feed their energy into the tiny egg. In the end, there were more than four-hundred Vulcanae dancing and singing around the egg containing their Queen while the most senior among them had their palms directly against the surface.
As the temperature gradually increased, causing the flames near the mouth to exceed 3,000 degrees, the egg finally began to crack. Moments later, a fairy made of violet-white flames emerged from the interior of the egg, fully formed. She was twice the size of the other Vulcanae and even had twice the number of wings folded behind her, much like a damselfly. Given the color of her body, which was a stark contrast to the vibrant oranges and reds of her kin, Vahn assumed she was capable of creating temperatures far hotter than her counterparts.
While the Vulcanae were loudly celebrating the birth of their new Queen, the Fae in question was already staring at Vahn, her eyes burning with a deep amethyst color. Like all Faerie Queens, she had inherited the memories of her subjects so, despite this being the first time she lay witness to Vahn, there was no confusion visible on her flame-wreathed face. Instead, she flicked her eight wings to life before flittering over to the mouth of the kiln, bringing with her a startling heat that caused all but Gwent and Vahn to take a few steps back.
With the 20cm tall Fae only a few centimeters away from him, Vahn extended his hand with a smile on his face as he mused, "It is nice to meet you..." In response to his greeting, the Queen flittered to his palm before sitting down and curling up in a fetal position. Being born was a tiring process so, despite having much to discuss, she would rather get a bit of sleep. Before she closed her eyes completely, however, she looked up at Vahn and asked, "Name...?" in a voice that sounded like an amalgamation of serene sounds pulled from nature.
Vahn found the Faerie Queen's actions rather adorable, despite the fact his sleeve had burned away due to the intense temperature she produced. When he heard her question, his smile turned gentle as he stated in a soft tone, "My name is Vahn...Vahn Aldrnari Mason...from now on, you will be known as Aeterna...Queen of the Vulcanae."
Hearing Vahn's words, Aeterna gave a small nod before stretching her body and yawning in adorably before curling up in his palms and closing her eyes. This made him feel a little helpless as she was supposed to reside within the kiln, not within his palms. He couldn't really carry her around with him, especially if she continued to output such intense heat. Unfortunately, Gwent continued to stroke his beard with an amused smile on his face as he explained, "It isn't uncommon for Vulcanae to spend a few days synchronizing with their Partners. Make sure to care for her well, will ya? If she dies, the fire within the kiln will burn out and it will negatively affect all of our Vulcanae. We're counting on you, Your Majesty."
After hearing Gwent's explanation, Vahn knew that he had been played by Merlin yet again. He could even hear the flowery Magus laughing in the back of his mind, something that annoyed him greatly, despite it just being an auditory hallucination. Fortunately, Gwent gave him an artifact that looked similar in structure to a lantern, albeit encrusted with gold and covered in complex runes. This was known as a 'Faerie Lantern' and, when not residing inside a hearth or kiln, most Vulcanae lived inside of the lantern-like object to conserve their heat and mana.
Vahn placed the sleeping Aeterna inside the lantern which, contrary to its outward appearance, had a much larger interior. It also prevented any leakage of heat, allowing the outside to feel cool to the touch, despite the interior being nearly 5,000 degrees Celsius. Vahn was honestly a little amazed at the craftsmanship of the lantern which, according to Gwent, had been specially prepared for him and the new Queen. He had spent the last five days forging it without rest, putting his heart and soul into its construction as a means to express their gratitude for being given sanctuary beneath Avalon.
Hearing Gwent recount the forging process he used, Vahn couldn't help but smile appreciatively as it was obvious the Elder Dwarf was exceptionally skilled. He might not be one of the great Masters of his people, but his skills were easily comparable to a [Master Smith] back in Danmachi. Vahn felt that he could help Gwent reach greater heights so, during the banquet following the christening of the Great Forge, he proposed having him undergo the Familia Induction Ceremony. This would allow the Elder Dwarf to take on Quests of his choosing, further contributing to the Empire while allowing him to finally reach the standards of other Master Dwarven Blacksmiths.
Gwent had no reason to refuse Vahn's offer and, as he hoped it might serve to strengthen the bond between the Dwarves and the Empire further, he graciously accepted. In exchange, Vahn also gave him the official title of 'Lord of the Undercity' before applying the crest amidst the curious eyes of several hundred Dwarves and Vulcanae. After that, they feasted for several hours until it was finally time for Vahn to return.
---
As much as he enjoyed the lively and festive atmosphere of the Dwarves, there were other things on Vahn's plate. He also didn't like staying outside of the Projection for long periods of time as, during the short five-hour visit to the Undercity, thirty-five hours had passed within the Projection. This was time he could have spent training and interacting with his various lovers and children.
Vahn knew things would eventually reach the point where it was counter-intuitive to remain inside the Projection, but that was still more than a decade away, at least from the perspective of those on the inside. He was already tempted to restrict access to the Projection to the evenings but, as there were too many threats present in the world, he didn't have a good reason to deny anyone access, at least for the time being. After all, it was simply too efficient to live inside the orb, especially during these chaotic times when the Empire was still in its nascent stages.
The best example of the Projection's usefulness was the fact that Fenrir, compared to when she first entered the Record, was already at the point of being able to hold her own against Kenshin, at least for a few hours. She had the benefit of greater speed and range, allowing her to stay outside of the effective range of the monochromatic warrior. Though Kenshin could still target Fenrir with arrows that seemed to cut through Space and Time to reach their target, Fenrir had slowly learned how to deal with even this.
According to Scáthach and Kenshin, it would only take another two years before Fenrir was able to directly contend against Kenshin during their spars. Though she would lose in a fight to the death, as Kenshin's was much stronger when she wasn't holding back, the fact remained that Fenrir's growth had reached monstrous levels. This was in spite of the fact she spent nearly half her time watching over Mordred and engaging with the other residents of the castle, himself included.
Vahn could never truly express how grateful he was for Fenrir's efforts so, rather than use his words, he used his actions to convey his appreciation. There were times when he would just whisk her away so they could be alone together, usually to cuddle in some random location where they didn't have to worry about being found. At these times, Fenrir would behave very affectionately, releasing all of her pent-up stress on him as he pampered her, not necessarily to her heart's content, but enough to keep her going until their next retreat.
This was how Vahn decided to spend his time after checking in on Nobunaga, Rin, Ereshkigal, Ishtar, Luvia, Da Vinci, and Circe. He had also spent some time with his children, made easy by the fact they were almost always together in the eastern wing of the Inner Sanctum. This was important as, even though only nine days had passed since the birth of the triplets, Isanna and Naavi were significantly larger than even Kamiya. They aged around 5~7 times faster than normal children, meaning they may very well be walking and talking in less than two months, Projection time.
Fortunately, other than throwing a fit whenever they were separated from Daiki, both the Vanir were developing in a positive direction. They got along well with Kamiya and seemed to understand what people were saying when they were spoken to. Isanna had even started to exercise her vocal cords actively, speaking indiscernible baby-words that, with Vahn's auto-translate, actually translated to a rudimentary language. She seemed to be aware that he understood her as well, laughing happily whenever he responded to her remarks as if they were carrying on an actual conversation.
It wouldn't be long before Isanna was capable of speaking coherently and, by the end of the year, outside of the Projection, she and Naavi would already be adults. This was a uniquely terrifying thought so, unless it was necessitated, Vahn felt compelled to stay inside the Projection so as not to miss them growing up. Even being gone for a single day could translate to more than a month in their development so he rarely stayed outside for more than a few hours.
Still, this didn't mean he was always lingering around the young Vanir as, if he was present too often, they could become considerably spoiled in a very short period of time. Thus, like now, Vahn enjoyed laying in a field of perpetually blooming flowers which, despite the temperature being near-freezing, defied the chill as they proudly exposed themselves to the sun. At the same time, he had a familiar weight pressed into his chest, accompanied by the gentle nuzzling of Fenrir as he absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair and down the line of her back. He would always come to an end at her tail, causing her hips to raise slightly whenever he passed over the pressure point near the base of her spine.
In this manner, Vahn passed yet another day in the Projection, enjoying the peace and quiet while, at his side, a small golden lantern pulsated in a rhythmic fashion, similar to a heartbeat. Aeterna would be sleeping for upwards of three days, according to Merlin, so Vahn had free time until then. Though this would translate to him having to undergo a unique hell after resuming his training, Scáthach had already stopped holding back against him so there wasn't much of a difference. The only real change would be how she treated him after the fact but, as he was already used to being reduced to nothing more than a puddle, even that didn't deter him from enjoying this moment...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Beards are a sign of status...!','Aeterna means 'Eternal' (^_^)','Vahn is living the dream, interspaced with various nightmares xD...')
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Due to the time dilation of the Projection, it was early in the evening when the tiny lantern strapped to Vahn's waist began to stir. When he noticed this, he created a barrier, not to protect himself, but his surroundings. Then, after apologizing to Lakshmibai and Gareth, who he had been having tea with, Vahn opened the lantern's door to release a wave of heat that caused the temperature inside the barrier to skyrocket in an instant. At the same time, a figure wreathed in flames pokes its head out to look around before turning its amethyst eyes toward Vahn.
Upon seeing Vahn, Aeterna smiled radiantly, causing the temperature to increase even more as she flew up near his face and rubbed her fiery cheek against his. It was an admittedly adorable action but Vahn adopted a wry smile on his face as he could feel some of his hair curling, even if they weren't outright catching fire.
Aeterna's default temperature was around 5000 degrees Celsius so she would need to practice using them non-destructively in order to avoid burning everything in her surroundings. He knew some of the older Vulcanae could even sit in the palm of a normal person's hand without burning them so it wasn't beyond her means. She simply lacked the experience due to being born only three days prior so Vahn didn't really blame her as he used his index finger to lightly rub her head, using his [Hands of Nirvana] to send threads of Source Energy into her body.
After blinking in surprise, Aeterna began to giggle as she rubbed her head against Vahn's finger with a cheerful smile on her face. As could be expected, the temperature around her began to gradually increase as a result, causing Vahn to chuckle before he set out his hand for her to sit. Once she was snug in his palm, he continued to stroke her head as he mused, "You'll need to practice controlling the temperature of your flames or I won't be able to take you around with me. Try cooling down a bit, okay...?"
At this point, Aeterna was close to 7,300 degrees and, though it wasn't enough to breach through his immunity, Vahn's clothes had paid the price. Event hough he had swapped to something that was supposed to be extremely resistant to fire, it dried out quickly and had started to wrinkle and char at the edges. Her flames weren't normal at all; they were fueled by the phenomenal amount of mana that had been gathered to form her body. As a result, they possessed magical qualities that allowed them to slowly affect even equipment with A-Rank [Fire Resistance].
While Vahn was rubbing the larger-than-average Vulcanae's head, Lakshmibai and Gareth watched with visible intrigue. The latter, with a vibrant smile on her face, eventually pointed out, "She is very cute, isn't she~?" This was answered with a nod from Lakshmibai while Vahn chuckled before also nodding his head in agreement.
Aeterna was already capable of understanding and speaking most languages so she was aware of the fact she was being praised. This caused her to laugh happily, completely ruining her attempt at reducing her body temperature. Instead, the flames comprising her body become a rich violet as the temperature skyrocketed further.
Vahn wasn't worried about her damaging the surroundings, as he had constrained his domain to form a barrier while actively guiding the Fire Elemental energy back toward her body. Still, he knew she needed a change of scenery in order to practice her control so, after apologizing to Lakshmibai, he headed toward the Workshop so he could make use of his personal forge. Gareth accompanied him part of the way but, knowing it would be a while until he finished his business, Vahn gave her leave to go do Quests or simply relax.
With the boyish dog-girl departed, Vahn ventured into the Workshop where Da Vinci was watching a projection that showed the outside corridor. She then turned around, her eyes making her intrigue apparent as she stated, "I'm very curious about the nature of Fae. Please make sure your experiment is within view of the Companions so that the Mother System can archive the data properly. It would be very interesting to give future Companions the characteristics of Fae~."
Since Da Vinci wanted to give the Companions the ability to evolve into practically anything, without limitation, she needed to accumulate a phenomenal amount of data. In the future, she intended to archive and compile an ecological study on every Phantasmal Species and Spirit. When she finished her research, the only limiting factor for the Companions would be the capabilities of their Partners. It would even be possible for some to reach the level of Greater Divine Spirits, putting them at the same scale as literal Gods.
Vahn already understood Da Vinci's intentions so he gave a curt nod in response to her reminder before entering the small room containing their isolated 'research orb'. It contained both his forge and a much larger laboratory than the one existing beneath the Armory of Camelot. Da Vinci had Golems working around the clock to continually expand the facilities, turning them into a massive compound that could staff more than a hundred researchers without them interfering with each other's work.
Currently, there was no method to transplant a [Sub-Space Orb], as they were bound to formations linking them to the land, but Da Vinci didn't believe in such restrictions at all. She fully intended to adapt Spiritron and Projection technology to transplant the laboratory aboveground at some point. Though it would probably take her a while to work out the particulars, Vahn knew she would be able to pull it off as, with her Omnipotent Genius, there was no such thing as impossible, just inevitable.
---
After reaching his forge, Vahn set Aeterna's lantern on one of the worktables before opening the tiny door and allowing her to come out and look around. When she saw the kiln at the back of the forge, she performed a cutesy dance mid-air before flitting over and jumping into the fiery depths without any hesitation. This caused the white-hot flames inside to gain a violet hue but, as the kiln was of the same quality as the one he used to house the eternal flame in the past, Vahn didn't have to worry about it melting down.
Now that he had an 'assistant' to help regulate and control the flames, allowing him to split his focus while she proactively refined the materials, Vahn was actually a little excited. He knew it would take a while before they were able to work seamlessly together but, as she had inherited knowledge from her subjects, Aeterna already knew how to assist in the forging process. She was almost on the level of a Greater Fire Elemental so she could even produce a few materials that simply didn't exist in the natural world.
Sharing Vahn's excitement, Aeterna poked her head out of the kiln before happily exclaiming, "Hurry, hurry~!" as the temperature in the forge continued to increase. This caused him to release a hearty laugh before he changed into fire-retardant pants and removed his top. He used a similar method to Tsubaki, meaning he preferred to feel the heat on his skin without bothering to protect himself from stray fragments of metal. Because of this, [Memory Orb]s of him forging were actually quite popular amongst the girls in the castle. Vahn was also aware that, every now and then, one of the girls would venture into the [Space-Time Orb] where he performed most of his forging so they could watch his Memory Fragment at work.
With his preparations complete, Vahn sat down next to the kiln and said, "For now, we'll focus on helping you control your temperature by melting and refining various metals. Are you ready...?"
In response to his question, Aeterna performed a dainty spin as she loudly exclaimed, "Leave it to me, Vahn~!" before retreating into the heart of the kiln in preparation for a very long session of forging. Since Faeries didn't really tire, so long as there was an ample supply of mana, she could easily keep up with Vahn's monstrous stamina.
Over the course of a nine-hour period, Vahn refined several hundred ingots with the help of Aeterna. Though she had a considerable amount of trouble at first, especially with more exotic metals such as Adamantine, she was extremely quick on the uptake. He had thought it would take her several weeks to get up to speed, not just several hours. This was a pleasant surprise so, toward the end of the nine hours, he was hunched over with two needle-like tools as he engraved tiny [Faerie Rune]s into what would serve as Aeterna's crown in the future. While he did this, she kept regulated the temperature to keep the metal in a malleable state without heating it to the point that it would actually melt. It was a delicate process but, as if they had been working together for years, they managed to pull it off without any accidents occurring.
When the crown was completed, Vahn even used his [Keeper of the Akashic Tome] to strengthen it further, increasing its rank from lower S-Rank to very-near the requirements for SS-Rank. This made Aeterna literally dance from joy as she hugged the crown to her chest and flittered around the forge for several minutes. It was a genuine masterpiece that they had worked on together so, while it may not have many uses, it was the best example of their cooperation. In the future, they would create a plethora of masterpieces together, elevating his and Aeterna's status amongst the Dwarven and Vulcanae communities considerably.
After finally calming down, Aeterna brought the crown back to Vahn before having him place it on her head. When he had finished, she flittered up to his face and planted a fiery kiss on his cheek, singing him a bit despite his immunity. He even had a tiny burn mark in the shape of her lips for a few seconds, causing Aeterna to giggle playfully before asking, "What will we make next~?"
Unfortunately, Vahn had other things to do so he could only adopt an apologetic expression as he explained, "I don't have as much time as I'd like to forge. For now, I'll take you back to the Great Forge so you can spend time with your people. Don't worry, though, as I'll set up a linked mirror for you so you can freely enter the Projection in the future. When I intend to forge something, I'll make sure to call you..."
Though Aeterna was clearly reluctant to leave, she was aware of her duties as Queen so, rather than argue, she pulled on his finger a few times while exclaiming, "You have to promise! From now on, we are partners! You can't forge without me, okay!?" Since it was a both fun and exciting to work with Vahn, thanks in large part to his Source Energy, Aeterna didn't want to miss out on any of his future projects.
Rather than promise outright, Vahn made use of his unnatural dexterity to lightly poke Aeterna's nose as he said, "I won't let you forge weapons with me. Still, I don't plan to ignore you. Whenever I forge anything in the future, I'll make sure to call you. I promise."
Hearing Vahn's words, Aeterna giggled happily before finally returning to her Faerie Lantern. After that, he grabbed the tiny crystal that contained the observation data of his forge while a group of Companions waddled out of the extremely hot room to return to their other duties. They were semi-permanant residents of the [Research Orb] but, using the Spiritual Communication Terminal, they were able to send data back to the Mother System after linking to the central nexus. As for the data crystal, Vahn was going to hand this over directly to Da Vinci as she preferred analyzing things from her own perspective, rather than relying entirely on the analysis of Ark and the Mother System.
---
While her Master had been busy training his new fiery companion, Gareth had decided to spend her time productively. She couldn't just take a break while knowing her Master was hard at work so, after parting ways, she immediately set out for the Knight's Training Field to accept a new Quest and enter the [Training Orb]. There, she made her way over the Kenshin's Dojo where more than three-hundred Homunculi now ardently studied Zen Buddhism and the monochromatic War Goddess' unique brand of martial arts.
Upon entering the premises, Gareth was greeted by some of the resting disciples, each wearing a set of black and white Gi. This was the practice uniform issued to each of Kenshin's students, allowing for ease of movement while a powerful enchantment significantly reduced the amount of time it took to replenish their stamina and mana reserves.
Among the group of resting disciples, a woman with a very mature figure, named Briana, asked, "Did you come for the usual~?"
Unlike the emotionless individuals they had been at first, the vast majority of Kenshin's students now had vibrant red eyes. Many had even adopted a somewhat playful nature as, despite how serious the training was, Kenshin's nature had been influenced quite a bit by Nobunaga and Vahn. This, in turn, caused those studying under her to develop a similar nature, especially since they often spent time in the bath just messing around after a hard day of training.
In response to Briana's question, Gareth bobbed her head in affirmation with a massive grin on her face as she cheerfully stated, "I have to defeat thirty today~!" This exclamation surprised the group of Homunculi as, in the past, Gareth had rarely challenged more than ten of them. They knew she had accepted a Quest so, after learning of the objectives, Briana went off to explain the situation to Kenshin while some of the Homunculi exited the orb to accept Quests of their own.
After a half-hour or so of preparation time, Gareth found herself standing in one of the larger of four training arenas. Though she wasn't one of Kenshin's students, she was also wearing a gi, albeit one that was completely white instead of half-black. Standing across from her was a Homunculus with a rather athletic figure, one of Kenshin's top-fifty disciples named Sierra. She had already accepted a Quest of her own so, with Kenshin acting as the referee, the two immediately began to fight using pure technique and their inhuman physical prowess.
As an entity with the capacity of a Heroic Spirit, Gareth was considerably stronger than most of the Homunculi so, despite being pressured a bit, she was able to defeat Sierra without much difficulty. They had only exchanged blows for around three minutes before she managed a solid kick on the white-haired maiden's flank, cracking a few ribs and scoring enough points to bring the match to an end. Then, after only thirty-seconds of rest, Gareth faced off against a slightly strong opponent, the second of thirty sequential fights...
Even with her monstrous stamina and higher physical capabilities, Gareth was extremely tired by the time her twentieth opponent came onto the stage. Despite this, she didn't ask for extra time as one of her Quest Objectives stipulated there couldn't be more than thirty seconds between the matches. If she failed to follow these rules, the Quest would be considered a failure, penalizing her by causing an incurable itch that would wrack her body for several hours. Fortunately, she could just soak her body in the mineral-rich hot springs to treat some of the symptoms before returning to her Master's side in high spirits later on.
Still, Gareth wasn't fond of having her entire body itching so, despite her fatigue, she continued to fight without rest against progressively stronger opponents. By the time she was down to the final three contenders, they were actually able to pressure her as a result of her fatigued state. Gareth found herself on the defensive but, much like how she refused to quit even after her tendons tore, there was nothing her opponents could do to keep her down. Instead, as the grew progressively more tired, Gareth's mind came into focus as her usually cheerful expression became increasingly serious.
The purpose of this training was to refine her techniques and decreased wasted movements as, even without her Master pointing it out, Gareth knew she was a bit 'excitable'. Though her Master didn't seem to mind it, she felt a little self-conscious about it since she wanted to be more reliable in the future. Her current goal was to become like Fenrir who, despite having a wild combat style, was very calm and attentive whenever they spent time together. Gareth admired this quality and, seeing how close Fenrir was to their Master, she did her best to temper and discipline herself...
In order to garner her Master's praise, Gareth, despite her legs trembling and her lungs failing to pull in enough oxygen, stood her ground against her final opponent, a Homunculus named Nora. She was one of Kenshin's best students and, even if she was at full strength, Gareth would struggle, at least a little, against Nora. This was due to the fact that the girl specialized in holds and throws, using Gareth's own attacks and momentum against her.
Despite the bad matchup, Gareth refused to go down without a fight so, as darkness crept in on the edge of her vision, she used [Shundo] to appear at Nora's side before trying to sweep her feet out from under her. This was answered by Nora also using [Shundo], causing Gareth to groan in pain as she blocked an attempted knee to her temple with her forearm. Using the momentum of the strike, she rolled to the side before setting a new anchor point and activating [Shundo] once again. This made her thighs throb in protest but, no matter how much it hurt, Gareth was more afraid of failing her Master's expectations than any amount of pain.
Nora knew she needed to continue pressing Gareth so, without giving the latter any time to catch her breath, she closed the distance in an instant. Once she was within her effective range, Nora struck hard against Gareth's shoulder, knocking her off balance before using [Shundo] to shift to the side. This allowed her to evade Gareth's counter as she twisted her waist like a bow, tracing her leg in a perfect ark before bringing it to down like a hammer onto Gareth's chest. This caused the latter to cough up a mouthful of bile but, at the same time, it allowed her to catch Nora's leg in a vice-like grip.
According to the rules they had established, Gareth would lose if Nora managed to land another clean hit on her so, in her desperation, she squeezed the Homunculi's ankle hard enough to break the bone. As a result, Nora winced slightly but, as she was no stranger to pain, she largely ignored it while trying to leverage Gareth's hold to strike down with a palm-thrust to the latter's face, an action that would secure her the victory.
With Nora's palm bearing down on her, Gareth's expression became fierce and resolute in an instant as she twisted her neck and rolled to the side, still holding Nora's leg. This caused the limb to bend at a sickening angle before Nora found herself smashed into the hard arena moments later. Even this wasn't enough to take her out, however, so Gareth pounced on her in the same motion, attempting to end the battle with a headbutt. Nora countered this by using the momentum of Gareth's leap to send her flying toward the edge of the arena, an action that would normally lead to a ring out.
Though she had never succeeded at it previously, Gareth refused to let things end in such a manner so, mustering as much mana as she could manage, she tried to create a foothold on the air, one of the prerequisites to using [Koku Shundo]. Instead, she created a small explosion, similar to [Mana Burst], as her thighs and calves ruptured at several locations. This caused her an excruciating amount of pain but, with adrenaline driving her forward, Gareth barreled toward Nora like an artillery shell as she attempted to smash the surprised Homunculus into the arena.
Fortunately, Kenshin immediately appeared to receive Gareth's attack, dissipating the force of the blow with considerable ease as she plainly stated, "This battle is your win, Gareth. Still, it is also your loss as you took things too far...haaaa..." Since there was a chance Gareth's final attack could have seriously injured, or even killed Nora, Kenshin couldn't help but reprimand the earnest woman. If she had accidentally killed an ally, it would have devasted her so it was important that she reflects on her actions. Gareth understood as well but, while apologizing with a pained expression on her face, she ultimately ended up collapsing due to the extreme amount of pain she was in...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I am inevitable... -Da Vinci','Aeterna is quite cute','Gareth is a very earnest and hard-working girl')
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