Chapter 1830: Succor
In preparation for the Guardian's Test, which involved traveling to a distant region in the Middle Tower to provide aid to a small village, Vahn was enjoying a rather hearty breakfast alongside the growing population of the Emerald Grove. He had Fenrir seated at his right, a palpable excitement radiating from her body, Ryun to his left, a thoughtful glimmer in her eyes, and, as was often the case, Yoruichi, and several others, were either curled up in his lap or using his body as their personal lounging post.
Vahn always enjoyed eating in a large group as it was during moments like this that he felt the most like family. Now, said family had grown exponentially in a very short period of time, and, though it made things a little difficult when he had mischief-makers like Latias picking food directly from his plate, Vahn didn't particularly mind it. Rather, he found such actions adorable, a lighthearted laugh escaping his throat whenever Fenrir lightly chided them for their antics.
No matter how troublesome things might get in the outside world, all of Vahn's worries seemed to melt away when everyone had gathered together like this. This was a notion shared by many of his Templates, so, while it wasn't uncommon for people to wander in and enjoy a meal at their leisure, there were always multiple occasions throughout the day where everyone gathered to enjoy a meal together.
Of course, that didn't mean things were 'peaceful' during meal times. Rather, it was often quite the opposite. The presence of personages like Goku and Roger had always helped to ensure that things were always lively. This had been the case even before the newest additions to their community, so, now that there were people like Whitebeard, Vegeta, Makarov, and Mavis around, things were even more lively.
Fortunately, while their constitutions allowed them to filter out the effects rather quickly, everyone that had developed a True Ego of their own was able to enjoy both the taste and effects of powerful alcohol. This led to some rather heated competitions, the vast majority of which were won by either Whitebeard and, somewhat surprisingly, Mavis. The petite, fairy-like, woman was able to consume a seemingly endless amount of alcohol, and, though she would become red in the face, she could still drink people like Roger under the table with an impish smile.
Vahn always found it rather amusing to see such scenes play out as it made him genuinely feel like he was a part of the worlds he had always dreamed of as a child. Even now, he would look back on his time back in the cave, a reminiscent smile on his face as he remembered how excited he was to visit various worlds. That excitement had mellowed a bit with time, but, like a fine wine that was left in a secure cellar, it had been steadily maturing alongside him.
One day, even if it was in the impossibly distant future, Vahn was determined to pop open the cork and experience each of the fascinations that had once captivated his naive and innocent mind. For now, however, he was perfectly content with just watching Rindo's backside as Mira lightly scolded Index for talking with food in her mouth...
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Prior to the Age of Genesis, when the Jahad Empire was first being established, the only method to ascend the Tower involved completing various tasks assigned by the Guardians. They would assign you various Tests, the difficulty of which was entirely dependent upon your reason for climbing the Tower.
More often than not, the Tests assigned by the Guardians involved helping out the natives of the Tower. This was the reason Jahad and the Great Warriors had managed to build such a large group of followers during their own ascent. They had saved countless people, conquered various empires, and even defeated a number of 'evil gods' that had tormented people since time immemorial. This allowed them to build literal armies, and, much like a tsunami sweeping over the previous era, they were able to wash it away and build their own atop the ruins.
Though the 20th Floor was ruled by the Po Bidau Family, the Laws of the Tower prevented even the Jahad Empire from expanding beyond the Middle Tower. They could still take action against forces in the Outer Tower, but there were a number of restrictions in place depending on the power of the individual and their contract with the Guardian. As a result, there were a number of Kingdoms and even entire Empires that existed outside the immediate influence of the Jahad Empire. It was these territories that served as the proving grounds for those seeking to move higher in the Rankings, as, more often than not, such Kingdoms were directly supported by specific groups or individual High Rankers.
On the 20th Floor alone, there were a total of 139 different nations split between the Middle and Outer Towers. The most powerful of these, as could be expected, were backed by Rankers affiliated with the Po Bidau Family. As for the rest, they were generally backed by Rankers affiliated with the other Great Families, organizations on the level of FUG, or individuals that had originated from that region prior to their ascent up the Tower. This meant there was a lot of cultural diversity, but, more than anything else, it ensured there were constant conflicts taking place all throughout the Tower.
As part of his Guardian's Test, Vahn had been tasked with traveling to a remote mountain village with a meager population of only 83 people. What made this village unique was that many of the villagers were descendants of the Native Ones, the original inhabitants of the Tower that had been cursed by Jahad after the Age of Genesis. This led to them becoming known as the Cursed People by the common residents of the Tower, and, as could be expected, they were 'heavily' persecuted as a result.
Though the Curse varied between individuals of the same race, it always manifested in one of three different ways. The first curse caused those affected to be born hermaphroditic, losing their ability to reproduce as a result. As for the second and third curse, the former sealed off the original power inherent to the species and made it very difficult for them to grow stronger while the latter, most tragically, increased the chances of a stillbirth occurring to more than 90%. This resulted in a drastic decrease in the number of Native Ones that existed within the Tower, most giving in to despair the moment the effects of their curse manifested.
Fortunately, despite the hatred imposed upon them due to the Jahad Empire, the Native Ones were still blessed by the Tower. The Guardians also harbored no enmity towards them, and, even though they were contractually bound to inflict the curse upon each successive generation of Native Ones, they also helped to conceal them from both the Jahad Empire and the Ten Great Families.
As an Irregular, Vahn had the power to completely ignore the rules and restrictions that had been imposed upon the Tower's residents by his predecessors, so, as part of his Guardian's Test, he had been tasked with removing the curse from the villagers. This was a task that would have originally belonged to Baam, so, in exchange for keeping Team Wolf Pack safe, Vahn had agreed to act as the instrument of change that the Tower had been eagerly anticipating for the last ten-thousand years...
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With the help of Fenrir, Ryun, Latias, and Latios, Vahn was eventually able to discover the location of the hidden village after a little more than three days. This required descending an intricate network of vertical shafts, many of which connected to the breeding grounds of various Shinheuh or other, far more dangerous, hazards.
Fortunately, while she would normally be blind to the location of the Native Ones' village, Ryun was allowed to see the path thanks to her association with an Irregular. As a result, Vahn was finally able to enter the subterranean chamber housing the hidden village, a region dominated by vibrant five-pointed stars floating gracefully through the air. It was actually quite mesmerizing, but, as could be expected, Vahn soon found himself under attack by said stars as an inordinately handsome middle-aged man bellowed, "Sound the alarm! There are intruders within the village...!"
Adopting a wry smile in response to the man's words, Vahn allowed Fenrir to erect a massive lotus-shaped barrier of ice, completely fending off the assault of stars as he said, "I am not your enemy. I have come here to remove the curse from your people."
Unsurprisingly, the man wasn't really listening to his words at this point. Instead, he formed a seal with his hands as a massive star-shaped Baang of Shinsu formed behind him. At the same time, a number of other middle-aged villages, the majority of which possessed the same inordinate beauty as the man, joined the assault. This left Vahn feeling rather helpless, a sigh escaping his lips before he raised his hand and plainly stated, "You will listen when I speak."
Immediately after Vahn's words had fallen, it was as if Time within the cavern had stagnated to the point of stopping. This was a very advanced form of Reverse Flow Control that used his domain as a medium to stop, not just the flow of Shinsu in an individual's body, but the environment. His words also carried a compulsory force due to his breakthroughs in the Law of Authority, so, while he had spoken relatively softly, his words resonated throughout the entire village.
Without any Rankers present, there wasn't a single villager who could resist Vahn's unique form of Reverse Flow Control. As a result, he was able to walk up to the oldest-looking individual present, the same man who had originally attacked him. This caused the man to tremble, not from fear, but a vain attempt to break free.
Shaking his head, Vahn placed his hand on the man's shoulder, liberating him from his control as he reiterated, "I am not your enemy. I have come here to help." before releasing everyone else from his control.
Realizing they could do nothing against the man standing before them, the presumed leader of the group gestured for everyone else to stand down as he answered in a solemn tone, "Very well...I will hear what you have to say..."
Nodding in response to the man's words, Vahn adopted a disarming smile as he retracted his hand from the man's shoulder and explained, "My name is Vahn Aldrnari Mason. I am an Irregular known as the Sage Dragon Emperor. In accordance with my agreement with the Guardians, I have come to remove the curse Jahad has placed upon you and your people."
Though he wanted to believe Vahn's words, the man couldn't help but frown as he replied, "I am known as Gaute Aarnes, son of Halvard and proud warrior of the Asteria tribe. If you are who you claim to be, we will welcome you into our home as the hero of our people. If your intentions are impure, however...know that we will fight to the last man, woman, and child if it means defeating our foes..."
Understanding the reason for the man's skepticism, Vahn resisted the compulsion to roll his eyes as he pulled out a crystalline potion bottle filled with a glittering red liquid and said, "This is a special Elixir known as a [Panacea]. Mixing it with any type of alcohol will transform it into a holy remedy that has the ability to remove virtually any curse. You can also consume the [Panacea] directly, but they aren't exactly easy to make. If diluted into strong alcohol, you can easily treat upwards of 200 people from that single Elixir."
Though he still didn't fully trust Vahn's words, Gaute ordered the other villagers to fetch a barrel of alcohol and the oldest member of their community. This left the former with a frown on his face, but, fortunately, Gaute didn't try and force the elderly woman to consume the potion. Instead, he calmly explained the situation before leaving the final decision to her. It turned out that she was actually the former matriarch of the Asteria tribe, so, without any hesitation, she downed an entire pint of the diluted [Panacea] without leaving behind a single drop...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'A very enviable existence...','Jahad's cuckery knows no bounds','Baba ain't scared of nothin...')
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