Bab 1966: Crossroads
Having been keeping a close watch, not just on Vahn's, but of Yuri's progress, Maschenny was well aware of the seventy-two-hour time period he had allotted for each Floor. She also knew he had a way to drastically increase a person's power in a remarkably short period of time, so, with the hours counting down towards his inevitable departure, she was beginning to feel a little anxious.
After hearing about Yuri's exploits, Maschenny was absolutely certain that she and Vahn had finally done the deed. She even suspected that he had visited Yuri immediately followed their encounter, as, shortly thereafter, the latter departed the 50th Floor. This notion made her feel more than a little annoyed, but, thinking this was a 'test' of sorts, she decided not to pursue the matter. Instead, she immediately moved to her current location on the 60th Floor, fully expecting Vahn to seek her out.
Unfortunately, even after the passage of sixty-five-hours, Vahn had made no efforts to contact her. This was unbelievably frustrating, not because she feared another Princess might get ahead of her, but because she had been ignoring most of her actual duties in order to make herself available to Vahn. There was even growing dissent among the Princesses that had previously joined her faction, so, if she didn't make headway soon, conflict was bound to break out amidst the members of their respective groups...
Staring at her naked figure, reflected in the faces of an ornate tri-fold mirror, Maschenny couldn't help but frown as traced the lines of her own body and remarked, "I don't understand...if not for my status as a Princess, the number of people aspiring to become my lover might equal the number of men in the Tower. What does he see in someone like Yuri that he doesn't see in me? That bimbo is always causing trouble without thinking about the consequences...I just don't get it..."
Despite Vahn's actual explanation and words of warning, Maschenny didn't believe he actually held her nature against her. If that were the case, he wouldn't associate with her, and, more importantly, he never would have accepted someone like Pram. That woman had a kill-count in the seven digits, so, if murderous tendencies were a factor, Vahn would have done away with them both. Instead, he demonstrated an open appreciation for her beauty, and, were it not for her status, Maschenny was certain he would have ravished her without hesitation...
With her eyes wandering to the simple yet indescribably complex seal on her back, a sigh escaped Maschenny's mouth as she muttered, "Maybe he is expecting me to give up my status as a Princess and set aside my ambitions? I suppose that would make sense if his assertions regarding the worlds beyond the Tower are genuine...that would also explain how he won over characters like Ureko and Yuri with such ease. The only thing those airheads care about is their own freedom..."
Imagining the scene of Yuri and Ureko flaunting their power and battlefields far beyond the Tower, a slight bitterness replaced the listlessness in Maschenny's expression. The only thing she genuinely cared about was having a battlefield of her own to fight on. She wanted to cut loose without regard for the consequences, and, even if it cost her the very head on her shoulders, she would die happily so long as she got to enjoy herself in the moments prior...
Remembering Vahn's promise regarding countless powerful opponents, a sudden desire to cut ties with everyone in the Tower abruptly crossed Maschenny's mind. She had never been fond of things like politics, and, though she had taken an interest in various people, there were none she wouldn't sacrifice in her attempts to instigate war and incite chaos. Even her 'precious' younger brother was no exception to this, and, if it meant being able to cut loose as much as she wanted, treason against the Empire wasn't off the table...
Startling her back to awareness, the mirrors encircling Maschenny promptly shattered as a result of her aura leaking out. A few of the fragments ended up striking her body, but, due to her monstrous endurance and equally terrifying durability, even the largest pieces bounced from her body without marring her inordinately fair skin.
With bands of blue electricity dancing across her body, a smile developed across Maschenny's face as an eagerness she had long-suppressed began to well up inside her. As far as she was concerned, there were only two options available to her in the present moment. She could lower her head and commit to convincing Vahn to accept her, or, more interestingly, she could skip all the complicated matters and begin making arrangements to explore foreign worlds. There was nothing requiring her to capitulate to Vahn, and, so long as he wasn't lying, the way forward would soon be open to all. It might require her to be reborn if she wanted to move ahead without him, but, so long as she wasn't born into a shitty situation from the start, that could be pretty interesting in its own way.
Weighing the two options, Maschenny realized that the decision before her was basically choosing between following Vahn and blazing her own trail. The former all but guaranteed she would be able to encounter monstrously powerful opponents, but the latter guaranteed that she would be able to remain independent, potentially through multiple incarnations. In the simplest possible terms, what she was choosing between was a 'fast track' that guaranteed success and a completely random set of circumstances that might prevent her from ever reaching the top.
Though others might be terrified of the latter, an excited smile appeared on Maschenny's face as she observed her reflection in the shattered mirror. Sure, she might be forced to experience some setbacks, and, depending on her circumstances, she might even be raped and murdered before she ever got a chance to grow. Still, so long as she had her memories, drive, and willpower, it was only a matter of time before she eventually clawed her way to the top. Setbacks? Who gave a damn about such things. She had already experienced one life on easy mode, so, while she had yet to give up on Vahn, the notion of following obediently in his wake no longer existed within her mind...
---
With the Law of Identity loitering about in the form of Maschenny, Vahn was immediately informed of her decision the moment she had made it. This surprised him quite a bit, but, rather than feeling upset, he was actually happy for her. The trait he admired most in women was their independence, so, while he had never expected her to simply fall in line, it was a relief to know she wasn't placing her entire future on his shoulders.
Sensing her Master's thoughts, Fenrir, who had been lying with her head in his lap, lifted her head to ask, "Did something good happen?"
Without going into the specifics, Vahn nodded in response to Fenrir's inquiry, a persistent smile on his face as he mused, "It's always refreshing to see someone setting out on a new path...I'll have to think of a proper reward to send them off..."
Though she could guess what he was thinking, Fenrir willfully allowed her train of thought to slip away as she cocked her head adorably to the side. This caused the smile on Vahn's face to become more prominent, and, as anticipated, he immediately began to fluff up her hair and ears...
---
Having failed to block Yuri's path on the 62nd Floor, Hendo Lok Lotte Jahad, accompanied by her team, ultimately decided to continue along their journey. This invariably brought them to the 60th Floor's 'City of Eternal Ice, Ancewell', and, though he had always been her objective, Lotte was now looking forward to meeting with Vahn more than ever before.
Though it had been kept under wraps, Vahn's act of saving the youth belonging to the Hendo Lok Family had not gone unreported. What made this incident worth keeping under wraps was the fact that, prior to his release, the youth had received a treatment that both restored his vitality as well as increased his strength. This was a truly extraordinary development, and, despite being selfish to the point of cursing his entire family just to extend his life, the Leader of the Hendo Lok Family, Hendo Lok Bloodmadder, had never given up searching for a solution to the curse he had wrought upon his descendants.
Originally, Bloodmadder had been intending to reach out to Vahn at the same time as the other Family Leaders, but, due to a lack of presence in the lower Floors, he had been unable to send a suitable representative. Most of his children had rather grotesque physical flaws due to the curse, so, even if he wanted to send someone sooner, he was afraid Vahn might turn them away without a second thought.
Fortunately, the man was rather notorious for his appreciation of beautiful women, so, even if she was a little late, Bloodmadder was confident that his daughter would be able to 'convince' the man to aid them. Her status as a Princess might complicate matters, but, with her entire team consisting of rather remarkable beauties, several of which Bloodmadder had personally considered bedding, it was his best option. As for why he wanted to keep the matter under wraps, it was largely due to his desire for revenge against the families who had ostracized and treated his own as less than human...
Drawing the eyes of virtually every permanent and temporary residence of Ancewell, Lotte walked through the city streets wearing an outfit identical to the one she had worn during her battle with Yuri. In other words, while everyone else was wearing winter clothing, she was walking around in an outfit some might not even consider appropriate as underwear. Despite this, none of the observing pedestrians were foolish enough to approach her, as, embroidered on her shoulders and back were a familiar three-eyed symbol. This was none other than the Symbol of the King, so, even if she was a fake, nobody wanted to risk antagonizing someone bold enough to posture as a Princess of Jahad.
Paying no heed to her surroundings, Lotte continued forward at the direction of her Guide, a Silver Dwarf named Tully. Like most Silver Dwarves, she had silver hair and matching eyes, but, rather than appearing as a child, she was actually 154cm tall. This had, ironically, resulted in her being teased as a child, so, when it came time for Lotte to receive a Guide, Tully volunteered to join the inordinately tall woman without hesitation. Since then, they had gotten along very well, as, unlike the majority of Jahad's Princesses, Lotte was relatively docile until someone riled her up...
As that thought crossed her mind, Tully's brows furrowed as her instincts as a Guide spontaneously activated. At nearly that exact same moment, a child-like woman wearing black and red attire that seemed out of place anywhere in the Tower stepped out of a shop. Immediately thereafter, her red eyes darted towards their group, a taunting smile developing across her face as she remarked, "Oh? I never expected to encounter a giantess with exhibitionist tendencies. The diversity of the Tower is truly remarkable."
Though she would have normally ignored such a remark, the feeling Lotte was receiving from the petite woman was remarkably similar to her kin. They were a family that specialized in forbidden techniques related to blood and slaughter, so, even when they weren't in an active state, there was always an atmosphere of foreboding surrounding them. This sentiment became stronger the more bloodshed they had experienced, so, more often than not, you could determine the strength of a member of the Hendo Lok Family based on the bloody aura lingering around their body.
Sensing an aura reminiscent of her father emanating from the youthful-looking girl, Lotte's body became tense as she forced herself to the front of her party and asked, "Who are you? Based on your previous remark, you shouldn't be a resident of the Tower. Are you one of the Sage Dragon Emperor's companions?"
Smiling in response to Lotte's defensive actions, the petite woman removed the military-style cap mounted atop her raven-black hair before placing it over her chest and performing a slight bow as she mused, "Forgive my manners. My name is Nobunaga. Oda Nobunaga. Judging by that symbol on your shoulders, I can assume you are a Princess of Jahad, right? Tell me, what business does an exhibitionist Princess have with that philandering husband of mine? I'm really quite curious~"
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The original title is a reference to a Silver Dwarf's ability to see the crossroads of fate','Fenrir cares not for the thot. Pet is love. Master is life.','Is this one of those legendary 'fated encounters'!?')
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Bab 1967: Swift Resolution, Sentiments, and Nostalgia
Hearing Nobunaga implicitly introducing herself as Vahn's wife, Lotte, Tully, and the rest of her team were, understandably, at a loss for words.
Though there was a lot of discussion regarding the people related to Vahn and the Aldrnari Empire, no substantial information had been regarding any of them. They rarely made public appearances, and, even when people were bold enough to try and approach them, they would either be ignored or assaulted. Thus, with the exception of a few names, nobody knew what status or position each of the people appearing around Vahn held.
Noticing the 'skepticism' contained within the group's gaze, Nobunaga squinted her eyes without losing her predatory smile. This caused Lotte, in particular, to tense up, but, rather than attacking, Nobunaga just shrugged her shoulders before pivoting on her heel and stating, "I don't like being followed." without bothering to look over her shoulder.
Fearing the loss of their only lead, the ground around Lotte collapsed as her figure vanished from view. In the next instant, she was standing in front of Nobunaga, arms spread as she said, "Please, don't go. There are-"
Without waiting for the woman to finish her words, Nobunaga manifested a scarlet tanegashima-style matchlock rifle out of thin air, the tip of its barrel resting on the former's head as she said, "I hate being blocked even more."
Punctuating her words, Nobunaga pulled the trigger without a moment's hesitation. Rather than blowing off Lotte's head, however, the giant woman's body slumped to the ground as a phantom version of herself stumbled backward before plopping onto the ground. This particular version of Nobunaga's rifle had an effect similar to the items used in Bleach to separate a person's spirit from their physical body. Since most people were incapable of interacting with the physical world whilst in a spiritual state, it was one of the most effective ways to deal with troublesome opponents, and, most importantly, it was suitable for revealing the 'true natures' of certain beings.
Though Lotte's form didn't change in the slightest, there was a blood-red tattoo reminiscent of a spined serpent coiling around and covering most of her body. Even more noticeable, however, was the three-eyed symbol engraved beneath her abdomen and the visible cracks present all across her arms, legs, and, most notably, the left side of her face.
Demonstrating comparable surprise to Lotte herself, Nobunaga's brows were raised to an almost comical extent as she remarked, "Wow, you're pretty fucked up, aren't you? Is this the influence of Jahad's Blood Curse?'
Before Lotte could even think to answer, a branching crimson spear attempted to skewer Nobunaga from behind. To the surprise of the person throwing it, however, each of the laser-like points ended up being reflected after contacting a series of invisible swords, spears, and, of course, guns. Then, as a series of explosions erupted in the surroundings, leveling several buildings and sending countless pedestrians fleeing for their lives, a pulse of blood-red energy cleared the area around Nobunaga as she asked, "Are you daft? What kind of idiot fires off an AoE ability in the middle of a population center? Are you trying to piss me off?"
With the upper half of a vicious-looking red skeleton protecting her body and a pattern reminiscent of a six-pointed star replacing her previous cat-like pupils, Nobunaga stepped forward with a sword in hand. If her opponents wanted to fight, there was no way in hell she was going to just walk away, so, depending on their response, she was prepared to cut them down without mercy.
Unfortunately, as soon as that thought crossed her mind, a 'very' familiar figure appeared right in front of her, asking, "What's going on here? Are these people giving you trouble?" with a somber expression on his face.
Feeling as if someone had just blown a hole in her sails, an exasperated sigh escaped Nobunaga's throat as she allowed her variation of the Susanno, aptly designated as the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, to dissipate whilst explaining, "I think these brats were looking for you. Unfortunately, they have about as much tact and sense as a stone thrown by a rioteer. They tried to block my path, and, even though I attempted to settle things without a loss of life, that amazon-looking chick nuked the place."
With Nobunaga pointing directly at her, the Spearbearer of Lotte's team, a dark-skinned woman with red hair named Leona, exclaimed, "You attacked first!" while readying her oversized spear in hand.
Frowning in response to the moderately muscular woman's words, Vahn immediately took Nobu's side on the matter, as, despite her nature, she didn't go out of her way to start fights. If they were blocking her path, she had every right to take the initiative to defend herself. It didn't matter if the group just wanted to talk. If she wasn't willing to humor them, they had no right to force her to stay and listen.
Before the red-headed woman could even finish brandishing her spear, Vahn appeared right in front of her, seizing it from her hands as he said, "If you continue displaying hostility, I will respond in kind. This is the middle of a city. You're not the one who has to fix things once the battle ends. If you can't control your power and are unwilling to use it responsibly, it can and will be taken away from you..."
Though the indignant look on her face made it pretty clear she wanted to say something, Tully did her best to deescalate things by shouting, "Leona! That's enough! We didn't come here to fight!" in a harsh, chiding, tone. This was surprisingly enough to completely cow the woman, her expression morphing from anger to nervousness as she replied, "But they attacked first..." in a meek tone that didn't suit her rather fierce, warrior-like, appearance in the slightest.
Answering in response to Leona's mutterings, it was Lotte who stated, "I'm fine, Leo. Please stand down. Tully is right. We didn't come here to fight. We came here to ask for help. How can we expect the Sage Dragon Emperor to lend his assistance if we're insistent on attacking his wife? Please don't make things any more complicated than they already are..."
Hanging her head in response to Lotte's words, a depressive atmosphere immediately descended upon Leo as she exclaimed, "I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" before bowing so hastily that she nearly headbutt Vahn in the chest. Fortunately for the befuddled redhead, Vahn was easily able to evade this, and, shortly thereafter, tensions between the two groups began to settle as he opted to hear Lotte's explanation of the circumstances...
---
As tempting as the proposal was, Vahn ended up agreeing to Lotte's request while concurrently refusing her 'services'. She was a remarkably beautiful woman, sure, but, the moment he started treating people on the premise that he expected 'favors' in return, he would doubtlessly begin to accrue negative karma. Healing people was something he genuinely enjoyed, so, while there were times when he had made exceptions, specifically related to events in Danmachi, the gratitude of his patients was more than enough as payment.
Fortunately for Lotte's group, Vahn did allow them to stay within the Little Garden for a short while, and, as part of playing host, he afforded them the opportunity to sample foods provided courtesy of Rindo. He enjoyed seeing the reactions of people who were eating Rindo's cooking for the first time, and, though some of their responses inspired lascivious thoughts, it was a truly eye-opening experience for all parties involved. After all, even though it was relatively simple-looking food, the meals prepared by Rindo had the potential of, quite literally, increasing the power and potential of the beneficiary. The only downside was, after eating such a delicious meal, other food would taste comparably bland for upwards of three months...
After experiencing Rindo's food for themselves, Lotte's team genuinely considered whether or not they should request permission to stay in the Little Garden. They didn't really have anything going on in the Tower, and, due to her status as the only main-line descendant chosen as a Princess in the last five-thousand-years, Lotte was generally disallowed to participate in any major conflicts. Her life and status were of paramount importance to the Hendo Lok Family, so, while it was bound to result in a number of rumors proliferating through the Tower, there were a lot of justifications for why she should stay in the Little Garden. It might very well be the most secure place in the entire Tower, and, most importantly, everyone who had spent any considerable length of time with Vahn had emerged noticeably stronger.
The only issue, at least from their perspective, was that they had no legitimate reason to make such a request. Vahn had already refused Lotte's 'services', so, with nothing to really offer him in the way of payment, asking to stay in the Little Garden was the same as asking Vahn to protect and provide for them without receiving any benefits. This was inconceivable in the minds of the group that had lived for a combined 11,318 years, so, for the better part of their week-long stay, each of them had been looking for anything that could be used as leverage in their favor. Tully even floated the idea of joining the research team, but, after learning that the majority of their members had an ongoing physical relationship with Vahn, asking to join could be misunderstood as them trying to force their way into his bed...
Fortunately, while the rest of her team was searching for justifications that might allow her to reside within the Little Garden, Lotte had been getting along rather splendidly with several residents of the Emerald Grove. In particular, she felt a certain kinship towards Mash, and, though their training was what some would refer to as hellish, Lotte had been having a little too much fun strengthening her body using the unique cultivation technique Vahn had bequeathed unto her. As for why he would give her such a thing, it was partly due to the sincerity she had shown after he treated her eye and removed the curse from her body. As for the actual reason, it was because the blemish on her eye and the tears she shed after the fact reminded him a lot of Hephaestus...
As more and more time passed since his departure from Danmachi, Vahn's sentiments towards the family he had left behind only became stronger. This resulted in moments where he was completely overwhelmed by nostalgia, and, more often than not, this was more than enough reason for him to change how he viewed particular people. In this regard, Lotte had hit the proverbial lottery, as, not only did her reaction remind him of Hephaestus, the situation she had been born into and the life she lived till now was rife with tragedy. Despite this, she forced herself to stay positive, and, though she had lashed out at Yuri when the latter had just become a Ranker, she had never harbored any actual hatred towards her. Rather, she was envious of Yuri's freedom, as, despite being a Defender, she had been forced to live an extremely sheltered life from the moment she became a Princess of Jahad.
With all these factors liking up like sevens on a slot machine, Lotte had found herself in the rather enviable position of receiving Vahn's favor without the latter having any expectations from her. If anything, he just wanted her to be happy, so, even if she chose to spend the remainder of her days resting peacefully within the Little Garden, he wouldn't mind at all. Instead, she chose to make the most of her remaining time within his realm, constantly forcing her body beyond its limits before she and Mash bonded like sisters within a pool of literal magma...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Boom, headshot~!','Vahn is like a father taking away a disobedient child's toys xD...','Lotte's Luck stat must be through the roof...')
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