On their way out of the forested area, Vahn carried the 'bubbly' Fenrir on his back as her tail tangled around in an obvious effort to interlink with his. She was in a very good mood after receiving his 'attention' for more than two hours and it had triggered her clingy personality, at least until they reached the edge of the forest. The moment she heard the sound of others, Fenrir's ears perked up and she obediently climbed from Vahn's back before running off to do something else. Vahn watched her trot away with a smile before pulling out a journal and documenting everything that he had learned for future reference.
Though his memory was great, it didn't mean his thought processes always aligned to match what he wanted to think about. It was like have a massive collection of books that you've read previously. Yes, you might remember the contents of each, but picking up the book itself would remind you of its contents. Memories weren't just internal, but took cues from sights, sounds, smells, and the sensation of touch when combined with powerful emotions. Even Sis was prone to making small oversights, though this was actually a result of the fact she was often analyzing things for Vahn and couldn't split her focus on a large number of tasks at once.
With nothing better to do, Vahn entered the Manor and 'wandered' around until he came across two presences in a study in the East Wing of the original Manor. He was actually a little riled up from interacting with Fenrir for so long so Vahn decided to head over without checking who the auras belonged to. Curiously, it ended up being someone he didn't expect alongside someone he didn't mind coming across in his current state. Leaning against each other, almost as if they had been friends for a very long time, were Haruhime and Preasia as they both read a book together. His presence had instantly been noted by the two girls, but the first to react to his presence was Shirohime who had somehow found her way to the top of his head without his notice.
Vahn reached up and grabbed Shirohime, who was sniffing around his large ears since he hadn't made an effort to return to his human form yet. She writhed about in his paws, complaining, "Ah, don't poke us with your claws!" even though he made sure to hold her with the fleshy paw pads on his hands. Haruhime had approached in a surprisingly elegant yet deceptively fast motion as she received Shriohime from his hands, saying, "It seems like little Shiro doesn't like your Vanargandr form, fufufu~." Vahn nodded his head, closed his eyes to focus, and activated his [Thria*Mimos] in an effort to match Haruhime's racial traits and energy flow. He couldn't immediately become a Renard, especially one with multiple tails, but he could still look like one relatively quickly.
Haruhime watched his transformation with interest before remarking, "You make a very handsome Renard, but I still think the original Vahn is the best~." Then, as if remembering where they were located, a slight blush started to appear on Haruhime's cheeks as she asked, "What brings you to this area of the Manor, Vahn~?" She wasn't the only one that was starting to get antsy either, as Preasia, who technically wasn't supposed to be in this area, had started to fidget about as she stared at Vahn with an unwavering gaze. Vahn took their reactions into account as he smiled and said, "Well, Fenrir managed to rile me up a bit and I was thinking of either releasing my tensions or finding a place to relax. I detected your auras when I was wandering about and decided to see what was going on..."
The more he said, the faster Haruhime's body 'transformed' and her eyelids became covered in the red makeup-like blush as her eyes turned a pale gold in color. She knew what Vahn was trying to say and somewhat regretted the fact she had decided to lounge around with Preasia. They had previously 'joked' about Vahn coming when they were present, never expecting that it would turn into a reality. Haruhime and Preasia both knew that the latter wasn't supposed to be in this section of the East Wing, as the 'implications' should Vahn arrive were very obvious. Had she been alone, lounging about and enjoying a book, Haruhime would have been able to enjoy some 'quality' time with Vahn...
Vahn noticed the fluctuations in her aura and stretched out his hand, plopping it onto her head and gently stroking her silky blond hair. In a soft tone, Vahn said, "You should stay with me tonight, Haruhime. Though, I had been planning to invite some other girls..." Haruhime's smile bloomed and she nodded her head, saying, "I don't mind, fufufu~." As she had actually helped 'educate' some of the girls, Haruhime was relatively close with everyone and didn't have any real inhibitions about group play at all. However, their relatively quiet conversation had been noted by Preasia who showed a somewhat downtrodden expression knowing that her 'luck' hadn't been favorable this time around.
Seeing Preasia reaction, Vahn shook his head with a small smile and said, "Don't worry, Preasia, I'm not going to just leave and make you feel sad. Why don't we all read and spend some time together before dinner? We'll probably have to take a bath if we do anything too serious though..." Vahn couldn't meet Preasia's 'expectations' this time, but that didn't mean he couldn't change her expectations a bit and still satisfy her. Knowing she was getting along with Haruhime was a good thing, as Vahn often worried if she was making connections and bonds with the other girls. He knew she got along well with Fenrir, Tsubaki, Hestia, Milan, Tina, Shizune, and, to a lesser extent, Naaza and Lili, but Vahn wanted her to open up to everyone with time.
Vahn ended up spending the rest of his afternoon cuddling up with Preasia, who he had allowed to sit on his lap, and Haruhime, who had been more than fine with simply leaning against him from the side. She actually had her focus on the evening activities at this point, so she didn't mind Preasia getting a bit of Vahn's attention for the time being. As for Shirohime, she rested atop Vahn's head and played around with his fox-like ears in a clearly pleased mood. Though it was a bit of a distraction, she stuck her snout into the white tufts of fur within and sniffed around for a bit before 'nibbling' playfully around the base. Vahn felt like she was subtly telling him 'useful' information because her 'antics' were actually very pleasant and Vahn felt an urge to just lay back and let her play with his ears for hours. He could potentially use this against Haruhime and Shizune in the future, or potentially even Shirohime herself...
The rest of the evening went relatively 'uneventfully' if the night time battle wasn't taken into consideration. Since it was somewhat 'odd' for girls from the different generations to seek Vahn's affection at the same time, he ended up having a 'bout' against Haruhime, Ais, Tiona, Tione, and, though she had never participated with this specific group before, Syr. Vahn knew she had 'helped' him out with Riveria and wanted to show her some of his 'appreciation' for what she had done. She had picked up on this fact before he had even asked the question as well, potentially even 'planning' for things to develop this way.
With Syr's participation, and the inclusion of Haruhime amongst the group, things had gotten a bit intense and, even though the bed he purchased was of incredible quality, they actually ended up breaking it when Tiona had gotten a bit out of hand. It was actually somewhat 'commendable' that the bed had lasted for as long as it did, considering the climactic battles between mortals and gods that often took place upon it. However, there was something 'interesting' about continuing even after the bed had been broken because it felt like a bit of an accomplishment. Tiona had even started laughing pleasantly as she attempted to 'crush' his hips after the fact with her efforts.
Tiona and Tione had calmed down a lot ever since he 'defeated' them, but it didn't mean they were able to properly control their strength at all. In fact, every time he was with the two girls was like a competition which, unsurprisingly, was often won by the patiently 'skulking' Ais. This time, however, the penultimate victor had been the 'tireless' Syr who, even though she was the weakest girl present, had a pseudo-divinity related to sex that seemed to 'give' her energy instead of expending it. She ended up competing with Ais quite a bit as she 'stirred' up the beautiful golden-haired girl's competitive spirit. As they had done previously, Tiona and Tione actually ended up 'retreating' to go sleep with Lefiya, leaving only Ais and Haruhime to 'contend' against the indomitable Syr.
It was nearly 4 AM before Vahn was the one to throw in the towel, not because he couldn't continue, but because he was supposed to be going into the Dungeon with Tina and Milan this morning. Ais still had a competitive inferno blazing in her golden eyes as she looked into Syr's endlessly deep light-grey eyes. Both girls were completely covered in sweat but Syr had still secured the greatest number of victories because she could 'always' match Vahn's pace while Ais was somewhat a 'victim' to her body's reactions. Competing against a demigoddess that had a sex divinity was very ambitious and Vahn suspected that this wouldn't be the end of their 'rivalry'.
As for Haruhime, she ended up passing out when things had escalated to the point that Vahn was the one proactively trying to bring an end to things with his [Hands of Nirvana]. Shirohime had also been present, but she eventually ended up 'bursting' into a cloud of particles around the same time Haruhime passed out. It had been a very strange experience having the little white fox climbing around on his body when he had been with the girls, as she often tried to 'compete' in her own way when he wasn't directly tending to Haruhime. This was essentially Haruhime's subconscious desire to be spoiled combined with the clingy split personality she had cultivated when she was a young girl, just as she had started to 'give up' on life. Vahn didn't mind Shirohime's actions too much, especially considering it was very fun to tease her because she had very human reactions even though she looked like a fox...
Finally extricating himself from the two budding rivals, Vahn went and took a long bath while focusing his mind with the [Mantra of Eternity]. Other girls had shown up while he was there but, after they noticed his calm and focused state, they decided against bothering him. Even Lili, who was usually very proactive and lingered around Vahn in the bath had enough sense to just sit off to the side with Naaza. The two had essentially become best friends after their association and cooperation with each other back at Tsubaki's Manor. Because Lili had no friends, while Naaza's had actually shunned her a bit after the incident, they had learned to rely on each other and had worked together to seek Vahn's affections. Vahn even suspected that the reason Naaza hadn't been more proactive in approaching him, even though it was very clear she sometimes experienced a 'heat-like' state, was that she was waiting for Lili...
Once he had 'awoken' from his meditation, Vahn climbed out of the bath and noticed that he was somewhat pruned before a quick stretch, and the infusion of some energy into his pores, fixed this minor issue. He then equipped his clothes and headed to the backyard, where many of the girls had already started their morning training. Because the vacation was officially over, the training would only be for the standard hour before everyone started splitting off into groups. Vahn wanted to talk to those that would be venturing into the Dungeon again so he could remind them about the potential dangers and make sure they were adequately prepared.
Just as before, everyone had certain 'limitations' for entering into the Dungeon based on the minimum strength of the members. They also needed to have an 'escort' of at least one Level 5 and and two Level 4's within the party. Thus far, the strongest enemy they had observed from Enyo's forces was around Level 5 and, as long as they weren't lured into a trap, Ais, Tiona, Tione, and Arnya would be able to contend against most opponents, even if they were slightly stronger. With the support of a party, it was almost a guaranteed victory, especially if accounting for the existence of the [Effigy of the Hero]. Though it was a bit of a limiter for their growth, knowing they had a powerful fallback that could double their parameters for a few minutes meant the girls could cut loose and fight their enemies head-on.
Even if they took a potentially fatal blow, the three minutes that followed would be the nightmare of almost any opponent. Just imagining an Ais, who was already a serious threat to his own life, having more than 34,000 parameters sent a shiver down Vahn's back. The same could be said for a Tiona who, after her skills and abilities were triggered, would be able to reach a truly monstrous 15,576 Power for that three-minute interval. As parameter growth wasn't linear, but exponential, Vahn imagined she would even be able to punch through entire Dungeon Floors at that point. If she managed to trigger her [Crush] Development Ability and her [Crushing Blow] on the [Dance of the Amazon], Vahn imagined her enemy literally turning into particulates in the aftermath...
As this would be her first time entering the Dungeon, Tina actually wasn't participating proactively in the morning training and was just at the side stretching and talking with her mother. Vahn saw them and used [Shundo] to startle the small cat girl before as she stuttered, "V-Vahnyaa~!" in a tone several octaves higher than normal. Milan laughed with slightly squinted eyes as she said, "Tina had been complaining about her body being very tense due to nervousness. She had even stayed awake very late last night...I'm a little worried...ufufufu~." Hearing her mother's 'betrayal', Tina blushed and tried to find an excuse but Vahn knelt down in front of her and asked, "Do you want me to help bolster your stamina and ease your tensions?"
This time, Tina blushed for entirely different reasons as her eyes opened slightly wider and she bobbed her head. Vahn smiled and reached out both of his hands, setting one atop Tina's head while taking the index and middle finger of his right hand and placing it overtop her blouse, right around her navel. There was a small gap of skin that he could of 'accessed', but Vahn wanted to treat Tina as her age suggested, like a child. He knew she would be a bit overly conscious of all of his actions, but he adopted the mentality of a practiced physician when he was touching her body. As she had started to tremble a bit, Vahn said in a gentle tone, "Tina, take deeeeeep breaths, hold them in for a few seconds, then breath out at a slightly faster rate...keep doing this ten times in a row, okay?"
Instead of forming actual words, Tina 'mewled' a 'Mnyaaauuu~' as she released her first breath and started to take deep breaths from then onwards. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warm and calming sensation coming from her head and the very 'ticklish' sensation radiating through her tummy. Her tail flickered about happily as Vahn turned to look at the smiling face of Milan who was doing her best to not laugh at her daughter's adorable antics. Unlike Tina, who was wearing similar attire as before, Milan was wearing more armor than Vahn had expected. It was the same style as Tina's, meaning it was predominately white, but, unlike Tina, Milan wore a thinly plated skirt, arm guards, leg guards, and plated sabatons on her feet. The largest piece of armor Tina wore was her white breastplate, but her's just cover her chest and back whilst Milan's was a full breastplate that even had small pauldrons adorned with feathers. The biggest difference, however, was that Milan's weapon was both thinner and longer than Tina's and her shield was a kite shield compared to the round buckler of her daughter.
Understanding Vahn's curiosity, Milan explained, "I had talked with Hephaestus-sama, and Tsubaki, about upgrading to a more permanant armor set so that I can better protect my daughter and proactively increase my strength again. My lighter equipment had been because I was trying to get back into the swing of things, but I actually used to wear heavier armor because my role in the party had been as a Defensive Vanguard. As for my daughter, she has adapted my fighting style a bit but has also benefited from training with the other girls. I'd say she is more a reactive fighter that leans towards the offensive than a Defensive Vanguard as I had been. Besides, I believe it is correct that she become more agile since the benefits she enjoys within the Hestia Familia will allow her to grow along the route she chooses to follow~."
Vahn smiled appreciatively at everything Milan had said while Tina, who had finished her breathing exercise and recovered her stamina, opened her eyes and said, "Even if I wanted to protect everyone, I nyow that the person that I nyeed to worry about the most is m'nyself. Everyone is already so strong, so I will do m'nay best to grow as strong as possible while also developing my own style~nya!" Vahn listened to Tina's tiny outburst and just absentmindedly stroked her head as he mentally remarked that she could be very adorable at times. After this passed, however, Vahn smiled and nodded his head, saying, "Very good, Tina. With that kind of motivation, you can become very powerful in the future. One day, even vaulting a hundred meters in the air would be a simple feat for you~."
Though there was already a flame burning in her eyes, Tina's golden eyes glowed with excitement after imagining what it would be like to leap over tall buildings in a single bound. Out of excitement, Tina fidgeted about and asked, "Vahnya, how high can n'you jump~nya!?" Vahn opened his eyes slightly and looked toward the sky as he thought about his answer, not quite sure of how he would fair normally. He expected he could easily clear 100m, but it would probably be at the expense of the ground. Even so, Vahn wanted to properly motivate Tina so he rubbed her head and said, "How about we find out?" and then picked her up in a princess carry as she flushed in excitement and embarrassment.
Giving Milan a playful wink, Vahn walked over to a stable area of the yard and bent down slightly, transforming into his Xuánwǔ form in the process. This was a maneuver he had only done once in the past, but Vahn was going to greatly increase his momentum by redirecting the residual forces of his movement through his legs and into the ground. He was essentially transferring the shockwave that would be absorbed by his body, as a result of kicking off from the ground and using it to accelerate him higher with nearly twice the amount of force as his initial action would have allowed. He held Tina tightly and said, "Brace yourself, Tina, but make sure to keep your eyes open. And don't worry, I won't let any harm come to you at all." Tina bobbed her head like a small chick and tightly clung to his body.
Vahn's actions had drawn the eyes of almost everyone that was in the training field, as they knew he was probably doing something 'eccentric' and trying to show off. After a few seconds or preparation, Vahn kicked off against the ground with as much force as he could generate through his legs, causing the ground beneath him to collapse nearly a full meter as a radial shockwave passed into the ground for almost ten meters away from him. As for Vahn himself, and the completely stunned Tina, they had shot off into the sky in an instant before coming to a stop around 270m above the ground. Just as he was reaching the peak of his arc, Vahn materialized a length of [Enkidu] and used it as a foothold to come to a stop at the apex of his jump. He felt a bit of cold sweat on the back of his neck because he knew he had caused a bit of strain on the formation protecting the tunnels beneath the Manor. His jump had generated a bit more force than he expected since he hadn't replicated this feat in almost an entire Level.
Doing his best to play it off, Vahn smiled at Tina and said, "Well, I made it to around 270m, not too bad, right~?" Tina, however, didn't actually seem that impressed by his feat and furrowed her brows slightly as she lectured, "Vahn! You can't just go around damaging the property like this! Nyuuuu~!" She had managed to say the first part of her words without letting her verbal tick show, but the groan of frustration at the end had been her limit. Tina knew she was the reason for Vahn 'showing off', so she was also to blame for not considering his propensity to do relatively 'dumb' things on occasion. She had originally imagined him leaping up casually and carrying her through the sky like a princess, not create a huge hole in the ground!
The smile on Vahn's face froze and he turned his face towards the rising sun to experience the cold breeze that was still flowing through the air. Things really were beautiful at this height and the coming of spring made the entire world appear as though things were beginning to come to live. Trees had started to regain their green vitality as flower buds started to, ever so slightly, bloom with a variety of colors. It was like the world had started to wake up from a long period of stagnation and was beginning to show the signs of change. Vahn felt like now was a good opportunity to bring about great change in his own life as well, so he promised to be more thoughtful in the future as the cold morning air touched his fiery hot cheeks...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'RIP Preasia','Birth of a Fierce Rivalry!?','The Sunrise is so Beautiful...')
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After returning to the ground, Vahn asked Terra for her assistance in leveling out the area while doing his best to ignore the mild teasing looks of some of the girls. They weren't making fun of him, but Vahn realized they had understood he was trying to show off and had 'spectacularly' failed. The worst part of the situation was that Tine, a girl that idolized him a bit, had given him a harsh reprimand in front of everyone and it made Vahn feel very guilty and apologetic. However, it wasn't all bad, as now Tina's nervousness and tensions had almost completely faded away...
Once the ground was repaired, Vahn felt more at ease and he hurried over to the mother-daughter pair that was waiting for him. Tina still had a look of blame in her eyes, but there was also a bit of humor and a slight smile on her face as the realization she was about to enter the Dungeon set it. Though Vahn could be a goofball, sometimes prone to making mistakes, he was still just a young boy not much older than she was. However, he was far more reliable than someone his age typically should be and she felt more excited than worried about what would happen when they went into the Dungeon.
As they were preparing to leave, Vahn had adopted a thoughtful expression upon his face for a brief moment for saying, "I have an interesting idea...hmmm~." Milan and Tina looked at him with curious eyes as a slight glint passed through Tina's as she questioned whether or not Vahn was going to do something 'strange' so soon after his previous blunder. However, her heart fluttered a bit after realizing what he was up to and a slightly flushed expression appeared on her face as she lowered her head. Though he didn't change his hair to a chestnut brown, as he had used Chloe as a template, Vahn's human ears vanished in a magical light as a thick layer of hair grew in their place. Atop his head, there was a pair of black cat ears and a tail had poked out from his backside, something he had grown rather accustomed to at this point.
Vahn smiled toward the gentle-faced Milan before petting the top of Tina's head and saying, "Let's go, Tina, Milan..." Tina peered up into his face with slightly watery eyes and said in a hesitant voice, "Papa..." before hugging him around the waist. It wasn't the first time she had said the word, as she sometimes let it slip when they were spending time together, but it still made Vahn's heart feel warm. He stroked the top of her head for a short while before they all made their way, hand-in-hand, towards the Dungeon. Tina stood between the two of them with a mixture of happiness and mild conflict, choosing instead to enjoy the moment than actually worry about the perception of others. It didn't matter what other people thought at all, and Tina didn't want to let the opinions of others interfere with her happiness...
Once the trio reached the 1st Floor, Vahn gave his Mentor's Mark to the two girls, even though Milan likely wouldn't have too many opportunities to benefit from it. Tina seemed especially fond of the cartoon-like character and poked at it with her finger until they finally reached the first long corridor, known as the Beginning Road. Vahn brought the group to a stop and said, "From here onwards, you will set the pace, Tina, while your mother and I will support you from behind. Make sure to use your head and consider the situation properly. Though you may sustain mild injuries, know that such pain can further your growth and I will always be here to restore you to the same adorable state you currently have." Vahn stroked the young cat girl's head as he spoke and a resolute look appeared in her eyes as she equipped her shield and pulled out her growth weapon, which was humorously named [Little Fang].
Though she likely wouldn't be fighting much, Milan also held her sword and shield at the ready, obviously intent not to let anything happen to her daughter. As for Vahn, he scanned around the area with his [Eyes of Truth], not too concerned with the monsters, but what may be hiding beyond the walls. His current domain reached out to 523m, so he could even see down to the Floor below them, meaning that Vahn was very difficult to catch by surprise. He knew that the largest chance of something happening would be between the 18th and 30th Floors, but the fact he was with Tina and Milan made him very cautious regarding surprise attacks. Even on their way over to the Dungeon, Vahn had kept his wits about him as he searched for the presence of the earth mage he knew had to be around...
It took them a while to get away from the larger volume of Adventurer's that were wandering about, as the early floors could get a bit crowded early in the mornings, but they eventually found an area where others weren't present. The Mentor's Marks hadn't activated, meaning there was someone within 2km of them, but that was to be expected this early in the Dungeon. Vahn suspected that it still had some effect, as the awareness of the mark might incite the growth of the recipient somewhat, so he still intended to compare the data later on. As Tina was still very young, tracking her growth was arguably more important than normal and Vahn actually didn't want her increasing her strength too quickly just yet.
The Falna provided by the gods actually had an anti-aging effect of sorts, which is why most people never left their Familia even after they retired, and the efficacy of the effect was based on your Level. If Tina did get to around Level 3-4 within the next year, she might end up looking like a girl in her early teens even when she was transitioning into her twenties. With nourishment from his source energy and his [Hands of Nirvana], Vahn was very worried that her growth would be greatly stunted just because she wanted to get stronger, faster.
Tina's ears began to twitch about and she crouched down slightly, a habit she had picked up in her training as lowering your body made you a smaller target and allowed you to analyze the situation while being in an alert status. Her tiny nose twitched about slightly as her nostrils flared open and closed, smelling for the presence of the enemy she had detected. As their ears were often more reliable than their noses, at first, many Beast Humans relied on hearing the presence of enemies before using their enhanced sense of smell to identify what they had come across. On average, even a Goblin would have around 3-4x Tina's current parameters, so caution was advised and she needed to pick fights with fewer enemies so she didn't get overwhelmed.
After a short while, Tina muttered, "Goblins...but I can't tell how many...nyaa..." before looking back to see Vahn raising two fingers. Tina's face hardened but she didn't back down as pushing yourself beyond your limits was the best way to get stronger. Though she lacked in parameters, at least for now, her training gave her the edge over the relatively mindless monsters and her equipment actually weighed things in her favor greatly, assuming she didn't make any mistakes. Her shield, breastplate, and shin guards were all made of Adamantine and had the Durandal and Shock Absorption properties while her weapon, [Little Fang], was also made of Adamantine, and a composite of other materials, which gave it the Durandal, Piercing, Impeccable Edge, and Growth abilities. It could deal more than enough damage to overwhelm the defenses of the Goblins so she just needed to fight smartly and stay on the move to avoid getting surrounded...
Tina slowly edged along the walls of the corridor before peaking into the door leading toward one of the various rooms of the 1st Floor. She could see two Goblins ambling about without any awareness of their surroundings, but they were on the far side of the 30m wide room and she would have to expose herself first if she wanted to fight them. After thinking for a short while, she picked up a stone and tossed it against the wall, alerting the two Goblins as they went to investigate the source of the sound. As there were several rocks present within the room, Tina stayed low to the ground and used them as cover as she positioned herself in waiting. Vahn watched all of this with intrigue because Tina's caution and rational mindset were rather commendable. There was also something interesting about watching a young girl, inarguably still a child, skulking about as she snuck up on monsters with a minuscule killing intent radiating from her body.
After finding nothing amiss, the Goblins split up and began looking around the area in a somewhat complacent manner as Tina pressed herself against a rock and slowed her breathing to a crawl. She waited very patiently with her body tense like a spring until one of the Goblins approached her hiding spot. Without any discernable hesitation, likely as a result of her fights within the forest, Tina pounced forth and smashed her buckler into the face of the Goblin while piercing her sword into its chest, clearly aiming for the monster core contained within. Though she seemed to be caught slightly off guard by the occurrence, Vahn watched the blade of her shortsword pierce into the Goblin's chest without any noticeable resistance, as was to be expected from a weapon forged by Hephaestus and possessing the Piercing attribute.
Other than the 'smashing' down of her shield bash, the Goblin didn't even get to utter its characteristic guttural cry as it dispersed into a puff of purple dust. Tina quickly overcame her momentary shock and held her buckler up as she charged toward the second Goblin, which had turned to match her charge with a loud 'war cry' of , 'Giiigiiigiiiiiiii~!'. As if she were trying to compete with it, Tina released a loud, 'Nnyyaaaaaaa~!' as she unhesitantly charged shield-first toward the Goblin. However, she wasn't actually foolish enough to develop the habit of always using her shield to hit monsters, many of which would be much larger than her, so she instead slid her left foot forward when they were about to collide and brought her body low to the ground as she smashed the shield into the Goblin's knee before completing the movement by sliding forward with her sword thrusting upward into its body.
Vahn had a pleased smile on his face and made eye contact with Milan, who looked very proud of her daughter's achievement. However, though he was smiling, Vahn was lamenting in the back of his mind because he still remembered his first fight with a goblin. His opponent had been a surface monster, meaning it was much weaker than the Dungeon version, and his parameters had been much higher than Tina's currently were. Yes, he didn't have the benefit of training like she did, but Vahn realized now that his own fear and inhibitions had severely restricted his ability to make proper use of his parameters. It made him feel a little ashamed to see a girl of eleven years old accomplish what the fourteen-year-old nearly died trying to attempt...
Tina came over to them after collecting the two monster cores and it was very obvious that things hadn't exactly been that easy on her. Though she had a smile on her face, her complexion was somewhat pale and her body was trembling from the increase in adrenaline and the fear she had faced while charging toward the monsters. Vahn showed a gentle smile and comforted her by stroking her head and infusing calming energy into her body as he said, "You did very well, Tina. It may be hard to believe, but you even did better than when I first fought against monsters in the past, hahaha~." Tina was breathing a little heavily, but her face beamed at Vahn's praise as she enjoyed the warm energy spreading through her body from her head.
Milan also reached out and pinched the tip of Tina's ear, causing it to flicker about as the mature cat girl laughed and said, "Tina, you are doing exceptionally well for someone just starting out. However, you must never let it get to your head because not everyone has the benefits of powerful equipment, okay? If you see people in need, especially those around your age or younger than you are, do your best to look after them. Also, never let anyone eye your equipment in detail as there are numerous people that would try to take advantage of, and even rob you." Tina nodded her head seriously because she knew that, once her parameters had normalized and her strength reached an adequate level, she would be venturing into the Dungeon with people other than Vahn.
Though it was unlikely they would end up in a situation where they teamed up with others, it wasn't completely outside the realm of possibilities. Many people, especially those older and higher leveled than she was, would be very envious of her equipment and there was no telling what cruel things they might do in an effort to obtain it from her. After the kidnapping incident, she had developed a powerful mistrust of most people and, even when she was a waitress at the Hostess of Fertility, never got too close to them.
After helping Tina replenish her relatively low stamina pool, the trio continued further into the Dungeon so she could continue building more experience while increasing her parameters. Vahn would be checking their Status Board before and after they enter the Dungeon, or whenever they managed to accomplish a small 'feat'. This would allow Tina and, when he entered with her tomorrow, Shizune to familiarize themselves with their own bodies as their parameters increased. Since they were still young, they would only be fighting for about four hours every other day so that they could properly rest, recuperate, and adapt to the changes in their bodies. They didn't have the benefit of the other girls, who had already matured somewhat and had trained under the influence of a flame seed, so they had to take it slow and increase their strength the 'normal' way.
The next opponent Tina faced was just a single Goblin, but this one had a natural weapon in the form of a thin rock club. She raised her shield once again but, instead of dashing forward, slowly stepped around the body of the Goblin as it noticed her presence and began its mindless charge. It leaped through the air and tried to bash her with its club but Tina took a wider step and let the club graze ineffectively across her buckler. She then stabbed forward in a fast motion beneath the cover of the buckler and pierced the side of the Goblin, not killing it, but grievously wounding it. The type of combat style her mother employed was a reactive one where she attacked the enemy through the gaps of their own attacks. It was based more on stabbing than slashing, which was a habit that Tina had picked up through their training.
Without lowering her shield for even a moment, Tina stepped forward while peering over the lip of the shield and once again stabbed the Goblin that tried to stop the flow of blood as it madly tried to sweep at her with its club. Tina's eyes remained focused as she received each blow by angling her shield slightly, allowing the rounded shape of the shield to make the Goblin's strikes slide powerlessly away from her body. Whenever this happened, a large gap would appear in the monster's defenses and Tina would stab forward without any discernable hesitation in an effort to pierce the core contained at the center of the chest. Vahn realized her propensity for targetting just the core might be a weakness in the future, but she had plenty of time to correct it with proper guidance.
After the fourth blow, which had caused the Goblin a fair amount of grief, Tina's blade found purchase and she clipped against the edges of the monster core, dispersing the Goblin into a cloud of dust. She released a heavy sigh before picking up the core and trotting over to them with an awkward smile on her face. Remembering Vahn's previous words, Tina showed an apologetic expression and said, "I'm sorry, Vahn...I wasn't trying to torment it..." The first blow had been intended to make the Goblin unable to fight properly, but the three follow up strikes made Tina feel a bit guilty because it was almost like she was torturing the creature.
Vahn shook his head and sat down against the wall, patting his lap so that Tina would sit with him. He stroked the top of her head and explained in a gentle tone, "The most important thing is that you have a kind heart and that you aren't willingly trying to cause pain in others, Tina. You shouldn't feel guilty that you bring accidental suffering to creatures that are actively trying to kill you. Instead, just focus on refining your skills further so that you can do better in the future...okay?" Tina nodded her head and rested against Vahn's chest as Milan sat down next to them. It was still a bit early, but they hadn't actually eaten breakfast yet since Tina hadn't been hungry as a result of her previous nerves. Thus, they snuggled up next to each other an spent a few minutes enjoying a light breakfast while letting Tina's body replenish its stamina naturally...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together~!','*Stabbing Intensifies*','Proper nutrition is important for a growing girl's body')
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