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34.12% Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos / Chapter 802: Emergence

บท 802: Emergence

After entering into the orb, it wasn't long before a somewhat heavy weight landed on his abdomen, something he had gotten used to over the last few weeks. This was none other than Alexa who, though she was only around 144cm tall, weighed around 65kgs, as all True Dragons were a lot 'denser' than normal. He was currently located in her 'nest', the place where they would usually nap before he was kicked out of the orb. Just as Eva used to do, Alexa had developed the habit of 'greeting' him whenever he would apparate into the orb. This time, she was especially excited because she knew today was her last day in the orb, causing her to knock the wind out of him after she plopped down on his stomach...

With her glimmering green eyes, Alexa looked down at him with a smile, saying, "Papa is getting soft, ufufufu~." While speaking, Alexa moved around as if she were getting comfortable before leaning down and 'hugging' him with her wings like a blanket, asking, "How much time do we have...?" Though she was happy to be leaving the orb, Alexa was going to miss the fact she was able to monopolize her Papa for four day periods, even if was only every two months. In the real world, she knew it would be almost impossible to have him to herself and it was the one thing she wasn't looking forward to after leaving this quiet and peaceful place...

Vahn released a lighthearted chuckle and lifted Alexa's body away from his own so he could sit up, answering, "Everyone is waiting to celebrate your emergence from the orb, so we shouldn't keep them waiting for too long. Besides, I know you're probably thinking we won't have any time together in the future but you seem to be forgetting that this orb still exists. Though it would only be your spiritual body in the future, we can always come back to visit this place whenever you want." Since the Space-Time orb was simply too useful not to 'exploit', there was no way Vahn could simply set it to the side and ignore it. He and Terra would be 'resetting' their memory fragments so that they could make use of their increased capabilities, but that would be the only significant change. In the future, this orb would become a place where he could relax with the girls while also mass-producing items that he didn't have time to produce himself.

Hearing her Papa's words, Alexa had started off sad but became progressively happier as he explained that she wouldn't have to give up this place. Though she didn't really care for it that much, it was still the home she had made for herself over the last 120 years, a place where she and her Papa had spent a lot of time together. Just knowing she could always come back to it, even in a spirit form, made Alexa feel a great deal of relief. As a result, her tail began to snake around behind her body as her wings began to rustle happily. Vahn, seeing this, habitually rubbed her head, making sure to avoid her horns after learning how sensitive they were in the past...

After spending a few minutes together, Vahn gave Alexa a piggyback ride as he casually strolled through the forest and made his way towards the cottage where his and Terra's memory fragments resided. Alexa rarely spent time there over the last twenty years, but that didn't mean she hadn't been looked after by the two memory fragments. Though they were already aware of the situation, Vahn was giving Alexa a bit of time to collect herself since the hour-long walk to the cottage would only consume a minute of time in the real world.

The two memory fragments were waiting outside the cottage by the time Vahn reached the outskirts of the forest, both smiling as they stood side-by-side. There was no fear or trepidation about being 'reset', as neither truly possessed their own ego, but Vahn still expressed his gratitude towards the two of them for everything they had done. It was a little strange, thanking himself for working hard, but Vahn had long grown accustomed to such things. When he was done, the two burst into particles of light as Alexa looked on with an unfaltering expression. To her, though she didn't really treat them badly, neither fragment was real and the only reason she interacted with them at all was that they were emulations of her 'parents'...

Once the two had vanished, Vahn's own memory fragment popped back into existence, this time having all the memories he had accumulated until this point. There was a brief moment of incongruity, as his senses were momentarily split, but Vahn had gotten very used to having two bodies in the real world. After a few seconds had passed, the fragment had completely stabilized and released a light laugh before making his way inside the cottage, no words necessary since it was updated with all of Vahn's current thoughts and ideas. When he had left, Vahn turned his head sideways and asked, "Are you ready, Alexa...?"

For a short while, Alexa's grip tightened around his neck as her body tensed up, understandably a little hesitant since she would have to reduce herself to her core state for the first time. Though she had the ability to break out of the orb forcefully, it would destroy the orb in the process, destroying 120 years of development within the space, including all of the rare herbs and materials contained within. Since this would also destroy Alexa's 'nest', though she would probably build another one in the real world, it was obviously not the best course of action.

After preparing herself, Alexa nodded her head and said, "Please, treat me well, Papa..." as her body began to break down in rainbow-colored dust. Vahn felt his own body shudder slightly, as it was actually more than a little unpleasant to watch one of his companions, especially his child, dissolve into dust. He prevented her core, which was a resplendent green with a wispy rainbow gradient in the center, from falling to the ground. Though she was in an inactive state, Vahn could almost feel Alexa's trepidation and fear radiating from the core. Fenrir and Terra had described being in that state as having no sense of feeling at all, even though your mind was constantly active. Staying within the core for a long period of time could be a very maddening experience, which was fortunately mitigated when they were placed in his Inventory.

Once Alexa was within his Inventory, Vahn closed his eyes and ejected himself from the space this time, breaking down into small particles that became progressively smaller until they didn't exist at all. The next time he opened his eyes, after only being 'asleep' for little over a minute, Vahn was surrounded by all the girls of the Manor as Terra held the space-time orb within her palms. Vahn accepted Tiona's hand, even though he could have easily come to stand on his own, and immediately pulled out Alexa's core. Everyone watched with bated breath as he channeled his energy into the core, especially those that had never had the opportunity to meet Alexa in the past.

Fortunately, though Alexa was already 120 years old, she was still a juvenile and it only took around 60% of his energy before her core began to emit a large amount of rainbow-colored dust, forming into the shape of a young girl around 11-12. Since he knew she would be disoriented at first, Vahn already prepared a blanket for her, even though it wouldn't have mattered that much with everyone present being female. Khaos was currently hovering in the stratosphere as he absorbed the energy of space while Fafnir was sunbathing in the clearing at the center of the forest. Neither really wanted to upset Alexa by being present so they had elected to avoid being present during her emergence.

After a few seconds, Alexa opened her aquamarine eyes and began to look around, slightly surprised by the number of people present as she naturally gravitated towards her Papa. Vahn had a gentle smile on his face as he reached out his hand, stroking her emerald green hair as he reminded, "Alexa, clothes..." in a soft tone of voice. She quickly donned her custom outfit and, as the blanket was uncomfortable against her wings, handed it back to her Papa before taking a deep breath and turning towards everyone. Her eyes passed over every single person present, lingering a bit longer on the goddesses before politely bowing as she said, "Greetings, my name is Alexandria Eva-Evergreen Mason...I will be in your care from now on. As there are many things I do not know, please be patient with me..."

With Alexa's own introduction finished, everyone took turns introducing themselves before the entire group moved to the large table set nearby and began Alexa's birthday party. To make sure she wasn't too perturbed by a large number of people, both Vahn and Terra flanked Alexa as the other girls asked her a variety of questions. It was very similar to when Asfi had entered into the Manor what seemed like a month ago, though Alexa was far more composed. In fact, as the celebration continued, she seemed to grow progressively more confident and had started asking questions of her own. Vahn noticed she had the most interest in the 'stronger' girls in the group and wondered if her competitive spirit had been ignited...

True Dragons were very prideful creatures and, the moment another entity near their strength was present, they would compete to become the strongest in the area. Though Alexa may never be able to overcome her parents, it didn't mean she would 'tolerate' being weaker than anyone else. Her current strength would put her around Level 5, but it wouldn't be difficult for her to fight against someone at the peak of Level 6 with her racial traits. Not only was her body immensely powerful, but it was also equally as durable to the point that she would never need armor. After all, the hide and scales of a dragon were literally the best material to make powerful armor and Alexa, being a True Dragon, was essentially wearing full body armor at all times.

The girls she had taken the biggest interest in, excluding the goddesses, were Fenrir, Ais, Tiona, Haruhime, Lefiya, Lili, and, somewhat to Vahn's surprise, Ryuu. Though the latter could be argued to be the weakest among the 'strong' girls, the fact that Ryuu had a form of energy that could naturally counter many of Alexa's own affinities was something she instinctually picked up on. After all, Ryuu's Star Elemental energy was near the same tier as Space and Time. It was also the natural counter to Darkness, Ice, and Fire, which were Alexa's primary elements until she had a better understanding of the three dominant forces in her body, especially her Source Energy.

As for the number one 'threat' within Alexa's mind, however, that was none other than Ais, a girl who was 'fated' to be a slayer of Dragons. She not only had an Innate related to it, but Ais' [Avenger] was super effective against Dragons, even without her full ensemble of dragon-slaying equipment. At the same time, her [Ariel], which was a spirit-based Wind Elemental ability, was also a very powerful counter to Alexa's affinities. As a result, Alexa would actually twitch slightly whenever Ais would move, something the taciturn woman seemed completely oblivious of as she fed cookies to the gluttonous Lefiya...

Towards the end of the party, Loki, always being the one to point out the 'necessary' matters, chimed into the ongoing conversation and asked, "So, where will you be staying, Alexa? You should know that, here in the real world, your Papa is a pretty busy man. He also needs to look after his other children, you know~?" Upon the completion of Loki's sentence, Alexa had already looked around the table, eyeing all of her would-be siblings, especially Ina, Vana, and Erika. She had interacted with all three of them within the orb and had grown particularly close with Erika in the past. However, now that she was in the real world, Alexa knew she would have to pay closer attention to each of them...after all, they were her Papa's cherished children. Even without him telling her to do so, Alexa had a natural inclination to 'protect' them in order to make her Papa, the 'King', happy...

In response to Loki's question, Alexa turned her eyes back to the sly looking goddess and said, "I'm a little uncomfortable with making my nest in my Mama's territory, but I don't want to go that far away from Papa. If possible, I want to find a comfortable and quiet place where I can build my nest in peace..." To this, Terra brought her hand to her daughter's shoulder and smiled naturally as she said, "This place isn't just my territory, Alexa, but 'our' home. Everyone here is one big family so, even if you feel like fighting with them a little, never forget that they are all important to your Papa. As long as you remember that, you can create your nest anywhere you want. In fact, you can stay inside mine if you don't want to go build your own...honestly, I wouldn't mind spending time with my cute little daughter, ufufufufu~."

Alexa was more than a little surprised by her Mama's words, especially since it didn't make sense given that they were both True Dragons. Unless they were sharing the nest of the 'King', two female True Dragons would never stay in the same place. This was even more true for males but, after recalling what her Mama just said, Alexa was able to realize that this 'was' her Papa's nest. This entire Manor, including the people residing within, all habitated her Papa's nest. The girls were his mates and the children he shared between them were his 'brood'. Realizing this, Alexa felt strangely happy and, surprising her Mama this time, nodded her head and said, "I will stay with Mama then, at least for the time being."

Though this seemed to be perfectly 'normal', Loki couldn't help but laugh mischievously as she said, "I just hope you don't become an exhibitionist like that mother of yours...seriously, every time I visit the Garden I can't help but want-." Before she finished her words, Vahn sent Loki a wry look that caused her to begin laughing in a somewhat awkward manner. Try as she might, it was impossible for Loki to completely constrain herself at times, especially when she was in a happy mood. She understood it wasn't exactly the time or place to make such jokes, especially with children present, and had nearly slipped up with the complacent and lively atmosphere...

To segue the conversation in a more appropriate direction, Vahn ruffled Alexa's hair and said, "Alexa will be accompanying me on the expedition. I want to give her the opportunity to fight against monsters so she can polish her skills and release some of the stress of being a True Dragon. Since we'll be leaving tomorrow morning, I'll let her stay inside my room tonight and would like to have a sleepover with all the children so they can get to know their big sister." Alexa's eyes were squinted with a pleased expression under her Papa's hand but they opened wide when he mentioned her sleeping in the same room with all of her 'siblings'. As a True Dragon, it was 'very' difficult for her to be okay with actually sleeping around others, especially since she had never slept with anyone but her Papa...

Vahn gave a comforting smile and continued patting Alexa's head as he looked around at his children, especially the Vanir. Even the youngest amongst them, Autumn, looked to be around 2-3 years old. Lenneth and Aisha were around five while Ina and Vana were around 13-14, physically. As for Erika, she looked to be the oldest, around 15-16, and had the most mature disposition amongst them all. The rest of his children, at least the ones that could safely sleep in a bed with other people, were all around seventeen months old, or younger.

Within the group, Meinya had practically climbed onto the table with an excited expression and said, "Nyahaha, Meinya stay with Papnya~!" Then, spurred on by her competitiveness with her similarly aged sister, Sakuya put on a fierce little expression and said, "Papa...I stay...!" Tsubaki, sitting at her side, laughed boisterously and, even though it was embarrassing for the somewhat proud toddler, pulled Sakuya into her embrace and tightly hugged her. Not to be left out from the other girls in her 'generation', Anise pulled on her mom's dress and put on a pitiable expression as she asked, "Mum..stay with Papnya~?" To this, Aki pet her daughter's head and nodded, causing the small Cat Girl's tail to curl up happily as a large smile spread across her face.

After the adorable trio made their decision, there was two more candidates that Vahn wanted to attend the sleepover. These were his eldest son, Masonia, currently sitting next to Riveria with his expression stoic and thoughtful. He was a brilliant little boy and had already started to develop an intelligent expression with slightly angular eyes, giving him a cool look like his mother. Sitting right next to him, with a shy and demure appearance, was his daughter with Ryuu, Alise. Perhaps because Ryuu herself didn't speak much, but Alise was a very quiet girl who was quick to hide behind her mother when others were around.

Somewhat regrettably, though Vahn had expected it, Masonia shook his head and, with words you wouldn't expect from someone so young, said, "My apologies, Father, but I think it would be best if I stay with Mother. I'm not comfortable sleeping in the same bed as so many people, please forgive me..." To punctuate his sentence, Masonia even bowed in a polite manner as Riveria showed an apologetic expression of her own. Vahn didn't really mind it much and just gave a small nod to Masonia before looking towards Alise. Though she was shy around most people, this didn't extend to him and, being very fond of spending time with her Papa, Alise nodded her head without saying anything.

With the inclusion of Alise, that meant he would have the opportunity to cuddle up with a total of eleven of his adorable daughters. If he included Doppel, who would undoubtedly come out to cuddle, that meant he would get to see his children dressed up in twelve different outfits. Just imagining this scene in his mind caused a silly smile to spread across his face, earning laughter from the table who knew what he was thinking. Unexpectedly, Erika raised her hand at this point and said, "I think I will..." before swallowing her words. From her perspective, it was almost like she could see her Papa deflate suddenly and she couldn't find it in her heart to say she didn't want to attend such a large sleepover...

Erika's failure to avoid the inevitable meant that Vahn's 'dream' of a slumber party with all his adorable daughters quickly became a reality. Though it was a bit hectic, especially with Meinya jumping around on the bed and wrestling with Sakuya, Vahn was able to quickly pacify them when it was actually time for bed. To give them more surface area to work with, he split into both of his forms and ended up spending the most blissful evening he had experienced, surrounded by a horde of adorable little angels wearing a variety of different animal jammies. Even Erika wasn't an exception and, after Ina and Vana readily accepted their fate, she eventually gave up and ended up snuggling up with her Papa while Doppel clung to his leg...

(A/N: I am very tired this morning, so I will try to get out the third chapter after taking a nap. However, as there have been A LOT of people asking me to write some FJ, I might spend the afternoon releasing a few chapters there instead. Tomorrow will be the official start of the expedition and it the events within the Dungeon will likely continue for the remainder of this volume :)...)

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'True Dragons are complicated (x__x)','Ais is going to dethrone Seigfried at this rate xD...','Paradise...RIP Erika')

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บท 803: Staging

Waking up early the next morning, Vahn was able to see the adorably 'terrible' sleeping habits of his daughters snuggled up next to him, with each other, or splayed out across the bed. His main body was 'pinned' by Alexa, who was also using her wings as an impromptu blanket for some of the other girls, while his avatar's chest had been claimed by Ina. The thing Vahn found most amusing, even though it was a little inconvenient, was how Meinya was splayed out at the head of the bed with her leg resting across his forehead. Her little tummy was exposed in her tiger jammies and Vahn was tempted to poke her if not for the fact it would disturb the others.

Very carefully, Vahn stirred Alexa awake and began to extricate the girls from his main body before moving them near his avatar. At the same time, he let warm and calming energy suffuse from his domain so they would naturally gravitate towards him while sleeping. Doppel ended up 'waking' while he was moving around, but Vahn wasn't even sure if she actually slept in the first place. His perception of her internal structure made it impossible to know if she was asleep since her 'cells' were always in an active state. Though it didn't appear that way on the surface, everything from the follicles of hair on her head, to the muted brown skin on her body, each part of her acted as sensory receptors that had all six senses active at all times...

Patting the young Doppelganger on the head, earning a somewhat silly smile from her as she attempted to let go of his leg and cling to his main body. Since he didn't really have time to play right now, Vahn pinched her nose and made a gesture to be quiet. Though she had a somewhat 'sad' expression for a brief moment, Doppel still nodded her head before cocooning herself around his avatar's leg with her hair. Both seeing and feeling this, Vahn smiled before grabbing Alexa and gently levitating their bodies from the bed. Seeing himself surrounded by his eleven children, Vahn couldn't help but take a 'snapshot' and storing it away in his mind before exiting the room with Alexa in tow.

Once they were out of the room, Vahn set Alexa down on the floor and she remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "Papa...you really do care about them a lot...don't you?" Vahn gave the most assured nod he had ever managed, reaching out his hand in the same motion to rub her head as he said, "I care deeply about all of my children, Alexa. Never forget, that includes you as well..." Seeing her wings droop slightly at his words, Vahn felt a little sad before Alexa perked up a moment later, a smile on her face as she said, "I understand, Papa. When we return from the Dungeon, I will do my best to get along with all my siblings. I won't let anyone, or anything, bring harm to them...!"

Though he knew there was more that Alexa wasn't saying, Vahn still smiled and ruffled the young True Dragon's hair as he said, "You really are amazing, Alexa. Though I care about all of my children dearly, you are a point of pride that I would proudly tout to the entire world. Come...we don't want to keep the others waiting for too long." Seeing Alexa practically puff out her chest in pride when he mentioned he was proud of her, Vahn's smile softened further. Then, accepting her outstretched hand, Vahn led the way down to the dining room where the majority of the adults were already gathering...

With the exception of Mona, everyone that generally resided in the Manor was gathered together to eat breakfast before sending off the expedition group. As for Mona herself, had been given leeway to sleep through the night while Lili, Naaza, Eina, and Demeter looked after the children. Since Lili would be away from her daughters for what could easily be a few months, she had wanted to spend some more time with them before leaving. Though she seemed to spend a lot of time in the orb, the truth of the matter was that she would come out every few hours, which only amounted to a half hour or so in the real world, to check up on them. Her breasts didn't produce much milk, even though she was much larger than other Pallums he had seen, but Lili still liked to just hold her daughters so they didn't forget her warmth.

After taking a seat between Hestia and Hephaestus, the two goddesses leaned into his shoulders slightly as Alexa took a seat behind him instead of at the table. It was a little awkward but Vahn left her to her own devices as she leaned against his back and appeared to continue napping. He had noticed this with Terra, Fafnir, and Khaos, but True Dragons seemed to have pretty lazy personalities as they could easily spend entire days just lounging under the sun. Though Alexa trained hard to grow stronger, and also spent a lot of time studying, it didn't mean she invested all of her time focused on those pursuits. In fact, out of a twenty-four hour day, Alexa would generally sleep up to ten hours...

Breakfast was a lively affair and Vahn could tell that everyone was excited at the prospect of entering into the Dungeon, even though they knew it would be dangerous. Amongst the girls that would be accompanying him, there wasn't a single one who showed even a hint of fear. In fact, Vahn could see a fiery resolution and a great deal of expectation in many of the girls' eyes, something that was especially prevalent in Ais, Tiona, Haruhime, and Lefiya. Tiona was the type that got easily riled up at just the thought of a fun battle while Haruhime seemed to be excited by the prospect of acting publically as his Vice-Captain. As for Lefiya, she never shied away from the opportunity to show off as his apprentice and, in an effort to support Ais, was almost giddy with anticipation for the battles to come.

Ais was, of course, the most excited for the expedition since, even though her personality had changed a great deal, her hatred and resolution to kill all evil monsters still burned strong. Since her fate was also tied to the Dungeon, to the point it had been 'calling' to her over the last month, the only thing that had kept her from charging into its depths on her own was the combined efforts of everyone present. As for the reason behind this, it was because Preasia had been helping her make sense of some of the memories within her mind, something Vahn himself had the opportunity to experience.

When he first saw Ais as a little girl, Vahn felt slightly dazed and wondered if their child would be as adorable as she was. As for her mother, Aria, Vahn found her to be an exceptionally beautiful woman who, from Ais' memories, seemed to be very kind and gentle. The most peculiar thing, however, wasn't Ais' mother, but her father, Albert Waldenstein. Even in the dreamscape, Ais' ability to recall the man was severely lacking, making it appear as those he was an enigma without a face. However, his basic features could still be made out and it was plain for each of them to see that the man had 'a lot' of similarities with Bell.

Not only did they have very similar hairstyles, with Bell's already being a unique anomaly within the world, but even their armor choices were surprisingly similar. The only key difference was the hair color, the fact that Albert was much taller, and that he used a sword that Ais had trouble envisioning as well. This wasn't the strangest thing, though, which was the fact that everything that Albert said within the dreamscape sound almost 'synthetic' in nature, much like how Sis' voice had in the past. It was like Ais' memories had been tampered with and fabricated, something that he hoped to get to the bottom of in the near future...

As far as Bell himself was concerned, he had been on his own journey over the last month and had actually managed to reach Level 2 after fighting against the exceptionally rare Killer Ant Queen. According to what he heard from Loki, the boy nearly died and, if not for the fact Vahn had given [Effigy of the Hero]s to each of his companions, the small Pallum girl at his side would have certainly died. She ended up getting one of her legs severed and had bled out while Bell fought desperately to protect her while Line tried to treat the wounds. Unfortunately, this didn't go that well but, fortunately, she had the [Effigy of the Hero] to immediately recover her wounds after taking fatal damage.

When Bell had seen this, and understood the use of the item after seeing how full of energy Plum was, the dumb boy practically 'suicided' into the mass of Killer Ants just to trigger his own. The boost he had gotten from the [Effigy of the Hero] had been enough to give him the edge against the Killer Ant Queen and, using the pair of daggers that Welf had forged for him, Bell managed to decapitate her before destroying the large monster core. Since the other Killer Ants had been connected to her through some kind of mental link, they all stopped moving when the Queen was dead, allowing Line to systematically kill the unresponsive ants before moving her two unresponsive companions to a safe area...

Vahn had felt a little dizzy when he heard the report from Loki, who had not been pleased with the boy and put him on house arrest until he received 'proper' training. Since he would potentially be a liability, as a Level 2 that seemed to trigger dangerous events wasn't conducive to their mission, he wouldn't be accompanying the expedition. Vahn suspected that 'something' would happen over the next few months that would get Bell wrapped up in things, but that would have to be something his avatar dealt with. At the same time, Vahn had been considering forging a growth weapon for Bell, just like in the original series, but had been putting it off since it might be better to just give the boy an S-Rank weapon. Though a growth weapon would be very beneficial for him in the long run, an S-Rank weapon would help Bell survive the situations he idiotically threw himself into...

As they both sensed what he was thinking about, Hephaestus and Hestia turned toward Vahn with curious expressions, bringing a smile to his face as he said, "I was just thinking about matters of the future. On that note, though I'm sure you're all getting tired of me repeating this, make sure you aren't dropping your guard during the expedition. Remember, communication is one of the most important factors for avoiding dangerous situations. We have the benefit of using telepathy to remain in touch so use it the moment you notice something strange. There is no way Enyo will just watch as we begin building a base on the 50th Floor so we will need to remain on alert and avoid being separated..."

The lively atmosphere had become slightly more tense with his words but all of the girls nodded their heads in understanding without voicing any complaints. They had all been training hard for what felt like more than six years, all so that they wouldn't be caught off guard during this expedition. If they made a mistake at this point, just the embarrassment along might be enough to make them wish they were dead...

Seeing everyone treating this matter seriously, Vahn smiled appreciatively and said, "Once we defeat Enyo and establish Haven, the Alliance will become a force that is almost impossible to root out. We will be in a position to bring about change to the entire world and increase the quality of life for all people. Truly, I can never express the gratitude I feel for each and everyone one of you...the only thing that can eclipse that feeling is the amount of love I have...hahahahaha~." Vahn felt a little foolish to say something so cheesy but, at this moment, he meant every single word of it. The girls also seemed to buy into it as the tense atmosphere immediately vanished and was replaced by a warmth that he would never tire of...

Once breakfast had come to an end, the expedition group was getting ready to head out while Vahn shared an embrace with all the girls that would remain behind. Though he would still be able to spend time with them, the benefit of having two bodies, it didn't mean they wouldn't show him support while he ventured into the Dungeon. Then, with Fenrir, Ais, Tiona, Tione, Haruhime, Lefiya, Mikoto, Ryuu, Lili, Arnya, Chloe, Shizune, Tina, Emiru, Maemi, and Alexa, Vahn headed towards the rendezvous where the expedition was currently staging their supplies.

Asfi had wanted to come along, but Vahn had her stay behind this time since she was a little weak and better suited for the production of magic items, at least for the time being. Since he could easily transfer them into his Inventory, for use in the Dungeon, she was inarguably more useful on the Surface than within the Dungeon itself. She reluctantly agreed to this, not that she would have had a choice if he 'told' her to stay, but perked up very quickly when Vahn had pinched her pert little rump and reminded her that they would potentially have some privacy in the near future...

While flying through the sky towards their destination, Vahn noticed that one of the girls was showing signs of hesitation and looked back to see Tina staring towards the Manor that was quickly becoming smaller in the distance. Every time she had gone into the Dungeon before now, Milan had accompanied her. Though she wasn't genuinely afraid, the fact that her mother was staying behind in the Manor this time around made Tina feel a little nervous. Since she would also become an 'adult' in the Dungeon this time around, lacking the moral support of her mother was a first for her. Vahn was tempted to remind her about the fact that her mother could even 'experience' her first time alongside her, but kept it to himself for the time being and just pulled her closer to his side to grab her hand. This helped her calm down almost instantly but also prompted Tiona to nearly tackle him out of the sky as she 'landed' on his back and gave him a hug from behind...

After a few small hiccups, and a fair amount of laughter, the peculiar flying troupe landed in the Babel Plaza under the curious eyes of a massive crowd. Though it wasn't even 5 AM yet, there were already thousands of people gathered around, creating something of an impromptu festival as they prepared to send off the largest expedition in history. There were a lot of stalls that had been set up, selling delicious food and last minute supplies, while many people were spending a final few moments with their friends before separating for what could be a two year period. To prevent 'stowaways', and people from trying to solicit the members of the expedition, a large area of the Plaza had been cordoned off, not that it was that effective with this many people...

Vahn sent the girls off to make their own preparations while he approached a small platform where Finn was talking with a group of eleven people, with Shakti and Rufina among them. Both girls noticed his presence before he had even touched down, as a massive group of flying people stuck out like a sore thumb, and Vahn could swear he saw Rufina flinch slightly. As for why this was the case, it was because she wasn't supposed to be accompanying the expedition according to the original plan.

Since Rufina had lost years of her life to the Dungeon in the past, Vahn hadn't really wanted her going back into its depths, especially since Enyo was bound to attack them. However, the decision was ultimately her's and, if this is what she had decided for herself, Vahn wouldn't force the issue. Instead, he walked up to the group with Alexa, Fenrir, and Haruhime following behind him and smiled before saying, "Good morning, everyone. It's good to see the two of you, Shakti, Rufina. With capable tamers like you accompanying us, I think the domestication plan has a fair chance at success."

Rufina visibly relaxed when she heard how easygoing Vahn was, barely containing a sigh before turning it into a 'hmph' as she said, "Though I'm not a freak like you, I'm still the best tamer in this City. If you really want to try and raise monsters within the 50th Floor, you'll need my help...be grateful!" To this, Vahn just gave a complacent nod, annoying Rufina even further as he placed his hand on Alexa's head and said, "This is my daughter, Alexa. Since this is her first time in the Dungeon, I'll be looking after her personally. Don't worry, she may look young, but she is a True Dragon who could fight on par with a Level 6 with a reasonable chance of victory~."

These words, stated as casually as a morning greeting, caused the entire group to visibly shudder while Finn, having long given up on trying to understand Vahn, simply gave a wry smile as he said, "I hope my children are as capable as yours are in the future. My oldest is a real handful and I'm almost positive she is trying to make me go bald...hahahaha~." As if to emphasize this fact, Finn's handsome face actually showed signs of compounding fatigue and his blonde hair was frayed in a few spots.

Vahn knew the reliable Pallum had been working very hard over the last year and a half and, once they reached the 50th Floor, he decided to help Finn ease some of his burdens. For the time being, he just handed over an emerald green potion and said, "Just a sip of this potion would help replenish your vitality and stamina, allowing you to continue fighting for hours. Be careful that you don't tax your mind too much, though, as the only cure for that is proper rest..." To this, Finn just showed a gratified smile and accepted the potion before immediately sampling it. In an instant, the small bags under his eyes softened and he suddenly seemed full of energy compared to before.

Feeling how effective the potion was, much like anything Vahn would give him, Finn's smile grew even wider as he said, "The productions of the Hearth Manor never cease to amaze me. Thank you for the potion, Vahn, I greatly appreciate it." Vahn nodded his head and, out of general courtesy, handed out potions to everyone present before asking, "I trust most of the preparations have been taken care of...?" To this, Finn nodded his head and began explaining what extra preparations had been made before handing over a list of all the supplies that would still be carried on the carts. It was mainly things like basic rations, for anyone that was hungry during the movement, and an assortment of extra weapons and armor.

The Hephaestus Familia had gone all out to mass produce equipment for the expedition this time around, just like other Familias has contributed their own specialties. Since the Alliance was comprised of about 70% production-based Familia, the number of consumable goods and resources they could come forth with was monstrous. Since nobody wanted to be accused of holding back, considering how important this expedition was to the Alliance, everyone had put in an extra effort and they were currently carrying around nearly twice the requisition amount. Some of this was because the Alliance was paying a premium on the goods, assuming they passed the quality check, but it was still very helpful.

After arranging things with Finn, Vahn moved the majority of the excess supplies into his Inventory, mainly consisting of things like camping equipment and materials for repairing equipment. This would greatly increase their movement speed, which would be very important with how large their expedition was. They would be trying to blaze through the Dungeon and reach the 50th Floor within five days, a feat that would be nearly impossible with such an oversized group. However, with his aura helping to keep people energized, the hearty food that would be provided during meals, and the girls practically slaughtering any monsters along the way, their momentum would be nigh unstoppable...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Doppel want huggies (^o^)~!','Bell is an idiot','An expedition to shatter all records~!')

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