章節 191: Despair : Hope
(A/N: Disclaimer: Serious Trigger Warning. This scene is not pleasant to write, and I imagine it will not be pleasant to read as well. However, I'm not fond of shying away from uncomfortable topics since it helps build the character and plot. If you know anything about how cruel people/criminals can be, you'll understand that this situation, though disturbing, it likely how things would have played out given the context.)
While Vahn was healing Milan, he was also diverting some of his attention to the other auras within the building while paying the most attention to Tina. Though he wanted to go to her immediately, he couldn't leave behind Milan before she had recovered. Just imagining leaving her in the room alone surrounded by corpses made Vahn uncomfortable. After she had been healed enough to no be in danger of dying, Vahn moved the seven men's bodies to the side of the room and covered them with a large cloth.
Vahn then continued healing Milan as he purchased a towel from the system and used his [Decanter of Replenishment] as a water source to wipe away the grime and buildup on Milan's body. Her captors had beaten her to an almost unrecognizable extent and had poured various types of potions and chemicals on her body to prevent her from dying. With his enhanced sense of smell, Vahn had nearly vomited from the smell of ammonia and refuse that they had covered her body with. He couldn't understand how or why they would do such a cruel thing, especially if they intended to use her as leverage against him.
After wiping her body clean, Vahn was able to expedite his healing efforts and quickly rid her body of wounds using his [Wound Transfer] and other support items. Since his healing was unable to regrow hair, Milan's ears and tail had grown back and had a light fuzz instead of the chestnut-brown color of the past. Though it was a strange sight, Vahn was just happy they were able to be grown back. It was fortunate that he had tiger-like ears and a tail when he was doing the [Wounds Transfer], or there was a very high probability they'd have been lost forever. The downside to that, of course, was that Vahn had to experience the nerve endings of his own tail being severed which caused his mind to numb from the pain.
If not for the fact that he was entirely focused on Milan before him and Tina in his mind, Vahn would have likely collapsed from the pain. Towards the end of the treatment, he had even transitioned from his Báihǔ form into his turtle form. There were even the wisps of tiny vermillion-flames beginning to break through the small cracks in his skin, but Vahn repressed the transformation using his willpower. He didn't dispel it entirely, however, as it may prove useful when dealing with the remainder of the captors.
After around fifteen minutes, Milan's body had been returned to her former healthy and lithe looking state. Though Vahn might have admired her form in the past, now he just felt an incredible sadness as he scanned through his system and purchased a cloak for her to wear. Since he could only gift one item a month to each person, Vahn had to make do with something that could cover her entire body at once. With a bit of effort, he managed to slip the cloak around Milan's unconscious body before cradling her gently and using [Hands of Nirvana] to ease her mind and try to awaken her.
Not long after, Milan's eyes opened slowly and stared in a daze at the foreign ceiling. She felt like she had been having a terrible dream and had suffered inhumane treatment. She remembered being happy with her daughter and taking care of the customers while they both talked about the young boy that had made his way into their lives. For the first time in a long while, Milan began to feel like things were getting back on track and both she and her daughter would be able to find happiness.
**(Trigger Warning Starting Now: You can skip toward the bottom where the warning ends if you are uncomfortable.)**
Soon after, while she was cooking in the kitchen, Milan had heard a commotion coming from the front of the Inn. Assuming it was just a rowdy customer, she made her way through the small doors toward the dining room and saw several aggressive men ejecting all of the customers as they began to trash the place. Though she didn't have a weapon on her, Milan was still a Level 3, so she immediately set out to give the men a thrashing.
Things weren't going too badly, even though the attackers had two Level 3 of their own, and Milan was hoping to be able to hold out until the authorities arrived. Since her Inn was located near the main branch of the Hephaestus Familia, the security in the area wasn't supposed to be a problem. As long as she held out for just a few minutes, there were bound to be several people that would show up to assist. Unfortunately, one of the scumbags had managed to find her daughter and captured her.
Unable to continue fighting after Tina had been captured, Milan surrendered and the two Level 3 men, one scarred-faced man, and an emaciated-looking dark-skinned elf, began to beat her for a short period of time for her earlier resistance. Even though her daughter cried out at the brutality of the sight, Milan continued to bear the heavy blows while trying to protect her vitals. She even hoped that the men would beat her for a longer period of time in order to allow for help to arrive, so she put up a small amount of resistance against them every time they stopped their attack.
Eventually, one of the members of the assailants pointed out the issue of time and the two men stopped beating her they tied up her body and carried her and Tina out the back entrance of the Inn. One of the last sights Milan had seen before she passed out was the image of the Inn she had built and operated for the past ten years going up in flames. Though she hadn't cried at all as the men beat her, she couldn't help but shed some tears at the sight before she finally passed out.
The next thing she remembered was waking up after being dropped heavily to the floor. Milan could hear Tina's screaming voice and opened her swollen eyes to try and find her daughter so that she could assure her everything would be okay. As she turned her head towards the crying of her daughter, she saw one of the men heavily slap Tina's face and knock her to the ground. She felt her mind buzz as she called upon strength she didn't know she had as Milan launched herself at the man and tried to strangle him.
Though she managed to get her hands around his neck, it wasn't long before Milan felt a heavy block to the back of her head that made her vision blacken as a powerful throbbing feeling ran through her mind. She hadn't been knocked out by the blow, but all of the strength she had mustered previously faded from her body as she looked toward her daughter that was laying on the ground sobbing.
She tried to crawl toward Tina and comfort her, but two of the men picked her up by her arms and dragged her out of the room. After taking her to another area in the dark building, the men began to tear away at her clothing and her instincts allowed her to resist against them. However, no matter how much she tried, the men only took a sadistic pleasure in her struggles as they knocked her to the ground and began systematically breaking the bones in her body starting from her limbs.
They poured buckets full of waste and refuse onto her naked body and called her cruel and derogatory names before some of the men took out their penises and peed on her defenseless body after one of them called her a toilet. Though the smell made her want to vomit, Milan's stomach had long been emptied of its contents and she could only gag and spit up bits of blood tainted with small black particulates.
One of the men saw the black clots in the blood and realized that she would probably die soon, so they poured low-grade potions onto her body before trying to force a foul-smelling liquid down her throat. Milan resisted and tried to prevent from being forced to swallow the contents by gritting her teeth, but one of the men used a small leather club to shatter her jaw to prevent her from resisting.
As the viscous contents slid down her throat, Milan tried to force herself to vomit it out, but the damage to her body prevented her from having enough energy to do so. She could feel a heat spreading through her body and realized what the men's intentions were. Though there was next to no strength in her body, Milan desperately tried to resist against the men and managed to scratch and blind one of their eyes in the process.
The screaming of the man caused others to become alerted to what was going on in the room and several other people entered and began beating her alongside the original two. It got to the point where Milan couldn't move her body at all and she felt like death was close at hand. If not for the fact that her daughter was still held hostage, she likely would have died then and there. Unfortunately, the only reward for her resolve was the man she had blinded using his thumb and blinding her eye.
Unable to resist, Milan's body seized up at the pain and she cried out with a croaking voice as she tried to pull her head away. Incited by her reaction, the men began to laugh cruelly as they took a pair sheers and began to clip off pieces of her ears. They didn't cut them off all at once but cut off bits and pieces at a time before the only thing remaining was mangled stubs. It was more painful than anything Milan had ever felt, but it was nothing compared to what came next.
The tail of a cat person was one of their most sensitive spots and housed thousands of nerve endings toward the base of the spine. It was a tradition that only the significant other of a cat person was allowed to grab their tail since it would activate their instincts and cause them to bite forward. Since cat people were considered somewhat exotic and were popular in slave-trading circles, the sensitivity of their tail was well-known to most criminal groups. Using that knowledge as a basis, the same man that blinded her eyes gripped Milan's tail firmly.
Milan gnashed her teeth because of the disgusting feeling that was welling up in her body, but it didn't last long as a sheer dread took over her mind when she saw the cruel look on the man's face. Unable to form any words, Milan opened her mouth and just released muted whines as the man tightened his grip and twisted powerfully. All of the pain receptors in her body fired at once as her body jerked from the intense pain. Undaunted, the man twisted in the opposite direction and alternated his grip until eventually separating the tail from her body nearly three excruciating minutes later.
**(Trigger Warning Has Ceased: Though it still isn't too pleasant, enjoy the story.)**
Afterward, Milan had absolutely no strength left in her body and couldn't even form any thoughts. Even when the men started beating her and tormenting her body once again, she didn't even feel any new sensations since her body had gone into a severe state of shock. The only thing she could think of was her daughter Tina who had been left alone in the previous room. Milan remembered how vibrant Tina's smile had been when they were both happy, but now she feared it would be replaced by the fear and anxiety that she had seen earlier. Even if nobody showed up to save her, Milan wanted her daughter to be saved from this nightmare, so she began to utter a silent prayer through her swollen and torn lips...
Unaware of how much time had passed, Milan felt a strange sensation spread through the room as a strange golden glow flashed. The impacts that had been forced on her body for so long came to a halt in an instant as complete silence spread through the room. For several minutes, there were no sights or sounds other than a hazy darkness and a throbbing sensation in her mind that had replaced all sounds.
Milan thought she might have died but, suddenly, there was a warm sensation pushing away the throbbing sensation in her mind. Though all of her nerves felt like they had fried, she could feel a gentle energy spreading through her body as a heat emanated from areas where she had lost all feelings. Soon after, Milan could feel a numb and tingling sensation spreading over her body and she realized that the incredible pain that had become her existence was slowly fading away.
When a moist and warm feeling landed on her face, a sense of relief appeared in her heart as hope began to spread through her anxious mind. Almost as if it were a distant memory that she had suddenly recalled, Milan was able to recognize the energy entering her body and the image of a kind and gentle boy appeared from her memory. Though she still had an incredible anxiety in her heart and a profound concern for her daughter in the focus of her mind, Milan knew that help had finally arrived. Hearing the gentle and comforting words of Vahn, Milan, unable to express her relief in any other way, began to cry as darkness encroached upon her mind.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Cruelty','Within the Depths of Despair','Light in the Darkness')
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創作者的想法 
Einlion
Einlion Level 1 Vahn: https://imgur.com/a/zFOLFrT
Courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/robusta-mania
章節 192: Remembering What's Important
After clearing her mind, Milan noticed that Vahn was cradling her gently in his arms as he stared at her face with clear concern in his expression. She smiled briefly, but it faded quickly as she asked, "Did you save Tina?" Even though she was happy and felt a bit of relief, Milan wouldn't be able to relax until her daughter was safe. She sat up from Vahn's arms and looked around and recognized the room as well as the seven bodies covered by the blanket.
Vahn put his hand on her head and spoke in a soft tone, "Don't worry, I already have her within the range of my senses. I'll be going to save her now...I just couldn't leave you here alone." Milan heard his words and felt a pang of warmth in her heart, but it didn't do much to suppress her anxiety. She noticed that she had been clothed in a dark blue cloak and removed Vahn's hand from her head before noticing a strange sight. The tail that she had lost had grown back, and even though it was hairless, Milan couldn't help but release a relieved sigh.
In her daze, Vahn stood up and embraced her body and stroked her back in a caring manner as he said, "Leave through the window and guide the others here. Hephaestus had been gathering a rescue party and is probably searching for this location. I know you're worried about Tina, but my stealth and skills allow me to move undetected. If you don't want to leave, you'll have to stay in this room for the time being." As he spoke, Vahn pulled out one of the short swords he had forged in the orb.
Milan wanted to refute his words, but she couldn't argue against his serious expression. Even though she had recovered her strength, her mind was in an unstable state and she knew she wouldn't be able to help him. Since she didn't want to wait in the room, Milan decided to follow his advice and go get support. However, before she left, she looked at the cold and sad eyes of Vahn that couldn't be concealed even though he was trying to act comforting. She knew he would blame himself for what happened and wanted to assure him but couldn't find the words.
Vahn saw her hesitation and just shook his head as he put his hand back on her's and stroked the hairless ears that served as a reminder of his failure. In a tired, yet angry, sounding voice, Vahn said, "I have no regrets...other than the fact that I was too weak to prevent this from happening. I will make them pay dearly to make sure nobody ever tries to harm the people I care about again..." A cold light flashed through his eyes as he stared through the walls and floor toward the aura of Tina.
Seeing his expression and hearing his response, Milan furrowed her brows and gave Vahn a strong hug. Though he was a bit confused, Vahn just caressed her back for a bit until she said, "Don't become a monster because of other people...save Tina, that is the most important thing. If you fall down to their level, you will only have regrets in the future. That isn't the way to obtain strength...that is the path towards cruelty...don't lose your kind and gentle self for the sake of evil men."
Milan's words made Vahn feel a terrible sensation in his mind and caused the cold feeling that had rooted itself in his consciousness to fluctuate. He could feel his anxiety begin to build but it was soon suppressed as the cold sensation became stronger. Though he knew she was right, he just couldn't let the people that had done this off without releasing his frustrations somehow. Vahn felt like, if he showed mercy now, there would only be more people that would find trouble for him in the future.
As she had been paying attention to his expression, Milan had seen the struggle in his eyes as she cupped his face in her hands and whispered, "Let them be judged and suffer in prison for the rest of their lives. You don't have to be the one to pass judgment on them, Vahn. Just find the mastermind and turn them over to the authorities...but, most importantly, you still need to save Tina. She needs a hero, not someone that lacks mercy. Don't let her hold the image of you tormenting others in her mind, even if it is to enact justice for everything that happened."
Milan's words caused Vahn to imagine Tina looking at him with fear in the future. Even if it was an unnecessary concern and she didn't fear him, Vahn couldn't tolerate the idea of her being comfortable with him killing people either. Though the cold sensation in his mind didn't leave, it dissipated slightly and Vahn released a sad sigh. He had already killed the men that tormented Milan so, as long as he could save Tina, he didn't have to punish the rest personally. Considering there were people like Loki and Hephaestus that would be involved. Vahn didn't need to be a vigilante that enacted his own brand of justice, he just wanted to protect the people he cared about.
Seeing his expression soften a bit, Milan showed him a gentle smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Before exiting through the window, she turned back and stared at him for a few seconds before saying, "Go, she is waiting for you...and...thanks for saving me and helping to regrow my tail. Once the hair grows back, I'll let you touch it as a reward..." Though it wasn't the most appropriate situation, Milan wanted to lift Vahn's spirits a little and encourage him.
Vahn nodded his head slightly and, with a smile on his face, said, "It's a promise..." He had seen her aura fluctuated slightly and knew that she wasn't actually trying to make a pass at him. Vahn knew she was just trying to help him cheer up, so he reciprocated and gave an adequate response before turning his back as she leaped out the window. Though the future was an interesting thing to consider, Vahn needed to focus on the present and get to the bottom of the current situation.
Presently, there were two people guarding Tina's room as well as several other auras spread throughout the safe house. Though not everyone had a black aura, Vahn could see that the majority were filled with negative emotions. This meant that, though they may not be directing their malicious intent toward him presently, they were still inherently predisposed against him.
The thing that had caught his eye long ago were the four larger auras that were deep underground, even further down than the room Tina was kept in. Though Vahn couldn't sense the entire layout of the building, he knew it likely had several layers he had yet to explore. His mini-map showed him minor details, but it couldn't let him see through walls unless he used [Eyes of Truth].
Since Tina hadn't been kept too far from the room Milan was in, Vahn managed to sneak through the safe house while using his stealth and staying low to the ground. He was still in his turtle form, so he didn't have night vision, but he could still easily see through the low-lighting of the corridors.
Coincidentally, his turtle form actually made his skin darken while hardening his forearms and legs, so Vahn was nearly indistinguishable from the background while he was using [Stealth] and his domain to conceal his presence.
The moment he got into range of the connecting corridor where Tina was being kept, Vahn stepped into the corridor and immediately used Shundo. Since the two guards were slacking off due to being inside the safe house, they were completely unprepared as Vahn appeared in front of them before using his [Fist strike] to give them both severe concussions. Since he didn't want to make a lot of noise, Vahn had used the benefit of his turtle form to converge the shockwave and localize it to the center of their heads. Even though he didn't put a lot of strength into the strikes, it forcefully rattled the brains of the two. If they were unlucky, they may never fully recover in the future, but it was still considered a small mercy compared to Vahn's original intentions.
After setting the two 'unconscious' men on the ground silently, Vahn used fire elemental energy to increase the temperature of his hand as he melted through the locked door. Though he could have searched the men for a key, Vahn didn't plan to waste any more time so he used what he believed to be the most efficient option available. Once it had melted through completely, Vahn entered the small room and saw Tina unconscious on the ground.
Though it wasn't a far distance, Vahn immediately appeared next to her body using Shundo before picking her up in his arms. Fortunately, other than some scrapes and a minor swelling on her cheek, Tina was otherwise unharmed. The cold sensation in his mind dissipated by a large amount and Vahn couldn't stop himself from sighing in relief as he stroked the small cat girl's head while using [Hands of Nirvana]. Even though he could heal the swelling quickly, Vahn still used [Wounds Transfer] since he felt it was only right for him to experience the suffering she had gone through.
Not long after he healed her body and was inserting his energy into her head, Tina woke up with a start and flinched after realizing she was being held. She immediately tried to escape, but calmed down soon after once she realized it was Vahn holding her body. Though she should have recognized it from the familiar warmth, she was still on edge from everything that had happened. Now that she saw Vahn, Tina hugged his body and started crying loudly.
Vahn compressed his domain a bit and used the sound dampening properties of [Stealth] to contain her cries as he consoled the bawling Tina. He continued to stroke the back of her head while softly explaining the situation to her. He told her that Milan had already been saved and was 'unharmed', and now he would be able to take her away from this place as well.
Tina, hearing Vahn's soothing words, began to withhold her crying voice as she continued to sob into his chest for several minutes. Even though she felt a great deal of relief after hearing the explanation, she couldn't do much to repress the fear and unease in her heart. Though Vahn's warm embrace helped to calm her mind a bit, she couldn't relax until she was able to reunite with her mother. After seeing her mother carried away earlier in a badly beaten state, she was severely traumatized and had trouble believing that she was okay.
Vahn continued to soothe her patiently until he noticed a change in the auras around him. One of the larger auras separated from the other three and began to run through the building while alerting everyone else. The three remaining auras began retreating further into a space Vahn couldn't see and they were quickly moving toward the edge of his detection range. Though he hadn't been detected, Vahn assumed that word had gotten to the mastermind about the situation happening on the surface. Right now, there were several teams from the Hephaestus Familia converging around this area with Milan's guidance. The main team of the Loki Familia had also shown up since around fifty minutes had passed since Vahn parted with Hephaestus.
Though Vahn was unaware of what was happening outside, he could intuit a bit based on everything that was happening. Before the men made their way to the room where he and Tina were, Vahn pulled her away slightly and looked into her eyes with a serious expression. Tina, though she was still scared and anxious, immediately ceased her crying as she returned his gaze. She could see the seriousness in his eyes as he explained, "There are bad men coming here right now, so I need to get you out of the building. A lot of our allies, including your mother, are heading this way and they will protect you."
Tina nodded her head and asked in a sobbing tone, "What about you...?" In response, Vahn gave her a gentle smile and ruffled her hair as he explained, "I can't let the people that did this get away. Even now, I can sense them running away from this location. I will buy time for the rest of the rescue party to show up, so I need you to be brave and go to them. Don't be afraid, Tina, as I won't leave you on your own..."
As Vahn finished his words, he looked toward the ceiling and held Tina close as he said, "Fafnir, open a hole in his damnable place. Let's get some fresh air..." In response to his words, Fafnir slammed up from the shadows on the floor and accelerated toward the roof and tore through it like paper. Though there was a lot of debris raining down, Vahn was able to completely protect Tina in his arms by using his turtle form to dissipate the force of anything that contacted them. Even heavy debris contacted his body and just rolled off without even budging him.
Tina was very afraid by the chaotic scene, but she just hugged Vahn's waist with her eyes closed and believed that he would protect her. Even though it seemed like the sky was falling, she noticed that Vahn stood firm against everything without budging as he shielded her body. After a few seconds, Tina could feel the cold night air enter into the stagnant room as Vahn used his domain to generate small bursts of energy to clear the dust that was still around them.
Picking her up in his arms, Vahn jumped through the hole that Fanfir had made before vaulting off the higher floors and arriving at the roof. Turning toward the dragon floating in the air, Vahn held out Tina and said, "Fafnir, protect her with everything you have. Take her to the others before returning to the shadows. If anyone tries to harm her or Milan, make sure they pay the price." Fafnir nodded its head before responding in a childish voice, (*Leave it to me, Master~!*). It then bent down and reformed its scales to allow for Tina to fit comfortably on its back.
Though she was scared of the giant black dragon, Tina had also heard the cute and childish voice as it responded to Vahn. Even though it looked 'evil', she suddenly felt a lot less intimidated as she allowed Vahn to seat her on its back. Vahn rubbed her head affectionately one last time before giving her a kiss on the forehead and saying, "Milan is waiting for you, go to her..." Tina nodded her head before hugging Vahn's neck for a few seconds. When she finally let go, she had tears in her eyes as she said, "Please don't get hurt..."
Vahn took her hand into his as he showed her the most confident smile he could manage and said, "No matter what happens, Tina, I will always come back in one piece. Make sure to prepare some nice food for me when I return; the three of us can eat it together just like before." Then Vahn ruffled her hair a bit before jumping off Fafnir's back and down into the hole.
Though several men had shown up at the room where Tina had been kept, the moment they saw the huge hole and Fafnir, they immediately ran away. Vahn was going to follow their trail all the way back to the source since, if you trace the tail of a snake, you will always find its head eventually. From his time back in the forest, Vahn had learned that the best way to kill a snake was to cut off the head and watch the body die...
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Author-Style, Triple-Cliff Summoning Jutsu~!','The Hunt Begins','Tiny Tina's Tears')
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創作者的想法
Einlion
Einlion
Level 1 Vahn: https://imgur.com/a/zFOLFrT
Courtesy of https://www.deviantart.com/robusta-mania
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