章節 2201: Communication
Though it would not prevent her from carrying out her duty, the appearance and performance of Vados were enough to give Ahirani a reason to reconsider her approach. Thus, while the mages of her tribe prepared the ritual spell to destroy the planet, a delegation comprised of Attutyaptish and his most prominent children, an all-female group that referred to themselves as the Seven Sages of Wisdom, teleported to the core.
Looking around the antechamber, Attutyaptish wasn't particularly surprised to find it empty. Vahn, very clearly, didn't take their invasion seriously. This irked the petite Rakshasa quite a bit, but, as it was also something they could take advantage of, he maintained a relaxed expression as he turned towards the group of rather eccentric-looking girls that had teleported alongside him.
"Remember, we did not come here to fight. We will defend if attacked, but, unless the Sage Dragon or his followers make the first move, we will attempt to communicate with them..."
Though their true purpose was to stall for time, Attutyaptish couldn't exactly come out and say it when they were right outside the enemy's throne room. Fortunately, with the exception of his sixth eldest daughter, a ditzy-looking girl who wandered around with a cartoonish bear and a pile of faux poo on her head, the others were intelligent enough to easily ascertain the true meaning behind his words.
Representing the group of girls as both the strongest and the eldest, a 258cm tall woman with fox ears, a large fluffy tail, half-lidded eyes, and an exceptionally mature figure inquired, "Should we be concerned with preserving face...?"
Shifting his attention to the rather slovenly-looking woman, Attutyaptish remained silent for several seconds before crossing all six of his arms and saying, "Just keep in mind that billions of people are watching..."
Seemingly unperturbed by her father's words, the vulpine woman licked her lips in an overtly suggestive manner before directing her enervated gaze towards the ornate stone doors separating the antechamber from the throne room. Then, with her hips and tail swaying with each of her steps, she meandered toward the door as all but two of her sisters fell into step behind her.
Restraining a sigh, Attutyaptish directed his gaze towards his most loyal daughter, an inordinately petite Rakshasa with short white hair and large horns reminiscent of an axolotl. She was even more diminutive than he was, so, while he often pretended his height didn't bother him, it was no secret that the girl in question was Attutyaptish's favorite daughter.
"Ama...watch over Dhasi and make sure she doesn't wander off. If communications break down, I will be relying on you to destroy the teleportation nexi..."
Nodding her head in affirmation, Ama grabbed the hands of the much larger Dhasi, saying, "Come, Dhasi. Let's go play over there..."
"Da~?"
Though she briefly looked towards her father, the 228cm tall Dhasi didn't resist as Ama, standing a mere 108cm, dragged her towards the far side of the antechamber. Dhasi, despite being one of the Seven Sages of Wisdom, wasn't particularly known for her mental acuity. Her inclusion in the group was entirely the result of her combat potential. She was far from the strongest or the fastest among Attutyaptish's children but her Gift, The Oblivious King, was one of the most terrifying in a battle of martial prowess.
Trusting that Ama would be able to keep her sister under control, Attutyaptish levitated from the ground before quickly following after his other daughters. He hated walking on his hind legs, as, due to his feline appendages and three pairs of arms, his bipedal motion resembled waddling. His younger brothers used to make fun of him for this, so, unless flight was strictly prohibited, his most common method for getting around was via levitation...
Entering the throne room, Attutyaptish nearly became the victim of gravity when he found his two most troublesome daughters, one seated atop Vahn's lap and the other dangling her legs from the armrest of his throne.
Despite feeling as though a vein had popped near his temple, Attutyaptish did his best to maintain a neutral expression as he floated forward, hands cupped politely as he said, "I see you are getting along surprisingly well with my daughters...?"
Feeling a strange sense of incongruity, Attutyaptish's pointed statement turned into a question as he habitually tilted his head to the side. Something about the present scene just felt off, but, even after tilting his head nearly forty degrees, he couldn't quite figure out what it was...
Retracting his hand from the vulpine woman's head, Vahn maintained a neutral expression of his own as he stated, "I wouldn't exactly say that. These two rascals kind of just walked in and made themselves comfortable..."
As the group showed no hostility, Vahn prevented Kusu, Vados, and Marcarita from appearing. He was still interested in learning about Ahirani's condition, so, even when the unnamed woman took advantage of his silence to sit on his lap, he just habitually caressed her head.
Instead of paying attention to Vahn's words, Attutyaptish was still attempting to make sense of the strange feeling of incongruency that had washed over him. It was only when he drew closer to the group that he realized what it was.
"Your human form is quite a bit larger than I was expecting..."
Raising his brows, Vahn was about to ask why it mattered when the voluptuous woman seated atop his lap suddenly grabbed the sides of his face and remarked, "Oh my...are you ignoring me...?" in an overtly seductive tone.
Instead of responding to the woman's words, Vahn simply snapped his fingers. As a result, the busty Rakshasa promptly found herself teleported several meters away, her compromised balance forcing her to collapse onto the stone floor with a surprisingly loud 'thump'.
Taking advantage of the vacancy, the second of the two vulpine women, Prurmubhi, the very same woman Chronoa had encountered on the defensive satellite, silently entreated Vahn with her eyes. In response, he simply patted his right thigh, an indecipherable expression on his face as he allowed the comparably petite beauty to make herself comfortable.
Unamused by the turn of events, the markedly more mature-looking Rakshasa, known to her kin as Hantemu, glared toward Prurmubhi with her half-lidded eyes. Instead of complaining, however, she simply rose to her feet before dusting herself off and standing in a pose with two arms crossed, two linked behind her head, and two more thumbing the stretchy band keeping her loincloth in place...
Coughing into one of his fur-covered paws, Attutyaptish attempted to seize the momentum in the conversation by stating, "At the behest of the Queen-Mother, I have been commissioned to inquire about the services of the Sage Dragon's Hearth. Though it is impossible for us to betray our Lord, it is not outside the realm of possibility for us to employ your services..."
Though his words were primarily intended to stall for time, Attutyaptish was also putting Vahn and the Sage Dragon's Hearth on the spot. Vados had boldly declared that their Community was willing to offer their services even in the midst of a Gift Game. If Vahn reneged on his promise and refused to provide his services, the otherwise impeccable reputation of the Sage Dragon's Hearth would be tarnished.
When public opinion influenced the power and potency of attacks, reputation was among the most important pillars supporting a Community's growth. Vahn 'fluffing' up two of his daughters in front of a crowd of billions was already putting the Sage Dragon's Hearth at a minor disadvantage...after all, people could be remarkably petty...
Playing along with the anthropomorphic cat man's ploy, Vahn proceeded to explain the services he, specifically, offered within the Sage Dragon's Hearth. At the same time, he continued to shamelessly fluff up Prurmubhi's hair and ears as he didn't particularly care if people came to associate him with petting. Though the peculiar grey blush on Prurmubhi's face might imply otherwise, it wasn't like he was doing anything overtly lewd...
Hearing Vahn casually list off his services, Attutyaptish was seized by the notion he had just given the man the opportunity to freely advertise without sounding shameless. This caused his left ear to twitch in frustration, but, as his primary objective was to buy time, interrupting Vahn's surprisingly long soliloquy wasn't an option. If anything, he needed to goad the seemingly oblivious man into continuing...
With that in mind, Attutyaptish followed Vahn's explanation by stating, "That's quite the list...I'm not entirely sure I can remember it all. Do you mind repeating the parts concerning the awakening of a person's innate talent? I believe our guests spectating abroad would appreciate it..."
Having never been fond of repeating himself, Vahn returned a faint smile as he mused, "Feel free to review the replay once you've returned home. For now, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave. While I have no problems entertaining guests, the crowd outside didn't gather to watch us sit around and discuss business. If you've nothing to request, it's my turn to ask a few questions. If you're unwilling to answer, your options are to...what was they again? Ah, yes..."
Retracting his hands from Prurmubhi's head, much to the vulpine woman's dissatisfaction, Vahn adopted an expression of mock severity as he appended, "Capitulate or prove your worth." in the exact same voice and tone used by Uvashu.
Recognizing their brother's voice, the five ashen-skinned beauties immediately perked up, varying degrees of amusement coloring their expressions. This was a stark contrast to their father, who, with an adorably grumpy expression on his face, asked, "What did you want to ask...?"
Levitating Prurmubhi from his lap, Vahn crossed his right foot over his knee before getting straight to the point, asking, "Why does your mother possess such a pessimistic aura? I'm fairly certain I've already ascertained the reason but I'm curious to hear what you think."
Furrowing his brows, Attutyaptish gazed into Vahn's expression. The tragedy of the Rakshasa Tribe wasn't a secret, but, like most tragedies, it wasn't exactly polite to inquire about the details. Thus, before responding, he searched Vahn's expression for any signs that the man was trying to ridicule them. Noticing none, Attutyaptish drew in a deep breath before exhaling a profoundly exasperated sigh and saying, "The Queen-Mother grieves for the loss of her King and sisters. She also bears the burden of our entire species on her shoulders. If you were to lose everything, including the people you loved, I imagine you might be pretty pessimistic as well..."
Exhaling a sigh of his own, Vahn resisted the almost instinctual urge to apologize. As the tragedy of the Rakshasa Tribe had absolutely nothing to do with him, however, he remained silent. At the same time, Loi-chan manifested at his side, a bubbly, mood-shattering expression on her face as she bent down to whisper in his ear. It didn't help that her form currently resembled Ahirani...
Hearing the specifics from Loi-chan, a look of realization donned on Vahn's face as he offered her an appreciative nod. This greatly confused the six individuals staring at him, but, without minding their accusatory stares, Vahn adopted a relaxed smile as he said, "Inform your Queen-Mother that, once this game has ended, I will gladly remedy the plight of your people. For now, you should do your best to try and remove me from my throne. I imagine the crowd outside is beginning to grow pretty restless with all this talking."
Not expecting such a response, Attutyaptish couldn't help looking at Vahn as though the latter was an idiot. If the plight of the Rakshasa Tribe could be solved so easily, they wouldn't have spent the last three hundred years slowly rebuilding. Saying he would help them when even their Patron God was powerless to act was more of an insult than an assurance...
Sharing this sentiment, each of Attutyaptish's daughters, sans Prurmubhi, adopted moderately hostile expressions. The latter was also offended, but, after having her head pet and caressed for the better part of half an hour, it was difficult for her to direct even a marginal amount of hostility towards Vahn. She would much rather have him continue caressing her head, so, while everyone else was glaring at him with severe expressions on their faces, she felt like the odd one out as she slowly inched out of the way...
...
..
.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Da~!','Vahn can be remarkably shameless at times xD...','At least he didn't crack out the 'Yo Mama...' jokes on them...')
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章節 2202: Power vs. Utility
Reacting to the increase in tensions, Kusu, Vados, and Marcarita promptly appeared between Vahn and the six Rakshasa Tribe members. This was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back, as, the moment the trio appeared, the more mature of the vulpine women, Hantemu, charged toward Kusu with a massive club in hand.
Extending his paw, Attutyaptish was prepared to call his daughter back but elected not to when Vahn suddenly stated, "Try not to injure them." in a completely relaxed tone.
In an effort to respect Vahn's decision, Kusu dodged Hantemu's attack at a hair's breadth before darting around the six-armed woman's back and chopping her neck. When she felt virtually no feedback from the strike, a marginally surprised expression colored her face, but, thanks to her Autonomous Sovereign, she was easily able to avoid Hantemu's tempestuous follow-up.
Though it offered a number of inconveniences, especially for those with large breasts, one of the benefits of possessing six arms was that you could string together combos that the majority of two-armed individuals had no hope of defending against. Hantemu, despite being one of the Sages of Wisdom, was one of the Warrior Class members of her tribe. Her specialty was hammers and maces, but, like every physically inclined member of her species, she was also gifted in the art of grappling.
Realizing that she would never hit the nimble Kusu with her hammer, Hantemu promptly lobbed it into the air before pouncing on the comparably petite, blue-skinned woman. She believed that, so long as she could get a single hand on Kusu, the battle would swing in her favor.
Amused by Hantemu's efforts, Kusu allowed her staff to blink out of existence before placing her hands behind her back. Then, much to the Rakshasa woman's chagrin, she began narrowly evading each attempt to grab her with a completely relaxed smile on her face. This was a good opportunity to strengthen the notion that the Angels were an untouchable existence. More importantly, it was an opportunity to show off in front of Vahn, so, while everyone else was reluctant to start fighting, Kusu happily performed her evasive dance.
"My, you're quite spirited, aren't you~?"
Clicking her tongue, Hantemu ceased her torrential attempts to grasp Kusu's before breaking away and performing a series of hand signs. Unfortunately, while this was enough to earn her a curious stare from Vahn, Kusu wasn't particularly fond of sharing her spotlight. The moment she felt Vahn's attention shift to her opponent, the carefree smile on her face suddenly appeared remarkably frigid as she flickered into Hantemu's range and promptly planted her fist in the grey-skinned woman's gut.
Confident in her durability, Hantemu made no effort to defend herself from Kusu's relatively plain attack. Instead, a ridiculing smile developed across her face as she spread her arms like a trap ready to spring shut.
To Hantemu's credit, such a tactic would have worked against most opponents. Unfortunately, the Angels didn't stand at the pinnacle of their verse by resting on their laurels. They were among the most skilled martial artists that Vahn had ever encountered. Thus, while her punch appeared normal at a glance, those with enhanced perception would be able to see her fist vibrating at a remarkably high speed.
Resonant Frequency was a concept that denoted everything in existence, even space and time, as having a natural frequency where the medium vibrates the highest possible amplitude. Anything beyond that maximum threshold would result in the catastrophic failure of the medium.
Having gotten a basic understanding of Hantemu's body during their initial exchange, Kusu had managed to approximate the frequency needed to overcome a Rakshasa's apparent immunity to physical attacks. As a result, the moment her fist made contact with the much larger woman's body, Hantemu simply froze in place, her half-lidded eyes widening for the first time as an overwhelming numbness seized her entire body.
"It's time for you to go to sleep."
Without giving Hantemu a chance to respond, Kusu stepped away from the statuesque woman before manifesting her staff and pointing it towards her opponent's head. Vahn's order to avoid injuring them left her with very few options, so, similar to how Vados dealt with Ahirani's Grudge-based attack, Kusu was intending to seal Hantemu off in a closed space.
Just as a ring-shaped portal appeared over Hantemu's head, a flash of light briefly obscured the throne room as the largest of Attutyaptish's daughters, a woman with wolf-like ears but no tail, pressed the shutter of an old, magnesium-flash camera. When the light faded away, Kusu, Vados, and Marcarita had lost all color, their appearances reminiscent of people found in old, black and white photos.
Undaunted by the sudden flash and the change in her body, Kusu guided the ring-shaped portal to envelop Hantemu's body before directing her gaze towards the remarkably tall woman wielding a variety of different cameras. In response, the woman pressed the shutter-release of her handheld camera, her voice a cool monotone as she said, "Freeze Frame..."
Though it was invisible to others, Vahn was aware of a hazy grey cube manifesting the moment the camera's shutter clicked. Immediately thereafter, everything within the viewfinder of her camera was promptly frozen in time.
Pointing her second camera towards Vahn, the remarkably tall photographer briefly paused when she found him smiling at her and making a peace sign. For the briefest of moments, her camera felt a lot heavier than usual, a look of confusion marring her otherwise innocent-looking expression as she reluctantly snapped his, Vados's, and Marcarita's picture...
Seeing his daughter successfully capture the images of Vahn, Kusu, Vados, and Marcarita, a smile developed across Attutyaptish's face as he remarked, "Excellent work, Shaanti. The Queen-Mother is bound to be pleased with this result. Once we return to the forest, expect an ample reward."
Though he doubted it would hold them for long, Attutyaptish felt the tensions drain from his body when he saw Vahn sitting statuesque atop his throne. Shaanti was actually the weakest member of the Seven Sages of Wisdom as she possessed no martial or magical talent. Fortunately, fate hadn't been completely cruel to her. While it prevented her from speaking above a whisper, Shaanti's Gift, Silent Documentarian, possessed incredible utility. The smaller cameras allowed her to temporarily freeze her opponents in time. As for the larger camera, it possessed an even more terrifying ability, as, once processed, any damage or alterations made to the photos would directly affect reality, or, more specifically, the subjects captured within the image.
Just as Attutyaptish was preparing to reward his tallest daughter with some additional praise, the smaller cameras in her hands suddenly fell to pieces. A look of unbridled panic developed across Shaanti's face, as, even compared to enthusiasts and extreme voyeurs, she cherished her cameras and equipment more than her life. Photography was how she interacted with the world around her. Without the means to capture images, she wouldn't know what to do with herself.
Fortunately, while the cameras disassembled themselves into their constituent pieces, none of the extremely delicate components crashed to the ground. Instead, they neatly arranged themselves on a cloth that had appeared out of nowhere. The only exception to this were the rolls of film, which, at the present moment, orbited around each other atop Vahn's outstretched hand.
"Neat trick. If your father and sisters had coordinated with you, you may have been able to get off a spell or two before I...broke free...?"
Seeing Shaanti tear up as she stared unblinkingly at the rolls of film orbiting above his palm, Vahn's desire to tease her rapidly diminished. He hated seeing people cry. He also had a weakness towards women with fluffy, wolf-like ears, so, after quickly splicing out the images she had captured of Kusu, Vados, and Marcarita, he softly muttered, "Don't cry..." before returning the rolls of film to her using telekinesis.
Not expecting her film to be returned, Shaanti's ears promptly stood erect as she hurriedly donned a pair of pristine white gloves. Direct contact with film could irreversibly damage the medium upon which the images were captured, so, while she wanted nothing more than to snatch the rolls out of the air, Shaanti made sure to follow proper procedure as she carefully placed each roll into a small, briefcase-like storage container.
While that was going on, Attutyaptish and his remaining three daughters stared at Vahn and the Angels with a wide range of expressions on their faces. Attutyaptish looked as though he had just swallowed a bug, but, undoubtedly as a result of the prolonged petting she had received earlier, an appreciative smile had developed across the face of Prurmubhi. Similar expressions could be seen on the faces of her other two sisters, but, rather than appreciation, their smiles revealed a mixture of curiosity and chicanerous intrigue.
Representing the 'most intelligent' of Attutyaptish's daughters, Eshavi was a bespectacled woman with the same ashen-grey skin as the vast majority of the Rakshasa Tribe. What truly distinguished her, at least as far as appearances were concerned, was the fact she elected to wear sophisticated black and white robes rather than the tribal garments typically associated with her people. She also kept her pristine white hair short and neatly styled, a stark contrast to the free-flowing, carelessly groomed styles sported by the vast majority of her sisters.
Pushing up her square-rimmed glasses, a smile remarkably similar to the one often sported by Loki developed across Eshavi as she turned towards the last of Attutyaptish's most prominent children, a comparably petite woman with a reputation for being the greatest chef in the entire Rakshasa Tribe. Her outfit wasn't particularly sophisticated, but, with a remarkably voluptuous figure, fringe pigtails that framed her face, and a large black hat reminiscent of an upturned saucer, she stood out quite a bit even among the other members of their tribe.
"I believe it is our turn, Vahida. Would you like to go first...?"
Turning to meet her sister's gaze, a playful yet distorted smile developed across Vahida's face as she retorted, "You know my abilities aren't suited to direct combat. If you're too afraid to act, however, I suppose I'll have no choice but to take action..."
Though she didn't lose her crafty smile, Eshavi squinted her eyes ever so slightly in response to her sister's words. Their group, like many groups of seven, was loosely based on the Seven Deadly Sins. In that regard, she represented the Sin of Pride while Vahida, as could be expected of the greatest chef in their tribe, represented the Sin of Gluttony. The latter's skills might not be suited to fighting, but, when it came to stalling for time, she was nearly as gifted as Shaanti.
Out of consideration for their mission, Eshavi responded to Vahida's words by turning towards the repositioned Kusu, Vados, and Marcarita. Before stepping forward, however, she made sure to hit the rim of Vahida's wide-brimmed hat using the tip of her long, thick, crystal-tipped tail. This earned her a murderous glower from the much smaller Rakshasa, but, pretending she didn't notice, Eshavi took a few slow and graceful steps forward before manifesting a black and white grimoire in one of her right hands.
"Before we begin, I believe introductions are in order? My name is Eshavi, daughter of Attutyaptish. May I have each of your names~?"
While a look of realization flashed across Vahn's eyes, Kusu, Vados, and Marcarita still had the habit of looking down on their opponents. They were used to being the most powerful individuals in their respective Universes, so, in response to Eshavi's words, they readily introduced themselves.
Though she was a little disappointed that Vahn had remained silent, his look of realization hadn't escaped Eshavi's notice. Thus, before he could inform the trio of the trap they had just walked into, she replied with a teasing, "Thank you." before snapping her grimoire shut and manifesting a very familiar staff in her left hand.
...
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Kusu has the makings of a yandere...','Unfortunately, Vahn...','Mega Oof...')
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