Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

With the smell of saltwater tickling his nostrils, Vahn stared absentminded at the cloudy blue skies and the seemingly endless sea surrounding the platform he and Phae had been teleported to. A brief melancholy swept him at the notion that he wouldn’t see the members of Team Wolf Pack for several years, but, understanding they had their own path to walk, he eventually just shook his head before shifting his attention towards the Test Admin that had appeared to greet them.

Seeing that Vahn was finally paying attention, the Administrator, a petite woman with short white hair tied fastened into two tiny buns, crossed her arms and said, "It’s about time you started paying attention. What, did your companions fail to qualify or something?"

Though he was tempted to frown in response to the woman’s words, Vahn just replied with a light chuckle before answering, "Nothing of the sort. Please, proceed with your explanation."

Since it didn’t really matter to her what the duo’s story was, the Administrator quickly adjusted her oversized blue-blocker glasses as she remarked, "Well, whatever. The names Ranker Xia Tarou. For the duration of your stay on the 11th Floor, you can refer to me as Administrator or Lady Tarou. As for your Test...well, things are pretty simple, really. You need to catch a variety of different Shinheuh from the surrounding waters. Each Shinheuh has an exchange value depending on how well they are preserved or whether or not they are still alive. All exchanges and purchases can be made at the central residential platform. Also, while there are no penalties for leaving the area, you will lose your qualifications as Regulars if you attempt to approach any of the surrounding islands."

Finding it rather amusing that a petite girl wearing strange combat fatigues would ask people to refer to her as ’Lady’, a natural smile spread across Vahn’s face as he mused, "Thank you for your explanation, Lady Tarou. I do have a few questions, however...that is, assuming you are willing to humor me..."

Like most Rankers working as Administrators, Xia Tarou was typically bored out of her mind while supervising Regulars. As a result, she spent most of her time training in preparation for the annual Ranking Battles that occurred between the various factions inside the Tower. This was usually more than enough to deal with any ’urges’ she might have, but, for some reason, Vahn’s nonchalant and somewhat cocky smile caused her heart to skip a beat.

Though he noticed the peculiar fluctuation in Xia Tarou’s aura, Vahn’s expression didn’t change in the slightest until she answered, "Sure...just make it quick."

With the edges of his smile curling up even more, Vahn went on to question Xia Tarou about the specific rules and regulations enforced on the 11th Floor. He also asked about the peculiar floating resort they had found themselves in, a curious installation that was composed of several buildings linked together by long piers. It was clearly something that constructed by the Workshop so he was a little interested to understand its true purpose.

Xia Tarou would normally depart immediately after explaining the basics of the 11th Floor so she was more than a little surprised when she checked the time on her Pocket and noticed that nearly two hours had passed. This made her feel a little unsettled, and, for a very brief moment, she even considered the possibility that Vahn had used some kind of hypnosis against her. Of course, if that had been the case, the personal terminal issued to all Administrators would have informed her of the grievous violation of the rules. Since it hadn’t, the only possible reason for her uncharacteristic compliance was that she had been pulled into the pace of a Regular...

Feeling a little embarrassed, Xia Tarou adopted a slight frown as she abruptly interrupted the flow of the conversation to ask, "Are you a Scout? You’re quite talented at guiding a conversation..."

Chuckling in response to the sudden inquiry, Vahn shook his head before casually answering, "My official Position is Wave Controller. If anything, I’m just fortunate that Lady Tarou was kind enough to answer my questions. I understand your duties as an Administrator must keep you very busy so I am very grateful for the detailed explanation you have provided..."

Waving her hand in a dismissive manner, Xia Tarou smiled awkwardly as she said, "You might not be a Scout, but you certainly have a way with words. I bet you were real popular with the ladies back in your home town, right? Well, you can forget about trying to butter up to me, you hear? You might be a handsome little bugger, but that won’t get you any extra benefits from me."

Though Vahn got the impression he could get ’numerous’ benefits from the moderately flustered woman standing in front of him, he still nodded his head, a ’sad’ smile spreading across his face as he replied, "I suppose I’ll have to be content with the kindness you have already shown me...thank you, Tarou..."

Hearing Vahn call her name directly, Tarou’s heart skipped several beats as a contradictory urge to squeal happily and punch him square in the face welled up inside of her. The thought of a Regular calling her by name made her feel ’very’ uncomfortable, but, at the same time, she couldn’t really imagine herself punching Vahn in his ’stupidly handsome’ face.

Taking advantage of Tarou’s momentary stupor, both Vahn and Phae offered her polite bows before attempting to walk past her. This caused her to immediately snap out of it, a frown marring her face as she reached out to grab Vahn’s wrist by pure instinct.

Rather than pull his hand away, Vahn raised his brows slightly as he looked down at the 156cm tall woman and asked, "Is there something you wished to discuss, Lady Tarou?"

Surprised by her own actions, Tarou quickly released Vahn’s wrist as she answered, "No...I just...you shouldn’t just walk away from someone in the middle of a conversation. It’s very rude...show some respect. I am a Ranker, after all..."

Though he was tempted to point out he had been very polite, even offering her a slight bow toward the end, Vahn, instead, answered, "I understand...I was merely under the impression that Lady Tarou had other matters to attend. If there is something more you’d like to discuss, however, I don’t mind keeping you company."

With Vahn’s statement basically reversing their previous positions, Tarou found herself momentarily at a loss for words. The way he spoke made it appear as if she wanted him to stay, and, considering she had literally prevented him from walking away, there was no way for her to argue against it.

Feeling as though she had been played, Tarou balled her right hand into a fist as she asked, "Are you fucking with me, you impudent little rascal...?"

Raising his brows at Tarou’s poor choice of words, Vahn showed an amused smile as he replied, "I’d be a pretty lucky man if that were the case..."

To punctuate his statement, Vahn sent a playful wink towards the befuddled Tarou before promptly turning around and walking away. This time, however, she made no attempts to stop him. Instead, she absentmindedly observed their departure for several seconds before clenching both fists and muttering, "You cheeky little brat..." while a vibrant red hue spread through her cheeks...

After familiarizing themselves with the facilities, Vahn checked himself and Phae into a suite that typically accommodated a full party of Regulars. Then, after doubling up on the privacy measures and security, they gathered within the living room. Before that, however, Phae didn’t hesitate to tease him a bit, musing, "You appear to have made quite the impression on Lady Tarou..."

Chuckling in response to Phae’s statement, Vahn casually manifested the Little Garden atop his palm as he said, "She is pretty cute. White-haired women with red eyes have a certain charm to them and I’ve always had a thing for the feisty, combat-oriented, types. Even without her outfit giving it away, I can tell by the balance of her body that she is an exceptionally talented martial artist. I imagine she is pretty limber as well..."

Sharing the majority of Vahn’s preferences, Phae didn’t blame him for going out of his way to tease Tarou. In fact, had she been in a position to do so, she would have done the same. Unfortunately, at least for the time being, she had other duties to attend. With this in mind, she skillfully filled Vahn’s cup to the brim before taking a seat and saying, "Based on the information provided by our white-haired friend, we should be able to clear this Floor as early as tomorrow afternoon. Did you want to explore the surrounding islands, or will we be climbing up the Tower as quickly as possible?"

Having already formulated a plan the moment he decided to separate from Team Wolf Pack, Vahn allowed the Little Garden to dissipate as he answered, "Based on what the Law of Identity revealed, the only thing on the islands are a few species of Shinheuh being researched by the Workshop. I’ll send Latias and Latios to check things out, but it doesn’t seem like anything suspicious is going on."

Agreeing with his decision, Phae nodded her head in approval before asking, "Do you want me to begin gathering Shinheuh from the surrounding waters?"

Rising to a seated position, Vahn adopted a somewhat apologetic smile as he answered, "I would appreciate it. My current plan requires us to reach the 20th Floor within the next two months. After that, I’ll be aiming for the 30th in order to participate in the Workshop Battle. The next fragment of that artifact should be located on the island where the finals are scheduled to take place. Only the Archimedes has the coordinates for the island so my current objective is to reach the 30th Floor in the next four months. I’d rather not have to wait five years for a second opportunity, so we’ll need to focus on clearing each Floor in a timely manner..."

Though it wasn’t a pressing matter, Vahn had learned of the existence of ’Enryu’s Thorn’ thanks to the Law of Identity telling him about it while assuming the identity of a FUG Elder. Since it was their ’trump card’ against Jahad and the Ten Great Families, procuring it for himself virtually guaranteed that FUG would place all their focus on him.

Vahn intended to do everything in his power to shift attention away from Team Wolf Pack, so, even if it guaranteed he would be hunted down and badgered by FUG, he still intended to collect each of the Thorn’s fragments for himself. He was also very interested in its structure and properties, so, for the time being, most of his plans revolved around stealing the fragments and eliminating any major threats that might impede Team Wolf Pack’s progress.

With this in mind, Vahn rose to his feet alongside Phae before promptly departing the suite. Rather than follow her out to the pier, however, he made his way up to an observation deck that had been converted into a training gym. It was a place that had originally been intended for Regulars to use, but, for a variety of reasons, very few actually used it. Instead, he found Tarou inside, her lithe body dripping with sweat as she beat the living daylights out of an exceptionally durable sandbag.

Sensing the presence of someone else in the usually empty gym, a frown immediately developed across Tarou’s face as she kicked the 2,000kg sandbag with enough force to send it crashing into the nearby wall. She hated to be disturbed when she was trying to vent her frustrations, but, seeing who had entered the room, her anger immediately gave away to stupefaction as she asked, "What the hell are you doing in here?"

Smiling in response to the expected question, Vahn peeled away the outer layer of his blouse to reveal his chiseled body hidden beneath a form-fitting black [Aegis] top. This caused Tarou’s eyes to widen slightly, an audible gulp emanating from her throat as she adopted a low stance and warned, "If you try anything...I will fucking destroy you..."

Rather than demonstrate even a modicum of fear, Vahn smiled in response to Tarou’s threat before casually remarking, "I’d like to undertake your Special Test...."

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Vahn on the prowl...’,’I almost feel bad for FUG...’,’Oh my (OwO)...’)