Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Attempting to take advantage of the moment when Vahn and Co's data had disappeared from the Hidden Floor, a certain flowery magus, accompanied by a woman veiled in gloom appeared along the periphery of the Town of the Wandering Minstrels. Neither particularly cared to act, but, thanks to the orders they had received prior to the Data Jahad's deletion, they were compelled to at least make an effort.

Unfortunately, while their power could nearly rival Data Jahad, neither Magus possessed the skills and abilities that allowed them to stand at the pinnacle of their respective verses. This was one of the major flaws of the Hidden Floor, and, though she should have been able to break the magical formation surrounding the Town of the Wandering Minstrels with extreme ease, the shadowy figure couldn't even make sense of the runes comprising its foundation.

Noticing his companion's glowering expression, the effeminate magus adopted a gentle smile as he muttered, "It's a shame, really. I was quite looking forward to the opportunity to tease that beloved daughter of mine. If even you can't do anything about it, I doubt there is anything my meager skills can accomplish. Shall we call it a day?"

Ignoring the flowery man's words, the veiled woman took a few silent steps forward, the darkness around her body swirling violently in response. Said darkness quickly formed into several shadowy blades, but, despite crashing destructively against the barrier, data-formed magic could accomplish very little against a barrier formed by a genuine Tier 5.

Responding to the sounds of numerous collisions, several mannequin-like constructs, accompanied by three mint-haired maids, quickly filled the area. When they saw who was on the opposite side of the barrier, considerable shock momentarily reflected across the eyes of the most realistic-looking maid, but, noticing the shadowy figure couldn't actually trespass their Master's barrier, she quickly spread the word to the rest of the battalion in order to strengthen their defenses. Then, earning a hateful scowl from the angelic beauty hidden beneath the veil, she adopted an expression of scorn as she said, "You should have remained in our Master's memory. She couldn't even be bothered to deal with the real you. What makes you believe you are worthy of her attention?"

Like a deluge released from a broken dam, a massive amount of darkness began to erupt from the veiled woman. In seconds, it had completely surrounded the Town of the Wandering Minstrels, but, despite how unnerving the sight appeared, her attack was ultimately unable to break through Eva's magical barrier. Even boring into the ground and attempting to destabilize the caldera's foundation proved futile, as, unlike the real world, objects and terrain could remain stationary even without the support of minerals like Suspendium to keep them afloat. Someone with administrative authority simply needed to toggle a flag within the environmental data to convert certain objects into static meshes. From that moment onward, they would retain properties such as mass and collision, but, no matter how much force you applied to them, they would retain their positions on the X, Y, and Z axes while remaining effectively indestructible.

Having already accounted for the fact that their enemies might try and destroy the land upon which the town was built, Vahn had preemptively tasked Sis with altering the environmental data of every building in the Town of the Wandering Minstrels. She had also modified the terrain upon which the buildings were established, so, even if the entirety of the Hidden Floor was destroyed by some kind of cataclysmic attack, the town and its inhabitants would remain unscathed.

Realizing the futility of her actions, the shadowy figure ultimately retracted the darkness into her body before turning towards the flowery magus and saying, "We're leaving." in an apathetic tone that didn't match the look on her face. This left the flowery mage with a wry smile on his face, but, as he didn't really have anything better to do, he ultimately chose to follow after the veiled woman, his body dissolving into a swirl of pale pink flower petals as he waved towards the mint-haired maid and said, "Give Artoria my regards~!" before vanishing entirely...

Despite spending what amounted to several days with a multitude of lovers, Vahn was only halfway through his usual marathon. This was primarily the result of him dedicating a single self to the task, but, as it always felt more sincere if he devoted himself fully to his partner's needs, he wasn't going to try and cut any corners. This was a burden he had willfully placed upon himself, so, if he couldn't satisfy all of his women, it simply meant he had overextended himself due to greed.

Fortunately, while a fair amount of time had been devoted to licentious acts, the majority of it had been spent simply spending time with his loved ones. Not all of his women wanted to have sex all of the time, so, in between sessions of rather intense lovemaking, Vahn would do his best to meet their emotional and psychological needs as well. This involved things like brushing their hair, giving massages, and, most importantly, simply listening to them. Each of them had personal lives within the Little Garden, and, while some were content with staying inside, others had considerable hopes and aspirations for what they would do upon venturing outside These were exceptionally important to their mental wellness, so, whenever possible, Vahn did his best to not only encourage them but to help them prepare for the future.

With this in mind, Vahn wrapped up his rather long cuddle session with Mash by asking if she could send for Elaine and Alphine upon her return. This left the lavender-haired Vanargandr momentarily confused, but, after a few seconds had passed, a gentle and understanding smile developed across her face as she readily agreed. She had been the one assigned to assist in Elaine's training, so, more often than not, she was the one informing her Master of the woman's earnest efforts to change. As a result, she was actually a little happy for Elaine, as, better than most, she knew how trying it could be to circumvent her Master's inhibitions and earn a place at his side...

Following Mash's departure, Vahn took advantage of the momentary lull to using cleaning magic on the entire room before purchasing an entirely new bed from the system shop. At this point, he actually had more than a hundred different beds within his Inventory, as, despite the majority of them claiming not to care, he knew the girls with more sensitive noses were always bothered by the smell and pheromones of other women. These served as reminders of the time he spent with other women, so, whenever possible, Vahn made sure to swap out beds to ensure his partners were able to relax without such unnecessary concerns.

With this in mind, Vahn effectively reset the room to a completely neutral state before choosing a comfortable bed with green and blue bedding. These were Elaine's favorite colors, and, though it might seem a little unfair to Alphine, Vahn knew the latter would actually appreciate it more if he pandered to her mistress. The woman was extremely loyal, and, though she had taken to referring to him as Master, her loyalty towards Elaine was comparable to Karin's devotion towards Eva. Thus, at least for the time being, he would concentrate his efforts on conquering Elaine's heart, a process that virtually guaranteed that Alphine would readily offer her own...

As that thought crossed his mind, Vahn allowed the flow of time within the room to normalize so that he wouldn't be left waiting for literal days for the duo's arrival. He also took the opportunity to wear a fresh set of clothes, as, regardless of his intentions, it wasn't exactly proper to greets guests in his birthday suit. He might be an irredeemable pervert in the eyes of his more playful women, but that didn't mean he had completely abandoned things like manners and self-respect...

Fortunately, even with the flow of time returning to normal, Vahn still had a few minutes to himself as Elaine and Alphine had both been in the midst of training. Thus, prior to meeting with him, they took it upon themselves to cleanse their bodies and change into marginally more formal attire. This was ultimately unnecessary, but, fearing he might send them away if they appeared wearing sweat-stained tank tops and yoga pants, they did their best to wash every nook and cranny of each others' bodies before appearing at his room approximately ten minutes later.

Surprising both girls, Vahn opened the door the moment Alphine attempted to knock. Even this was a little unorthodox for them, as, more often than not, those in a superior position seldom answered their doors in such a direct manner. Instead, they would give others permission to enter, forcing the opposing party to carry out pleasantries as they remained seated.

Amused by the duo's response, Vahn held the door open for them, saying, "I didn't call you here to reinforce my position as your Master. Though it might be a little difficult at first, I'd like it if the two of you could learn to relax, even a little, during moments like this..."

With Alphine being the closest to him, Vahn punctuated his words by extending his hand to caress the space between the blonde beauty's fox-like ears. This left her even more speechless than she already was, and, for a brief moment, she regretted standing in front since it had effectively denied an opportunity for Elaine.

Demonstrating this was a completely unnecessary concern, Vahn gestured for the fox-like woman to enter before performing a similar ritual with Elaine. This allowed the former to breathe a sigh of relief, and, at the same time, it allowed Elaine the opportunity to secure her position as Alphine did her best to appear busy. Fortunately for her, Vahn had accounted for this kind of behavior, so, prior to their arrival, he had set out the means to prepare tea on the nearby counter.

Squinting her eyes slightly in response to having her head pat, Elaine politely folded her gloved hands across her lap as she said, "I wanted to thank you for your invitation. Though it might be a little presumptuous of me, I am honored to have been given this opportunity. I will do my best to serve you to the utmost of my ability."

Resisting the urge to shake his head and sigh, Vahn did his best to maintain a casual smile as he invited Elaine into the room and secured the door behind her. Afterward, he turned around to find the woman standing halfway between the door and the bed, her back facing him as she forced her wolf-like tail to wag. Even with her looking away, however, Vahn could still sense how pensive and uncertain she was, not because she was fearful of what was to come, but because she had virtually no experience in such matters. As a result, she had absolutely no notion of what she was supposed to do in such a situation, as, the only time she had ever been in love, it had been a lie...

Fortunately for Elaine, Vahn was inordinately experienced in such matters, so, even if she behaved a little stiffly, he actually found it rather charming. After all, she was a remarkably beautiful woman, so much so that she would easily make it into the top three should she become ever aspire to become an Idol. This was emphasized by her sense of style, and, though her Kaiser outfit could be regarded as an exception, Vahn had to admit the woman had class. Her form-fitting pants, in particular, made it difficult to avert his eyes, as, not only did she have an immaculately sculpted butt, her bushy black tail and plump thighs were the stuff men's fantasies were made of.

Perhaps sensing his gaze, or simply because she didn't know what else to do, Elaine half-turned to glance at Vahn over her shoulders. His eyes moving up to meet her gaze made it obvious where he had been looking, but, rather than feeling even remotely offended, she actually felt a considerable amount of relief. Her age had started to bother her quite a bit as of late, so, after learning about his preferences, she had been putting an extreme amount of effort into sculpting her body into a form that Vahn would appreciate. His invitation, combined with that single look, gave her the impression that all her efforts had finally paid off, so, while she was still extremely nervous, the vast majority of her fears had faded away.

Offering a practiced but genuine smile, Elaine attempted to capitalize on the situation by saying, "If it would please Master, you are more than welcome to give it a feel...I am not embarrassed to admit that I have put a lot of work into its shape and texture..."

Though he had planned to ease them into things after a period of discussion, Vahn couldn't resist raising his brows in response to Elaine's invitation. He didn't doubt for a moment the veracity of her claims, as, even compared to the more shapely women in his harem, her butt was one of the most immaculate he had ever seen. Thus, after a moment of deliberation, he returned Elaine's smile with one of his own before stepping forward to tenderly caress her profanely plump yet remarkably firm backside...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Digital worlds be like, "Fuck logic."','Vahn is thorough in his own ways...','The kind of bait Vahn can't help but sink his teeth into xD...')