Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Anubis's words blew like a gentle breeze through Vahn's empty mind. He just stared at the smiling goddess standing behind Nanu with a blank expression. When Nanu rolled down her bra, Vahn's brain started working again and he imagined the image of Hephaestus with a big belly smiling at him with a loving expression. He could feel his heart begin to beat powerfully in his chest and even the 'eternal flame' seemed to be excited by the prospect as it danced around.

While Vahn was stuck in his thoughts, Anubis giggled and said, "You'll have to get a lot stronger and build your influence a bit before that. The moment other gods and goddesses find out you can i.m.p.r.e.g.n.a.t.e goddesses, you'll have a great deal of trouble. Since it's almost impossible for a goddess to get pregnant, there are several that would jump at the chance. Many of us have lived for several million years, and that is something that is hidden deep within the hearts of many."

Vahn considered Anubis's words and he locked eyes with the smiling goddess. He could see a bit of longing in her eyes as she stared back at him. Vahn tried to imagine what it was like to live for millions of years and desiring children of your own, but never being able to have any by virtue of your existence. It was this reason why many gods and goddesses called their groups Familia and the members 'children'. Remembering the loneliness in Hephaestus's vision, Vahn assumed it could be very similar to how other gods and goddesses might feel.

While Vahn was stuck in deep contemplation, Anubis smiled and gave a polite bow before excusing herself. She could see that Vahn was seriously considering difficult matters and knew it was best to let him work through this kind of thing on his own. The burden, if he chose to bear it, was more than almost anyone would be able to bear, so, if he couldn't make the decision on his own, he would likely be full of regrets in the future. Anubis, remembering the beauty of Vahn's soul, had a bit of anticipation seeded inside her after experiencing the use of [Enkidu] though.

After Anubis left, Nanu was left standing in front of Vahn without any orders. She stood there in her black sports bra and watched the contemplative face of her Master with a bit of intrigue. Nanu also knew that it was almost impossible for the gods to have children, but it seems her Master wasn't bound by such a restriction. She could feel a powerful pride well up inside of her as her respect for Vahn reached a new extreme. Once the others returned, she would recount the events and believed they too would feel the same way.

Vahn was in a strange state of mind as he imagined himself surrounded by several girls with large bellies. Now that the seed had been implanted in his mind by Anubis, he pictured images of all the characters he knew from the manga with children, and not just any children, but his own. The thought made something well up deep within his being and he could feel an excitement overwhelming him. Vahn knew he would have to become much stronger to make that vision a reality, but knew that if he made the effort, he would one day stand at the apex of this world, surrounded by a family of his own making.

Breaking free from his dazed state, he saw the young figure of Nanu staring at him with a reverent expression on her face. Seeing that she was still wearing just a sports bra, Vahn's brows raised a bit and he said, "Go ahead and put your blouse back on. We have a lot of work to do." Nanu, hearing his voice, did a salute with her right fist over her heart as she shouted, "Yes, Master!" Vahn watched the small girl excitedly put her shirt back on while her tail danced around like a whirlwind. He always found the expressiveness of a chienthropes tail to be very adorable so he couldn't help but smile at the sight as he started preparing materials as well.

After everything was ready, Vahn started mass producing ingots with the assistance of Nanu. He was surprised at how capable she was but noticed she had difficulties working any of the stronger metals. Her success rate remained around 50-55% when she was handling anything stronger than steel. As the forge was large enough for multiple people to work at the same time, Vahn continued to guide her while he created his own ingots. With the assistance of the 'eternal flame' and his control over fire, he had a much easier time than most people, so he was able to divert his attention a bit while still maintaining a 90% success rate.

The longer they worked, the more reverent Nanu's eyes became as she saw how capable Vahn was when it came to producing his ingots. He was able to use some kind of golden flame with a crimson core that allowed him to shape the metal with ease, so much so that he was able to guide her at the same time. Her tail continued to beat back and forth at her sides as she listened to each of his words like they were some kind of sacred decree. Because of this, her rate of completion had increased from the mid 40's to the mid 50's with just a few casual words.

Since Vahn had wanted to create a personal stockpile of ingots to use for the future, the two spent the entire day producing only ingots. Vahn was able to complete one every 5-7 minutes, so by the end of the day, he had 84 completed ingots while his young 'apprentice' had produced around forty.

Vahn was impressed with the dedication she showed, as even when her skin had begun to glisten with a uniform layer of sweat, she never showed any indication of giving up. If she continued with this degree of passion, Vahn felt like she might even become another [Master Smith] in the next ten or twenty years.

Just as they were wrapping things up, Anubis entered the workshop and looked at the two soot-covered people with a gentle smile on her face. She informed Vahn that the other children had arrived and asked when he would like to have dinner. Vahn contemplated for a moment before saying, "We'll have dinner in the next hour or so. For now, I imagine everyone is a bit dirty from the day's activities, so we should take a bath first." Vahn had seen the blackened face and the messy clothing of Nanu, and he assumed he wasn't in a much better state.

Anubis gave a polite bow before returning to tell the children Vahn's orders. Vahn and Nanu headed towards the bath and started undressing in the changing room. Though he didn't pay it any mind, Vahn noticed that any inhibitions that Nanu had in the past seemed to have faded away. Ever since he had pinned her with an arrow in the dungeon, she always had a bit of fear toward him, but now it seems to have faded completely. Instead of changing on the opposite side of the room, she stood not far from his position and quickly removed her clothing before standing at the side.

The other children, accompanied by Anubis, entered and started undressing as well while Anubis stopped next to Vahn and did the same. Though he didn't gawk like the first time, Vahn couldn't help but let his eyes wander a bit to the beautiful exotic goddess. Anubis noticed his gaze and changed her actions a bit like she was trying to appeal to Vahn. Vahn's brows raised slightly, but he didn't remark about her actions as he waited for everyone to prepare before entering the bath.

Once everyone had entered, Vahn was surprised by a change that he hadn't expected. While Anubis had once again sat next to him to wash his back, Nanu actually sat near as well and volunteered to help wash Vahn. The other two girls, excluding Anubis, seemed surprised by her actions, but Vahn allowed her to do as she pleased. He could see she had a serious look in her eyes, and he didn't think he should refuse her offer given his role as the 'Alpha'.

Vahn got to experience the strange sensation of having a mature beauty wash his back while a cute young girl fumbled around with a sponge on his chest and abdomen. Though he didn't have a reaction, Vahn felt a bit of excitement at the two conflicting touches. When they were done, Anubis sat next to Vahn while Nanu went to join the other two girls. Curiously, even though Maat, the prideful young girl, was the leader of the females, she seemed somewhat deferential to Nanu now and even helped wash her back.

After the bath, the group sat down and Vahn noticed that, once again, things had changed a bit. Everyone seemed to have shift positions by a bit and now Nanu sat to the left of Anubis while she sat next to him. Vahn noticed that, though it wasn't his intention, the hierarchy in the group seemed to have changed a bit when he allowed Nanu to wash his body. He noticed that the bob-cut girl acted a lot more confidently and even Rasui, who sat to her left, gave her a bit of respect. Vahn realized he needed to put more consideration into his actions for the future, or else there would be chaos in the group in the future.

When dinner was over, all the children cleaned up while Anubis and Vahn watched over them from afar. Anubis, to his left as always, spoke in a gentle and humorous tone, "It looks like the events this morning influenced Nanu quite a bit. She seems to consider her role as your 'assistant' more akin to the position of 'disciple'. Now, even though she isn't a leader in the groups, her position is almost equal to my own." Vahn was surprised by her words and gave her a curious look which caused her to continue, "Because my position is the servant of my Master, while her's is directly beneath you as a disciple. If I wasn't a goddess, I imagine she would have tried to keep me from washing your body in the bath." Anubis laughed with squinted eyes while staring at the direction of Nanu amongst the other children.

Vahn frowned a bit as he also looked toward Nanu. She was previously a somewhat shy and distant girl, perhaps due to the events on the 18th floor, but now she showed confidence in all her actions. Since none of the other children opposed her, she had taken the role of leading the group as they continued cleaning the dishes. Perhaps because she was trying to prove herself, she had the group finish everything much faster than normal. Though Vahn suspected it might upset the other children, they just looked at Nanu in a respectful manner and completed the assigned tasks without complaint.

When they finished cleaning everything up, Nanu trotted over before stopped in front of Vahn and saying, "Everything is clean, Master!" Nanu had replaced Rasui for the report, but unlike him, she bowed forward slightly in a similar manner as Anubis. Seeing the twitching ears of Nanu, Vahn quickly understood what she expected as he gave a sidewards glance at the smiling Anubis. Reaching out his hand, he began to pet the girls head which seemed to be a trigger to awaken her tail as it started swirling around with a tremendous force.

After he removed his hand, Nanu gave a final salute before returning to the other children who seemed to have developed an even greater respect for her. The group then split up and went to perform their other duties or rest in their rooms. Vahn was also rather tired, so he made his way to his bedroom while Anubis accompanied him. Once he got to his door, he noticed Anubis standing outside as she had done previously. Vahn could see her tail wagging back and forth slightly while she looked at him with a hint of anticipation.

Vahn laughed while he stretched out his hand and began petting her ears for a bit while saying, "Good night, Anubis." After he was done, he removed his hand before walking into his room and closing the door. Anubis watched his back with a smile before sighing as the door closed. Her ears drooped a bit as she dragged her feet to her room next door. Though she hadn't said anything, Anubis had a slight hope that Vahn would want to continue his actions from earlier. Being bound by the [Enkidu] was comfortable, and she wanted to help Vahn better understand its uses.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Sad doge','Nanu takes charge','Vahn actually forged stuff!?')