EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons

"Mmmmmnyaaaaa~! That was the best sleep I've had in a long time~" chimed Millianna, providing Vahn quite the view as she stretched like a cat atop the bed with her bottom aimed his way.

"It's always that way when you sleep in the same bed as Vahn," stated Erza, sporting a broad smile as she helped a sleepy Levy brush her hair off to the side. Contrastingly, Laani was already wide awake, wearing a thin camisole and a pair of risque side-tie panties as she joined Xenovia, Lisanna, Mira, and Jane for some early morning calisthenics.

"Mmn...then maybe I should sleep here every night..." purred Millianna, crawling toward, caressing, and rubbing her face against Vahn's before licking and play biting his cheek.

"That's something you'd need to work out with Korra..." hummed Vahn, using his left hand to caress Millianna's side and butt as she snuggled up to him. In response, Korra poked her head out of the bathroom with her toothbrush in her mouth and a confused look as she asked, "Did you just say my name, Vahn?"

"I did, but it was to remind Millie that this is your bed..." answered Vahn, sporting a knowing smile as he added, "She mentioned wanting to sleep here every night."

"I mean...I wouldn't mind the company..." remarked Korra, her blue eyes taking in the sight of Millianna's bottom and periodically curling feline tail.

"Then, shall I start sleeping here...?" asked Xenovia, causing a stream of liquid toothpaste to drip from Korra's mouth as she bent forward with her feet spread wide and transitioned into a deep split in nothing but her blue, white-frilled lingerie.

"I'm also in favor of relocating our Guild and dorms here," appended Erza. "It may not strictly be necessary thanks to the Waypoints, but it would be good for the children to have a community to interact with."

"It would be nice to build a town that isn't overrun by robots or artificial plants," remarked Lucy, emerging from the bathroom in a baby blue crop top and a white thong with pink lace and a pink paw print embossed on the front.

"That paw print..." started Vahn, causing Lucy to produce a light blush as he stared intently at her crotch and noted, "I've noticed a similar pattern on a lot of the lingerie everyone's wearing."

"That's thanks to Mistress Carla~" chimed Millianna, rubbing her cheek against Vahn's chest as she revealed, "Everyone got tired of those stuffy, futuristic clothes made at the central city, so a few people started making their own. Mistress Carla's designs are the best, nyaa~."

"I see..." muttered Vahn, casually shifting his gaze between those still in their underwear. He knew that Carla designed and produced most of the clothes she and Wendy wore using Magic, but he was unaware that she had branched out to make clothes, much less underwear, for others. And the designs of the latter shared the trend of being very mature...

(It's likely a way of demonstrating to herself and others how mature she is) supposed Sis, causing Vahn to nod slightly while continuing to caress Millianna's warm and round bottom.

"If you don't mind my asking, what are your plans for today, Vahn?" asked Erza, brushing back Levy's messy bangs and fixing them in position with a sunflower yellow hairband that produced a flash only Vahn could see—an indication it had been equipped.

"I was considering checking in with the Revolutionary Army this morning and meeting the Sisters this afternoon..." answered Vahn, quickly adding, "But those are just provisional plans. If you have something in mind, I can make time."

"You can rest assured, as it's nothing serious," stated Erza, a broad smile adorning her face as she revealed, "I merely wished to test the strength I have acquired this past by facing you in a duel."

"Oh? Erza versus Vahn? That's a match I've gotta see...!" exclaimed Laani, her hazel eyes flashing with expectation as she bounced to her full height from bending over and hugging her thighs.

"I would also like to experience the Dragon God's strength for myself..." remarked a very serious-looking woman with long, dark purple hair and sharp brown eyes. Her name was Kagura Mikazuchi, a swordswoman on par with Erza in terms of pure skill. Notably, she was also one of only two women Vahn hadn't slept with the previous night. The second was a slim but well-proportioned woman with short pink hair, blue eyes that seldom blinked, and a stiff personality—one of Lucy's Celestial Spirits, Virgo. The latter had joined the group wearing skimpy, Maid-themed lingerie, but as her Zodiac represented chastity and maidenhood, she was prepared to do just about everything but part with her virginity.

"Since it seems like something people would want to watch, how about we schedule an exhibition a week or two from today...?" proposed Vahn, appending, "We can even host a festival to bring everyone in the training room together."

"A splendid idea! As expected of my Lord...!" exclaimed Erza, puffing her chest with her hands on her hips.

"Rather than a simple exhibition, how about a tournament to determine everyone's official ranking...?" asked Lisanna, sporting tight, black, spat-like shorts and a pale lavender camisole that left part of her belly button and lower abdomen showing.

"If we do an open-challenge format with brackets split between Tower Ranks, we should be able to get a good idea of where everyone stands for future events..." Lisanna contended, playfully wiggling her hips after garnering Vahn's attention.

Spurred by Lisanna's suggestion, everyone began discussing the format of the event and other potential activities that could be held to make the festival more enjoyable—such as a cooking competition, a concert, and a beauty contest. The latter, in particular, got many of the girls fired up, so much so that they began inviting others over to discuss the specifics and start preparing the venue by the time Vahn completed his morning routine and departed for the Revolutionary Army's contingent headquarters...

...

..

.

With the belief it would be good for their recruits and those participating in the training exercise to experience surviving in harsh, danger-wrought environments, the Revolutionary Army had constructed a walled fortress of white quartz on the border of three B-Rank biomes with very different climates. The southernmost section was a forest populated by monsters the size of small houses, while those to the northwest and northeast were a tundra that dropped as low as -80°C at night and a volcanic zone where they shot up to more than 2200°C near the magmous lake at its center.

Fortunately for the flora and fauna that inhabited each biome, there were invisible but ever-present barriers that prevented the weather in one from seeping into its surroundings. Unfortunately for those participating in the Revolutionary Army's training camp, they had barracks in both the tundra and volcanic biomes, and they were only permitted entry into the forested section of their base for tending crops and recreation.

After spending several minutes observing the Revolutionary Army's nearly six-hundred-acre base—most of which was dedicated to farmland—Vahn touched down on their largest building's observation deck. There, a young man with wavy blonde hair and a burn scar over his left eye and a slim but curvy woman with an orange pixie cut and a crimson cabby hat with brass goggles waited, the former beaming and waving with both hands and the latter sporting a comparably serious expression.

"Vahn! Welcome to our little slice of paradise, the frontier base, Tria~" exclaimed the recently turned twenty-year-old man, spreading his hands wide. Despite his age, the blonde-haired youth was the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, and, with Dragon choosing to forgo participating in the training mission, he was the de facto leader and representative of the ninety-three people stationed at the base.

"It's good to see you again, Sabo," greeted Vahn, extending his right hand and smiling as he jokingly appended, "Even if it's technically only our third time meeting."

Accepting Vahn's handshake, Sabo's smile broadened as he got straight to the point, asking, "So, what brings you all this way, Vahn? We're nearly thirty-five hundred kilometers from VC(Vegapunk Central) City, so by our standards, you've come a long way."

"Actually, that's something I wanted to ask you about..." revealed Vahn, his expression slightly incredulous as he raised his right brow and asked, "Why did you have your people travel all this way? There are B and even A-Rank biomes much closer to the training room's center."

"It was because Dr. Vegapunk and his Satellites had made life near the center too easy—too comfortable," explained the woman, approaching to stand on Sabo's right side with crossed arms, inadvertantly accenting her large and shapely breasts.

"They were also tracking our growth by having us participate in all kinds of invasive tests and experiments, so we put it to a vote, and eighty-four of us voted to leave, leading the rest to follow," appended Sabo, shaking his head and exhaling from his nose as he contended, "Dr. Vegapunk isn't a bad person, but he's lost touch with ordinary people. And don't even get me started with his Satellites..."

"Those who voted to stay were all men Dr. York had taken an interest in..." revealed the woman, Koala, currently serving as Sabo's General Secretary and an Assistant Instructor for the Revolutionary Army's forces.

"Mmn...I see..." muttered Vahn, choosing to change topics by meeting Sabo's gaze and stating, "To answer your previous question, I came here to see how you and your people were getting along with my own eyes. I would also like to set up a Waypoint linking our bases. We're going to be hosting a festival and a free-format Ranking tournament two weeks from now, and we were hoping your people could attend."

"Oh? We had a training exercise planned around then, but since you came all this way to invite us personally, we'll be sure to attend," affirmed Sabo, nodding once before glancing over his right shoulder and meeting Koala's gaze, urging, "Please inform Chief Instructor Hack we'll be participating in the Dragon's Pavilion's festival and that we'll also be doubling our training intensity for the next five days. I'll be there to join once I'm done showing Vahn around and helping him set up the Waypoint."

"Roger that, Chief of Staff...!" responded Koala, clicking the heels of her maroon-red high-heeled boots together and performing a sharp salute before promptly rushing forward and leaping off the observation deck to the ground twenty meters below.

Joining Sabo in following Koala's departure with his gaze, Vahn waited for the orange-haired girl to disappear before facing the blonde-haired youth with a playful smile and remarking, "Your Adjutant is pretty cute. Have you had any luck with her this past year...?"

"Me and Koala? No way, no how," responded Sabo, waving his right hand in front of his face and grimacing as he reasoned, "The two of us grew up together. She's like a sister to me."

Shaking his head, Vahn adopted a serious expression and a guiding tone as he asserted, "Be it short or eternal, the moments that comprise life are fleeting, Sabo. You might regard Koala as your sister, but you're ultimately a man and a woman, unbound by blood. If you want to keep her safe and ensure her happiness, accept responsibility and ask her out. Things may not work out in the long term, but I can virtually guarantee she'll say yes."

"Is that the truth..?' asked Sabo, his brows furrowing and eyes serious. His statement that Koala was like a sister to him was the truth, but growing up and training together meant that he had been there every step of the way as she grew from a wiry tomboy into the stunning, athletic beauty she had become. The only reason he hadn't asked her out was because he feared it would ruin their relationship and make working together awkward if she answered no...

"It's not in my nature to joke about such things..." stated Vahn, nodding affirmingly and placing a supportive right hand on Sabo's left shoulder. What the latter didn't know was that Koala had been seeking advice from other women on how to get him to notice her for quite a while. Sabo had erred gravely when he asked why someone like her would bother to wear makeup, but after leaving him with a glowing handprint on his left cheek and storming off, Koala had realized that he was actually complimenting her by insinuating she didn't need it. In essence, she had been trying to get Sabo to ask her out since before they entered the training room. The prodigious, revolution-oriented youth was just too dense to interpret the signs as anything more than playful banter...

...

..

.

(A/N: Vahn helping out the boys.)