Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

It didn’t take long for the response to reach them, stating the Ganesha Familia’s acceptance of Rufina as their responsibility. The moment he learned that Rufina was a Level 4 with an affinity for taming, Ganesha had been prepared to run the distance all the way from the Eastern side of the City to come and pick her up. It took the combined efforts of Shakti and several other Executives to catch him, tying him to a chair with several lumps on his head as they patiently awaited the arrival of their new member.

As she didn’t really have any personal belongings to prepare, Rufina was ready to go soon after the return message arrived. Since Terra had insisted, Vahn rode on her back with Rufina and Fenrir in tow, the latter of which was happily sitting in his lap. Rufina often cast glances toward Fenrir, curious about her relationship with Vahn since they seemed almost inseparable. She always seemed to be at his side, rarely speaking unless it was to Vahn himself. Even with her lack of memories, Rufina could tell that Fenrir wasn’t really ’normal’ as, though there were several species that seemed to have furry ears and a tail, she was the only one that had paws for hands and feet...

After a relatively short flight, Terra landed on the left side of the Ganesha Familia residence, a massive bust of Ganesha himself appropriately known as ’I am Ganesha’. Though it reeked of vanity, Ganesha himself was one of the most amiable and approachable gods in the entire City. There was a seemingly never-ended banquet going on that accepted almost anyone as long as they hadn’t been blacklisted for causing a scene. People could just walk in off the street, enjoy the lively and festive atmosphere that seemed to permeate from the massive bust. The food and drink may not have been the highest quality, but it tasted good when you were in the company of friends and like-minded individuals.

Terra’s presence caused a bit of a stir but, as they had been expecting the arrival, members of the Ganesha Familia quickly ran forward to receive them. Shakti was amongst their numbers, giving an appraising look at Terra before turning her attention to Rufina. Her first impression was, like many of the other Executives present, that Rufina was definitely a ’natural’. Even without testing her abilities, she had a ’pure’ aura with a wild feeling that carefree and ’wild’ feeling coming off of her. Generally, those suited to become [Tamer]s had a similar aura so Shakti believed Rufina would make a fine addition to their numbers. It also helped that she was supposedly around Level 4 in strength, meaning she would be within the top five of the Familia based on strength alone...

Rufina was evaluating everyone that was looking at her, feeling much the same as them since her instincts told her these were good people. Though some of them were staring at her with ’annoying’ gazes, Rufina didn’t blame them much since she was apparently supposed to be a beautiful woman. She didn’t really have any interest in the majority of them, but the azure-haired woman caught her eye. Rufina, noticing the appreciative smile on Shakti’s face, returned one of her own with a polite nod that seemed appropriate for the occasion. It was very obvious she was the person in charge since the rest of the members seemed to ’orbit’ around her instead of trying to stand out on their own.

Vahn accepted Shakti’s offer for a handshake, saying, "Sorry for any inconveniences this may cause you and the rest of the Ganesha Familia, Shakti. This just seemed like the best place for Rufina to have a chance at rebuilding her life..." Shakti gave a curt nod, feeling the strength in Vahn’s grip as she raised one of her brows, saying, "You’ve gotten much stronger...and don’t worry about Rufina, we’ll take care of her. It should be the Ganesha Familia thanking you for bringing us a talented new member. I’ll personally see to it that she is treated well and let you know if anything happens that you need to be aware of."

Shakti had already been informed of Rufina’s ’condition’, much like the rest of the Executives, so it had been decided that she would become Shakti’s protege while acclimating to life on the surface. Amnesia was a very tricky thing to deal with and it would greatly tarnish the reputation of the Ganesha Familia if Rufina ended up getting manipulated and harmed in the process of her recovery. Until she was fit to take care of herself, Rufina would be shadowing Shakti to learn as much about the City and the profession of Taming as possible.

Having Shaki’s guarantee, Vahn smiled widely and said, "Thank you, Shaki. I look forward to the cooperation between our two Familias in the future. Is Ganesha present? There were a few things I had in mind for public events that I think he would find interesting." Hearing Vahn mention Ganesha, Shaki released a loud sigh while the other members of the Ganesha Familia began to laugh. Vahn raised his brow in curiosity as Shaki shook her head and said, "Follow me. I’ll take you to him. Loki-sama actually asked that you be present for Rufina’s induction ceremony so you can talk about it during that time."

Since Vahn needed to check and see if there were any abnormalities with Rufina’s status board, it was already decided that he would be there when she received the Falna. The only people that would be privy to her details would be Ganesha, Shakti, and the core members of the Alliance that needed to be kept in the loop. Rufina’s ’flow’ was slightly different than a human’s, so there was a very high probability that she was actually more of a Human-Creature hybrid, or at the very least a modified/mutated human. This could have several different implications and Vahn was inarguably the most qualified physician to deal with any problems that may arise.

Terra assumed her human form, drawing a lot of attention to herself as she asked, "Master, do you want me to stay back or did you plan on returning on your own?" Vahn tilted his head, thinking about things for a moment before saying, "I’ll come back on my own since I’m not sure how long this will take. Don’t worry, I’m certain everything will be over with before dinner. Tell the others I’m looking forward to the celebration..." Vahn sent Terra a wink, earning a light chuckle from the humanoid True Dragon as she stepped into the void in a flash of light. Everyone just stared blankly at the spot she had been standing previously while Vahn gestured to Shakti, "Let’s go. I don’t want to keep everyone waiting for too long..."

Broken from her stupor, Shakti gave Vahn a curious glance before nodding her head, indicating for them to follow as she said, "I imagine there are plenty of things you have to tend to now that you’ve returned. Rumors have it that Hephaestus-sama and Loki-sama are due any day now...?" Vahn smiled widely, nodding his head as he said, "Yes, I’m really looking forward to it. Just thinking about becoming a father makes me feel both giddy and proud at the same time..." Several people present slightly exasperated looks, some tinged with a bit of envy but not enough to take note of. The vast majority of men would jump at the opportunity to win over any of the girls that had been drawn to Vahn so it wasn’t uncommon for a touch of green to stain the auras of the people he interacted with.

After walking for a few minutes, during which time most of the Executive members broke off to handle their own affairs, Vahn entered a room with Shakti and Rufina. When he saw Ganesha tied up to a chair with a ’sad’ look on his masked face, Vahn nearly burst out laughing but instead just raised his hand and said, "Yo, Ganesha, long time no see~." Ganesha, as if his earlier melancholy had been an illusion, jumped up with the chair still attached to him and said, "Ah, Vahn Mason, it’s good to see you! You’ll have to forgive me for not coming to greet you myself, gaaaaaaaaaahahahahaha~!"

Shakti undid the bindings holding the chair to Ganesha, shaking her head in exasperation all the while. When he was finally free, Ganesha struck a pose as if to show off his muscles, shouting, "Yosh! What a liberating experience, gaaahahahahaha~!" Then, as if on a tempo only he understood, Ganesha took on a serious look as he approached Vahn, grasping hands and asking plainly, "So, when are you going to accept my Shakti as one of your girls? I’m afraid she might never find a-" Before Ganesha was able to finish, Shakti knocked him on the back of his head hard enough to send him crashing into the ground. Vahn felt like he could see an illusory ’tick’ mark on Shakti’s head as her fist shook with a bit of steam coming off of it.

Vahn scratched the back of his head, giving the blushing Shakti a wry smile that made her avert her eyes as she said, "Don’t take this fool’s words seriously, Vahn..." As if he had never been punched, Ganesha bolted up in an instant and ’reproached’ Shakti by saying, "Hey now, that’s no way to talk about your god, Shakti! I’m just worried about you, after all, you’re already thirty-" This time, Shaki didn’t seem to hold back as she slapped Ganesha hard enough to make him spin around several times while drawing a perfect arc through the air. The blush on her face turned completely crimson as she said, "I told you not to talk about my age so casually! Aren’t elephants supposed to have good memories!?"

At this point, Rufina was standing very close to Vahn, poking his side as she asked, "Is this really the best place for me? I’m starting to reconsider my options..." Vahn had been blankly staring at the proceedings but Rufina’s question had been the last straw as he had to cover his mouth to avoid laughing. Shakti, as if reminded of his presence, turned toward him with a glare on her face that made Vahn immediately put on a poker face and say, "You’re still a very beautiful and youthful woman, Shakti. I’m certain you’ll-" Noticing the glare on Shakti’s face turning icy, Vahn swallowed his words and just averted his eyes away without completing his thought. Realizing he was dropping the matter, Shaki gave a curt nod before digging Ganesha out of the wall he had been embedded into...

Rufina ended up having to expose her back, something which she wasn’t too fond of but accepted as ’necessary’ since the blessing seemed very useful. She didn’t know why, but part of her had an aversion towards men and the only exception to this seemed to be Vahn himself. Unsure of if it had anything to do with her past, Rufina kept the matter to herself for the time being and just did her best to not mind the rather rough finger tracing an emblem on her back. Ganesha was very practiced in the procedure, having cycled through thousands of members in his time in the mortal world, so the entire thing only took twenty minutes.

Vahn, with permission from Rufina, then checked her Status Board while Ganesha and Shaki watched on in interest. They had heard he had the ability to read the ancient language of the gods even better than most of the gods themselves. Seeing it in person was very interesting and, though he typically was very whimsical, even Ganesha took on a very serious appearance as he watched Vahn cycle through the information on Rufina’s back. He could see the information shuffle around in a manner beyond his comprehension so it wasn’t difficult to believe the claim now that he had verified it with his own eyes. Though the Ganesha Familia had already joined the Alliance, on the grounds of mutual cooperation during the bi-annual events, it was only now that he truly believed his decision to be the correct one...

[[STATUS]]

Name: Rufina Vermillion

Race: Human, Creature(partially-awakened)

LV. 4

POW: (C616)

END: (S946)

DEX: (D563)

AGI: (C602)

MAG: (H117)

Skills: [Voice of the World: H](Innate), [Indominus:D](Innate), [Piercing Thrust:S], [Command Howl:B], [Rallying Spirit:B], [Crushing Strike:C], [Nature Armament:D]

Magic: [Flame Enchant:B]

Development Abilities: [Master Hunter:H], [Abnorma Status Resistance:A], [Swordsman:A], [Tamer:C], [Acrobatics:(sealed), [Tracking:(sealed), [Fist Strike:(sealed)]

[Piercing Thrust]

Rank: S

Use: Allows the user to ignore a large portion of the target’s defenses.

Passive Trigger

[Command Howl]

Rank: B

Use: Allows the user’s voice to be heard by allies even during chaotic moments. Greatly increases the distance the user’s voice travels.

Active Trigger

[Rallying Spirit]

Rank: B

Use: When fighting in a group, enhances the parameters of everyone allied to the user for a short period of time.

Active Trigger

[Crushing Strike]

Rank: C

Use: Overhead strikes with greatswords have a greater chance of dealing critical hits.

Passive Trigger

[Nature Armament]

Rank: D

Use: Allows the user to create nature weapons by consuming a large amount of mana. Capabilities of the weapon depending on the emotional state of the user and the amount of mana consumed.

Active Trigger

[Flame Enchant]

Rank: B

Use: Coats weapons and armor with flame elemental energies, greatly enhancing damage potential and causing burn status effect on enemies.

Chant: Burn, Consume, Turn To Ashes! Flame Enchant~!

[Master Hunter]

Rank: H

Use: Greatly enhances abilities against monsters the user has fought and gained exilia from. The greater the number of enemies the user has slain, the more fearful monsters of that type become.

[Tamer]

Rank: C

Use: Increases the odds of successfully taming monsters and other creatures of low intelligence.

When Vahn saw that Rufina had two Innates, both already awakened, he experienced a long pause in his train of thoughts before saying, "You have two rare skills and, judging from the names, I believe one allows you to communicate with monsters while the other makes you a lot more durable than normal. Your Endurance is much higher than all of your other parameters as well and it seems you’re quite capable with a sword..." Since he was her god now, Vahn handed over Rufina’s Status Sheet for him to read, not really understanding Ganesha’s take on things since it was hard to read his expression through the elephant mask covering his face.

Rufina had the copy Vahn had given her, reading through all of her information with raised brows like she was looking at something pertaining to someone other than herself. She didn’t really know if Level 4 was impressive but, based on the reactions of Vahn and Shakti, Rufina felt a small amount of pride well up inside of her chest as a small smile appeared on her face. Though she didn’t care that much, it was far more preferable to already have a strong body than having to start from scratch. The rare skills Vahn mentioned seemed very useful, especially the one that made her body tougher than normal since getting injured wasn’t a pleasant thought.

Shakti also perused Rufina’s information, already planning how she would help train her in the future, though only if the person in question had any interest in it. As an amnesiac, it was more important that she adapt to normal life since training was something that could be done later, especially with such a strong base. Just knowing she had a rare skill associated with taming, including the [Tamer] Development Ability, gave Rufina an advantage over most people. Even she didn’t have a rare skill related to taming so it might even be possible to groom Rufina as her successor. That might give her an opportunity to actually pursue a love life since she wouldn’t have to constantly attend to Ganesha anymore...

After a few minutes had passed, Ganesha seemed to break from his reverie as he shouted, "Graaaahahahahaha, it seems we really benefitted this time around! Welcome to my Familia, Rufina, it’s a pleasure to have you! As you’re undoubtedly aware..." Ganesha jumped back, striking a flamboyant pose as he shouted, "I AM GANESHA~!" For several seconds after that, there was absolute silence until Rufina awkwardly said, "Ah, thanks for having me...?" As if given permission to move, Ganesha stood with arms akimbo and began laughing boisterously as he said, "Such a well-mannered girl. Maybe you’ll be teaching my Shakti a thing or two about being a good woman! Gaaaahahahahahahaha~!"

The illusory tick mark appeared on Shakti’s head again as she looked toward Ganesha with eyes that could freeze over a volcano. It didn’t do anything to quell Ganesha’s laughter, however, as he continued to release an aura of ’I’m oblivious to everything, after all, I AM GANESHA!’. Deciding to spare Ganesha, at least for the time being, Shakti took a deep breath and said, "For the time being, you’ll share one of the Executive suites with me. If you need clothing and other essential items, we can go shopping for them later. I’ll help you get accustomed to how to behave in public and show you some of the more interesting shops I frequent."

At this point, Vahn palmed his hand with a fist before pulling out several platinum cards, handing them over to a stunned Shakti as he said, "Since Rufina was a responsibility that I bestowed upon you, I’ll cover her basic living expenses until she is capable of sustaining herself. This should be enough for a few months but you can always send me a message through the network if more is required..." Shakti blankly stared at the cards, totaling more than 3,000,000V in value as she contemplated Vahn’s words. Part of her wanted to retort that 3MV was more than enough for several years, much less a few months...it was this moment that made Shakti realize that Vahn’s sensibilities were more than a little different from normal people. It was good that Rufina ended up under her charge or she might have been led astray by the mentally skewed youth...

Unaware of Shakti’s thoughts, Vahn gave her aura a curious look before shaking his head slightly and deciding not to inquire. They then spent a few minutes arranging Rufina’s affairs and getting her situated in her new room, which Vahn was allowed access to. It was much smaller than some of the rooms at the Manor but it was easily enough for two people to live in. Shakti was the Captain of the Ganesha Familia but she stayed in the same Executive quarters as everyone else, even though Ganesha had prepared a larger room for her use. She had a frugal nature and preferred practicality over extravagance, however, so it had gone unused after the previous Captain stepped down. It was a secret to everyone that the main reason she avoided it was the fact that there were several portraits of Ganesha inside and even the bathroom faucet was a miniature golden Ganesha head with the water coming from the elephant trunk of his mask...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’GAAAAANEEEEEESHAAAAAA!’,’Rufina’s OP Status’,’Poor Shakti...’)

(A/N: One more chapter coming later, though it will probably be a few hours (*o*)~!)