"Mmn...this is harder than I thought..." remarked Vahn, examining his completed hammer with his mouth twisted slightly. There was nothing outwardly wrong with it, but when he inspected it...
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[N/A]
Rank: E
P.Atk: 63
M.Atk: 19
Enchantment(s): [Sturdy(E)], [Tempering(F)]
A functional hammer with a completed form but lacking a spirit and name. It can perform its function but little else.
Maker: Vahn Mason
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"So there are some things even the Dragon God finds difficult..." noted Ghislaine, crossing her left arm under her gravity-defying breasts and indenting her right to thoughtfully cup her chin with her index finger and thumb.
"I could forge something far greater at this very moment if I relied on my wide array of powers..." contended Vahn, his expression relaxing into an increasingly appreciative smile as he added, "But I've never been fond of taking shortcuts. The fact I've taken several is one of the primary sources of stress in my otherwise idyllic life..."
"But what's the point of you, in particular, not taking shortcuts...?" asked Bonney, leaning on the opposite side of Vahn's workbench with her right cheek resting on the knuckles of her ungloved right hand, her left elbow on the table, and her breasts deliberately resting atop it.
"What do you mean...?" asked Vahn, tilting his head slightly as Bonney's question piqued his interest.
"I mean, you're the Dragon God," asserted Bonney. "You're able to make anything people can imagine, and you can even copy the power of Devil Fruits with none of their weaknesses. Why limit yourself to doing things an ordinary person can do when you're able to create planets and stars?"
"Ah...are you saying that because I have the power to do great things, it's a waste of my time not doing them?" questioned Vahn, causing Bonney to frown.
"I'm not saying it's a waste..." countered Bonney, searching for the right words to express her thoughts before adding, "I just think it's...strange. I mean, it's pretty obvious that I get on your nerves, and you always make this cramped expression whenever you're dealing with people like Kakashi and others who don't like you. Why do you put up with us when there are so many others who treat you like you're the most important person in the universe?"
"Actually, that's something I've been wondering about myself," said Riko, raising her right hand and adopting a guilty, uncertain expression as she contended, "Meeting you, becoming an Ascendee, climbing the Tower, and coming here are some of the best things that have ever happened to me. But at the same time, I can't help but feel like I—like my feelings are a burden to you. And when I feel lonely or miss Reg and those I left back at the orphanage, I start thinking that you only pay attention to me because you feel you have to..."
"Then I have failed you even more than I realized..." muttered Vahn, his expression softening as he exhaled a sigh and gestured for Riko to come closer with his left hand. In response, she walked forward and bumped her forehead against his chest, allowing him to hug her head as he softly appealed, "Listen closely, Riko...Bonney...Ghislaine..."
After meeting the gazes of the latter two, Vahn explained, "To grow close to and truly understand others, you can't avoid taking on at least some of their burdens. There are times when those burdens feel great, but that is a sentiment born from a place of love and compassion. So, are there times when you're a burden to me? Absolutely. But, more than anything else, I want you to have the confidence to walk your chosen path—knowing that, no matter where your interests or convictions take you, I will be watching and waiting to support you. And should the heavens themselves fall upon you, I will be there to hold them up until you can bust through and shatter them to pieces..."
"Blessed are those cherished by the Dragon God..." muttered Ghislaine, causing Vahn's smile to cramp as she closed her eyes, bowed her head, and brought her hands together in prayer.
"So you put up with us...because you care about us...?" asked Bonney, sporting a deep, conflicted frown.
"Would you put up with someone you didn't care about...?" asked Vahn, preempting Bonney's response by smiling and adding, "That's why you don't need to change. You should just focus on being happy as you are. After all, it's much easier to build upon a foundation you're satisfied with than to break down what you've already built to erect something new in its place."
"..."
Feeling more than a little confused, Bonney's head and eyes moved as if she were searching for something on the workbench's surface before she eventually retorted, "Your voice isn't the worst, but your words are like an old man's..."
Having nothing else to say and feeling as though she needed someplace quiet to think and get her thoughts in order, Bonney abruptly flew up and crashed through the workshop's ceiling.
'There she goes...' noted Vahn, exhaling faintly from his nose as he held Riko's head and prevented ceiling debris from falling and making an even bigger mess. When the latter removed her face from his chest, he nearly laughed at the sight of a trail of drooping snot once again connecting her nose to his clothing, but he managed to channel it into a faint smile as he joked, "I see your sinus is as healthy as ever..."
"Sorry about that..." muttered Riko, her cheeks flushing as she held up and pressed the tips of her fingers together and added, "And I'm even more sorry for doubting you. You've never acted like you were above or beyond me, but even though I can reach out to you whenever I want, I can't help but feel like I'm reaching for a treasure I shouldn't be able to obtain..."
"Then stop reaching," countered Vahn, causing the wheels in Riko's head to briefly grind to a halt before he smiled, wiped her nose with his thumb, and added, "It won't change that I'll be within reach. And when you need me, you need only to call my name, and I'll come flying across dimensions to be the one reaching out to you..."
"Oh, Vahn..." cried Riko, her gaining a thick layer of moisture that, despite her efforts, formed into tears. Lucky for her, Vahn's right shoulder was still dry, allowing her to squeeze him tightly and sob quietly as he held her as tenderly as he was able. Meanwhile, he couldn't help thinking sardonically to himself that he had a knack for making young girls cry...
...
..
.
Not wanting Bonney to feel pressured to appear for flight training, Vahn preemptively messaged everyone that their training sessions would be on hold until after the forthcoming festival. This gave them more time to train and prepare for the tournament in secret, and it also freed up three hours of his afternoon to spend time with his expectant wives.
"Prushka is exceptionally bright, but her mental development has halted as a result of the extensive physical and emotional trauma she endured during her formative years. She's like a puppy that's been conditioned to behave a certain way, and since she's typically rewarded because of how cute she comes across, I fear it could be decades before she can live and behave in a manner befitting her age..." muttered Misla, borrowing Vahn's left shoulder as a pillow as they swung and cuddled together on a circular hammock swing.
"It's a bit extreme, but I'm considering asking if she's willing to enter into a VR recreation of her world using the Full Immersion feature..." revealed Vahn, prompting Misla to blink her violet eyes and turn to gaze at him with slightly raised brows as he justified his decision, explaining, "She's just as intelligent as Riko, and their bond is on par with Koneko's and Kuroka's. If given the opportunity, I believe she would relish the chance to experience Riko's life up until their meeting..."
"Thus giving her a chance to live a comparably ordinary life and witness her situation from the perspective of an outsider...someone who cares for her deeply..." muttered Misla, shifting her gaze from Vahn to stare off into space. She wasn't all that familiar with VR and how it functioned, but what Vahn was proposing could be precisely what Prushka needed. And, worst case scenario, they could suppress or erase her memories of the scenario if they caused her pain or identity dysmorphia...
"Honestly, I have doubts..." muttered Vahn, raising his gaze to the ceiling of Misla's room as he softly appended, "Even if she agrees to it, I feel she would only be doing so because she feels a compulsory need to meet the expectations of those around her. It may be what she needs, but we'd be taking advantage of a trait Bonedrewd programmed into her..."
"Is that not karma coming full circle?" asked Misla, pointing out, "That vile creature is almost singularly responsible for Prushka's stunted growth. If his conditioning is ultimately what sets her free, then at least one positive thing would have come from his actions..."
"You're pretty good at this therapy and persuasion stuff..." hummed Vahn, gently bumping his forehead against the top of Misla's head. In response, she raised her chin and tilted her head back, providing access to her lips as she sensually countered, "This is the least I can do for all you've done and will continue to do for me..."
"I'm well aware of what more you can do..." teased Vahn, causing Misla to issue a low, throaty chuckle that was interrupted by their lips overlapping and tongues intertwining. Afterward, they naturally discussed Bonney and Riko, but not for too long, as Vahn didn't want their entire time together to be spent discussing the issues of other women and the hormone-induced antics of pubescent and angsty teens...
...
..
.
As Vahn was spending some quality time with Misla, Bonney was sitting on the edge of the cliff overlooking his cottage with a thoughtful, pouty expression. She really was trying her best to change, so Vahn once again insisting that she didn't need to left her feeling confused and more than a little frustrated. After all, while she genuinely wanted to be a better, more mature person, the primary reason she wanted that was so they could be together without her embarrassing him.
"Ugh...why do emotions have to be so complicated..." groaned Bonney, falling back with her arms spread. The sky above shimmered with a faint rainbow hue even during the day, but she found it difficult to enjoy as her heart felt like it was wrapped in a suffocating blanket. It didn't help that, despite Vahn feeling she wasn't mature or old enough for things like that, she felt frustrated and horny nearly every waking moment of her day. This was evidently normal for healthy and active girls like herself, but it sure as hell didn't feel normal...
'Maybe I should try seducing Kakashi or make Guy's entire life by giving him a shot...' considered Bonney, her expression a flawless deadpan as she continued gazing listlessly at the sky. She knew for a fact that Fran and Kakashi routinely bumped bodies, and they weren't the only sexually active residents of Utopia. That was what frustrated her the most. Vahn seemingly wouldn't bat an eye if she experimented with people from her age group, but for reasons that no one could explain to her in a way that made sense, she wasn't mature enough to do the same exact things with him. It was ridiculous...
With such thoughts in her mind, Bonney raised her feet and uprooted the section of guardrail she had been using as a head and armest previously. She knew she shouldn't, but whenever something didn't make sense, she found the fastest way to make herself feel better was to break something or beat the shit out of monsters. With that in mind, she eventually got up from where she was lying and utilized Bukujutsu to awkwardly take to the sky. There was an Illusory Forest biome where monsters took the form of the people you cared for the most, and in her case, roughly eighty percent of the monsters she encountered resembled Vahn—bereft of his power as the Dragon God but with faces just as handsome and punchable...
...
..
.