EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons

'This place feels super ominous...' thought Vahn, raising his gaze to the sky above, populated by a swirling mass of black clouds that produced an eerie crimson glow that seemed to encompass the entire world. To make things even creepier, the forest they had teleported to seemed devoid of life, the trees an endless sea of gnarled wooden flesh and leafless fingers stretching to a sky that offered no clemency.

"I-Is this place the Familiar Forest...?" asked Issei, swallowing nervously as he, similar to Vahn and Asia, felt like the sky would suddenly open and swallow them whole.

"Vahn-sama..." muttered Asia, grasping Vahn's sleeve and moving closer to him from behind as Rias assured, "There's no need to be frightened. While it's true that the Familiar Forest is exceptionally dangerous, what you're seeing right now is the result of a barrier created by the Dragon Queen, Tiamat. It causes the forest's inhabitants to behave significantly more docile than usual, so unless you go out of your way to antagonize or provoke them, there is little danger."

"That's right...!" exclaimed a deep, enthusiastic, and masculine voice, prompting everyone to look up at a spindly, middle-aged man standing on the twisted branch of a large tree. He had neck-length red hair fixed into a low ponytail, beady black eyes, and large eyebrows, but his most notable feature was his clothing. Despite appearing to be in his late fifties, maybe even early sixties, he wore a white tank top, black cargo shorts, a green sweater fastened around his waist, white socks, brown sneakers, green fingerless gloves, and a blue, inverted baseball cap with a large yellow rucksack. In essence, he dressed like a middle schooler trapped within the body of an old man...

"W-Who goes there...!?" exclaimed Issei, prompting the man to point to himself with his thumb and respond, "I'm the Familiar Master, Zatoushi! And welcome to the Familiar Forest, Young Devils!"

Though it was fairly obvious from the man's title, Akeno took it upon herself to explain, "Zatoushi-sama is one of the foremost experts when it comes to Familiars. At age ten, he set out from his hometown with the goal of capturing and taming every Familiar in the world. And thanks to his efforts and advances in the fields of Familiar Breeding, many at-risk and endangered species of Familiars have gradually started to recover to stable populations."

"Ho-ho, this Ojou-sama is well-informed," remarked Zatoushi, rubbing the underside of his nose with a broad, extremely wrinkled smile before front-flipping down from his perch, dropping well over thirty feet but somehow landing softly, barely producing a muffled pa.

Striking another pose with his thumb pointing at himself, Zatoushi exuded the enthusiasm of someone much younger as he asserted, "Stick with this Zatoushi-sama, and any Familiar you desire is yours for the getting! Gotta get 'em all!"

Seeing Zatoushi form a G with his hands, Vahn exhaled from his nose, a smile adorning his face as he thought, 'He's got a lot of spirit...and the air around him is strangely pleasant. Is he carrying some kind of incense...?'

"So, which of you young'uns is here to obtain a Familiar?" asked Zatoushi, crossing his arms and inspecting the members of the ORC. He met with a lot of different Devils, so while he felt that Rias was familiar due to her red hair, he couldn't remember what she had contracted.

"It's this lucky young man right here," said Rias, gesturing to Issei as she explained, "He's only been a Devil for a short while, but he's been working hard to improve. I thought a Familiar would make a suitable reward."

"Right on!" exclaimed Zatoushi, striking a pose with his left hand cupping his right bicep before meeting Issei's gaze, grinning as he asked, "So, any idea what you want to catch, young man? For newly turned Devils such as yourself, I suggest one of the many species of felines or canines. There is also the option of choosing a bird or an aquatic species, but not everyone has the space or means to care for such creatures."

"I think a cat, dog, or ermine would be the best choices," answered Issei, having put a lot of thought into his options. As much as he would like to have something like a Bakeneko, a Gryphon, or a Lesser Succubus as his Familiar, he doubted he would be able to care for them without the help of Rias. And while he intended to remain loyal to her, he was determined to be able to stand on his own two feet after what happened with Saji...

"Oh? An ermine, was it?" asked Zatoushi, caressing his chin thoughtfully before adding, "I might have just what you're looking for, but it's a decent ways away. We better get to running!"

Without waiting for a response, Zatoushi took off faster than an Olympic sprinter. As he did, Rias, Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko promptly spread their wings, ostensibly intending to fly after him.

"Vahn, since Asia might struggle to keep up with the rest of the group, will you wait here with her?" asked Rias.

"Of course. And good luck acquiring your Familiar, Issei," responded Vahn, curious to see what kind of Familiars inhabited the forest but not so much that he would leave Asia by herself. He could carry her, but he wasn't sure how comfortable she would be bouncing on his back as he raced through the forest at superhuman speeds.

"Right. Be safe, you two," responded Issei, doing his best not to feel too uncomfortable with the thought of Vahn and Asia being alone. Whatever happened happened, and so long as Asia was happy, he was determined to be happy for her...

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After seeing the ORC off with smiles and waves, Vahn deliberated for a moment before turning to Asia, finding her staring up at him with what he interpreted as expectant eyes.

Reciprocating with a smile, Vahn questioned, "Do you want to sit and play cards...?" while casually producing two blue-cushioned lounge chairs and a coffee table from his Inventory.

"Can we just sit and talk...?" asked Asia, half-turning away from Vahn but continuing to stare at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Sure. I like talking," affirmed Vahn, taking the initiative to sit first since Asia appeared to be waiting for him. He soon realized why, as instead of sitting in the chair he prepared for her use, she promptly climbed onto his lap, straddling him with her hands linked around the back of his neck as she tilted her head and asked, "Is it okay if we sit like this? Koneko-chan always seems so comfortable when you hold her..."

"Sure..." responded Vahn, recovering from his initial bewilderment and further emphasizing he didn't mind their arrangement by wrapping his arms around and hugging Asia, holding her slightly trembling body, and patting her back. He could feel she was anxious, so while he was a little taken aback by her sitting on him before asking, he didn't have the heart to tell her to remove herself.

"Mmnn...I knew it...Vahn-sama's embrace is very comfortable..." muttered Asia, wrapping her arms around Vahn's body and entrusting the weight of her upper body to his chest.

"Thanks for the compliment..." responded Vahn, considering his words for a moment before counter-complimenting, "Asia-san is light and soft...and your hair smells nice..."

"Then...is it okay if I sit on Vahn-sama's lap more often...?" asked Asia, raising her head from Vahn's chest to look up at him.

"If it's what you want..." responded Vahn, words he found himself reciting fairly often when it came to Asia. It was strange, but she reminded him of himself in many ways. Thus, similar to how Rias felt about him, he wanted her to be more open and honest with her wants and desires...

"What I want..." repeated Asia, closing her eyes and returning her head to Vahn's chest with a smile. Then, causing Vahn's to cramp, she revealed, "To be honest...I haven't been able to get the image of Vahn-sama's and Koneko-chan's union out of my head. It makes my body burn at night, but it's not an unpleasant feeling...it's exciting and causes me to do very sinful things with my fingers..."

Understanding what Asia was referring to, Vahn exhaled faintly from his nose, caressing the increasingly warm former nun's back as he softly inquired, "Are you asking for my help? Because you know my situation..."

"Nn..." responded Asia, adhering to Vahn closely as she muttered, "I was thrown away by the people I thought cherished me, and the only group that would take me in wanted to sacrifice me to acquire my power...at the end of that road, at a time when I had all but given up, I met Vahn-sama and Issei-san...the Church might condemn me further, but I believe God brought me to the ORC to show me, once again, that not all Devils are bad people...and also to meet you..."

"I'm glad to have met you as well..." responded Vahn, simultaneously getting the sinking suspicion that his relationship with Asia was on the cusp of taking several substantial steps forward. He felt sorry for Issei, but if he was the one Asia had developed feelings for, he couldn't force her to change her mind.

Leaving Vahn feeling as though his thoughts had split into two with lead weights dangling from both sides, Asia, rather abruptly, asked, "I know I'm supposed to be your and Rias-sama's servant...but is it okay if I look up to you as a big brother or a father figure? I've never experienced this kind of comfort before, but it's what I imagine family feels like..."

"If that's what you want..." repeated Vahn, gently cradling Asia's head and holding her as tenderly as possible. He still felt...disjointed, but that didn't stop him from providing the comfort Asia sought from him.

"Papa..." muttered Asia, sending goosebumps across Vahn's body as she entrusted herself to his embrace. At that moment, any libidinousness he felt toward her promptly vanished, replaced by an overwhelming desire to protect Asia's innocence for as long as possible...

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With more than an hour passing since everyone else's departure, Asia had fallen soundly asleep in Vahn's embrace, leaving him to stare pensively at the eerie sky above while continuing to caress her back. It was difficult to explain, but he felt that someone or something had been monitoring them since their coming to the Familiar Forest. And while he didn't know who or what it was, he was fairly certain it was incredibly powerful...

Confirming Vahn's suspicions, a remarkably deep and sensual woman's voice eventually remarked, "The two of you are quite daring to relax like this in the middle of a forest infested by monsters. Even if this barrier was created by the wisest and most beautiful Dragon in all of Creation, there's no guarantee an opportunistic Familiar won't pass by and devour the two of you in a single bite..."

Following the incredibly sensual-sounding voice, the illusory figure of a pale blue Dragon emerged from the gloom before abruptly disappearing, replaced by a strikingly beautiful woman with long, straight, pale blue hair that became progressively darker as it cascaded to her ankles. Her eyes were a deep shade of crimson with glowing, white, x-shaped pupils, and four green and gold horns adorned her head, two curling toward her face and the other two flowing away from her scalp in a wavy, s-pattern. Her outfit was strangely plain, consisting of a navy blue skirt with a partially unbuttoned white blouse, and though her skin was fair, it had a distinctive blue tint as her entire body was veiled in a watery aura.

With Sis promptly apprising him of the woman's identity, aided by the knowledge she had acquired from the Greater Key of Solomon, Vahn's eyes widened slightly as he wondered what a Dragon Queen could want from him and Asia. Fortunately, the woman, Tiamat, didn't seem to harbor any hostility toward them, or else they would have already been dead.

Providing some insight into why she had decided to appear, Tiamat's distinctive x-shaped pupils contracted before expanding as she locked onto Vahn, a mischievous, somewhat predatory smile adorning her face as she sensually remarked, "You smell like treasure and someone I really, really hate..."

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