56 Rumination
"Fine," said Cairn, pulling out his OmniComm and adding, "But we didn't come here to team up with anyone. For now, let's exchange contact info. We can discuss the specifics of a more involved partnership later."
Adopting a smile, Elizabeth turned to Leona, prompting the latter to pull out four OmniComms from her pouch. Everyone else in the Party got up and close to the enemy, so she was entrusted with carrying most of their potions and other delicate, easily broken goods.
"Thank you for this," said Elizabeth, her smile causing her eyes to narrow as she tapped her OmniComm against Cairn's. He thought she was the overly serious type, but it seemed that when she was happy, she didn't hesitate to show it...
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After swapping contact information with Elizabeth, Leona, Yuuna, and Johnathan, Cairn and Kaia politely refused their offer to share a meal and went on their way. Shortly after their departure, Kaia surprised Cairn by hanging her head and muttering, "I feel I owe you an apology. Because of me, many who would have been unaware of your status as the Champion will be able to identify you and track our movements..."
Stepping in front of the despondent-looking Karakut, Cairn gave Kaia a hug, holding her head to his chest as he said, "You should never have to apologize for merely existing..."
Reciprocating Cairn's embrace, Kaia felt a pressure building in her nose as she buried her face into the fabric of his chest. She had thought it several times before, but despite his flaws, Cairn was a very kind person...
"Besides," said Cairn. "I don't believe for a moment that it's a coincidence we happened across a Party primarily comprised of beautiful women, two of which have Noble origins. What do you think, Vira?"
Materializing less than a few centimeters away, close enough that she could reach out and touch them, Vira replied, "You're correct. While it is true that the Baskervilles are cut off from their family and resources at sixteen, they earn merit by performing actions that bring honor to their clan. Baskerville women, in particular, are tasked with locating suitably powerful men to sire the next generation of hounds..."
"Yeah, I figured..." replied Cairn, releasing his hold on Kaia. However, as she continued clinging to him, he didn't immediately pull away. Instead, he focused on his conversation with Vira, stating, "A nineteen-year-old Noblewoman with Rank 30 Bedroom Arts definitely isn't an ordinary girl..."
"I doubt that has anything to do with her duty," contended Vira, crossing her arms as she advised, "You shouldn't make conclusions based on your biases. Bigotry is incredibly tasteless."
"..."
Taking advantage of Cairn's silence, Vira gazed back in the direction they had come from, adding, "If anything, you should be wary of that girl with silvery eyes. The Blessing of the Harvest is incredibly rare, but what truly stands out about her is her Pain Tolerance. Not only is it much higher than an ordinary person's, but the 'limit' is ridiculous. Despite her innocent and friendly demeanor, chances are she has extreme masochistic tendencies. For a fragile boy like you, she is incredibly dangerous."
Expecting Vira to say something gruesome, like suggesting that Yuuna had been tortured, Cairn's mind blanked at the possibility that the curvy, kind-looking, objectively gallant beauty was a masochist...
"The quality of a person's character rarely has anything to do with their predilections in the bedroom," said Vira. "As for how you should address this situation, your affectionate little friend there has already provided you with the answer. Rather than fretting over how others might use you, you should consider how to use them. You certainly didn't hold back when you pressured me to protect the Dakota family, so why shy away from people with substantially less power and authority?"
"That's...a good point, actually..." admitted Cairn. Vira was, quite literally, the ninth most powerful entity in the world of Plainaire. She was also the President of the most influential company in the world and the support of the wealthiest, most technologically advanced nation on the planet. The Baskerville Clan undoubtedly had great power and authority, but even the King of Runegraad might be forced to bow and pay respects if he desired Vira's aid...
"Then, if there's nothing else, I'll be going," said Vira, performing her usual disappearing act. In her wake, Cairn spent several minutes contemplating her words before looking down at Kaia, tentatively inquiring, "You okay...?" as she still had her face buried in his chest.
"You're very warm..." muttered Kaia, releasing her hold on Cairn, backing away, and avoiding his gaze. Then, without further remark, she pulled out a tiny pouch filled with white pills, tossing one into the back of her throat and swallowing it. As she did so, a faint chill permeated the air as the pill possessed a thread of ice-elemental mana, cooling her body from within...
Understanding what the pill was, the smile on Cairn's face cramped as he felt more than a little awkward. It wasn't to the point that he would refuse to cuddle with Kaia right then and there, but knowing he had triggered her estrus response, he felt a mix of awkwardness and guilt that made it hard for either of them to speak for several minutes...
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As they would typically have to rest for a few hours after a fierce battle, it took Cairn and Kaia nearly two weeks to reach the ninth and final floor of the Den of Greed. By then, Cairn was Level 19 while Kaia was 26, leaving the former feeling a little helpless as it became increasingly clear that he needed more Experience to Level than other people.
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Name: Adam Masterson
IWN: Cairn
Gender: Male
Age: 27(Apparent Age: 16)
Title: Fledgling Hero(Growth Rate+100%)
Class: [Jack-of-All]
[Attributes]
Level: 19(106,119/113,540)
HP: 12,224/12,224
MP: 2,935/3,460
Str: 40->50
Agi: 40->44
Vit: 93+37->120+108
Int: 50->140
Dex: 40+16->50+45
Cha: 60+24->100+90
AP: 0
Talents: [Slow Start, Endless Potential(19/100)], [Never Say Die(MAX)], [I Can Do It Too(1/10)], [Animal Magnetism(9/90)], [Shadowflame(11/100)] [Mining(24/100)], [Shield Mastery(25/100)], [Pain Tolerance(24/100)], [Acid Resistance(17/100)], [Cooking(15/100)], [Sword Mastery(8/100)], [Pickaxe Mastery(7/100), [Disease Resistance(4/100)], [Grooming(5/100)], [Thievery(2/100)]
Skills: [Insight(MAX): 1MP], [Domination(1/10): 200MP], [Shield Bash(MAX): 50], [Sophistry(4/10): 30MP], [Penny-Pinch(2/10): 50MP], [Gamble(2/10): 10MP]
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"Well, this sucks..." said Cairn, staring into the entrance of an enormous chamber housing a massive, elaborate chest constructed of gold and red metal. Unfortunately, there was no text above the chest's head, indicating that it wasn't a Trove Lord. This was further confirmed by Cairn's Insight, causing him to feel a little annoyed as it meant they would need to wait at least sixteen hours for another chance.
Smiling comfortingly, Kaia supplied, "We knew from the beginning there was only a 10% chance of the Trove Lord appearing. Let's find someplace to camp or continue exploring. We can come back once the Dungeon has reset."
"But it's already been two weeks..." groaned Cairn, leaning with his back against the wall and sliding down as he grumbled, "It's cold as balls down here, and I'm starting to forget what the sky looks like..."
As was often the case when they stopped to rest on the lower floors, Kaia promptly made herself comfortable atop Cairn's legs, bringing their faces remarkably close together as she asked, "Are you suggesting we return to the surface...?"
Instead of answering Kaia's question, Cairn, feeling a bit of tightness in his throat, asked, "How much medicine do you have remaining...?"
"Enough to last me the rest of the month..." replied Kaia, beginning to feel a little nervous. She knew Cairn didn't view her as a potential partner, but her brain would need to be replaced with a stone for her not to notice the growing tension between them. Weeks of fighting and living together with no one else to interact with had that effect...
Catching Kaia off guard, Cairn wore a troubled expression as he asked, "Do you think I'm a prude...?"
"Uh..."
Not expecting such a question, Kaia fidgeted atop Cairn, her heart racing as she hurriedly organized her thoughts, eventually culminating in the response, "I think the morals and values of the world you came from were very...inflexible."
Leaning his head against the cold stone behind him, Cairn gazed listlessly at the Dungeon's ceiling, revealing, "Though it's only been a few weeks, I can't help thinking Elle has forgotten about me. Then there's Felix...I don't believe he's a bad person, but his nature makes me...uncomfortable. If we return to the Rainy Day Inn and I discover that he made a move on Elle...I might try to kill him..."
"I don't believe he would risk offending you..." said Kaia. Unfortunately, as she had a penchant for being honest, she added, "Though, since you gave him permission to work outside the bounds of his contract, there is a good chance he will have slept with Ms. Dakota..."
Though Reine definitely wasn't 'his,' Cairn couldn't help sighing when he heard Kaia's addendum. He knew she was more than a little pent up, and because he refused her, it was only natural that she sought someone else for comfort. And who better than the professional Escort living under her roof?
"Can I ask you something...?" asked Cairn, lowering his gaze to meet Kaia's large, earnest eyes.
"Anything..." affirmed Kaia, her nervousness reaching the point that she had begun to tremble slightly.
"If that man from a few weeks ago, Johnathan, made a pass at you, how would you respond?" questioned Cairn, leaving Kaia at a momentary loss.
Understanding what Cairn was attempting to ascertain, Kaia eventually nodded, admitting, "I might not have agreed immediately, but I wouldn't be against it..."
"I thought so..." replied Cairn, closing his eyes and letting it sink in just how 'out of touch' his views were with the rest of Plainaire or, at the very least, Cliabhaan. It wasn't that his previous world lacked promiscuity, but in Cliabhaan, people had little to no apprehensions toward sex. So long as they found someone attractive, and vice versa, they didn't need any more reasons to have sex. It was basically a way of passing the time or seeing if they were compatible with one another...
Recalling how Elle had initially crawled into his shirt and had sex with him just to get him to stop moping, Cairn felt like an idiot. Vira wasn't wrong when she said humans were guided by their sentiments, and because of him, Kaia, Elle, and many others were made uncomfortable as a result of him unilaterally forcing his views and values onto just about everything...
"Hey..." said Kaia, tentatively grabbing the sides of Cairn's face, staring deeply into his eyes as she said, "You shouldn't feel guilty about having different values and beliefs. Just as you told me never to apologize for merely existing, you shouldn't beat yourself up because you're different from others, especially when you're not even from the same world. Just be yourself, Cairn. And if that doesn't make you happy...know that there are those, like myself, who will support you along any path you tread..."
While observing Cairn for signs of apprehension or discomfort, Kaia slowly drew her face closer, planting a chaste but lingering kiss on his lips. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest, but when she pulled away, it promptly tensed when she saw Cairn staring back at her with a slight frown.
Contrasting Kaia's expectations, Cairn didn't rebuke her for kissing him. Instead, he remarked, "You know how possessive I am...even if I tried to regard relationships as 'casual' as everyone else, I would get jealous if a girl I was close to showed favor to another man..."
Adopting a faint smile, Kaia wrapped her arms around Cairn's torso and said, "Then, if we ever cross that line, I will abstain from getting close to other men. I would feel sorry for Felix, but he isn't nearly as important to me as you are..."
Feeling simultaneously reassured and guilty, Cairn briefly hesitated before returning Kaia's embrace, hugging her head and caressing her hair as she nestled her face between his neck and shoulder. Then, for the better half of an hour, they sat in complete silence, immersed in each others' warmth and the beating of their hearts...
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(A/N: doki doki...)
