Growth

"What's your deal?" asked Zarah. "The last time we met, you behaved like a complete asshole. Now, you fuck me like you're trying to break or knock me up. What changed?"

As he didn't feel like explaining things, Cairn, kicking back with his hands behind his head, responded by pointing out, "In case you forgot, you also acted like a stuck-up bitch despite us waiting hours for your bubbly ass to arrive..."

"Hmmm...fair enough..." replied Zarah. However, her gold eyes possessed a thoughtful glimmer as she was curious to know what compelled Cairn to change the subject. Normally, she wouldn't have cared, but Cairn's value, at least in her eyes, had increased substantially due to Vira's sponsorship. Now, she 'had' to know what made him tick...what made him 'special'...

"You sleeping here...?" asked Cairn, causing Zarah to look between his face and dick, focusing on the latter as she replied, "That depends. You gonna let me?"

"At least a few hours," Cairn teased, adopting a cheeky smile as he added, "But don't worry. Even if you lose feeling in your legs, Kaia can fix you up before I take you back and drop you off at the Palace of Wisdom."

"How reassuring..." droned Zarah, rolling her eyes as she tossed aside the wet cloth she had been using to catch the semen she had been scraping from her pussy. She wasn't too worried about getting pregnant, but while it felt incredible when Cairn came inside her, Zarah hated waking up with dried semen in her pubes or caking her thighs.

"I'm gonna take a bath," said Zarah, rising to her feet and swaying her way over to the bathroom's entrance before turning back with her hand on the doorframe, asking, "You coming? Or do you enjoy going to sleep covered in filth?"

"Don't make me fuck you..." warned Cairn, the waning passion in his eyes rekindling when Zarah responded by using her hands to spread her ass cheeks, his semen leaking in long threads, mixed with the fluids from her pussy as she defiantly retorted, "Does it look I give a fuck...?"

And so Cairn gave her ten, twice in the bath, once outside of it, and four more when they awoke the next morning. She ended up passing out and spending the remainder of the morning sleeping, so when Cairn took her food around noon, he gave her three more fucks and some medicine used to prevent pregnancy, courtesy of Kaia...

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"Is this for real...?" asked Cairn, his expression a blend of disbelief and ramping excitement when Elle informed him his equipment was ready, only to present him with an identical set of shields when he followed her to her workshop.

Poking out her tongue, Elle smilingly explained, "Kaia mentioned you were more dependent on Abby for dealing damage than your Stinger or my Mr. Boomy. This way, you can wield a shield on each arm or swap to a reserve if the first shield suffers too much damage."

"Have I ever told you how much I absolutely fucking adore you...?" asked Cairn, causing Elle to giggle. Then, though she was beginning to get 'very' horny, she restrained herself long enough to show Cairn his next surprise. She couldn't repair his Shadowsilk Set with her current Rank of Tailoring, so to hone her Talent and give Cairn more options while exploring various Dungeons, she pulled out a large box containing a circle of white fur and a bundle of neatly folded red fabric.

"What's this...?" asked Cairn, pulling the fabric from the box, allowing it to unfurl into a fairly badass-looking red mantle. But that wasn't all. There was also a white, red-trimmed tunic and a pair of red trousers in the box. And when Elle pulled out a set of red riding boots, the kind that covered much of a person's calf, he immediately understood what the items were, feeling choked up as he looked between their information and the smiling Dwarf who never ceased to amaze him...

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Name: [Kai'ankh's Affection]

Rank: Unique Tunic

Weight: 1.7kgs

Durability: 1,719/1,719

Level: 0/80

P.Def: 207

M.Def: 35

Enchantment(s): [Thermal Regulation], [Hydrophobic], [Projectile Resistance]

Set Effect(s): 2-Pieces: Permits limited use of the [Leap] Skill.

Description: A comfortable tunic painstakingly manufactured using the exceptionally rare fur of a Karakut possessing the Blessing of Light. It is resistant to puncture and has slight magical properties.

Ingredients: [Kai'ankh Fleece Fur], [Kai'ankh Tail Fur], [Fire Drake Sinew]

Restriction(s): Due to the materials used in its production, it can only be repaired by someone with [Tailoring] Rank 40 or higher.

Name: [Regal Salamandra]

Rank: Unique Mantle

Weight: 3.2kgs

Durability: 2,380/2,380

Level: 0/80

P.Def: 239

M.Def: 44

Enchantment(s): [Hardening], [Coolheaded], [Fire Resistant]

Description: A high-quality mantle manufactured from the hide of a Salamander Whelp and the mane of a Frost Wolf. It's not completely flame resistant but provides exceptional protection.

Ingredients: [Salamander Whelp Leather], [Frost Wolf's Mane Fur], [Fire Drake Sinew]

Restriction(s): If the wearer does not wear a helmet, they could be adversely affected by the chill produced by the [Frost Wolf's Mane Fur]. Also, due to the materials used in its production, it can only be repaired by someone with [Tailoring] Rank 40 or higher.

Name: [Kai'ankh's Perch]

Rank: Unique Trousers

Weight: 1.5kgs

Durability: 1,732/1,732

Level: 0/80

P.Def: 219

M.Def: 35

Enchantment(s): [Thermal Regulation], [Hydrophobic], [Projectile Resistance]

Set Effect: 2-Pieces: Permits limited use of the [Leap] Skill.

Description: A comfortable pair of trousers painstakingly manufactured using the exceptionally rare fur of a Karakut possessing the Blessing of Light. It is resistant to puncture and has slight magical properties.

Ingredients: [Kai'ankh Fleece Fur], [Kai'ankh Tail Fur], [Fire Drake Sinew]

Restriction(s): Due to the materials used in its production, it can only be repaired by someone with [Tailoring] Rank 40 or higher.

Name: [Flamewalkers]

Rank: Unique Footwear

Weight: 2.9kgs

Durability: 2,792/2,792

Level: 0/80

P.Def: 207

M.Def: 82

Enchantment(s): [Hardening], [Fire Resistance], [Platforming]

Description: An exceptionally durable pair of boots made from the hide of a Salamander Whelp. Allows the user to run and walk atop various liquids without sinking thanks to the [Platforming] enchantment.

Ingredients: [Salamander Whelp Leather], [Fire Drake Sinew]

Restriction(s): Due to the materials used in its production, it can only be repaired by someone with [Tailoring] Rank 40 or higher.

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"I see you and Kaia collaborated on this..." mused Cairn, setting aside his new favorite outfit so he could pick Elle up, permitting her to lock her legs around and embrace him. Elle absolutely loved being praised for her work, so in preparation for what was to come, Cairn rubbed her small but perky ass and added, "I have a 'perch' you can use..."

"Are we going to do it right here...?" asked Elle, raising her brows with an excited smile. Unfortunately, the nearby Mari heard her threatening, "I'll throw a hammer if you do."

Undaunted by Mari's remark, Elle wriggled her eyebrows and tilted her head insinuatingly. Cairn furrowed his own, but instead of rejecting Elle's silent appeal, he muttered, "So long as it doesn't become a habit..."

Snickering mischievously, Elle extricated herself from Cairn's embrace and gave him a firm smack on her rear end, prompting him to walk over to Mari. The latter raised her face from her work and looked at him curiously as he came, but she quickly understood his intentions when he picked her up, compelling her to release a surprised exclamation as he flung her over his shoulder and carried her back to Elle with his hand on her stroking her ass. The latter was already waiting atop her worktable, so Cairn set Mari atop her, the nearly identical Dwarves overlapping perfectly, their breasts and bodies squishing together as Cairn prepared to fuck them both...

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Though he had been vehemently against the idea a few days prior, Cairn was mesmerized, staring in abject fascination as Elle and Mari 'scissored' his dick back in his bedroom. Elle had dragged Mari back with them when they decided to head up, so now Cairn had the privilege of witnessing the two Dwarves go from competing to working together to get him off.

"You should have told me you acquired Bedroom Arts," said Elle, rubbing the tip of Cairn's cock with her tiny, surprisingly soft hand. She had been a Blacksmith/Forgemaster for two centuries, but her palms and incredibly dextrous fingers were completely devoid of calluses.

"Well, you were kind of busy with your work..." reminded Cairn, his gaze still transfixed on the pair of squished-together pussies moving in concert to stimulate his dick.

"Still, now we get to have even more fun~" hummed Elle, her face red and pink eyes glistening. Her only real complaint about Cairn was that he was a bit of a prude. Now, she had the distinct impression he may have swung too hard in the opposite direction, but that was better in the long run as, once he settled down, he would become significantly more level-headed and mature.

"Did I hear someone say my name...?" asked Vira, materializing near the foot of the bed as if she hadn't been there since the beginning.

"Eh, go away, Grandma~!" exclaimed Elle. She was usually more than happy to receive Vira's guidance, so long as she wasn't being evaluated, but Elle knew that if the much older Elder Dwarf joined in, she and Mari wouldn't be able to compete.

Demonstrating just how far he had 'fallen,' Cairn laughed and said, "You voyeuristic old fart. Did watching us get you excited?"

"And if it did...?" asked Vira, crossing her arms and smiling in amusement at Cairn's audaciousness.

"Then let's reverse the positions for once," said Cairn, causing Elle's and Mari's eyes to widen as he suggested, "You can join us, but you can only do as these two say. I want to see how well you can take orders..."

Equal parts taken aback and amused by Cairn's proposition, Vira threw her head back and exhaled a loud, unrestrained laugh that gave the two Dwarves goosebumps. Then, as her clothes disappeared from her body, she sent shivers through them as she lowered herself into a dogeza-like pose and hummed, "Your wills, my action..." in an audibly amused tone...

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With Zarah refusing to come and meet them at the Rainy Day Inn, Cairn, Kaia, and a notably fatter Tarou met up with her outside of what looked like a small stone fortress. Cairn hadn't exactly left her with a trauma, but with how thoroughly he fucked her during their second encounter, she felt the need to be a little more 'cautious' around him.

"Damn, you clean up well," teased Cairn, referring to Zarah's rather drastic change in appearance. She normally walked around in casual clothes that gave her a somewhat slovenly appearance, but since they were entering a Dungeon to conduct an investigation on behalf of FreeCo's President, one of her idols, she was dressed in an expensive-looking mage's coat with a turquoise interior. Below that, hugging her slim, athletic frame, she wore an outfit similar to a barmaid's, but her corset, belt, and the ancient, lamp-like device on her hip were all exceptionally rare artifacts.

"Don't make me hit you..." threatened Zarah, raising the hammer-like staff Mari had crafted for her using materials prepared by Elle. Zarah wasn't a Mage and had never wielded a hammer or a staff before, so Cairn had been surprised when she asked the Dwarven duo to make her one. When he used Insight to inspect her status, he understood Zaraha hadn't just been being random. She knew 'precisely' what she was doing and what she was capable of...

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Name: Zarah

Species: Lionel(50%), Human(50%)

Gender: Female

Age: 16

Title: Prodigy(Talent Growth+100%. Talent Growth weighted toward Intelligence.)

Class: Scholar(Epic)

[Attributes]

Level: 25/85(157,556/159/807)[Prodigy(20/20)], [Scholar(5)]

HP: 18,840/19,976

MP: 47,083/50,587

Str: 62+45

Agi: 49+29

Vit: 208+150

Int: 381+285

Dex: 62+47

Cha: 142+102

Talent(s): [Intuitive Understanding(25/85)], [Mind Palace(5/20)], [Lionel Physiology(12/42)], [Translation(45/90)], [Gemcraft(42/85], [Ancient Runeology(38/85)], [Engraving(31/80)], [Martial Arts(24/80)], [Hammer Mastery(22/79)], [Enchanting(21/77)], [Forbidden Knowledge(19/60)], [Sexology(15/58)], [Human Studies(13/53)], [Medicine Tolerance(2/38)], [Hypoglycemic(-/-)]

Skill(s): [Analyze(MAX)], [Strong Punch(MAX)], [Hammer Smash(8/10)], [Disenchant(7/10)], [Scribe(6/10)], [Lion's Roar(3/10)], [Explosive Rune(2/10)]

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(A/N: Zarah does not take losses well o_o...)