84 Limits
Ascending the stairs to Austral's Ancilliary Grand Cathedral with Kaia, a smile developed across Cairn's face as he recalled their first visit to the grand structure. It hadn't even been half a year since then, but he felt like he had become a completely different person. He wasn't anywhere near as strong as he wanted to be, but if the situation with the Slime Monarch hadn't already been resolved, he felt like they may have actually stood a chance at defeating it.
"Shall I go to check and see if Ansim and the others are present while you greet the Bishop and Cardinal...?" asked Kaia, looking more humanoid than ever with her Rank 7 [Human Transformation]. She still had two-tone fur coating her arms and legs, rabbit ears, and a tail, but her feet had become plantigrade, meaning she walked on her soles rather than the tips of her toes. This made her even shorter, but Cairn didn't mind since it placed her head at easy petting level.
"Sounds like a plan," said Cairn, placing his hand between Kaia's ears and habitually ruffling her hair before they parted ways, her to the quarters of the Neophytes and him to the chapel. Before he could enter the cathedral proper, however, Cairn was stopped as one of the side doors flanking the entrance opened to reveal Cardinal Benedictus in a simple white robe that more closely resembled a nightgown than liturgical vestments.
"Please, come this way," said the Cardinal, her voice hushed as she made way for Cairn to step past her and into the passageway connecting to the quarters of high-ranking clergymen and women.
"Wasn't your room located in the Inner Sanctum...?" asked Cairn, doing his best to avoid staring down at the Cardinal's, Andrika's body. She cut quite the figure even in her white surcoat and armor, so her sleepwear, bereft of a bra, left little to the imagination.
Seeing through Cairn's thoughts, Andrika closed the door he had passed through before covering her mouth, giggling faintly, and musing, "I am not ashamed of my form. If you find it appealing, please, look to your heart's content. Few things are more gratifying for a mature woman than the gaze of an attractive young man."
Since Andrika had permitted him to do so, Cairn couldn't resist sizing her up as he commented, "If others knew your true age, I imagine a lot more women would seek to become members of the Church..."
Smiling broadly, Andrika left Cairn speechless by overtly propping up her voluminous breasts with her hands as she revealed, "Many do, but most deviate from the path to start families. Motherhood is the ultimate form of happiness for most women, so only those with exceptional characters and those who fear the concept of 'society' remain with the Church. I'm of the latter category."
Raising his gaze from Andrika's breasts, Cairn asked, "You fear society...?"
Nodding in affirmation, Andrika caused Cairn's throat to tighten as she drew closer, eventually backing him into a wall as she explained, "People can be cruel, callous, and exceptionally self-centered, even as individuals. Society draws these qualities out even further as even the poorest person living on the street believes they warrant respect and opportunity, even if they've done nothing to earn it. On the other end of the spectrum, those born into wealth and power believe themselves to be above others, even if they are 'dependent' on the success of their predecessors to maintain their way of life. They criticize others for the circumstances of their birth, but the moment you take away their safety nets, they succumb to despair, incapable of enduring the hardships of a lifestyle they readily imposed on others..."
Placing her hands on Cairn's chest and rubbing it, a sensual sigh escaped Andrika's throat as she whispered, "Society is a collar that inhibits growth. As someone who seeks power to protect the things he cherishes, I'm sure you understand how meaningless money, property, and possessions are when they can be taken from you without a moment's notice by those who ignore the word of law or use it as a weapon to enforce their will on others. To that end, Lady Restia teaches us that the only things that have any real value are those we're able to acquire and hold onto with our own two hands. Without genuine power, one can only suffer, compromise, and endure..."
With Andrika leaning into him, their faces separated by mere centimeters, Cairn's not-so-little brother invariably reacted. Andrika felt this, but while she didn't hesitate to press her crotch against his bulge, her eyes cracked to reveal faintly glowing pupils as she hotly whispered, "I envy Kai'ankh and the other women traveling with you. Were I seventy years younger, I would have readily accompanied you..."
"Yeah, it's a real shame..." replied Cairn, adopting a wry smile as he made another mental note to increase his Charisma. Andrika was much better at managing her aura than her daughter, but her 1800+ Charisma, combined with the corrective effects of her Rank 63 [Bedroom Arts], made her nigh-irresistible. If not for the tolerance granted to him by his own [Bedroom Arts], [Corruption Resistance], and [Charm Resistance], he imagined they would already be fucking. Even then, he couldn't defy the impulse to grab Andrika's ass, drawing her even closer and pressing his bulge more firmly against her crotch.
Fortunately for Cairn, while his actions implied he was more than willing, Andrika's [Divine Sight] made her aware that he was restraining himself, not for lack of desire, but on the 'principle' of the matter. After all, he had come to her so that she and Sera could speak as mother and daughter. If he caved to his desires and bedded her, it would undoubtedly 'complicate' things, at least for Cairn...
Shifting her weight away from Cairn but not separating from him, Andrika reached down to caress his bulge as she asked, "Will you be able to calm down on your own, or do you require assistance?"
Thinking that Andrika was offering to use her hands or mouth, Cairn found himself at a loss for words. It should have been a simple matter to refuse her, but the thought of her head bobbing up and down on his cock caused him to feel muddleheaded. In actuality, Andrika had been planning to use [Purification] on him, but since she could read his thoughts, she promptly decided against clarifying her intentions and awaited Cairn's response, all the while caressing his bulge.
"I'm starting to understand how you became a maneater..." said Cairn, his reason returning to him when he received a system notification informing him that his [Corruption Resistance] had increased to 17. Then, opposing every instinct he had, he released his hold on Andrika's remarkably toned ass and added, "I'm going to bring out Sera. Before I do, are you fine with meeting her in this getup?"
"Of course," replied Andrika. "Though it has been nearly three decades since our last meeting, Sera is my daughter. I prioritized my position as Cardinal to ensure her safety. Now that she is with you, I only hold this position so long as Lady Restia deems me worthy."
Though he was surprised by Andrika's omission that she had become a Cardinal to ensure Sera's protection, Cairn recovered quickly, smiling as he said, "Then, wait here. I'll retrieve her and then give the two of you an hour or so to talk in private. I know that's not much, considering how long you've been apart, but you'll have other opportunities to meet. I'm certain Restia would approve."
"Yes. That is why I have dedicated my life to serving her," said Andrika, bringing her hands together in prayer. "Though she has her flaws, Lady Restia is far more suited to govern over humanity than any mortal. She is the shepherd of our souls and the guarantor of our free will. For that, we owe her a debt that can never be repaid..."
"Yeah, she's pretty awesome..." Cairn appended, his eyes shifting to the chat window that had appeared next to his face. Restia was surprisingly weak to praise, so she was warning him not to lay it on too thick lest she get annoyed...
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After dropping off Sera with her mother and meeting with Reine for some early-morning exercise, Cairn, with about half an hour to kill, tracked Kaia's position to the training field. There, he expected to find her sparring with Asim, but the reality was quite a bit different. Instead, she was using a shield to fend off the attacks of a young, heavily panting girl with short, pale-blonde hair that framed her face, a lithe build, and long legs.
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Name: Chelsea
Species: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 13
Title: Neophyte(Talent Rate+100%)
Class: Neophyte(Rare)
[Attributes]
Level: 14/82[Neophyte(14)]
HP: 5,998/7,066
MP: 5,004/5,625
Str: 37+10
Agi: 78+22
Vit: 118+66
Int: 55+70
Dex: 83
Cha: 64+18
Talent(s): [Recipient of Divine Intervention(-/-)], [Goddess of Light's Blessing(14/20)], [Corruption Resistance(14/20)], [Resolution(28/-)], Cooking(23/79)], [Sword Mastery(21/75)], [Pain Tolerance(15/60)], [Undead Slayer(13/58)]
Skill(s): [Light Healing(MAX)], [Purification(8/10)], [Charge(7/10)], [Piercing Blow(5/10)], [Parry(3/10)], [Lifestyle Magic(5/5)]
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Seeing the girl's status as she lunged forward and thrust her sword at Kaia's shield, Cairn's eyes widened in recognition as he asked himself, 'That's Chelsea? I know kids grow quickly, but she's like a completely different person...'
Though Chelsea was still flat as a board, the structure of her face and even the quality of her hair had changed. She wasn't exactly ugly before, but she now possessed delicate yet heroic features, reminding Cairn of a certain 'King of Knights' from a series he enjoyed in his previous life.
'This is definitely Restia's doing...' thought Cairn, noticing the [Recipient of Divine Intervention] and [Resolution] in Chelsea's status. He didn't know what had happened, but Restia evidently gave Chelsea an oracle or some kind of 'revelation' after their separation in Rahst. Now, rather than a fairly ordinary girl with average talent, she was nearly as prodigious as Kaia and Zarah...
"I won't lose...!" shouted Chelsea, even as she was pushed back and stunned by Kaia's [Shield Bash]. Her [Resolution] not only increased her Talent Cap by up to 25 Levels, but it also allowed her to break free from statuses like Stunned through sheer force of will. Doing so placed great strain on her still-developing body, but overcoming pain and surpassing her limits was what had allowed Chelsea to grow so much in such a brief period.
Breaking free from Kaia's stun, Chelsea released a loud war cry as she thrust her sword forward and activated [Piercing Blow]. Unfortunately, while it was true she had grown tremendously, Kaia hadn't been resting on her laurels for the past five months. Chelsea certainly wasn't lacking in passion, but Kaia's greater speed, experience, and proficiencies were too much for mere determination to overcome.
After deflecting the tip of Chelsea's sword with her shield, Kaia followed up by raising her foot to the wide-eyed swordswoman's chest. She held back to avoid breaking Chelsea's sternum, but by activating her [Strong Kick] and [Great Leap] in concert, she sent the petite blonde flying like a cannonball into the far wall of the training hall. Chelsea hugged her head to protect it, but she sustained 1,317 damage from the impact, forcing the air from her lungs and fracturing her right arm, shoulder, and ribs.
While others would have collapsed right then and there, Cairn witnessed Chelsea's [Resolution] go from 28 to 29 as she rose to a kneeling position, supported by her sword as she panted and glared at Kaia with eyes that exuded a faint golden luminance. Then, as the sound of cracking bones permeated the training hall, the result of Chelsea's arm and ribs resetting, a somewhat cheeky smile developed across her face as she stated, "If it's just this much, it won't be long before I surpass you..."
Adopting a smile of her own, Kaia, who had gotten a little more serious after Cairn's arrival, stood on the tips of her toes, her feet regaining their digitigrade structure as she rebutted, "Then I suppose I should show you what you're really contending with..."
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