As his body had gotten used to only 3-4 hours of sleep, Cairn awoke around 2 AM, even though he wasn't fully rested. His brain felt a little swollen, but it wasn't entirely the result of a hangover. His MP had only recovered to around 70%. If he drank some water and got another 2-3 hours of sleep, he would be in peak condition.
Before pulling out his [Decanter of Replenishment], Cairn looked down and to his left to stare at the sleeping face of the fox girl currently using his chest as a pillow. He couldn't remember everything that happened the previous night, but he remembered, rather vividly, being shocked that she was a virgin. As for why...
--------------------------
Name: Tear
Species: Therian
Gender: Female
Age: 43
Title: Fox Idol(Int and Cha increased by 50%)
Class: Divine Conduit(Unique)
[Attributes]
Level: 22/79(122,539/123,714)[Shrine Maiden(20), Divine Conduit(2/20)]
HP: 2,956/6,336
MP: 28,577/45,680
Str: 23
Agi: 39+26
Vit: 130+39
Int: 186+244
Dex: 95+105
Cha: 207+248
Talent(s): [Huntress's Mark(22/40)], [Child of Sacrifice(22/79)], [Shrine Tending(20/20)], [Divine Communion(2/20)], [Sacred Vessel(2/20)], [Therian Physiology(22/79)], [Calligraphy(44/90], [Sealing Arts(41/85)], [Summoning Arts(38/83)], [Shikigami Mastery(19/58)]
Skill(s): [Divining(MAX)], [Summon Spirit(MAX)], [Transformation(MAX)], [Seal Person(MAX], [Soul Chain(8/10)], [Frostfire Flame(4/10)], [Lifestyle Magic(7/7)]
--------------------------
'Well, that's not good...' Cairn thought, his comment about not allowing himself to be entrapped reappearing in his mind. Had he been thinking clearly and taken more than just a cursory glimpse at Tear's Status the previous night, he definitely wouldn't have slept with such an ostensibly important figure. At the very least, he would have confirmed more than just her age...
As if in response to Cairn's thoughts, Tear's large, fluffy, black-tipped ears twitched, her eyes slowly opening. She shouldn't have roused so easily at her current HP and MP percentages, so Cairn was only somewhat shitting bricks when she raised her face to stare at him with luminous, amber-gold eyes.
"Champion of Restia...you will safeguard these children..." said Tear, but the voice that emanated from her throat wasn't the impassive intonation Cairn had become acquainted with the previous night. It was low, husky, and as she spoke, Cairn got goosebumps as he felt she might suddenly lurch forward to bite his throat.
"I don't particularly enjoy following the orders of random people..." Cairn replied, his core trembling slightly but his voice and expression a mask of calm.
Narrowing her eyes, Tear drew her face and nose to Cairn's neck, taking a deep whiff of his scent before whispering, "You know who I am. Your fear betrays you..."
"Hmm...is that so?" asked Cairn, maintaining his mask of calm as he slid his hand to Tear's small but perky ass and gave it a squeeze. The act was mainly one of obstinance, but the results were better than he had hoped as Tear's eyes widened, a look of disbelief marring her face as she asked, "What do you think you're doing...?"
Shrugging slightly, Cairn explained, "I told Tear the previous night that I wouldn't let myself be entrapped. If she only came here because you told her to, you burdened her unfairly. And if you are who I believe, you should know of the 'Law of Equivalence.' Trying to strongarm me into doing your bidding after forcing Tear to make a personal sacrifice on your behalf isn't exactly what I would call an equivalent exchange..."
Furrowing her brows, Tear, or, more accurately, Ookami asserted, "I'm not 'forcing' you. You're the Champion. You have a duty, an obligation to help those in need..."
"That isn't for you to decide," contended Cairn. "Besides, I 'did' come to your peoples' aid when I saw them in trouble, right? And by Tear's own words, last night was her 'repaying' me for my assistance. Her personal sacrifice doesn't entitle you to make demands. And I sure as shit stinks don't appreciate people trying to force my hand using others..."
"..."
Unable to refute Cairn's words, Ookami lowered her gaze and fell into a protracted silence. At least she would have if Cairn quit fondling Tear's body, causing her to feel increasingly...agitated.
Revealing her hand, Ookami raised Tear's gaze to meet Cairn with a frown, stating, "This is different from what Vira told me. She said that if I sent my Priestess to warm your bed, you would feel obligated to help my people..."
Exhaling a profound sigh, Vira appeared next to Cairn and the possessed Tear, cradling her head as she exasperated, "I know intelligence isn't your strong suit, Ookami, but I wasn't aware your Divinity had come to include boneheadedness..."
"Fuck you, Vira..." growled Ookami, baring Tear's teeth and causing them to become pointed due to her anger.
"No, but now 'you' can fuck 'him,'" said Vira, pointing between Tear and Cairn. His expression had morphed into an unsurprised deadpan when Ookami namedropped Vira, but when he heard what the latter proposed, he quickly, flatly appended, "I doubt being possessed is good for Tear's body or mind. So, instead of fucking, how about the two of you assholes fuck off...?"
Narrowing her eyes, Vira was tempted to remind Cairn that there were consequences to insulting or offending her, but she restrained herself as his outrage was justified. So was hers, however, so she abruptly grabbed Tear's head, her hand sinking 'into' the ashen-haired Therian's cranium as she floundered and exclaimed, "W-What are you doing!? Vira, you bitch...!"
Undaunted by Ookami's cries or insults, Vira made a tugging motion that caused Tear to go limp as the glowing, startlingly white figure of a woman with fox ears and multiple tails was pulled out of her.
Reaching up to try and remove Vira's hold on her hair, the beautiful but bestial-looking woman shouted, "You actually fucking did it, you bitch! I will end you for this...!"
"Scary..." droned Vira, shoving the struggling woman, presumed to be Ookami, toward Cairn. She tried to catch herself, but since she wasn't used to her physical form, she ended up tripping, her breasts squishing against Cairn as she landed atop him, their faces separated by just a few centimeters.
Narrowing her fierce, amber-gold eyes, surrounded by red markings and with pupils resembling six-pointed shuriken, Ookami growled, "I thought you were a good person, someone I could potentially give my blessing to. Now, you'll be lucky if I don't tear your soul apart when you die or ascend the Tower..."
Snorting, Cairn matched Ookami's intensity with a glower of his own as he rebutted, "Sure. But, before that, mind getting your fat ass off of me? You smell like a wet dog."
"Oh, you mother-"
Before Ookami could finish exclaiming, Vira promptly pulled her back by her inordinately long, pure white hair. Ookami flailed and struggled, but as her current form had been limited by Tear's capacity as a [Divine Conduit], she was even weaker than some mortals. How weak was hard to discern, even looking at her Status...
--------------------------
Name: Ookami
Species: Therian
Gender: Female
Age: 5,392
Title: Goddess of the Hunt(Redacted)
Class: Redacted
[Attributes]
Level: 22/22(-/-)[Redacted]
HP: [Redacted]
MP: [Redacted]
Str: [Redacted]
Agi: [Redacted]
Vit: [Redacted]
Int: [Redacted]
Dex: [Redacted]
Cha: [Redacted]
Talent(s): [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted]
Skill(s): [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted], [Redacted],
--------------------------
'I need something more reliable than Insight...' thought Cairn, rising to a seated position and checking on Tear before directing an annoyed look at Vira and Ookami. Both were remarkably beautiful women, a fact that was emphasized by Ookami's skintight bodysuit, its base pure white with red lines flowing through it to form a pattern that followed the contours of her voluptuous form. The structure of her face and eyes gave the impression she was a vicious predator, but while she wasn't conventionally beautiful, she was undeniably alluring, especially with her pointed, fox-like ears and the six tails moving constantly behind her back.
"How long are the two of you planning to fuck around...?" asked Cairn, his expression and tone flat. This wasn't how he imagined things would turn out when he elected to stand his ground. He felt like he was caught in a matter and circumstances that had nothing to do with him, so, following his question, he added, "You two clearly have some shit to work out, but others are trying to sleep. Go somewhere else if you're going to squabble like children."
"This cheeky..." muttered Ookami, staring daggers at Cairn. She could have forgiven his refusal to help her people. After all, he had made a good point. But his continuous insults had crossed the line.
Releasing her hold on Ookami's hair, Vira's tone was even flatter than Cairn's as she droned, "Calm yourself, Ookami. You know as well as I do that we're in the wrong here. If you kept your mouth shut and let things take their course, Cairn would have helped your people. Possessing that brat, attempting to force the matter, and mentioning my involvement were mistakes on par with poking Levia in the ass..."
"..."
Though she continued to glare, largely because her face was fixed in the expression, Ookami's anger gradually subsided. She didn't want Cairn to abandon her people out of spite, so after several steadying breaths, she stated, "While you're belief that I owe you a damned thing is 'audacious' beyond compare, it is in line with the Law of Equivalence. If you demand my body as payment to ensure the survival of my people, you will have it. But know this, Adam Masterson...our exchange may make us equal in the eyes of Heaven, but the stain on my pride is not so easily washed away. I 'will' have what is owed to me..."
"Or, and pay close attention to these next words..." said Cairn, his grey-blue eyes exuding a faint orange glow from their depths as he adopted a defiant look and said, "You can take your pasty ass and fuck off. Do that, and never appear before me again, and I'll safeguard your people. Sound good? Because I couldn't care less about fucking a crazy bitch that thinks it makes sense to threaten the person she's asking for help."
"You..."
Balling her hands into fists, Ookami's expression hardened, her six tails flicking aggressively behind her as she stared at Cairn with a look that, had she more power, could have killed. It was one thing to demand the body of a Goddess but an entirely separate matter to 'refuse' it once the proposition has been accepted. Pride was one of the core components of her Divinity, so Ookami felt even more slighted by his rejection.
"Humans cannot resist the allure of power..." muttered Ookami, her voice akin to a low growl as she raised her right hand and made a gesture as if she were slowly crushing something in her palm. In response, Cairn felt a wave of panic wash over him as his [Ookami's Visage] became noticeably snug around his face and head. He reached up to try and remove it, but it didn't give. Instead, its [Invisibility] function deactivated as crimson lines similar to the ones covering Ookami's outfit spread rapidly from his neck, covering his body and forming the visage of a wolf on his back as power and...hunger suffused him.
While Cairn struggled and released a scream that was silenced by the [Ookami's Visage], the Goddess that gave the mask its namesake looked to Vira, her form gradually evaporating as she warned, "I used my Divinity to inflict this curse and brand him with my mark. If you help him remove it, my Hunt will pursue you both to the ends of this world..."
Covering her mouth to stifle a yawn, Vira initially annoyed Ookami before causing the enraged Goddess to sweat a bit as she adopted a sinister smile and replied, "Have fun explaining to Restia why you believed it was appropriate to curse her Champion after he offered to help you at no real charge. I'm sure she is 'eager' to hear your reasoning."
Realizing what she had done, Ookami's eyes widened as far as they could. However, as a deity's curse was a kind of contract, she couldn't just annul it because she got cold feet. Her only option was to retract her threat and ask for Vira's help, but before she could, the grinning Elder Dwarf swept her hand like she was batting away a cloud of cigarette smoke, dispersing what remained of Ookami's vaporous form before the pale-faced Goddess could utter a single syllable...
...
..
.
(A/N: I get the impression that Vira didn't forgive Ookami for bringing up her involvement in their 'plot' (O w O)...)