Apple-scented poison might not have done much, but Young Mossbear didn’t appreciate having his snout frozen. The massive beast whimpered, and instead of sinking its teeth into me, it took a step back and shook its head, trying to get rid of my long, chilly mane.

I’d have to be a fool not to take the chance. 

Doing my best to suppress the pain, I sprang to my feet and moved to a safe distance from my foe. In doing so, I may have broken my hair, thus relieving the beast of the cold touch I had on him, but it gave me the breathing room I so desperately needed. And though ragged, laced with a dull ache from my chest, they were breaths spiced with a whiff of apples that I could even taste on my new tongue.

No notification of poisoning, though.

As surprising as that was, it made me think.

Either my [Constitution] had reached such highs that my own poison no longer had any effect on me, or the amount I had released in my haste to get myself out of the bind was simply not enough to poison me. Whatever the case, the same must have been true for the Young Mossbear. 

My poison did nothing to him.

Not so shocking. [Tail of Poison Empress] was a level 30 skill, and the young male was almost a level 300 beast. The difference was astronomical. If I were the old Korra with an attitude towards the system like the rest of the world, the smart thing to do would be to get rid of the skill and replace it with something more useful than a scented fart. Like [Flight], for example. I would love to be able to fly on my own. But the world and the system weren’t what humans thought they were, and my poison glands weren’t to go anywhere if I threw away the skill. They were to stay until my body rotted away.

And so I made my decision, a decision I should have taken a long time ago. No longer would I neglect this part of mine. I was ready to find within myself the Poison Empress I was made to be. 

Too daring? Sure. I couldn’t even call myself a Poison Princess at this point.

But that didn’t stop me from releasing my poison as I ran around Young Mosbear, licking my wounds. Not literally, of course.

It might not have been the massive release of a thick cloud that I usually did, and therefore not as effective. However, my poison wasn’t so quick to dissipate into the air and stayed there for a while. Soon our imaginary arena between the roots was shrouded in a faint orange haze, our snouts tickling with the scent of apples, with sun rays streaming in as the light pierced through the Idleaf’s canopy above us. A pretty magical scene, I’d say. Not one I had a chance to enjoy, though.

The Young Mossbear, in addition to the remnants of my mane, has shaken the last of the caution my chilly defense gave him. The shoots shot out of the ground again as the beast pounced.

I dodged and rolled, throwing myself into the old dance, while occasionally taking a swipe at the beast, knowing full well that the bloody wounds I inflicted were nothing more than scratches to the enormous mossbear. It was unfortunate, irritating, frustrating, and more. Deep down, I wanted to hunt down my foe and show him who was the boss. However, the previous blunder quieted my inner beast a bit and gave clarity to my urges.

This was a training session and not to be taken lightly.

Still, the way I was handling the 300-level beast left me puzzled. Sure, there was no way I could hunt down the young male, but beasts of the same level on the ancient battlefield gave much stronger knights than me far more trouble.

»He very young, pup,« Mother Mossbear growled all of a sudden, almost scaring the shit out of me.

“Tits! Grey? What’s going on?”

If I didn’t smell better, I’d say Sah had shit himself at how alert he was.

“It’s all good, Agent. Just Mother Mossbear dispelling some of my doubts,” I barked back to keep Sah from doing something stupid, myself having my hands full with the young male whose mother’s growl only made him more agitated. No surprise there. The meaning of her growl couldn’t have been clearer, for she managed to put a lot into those few words. Despite his strength and level, this Young Mossbear was too young and inexperienced. He was like a toddler, testing his strength to see what he could do, just a cub like me.

Yet, to be frank, I didn’t really know who should be more pissed off, him or me. When the realization of what she had barked sank in, I found it quite insulting that they thought fighting with a cub was hard enough for me.

Granted, there might be something to that.

But the fury boiling inside me at the fact I voiced in my growl - sort of like a whining pup - determined to prove them wrong.

Easier said than done. Especially after a young male discovered what a weakness my tail was. While I had found Sage to be a great shield in the fight against the Thorn Serpent, here the long and fine hair proved to be quite a liability - too easy to get tangled in the shoots. Dealing with that, on top of the mossbear himself, was certainly a challenge.

Nothing I couldn’t manage, though.

• [Tail of Poison Empress] reaches lvl 29

Slowly but surely.

I didn’t think for a heartbeat my poison had found its way into the young male’s body, let alone started wreaking havoc. The growth of [Tail of Poison Empress] was simply due to me using the skills I had neglected for so long. What’s more, I used it in a different way than I usually did.

Not a bad thing. Far from it, actually.

Essentially, it boiled down to the basics. If one wanted to grow, as far as their knacks were concerned, one had to get off the beaten track. And so I danced around the young male, trying to be mindful of every move I made, every stride I took, every breath I drew, while doing my best to find a way to get better - and, of course, hunt down the beast in the process.

 

*** 

 

“That was awesome, Korra’leigh,” Idleaf squealed in delight as Mother Mossbear ended the bout between me and her cub. To my surprise, however, Idleaf sidled up to the Young Mossbear instead of me. »You did great as well.«

The young beast, disappointed before, growled with pride.

“That was - very thoughtful of you,” I noted as her attention turned to me.

“Huh? What was?”

If I could, I would facepalm myself. Idleaf didn’t think like that. She had a pure heart and acted on what was in her mind. No tricks, lies, deception, or intrigue. What she said and did was what she meant.

And so I smiled, waving my wing at her. “Forget it. Rather, this training didn’t go the way I thought it would.” I was prepared for a more, shall we say, crushing experience.

“You’re disappointed, Grey?” Sah asked, disbelief in his voice. “ You do realize that you just faced a level 300 beast and came out almost unscathed?”

“That’s because it was young - basically a toddler; a pup.”

“Pup? That beast? If anyone heard . . .” he laughed, shaking his head. “You’re right in a way, though. Beasts aren’t born the way humans are.”

“That’s actually something I was wondering about.”

“About what? How ridiculous you are?”

“No. About kids. I mean, what level will a kid be born when his parents are at, say, level 300?”

“Uh, none?”

“You mean zero?” Back in the city, long before I got lost in the depths of Fallen’s Cry, when I looked at Ria, the little kitsune, or other kids, the system showed me: [Young Human: lvl 0].

“Zero, sure. There are different ways of looking at it. Humans get access to the system at the age of sixteen, you know that. And regardless of your folks, we all start at level one. Until then, the young are seen by others with the system as having no level - or level zero.

“So no advantage to having powerful parents, huh?” That wasn’t quite what I imagined.

“I wouldn’t say that. People at those levels tend to be healthier, with a lot of built up traits for their offspring to inherit. Not to mention the opportunities such a brat gets. The training that parents can provide for their kids will give them access to the class that ordinary people can only dream of, and with that, it can propel their levels up quickly.”

“That might not be an advantage,” I said sulkily, hinting at the weak foundation that might stunt their growth later on. At least, that’s what I chose to believe to assuage the envy in my heart.

»You wiser than you look, pup,« Mother Mossbear murmured, apparently listening the whole time. “Cubs do not grow strong under their mothers’ moss.”

Unexpected approval from an ancient mossbear and insight into the affairs of Esulmor. While in these woods, the de facto lair of Esudein and his females, their young had little opportunity to grow except to fight among themselves. There was no other natural predator to compete with them for territory. Not even the migration of the northern eagles and Miros changed much in this regard. Those arrogant birds had their mountains and their hunting grounds in the grasslands below. Their interest in the Esulmor Woods lay only in its heart, Idleaf. And so the opportunity to face humans was a welcome change.

»My mentor, is he still training?« I asked, the sound of fighting continuing to echo in the distance.

»Adults quarreling over who gets to face him next.«

»Oh . . .« Deckard was a hot commodity, it seemed. »Would it be possible for us to take a look?« I may have gotten a first-hand/leg/foot taste of Deckard’s abilities, but I wasn’t naïve enough to think that it was nothing more than the tip of the iceberg of his mastery. After all, I saw him on the plains outside of Esulmore, facing a 600-level northern eagle.

Much to my dismay, Mother Mossbear grunted in disapproval. »Adults too hotheaded. They would fight you too, pup.«

Considering the adult levels were somewhere between 400 and 500, that was a big no for me. I may have been burning with the desire to prove myself further, my hunter’s instincts not quite satisfied by a fight with the young male, but the thought of facing such beasts made even my instincts warn me against it.

»I see.« I lowered my head and looked at Sah as the thought flashed through my mind. “Perhaps you would appreciate the opportunity, Agent?”

“What opportunity? You forget I don’t speak beast-talk, Grey.” He may have been trying to keep his cool in front of Mother Mossbear, but his racing pulse, the smell of sweat, and the edge in his voice told me he was as tense and on guard as ever.

“Opportunity to face an Adult Mossbear, like Deckard.”

The man smiled weakly, his complexion pale. “I will decline with all courtesy, as I did last night,” Sah said, bowing his head to the massive female mossbear before glancing at me. “You seem to have forgotten, Grey, but I’m not on the same level as your mentor, and certainly not a first-line warrior like him.”

“Did I? Maybe it’s because when I look at you, all I see are question marks.” I stuck my long tongue out at him. However, even I had to admit that the gesture looked anything but cute in my beast form.

[???: lvl ??]

Yeah. Nothing had changed since I first met him in the meadows outside of Esulmore. Sah was roughly at level 250 - as far as I could tell, based on how the system worked and what my instincts were telling me.

“And so it shall remain. The organization is full of cases where confiding in a loved one has led to an agent’s death - and only his death at best.”

“But isn’t your Class and level something that anyone with the right skills can easily see through?”

“Skills and counter-skills. It’s not as easy as you think.”

“Huh, isn’t it?” Idleaf cocked her head and looked at Agent curiously.

Unlike her, we both froze. If it was the World Tree, there was a chance that . . .

“You have an interesting sounding class . . . and a beautiful name, not strong, but beautiful.”

“I ask you not to reveal any more, Idleaf.”

“Why?” I teased. Her knowledge of his Class aside - if he didn’t want to reveal it, I wasn’t going to pry - I was more curious about Sah’s real name than ever. After all, Idleaf hardly ever called anyone’s name beautiful, not even mine. And she asked the names of everyone she met, to the point of being annoyingly curious, one might say. Politeness on her part, though. So the question was, did Sah show the courtesy and actually reveal his name to her?

“Do not disclose my Class, let alone my name. Not even to your guardian,” Sah added, giving me a deadly stare, warning me not to ask. “You promised, Idleaf. It’s a matter of life and death for me.”

»Humans strange,« Mother Mossbear grumbled. »Name something to be proud of.«

“It is, isn’t it?” Idleaf sang. "I'm very proud of mine. Given to me by the elders."

“Not revealing my name means a great deal to me.”

“A promise is a promise,” Idleaf finally smiled, circling the agent.

“What? A promise? When did you make it?”

“When you were lost in the nightmare of the crying woman, Korra’leigh.” Idleaf and the names. She knew very well what Traiana’s name was. I told her myself. But since the two had never introduced themselves, she found it rude to use her name. 

“I,” Agent Sah hesitated. “I was rather desperate and tried to find out something about you through her. To do that, I had to show some trust. And I trust you understand what it might cost me to reveal my name.”

Sadly, I did. There were worse things to lose than your life. Freedom, yourself, and not least, your friends and loved ones.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Thank you, Grey.”

“Still . . .”

“I know. There is not much I can do about those who see through the veil of my abilities. However, as I said, it’s not that easy. For example, even your mentor, who has a good sixty levels on me, sees what you see.”

“Huh? I would have thought that he . . .” I stopped, my ears pricked up at the silence that fell over the forest. 

»Adults agreed on who will face your teacher, pup.«

So it was only a temporary silence, before the battle there was to flare up again.

»What about me? Great Mother? Can I face your cub again? Or should I first ask Esudein for permission to train further?« Since I was here, I had to take all the advantage I could.

»No need disturb Esudein when he other matters to deal with.«

»Someone came to the woods,« Idleaf explained, pouting. »Esudein told me it would be better if I didn’t show myself until he told me otherwise.«

At a loss for words, my ears perked up. If Esudein had forbidden the ever-curious Idleaf to poke her nose in, it must have been pretty damn serious. And that was an understatement. When the level-250 humans and slavers clashed in the woods, he only showed up when I challenged him with my presence. Not to mention, when the northern eagles and Miros were on the doorstep of his lair, he left everything to the mothers and adults to sort out. 

So when Esudein felt it necessary to intervene himself . . . well, I couldn’t help but wonder about the danger the visitor posed. It couldn’t have been human. Although - a mind mage, perhaps? But even then, it would be something that could be solved by adults or mothers. An elf then? Or a beast? OR one of the Guardians of the elder World Trees.

I have to say I was curious to meet one of them - terrified - but very curious. At their strength, what they have to say, if anything at all.

Nevertheless, whoever it might be, the catch was that if Esudein didn’t want Idleaf there, he certainly didn’t want me around, either.

»So, do you think I’ve proven myself enough, Great Mother, to fight some more experienced young cubs?«

The massive beast, though lying on the ground towering over me, hummed so loudly that even the ground shook. »You have, pup. Lack of moss control disappointing, though.«

Despite her benevolence, she couldn’t let that go unmentioned.

»It is,« I admitted my own shortcomings, ears and wings down. These weren’t mere idle words. After all, honesty played an essential role in dealing with the beasts. I truly regretted not paying more attention to the moss on my head, as well as the poison in my tail.

But that was about to change, and I had already taken the first steps to becoming the Princes if not the Empress it self. The system notifications from the fight with the young male were proof of that. Among more than a dozen skill level ups, there were quite a few belonging to the [Tail of Poison Empress].

[Tail of Poison Empress] reaches lvl 30

[Tail of Poison Empress] reaches TIER III

[Tail of Poison Empress] reaches lvl 31

[Tail of Poison Empress] reaches lvl 32

...

[Tail of Poison Empress] reaches lvl 39

Tail of Poison Empress: lvl 39

Active II → Active III

(Deviant - 30%) 

Tier I - Death awaits everyone, but for some, it comes earlier in the form of poison. Your tail is your natural weapon excreting deadly poisonous gas. Blazing orange and with the smell of apples, this poison does not escape attention. However, this may change as more experience is gained.

Tier II - Sometimes, a drop, or just a whiff, is all it takes to accomplish the task. Yet more is always better, especially if it’s at a lower cost. 

Amount of poison produced increased by 26%(20%) → 39%(30%).

Amount of mana required to create a unit of poison reduced by 26%(20%) → 39%(30%).

[Call of Nature - 130%]

Amount of poison produced increased by 78%(30%).

Amount of mana required to create a unit of poison reduced by 78%(30%).

Tier III - The stronger you grow, the stronger the smell of your poison becomes. While hard to miss, once you smell it, you get a taste of the poison that is stronger, more effective, and faster-acting by 26%(20%).

[Call of Nature - 130%]

The poison is stronger, more effective, and faster-acting by 52%(20%)