This time, my roar made the young mossbear took a step back. It almost looked as if it was afraid of my rage. And it made me bare my fangs in a wide grin. The fact that the beast’s hesitation could have been the work of my presence or killer intent, as Deckard described it a moment ago, didn’t matter too much to me.

What mattered was I let go of those bottled up emotions, just as when in my desperation, I had challenged the beasts to come to the clearing. I admit it was a bit embarrassing, for some reason even more than then, and I was glad the only witness was Deckard. Yet, I couldn’t deny it felt good.

It didn’t help me in the fight, though. Although every punch, every swipe of my claws contained my fury at being torn away from my home, that my kicks held my hatred of Dungreen and his ilk, it didn’t make me stronger. What it made me was more careless. Because of that, I quite soon learned why Deckard had warned me to do this where I was sure one or two mistakes wouldn’t cost me my life. It was inevitable. I made those mistakes, and while I didn’t die, I lost the fight yet again.

The man who had advised me to let my emotions out in this way did not comment on my defeat like I expected. He just nodded approvingly with a smile on his lips while I was being covered in moss for the umpteenth time tonight. The difference was that this was the first time mother mossbear controlled it instead of Esu, and it made me a little worried. Needless to say, her healing was no weaker than his.

So, it didn’t take long before I was fit for another round of this training, and it was the first time tonight I ever took it that way. I finally saw it as training, not just fighting. It wasn’t something I had to do for fear of angering a powerful beast. I did it for myself, to learn, to get stronger. It was a nice change.

The beast didn’t make it any easier for me, and it was the same struggle and pain as before, even though I solved many of my issues tonight. I felt more relaxed, more at ease. This allowed me to focus more on learning from these struggles, and I did. At least to me, that’s what it felt like. 

The beast was learning, too, though.

It learned to defend against my attacks, to anticipate them, and how to strike back more effectively. It even learned to hold back, not kill me without Esu or anyone else having to stop it.

Still, I got mauled pretty severely every time I lost.

What’s worse, each time it got harder and harder to come back. Not that I didn’t want to, but my body was reaching its limits. Physically, I was perfectly fine. Yet, being torn to pieces and crushed over and over again, only to be healed each time, had left its mark on me. I was exhausted, so exhausted that after the last fight and the following healing, I just couldn’t get up. I simply didn’t have the energy to do so.

As it turned out, the [Tireless Machine] allowed me to go beyond normal human limits and get me this far, but it was not an omnipotent skill. The [Indomitable Will] kept me awake, sharp and focused, but even that skill didn’t make my body move and fatigue go away. In the end, I just had to admit to myself the inevitable, that this was the end, that I couldn’t go any further in this training.

“Mother,” I whimpered, lying on the forest floor, trying to express my apology. “I’m weak. I can’t fight anymore.”

She moved her head in what could only be described as a nod and grunted. “Week, indeed.”

She did not judge, just agreed with what I said.

“Great determination,” she added in a grumble. I hadn’t expected her to praise me, so I was caught a little off guard by it, unable to decide how to respond.

Mother mossbear, measured as she was, was faster and growled before I did. “Do not lose.”

I wished I could promise her that, that I really can keep that determination. However, I dared not do so, fearing that I would later regret my words. So instead of showing my confidence, I just whimpered in recognition of her words.

“Full blue moon, cub,” she grunted, basically telling me she’d see me in a week, as Esu said. A bit surprising. It was hard to imagine that all the mossbear mothers and Esu would come here every month just for me. The thoughts I kept to myself, though. Aware that she deserved more respect from me, I tried to stand up. But my body saw it differently, and it hasn’t moved an inch. So before she disappeared into the woods, I grumbled my farewell to her lying on the ground.

If she was offended by it, she didn’t let it show.

When the smug growl rang in my ears a moment later, I knew it was from the young mossbear. It wasn’t goodbye. The beast was just reminding me of its victory and its dominance over me. Irritating yet hard to deny truth. Seeing that I had no strength to refute his growls, it left the clearing too, probably returning to its den or wherever it was the mossbears were sleeping.

If they slept at all.

Looking at Deckard and his not tired expression, I felt like I was the only one who wanted a bed. It was bloody annoying.

“Feel free to correct me,” he said aloud this time, not using the union ring. “Is it over?”

Smiling to myself, I nodded. “Yes, it is.”

He let out a deep breath. “What a night. I was almost expecting and dreading what else you’d come up with.”

“Me?” I marveled. He was lucky I didn’t have the energy to argue too much. “None of this was my fault.”

“Really? I was a little late to the party, but from what I gathered, you called the beasts,” Deckard reasoned. “Without them, this show would have gone very differently.”

“I called them, but that wasn’t why Esu came,” I said and sighed out loud. Without wanting to, a tired growl escaped my throat as well. I really didn’t have the strength or the mood to explain it to him anymore. He could think whatever he wanted.

Instead, I looked at the moons and stars in the night sky, enjoying the peace that reigned in the clearing. This was kind of how I pictured it from the beginning, only the first time I took a good look around, it was already on fire.

“Oh, I see,” he noted without questioning my words further, aware that I was too tired for such discussion. Instead, he stretched. “Are you going to try to walk back, or should I carry you?”

How to get back to Castiana? A question I haven’t asked myself yet. I was kind of hoping to get to this point all along. I didn’t think I’d actually make it, though. So how? I rode here in a horse-drawn wagon for several hours and was bloody sure I couldn’t walk that distance in my current state.

“How did you get here?” I asked, to delay my answer and curious too as I didn’t see any horses in the clearing. The ones pulling the wagon or the Shadowbreakers riding them were either dead or gone.

“Ran,” Deckard said simply as if it was no big deal. 

Well, maybe it wasn’t. This was Eleaden, after all. People here had skills as I did now. In fact, at first, I found it rather strange that the Shadowbreakers were riding horses, but now that I think about it, they intended to leave Sahal. It makes sense that it’s easier to run a short distance on foot, but it is more convenient to use animals such as horses for longer journeys. In my opinion, unlike Deckard’s, the distance between Castiana and the Esulmor Forest belonged to the second category.

“In that case, I let myself be carried,” I stated, after imagining the distance I should walk. A big NOPE to that

“Oh, not what I expected,” Deckard remarked, puzzled by my willingness to be carried on his back. It almost seemed like he regretted his previous offer now. Then he realized something. “It should be enough to walk to the edge of the Esulmor Woods.”

“Why? Aren’t we going back to Castiana?” I asked as I got my guard up but didn’t let the worry creep into my heart. Not yet.

“We are. Don’t worry, girl,” he said to reassure me and then took a breath as if remembering something unpleasant. “When I got here, I ran into an Imperial Agent at the edge of the forest. I’d guess he’s still there.”

“He didn’t enter the woods?” I paused while wondering why, if he had a chance to catch a mind mage here.

Deckard smirked. “The Sahals have a deal with the Esu. Something like he’ll stay in the Esulmor Woods, and in return, the Empire won’t set foot in here. It’s more complicated than that, but no one wants to risk pissing off the big guy.”

“Weren’t you in the army?” I objected immediately.

His laughter echoed through the clearing. “True, but no longer.”

“Is that enough?” I said, pausing at the fact that Esu was letting something like this pass. Of course, I was glad he hadn’t killed Deckard. But...how could he tell who was still in the army and who was a retired soldier? How could he discern who belonged to the Sahalas in the first place?

Deckard gave it a thought before he spoke. “You really must give up the army, leave that life behind. That’s what I’ve been told.”

Was he bloody serious? He himself said he was here because the Captain asked him to. 

“Actually, I took a lot of risks here today,” he added, and strangely enough, it answered some of my questions. He was not sure that Esu would not consider him a Sahal soldier, thus breaking their agreement. Perhaps that’s why the offering, the delicious-looking carcass.

“So what’s it going to be? Do you really want me to carry you on my back?” He asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. If he thought I had missed his attempt to change the subject, he was wrong. However, I let him get away with it, as I didn’t have the energy to pry any further.

“Just to the edge of the forest?” I asked to be sure.

He nodded. “Either the Agent will be there with the horses, or we’ll send a signal to Castiana, and they’ll come for us.”

“Oh, signal...of course,” I muttered, choosing not to think too hard about the said signal, and smiled. “In that case, let me rest for a bit. I’ll walk.”

“Thought so,” he smirked back, but unlike me, he didn’t seem to enjoy this lovely serene clearing and the beautiful night as much as I did right now. Quite possibly, the reason was the sense of satisfaction I felt.

...

As some of the energy returned to my body over time, I was finally able to revert the change and let the beast go. To solve my nudity issue, I used the same trick as before, wings and Sage.

Since, as far as I was concerned, I was safe here, I took my sweet time, even after my body stopped ignoring me. Sitting cross-legged, I enjoyed my surroundings a little longer, this lovely clearing and the beautiful night, the peace reigning nearly impossible to find in the city.

It wasn’t hard to imagine what awaited me there, like a series of interrogations, dealing with people I’ve seen for the first time. Explaining to Alyson from Broken Heart why I didn’t show up for work again. I was worried that this time I really wouldn’t get away with it. I was also hoping the innkeeper Byron didn’t throw my stuff away. It wasn’t much, but still. It was my stuff.

“Argg...” I growled out loud, ruffling my hair while a human growl came from my throat this time. It was deeper than I was used to, though. Didn’t change the fact that it expressed my frustration in exactly the same way as my beastly one. I had so many unpleasant things to deal with in Castiana that I wondered if I should even go back.

Of course, I knew that running away from things I found unpleasant to deal with was not an answer. In my own experience avoiding such things or putting them off until later never did any good. Plus, where else would I go? My only other option was to stay here in Esulmor Woods unless I wanted to end up in some lab as a test subject.

To get my mind off these heavy thoughts and lift my mood, I looked at the system notifications, especially the status screen. It was a hell of a harvest tonight.

 

(ding) Painless Agony reaches lvl 14

(ding) Painless Agony reaches lvl 15

(ding) Painless Agony reaches lvl 16

...

..

.

And so on. There were so many, I didn’t even bother to read them all except for one. 

(ding) >[You have reached level 96]<

I’ve gained another level. 

Sweet.

My guess? It was the way I trained, I gave it my all and thus fulfilled the expectations that Esu had placed on me. Even mother mossbear recognized my determination, and I wasn’t dismissing the possibility of Deckard’s input. He wanted me to train here too.

Anyway, I was at level 96, one step closer to class evolution and quite possibly changing the way I level. A girl can dream, right? 

Well, the challenge I had in front of me was deciding where to put the two stat points I now had. It wasn’t a decision I wanted to make right now, though. So despite my previous musings, I decided to postpone this irreversible decision until later. Funny how some things bite you right back in the ass.

 

Name: Korra Grey

Race: Human/Beast

Gender: Female

Age: 29

Class: Slave (Master - None)

Level: 95 -> 96

[Unspent Stat Points: 2]

 

Constitution: 73 (39)

Strength: 40 (23)

Endurance: 31 (25)

Dexterity: 23 (23)

Intelligence: 19 (11)

Wisdom: 17 (10)

 

Class Skills (6/6):

Indomitable Will (Passive V): lvl 118

Painless Agony (Passive II): lvl 13 -> lvl 20

Tireless Machine (Passive II): lvl 16 -> lvl 26

Swift as a Whip (Active II): lvl 14 -> lvl 22

Master’s Lover (Passive I): lvl 6

Master’s Shield (Active II): lvl 11 -> lvl 16

 

General Skills (8/8):

Eleaden Standard Language (Passive I): lvl 9

Perfect Equilibrium (Passive II): lvl 11 -> lvl 16

Spatial Domain (Passive II): lvl 13 -> lvl 19

Beast (Passive II): lvl 15 -> lvl 28

Never-Dying (Passive III): lvl 31 -> lvl 38

Tail of Poison Empress (Active II): lvl 10 -> lvl 12

Heart of Magic (Passive I): lvl 5 -> lvl 8

Inner Perception (Active I): lvl 9

 

Not bad, huh? I know, still noob stats and no skill tier up. But some of the skills were pretty close to the third one. On the other hand, I still had no idea what to do with [Inner Perception]. Another issue for the future Korra? With a sigh, I had to admit it was not something I could solve at the moment.

As incredible as my stat growth was, I wasn’t going to stare at my status screen until sunrise. According to the system clock, the sun should rise above the horizon in about an hour and a half. Alas, even the moons have hidden behind trees already, heralding the coming end of the night.

There was no point lingering here any longer, so I got to my feet.

“I’m ready,” I informed Deckard, whose patience I had to admire. Not many men had it.

“Okay,” he said, stretching out his hands, crunching his fingers, only to put them back in his pockets afterward. “Let’s pick up your friends.”

“Who?” I wondered. I mean, I could count the people I might call friends on the one hand. None of them were here in these woods.

He pointed to the edge of the clearing. “The guardswoman and the fool.”

“Oh...” I breathed, realizing he meant Aspen and Tate. “Not really my...friends. They belong to the group who enslaved me. Though I have to say Aspen helped me escape, and Tate, kind of, did too.”

The funny thing is, for a moment, I thought the workhand was the Agent, only in undercover or some shit like that. What he did was just insane, after all. Guess he really was just an incredibly lucky fool. I mean, according to Deckard, the Imperial Agent was outside the woods.

We found these two under the trees near the road. Tate was sitting on an old log, and Aspen was lying unconscious next to him, covered in blood. The sight of her made me shudder, thinking the worst, but then I noticed she was breathing regularly. 

“I told you to take care of her, kid,” Deckard said to Tate, who got to his feet as soon as he noticed us. “I didn’t expect you to do a better job than most healers I know.”

When he mentioned it, I realized that there wasn’t a single wound on Aspen’s body underneath all the blood. She even had her severed arm back.

“It was the bears, sir,” Tate said immediately, with no desire to take credit. I was struck by his honesty back in Rutledge’s office, and it still amazes me as did the fact he hadn’t tried to escape and stayed behind, keeping an eye on the guardswoman as he was told.

Deckard looked at me with raised eyebrows. He didn’t have to say anything, and I knew what was on his mind. “Beats me,” I said with a shrug, equally confused as to why Esu or any of the mothers decided to heal Aspen while the others ended up quite differently. It made me look back at the clearing. 

There was only moss and grass, no sign of more than a dozen corpses. No beast carcasses either.

What was even stranger was that I couldn’t find a single item that the Shadowbreakers and mercenaries were wearing. And believe me, I looked. The idea of looting corpses didn’t sit too well with me, but I couldn’t exactly stay moral in my situation. I chose to see it as an opportunity to earn some coins or at least find something to wear. There must have been something in their spatial tools that wasn’t covered in blood and gore. Much to my dismay, I had to stay naked. Or...

“Deckard...do you have a shirt and pants I could borrow?”