Me training Deckard was a ridiculous notion. How could I when I had so much to learn myself?

My combat training hadn’t even started yet, and I barely had two Standard lessons with Ria. I’d only just touched magic, found out that my mane was more than what I thought it was, and learned that my presence, despite its power, needed practice as well. Then there was the full blue moon, due in four days. Meaning my visit to Esulmor and the mossbears was coming up, and I haven’t even mentioned the skills.

Ah, the skills!

I felt a headache coming on just thinking about them, and I hadn’t even read the descriptions. What to choose and what not, what skill to replace which one was worth keeping? Questions I knew would be hard to find answers to.

It was hard not to sigh when I looked at my current Status Screen.

 

Class Skills (6/8):

Indomitable Will (Passive V): lvl 119

Painless Agony (Passive II): lvl 26

Tireless Machine (Passive II): lvl 28

Swift as a Whip (Active II): lvl 25

Master’s Lover (Passive I): lvl 6

Master’s Shield (Active II): lvl 19

 

General Skills (8/10):

Eleaden Standard Language (Passive I): lvl 4

Perfect Equilibrium (Passive II): lvl 19

Spatial Domain (Passive II): lvl 21

Beast (Passive III): lvl 30

Never-Dying (Passive III): lvl 40

Tail of Poison Empress (Active II): lvl 12

Heart of Magic (Passive I): lvl 9

Inner Perception (Active II): lvl 13

 

Master’s Lover was the obvious choice for a replacement. A skill I selected in the hope that it would help me regain my pure human body. That was before Esu showed me that my hatred of the changes Dungreen’s experiments had left on my body was just a memory I was clinging to, my attempt to hold on to the old. That was now behind me, and this skill was no longer needed.

But what about the rest? Indomitable Will was a skill I wasn’t going to replace under any circumstances. Without it, I wouldn’t be where I am. I needed some pain reduction, and without the Tireless Machine, I wouldn’t had been able to push my limits as much as I have been. Swift as a Whip allowed me to match the guardsman and face my squad while I finally found a use for my shield in these fights.

Was it really just one skill and two empty slots? Three new skills out of a dozen?

General Skills were the same story. What skill could I replace besides Eleaden Standard Language? Once I learned to speak the language properly myself, of course. Perhaps Inner Perception, but honestly, I’d gotten used to perceiving my injuries, disturbing as it was. 

If it wasn’t embarrassing, I’d be pulling my hair out. It was so frustrating, even though my skills were low-level. I couldn’t imagine how challenging it must have been when the skills levels matched that of the class.

I twitched my ears, moved my wings, and looked at the two. “Would you like to hear a description of the skills as well?” I could have tried the skills by trial and error, but why not hear their opinion.

Imperial Chief Healer’s eyes lit up. “If you don’t mind, Miss Grey.” It was obviously something he was interested in.

“You already know everything there is to know about me,” I said, shrugging. “Wouldn’t I have to share it, anyway?”

“I see what you’re getting at,” he said with understanding in his voice. “Distrust of others and wariness of them in terms of class and skills is not something foreign only to seekers. When facing the enemy, it’s definitely a good idea to keep information about yourself close.”

“More than just a good idea! Do you know what war looks like when mages go at each other?” Deckard asked. “The sky is full of magic, and counter-magic, curses, and blessings clashing while they never touch the battlefield. That is the ideal situation where each side knows who they are up against. All it takes is one mage with unique magic or a skill that no one can counter, and mayhem ensues. The same goes for warriors.”

“Sounds to me like the battlefield is always a muddle of mayhem, then.”

A few of the imperial soldiers smirked, and Deckard laughed. “It absolutely is.”

“What I was trying to say,” Lord Wigram said, clearing his throat. “That while the reasons are understandable and to some extent, a degree of secrecy is necessary, it is holding us back in our progress.”

“You mean the people on Eleaden, right? I feel the same way.” I really did.

A flicker of surprise crossed his face before he put on a wide smile. “I didn’t think I’d find the like-minded soul in you, Miss Grey. How can we as people, whether human, terran, or any other races, move forward if we do not pass on knowledge? Animals do it, beasts do it, and monsters are no exception, so why not people?! 

“If the Chefs didn’t guard their secrets so closely, everyone could enjoy delicious steaks. Instead, new cooks have to figure out how to use their skills on their own. Over and over again, a minimum of progress.”

He sighed and looked at me with guilt in his eyes. “I apologize for my rant. It’s something that’s been on my mind for years now. I make no secret of my skills and will gladly share them with any interested healer. So if you feel uncomfortable telling me about your skills, I am more than willing to share mine with you.”

His offer took me completely by surprise, but I shook my head. “I am very curious to know, My Lord. But knowing about your skills wouldn’t help me at all right now. It would just mess with my head. Perhaps later?”

“If you’re still interested, I’ll make time for you.”

With a nod, I showed my appreciation. Then I looked at the Deviant’s skills and the description of the first one.

 

• Midnight Shine

Passive I

Humans are not creatures of the night, and not every beast is nocturnal. Yet your eyes shine at night with the light of midnight moons, revealing to your sight secrets shrouded in the thickest of darkness and sorcery. Whether human or beast, little escapes your gaze as the night is as bright as day for you.

 

Reading it out loud, I waited to see if the two would tell me it was more than night vision. I didn’t see anything else in it despite the rather lovely description.

“Sounds like something you’d use to search ruins, see through the enchantments and illusions, but not exactly skill for combat,” Deckard said, giving me his assessment. “If you want to see at night, I think any decent domain skill or perception is more useful.”

“I agree on both parts. Even though these skills are rarely just about night vision, they are more useful for scouts than fighters. Is it too presumptuous of me to assume that’s the path you’re pursuing?”

Huh? What did I really want to be? That was something to ponder. For now, I was driven forward by the idea of becoming stronger. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life worrying about being kidnapped again. But exactly how I wanted to achieve that, I hadn’t thought through. Did I want to wield a weapon or magic? My newly acquired ancestry had so far driven me to neither.

So, having no intelligent answer for Lord Wigram, I gave him a pretty stupid one. “Stronger, I want to be stronger. I know, pretty silly.”

He chuckled. “On the contrary, Miss Grey. It’s the most common motivation people have, and unless something has changed, your mentor is driven forward by the same motivation.”

When I glanced at Deckard, he confirmed it with a nod. Though I did not ask more, knowing that, as in my case, there had to be more behind it than a search for power. Instead, I decided to read the description of the next skill.

 

• Behemoth

Active I

Whatever you use to attack, be it claws, fists, or fangs, you do it with the proper weight behind it. When you kick, it is no longer the tantrum of a little puppy but the boot of a behemoth that shakes mountains. When you satiate your hunger, you can choose up to 50% of consumed food to be stored as an energy reserve, bringing your weight but not your size up to that of the behemoth.

The amount of stored energy can reach 1.5 times your regular weight, and with that, your constitution and endurance grow up to 15%.

 

Oh, that was more like it. I needed a skill like this one. Deckard told me so, Marcus too, and after that experience, when I basically starved to death, any doubt I had about the need for such a skill was gone. The skill dispelled even my worry about getting fat despite the increasing weight. Up to 150% of my current regular weight. Just wow.

There was only one tiny detail I wasn’t quite sure about. “What’s the regular weight?” 

Actually, thinking about it, when was the last time I stepped on a scale?

“It’s how heavy you are, girl,” Deckard said, amused for some reason. “I doubt it will be much right now.”

“It’s your weight without the skill. It can be 50kg or 200kg,” said Lord Wigram to clarify and paused. “Don’t be offended, but from a health standpoint, I recommend you put on a little weight regardless of whether you choose this skill.”

“True, you’re awfully skinny.”

At Deckard’s comment, I pulled back the collar of my shirt and looked underneath. Force of habit when I might as well have used a domain. It didn’t change the fact that I was scrawnier than when I’d found myself free on the riverbank.

“This skill will be a tremendous help to you in the future, Miss Grey. I highly advise similar skills to everyone whose work is demanding, and your transformation is more than that.”

“It is worth taking one or two more General Skills with this one,” Deckard said. “Unless you want to spend all your money on food. But we can discuss that later. What else you got there, girl.”

 

• Wrought Hide

Passive I 

The delicate skin of humans is not to be bared in battle, unlike yours. Every scratch, every cut makes it stronger, and your fur is no different. Whether burnt, torn, or cut off, it will grow back tougher than ever before, making it your shield like your hide is armor to you. 

The toughness and resilience of your fur and hide increased by 35% of your body.

 

There wasn’t much to say, certainly an interesting skill. 

Deckard hummed. “Pretty standard skill for fighter classes. Makes you harder to hurt, cut through your skin, and all that...pretty useful when you’re fighting in close quarters and with light armor.”

In other words, my case. Well, except for the light armor, I didn’t even have that.

Since Lord Wigram had nothing to add, I read the description of the next skill.

 

• Sense of Beast

Passive I

Instinct is what drives beasts from birth, but the senses are what keep them alive. Honed by ruthless life, yours are sharp and reaching far. Within a 200m radius, no breath of prey escapes you, nor does the predator’s gaze fixed on your back go unnoticed.

 

“Isn’t that what I already can do?” I wondered aloud. After all, I was expecting new abilities, new possibilities, not skills describing what I already knew and could do.

“That’s not unusual,” argued Lord Wigram. “Like classes, skills are a manifestation of your achievements.” He paused and looked at the soldiers. “For example, if you want to acquire a sword skill, you have to learn how to use a sword. So actually, when you get the skill, it’s at the time when you learned to do it yourself.”

“So what’s the point of skills, then?”

“To bring you further, Miss Grey.”

“If I go with the sword as an example, skills make it easier to use,” Deckard added. “They can make it lighter, the blade sharper or further reaching.”

“So while the skill won’t bring me anything new at tier I, it might at higher tiers? That’s what you’re saying?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“I still don’t get why it’s among my class skills. Is it just a coincidence?”

Imperial Chief Healer rubbed his beard. “It may or may not be. We don’t know anything about the Deviant of Humanity, but it’s not easy to find two identical Fighters either. There are differences between their skillsets, influenced by how they grew up, how they trained. The differences in class achieved during evolution tend to be even greater.”

“Ah,” I hummed in understanding and nodded. “That explains the next skill, then.”

 

• Beast Core

Passive I

Still human at your root, you’re capable of creating what only beasts with potential can. The core is a testament to your abilities, a proof of your strength, a token of your determination, and first and foremost, a place to store your mana for times of need. As you grow, it will grow with you.

 

“Personally, not a skill I would choose. You already have the core, you can learn to use it to some extent yourself and pick a more useful skill,” Deckard said as I finished reading the description, giving me his opinion.

“I disagree,” objected Lord Wigram. “You’re the first person I’ve ever known to have a core. It would be extremely fascinating to explore what this skill could offer you.”

As interesting as it would be to have this one, the core was a cruel reminder of what I lost, and it simply didn’t sit well with me to have the skill too. I was with Deckard on this one and hoped there were more appropriate skills in my new skillset.

 

• Fierce Pounce

Active I

Weapons are sharp and piercing. They can crush the enemy with brute force, and shatter the spirit of theirs at sight. But so can your bare fists and claws. Every punch, slash, or kick, every attack made without a weapon, carries a part of your fierceness slumbering within you.

Additional power to your attack and the sharpness of your claws increased by 45% (35%).

 

I liked the sound of this one way better than the Beast Core. It gave more power directly to my attacks, albeit without a weapon. The only downside was that if I took this skill, I would defacto seal my path as a melee fighter. The only issue I had with the Fierce Pounce.

“I see where your mind takes you, girl,” Deckart said with a smirk plastered on his face. “But let me tell you, I have a few weapons in my storage too, and not just for show. Sometimes just kicks aren’t enough.”

“So...wielding a weapon is better?” A question that raised a wave of sneers among the soldiers at Deckard’s expense. I regretted asking immediately.

Crossing his arms on his chest, he gave me the evil eye, though amused. “It may not surprise you that every beast is different. The same goes for monsters and humans. It’s inevitable that you’ll come across something or someone that your attacks won’t be as effective on. What are you gonna do then?”

“Run away?” I knew that wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear, but I couldn’t help the tease.

He laughed. “You can do that...or you can change the type of your attack. Remember that!”

Lord Wigram nodded. “The same goes for healing. Not all wounds are within the ability of healers to treat, and that’s when the help of someone with a more specific class is needed.”

“Like a priest?”

“That’s...a class I haven’t heard of in a long time. Where did you hear it, Miss Grey?”

Startled, I realized I might have made a mistake. From his reaction, I figured there were no gods on Eleaden or at least in the Empire. What lie should I tell? None, he’d know immediately.

My hesitation took too long, and the Imperial Chief Healer noticed I struggled to find an answer. “They are a people taking advantage of the faith of others tricking them into believing in higher beings. They called them gods, if I’m not mistaken. Have you come across any...you’re not one of them, are you?”

“No! I’m not. Are there such beings on Eleaden?'' Were there actually gods here somewhere in this world? The mere existence of beasts like Esu was frightening, and there were dragons somewhere. The idea that there could be something even more powerful in this world was simply terrifying. Just as these gods could be kind and merciful, so they could be cruel and ruthless.

The Imperial Chief Healer watched me for a moment, searching for the truth behind my words before the tension faded from his face. “I’m glad to hear that. And to your question, there is no record of such a powerful being, a god, descending on Eleaden. Not a single one. I mentioned dragons shared their knowledge with humans in the past, and as far as we know, they never mentioned any gods.”

“But that class exists. Doesn’t that speak of their existence?” I knew I should keep my mouth shut, yet I couldn’t help but ask.

“It just speaks of how trusting people can be, how easily they can be used. Priests, High Priests, Bishops, classes given to them by their believers. It’s how they presented themselves and how they were seen, nothing more. Thieves, if I may say so. All they did was take advantage of these poor people and draw strength from them and their faith. There have been several such cults in the history of Sahal, and they have always been led by a man or a woman, not by some obscure entity.”

“Ah, I got it.” No gods. I glanced at Deckard for confirmation.

“Don’t look at me, girl. I don’t give a shit about that stuff.”

“In all honesty, that’s how deep my knowledge goes,” Lord Wigram said, already calmer, admitting his lack of familiarity on the subject. “Historians would certainly know more. However, I believe we have again strayed quite far from our subject of discussion, your skills, Miss Grey.”

Yeah, we did. It was just...interesting.

 

• Call of Nature

Passive I

No matter how it came to be, you’re more than a mere human torn from your roots. Connected to your nature stronger than any beast, you can call it to its full potential. Whether it’s a human or beast trait, it will be 26% (20%) more prominent, and if you were to use the talents you’ve been blessed with, you’d find them 45% (35%) more powerful.

 

It mentioned both human and beast traits. So on the face of it, nothing should change for me, or should it? The more I thought about it, the more doubts I had. After all, I had seven beasts and a core inside me.