Behemoth: lvl 11

Active II (Slave - 10%)

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 boot of a behemoth that shakes mountains. When you satiate your hunger, you can choose up to 55%(50%) → 66%(60%) 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 1.6(1.5) → 2.2(2.0) times your regular weight, and with that, your [Constitution] and [Endurance] grow up to 16%(15%) → 27%(25%).

Tier II - Still more of a puppy than the true behemoth you are, yet one that is hard to cuddle in one's arms without causing oneself serious back pain. Your weight should not be underestimated as well as the sheer hardness to kill you that comes hand in hand with it.

The [vitality] and [vigor] of yours increased by 11%(10%).

 

The level-ups of this one took me by surprise. Two levels in [None to Squander] too, actually. I haven't had a proper meal since we left Castiana. These two skills should simply not level-up at all. The only explanation I could come up with was that my body was still digesting the lunch Deckard gave me? There was nothing special about it, though. Nothing that should have brought me that many levels. Seriously, ever since I met Deckard, I've tasted the best steaks of my life, but they've never given me so much.

"Healed," the mother mossbear grunted, making the moss blanketing my body recede. At the same time, a clump of lettuce moss grew next to me. "Eat."

That's when it hit me, the moss. The green ball of lettuce I was looking at growing now under the roots of the World Tree was the only stuff I had since my lunch. The lettuce-moss was all my body needed. At least that was what I was told last time. I had my doubts then, not so much now. The moss was the cause of the level-ups. 

"How do I grow it myself?" I asked mother mossbear with respect and admiration behind my growling. It wasn't my plan to make a living on lettuce moss. However, it could be a great addition to, say, steaks.

Okay, I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't the amusement of a massive ancient beast. There was no other way to describe the rumbling coming from her throat. "Too early for you, little one."

Right. I forgot. I barely managed to take care of the basic version of the moss and was a long way from being able to master its abilities. Damn shame, yet there was nothing to do other than to accept the fact that I wouldn't be able to grow this miracle food myself for a while. With that disappointment, I sat down on one of the roots, stuffed a mouthful of this salad moss, and took a closer look at the changes in [Behemoth].

Well, I could store more food more efficiently. Great, right? Except not so much. So far, I haven't managed to fill that storage, and now it has gotten even bigger. 2.2 of my regular weight. Back on Earth, I was 63kg. Not sure how much my regular weight was after all the changes. Let's say 70kg, so that was 84kg worth of food I needed to eat to fill this second stomach of mine. No, wait. I couldn't save all the food, just 66% of what I ate. So it was actually...127kg? Yeah, the 127 kilos worth of food that had to go through my mouth to bring this skill to its full potential. 

No matter how I looked at it, that was not going to happen in a day or two, even if I sat eating food day and night. Meaning it made the Constitution and Endurance bonus meaningless for the time being.

Those perks to the [vitality] and [vigor] aspects of each were nice, though.

Speaking of Endurance and its aspects, [Striving Mule] gave bonuses to the other two.

 

Striving Mule: lvl 11

Passive II (Slave - 10%)

You've got the tenacity of a striving mule. You want to get things done, strive to reach your destination, and endure through the rough times, no matter what. For that, for the pursuit of your endeavors, your [Endurance] is increased by 27%(25%)→38%(35%).

Tier II - It's hard to persevere in your endeavors when each step taken is harder and harder to endure. But, you sought to achieve your goals despite the hardships thrown your way like the true striving mule you are.

The [stamina] and [tenacity] of yours increased by 11%(10%).

 

All in all, with these two skills my Endurace got a decent boost. I liked that a lot. 

The tougher skin didn't sound bad either. On the other hand, calling my skin a hide, not so much.

 

Wrought Hide: lvl 10

Passive II (Slave - 10%)

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 38%(35%) → 55%(50%).

Tier II - You showed you're no stranger to a fight and don't shy away from getting hurt. You bled, shed your tears, but pushed on, further honing your hide.

The [resistance] of your fur and hide increased by 27%(25%).

 

Since I wasn't wearing any armor, Tier II meant fewer cuts, whether it was from flying rocks or the attacks themselves. Also less damage to my bare feet.

 

Call of Nature: lvl 11

Passive II (Deviant - 30%)

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%) → 39%(30%) more prominent, and if you were to use the talents you've been pursuing to acquire, you'd find them 45%(35%) → 65%(50%) more powerful.

Tier II - To embrace our nature, what we are is nothing to be ashamed of but hard for many to do. You've done more than that and revel in nature of your own. For that, you'll find using your talents 26%(20%) easier.

 

This one must have happened when I was under the [Ride of Ancestors] because I had no idea about the changes in my body. Either they weren't that major, or my instincts made the shift natural to me. So natural, in fact, that even when I focused on the adjustments now knowing about them, I couldn't tell the difference.

Thinking about it more, it might have been my beast form that was confusing me. If that was true, the assessment had to wait. I wasn't going to shift back and forth just to see if my boobs had grown. 

Okay, jokes aside. The fact that I should be able to use my talents more easily was exciting. Using poison in my tail has always been a pain in the ass, and I hadn't found a use for my mane yet. And then there was the weird shit my heart did to my perception of time. Speaking of my heart, Tier II of [Call of Nature] could make it easier for me to use mana. Hell, perhaps even regeneration, and who knows what else. So many possibilities to explore.

Tier up of [Spatial Domain] was a completely different matter from [Call of Nature]. After all, it was hard not to notice the extended range of my perception. It's just that when such a change comes during a fight, you have to accept it for what it is and deal with it as best you can. Every hesitation can cost you your life. In my case, it usually meant a hell of a lot of pain. 

 

Spatial Domain: lvl 30

Passive III

You are the mistress of the surrounding space, and nothing in your domain will escape your attention. The space you can consider your own reaches 3m → 5m from your body, and as you grow stronger, your reach will grow too.

Tier II - You may be a master in your domain, but the dull space outside of it has been out of your reach so far. That plain colorless world has gained more shades to it, and you can now perceive it more clearly within a range of 6m → 10m.

Tier III - As your awareness of your surroundings grows, so does your defense against the prying eyes of others. Being it someone of a lower level than you, they will find it hard to read you.

 

Yeah, I had no idea what to make of Tier III. On the one hand, it made me think it would be harder for others to track me down with their perception. On the other hand, there was the possibility that my movements would become less obvious to others, making my body language less obvious. Whatever it was, neither sounded terrible.

The reach of my domain was a different story. While the current one with an inner domain range of 5m and an outer domain range of 10m was a great improvement, it was a hell of a long way from Deckard's. Sure he said his was an oddity, a nuance of his class, still made me feel miserable about it. For sure, I had to ask others how they fared in that regard and stop comparing myself to an anomaly like him.

Where was he, anyway?

Did something go wrong with Esu? Was it the tree? It couldn't have been waking up already, could it? I didn't sense any change in its presence. It was still youthful and playful as before.

"Do you know what's going on?" I asked the imperial soldiers watching my training. Their numbers grew as time dragged on and made the roots of the World Tree around look like some kind of grandstand. Silly enough, I didn't realize that all they could hear was me roaring and growling. I blamed Deckard for that. Thanks to the union rings, I got used to being able to talk to him kind of normally. 

Anyway, realizing my mistake, my eyes fell on Pipsqueak. 

"Pip, do you have any idea why Esu was roaring before?"

"Angry."

That much I could tell on my own. "Okay, why was he upset?"

"Maybe someone stole his nuts?"

All right, I couldn't tell if she was being serious or not. "I don't think he eats nuts...wait! You didn't steal them from the squirrels living in his antlers, did you?"

"Pip, not silly," the little squirrel shook her head, letting me know how stupid I was to think that. 

Knowing that she wasn't behind Esu's anger didn't answer my original question, but it still brought me some relief. For a moment there, I thought this little creature would be our undoing. Only now, how was I supposed to find out what was going on outside this training ground when the little squirrel was the only one I could talk to? Should I send Pipsqueak to find out more?

Actually, it wasn't such a bad idea. 

Surely she would not have refused. In fact, I think she would be happy to do it. On the other hand she would probably try to make some mischief along the way. Wracking my brain on whether or not to risk it, my ears twitched. 

Someone was coming, so I put the dangerous idea of sending out the little squirrel on hold for now.

Who was coming? Definitely not Deckard. His gait was not so noisy. Actually, come to think of it, he was one of the most light-footed people I've ever met. Either it was a perk of his class, one of his skills, or he had simply practiced his walk that far. I was leaning towards the last one. Training, as it turned out, could do a lot.

Straining my senses, I tried to reach beyond my new limits and see who was coming. Unfortunately, with the same disappointing result as ever before, the only difference was that 10m was my new threshold. All I could do was listen and wait while eating.

A few mouthfuls of lettuce-moss later, it turned out to be the Imperial Chief Healer with the entourage of soldiers, Colonel Gill among them. I can't say I was thrilled with the man's presence. Not that I have a beef with him, it's just that not so long ago, he was trying to get rid of me. An honest misunderstanding coupled with his suspicious attitude, even so...

"Miss Grey, glad to see you're doing well," Lord Wigram said as he reached this place, this training ground among the roots where I had been shedding blood and sweat for hours. 

A bit disappointing that it was him who came, though. I was kind of hoping it would be Lightfeather instead. With him here, I had the same problem communicating as I did with the onlooking soldiers. Even he didn't understand my growls any better than Pipsqueak's squeals.

"Is that moss you're eating?" he asked. His curious voice echoing in my mind, gave me such a surprise that I choked on a piece of the mentioned moss.

"Union ring? Deckard gave it to you? Where is he?"

"So many questions...yes Deckard gave me the ring to keep an eye on you." 

The bad feeling got the better of me. "And can you tell me why he can't be here? Does this have anything to do with Esu and the roar earlier?"

"Deckard has indeed chosen an excellent apprentice in you, Miss Grey. Determined to train even if it means facing beasts far beyond your strength and yet worried about your mentor instead of yourself," Lord Wigram remarked with a hint of fondness in his voice, then got back to my question. "An adult mossbear has challenged Deckard to a fight. If you will, a training similar to yours. Don't worry. Esu himself will personally see to it that neither of them dies. Major Lightfeather is there to translate for him."

Needless to say, it took me a while to process what he had just told me. No matter how I looked at it, it sounded crazy. That is until I reflected on myself and what crazy shit I was doing. "Why him?" There were many strong people among the soldiers. Colonel Gill, for instance. 

"As I understand it, the adult mossbear was impressed by his fight with the northern eagle. The beast simply wants to test its strength against a human so strong."

"The way he brought that eagle down was impressive," I said, thinking back. That god-mode of his or whatever it was sure was breathtaking.

"I can only imagine," he said, and we both looked towards the World Tree where the thundering booms sounded from. Over there, somewhere on the other side of the tree, a battle between man and beast had started. "So it began. Honestly, I'm surprised at the way you're taking this."

What could I say? "There's not much I could do even if I wanted to, my lord. Perhaps despite your beliefs, it is not in my power to force Esu to change his mind, and if Deckard agreed, who am I to stop him."

"Your relationship with Esu is certainly fascinating, quite unique. However, I am not blinded to see that you too, are walking a fine line. As for what you are, you are his apprentice and certainly have a say in his decisions. They affect you too. Whether he heeds your advice is entirely up to him, though. He's a grown man, after all. In any case, he agreed to the fight. Quite possibly inspired by your progress here. I see you've gained two more levels. Congratulations, Miss Grey."

Instead of replying through the link, I just grunted my thanks. Strangely enough, he got it. "So why are you here? When you can watch Deckard fight, my lord." Truth be told, I would have loved to watch his fight myself, but there was no easy way for me to get out of mine. I needed to show mossbears that I wanted to get stronger, that I was putting in the effort and wasn't just some weak pup that wasn't worth the hassle to them. 

However, when I was expecting a response about how he promised Deckard, Imperial Chief Healer surprised me with a chuckle. "Miss Grey, in my lifetime, I have seen countless strong men and women fight even stronger beasts. As exciting as that may sound to you, I don't find much interest in it. Not anymore."

"Somehow, I doubt you have never seen a young woman barely out of class evolution fighting a beast."

This time he laughed. "Too many times. But none were like you, and not even close to this kind of fight."

"Ah, you want to see my tricks?" When it came to my mutations, he was always very interested.

"Yes. You've managed to surprise me several times already. But make no mistake. I'm not only curious about you. I can't pass up the opportunity to see a mossbear heal a human."

Of course, he was first and foremost a healer. Ever since he first heard about Aspen being healed by a mother mossbear, he was extremely intrigued by the fact. It shouldn't be possible. Beast and human mana didn't work well together. At least that's what I was told. From my own experience, that was not the case. I was a freak, though.

"So, Miss Grey," the Imperial Chief Healer spoke, eyeing the ever-regrowing green mound in front of me. "Can you tell me more now about this strange moss you've been eating all this time?"

Yeah, that. Kind of rude of me, I know. Sort of a habit I've developed while talking to Deckard, whether it was here or during training at Fallens Cry. I had to take every opportunity to get my energy back. So I eat. Here, the need for nutrients was even greater, given my repeated healing sessions.

While entertaining his questions about the intricacies of the lettuce moss I was eating, my body regenerated enough for another round with the young mossbear. It turned out to be an enjoyable topic, and the time passed pleasantly. At least for me, the same could not be said for the beast I was about to face. By the time I got up, it was pretty impatient.

Not my fault it took me so long to recover and regain my strength, though. If the beast didn't wreck me so much, I would be back on my feet a lot faster, a fact which the mother mossbear pointed out to her young one with a growl. 

The round went in a similar way as the previous one, with only one difference, my growing confidence. Now that my worry about my instincts and going wild was gone, I had much more faith in myself and my skills. I didn't hesitate to use them to the fullest or give in to my instincts and the beast inside me.

And so it went on, me and the beast learning from each other, making progress, while on the other side of the expansion, Deckard was trying to do the same. That took hours, during which Lord Wigram proved to be an acceptable substitute for my mentor. At least he knew how to keep me sane.

Then as the two moons of Eleaden have crossed to the other side of the night sky and I had five hours of training under my belt, exhausted as hell despite all my skills and the energizing youthful presence of the World Tree, that very presence gave us all, humans and mossbears, pause.