Seriously, the outfit spatial ring was a game changer. One thought, and instead of standing there among the Squad Four members naked after shifting back to my hybrid self, I was dressed and in my gear. Minus the boots, sadly. Whatever I tried, I just couldn’t stand them on my feet. The Tier IV of the [Beast] didn’t change that, and neither did the new tier of the [Wrought Hide].

 

Wrought Hide: lvl 38

Passive III (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 55% (50%) → 77% (70%).

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%) → 44% (40%).

Tier III - Deviants gravitate towards change, pushing their bodies further than the members of their species would think possible. Some, like you, go so far that their twisted body hardly resembles the original one, and your hide is no exception, twisted beyond recognition. Not every change has to be just for the sake of deviations, though. And should you find one such, that thou shalt not deem pointless, you’ll be able to use it throughout your hide.

 

So yeah, with all that resilience and resistance an athlete’s foot shouldn’t be a problem any longer, no skin conditions actually. Jokes aside, Tier III didn’t lessen my aversion to shoes but brought me...actually, I was still trying to figure that out.

“That was pathetic,” yelled Sergeant Pinescar, assessing our victory over the pack of Two-Tailed Foxes. He wasn’t pissed, but he wasn’t pleased either. What he was, though, was shoeless as the ridiculous bet was still ongoing. 

“...but sir, we beat them.” The objection didn’t win Harper any plus points with him.

“Sure, Breadbaker. You beat them. Can you enlighten us on how?”

“We...” she faltered, glancing at us for help.

“By shooting them.” It was Idleaf who rushed to her aid, adding a demonstration to her words. “...by sword slashing and stabbing, by burning them with ember magic, by tearing them to pieces...”

“Okay, that’s enough, Idleaf,” Pinescar stopped her, something he wouldn’t have dared to do a week ago. However, even he had learned to somewhat ignore the fact that who he was dealing with was actually a very powerful creature and treated her like I did, a brat. “You are indeed right, but not what I had in mind.”

“Sir?” A simple question, yet Freyde spoke for all of us. What did we do wrong? Well, actually, thinking about it, it would be better to ask, what didn’t we do wrong?

“Welkes,” Pinescar breathed out, pondering how to say it. “Compared to your first trip to Fallen’s Cry, your teamwork is like chalk and cheese. Don’t get too excited; there is still plenty of room for improvement. You’re missing one crucial thing, though. Will any of you be able to tell me which one? Why do your fights always devolve into a clusterfuck of let’s do our best and hope it works?” 

Not the way I would have put it, but it was a pretty good description of our battle. Well, all the battles. And in truth, it was also the style Deckard went about fighting; a go with your gut approach, an approach I’ve become quite in tune with thanks to my instincts, one that Captain Rayden and Pinescar didn’t quite agree with.

Idleaf was the first to raise her hand. Actually, she was the only one as the others; myself included, were lost in their thoughts. 

“Yes?” He permitted her to speak, even though he knew what he was about to hear would probably be a load of rubbish.

The spirit squealed with delight. “I think...they miss alpha...”

“What the...Idleaf I...”

“Zip it, Grey! She’s damn right,” Pinescar barked, not believing what he was saying himself. Nevertheless, he gave Idleaf an approving nod. “Glad to see that not everyone is clueless as a virgin in a brothel.”

This time Idleaf started jumping for joy...and dancing. She had been doing that a lot since she picked up the trick, after all she did enjoy the little things. The rest of us were less enthusiastic; one might say clueless, as he implied. And not only that, I was pissed, pissed off, and disappointed, betrayed even. How could Idleaf say our squad was missing…an alpha?

“But, sir. Korra...”

“What, Ironhoof?! Is your squad leader? What makes you think that? Because she’s stronger than you?”

“She is, sir,” nodded Meneur, reluctantly admitting that Pinescar was right. I’d rather he saw leadership in me for my capabilities, but I couldn’t blame him. That’s just the way it was within the Taurus clan; the strong one was the leader, and whoever questioned that could try to challenge him...or her.

“Listen, everyone, even you Grey. Being stronger just makes you stronger; it doesn’t make you a leader. You need to be aware of the situation on the battlefield and... shut up, Welkes. And coordinate the team according to the situation. Now, tell me straight out, can Grey do something like that when she shifts?”

“We could use union rings, sir,” suggested Meneur. Since the answer to the sergeant’s question was a flat no, he didn’t bother to answer it and thought of a solution.

“You and Grey for sure,” Pinescar said, his voice indicating it wasn’t a particularly good idea, and looked at me. “Could you even handle three rings at once? Your magical potential is on par with a mage’s, but...those rings have a heck of a draw on mana.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “I’d have to try, sir.”

“Don’t bother; it’s not something for a standard combatant, whether melee or ranged, anyway. Or am I wrong, Welkes, Breadbaker?” 

“Wouldn’t that be just to listen to, sir?” Freyde was referring to the fact that the union rings used mana of the one who spoke, not the one who listened.

“Good soldier boy, huh? I say jump; you jump, is that it?”

Harper smirked but then got serious. “We could say our part as usual, sir. Well, you know, verbally.”

Pinescar scowled. “Yeah, I get it, Breadbaker. And for all I know, it might work, somehow. There’s too much ‘maybe’ in it, though. Too much buzz. In combat, you need clear communication.”

“Wouldn’t the union rings give us just that, sir?” asked Meneur.

“If it was that simple, everyone would use them, don’t you think? And before you start arguing any further, it’s one thing to have one person in your head and another to have three people trying to tell you stuff while the fourth is yelling in your ear. Plus, Grey, correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re kind of fighting your instincts, aren’t you?”

“Well,” I hesitated, wondering how to tell them. After all, I was still getting my head around that part of my beast self. “I’ve kind of gotten used to them, sir. It’s not as much of a problem for me as it used to be.”

That threw Sergeant Pinescar off guard. Well, for a moment. The man bounced back quickly, throwing me a nod. “Glad to hear it, damn glad. But it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t think you have what it takes to be a good unit leader.”

That hit hard. Sure, being a leader wasn’t something I aspired to; not here, not on Earth, it just didn’t sit right with me. In fact, I was more sick of the idea now than I’d ever been before. Telling someone what to do was just wrong. The courtesy of me being a slave. 

The beast part of me saw myself as dominant on the team, though. They were my pack, and even though our fights were a bit wild, which was a kind of fun, we always made it through, so...yeah, hearing that I didn’t have it in me was rubbing me the wrong way. 

“Isn’t this floor a little too much for us, sir?” I wasn’t the only one who found our progress through Fallen’s Cry too fast. No sooner had we learned to fight the Horned Rabbits than Pinescar rushed us up to the twelfth floor. If you squinted, you’d find it the same as the first floor. Yet despite the same rolling hills and meadows, it somehow seemed much vaster and more alive. And it was livelier. More flowers, more insects, the hills were dotted with shrubs, and most importantly, packs of Two-tailed Foxes roamed the floors in addition to the Horned Rabbits.

“Seems it is,” said Sergeant Pinescar bluntly. His candor took me by surprise, and I wasn’t the only one.

“Then why the fuck are we here, sir,” Harper said, not mincing words. 

Pinescar, a city guard and member of the master guards, smirked as if this was the question he had been waiting for. “To push you, to see what’s in you. And don’t get all pissy with me; this is a floor a unit like yours ‘should’ be able to tackle easily. That is, easily with more training and stronger leadership.” He laid great stress on the last words. “I wanted to see if any of you had it in you to take on the role. And frankly, I’m a little surprised how you’re standing up for Grey right now. That’s it, though. She doesn’t have it in her, and neither do any of you. Ironhoof may be the oldest of you, but he’s also the timidest. Welkes has a good read on people but no desire to be bossy like his grandmother. And yes, I’m fed up with him mentioning her too. So...”

“What about me, sir?” Harper butted in when he was obviously going to move on without bringing her up.

“Do I have to say it? You tend to get bitchy, attacking others when you feel threatened. Not exactly leadership traits.” He then looked at us all, serious until his gaze fell on Idleaf. She was grinning from ear to ear. “...and, of course, Idleaf, she’s here to have fun, not to lead you, or am I wrong?”

“To have fun and to explore,” she chirped enthusiastically, unfazed by the harshness of his voice.

“Right, explore. I forgot. Well, you see, you all have issues. Nothing unheard of. Everyone has some. But yours...let’s just say they prevent you from being good leaders. And yes, as a unit, you need one. That’s how it works with the city guards, and you might be surprised, but even among seekers.”

“Yes, Grey?” He asked, motioning for me to put my hand down.

“What about Deckard? He was a lieutenant at city guards and colonel in the army, sir.” I was referring to his go-by-the-guts approach.

“He’s the kind of guy who can tell when he can afford to be laid back and when to get serious. Which, from what you show me, I believe none of you can do. Not yet, anyway. As with everything, it can be learned...just as each of you may one day be good leaders. You’re a long way from being them now, though.”

An inkling of where he was going with this crept into my heart as something Blaine mentioned to me once crossed my mind. That one of the children of the current City Lord’s sister might join our squad.

“Didn’t Captain Rayden say she wanted open-minded guards, not a bunch who would follow orders without thinking, sir?” 

“That’s right, Welkes,” Pinescar nodded. “And if you still want to be master guards, as you stated when you were admitted, then you should use your brains. That doesn’t mean you don’t fucking follow orders. But you are expected to think beyond them. It should be enough for the squad leader to tell you to hold that position and for you to figure out how to do it.”

“What if we can’t do it? I mean hold the position, sir?” remarked Meneur.

“That is the job of a good leader, to know what you are capable of and what is beyond your capabilities, to adapt the whole unit to the situation. As your teacher, that’s the role I’ve filled so far - to some extent. Example: I figured you had the skills to handle this floor, I gave you advice for you to follow, and it was up to you to adapt to it. The hope was that one of you would be able to take my place, for I will not be here with you forever, leading you by the hand through the whole labyrinth. One day, and it won’t be long, you’ll find yourself here alone, without someone like me watching your asses. It’ll be up to you to train here, survive, and push on.”

“So...?” Harper spoke, not finishing her sentence. Like the others, she started to realize where Pinescar was going with all of this.

“Yes, you’re getting a new squad member. You were short one anyway.”

The eyes of the Squad Four members turned to Idleaf. We all knew that a squad of city guards typically had five members and in those few days, the spirit had kind of become the fifth one in everyone’s minds.

“No offense,” he said towards Idleaf, apologizing for what he was about to say. “While they’re part of the unit, the summons don’t count. So, like I said, a new member.”

Harsh. It made sense, though. I’ve yet to meet anyone like that, but some people could summon all sorts of creatures, practically able to create a unit on their own. Cool, huh? Well, kill the summoner, and the whole unit was fucked.

“Yay, more people,” Idleaf squealed, excited about the prospect of being here down in Fallen’s Cry, an ancient structure her roots couldn’t penetrate, with a bigger team. “It’ll be a lot more fun.”

Sadly, no one shared that notion, not even me.

 

***

 

“But why aren’t they performing here tonight?” Idleaf whimpered at the bar when she found out there were no musicians in Drunken Filly. She was really looking forward to singing and dancing.

Thal, the bartender, gave me a please-help-me look, lost on how else to explain to her that they were performing at another tavern today and the owner couldn’t find a replacement in time. Taking pity on her, I got up from the table where the mood was gloomy and walked over to the spirit. “Come on, Idleaf, we can dance together later, without music. Or if you hold out, maybe someone will be performing at the Broken Mug.”

Her eyes lit up. “Tess is a good dancer.”

What could I say? It was the girl’s class. “She is. Come on, give Thal a break and come sit with us. I’d like to hear about you stabbing me in the back. That was quite a low blow, you know.”

She turned confused, glancing at my back. “What are you talking about, Korra’leigh? I didn’t stab you.”

Chuckling, I winked at the bartender, who smiled back, glad to have the spirit out of her fur, grabbed Idleaf by the arm, and dragged her over to our table. “No, you didn’t stab me, not literally,” I explained to the confused spirit. “But...do you really think I don’t have what it takes to be an...alpha?” Talking about myself that way sounded weird, making me feel more of a beast than I actually was right now.

Understanding flashed through Idleaf’s eyes, and the air around her changed. It was as if she had gotten older all of a sudden. “I’m sorry, Korra’leigh. While some parts of you long to be one, perhaps even feel that way, other parts of you, especially your human self, do not see yourself that way. You are not ready. You’re young, though. Lots of room to grow. That’s what the elder ones keep telling me. But I think we’re alike in that.”

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Not only was I a beast, but now the tree centuries old was comparing me to itself.

“Not even Esudein became who he is in a few days, Korra’leigh,” she added, and I found it hard to object. He might be the ‘lord’ of the Esulmor woods now, but once, he had to be like his offspring, an adult mossbear eager to go out into the world, no alpha.

“We rushed it a bit, didn’t we?” I said to everyone, knowing it was mostly my fault.

“Pinescar let us. Thought we could handle it,” Freyde remarked, taking a swig of his ale.

“And we did,” said Meneur, eyes fixed on the embers crackling in his palm. “Just not in the way he hoped.”

“Do you seriously think so? The guy didn’t seem too disappointed that we fucked up,” Harper muttered, scratching her head, annoyed.

“He just confirmed what he thought of us today,” I said, still mulling over what Pinescar had told me. “You think it’s my...er, our rapid growth? That he expected more from us because of it?”

“There’s nothing wrong with your rapid growth, Korra. If it weren’t for you, none of us would have found the motivation to push so hard.”

“Harper, y-you...” I was lost for words. It seemed like everyone was kind of out of character today.

“Damn right,” Freyde, our valiant front-line fighter, nodded. “Look at me. Four levels in a few days. If my grandmother ever finds out about this, she’ll have my ear for slacking off all those years.”

[Bookkeeper: lvl 59]

“”Screw your grandma!"" we all thundered, even Idleaf. While we were tired of hearing about her all the time, the spirit was having fun. Hearing him mentioning the not-so-lovely old lady didn’t change the fact that there was something to what he said. He was thirty-two, meaning he had class for sixteen years.

Sure, no challenge, no growth. Yet...okay, there was the kick. To be honest, when I was in the flower shop back on Earth, I was happy with what I had, where I was, no urge to chase some higher aspiration. So yeah, why kid myself? I got him. Those were good times, and if I get a chance, I would go back to them.

The thing was, if I wanted to get that chance, I couldn’t slack off. Was it that inspiring, though? “Six levels since you met me, huh? Shouldn’t you buy me a drink?” 

He laughed. “Sure, but don’t get your panties in a twist. You can’t take all the credit for it. I earned the levels myself.”

Raising my hands in surrender, I grinned. “Hey, I’m not saying you didn’t. Dragon Fart?”

“Dream on. You know the rules.” 

Sure, only buy a girl what you can handle yourself. “Shame.”

“Seriously, Korra, seeing you grow so fast is a great motivation. You’re proof that it’s possible, that trying harder is not pointless,” Meneur said. The Taurus’s growth was even faster than Freyde’s, and he gained a whopping seven levels since we met, closing the gap between the two.

[Mage: lvl 55]

“Why did you ever think it was? I mean, pointless?”

Meneur snorted. “Because others tell you it is, that magic is useless. Because where you are with your level is enough for you to have a decent life, just like everyone else around you. There are many reasons, Korra. It’s just a much easier to break from that norm when those around you are trying too.”

“Yeah,” sneered Harper. “...and what good is it when we’re just a bunch of pussies who can’t get their shit together.” She tried to hide it behind her tough exterior, but there was joy in her eyes. Despite her initial struggle, she had managed to level up too, three times at that.

[Baker: lvl 72]

I’m not saying their growth was on par with me, but they were getting the hang of leveling. And who knows, maybe it won’t be long before they’d be nipping at my heels unless I try even harder.

 

Striving Mule: lvl 30

Passive III (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 38% (35%)→55% (50%).

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%)→22% (20%).

Tier III - Sometimes, life throws things at us that bring the best to their limits, and we find ourselves without the strength to keep going at the least opportune time. If that happens, you will find yourself able to ignore the limits of your body and, through sheer will, pursue your goal, regardless of the consequences. For how long you can ignore exhaustion depends entirely on your will.

 

I got this one yesterday when Deckard pushed me to my limits. The fact that I was knackered somehow didn’t register with my brain, though. So, like the fool I was, I gave it all I had and through sheer force kept going for a little while longer. That said, I couldn’t move for a good ten minutes afterward, with my body in insane pain. Needless to say, I didn’t see myself pushing my body like that again anytime soon.

Good for a last-ditch effort, though.

“Oh, come on, I’m sure I didn’t say that much,” Harper grumbled as a somber mood fell around the table at her words, everyone deep in their own thoughts. Well, except Idleaf, who was humming some kind of song.

“You only said the truth,” Freyde remarked, shrugged, and grinned. “We’re a bunch of pussies who can’t get their shit together.”

Hearing him say that tickled Harper, who chuckled, she leaned forward, looking at all of us. “So, fellow pussies, who do you think will be joining this merry band?”

“Band?” Idleaf perked up, hopes of dancing and music playing in her eyes. Seeing her, I was already regretting my promise.

 

***

 

Name: Korra’leigh Grey

Race: Human/Beast

Gender: Female

Age: 29

Main Class: Deviant of Humanity

Sub Class: Slave

Level: 113 -> 121

 

Constitution: 123 (41) -> 152 (41)

Strength: 69 (29) -> 88 (30)

Endurance: 38  (28) -> 44 (29)

Dexterity: 40 (27) -> 41 (28)

Intelligence: 31 (13) -> 43 (16)

Wisdom:  29 (12) -> 34 (14)

 

Class Skills (8/8):

Indomitable Will (Passive V): lvl 126 -> 133

Master’s Shield (↑Active III↑): lvl 29 -> 35

Behemoth (Active II): lvl 21 -> 29

Wrought Hide (↑Passive III↑): lvl 24 -> 38

Unbending Resilience (↑Passive III↑): lvl 19 -> 31

Mantle of Magic (↑Active II↑): lvl 9 -> 15

Ride of Ancestors (Active II): lvl 12 -> 19

Call of Nature (Passive II): lvl 21 -> 29

 

General Skills (10/10):

Eleaden Standard Language (Passive I): lvl 7

Perfect Equilibrium (Passive III): lvl 36 -> 43

Spatial Domain (Passive III): lvl 39 -> 47

Beast (↑Passive IV↑): lvl 50 -> 61

Never-Dying (Passive III): lvl 52 -> 59

Tail of Poison Empress (Active II): lvl 20 -> 27

Heart of Magic (Passive II): lvl 11 -> 20

Striving Mule (↑Passive III↑): lvl 22 -> 30

Dancer’s Stride (Passive III): lvl 32 -> 41

None to Squander (Passive II): lvl 15 -> 21