Chapter 154: Talk to Me (Patreon)

Author's note: Hey guys.

Seeing the poll result as far as the name concerned gave me peace of mind. Glad you like it. It was no less interesting to see what other names you would choose. Thanks so much for the feedback.

The same applies to Titles in the Status Screen. The overwhelming majority was in favor, but I will use my autor veto here and I choose not to write it in. 

Hear me out. I put it in the poll because I had my doubts. My initial thoughts were not to put it in Status Screen. Then I got swayed by other stories where it's a common thing and often enough the titles are quite prominent. Thus, my question to you in the poll and I'm glad I asked.

But you could say I knew my answer the night I put up the poll. I would like to thank Azgaroth and Cacti for helping me to sort out my thoughts, thank you guys.

Simply, as far as Titles go, my story does not go the way of many others. Titles on Eleaden don't give bonuses, nor is it something others see when they look at a person. It's something that doesn't impact the system. If someone is to hold the title of Lord of the Shabby Province, it will be a title that will only be meaningful to the humans, like most of their names. Class [Lord] and the like are another matter.

Speaking of names, in those are inscribed real stories, accomplishments and you could say titles. Like the 'leigh' in the MC's name could be described in short as Guardian of Idleaf. You could say that this way her title is basically written in the Status Screen.

I hope my babbling makes some sense. Thanks again to all of you for helping me sort out my thoughts, you are wonderful.

Chapter 154: Talk to Me  - link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/67387614

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Chapter 154: Talk to Me

Name: Korra’leigh Grey

Race: Human/Beast

Gender: Female

Age: 29

Main Class: Deviant of Humanity

Sub Class: Slave

Level: 104 -> 112

[Unspent Stat Points:  2 -> 10]

Constitution: 102 -> 117 (39)

Strength: 60 (25)

Endurance: 37 (27)

Dexterity: 33 (25)

Intelligence: 23 (12)

Wisdom: 21 (11)

Class Skills (8/8):

Indomitable Will (Passive V): lvl 121 -> 122

Master’s Shield (Active II): lvl  24 -> 27

Behemoth (Active II): lvl 11 -> 15

Wrought Hide (Passive II): lvl 10 -> 15

Unbending Resilience (Passive II ↑): lvl 8 -> 11

Fierce Pounce (Active II ↑): lvl 9 -> 12

Ride of Ancestors (Active I): lvl 3 -> 7

Call of Nature (Passive II): lvl 11 -> 17

General Skills (10/10):

Eleaden Standard Language (Passive I): lvl 9

Perfect Equilibrium (Passive III↑): lvl 28 -> 32

Spatial Domain (Passive III): lvl 30 -> 35

Beast (Passive III): lvl 38 -> 44

Never-Dying (Passive III): lvl 45 -> 47

Tail of Poison Empress (Active II): lvl 14-> 16

Heart of Magic (Passive I): lvl 9

Striving Mule (Passive II): lvl 15 -> 18

Dancer’s Stride (Passive II): lvl 18 -> 23

None to Squander (Passive II↑): lvl 9 -> 12

Looking at my Status Screen, I was glad I listened to Deckard and sat my ass down. Even though I kind of knew what to expect, the sight of it was...quite overwhelming, if I may say so. My new name aside, by far the biggest change was my level.

I got a few levels during my training with a young mossbear before Idleaf’s falling into slumber interrupted us. Then she granted me the temporary ability to fly, which pushed me to new heights, as much as it pushed my human limits further. That gave me one or two levels, I wasn’t entirely sure, but by far the most rewarding was my naming as Guardian of Idleaf, a whopping five levels.

Okay, it might seem like a damn little, considering the levels of beasts around. Hell, even the humans here were several times stronger than me. Even in terms of the significance that the Guardian naming was, five levels seemed inadequate.

But to look at it that way would be a blunder. The naming didn’t give me the levels. No, I gained those levels because of my class [Deviant of Humanity] and the changes my decision to become a Guardian brought, which pushed my limitations and deviations a fair bit further. Not something that would affect a class like [Florist]. If I were one, if I were still [Slave], I would gain nothing, except for the name.

Actually, the whole Guardian thing didn’t seem to have any effect on the system at all. No title or any other mention of it in my Status Screen. The only explanation I could come up with was that since the World Trees, like me, did not come from Eleaden, their magic tricks were not entirely compatible with the local system.

Not that I mind, I never coveted the title, any title. Or strength, for that matter. At least before I got here. Now? I was thrilled with my level progression. Not so much about the ten undistributed stat points, though. Just looking at them gave me a headache. How the hell was I supposed to spread them?

Surely not in my Constitution. With Tier II [Unbending Resilience] it shot up to 117 fucking points. While I may not have liked Rayden taking me for a tank, I had the health to endure a few blows. And a few drinks, for that matter. That could prove handy very soon, given Deckard’s insistence on my naming deserving a few drinks. Who knows how that’s gonna turn out...

Well, thinking about the Dragon Fart...maybe one point to the Constitution? You know, to bring its base value up to a nice round forty. That sounded reasonable.

However, stat points were not something I wanted to deal with here and now, but somewhere quiet after a good night’s sleep.

So the skills and their tier-ups.

Unbending Resilience: lvl 11

Passive II (Slave - 10%)

As fierce as you can be, you’re even harder to kill than you first appear. Driven by your rich nature, your robustness reaches unprecedented heights, making you an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

The [resilience], [toughness], and [vitality] of your body increased by 38%(35%) → 55%(50%).

Tier II - Many have tried to rob you of it, and you had suffered plenty when your life was threatened to be taken from you. Yet you didn’t give in and instead connected more with your rich nature, bringing even more from your ancestry, and making your health even more robust.

Your [Constitution] increased by 38%(35%).

Although I had mixed feelings about this skill at first, it has turned out to be a pretty nice one focused on my health, making me harder to injure. I like it.

[Fierce Pounce] was a different story. With the Tier II of the skill, I was actually thinking about getting rid of that one.

Fierce Pounce: lvl 12

Active II (Deviant - 30%)

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%) → 65%(50%).

[Call of Nature] - Additional power to your attack increased by 65%(50%) and the sharpness of your claws by 65%(50%) → 97%(50%)

Tier II - You’ve proven your predatory nature, reveling in the blood of your enemies, victims, and prey. You’ve savored their power and tasted their blood on your lips, wishing to sink your dull fangs into their flesh. Sharpened by your fierceness, you can now do that with unprecedented ease.

The sharpness of your fangs increased by 45%(35%).

[Call of Nature] - The sharpness of your fangs increased by 45%(35%) → 68%(35%)

Tier I was darn good, especially under the effect of [Call of Nature]. Tier II, on the other hand, was basically useless to me. I have sunk my fangs into someone’s flesh only once, in desperation and self-defense. That slaver deserved it. Yet my stomach turned at the memory. Even now, it made me disgusted with myself.

Sure, it was hard to rule out ever resorting to such an attack again, but incorporating it into my fighting style was another matter entirely. I wasn’t going to go around sinking my fangs into the necks of men and beasts like some sort of savage or...vampire.

Let’s not get too carried away, though. Just like with stat points, getting rid of [Fierce Pounce] was a decision I didn’t want to make here and now.

Perfect Equilibrium: lvl 32

Passive III

Even with extra limbs, you have the potential to achieve the perfect balance, perfect coordination of the body in space. You can say goodbye to unwanted falls as you can twist like a tumbler, move like a dancer, or land with the grace of a cat.

Tier II - Achieving perfection is not easy, and body coordination alone is not enough. The world around you is constantly in motion, shifting. You need to react to these changes in time.

Your reaction speed is increased by 10% → 20%.

Tier III - As you’ve discovered, you can have the best coordination and the fastest reaction speed, but it’s no use if your body can’t keep up, when you feel like you are swimming upstream and your feet are stuck in the mud. You persevered, though. You pushed on and reached new speeds.

The [speed], [agility], and [nimbleness] of your body increased by 10%.

A fairly bland skill with small perks compared to some, but one I relied on heavily in combat. Together with [Dancer’s Stride], they made a nice combo that kept me on my feet through pretty much every situation, making me fast and nimble.

None to Squander: lvl 12

Passive II (Slave - 10%)

You’re one of those people who consider wasted food a crime and an unfinished plate an insult to the cook. That mindset is mirrored in the nature of your body itself. Don’t waste a single grain, and digest what you can of the mouthful you get!

The efficiency with which you digest food increased by 33%(30%) → 49%(45%).

Tier II - Many people can eat every crumb, drink every drop, and still squander most of the nutrients the food offers them. Not you, though. Your body is not as wasteful and needs far less nutrients and water to run.

The efficiency with which your body uses nutrients increased by 33%(30%).

This one was...let’s say, interesting.

The amount of nutrients my body was able to get from food increased significantly, meaning I should now be able to fill that imaginary second stomach of mine, the [Behemoth] storage, much faster. And if I understand it correctly, thanks to Tier II of [None to Squander], I shouldn’t use up the stored energy so quickly.

Actually, it could have had a much broader impact than it seemed at first glance.

It required some testing, however, it might impact my hunger. I mean, I might get hungry less often. Which, now that I think about it, in turn, meant less food, hence fewer nutrients to store. As I said, it required testing.

But the biggest impact it may have had on [Beast], more precisely on me turning into one. Tier III change has always taken a hell of a lot out of me. Fuck, it even killed me. And if this should help me in that regard...damn, that would be awesome. More testing first, though.

Speaking of which, when will I have another chance to go all out?

The night was drawing to an end, and a new day was approaching. Ahead of us was the journey back to Castiana, dealing with the issue of what was growing in the middle of Esulmor and what I had become, and that may not have been all there was to deal with. All in all, I’ll be lucky to get to Fallens Cry today or even tomorrow.

So I raised my eyes, glancing towards the ancient mossbear standing by the World Tree, my fellow Guardian, looking to see how things were going. Lord Wigram and Lightfeather were still negotiating, meaning I had plenty of time.

Realizing how my attitude had changed since I included [Beast] among my skills, how my dread of giving in to the beast inside me had faded, I took a deep breath, and without much fear, I shifted to my tier III form. Since I wasn’t doing it for the fun of it, I focused hard on the nuances of the shift. The changes came quickly and, although painless, still with slight resistance. My guess? I still had a long way to go in giving in to the beast. The more I connected with my new inner self, the more levels I got in [Beast], and the truth was that I was still sixteen levels short of Tier IV.

Not why I underwent this beastification, though. The reason was the energy needed to make the shift, and frankly...[None to Squander] made a hell of an impact on that, cutting off a third of the nutrients needed to make the change.

It was awesome.

Little by little, the skills started to fall into place, forming something that could have passed as a proper build. Sure, there were still kicks and kinks to work out, but it eased my concerns that my skillset would forever remain a mess.

“Are we in for a fight I should know about, Little Beast?” Deckard asked as he approached, referring to my beast form.

Should I give him a hard time? No, there was enough excitement for one night for all of us. “Not that I know of. I’m just figuring out a few changes to my skills.”

“Ah, I approve,” switching to using union rings as I was forced to use in my beast form he told me his praise and then motioned with his head towards Esudein. “Looks like they’ve come to, what did you call it... an accord?” Why he found the word odd was beyond me.

“Already?” I wondered as I looked in their direction. Lord Wigram and Lightfeather were indeed returning.

Deckard simply shrugged. “I only understood the old man, but they seem to have found common ground from what I gathered.”

“Me?”

“You, the World Tree, protecting her and so on...I’d say a lot of the earlier disagreements and tension were set aside.”

“Will the rest of the Sahal agree to what Lord Wigram negotiates here?” I had my doubts that decades, maybe centuries, of friction would just go away. From my own experience, I knew some people could be quite... stubborn and had a hard time letting go of their biases and grudges.

“The old man has more say than you think back there in Wagonbrei. Don’t forget he’s the Imperial Chief Healer. At least a third of the nobility have his back, another third are up his ass because he has the Emperor’s ear, and the rest, for the same reason, dare not show open hostility to him.”

“Hope you’re right...”

“So do I, Little Beast,” he said, sighing slightly. “If not, this is gonna turn out to be one fucking mess.”

“Glad to have you by my side, then...and Hal watching my back.”

Hearing about him, Deckard laughed. “Can you imagine his face when he finds out about you?”

“I don’t think he’ll be the only one surprised.”

“No, he won’t...”

***

With the return of the Imperial Chief Healer, I expected a cross-examination, questions upon questions. Nothing of the sort came up, though. Instead, he ordered Colonel Gill to break up the temporary camp at the pond’s edge and head back to Castiana.

A little confused by the Imperial Chief Healer’s lack of interest, I bade Esudein goodbye and promised him I’d show up at the next blue full moon for my next training session at the latest. Of course, it was hard to predict someone as erratic as Idleaf, so my visit to Esulmor might come much sooner. Speaking of her, she didn’t even bother to show up when I was bidding her farewell. My guess, she was restoring her energy as fast as she could.

Then there was Zeewet. I haven’t forgotten about the bird, but I think we both hoped we wouldn’t see each other again. Kind of awkward, considering we were both Guardians of the same World Tree. However, nowhere was it written that we had to get along.

So we all packed up, returned to the carriage, left Esulmor, and made our way back to Castiana. Sadly, not all of us who set out on this journey.

Jewel, the mare that taught me to ride, would never leave the meadow outside the woods, just like the stallion I rode to the last moment. Three other horses lost their lives on the plains before the woods, not to mention the imperial soldiers, who gave their lives to buy us time to reach Esulmor; two scouts out there somewhere, and six soldiers, eight in total. They found them all and, at Lord Wigram’s insistence, put them in his carriage. He then took a seat on the bench next to the coachman.

I had no clue how they found them, but the soldiers located all the horses they had chased away before their last stand against the beast horde. Despite the losses, it meant I got to ride my own horse, a mare named Whisper, who had lost her rider. She was pretty devastated about it.

Whisper. A human name, may I add. It was not a name she had earned and therefore without meaning. Or at least she hasn’t lived up to that name yet, and so the meaning of it was hidden as well as mine, thus basically impossible for me to sense.

However, pondering about the name of the mare I was riding was just a mere distraction from the awkward atmosphere in the column. Seriously, being back among the humans, I expected a thousand questions, interest, and suspicion. None of that came up, though. The only one who didn’t keep his distance from me was Deckard. He didn’t make a big deal out of my naming and took it for what it was, another crazy shit concerning me.

In this strange hush silence, we passed through the fork in the road now much closer to Esulmor and got halfway to Castiana, at which point I could stand it no longer.

“Hey,” I said as I rode closer to Lightfeather, hoping she wouldn't ask me to leave her alone.

“Hi, Grey.”

“Lady. New name really cool,” squeaked a little squirrel sitting on a horse’s head.

Seeing that at least someone wasn’t afraid to talk to me, I smiled at the little animal. “Thanks, Pip. Any new adventures I should know about?”

“No,” she sighed, downcast. “Wren didn’t let me. Boring.”

“You know damn well I couldn’t afford to worry about what you might do during the negotiation, you little rascal.”

“How did the negotiations with Esudein go, anyway?” Good topic. She might be willing to talk to me about that.

“Well...” she said and thought. “Surprisingly well.”

“So there is no danger to Sahal?”

“From the side of Es-Esudein, no. Even the northern eagles and Miros shouldn’t cause us any issues...” Lightfeather said, leaving the rest unsaid.

“Elves?”

“Among others, do you think only they will be interested in the new World Tree? Honestly, Grey, I’m not entirely sure the Empire can withstand what’s coming.” The amount of concern in her voice took me aback, but I could see that, unlike me, who had little regard for the Sahal Empire, someone like her, who served it a big part of her life, could be greatly burdened by it.

“Then we have to do our best,” I said, trying to sound optimistic.

“Yeah...” she attempted a smile, fading into thought for a moment before she shook it off and looked at me. “Oh, sorry, Grey. I didn’t mean to ignore you. It’s just...there is much to think about. Actually, I don’t know what to make of you.”

I gave her a shrug. “Take me just like you did before. I’m still the same.”

“Lady, not the same,” objected Pipsqueak.

“I’m afraid I have to agree with her on that. Look at you, your eyes are shining...albeit more dimly now.”

“Is it that bad? I mean, my appearance.”

“Nah, it’s not about that...it’s about what it represents, who it makes you, and everyone here knows that. I’d say they’re as lost on how to treat you as I am.”

“There’s nothing to think about. Treat me as if nothing has changed. Take a cue from Deckard.”

Lightfeather laughed. “Sorry, Grey. I’m not him. But don’t worry. I’ll get my head around you, eventually. I have a couple of friends among the noble ladies, so...”

“No, don’t. I’m not one.”

“According to this little rascal,” she said, pointing at Pipsqueak. “You are, highborn.”

“Lady is lady,” nodded the little squirrel, busying herself otherwise with the horse handling.

“There you have it. Plus, I think Lord Wigram is considering making you one officially.”

“W-what?” I stammered out after she told me the bombshell. “Are you serious? He wants to make me a lady?”

“He didn’t say it so bluntly, but can you blame him for considering it?”

“What do you mean? I’m an ordinary woman. I have no noble blood. You know my roots, where I come from...”

“More like where you’re not from.” While I hinted at my slave origin, she referred to the fact of me being from another world. “Damn, one could almost forget, considering you’ve become a Guardian of the fucking World Tree. The first human to become one ever, and you wonder why he is considering giving you a title.”

“How far do the records go?” I asked, refusing to believe that I was the first in all these centuries and millennia.

“You’re unbelievable, Grey,” Lightfeather shook her head. “All this shit, and you’re acting like it’s nothing. Seriously, how do you do it? Because it’s definitely above my pay grade.”

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