Chương 20: Chapter 19: A Friendly Sparring Session

As soon as I was on the surface again, I let the notifications flow over me. Dawn has broken, and the curse is lifted... for now. The sleepy bat in the barn was back again, and I enjoyed how cute that window was! Awwww, look at that little fluffy fellow! Roxala gave me a strange look as I made a soft 'squee!' noise, and then blushed at her, avoiding her gaze. Your [MONSTER] Lycanthropic Transformation skill has improved, and is eligible for rank up! Rank D is a free rank. Oh, cool! I accepted that gladly.

[MONSTER] Lycanthropic Transformation, Rank D: 0%, At night, your cursed body transforms into a powerful monster. No change to the description, but last rank up had made it cost less mana and stamina. I had to assume that would be the trend. Oh well!

"Did you just level?" Roxala asked, and I shook my head.

"Just a skill up, no biggie."

"Right... so, I've decided to trust you, Goldtail." Roxala said"You might actually have a stable monster core, I'm ready to accept that. A real Monster wouldn't have begged for treats, let me touch them, left someone alone to sleep, or fallen asleep herself in the lap of anyone, monster or not." she said, and I blushed a little bit, feeling my ears heat a bit.

"I owe Fel a gold piece. Which brings us to our second little problem, ahead of even considering taking you on a dungeon dive." she said, and popped her neck a bit.

"I think it's time you and I had a bit of a practice session. I want to know what you're capable of - most of your skills I've never heard of and they sound useful." the Orc said. My tummy growled and I made an... inhuman, unhappy little whine in my throat and I moved to the stew pot, saying "Alright... let me just get some breakfast in me." I said, and she seemed to accept that, moving to sit on the chair she'd brought in last night, where she'd sat before.

"Are you hungry too?" I asked and she grunted, dipping a nod. I didn't even have to look - I could see it in my senses. Amazing! This Wolf-Ren ability was... something else. It was almost, but not quite, overwhelming. I'd have to get used to it. The fire rune burned to life under my touch, and the heating element on the stove rose to a medium heat as I stirred the thickened, congealed stew I'd made last night. It smelled and looked even better than last night, and I felt my Wolf stir as I looked at the stew.

Remembering myself, I checked the drying meat in the oven while that heated. It was all dried out now, dark red and it looked delicious! I gripped a piece and bit into it a bit, and found that it was! Venison was choice - I'd never had it before coming here, but it tasted so much better than beef. Munching a strip of the stuff, my teeth scything through the tough tissue, I worked to keep the stew heating evenly by stirring it, and intermittently stepping away from the stove top to set things up.

Bowls were laid out, and once the stew was hot again, I brought the pot over. I felt Torch entering the inn, and made sure he and Fel, a couple steps behind him, had bowls as well waiting for them. As they entered the room, something about their scent met my notice, but I didn't pay attention. There was plenty of leftovers, after all! I spooned them each up some of the stew, and then got some myself, adding stew bones from last night to my bowl.

"Does that taste good, with the bones?" Torch asked, and I nodded emphatically!

"Oh yeah! I think it's a wolf thing - she likes to crunch the bones and get at the marrow, and... with these senses? Gotta say, it's delicious." I said, and did just that, popping a bone in my teeth and shivering at the dense flavors that permated my mouth.

"I'm sorry you guys can't do this - the stewed bones are a real treat." I said, and Fel chuckled.

"Not for my delicate palate, I'm afraid. More for you, miss, look on the bright side." the wizard said, and I smiled at him. His voice was softer than Roxala and Torch's, with a kind of... high class affectation to it, a gentle lilt that sounded really cool and warm! I felt like 'My dear' would flow easily from his lips, if he had a mind.

"My dear, could you start a pot of tea? I simply cannot abide a morning without it." he said, and I chuckled, pleased! It HAD sounded about right! Obediently, I moved to make tea just how he said to, un-mugging my chunk of the tea brick to scrape some of it out onto the clean counter before checking on the tea pot. I was just about to pour out the black liquid before Roxala spoke up.

"Nono, give me that." she said, and pushed her mug from last night towards me. I could have sworn I'd cleaned the mug, but when I pulled it back over, I got a sniff of it. It smelled... strange, almost like she'd drank some kind of soda out of it. It smelled like fruit in the same way watermelon candy smelled like watermelon - close, but not really, and it was purple in my senses. It smelled... purple and made my nose tingle! Hurriedly, I looked away and-"PASNEEK!"

I sneezed, and as Roxala laughed heartily, the others - Gelidia having joined them in her seat from last night - joined in with soft chuckles of their own.

"That'd be the potion you took last night." Fel said, smiling, and said "Miss Goldtail, you might want to wash that out before pouring in that... foul cold tea." he said, and Roxala, still coming down from her amusement at my expense, leaned back again in her spot.

"Tea's at its best when it's had time to ferment a little in the pot overnight. Then it's the strongest!" Roxala chuckled"You should have some, Torch! It'll make your hair curly." Torch looked like he wasn't totally sure he wanted his hair curly, but I took his mug as well and washed them both out. I poured half the tea into each mug, getting them half full with what was left, and gave them back. Roxala sipped appreciatively, and Torch a bit more tenatively.

He made a face that had the Orcish woman laughing again merrily, and slapping her knee. When he clearly didn't want anything more to do with it, with a"Give it here" she took his mug and tipped it up into hers. Once again, I was struck by the fact these three... were good friends.

Torch was clearly the youngest member, like a little brother, Roxala was the big sister of the group and the group mom to whom the others deferred, and Fel was the middle child of the group, quiet and thoughtful generally, the one with perhaps the most sense of all of them. While I mused on this, I worked on cooking up the tea how Fel had showed me.

"So Goldie" Torch began "I got a fair bit of meat and leather from the deer you brought in. Good work - lots of good stuff on that one. I'm working on some boots for you, but I'm no cobbler so they won't be... awesome. But they'll keep your feet dry. Gotta ask though - do you want like, a moccasin or a hard-sole boot?" I had to think about it. Really... I kind of liked feeling the world around me a bit more. It'd be nice not to tear my foot open on sharp rocks or something, so a soft shoe sounded better in my book.

"Let's go with the Moccasin boots - I think a hard sole would just slow me down." I said. He nodded at that, grinning.

"It's also harder to hunt in a hard sole boot - it's better for stepping in stuff, but it's bad for if you want to NOT break sticks and stuff. I use Moccasins too." he said.

"Boots for me." Fel said, and Roxala seconded that.

"Heh, townies." Torch said, and Roxala gave him a sisterly chuck in the arm. He winced, rolling his shoulder after that.

"So Goldentail and I are gonna do some sparring this morning." Roxala said. Torch looked like he'd done that before, and puffed a breath through his lips. Fel chuckled the chuckle of someone who's never been punched by an orcish shieldmaiden before because she'd probably kill him. SOFT. PROTECT. My wolf felt strongly about that. Fel was not nearly as sturdy as the others, and I felt a... strong, sudden protective urge for him from my wolf.

I acknowledged it in my heart, and my Wolf, pleased, subsided a little to her quiescent watch in my mind's eye. If she were in the room with me, I would imagine she'd be laying by the fire, watching the five of us from a position of comfort. And when I imagined that, I sensed a phantom impression that it was so. It was a strange feeling, having a piece of myself other than where my body was, but... it was very definite as my senses probed the wolf's position in space. FAVORITE SPOT. I carefully didn't react.

I felt like freaking out about a wolf nobody else could see would NOT enhance their good opinion of me. Even so, I felt a kind of affection towards the Wolf part of me, manifest and strange as she was, and felt her fond regard in return. TEAM, SISTER IN FLESH Was it just me or was she becoming more... talkative? More verbose, when she spoke? Yes we are! I poured the tea when it was ready, and pushed a mug towards each of them except Roxala, then poured myself a mug as well.

The bitter liquid was pleasantly floral and of course the caffeine was a welcome addition to my morning routine! We ate, and sipped tea, and just enjoyed spending time in each other's company. Nobody was really keen on talking much - so we just sat in companionable quiet. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. After dishes, it was time to practice! I'd never actually fought a day in my life, so it was novel to me.

I felt awkward, standing before Roxala as she hefted her big, heavy doors.

"Now, I guess the first step is for you to show me what you can actually do, Goldtail." she said. Why were people calling me by that name instead of Emily? I checked my sheet!

Name: Goldtail Twice-Cursed, Hound of Lambstock / (Emily Smith) Race: Human, Lycanthrope Class: Peasant [type] Status: Healthy, Hungry Skill Slots: 1/0 Skills: [LIFE] Peasant level 4 Peasant skill points: 4 Skills: [LIFE] Inspect, Rank D: 15% [CRAFTING] Toolmaking, Rank D: 20% [LIFE] Cookery, Rank D: 0% – [MONSTER] Lycanthrope level 4 Lycanthrope skill points: 1 Skills: [MONSTER, SYNERGY] Bestial Vitality, Rank B: 4% [MONSTER] Lycanthropic Transformation, Rank D: 0% [MONSTER, COMBAT, SYNERGY] Bestial Might, Rank D: 10% [MONSTER, COMBAT, SYNERGY] Wolf-Ren, Rank F: 70% So my name had actually changed?

I asked Roxala about it, a little worm of worry gnawing at my gut as I said "Hey, Roxala... why are you calling me that?"

"Don't sweat it, you're among friends. That's your real self, the secret underneath after all." she said. WE ARE GOLDTAIL I... I didn't know how I felt about that, but... it was true... wasn't it? But I was Emily... that was my name - the one my mother had given me. It was my grandmother's name! I shrugged it off.

"Alright... um, what should I do?" I asked, rubbing my arm nervously.

"I want you to hit me. As hard as you can, If you can. Any way, any direction you can think of, just... hit me." she said. and brought her shields together, the two doors clicking together and latching. They were huge and sturdy, big round shields that were iron-shod, and they looked... VERY strong, especially when she shifted her stance and braced.

"As.. hard as I can?! Are you sure?!" I asked, and maybe there was a bit of a squeak in my voice! Annoyed, the orcish shieldmaiden growled"Don't snivel, DO IT." she snapped! Irritation flashed through me a moment and I clenched my fist. My Wolf felt a mirth in her chest and a playful growl escaped my lips as I clenched my fist and charged at the woman.

We'd been standing fifteen or so feet apart, and I crossed the distance in well under a second, bringing my fist around at the wooden door, dust and wind trailing behind me and only catching up as I struck the shield with all my might! I burned through twenty points of stamina all in one go, but in that moment of time after the impact, the world seemed to slow.

I could see the force ripple across the shield, and into Roxala's arms and body, and then push her physically backward several feet, her braced stance letting her absorb the pure kinetic impact of my blow.

"Ow! Oh! Oww!" I said, and wiggled my hand after that, my knuckles split after striking the solid shield wall, bleeding just a little before the wound closed before my very eyes, leaving merely pink skin and then nothing in seconds as Roxala parted the shields again. The look on her face was one of shock and awe, and I could see the awe on the face of Fel as well.

"WORLD PRESERVE YOU, WOMAN!" Roxala said, and a coughing laugh entered her voice.

"Good thing I took that one seriously! I think you could have actually gotten through with that if I hadn't!" she said. Torch, who had gotten a stiff smack from my... my true form, I guess, he just grinned.

"I warned you, Rox." he said, and the shieldmaiden glowered at him.

"Don't call me Rox." she said, and Torch chuckled. This was clearly some kind of joke between them." Right. So you're strong, and damn fast. How much stamina did you burn just now?" Roxala said, walking back towards me a bit.

"Twenty?" I replied, and she grunted, nodding.

"That was a pretty solid haymaker - you threw your hips and body weight into it and let me have it. I don't think anyone's ever punched me that hard. Let's try a normal punch - just walk up and smack the shield, okay?" she said, and braced again. This time, I was confident she could withstand it, and threw a punch at her, swinging my hips into it on instinct, and was rewarded as I saw again, how the force of the blow rippled into Roxala as she soaked it up with her shield.

This time though, she didn't move much, but she'd clearly felt the blow. I had only burnt a couple points of stamina doing that this time.

"Good. You used your hips again, good. What rank did you say that fighting skill of yours was? Bestial Might?"

"Rank D." I responded.

"that's... what's the lowest rank for you?"

"Rank F?"

"Gotcha. Everyone gets their skills in a way they'll understand, from animal to archmage. You must have had a scholarly education, huh? You progress how Fel does." Roxala said, looking me over.

"you don't look like a soft townie, but maybe that's because I've felt one of your punches!"

"I went to school when I was a kid, I guess? I've... played a lot of games."

"Well, that's good. Do you have a defensive skill?" I did, and told her about Bestial Vigor.

"A body hardening skill, huh? Well... let's test it. You've gotta be curious, right?" she asked, and I nodded eagerly!

"Do you know how to use the special ability?" she asked, and I shrugged a bit.

"There's a kind of... I dunno, lever or switch inside me?" I said.

"Alright... skill like that, you can use it to block something you're ready for... and feed stamina into your body for more of an ongoing defense. Do you feel how to do that?" she asked, and I felt around inside me, trying to see what she meant. I could feel... the lever... and felt a little something inside me ask 'how much'? My skin prickled as I poured some stamina into it instead of mana. I could feel my muscles tense and bunch up, and... a bit of fur formed on my arms.

I watched as it grew, and felt a prickle on my ears and in my scalp as my hair grew out... and ears lengthened, shifting backward on my head. It didn't hurt exactly, but it wasn't uncomfortable, and my tunic lifted as a tail formed behind me. The more stamina I put into it, the more definite these features became until I was burning, I estimated... about five stamina a minute instead of recovering it. I flexed my hands, and felt my face - still mostly human, though I very definitely had claws.

As I flexed my fingers, they extended a bit - not sharp exactly, more a dog's digging claws than for scratching, but I felt sure these nails would be un-fun to get clawed at with.

"Well that's unsubtle. Still good, Goldie? How much stamina are you burning a minute doing that?" Roxala asked, voice satisfied.

"Five I think!" I said, and she shook her head.

"Too much. Dial it back. You want two, maybe three. Five is 'in emergencies'. You want to make sure your stamina lasts as long as you can. Can you turn it off?" she asked, and I did. I returned to fully human shaped, and it was easy, quick even. I called stamina back into the power, and this time put two points in, instead. My hair became a little more dense, but I didn't actually form a tail or claws.

I got wolf ears with two stamina though, and felt my muscles tighten considerably as hair on my arms and body became just a touch thicker.

"As you get better at it, you'll be able to pour more in, and eventually, have it on at a low level constantly. That's how skills like it work for other classes - so I gotta figure that's how it'll work for you." she explained, and I nodded.

"It's better not to get hit of course!" Torch said from the sidelines, arms crossed.

"If you can avoid a hit, it's better to do that. Armor is to save you, not to be relied upon. Trust in it, but remember it has limits. Turn it off when you don't need it - keep your stamina topped up if you think of it and can do it safely." he went on. Roxala nodded. We spent the rest of the morning exchanging blows, running through combat forms. I had an instinct for this kind of thing, but it was a wild kind - not what you'd get from focused practice, and Roxala and Torch both provided that to me.

My strength, my reflexes, and my downright monstrous vitality were as good as any armor or equipment - though they were clearly much, much more skilled than me, I wasn't someone they had to go easy on, and I held my own in training.

"World you're tough, Goldie!" Torch said admiringly. I grinned at him, panting for breath with him. Roxala, the big jerk, wasn't winded at all.

"She is that. You burn through your stamina too much, woman." Roxala criticized.

"But. You recover quick too. Probably fine. Bet you're hungry?" she asked. I nodded, getting my wind back, hands on my knees.

"Saw that coming. You also burn hot. You'll have to eat more than we do to keep up, I think, but that shouldn't be a problem. We'll just have to account for it." she said, more thoughtful than critical. Even so, a couple notifications were waiting for me to acknowledge them. Your [MONSTER, COMBAT, SYNERGY] Bestial Might skill has improved, and is eligible for rank up! Rank C costs 1 skill point. I grinned, and Torch leaned a little away from me, saying "Ok, that's a scary smile."

he muttered"I got a rank up in Bestial Might!" I said, and bounced a little bit! [MONSTER, COMBAT. SYNERGY] Bestial Might, Rank C: 0%, Your cursed body surges with monstrous strength! You can pour mana into your body and muscles to imbue them with terrible power and speed.

"Brings you to C, right? What's it say?" Roxala asked, and I told her. She nodded.

"That's standard for a combat skill. That bit about speed though, about your muscles, that's not usual, and I guess the strength is part of the skill. Makes sense." she said. Your [MONSTER, COMBAT, SYNERGY] Wolf-Ren skill has improved, and is eligible for rank up! Rank E is a free rank. The skill had been useful so far, and it was free! Why not? [MONSTER, COMBAT] Wolf-Ren, Rank E: 0%, The ability to see, hear, and smell things all at once in a synesthetic image of the world in your mind.

Your senses reach further, in time and in space. Wwwwwhat? I could... see further in time... and in space? In space, that made sense. I couldn't notice the difference at all, but in TIME? That made no sense to me at all. The skill offered no explanation at all to me that was more helpful than it had been.

"That's interesting, but it makes sense. I mean, scent right? You can smell stuff that was there before. I guess you can smell more stuff." Torch said, and I could have hugged him! I DID hug him!

"OH! THAT MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE!" I said, and he laughed, returning my hug a bit with a ruffle of my hair atop my head. And I could smell something on him. Something... familiar to me. I found myself sniffing him once, and he blinked at me like 'uhhh?' and I blushed a little.

"Wwwwwhat is it?" he asked, and politely I cleared my throat and shook my head.

"N-nothing, not my business!" Torch and Fel were lovers! I just knew it. The Wizard's scent, the scent of... um, it was all over Torch and the blush on the man confirmed my suspicions! Roxala found this hilarious.

"OHHOHO! She's got you figured out, boy hasn't she!" the shieldmaiden chuckled, and Torch sputtered then... rubbed the back of his neck. Fel quietly leaned over and kissed the man's cheek, and the younger man made a stupid noise that had me giggling with Roxala's boisterous laughter.

"... not-like-its-a-secret-or-anything" the scout stammered, and the Wizard chuckled warmly. All this told me stuff about the world I found myself in, and I felt like I would be right at home.