Lament of the Slave

“How nostalgic," I let out a heavy breath as I arrived at the infirmary, my arms around Deckard and Marcus. I wouldn’t have made it up the stairs without their help.

“There,” the Chief Healer pointed to an empty bed under the windows, the one I dare say I had been in before. To my inner guilt, even the beds next to mine got new tenants when they brought in others who collapsed on the training ground shortly after.

“Traiana’s tits, what happened, Chief?” The healer I knew, Becca Hill, came running over. She looked exactly as I remembered her. Short - well, a head shorter than me, though not now that I was in bed - full cheeks, short blonde hair, and caring eyes.

“Not so much. Just this lass - happened.”

“Who?” Becca wondered, this time looking more closely at the terran she thought Marcus had brought in. It hurt a little that she didn’t remember me. “Korra? Is that you? You’ve changed.”

Now it was me who was confused. “Have I?”

Deckard chuckled. “You haven’t been looking in the mirror much, have you?”

Actually, I couldn’t remember the last time I looked in a mirror. But with skills like [Spatial Domain], it wasn’t even necessary. Still, no matter how much I looked, I only saw myself as I was - no extra limbs, no abnormal parts.

“I don’t think I’m different.” Honestly, it could be exhaustion. After all, it was a struggle just to keep my eyes open. 

“Your skin looks healthier, your hair is more vibrant, and your fur looks softer,” Becca began to point out the differences. “Your tits seem bigger, and your wings definitely are. I’d say your tail is longer, too.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” that was too much information at once. It couldn’t be. I would have noticed something like that. Or would I? Thinking about it, the changes that had taken place over the course of eight months - and so my eyes went down to my chest, where, for the first time, two bumps had formed under my shirt. Exaggeration, I know, I’ve had some boobs before, but still - it must have been the worry of getting out of Echo, of surviving, that distracted me from more pressing matters. Otherwise, I couldn’t explain why I hadn’t noticed my larger wingspan, now reaching four and a half meters. A similar case with Sage. He has grown to an impressive length of 2.1 meters, and although I thought it impossible, he has become even more fluffy and bulky.

“Overall, you seem . . . I don’t know, more confident and beastly,” Becca continued as my mind struggled to find the description of [Call of Nature].

“Enough of that, Becca. Get her a mana and stamina potion.” Marcus stopped her and looked at me. “And stop worrying about your looks. What you need now is rest.”

“He’s right, you know,” Janina said as she walked by, supporting another victim of my might. The poor woman was still trembling. Feeling terrible, I chugged two potions that Becca had brought me, as if they were Dragon Fart, to help me forget the whole mess. Two breaths later and new energy coursed through my body, the fatigue gone.

Forget the sleep.

Right now I felt like running a marathon.

“Oh no, lass. Stay down,” Marcus pushed me back into bed as I tried to follow my train of thought. He didn’t understand. I had to get this energy out of my system.

“But . . .”

“No buts!” he said sternly, then smiled as he checked my condition. “First stamina potion, huh?”

“Yeah?”

“It’ll give you a good kick at the start. All that energy in your stomach now, rushing into your body. But give it a moment - when the energy reaches all corners of your body, you will see it differently. Especially with the state your cells are in.”

Well, he was the Chief here, so I obeyed, going against my urge to run. “So how bad is it? The damage to my cells, I mean.”

“You’re out of the worst, lass. That’s what matters. Don’t worry about anything else and get some rest. That’s what you need right now. I, on the other hand, will go help Janina with the others,” he said, patting my head. As annoying as it was, it was nice.

“Becca, make sure she stays in bed,” he told the senior healer before moving on to the next patient. His comment made me feel like a restless child who, thanks to the painkillers, didn’t quite realize her leg was broken.

“So, Korra . . .” Becca started, only to have her eyes widen. “You’re back. You’re actually back. I heard you were at the barracks this morning, but . . . I . . . how? What happened?”

Of course, I was bound by the Oath not to tell everything, but I started to tell her my story in a nutshell . . . I don’t think I finished it, for not much later, fatigue took me to dreamland.

***

A scream rang through the infirmary; whether it belonged to a man or a woman was unclear at first. Only when the scream deepened in sheer terror and drew the attention of the stationed healers, including Becca’s, did it become clear that it came from a man. 

“W-where the fuck am I?” City Lord stammered, drenched in sweat, horror in his eyes. To his credit, he wasn’t the only one to wake up screaming. It hadn’t been half an hour since Hazel Mooney had left the infirmary, albeit reluctantly, insisting that she had to get a closer look at Korra’leigh Grey, even touch her.

“Barracks infirmary, Lord Egerton,” Nash, one of her colleagues, explained briskly.

“What?!” the leader of the city stammered in confusion at Nash, only to have relief spread across his face. He was somewhere familiar. However, the sense of security was quickly replaced by horror. “And the beast?”

“What beast, my lord?”

“The one that attacked . . .” City Lord stopped short, memories coming back to him. “Did someone kill it? No, wait . . . it was that vixen. She dared to use her presence against me!”

“Oh, you mean Grey,” Nash realized who the City Lord was talking about. “She hit everyone who was in the courtyard at the time.”

Obviously not what the City Lord wanted to hear. “And that’s an excuse. A clear attack on the Sahal nobility. Where is she? Did Rayden arrest her?”

“She’s over there.”

He glanced across the room to the bed under the windows and shuddered, only to erupt in anger. “You’ve got to be kidding me! You put her in the same room with me? Rayden! I won’t let that bitch get away with this. And the vixen will, too, will regret laying a hand on me.”

Becca and the other healers exchanged glances. That was all they could do - it wasn’t their place to tell Lord Egerton what to do, even though they could see how unreasonable what he was about to do was. 

“May I touch you to administer [Soothing Touch]?”

“You may not!” the City Lord snapped back. “What you should do is get my assistants. Where are they, anyway? Did you even tell them about the attack on me?”

“They are waiting outside, my lord.”

“Then what the fuck are you waiting for? Call them in!”

Becca felt sorry for her colleague but at the same time was glad she didn’t have to be the one to deal with the City Lord. 

A few moments later, a couple of gorgeous young women entered the infirmary. A small pang of jealousy struck Becca’s heart. They were tall, well-groomed, and looked like respectable, noble ladies.

[Maid: lvl 156]

[Assistant: lvl 162]

They lived a life Becca could only dream of. Although sucking up to Lord Egerton wasn’t exactly something worth living in luxury for in her book. And word got around that they did more than just assist him.

Be that as it may, they helped him out of bed and supported him on his way to the exit.

“Wait!” he stopped them, his eyes falling on the bed where Korra’leigh Grey lay. Becca snapped to attention, fearing that the City Lord might try something now that the young woman in her care was defenseless, deep in sleep - snoring, actually. When Lord Egerton took two steps toward her, Becca rose from her chair, ready to intervene.

There was no need.

The moment Korra snarled in her sleep, baring her teeth at whatever it was she was dreaming about, the City Lord turned white and quickly left the room. As the door closed behind the three of them, Becca breathed a sigh of relief. And she wasn’t the only one.

“Finally,” Nash sighed heavily. “Honestly, guys, I wonder what he was doing in the training grounds in the first place.”

“Watching his niece.” 

“Like he ever did.”

“Hey man, I’m just guessing.”

The chatter broke out among the healers, but Becca wondered if what was being said was true. If the young woman in her care truly could turn into a level one thousand beast. Their Chief Healer and Lieutenant Janina only talked about her presence, but - the presence was a reflection of the actual level, right?

But no matter how much she looked at her, all she could see was : [Deviant: lvl 148].

***

To my relief, it was still light outside when I woke up, not really full of energy, but not aching all over, either. That meant I was fine and hadn’t missed the night, breaking my promise. I still had a party at the Drunken Filly and a few hours to spare.

After a bit of listening and straining my ears, silence seemed to fall on the infirmary. And a quick check of my domain confirmed it. No Idleaf, and most of the beds were empty. Most of them.

Across the room, Mr. Sandoval still lay unconscious. 

The guilt hit me again. 

If I’d held back, or thought a little before I acted, this old man who’d done so much for me wouldn’t have ended up like this.

Something to address later, though, when he’s awake and if at all willing to talk to me.

To distract my mind from wallowing in regret, I looked at myself through the domain, eyes still closed, pretending to be asleep. Those changes in my appearance that Becca had mentioned were still on my mind. I mean, I understood that I hadn’t noticed them. Still, damn.

Longer tail, bigger wingspan, bigger chest - I checked to see if anyone was looking before I ‘inspected’ my boobs. Aside from those two mounds, Becca was right about my fur and feathers. It looked - well, just healthier. Moreover, the fur was fuller and softer to the touch in all places. Incredibly soft in some areas.

“I hope you’re not doing what it looks like you’re doing.” Focused on myself, Becca’s appearance at my bedside scared the shit out of me.

“Tits!” I cursed, pulling my hand out of my shorts. “W-what? Oh, no . . . no, I-I was checking my fur, the changes.”

“Sure,” she made it more than clear that she didn’t believe me. But then the healer gal smiled, the tease on her lips. “Calm down, Korra. Actually, I’m glad. I had a little bet with the others.”

“Wait, you were . . . ?”

“Yeah, we bet on whether you were playing with yourself.”

I couldn’t be more embarrassed. “I thought you weren’t looking.”

“And you figured that out how?”

Damn me for being stupid. Of course, they had skills like my [Spatial Domain] too. That way, they didn’t have to keep an eye on the patients all the time, just their awareness.

“Don’t feel bad, it’s natural.”

“I didn’t  . . .”

“I know. I’m just saying that after using the stamina potion, touching yourself is one way to release the excess energy.”

“I’d rather fight a beast,” I growled, not really meaning it. It’s been so long since I last . . .  “Becca, could you check my belly?”

“Why? Are you feeling sick?”

“No,” I said, pausing for a moment as my mind drifted over to my skills, namely [Beast Core]. I read. Jitters. Fear. It was there. In addition to the more efficient drawing and recharging of the core with mana in Tier II, Tier III couldn’t speak more clearly.

Beast Core

Tier III - You may think that once created, the core is part of you, but the same can be said of an ingrown hair. When left fallow, it can do more harm than good. You, however, have moved past the neglect, and now your core is truly yours, no longer one to hurt you.

“Please, just tell me what you see.”

To my relief and unease, Becca agreed without further pleading, so I pulled off the blanket and rolled up my shirt. Then, as her hands touched my stomach, dread gripped me.

“K-Korra, that’s . . .” she stammered, aghast. “That’s c . . .”

That’s when I realized my blunder. Becca had no idea that I had a core. “Yes, it is. I got it the same way I got this,” I waved my wing at her, and to her credit, she understood, swallowing her curiosity and upholding her oath of silence about the condition of her patients.

“I bet it’s better not to ask any more,” she said with a smile, though shock was still written in her face. “W-what exactly did you want me to check?”

“I was - because of ‘that’ - pretty messed up down there, but - skills and all - I shouldn’t be anymore. I think . . . and hope.”

“Okay, let me take another look,” Becca said, and with my permission, she put her hands on me again. “There’s a slight deformation of the tissue around it, but I’d just call it a capsule, if anything. I don’t see anything wrong with your womb or ovaries.”

No sooner had she finished than I was holding her in a bear hug.

“Stop, you’re crushing me.”

I couldn’t help myself with how happy I was. Finally, after such a long time, and the seed of hope sown in the Echo, my silent despair had come to an end. I was no longer broken.

“Wait, are you crying, Korra?”

“No?”

“Yes, you are.”

“. . .”

“Look, I get it. I really do, but this is getting awkward.”

“Can’t we stay like this a little longer?” I knew it was a lot to ask of someone I didn’t know that well, but right now I didn’t trust myself not to burst into wailing without the hug. “Please, Becca.”

“Fine, then you can at least finish telling me how you came back from Fallen’s Cry.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, so glad. “Where did I get to before I fell asleep?”

“You and Stella meeting Rairok.”

“Oh, then I haven’t told you much . . .”

***

It took me a while to tell her everything - and to calm down - even if it was just in a nutshell. But it took even longer to go through all my skills and the changes in them after Becca left me to my own devices. I mean, most of the changes weren’t that much of a surprise. The new Tiers more or less reflected what I had learned in Echo. But here and there, there were things I didn’t know I should be able to do, or consequences of my growth that I wasn’t aware of - like the changes in my body.

The last sentence of the [Call of Nature]: It is no longer possible to separate the two or for the two to be separated. Just thinking about it made me shiver. Sure, I’ve accepted what I’ve become, but deep down inside, there was a tiny hope that one day everything would go back to the way it was.

Anyway, the only thing that made sense to me was that I had accepted my beasts so deeply that I couldn’t get rid of my mutations. And no, getting rid of the skill was not the way to go. The skills only reflected what I’d achieved on my own. Or so I believed, based on the descriptions of the other skills. In my spar with Deckard, I just didn’t get to the part where the system would lead me by the hand.

Or . . . it was simply more complicated, and I had to figure out how to actually work with the system the way it was intended to work with the others.

After all, Tier IV of [Wrought Hide] wasn’t something I’d ever thought of trying, let alone desired, but according to the system, I should be able to do it. 

Tier IV - Each scar bears the memory of what caused it and the matching resistance to that cause.

Intentionally scar myself? Now that I’ve finally gotten rid of the ones in my body? Well, my first reaction was: Absolutely not! But after thinking about it, I was willing to give it a try. A little scar or two couldn’t hurt. After all, I’d had a few from my childhood, I guess everyone did.

[Unbending Resilience], I would say, just cemented what I was, a hard-to-kill heavy beast. [Mantle of Magic] reflected my mana-eye-exploding training with Rairok. But it was [Ride of the Ancestors] that really gave me pause. Tier III of the skill basically talked about what I learned in Echo, while Tier IV was about what Becca mentioned, and she couldn’t put her finger on it - I came across as more bestial than before. Tier V, on the other hand, was about what I had feared for so long - losing myself to the beasts within me.

Frankly, despite everything, it still didn’t sit well with me. Reading it over and over again, however, three words stood out and gave me some peace of mind: In dire need. I shouldn’t be possessed by my ancestors by some stupid mistake or accident.

Moving on, [Perfect Equilibrium] pretty much talked about what I learned from Vienlin, the movements of a predator, and other than seeing it in black and white, it didn’t bring anything new to the table.

The same could be said of [Spatial Domain], but reading how the range of my inner domain increased to 12 meters and the outer to 24 meters made me realize how the ancient battlefield made everything seem small and insignificant. There, such a range of perception was nothing, I was nothing, but here, I was the Guardian of Idleaf, and I had a perfect awareness of the entire infirmary and the floors below and above.

[Never-Dying] was as ridiculous as ever, a blessing and a curse at the same time. [Poison of Poison Empress] was still a distant dream and an unfulfilled promise of my efforts to use it more. On the other hand, [Striving Mule] surprised me by dabbling in my magical side. I took it for pure endurance skill, but I was glad I was wrong.

Speaking of magic, my heart - well, doubling my mana sounded insane. However, it was just the way I grew in strength. What made me think was actually a Tier I of the skill in connection with [Call of Nature]. I could get rid of the skill, but not my heart. In other words, there was no way to stop being a magical creature. Mana was something I couldn’t do without. That was probably one of the reasons why I suffered so much when I drained my mana with the use of my might.

Well, [Dancer’s Stride] was another skill that reflected the movements I learned from Vienlin. Kind of surprising, since I thought it was more of a human skill. On the other hand, it made me wonder how all the things I learned as a beast affected my human stride.

The lack of growth in [Roundhouse Kick] was no surprise. After all, I was training with shifters in Echo, not melee fighters. However, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. With all my skills, I didn’t have many ways to actually attack. Claws and fangs. I could only turn into a bigger beast. Speaking of which. The [Beast] spoke of my true form. 

To be honest, I was a little afraid to try to shift into it, doubts weighing on my mind. How big will I be? Actually, a lot of skills were tied to my mass, making [Behemoth] one of my core skills. But. What if I don’t like the form? What if I do? What if . . . ? 

Anyway, my doubts aside, the bonuses from Tier I to [Strength] and [Constitution] were just ridiculous as ever and even more. Seriously, it pushed my Constitution up to 252 points. Not to mention, I still had 26 skill points unspent. If I put them all into [Constitution], my potential would go up to a whopping 412 points. And that was just as a human, in my current form. As a beast, my potential in [Constitution] would rise to 584 points.

Like I said, ridiculous.

But figuring out how to distribute my stat points was a problem for another day. Now I was about to tackle a different kind of beast. The party at the Drunken Filly. Actually, coming to think of it, if I wanted to get at least a little drunk, which I did, then not increasing my [Constitution], even an ounce was in my best interest.