“Do you think beast traits prevail in me?” I asked the two after reading the description of Call of Nature and gave it some thought. A little unexpectedly for me, Deckard motioned for Lord Wigram to speak first, even though he himself seemed to have something to say about it.

“I have examined you, Miss Grey, yet it is complicated to tell how deep your mutations go and therefore how this skill would affect them, thus your appearance. However, I think you’re looking at it the wrong way. Your human side is by far the most dominant in you.”

“Really?” I couldn’t help but check out my body, covered with fur in places and adorned with a tail, wings, and antlers. People didn’t typically have these.

The Imperial Chief Healer chuckled. “You still have two legs, two arms, and a human face. Some of the hybrids that got to me weren’t so lucky. When you triggered the change in the fight with that guardsman, that changed. You gained the anthro legs of beasts. Fur covered your body, and even your face didn’t remain unchanged.”

“What if that becomes my everyday look after I choose the Call of Nature?”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that. You’re more human than you realize, and those traits will be enhanced as well.”

“What are human traits, anyway?”

“Not such an easy question to answer, is it?” He asked, smiling. “What makes us humans? What makes us different from animals, beasts, and monsters? Well, it’s the structure of our bodies, from our feet to our legs, upright posture, opposable thumbs, and poor sense of smell, hearing, and sight. Even if we’re not wholly hairless, it’s a trait too.” To emphasize his point, he rubbed his beard.

I never did have one, but you could tell he was taking care of his. What did it mean for this hairless monkey, though? More hair or less? Beard? I didn’t think so. However, it would be nice if my legs were as smooth as silk, without a single hair, all year round. Shaving them was so annoying. Not that I’ve done that in the last year. There were more important things on my mind. Hmm...mind!

“Is our big brain a trait, too?”

Lord Wigram’s eyes lit up. “It certainly is. That brings up the question of how the skill would affect it. More Intelligence, Wisdom?”

“Bigger head?” I suggested.

Deckard smirked. “Why don’t you just try it, girl. It’s not that you can’t replace that skill with another one later. The changes won’t be permanent.”

I scowled at him. “You want to see me with a big head, don’t you?”

“Maybe.” He shrugged, basically admitting it. “Actually, I know a few people with pea-sized brains who could use such a skill.”

That actually made me laugh.

“Hey, maybe your tits will grow, too.”

At his remark, my ears perked up. Was it possible? Since Deckard had already said it out loud, I swallowed my shyness and looked at Lord Wigram. “Is that a trait, too?”

“For a woman, yes it is,” he said with a slight nod. “And in the last two decades, it has been quite in demand in the Capital. Many ladies have among their General Skills one that gives them a plump bosom.”

Was it some kind of trend there? More importantly, were there skills explicitly designed for that? I was lost for words and excited for a second before my enthusiasm quickly waned. After all, 20% of nothing was still nothing.

“Don’t let it get to you, girl. Rather, you should think about how your abilities will be affected by that skill of yours. I imagine your tail, or rather the poison, will be more effective.”

True! Taking a cookie to help me snap out of my bad mood faster, I pondered what else?

“Perhaps Never-Dying, Heart of Magic? These are the skills I have thanks to my beast parts.”

“Quite possibly, Miss Grey. Then there’s your mane, and I would not rule out your sight or hearing,” Lord Wigram said, expanding the list of skills and abilities that the Call of Nature could affect. “Beast is a skill that could be affected as well, albeit more indirectly.”

Yeah, it wasn’t a skill related to one particular beast part. I had it for what I was.

"You think the more my change deepens and my beast side gets the upper hand, the more the Call of Nature could affect my abilities?"

He gave me an uncertain nod. “It’s just speculation on my part, but it’s possible. These two skills could have quite an interesting synergy with each other. As your mentor said, you can always change your skills, and thus you have nothing to worry about.”

“It’s foolish not to try all of them first and settle right away on the few you like,” Deckard added, making his view of this matter clear. To be fair, he was right. I may not have liked some of the skills, but to not at least try them once would be stupid.

Anyway, in my mind, this wasn’t the place to try my skills, so I moved on to the next one.

Unbending Resilience

Passive I

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 35%.

Hmm, my nature again. But what could I expect from the Deviant of Humanity.

“Damn girl! Another good one.”

“Was it?” I wondered. “I have more than enough of the Constitution as it is. Or is vitality something different? What about toughness and resilience? It was mentioned in Wrought Hide, too. What do they actually do?”

“They will make you harder to kill. It says so in the description,” Deckard said as if it were obvious. Well, this part was.

“But why exactly? How will it impact me?”

He mused. “If I were to compare hitting you to punching the water, higher resilience will make you a sandbag. A knife will cut into you like butter, but some toughness will turn you into tough beef. Vitality just makes you healthier.”

Great analogies, but it sure as hell didn’t tell me much more than I already knew.

“It’s all part of your Constitution,” said Lord Wigram, seeing my frown. “The Constitution is the wellspring of our vitality, health if you will. It defines the regeneration of your body and gives it toughness, resilience, and resistance to unforgiving elements such as temperature, magic, and poisons.”

“Isn’t it better to have a bonus directly to the Constitution, then?” At least that’s what it sounded like to me.

He smiled, obviously not hearing the question for the first time. “It is not, Miss Grey! The Constitution is a broad term. In my opinion, dividing it into five aspects is too simplistic, but it is what it is. Vitality, resilience, toughness, regeneration, and resistance. Every single one of them is just a simplification of a much more complex issue. Vitality is the most comprehensive and therefore takes up sixty percent of the Constitution. The other four, then only one-tenth of it each. So...” He paused, waiting for me to continue. But as much as I thought about it, I kept thinking that a 35% increase in the Constitution would be better. After all, it would raise all five aspects by 35% instead of just three.

I was at my wit’s end, and the Imperial Chief Healer noticed it. “Taking regeneration as an example, Unbending Resilience raises the ten percent of the constitution up to forty-five.”

“Will it take the ratio from the others, or...?”

“It’s an added extra, quite something, isn’t it? The Constitution is just the basis for these aspects, and they can go well beyond that.”

Doing some mental calculations, I paused. “Are you saying that so far, my resilience, and the rest, has been pathetic?”

“Pretty much, girl,” Deckard said with a smirk, frowning at Lord Wigram. “Though I could have told you that straight away and not made a lesson of it.”

“I wouldn’t have to if you had explained it properly to your apprentice yourself. Don’t you think it’s important to understand how our bodies work and how the system operates?”

“I’m not arguing about that, I’m just...” he said and paused, sighing. “You know what? Forget it. What else you got there, girl?”

Silent Prowl

Active I

Every move you make is refined, and every step you take light as a leaf in the wind, falling to deaf ears. With the ability to mask your presence, slow down your heartbeat, and steady your breathing, you can hide from the senses of your prey, should you choose to hunt from the shadows or cover of the bush.

Your grace increased by 35%.

Another aspect? Of Dexterity, if I had to guess, like speed. Anyway, the skill itself was similar to Slave skill Faint Presence, only more impressive.

“Not for fighters, huh? I’d say...scouts, rogues...and thieves?”

“Good assessment, girl. I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Lord Wigram hummed in agreement. “I can’t say much about this one, except that the ability of some rangers to hide is truly astounding. This doesn’t give me that feeling, though. Maybe at higher tiers?”

“Don’t underestimate what you’ve heard, old man. She could become basically invisible to those on the same level as her. I once had to hunt down a bastard half my level...to make a long story short, he was damn hard to chase down, even with trackers in our unit.”

“Would they have a hard time finding me, too? If I had Silent Prowl, I mean. Your domain, perception, or whatever it is, is really amazing.” It wasn’t my intention to flatter him. I was just telling the plain truth.

“Spells and counterspells, skills, and counter skills, didn’t I mention that earlier? It doesn’t matter if you’re on the battlefield or in the city.”

The hell! He could have just said he’d have no trouble finding my sorry ass. But comparing others to him was not quite so objective. Skill might as well be able to help me hide in case someone tries to kidnap me again.

No!

That was not the path I wanted to take, hiding like a coward. If it came down to kidnapping or something, I wanted to face it head-on, fight back, and Silent Prowl simply wasn’t a skill I could imagine would be helpful in doing so.

Mantle of Magic

Active I

Magic is not a concept unknown to humans or beasts, let alone to you. The mantle allows you to surround yourself with a veil of mana, seep it into your flesh and bone, and by doing so, infuse your moves, attacks, and defenses with the power of magic. It is entirely up to you what kind you choose to use, as magic is limited only by your imagination.

“I didn’t expect that with the Deviant of Humanity, fascinating,” Lord Wigram said before I could give it any thought. “Enchanting magic, quite versatile, don’t you agree?”

His enthusiasm was incredible, yet Deckard didn’t share it. “Sure is, if you have enough mana and can control the magic properly. That takes time and skill slots that more useful skills could fill.”

“I agree that becoming a proper mage takes time, but you have to admit how helpful magic can be. You said yourself that in certain situations, you have to use a different type of attack, a weapon. Magic can give you that and more. It can be piercing, cut like a blade, or burn like the sun.”

“Yeah, and when will she be capable of such magic? Even with the skill, in a year, two, or more? By that time, she may be well past the 200 level, and so her skills.”

“Hmm...I didn’t take into account her rapid growth. That can indeed cause problems...though she is not the only one gifted in magic, but with a lack of wits.”

“Hey!” Did I hear that right? He said I was stupid, didn’t he? Not daring to shout out loud at the Imperial Chief Healer, I at least growled.

“My apologies, Miss Grey.” he said, realizing his slip. “What I meant is that not everyone gifted in magic has sufficient understanding of it, hence the tools. A skilled mage doesn’t need to use Silencer or Thread in the Labyrinth. I know, Deckard, they do, but that’s because they’re lazy.”

“So I could use tools to enchant myself even without the skill?”

“Unfortunately, no. Tools can’t function as body enchantments. Neither earrings nor piercings work that way. If you want to use body enchantments, rune circles must be engraved directly on the body.”

Engraved? What the actual fuck! Or perhaps he meant...

“Tattoos…you mean tattoos?”

“Yes, you have to get runic circles tattooed on your body to use the enchantments. At that moment, it’s easy, you just fill them with the mana needed for activation, and that’s it.”

“So what’s the point of the Mantle of Magic?”

“It should make it easier for you to use the enchantments, learn to use them faster. Since you are not a trained mage, it will still take you a while. Well, on higher tiers, such skills tend to increase enchantment’s effectiveness and reduce mana needs. As you grow, your enchantments will grow in power as well, something rune circles can’t give you. What’s more, only a limited number of them can fit on your body, whereas mentioned in the description, with the skill their number is limited only by your imagination.”

“And by how quickly she learns to use them,” Deckard added, lest I forget, this is not Fireball Skill, but a much broader one.

In my wild imagination, flame enveloped my fists, and I could fly thanks to wings backed by magic, though he was right. How long will it take me to master that?

Clandestine Terror

Active I

You’re different, and you know it. Yet, you found yourself yearning to transcend the confines of your species, venturing where others of your kind dare not, yet share a meal with them. Change is something you embrace, but your kind despises. So you can either choose to conceal your deviation and walk as an equal among your fellow humans, or grasp your new nature and strike terror into their hearts.

‘You can choose to conceal your deviation.’ If it meant what I thought it meant, then...

Without further hesitation and waiting for the reactions of the two, I chose this skill. If it was a one like Tail of Poison Empress, or my double speed, I should be able to activate it. To some extent at least. The only tricks part was to distinguish the concealment from the terror striking whatever.

There!

As my mana drained, I felt a bit of tension leave me. It was a strain that I didn’t even know was in my body.

Wrong. I knew it was there. I simply learned to deal with it. Hard to describe, yet if I had to, it would be the wildness I gained after Dungreen’s experiments. I felt more human now.

Oblivious to my perception, I looked down at my hands, where bracelets of white fur adorned my wrists for a year now.

And they still did!

With a clenched heart and teary eyes, I looked down at my waist. There, still visible to the naked eye, was Sage curled around it. Proof that the skill didn’t work, at least not the way I thought it would.

Perhaps I messed up and activated the terror side of the skill or didn’t activate it at all!

Wishful thinking, I knew that. My expectations were just too high, and that made it harder to admit that this was not a skill that would make me look human again. Yet I had to. So I wiped my eyes, lowered my ears, and looked at the two, feeling bad for my behavior.

“Sorry!”

“For what? I told you to try all the skills, girl.”

Lord Wigram returned my look with a sad smile. “I truly am sorry it didn’t meet your expectations.”

“Did it do anything at all?”

Deckard snorted. “Frankly, it’s weird.”

“What, me?” I checked myself this time by perception, but nothing really changed. The same freak as ever.

“Yes, you girl. It’s barely there, but it’s like you’ve become less dangerous,” he said, pausing for the right word. “You’re giving me the vibe of an ordinary gal, despite what I’m seeing.”

“I would not describe it differently,” said Lord Wigram. “It’s my guess, but skill affects our senses, how we perceive you. Right now, as one of the humans, which you are anyway.”

“But now I appear more human?”

“Yes, Miss Grey. I believe that if you had chosen the other way around, we would have seen you more as a beast.”

“Ah...so it’s sort of like my presence?”

To my surprise, Lord Wigram mentioned to Deckard to explain.

“Can you give it a try?” He asked me instead of answering.

Should I? Did I really want to? Actually, that wasn’t the right question. Was I afraid? Perhaps the wrong one too, as I shouldn’t give a fuck. I was in no danger of turning into a beast here, and I had used my presence countless times. In fact, it hadn’t even been that long since the soldiers in the room had pointed their weapons at me because of it.

Concentrating, I struggled for a moment to get it right, to switch to my beast part, but when I did, I knew it instantly. The barely noticeable strain in my body returned, neither weaker nor stronger. However, I felt more at ease.

“You seem strangely happy,” Deckard remarked, instead of telling me if he saw me more like a beast or not. He was right, though. Thinking about it, it wasn’t my humanity that was gone, but the worries and concerns that troubled my human mind. Everything suddenly seemed simpler, a queer feeling that made me realize how much I had been overthinking it all.

After checking myself for any changes to my body, I looked back at Deckard, a smile plastered on my face. “Do I seem more like a beastie to you? Are you stricken with terror?”

He laughed. “With skill at level one, you’re hardly going to scare me.”

“You still look the same, Miss Grey. If I had to say, your skill makes me focus more on your mutations and makes you a bigger beast. However, it’s hard for me to say. Perhaps it would be better if someone more...ordinary gave you their opinion than the two of us.”

Ah, they must have had a ton of skills that prevented them from being affected by skills like this one. What kind of skill was it, anyway?

“Is it a presence, then? The result of what I’ve learned, as you said with the Sense of Beast?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I was wondering if it was. That would certainly be fascinating, but no. Presence as such has never been a skill. It is a manifestation of your power that you are intentionally letting out for others to be aware of. There is no skill to make it stronger. It’s just about your will.

“As I said, it’s hard to judge, but if I had to, I’d say not so much an illusion as some kind of bending of perception. You see, if you were giving off your presence, I would feel it at any spot in the room, regardless of whether I was looking at you or out the window. But in this case, as soon as I take my eyes off you, I don’t feel anything.

“It’s like when you look at a regular person, and they make an impression on you. They may appear to you as a warm person, energetic, arrogant, and so on. However, you don’t feel any of that when you take your eyes off them.

“Definitely an obscure skill worth exploring. At higher tiers, it might even get you what you’re looking for. Now it seems more like an option for you to fit in more with the humans or the beasts.”

That was a more encompassing answer from him than I expected, and it left me at a loss as to how to respond. In the end, I resorted to a simple, “Thank you.” Then I looked at the last skill of the dozen I received with my new class, Deviant of Humanity.

Ride of Ancestors

Active I

Whether man or beast, all are born with instincts built on ancestral experience. However, the scope of this deep memory from which your instincts can draw is much broader than that of others. With them, you can gauge the strength of your adversaries, let them guide your steps in battle, dominance, and love, or simply let them find your way through life.

This sounded awesome and terrifying at the same time. I had already had my own experience of how my instincts could control my body, and it was incredibly difficult to hold them back. This skill was telling me to surrender to them and hand over that control over my actions to what, exactly? My ancestors?

To let some old geezers take control of my body. No thanks!

On the other hand...

“It would be interesting to see what your instincts have to offer you,” Lord Wigram said out loud exactly what was on my mind. “As I have pointed out before, I am of the belief that sharing knowledge helps us to grow, and from what I have heard right now, you have the chance to use the knowledge of your ancestors.”

“Most of them can be beasts, though.”

“Even beasts can provide you with valuable lessons.”

Deckard groaned. “True. From what I’ve seen, you let your instincts guide you in fights as it is. For that matter, I’d love to see you battle, driven by these ancestors of yours.”

The sound of that didn’t sit well with me at all.

“I see where your mind takes you, Miss Grey. And the truth is, you’ll never know precisely what any skill does until you try it. You may end up overwhelmed by your instincts, or your mind may become stronger. Ride of Ancestors gives you bonuses to Will and Tenacity, which are aspects of Wisdom, making your mind more resilient. Given your experience with mind mages, it could be a helpful skill.”

I wasn’t sure about that.

What I was sure of, however, was that their advice and insight on my skills didn’t make my decision on which to choose and which not that much easier.

What a headache!