Cless woke up in a bed too small for her. Silverfang was next to her, in werewolf form. She looked around and felt her whole body itch.

Deferred Stat allocation. +8 all stats. Next allocation by dawn, tomorrow.

"Wonderful day to kill a King, right, Silverfang?" The werewolf didn't answer. He just looked at Cless with admiration. "What is wrong?"

"Your aura. It has changed."

"Guess so. I did get stronger by a far margin. Say, Silverfang, do you regret coming with me?"

The werewolf scowled. He clearly disliked that kind of questions. "Why would I? I am following the strongest creature I've ever seen, you fed my kind, you released our woods from the orcs. I'll follow you for as long as these bones can last."

"Good. You deserve a reward, Silverfang. I will gift you twenty of each base Stat from my deferred pool in return for even better service. Say you accept."

"I accept."

20 stat points from each base Stat transfered from the deferred pool to Silverfang.

Silverfang howled as the power flowed into him. To Cless, it was more than a worthy trade. Now her main protector was stronger, faster, sturdier and smarter. And about sixty percent deadlier. She knew she should look at the Skills she earned from the gnomes but she was afraid. Afraid it would trigger something. She knew the passive Skills were already active, like the one that grounded her when she threw that greataxe.

Cless went outside and found her guild members busy making a pile of armor and another of weapons. How would they carry all that? She had no idea. She also saw Vic and Kurt, doing their usual friendly banter.

"I tell you, our mistress is a dragon in disguise. That's the only explanation."

"Nah. She is as human as they come. You are seeing too much."

"Kurt, you saw how she leaped a dozen meters in a single bound. Or how she bathed the town in her power. Those warlocks burned like twigs stuck in magma."

"Whatever rocks your clouds, buddy. But sticking twigs in magma do sounds rad. Hey, Cless. G'morning!"

Cless waved and reached the two monster boys. "Do you have any injury? I'm going around healing everyone. The orcs will come back to get us with a vengeance, we need to be ready. Or even better, far away."

"I got some loose scales — " Vic was cut off by Kurt.

"Nah. The snake is fine, Cless. I have some ruffled feathers in my wing, if you could — " Kurt was cut off by Vic.

"The bird is also fine. He can fly better than never." Vic concluded.

"Okay. I want you two to keep the gnome girl we rescued safe." Cless started to explain her plan. "I am going to hunt the Orc King."

"Cless, you should take care," Vic said, visibly worried. "The Orc King is a powerful warlock, he commands several types of magic. One, in particular, probably his Skill, allows him to change into any monster whose heart he consumed. That's why we were being held. He wanted our forms. He can only eat one heart a week."

"Good, I'll watch out. Silverfang and I will go, kill him and come back. And I have a gift for you. Just confirm the message."

She gave Kurt ten of each base stat and Vic ten of each Stat plus ten of Magic. Cless was afraid of hoarding too much of these Stat points and making her companions feel weaker, useless. Silverfang wouldn't be happy. Next up she looked for the gnome girl. She was in the house next to her, with Joe.

"Joe. Are you awake?"

The boy stirred but opened his eyes. "Yes." He seemed to be in pain.

"How is the arm, Joe?" She pulled the blanket to take a look. It was purple and swollen. "Joe, I am trying to fix this arm."

She went away and returned with Vic and Jimmy. Vic wrapped his tail around Joe and Jimmy put a piece of wood wrapped in leather in Joe's mouth. Cless took her knife and cut Joe's arm until she saw the bone. She then broke it again and started to use Heal spells to set the bone in place. She had to cut the flesh several times to make sure the bone was properly healed. It took her six castings of Heal to properly fix the wound. Joe was out cold from the pain by the time she finished but the arm now had a healthier color.

Next, she checked the gnome girl. Unconscious and pale, Cless used every recovery spell in her repertoire. Her entire Magic was spent treating these two. Outside, she gathered everyone.

"Ok. Guys, I want to tell you that we have already dealt a severe blow to the orcs. Without their breeding pens, they don't have how to replenish their numbers. And we killed almost as many orcs as they would have birthed if we didn't save the gnomes. At least one survivor. About you. What is the lowest level in our guild now?"

The lowest leveled one was Joe and he was level eighteen. Andre, Lance, and Kevin were already level twenty-one. They talked about splitting the treasure and escaping back home. Cless told them she was going to kill the orc king but they should go ahead and wait for her at the entrance of the canyon. They begrudgingly accepted, more because they were too tired from the constant fighting. Vic, Kurt, and Orc-Lyle would also remain with the boys. Vic and Kurt because Cless wanted to make sure the gnome girl was safe. After their chat, Cless had enough power to heal the rest of the boys. The Blind Eye was at full strength once again.

Except for the three that died during the ambush. And Lyle. Lyle was dead. That he endured in the body of an orc would be of little comfort for his family. Cless thought of Balthus, and why he sent them in this mission. In the beginning, she thought he was sending them to die knowing that Silverfang would protect her. But now she understood. He knew she was capable of doing exactly what she did. Maybe if she was a more strict leader and reined in their banter, the ambush wouldn't have happened. But that was already over. They were now veterans. Bloodied veterans.

They sent Collin and Shane scouting ahead and the group of nine warriors, one orc, one lamiak and one mawarpy carrying a gnome went off to the canyon entrance. Cless picked a greatsword from the weapons they left behind and using flametongue she set fire to the entire gnome village. Since her longsword broke, she had to use a weapon that could endure her improved Strength. Cless looked at the black metal warhammer. It was Arnold's but he gently loaned it to her. She reached the mouth of the cave with Silverfang and looked down into the darkness.

It was time to hunt a King. But before she went down, Cless thought prudent to check her Skill notifications. She took note of the names in her prayer book and looked only at the descriptions of the Skills.

Grounding (D): As long as you are touching a surface made of stone in contact with the earth, you cannot be moved against your will. Reduce blunt damage received by 35%.

Dancer’s Grace (D): Automatic proficiency in balance and all styles of dance. Increases evasion rate by 20% while moving or dancing.

Silk Hair (E): Can make hair grow in length up to hip height and shape anywhere between fully straight or fully curled. Hair remains always silky, alive and in shape.

Great Leap (D): Jump distance increased by (100 + level x3)%. Automatic proficiency in jumping.

Earth Magic ⦅C⦆: Unlock Magic Stat. User can wield Earth magic as an Elementalist(Earth) equal to own level.

Tremorsense (D): Can sense the location of any creature within Intellect x2 meters that is touching the ground or stone connected to the ground.

Gemsense (D): Can sense location of unmined raw gems within the earth at a radius Intellect x10 meters.

Ore sense (D): Can sense location of ore veins within the earth at a radius of Intellect x10 meters.

Brownie Magic (D): Unlock Magic Stat. User can wield House magic as a Brownie equal to own level.

Courtier’s Charm (D): Unlock Charisma Stat. Automatic proficiency in etiquette, carousing, flirting, heraldry, and riding.

Gardener’s touch (F): Grant great health to plants under extended care.

Hearth’s warmth (E): When inside an artificial structure, keep temperature and moisture at comfortable levels.

Seamstress Talent (E): Automatic proficiency in tailor, weaving, embroidery, and knitting.

Wanderlust (E): For each three kilometers traveled each day, reduce stamina consumption for the remaining travel of the day by 10%, cumulative. Maximum reduction of 80%.

Sling Mastery (D): Automatic proficiency with sling. Increase range and damage of sling by (20 + level x 4)%.

Perfect pitch (E): Can perfectly recognize musical notes. Can recognize timbre of musical instruments and people’s voices.

Singers’ Talent (D): Unlock Charisma Stat. Automatic proficiency in singing. Own voice becomes silky and pleasant. +5 bonus to any proficiency involving speech.

Master Miner ⦅C⦆: Automatic proficiency with mining and pickaxe. Stamina costs of mining reduced by (10 + level)%, maximum of 95%. Speed of mining increased by (50 + level x2)%.

Wide Vision (E): Angle of vision is increased by 30 degrees in all sides.

Florist’s Wonder (F): All flowers raised by user are worth twice as much and last four times more.

Coin Sense (E): Can sense counterfeit or shaved coins. Can count and evaluate any amount of coins instantly even inside a pouch.

Weavertouch (E): Can repair fabric, cloth and leather clothing and armor with a touch.

Spellslinger (D): Reduce magic power cost of spells by (level x 0.2)%

Burrower Bond (E): Can form familiar bonds and communicate with burrowing mammals.

Goblin Slayer (E): Against goblins, consider own level as five higher. Deal (level)% extra damage to goblins and hobgoblins.

Architectural Ingenuity (E): Automatic proficiency with architecture. Structures designed and built to specifications gain 2x durability.

Craftsmen ⦅C⦆: Gain the Craftsmen profession at a third of own level.

Lady’s Countenance (E): Automatic proficiency with etiquete. Always appear dignified.

Night Vision (D): Can see in low light conditions up to 10x better.

Poison Resistance (D): Reduce duration and damage of poisons and venoms by 80%.

Merchant sense (D): Can sense if the price of trade goods is above or lower than actual market value.

Illusionist ⦅C⦆: Unlocks Magic Stat. User can cast Illusion magic as an Illusionist equal to own level.

Trapsense (D): Receive a up to 5 second warning when about to trigger a trap.

Heavy Handed (D): When wielding a heavy weapon, triple all knockback.

Icewalk (D): Move on ice or snow at a normal rate without leaving trail or slipping. Can tolerate temperatures below 10 C as if they were up to (5 + level x 0.5) Celsius higher.

Farmer (D): Gain the farmer profession at a third of own level.

Druidwalk (D): Move on forest or vegetation and through undergrowth or shrubs at a normal rate without leaving trail or snagging clothing.

Tree refuge (E): Can enter and hide within the trunk of trees wide enough to hold the user.

Gravebreath (E): Can remain without breathing for up to two hours when buried or enclosed in dirt, gravel, sand or stone.

Succubus’ Kiss ⦅B⦆: Automatic proficiency in seduction, sexual technique, and etiquette. Triple the pleasure of sexual partners and at the user's will, trigger immediate climax. Drains 6,66% of partner’s total Exp points (partner is not aware of the drain and might lose levels) with each intimate contact. You gain 10% of the drained Exp.

Twin Strike (D): After killing an enemy, repeat the same attack to an adjacent enemy.

Curmudgeon crafter (D): Can craft an object, recipe, or structure using only 80% of raw materials or parts.

Some of them were very gnomish. But there's one in the mix she had no desire to have and she wondered why the hell the thing was B-rank. Well, that's the gnomes' legacy. After reviewing the list of Skills, she stood at the mouth of the cave with Silverfang. The orcs were conspicuously missing. She checked the two bundles of a hundred arrows strapped to her back, the quiver at her back and hip on both sides and her gear. Everything was good to go.

"We are going in, Silverfang." — "Protection. Blessing."

The girl and the lycan entered the cave. She soon started to sense the presence of orcs hiding alongside some formations. Some torches sparsely distributed shed faint light, only enough for the orcs to see. If Cless didn't earn a night vision Skill from the gnomes. It tripled the radius of any light source. She nocked her composite longbow and shot an orc. And another. And another.

"Keep moving, Silverfang."

She noticed she didn't get experience. She pulled up the notification proper.

For defeating 3 orcs under your level threshold (15) you earned no Experience Points.

It was as she thought. The level threshold starts at twenty levels below your own, like the rodents in the cave, and increases by ten levels each twentieth level. Cless won't earn Experience for targets thirty levels below her own. Once she reaches level fifty, it will stop and expand until at level sixty it will be forty levels below her own. Which might be the reason Balthus and Karen didn't exterminate the orcs... Maybe they softened them and then sent her with the guild. Crafty little fellows.

Cless kept going down the cave. There was a rail in the middle, probably for a minecart. She didn't see one near the entrance but she wasn't looking for it. She kept shooting at the orcs she could sense. The fewer orcs left the less they could destroy. Then she entered a huge hall, supported by pillars. She couldn't sense any orcs nearby and the hall was bigger than her tremorsense range. Cless decided to take a look. so she threw her spell right at the edge of her range.

"Light."

She could see the whole room as if it were daylight. There was a wall, with a gate. Several stairs led up the wall on both sides and the crenelations were on the far side. Orc crowded the top of the wall, staring at the magical light that appeared. This wall was made to keep something coming from the depths. She looked around but saw no orc king. There were more than two hundred meters to the wall and no orcs on the ground. Perfect for some sniping.

Cless renewed her spells and took a good look at the orcs on the wall. She could see berserkers, warriors, and knights. She was afraid the knights would just block the arrow with their stupid shields. The warriors were slower than the berserkers so they became her favorite target. She readied her bow, nocked an arrow, set her feet on the right position and breathed.

The third arrow was in the air when the first hit. A berserker took the arrow on the throat and fell down the wall. Cless kept shooting and the orcs were in disarray. Cless could see them but they couldn't see her. The knights pointed at the origin of the arrows and the orcs started to climb down the stairs. Cless had a mindset to only shoot, shoot, and shoot. She missed some when the berserkers moved but now she could compensate for their movement. The first quiver was empty and she moved to the second on her hip.

The knights remained on the wall. Only berserkers, scouts, and warriors were coming at her. Now that they were moving in a straight line, she just lined up the bow at their heads and fired away. Even if the one she aimed at dodged, the other behind it would take the arrow. She was about thinning numbers. The second quiver ran out and it was time for the melee. Cless took the black warhammer and ran toward the horde with Silverfang on her side.

They wove their way among the throng of orcs like two dancers in a royal ballroom of carnage. Warhammer and claw, fang and even a kick here and there. They wove their path through the orcs, leaving a trail of bodies. Not all of them were dead but dying was just as good. She stole a glance at the walls and the knights were not coming. Different from what happened at the gnome village, the orcs were not fleeing. They were fighting as if there was no other outcome than victory or defeat in this hall. She was near the King and she knew it.

She should've ripped their language from one of them. Too late now. They moved across the huge hall and after a gruesome gauntlet, there were no more orcs to fight. Even with all her stamina buffs, Cless was panting. She knew Silverfang was as tired as she was but he stoically showed nothing.

They had time. The knights on the wall laughed at her. They weren't in range of Holy Bolts or she would test their immunity to ranged attacks. Without anything else to do, they moved toward the wall. Time for notifications.

For defeating 95 orcs you gained 88,666 Experience Points. You reached level 47. +1 Stat point. Your professions leveled up.

She stopped at the edge of her Holy Bolt range. She shot, the Knight defended. She shot, defended. She shot the third one, the knight's shield broke. It wouldn't do. There were twelve knights on the walls, she wouldn't spend that much magic.

"Welcome, my dearest." A voice rang in the cavern. "So kind of you to trim my weak progeny so I can breed only the strongest."

"Come over here to get yours, Orc King. Your days are numbered, and its a zero!" She answered. Cless was unsure of what to say and tried some made phrases to sound tough.

"Brave, brave girl. I wonder what kind of warlock will be birthed from your womb! Give yourself willingly and I'll treat you well."

"With all due respect, your Majesty. Go fuck yourself. Or gather these knights there and shove them up your ass. The only way I'm touching you is to murder or neuter your sorry hide."

"A feisty one. Wallow in pain and learn your place, human! Servant of the Celestials, burn!" He chanted a prayer in a dark language. "Desecrate!"

A wave of dark energy washed over the whole room, not unlike the reversal of her Hallow spell. Cless held her breath as it approached her and gritted her teeth while it passed. And then... nothing.

"Eh. Was that supposed to tickle?" She asked.

"What? Impossible! You are a priestess of the Celestials! It is not... Desecrate!" The dark wave came and went. Cless was not impressed.

"You gotta do better than that. How about showing your sorry ass here so I can murder you and go on with my day?"

If only to prove her point, Cless picked the Knight with the broken shield and blasted him with a couple Holy Bolts. The other Knights went for the mechanism holding the gate. The massive metal-laden doors swung slowly. She felt a huge presence coming on the other side of the door through tremorsense. Cless wouldn't give it any chance of coming through. She shot Holy Bolts through the gap. That was why they didn't come down. A creature with the front paws of a lion, the hindquarters of a goat, and three heads, dragon, goat, and lion, broken wings so it wouldn't fly and a snake for a tail.

A very angry and vicious chimera.

The beast wasted no time. As soon as it was able to squeeze through the gate it did and ran for Cless. She shot two more holy bolts at its eyes but only managed to irritate it even more. Cless recast Protection and Blessing on both of them and tumbled to the side to avoid the pounce of the chimera. The monster roared and the snake tail came toward Cless. She batted it aside and tried to close in to get a blow on its body. A huge claw swatted her aside. She couldn't see Silverfang but there were other problems.

Notably, the chimera was too fast even for her. The dragon head, with its long neck, was snapping after her and she had to dodge away from the other heads. She could either attack or dodge but not both and she was grateful that the heads were not coordinating among each other to catch her. They seemed to compete against themselves. Cless gained some distance and shot another Holy Bolt at the eyes of the beast. It hit but there was some dark aura surrounding it that absorbed her magic. She ducked under a claw and once again hit the snake tail away. The chimera roared and she felt her heart stop for a moment. It was what the monster's tail needed to bite her.

Cless felt the poison burn her left arm and feared for her life. She had no doubt the venom was deadly. She thought about her options but saw none. Another paw came at her and she dodged forward. Her arm was blackening out from the hole where the massive stinger hit her. Cless got on her feet and found herself underneath the manticore. The beast was too high level for her. She heard the goat head scream and knew it was Silverfang's doing. The snake tail that was looking for her changed its focus to get the werewolf.

She had little time. The chimera would kill the lycan. She could hit its belly but there was no leverage. Cless looked around and saw the creature's dong hanging on its underside. She readied the warhammer to hit it and thought it would hurt.

And then she had a crazy thought and figured out something that would hurt it even more. Before her conscience could tell her it was a bad idea, Cless jumped and stroke the chimera's privates, but not to wound it. The beast roared but not from pain. Cless was ashamed but the whispers in her ear soothed that.

You earned 16,550 Exp from your Skill.

The chimera froze and the organ grew in size. Cless grabbed and stroke it once more. The chimera's dragon head roared but the lion one purred. It was paralyzed.

You earned 15,447 Exp from your Skill.

She saw a shower of blood coming from where the goat head should be and the chimera was still frozen in place, twitching. There was also a shower of something else hitting and sticking to its front paws but she was not in front of it and made a point to ignore what was that. If the chimera remained immobile, Silverfang could kill it. Cless kissed goodbye to her dignity and rubbed the thing again. The chimera roared and the goat head was severed.

You earned 14,419 Exp from your Skill. You reached level 48.

Leveling up eased the pain of the venom. Thanks to the gnome Skills, it was also greatly reduced in both potency and duration. More blood coming from the rear side this time. Cless kept the chimera paralyzed with her Skill and triggered its member three more times before the snake head also came crashing down. She stroked it two more times and fled through the rear of the monster. The chimera lost seventeen levels and Cless gained two. That should be enough to close the fighting gap.

You gained 58,792 Exp from your Skill. You reached level 49. +1 Stat point.

She hit its rear leg at the ankle while Silverfang was severing the dragon head. This time her blows did damage and the dark aura that protected it was gone. Blood gushed from the missing goat and snake parts. Cless broke its paw and Silverfang severed the dragon head. The chimera had only the lion head to control the body. Cless was about to break the other hind paw when she was kicked with enough force to send her into the gates. She didn't move because of one of the gnomes' Skills but she was stunned.

The chimera stumbled and crashed down. Silverfang came out of the lion's mane with the claws covered in blood and golden fur.

For defeating a level 55 chimera you gained 3,367 Experience Points. For defeating a level 55 orc you gained 4,897 Experience Points. For using your Class skills you gained 12,000 Experience Points. You reached level 50. Your profession leveled up.

Cless recovered her senses and saw the chimera shifting, its footing unstable. It shrunk and its skin turned into a pale shade of green. The severed heads didn't change back. The Orc King was dead. After she healed her arm, its knights joined their sovereign. The cavern was dead. Silverfang picked up the dragon head and they went out back into the surface.

For killing 6 orcs you earned 15428 Experience Points.

Cless never told anyone about how she killed the chimera.

Name: Cless (no surname)

Race: Human.

Level: 50 ( 1,261,681 / 1,275,000 Exp )

Class: Cleric 25 (300,000 Exp / ** )

Profession — Warmaster 18 (155,289 / 171,000 Exp) — Weaponmaster 18 (155,289 / 171,000 Exp)

Base Stats — Strength: 33 — Agility: 33 [51] — Health: 43 — Intellect: 54 — Magic: 94 — Charisma: 10

Available Status Points: 106

Skills: [ Absolute Contract (S) ], [ Giant's Stamina (E) ], [ Trick Shot (D) ], [ Dangersense ⦅C⦆ ], [ Nimble Step (D) ], [ Eat Anything ⦅C⦆ ],

[ Elven Longevity ⦅C⦆ ], [ Tinker (D) ], [ Grounding (D) ], [ Dancer’s Grace (D) ], [ Silk Hair (E) ], [ Great Leap (D) ], [ Earth Magic ⦅C⦆ ],

[ Tremorsense (D) ], [ Gemsense (D) ], [ Ore sense (D) ], [ Brownie Magic (D) ], [ Courtier’s Charm (D) ], [ Gardener’s touch (F) ],

[ Hearth’s warmth (E) ], [ Seamstress Talent (E) ], [ Wanderlust (E) ], [ Sling Mastery (D) ], [ Perfect pitch (E) ], [ Singers’ Talent (D) ],

[ Master Miner (E) ], [ Wide Vision (E) ], [ Florist’s Wonder (F) ], [ Coin Sense (E) ], [ Weavertouch (E) ], [ Spellslinger (D) ],

[ Burrower Bond (E) ], [ Goblin Slayer (E) ], [ Architectural Ingenuity (E) ], [ Craftsmen ⦅C⦆ ], [ Lady’s Countenance (E) ], [ Night Vision (D) ],

[ Poison Resistance (D) ], [ Merchant sense (D) ], [ Illusionist ⦅C⦆ ], [ Trapsense (D) ], [ Heavy Handed (D) ], [ Icewalk (D) ], [ Farmer (D) ],

[ Druidwalk (D) ], [ Tree refuge (E) ], [ Gravebreath (E) ], [ Succubus’ Kiss ⦅B⦆ ], [ Twin Strike (D) ], [ Curmudgeon crafter (D) ]

Proficiencies:

Appraisal — Status: 22

Crafting — Crude Weapons: 5 — Arrows: 1

Magic, Cleric

— Mending: 28 — Detoxify: 16 — Light: 24 — Turn Undead: 4 — Blessing: 26 (+10) — Holy Bolt: 40 (+16) — Purify: 10 — Protection: 31 (+10)

— Hallow: 25 — Flametongue: 1 — Cure: 1 — Uncurse: 1 — Banish: 1 — Heal: 7 — Warding: 1 — Revivify: 10

General — Prayer: 27 — Scribe: 2 — Houseworking: 6 — Math: 3 — Reading: 12 — Forestry: 9 — Skinning: 7 — Herbalism: 3 — Sabotage: 2

Social, general — Negotiation: 15 — Persuasion: 3 — Bluff: 6

Social, martial — Leadership: 28 — Intimidation: 31 (+10) — Tactics: 26

Movement — Tumbling: 3 — Stealth: 3 — Sneak: 3

Weapon — Long Blades: 27 — Short Blades: 2 — Unarmed: 27 (+16) — Archery: 28 — Spears: 3 — Maces: 32 (+10) — Staves: 4 — Axes: 9