“That’s pretty fucked up,” Freyde grumbled as he and the others listened to my story. “I knew they treated slaves differently in Arda, but this is really sickening.”

“Can’t they...fix you back?” Harper asked. “Make you human again?”

“No, I asked.”

“Maybe you just didn’t ask the right people. Healers can work miracles.”

Her concern caught me off guard and warmed my heart. Underneath the crust of the badass baker, she seemed to be a warm person, after all.

“But those miracles usually cost some hefty sum,” argued the not-quite-elf. “Gold coins, dozens.”

Before they started arguing or offering to help me, I had to set things straight. “It was the Imperial Chief Healer who told me.”

It took them a while to process what I said. However, I expected them to be more shocked. Instead, Freyde just sighed. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Is he a good healer? I haven’t heard of him.” Meneur asked frankly.

“If he’s any good? He’s just the best healer in Sahal.”

“Frey’s right. He’s the best.” Harper nodded. “Honestly, Korra, if he’s the one who told you, you’re screwed.”

“I know.” The amount of dismay in my voice caught me off guard. To gloss over it and allay their fears, I smiled. “You don’t have to worry about me, though. I’ve made my peace with it. In fact, that’s why I was able to go so far with the change.”

It was more complicated than that, but I didn’t want to go into detail over the food. Recalling my time in the cellar has taken away enough of my appetite already.

“How did you manage that? Talk to him?” Freyde asked. “From what I heard, he is a pretty eccentric old guy known for turning down many invitations, including those of the Lords.”

“Well...” I paused, thinking. Telling them he was here for me might be too much.

“You’re talking about Lord Wigram, right?” Meneur asked. “From what I’ve heard, Lord Wigram is the best healer of the Sahal Empire.”

Harper raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? I thought you didn’t know anything about him, big guy?”

“Becoming a guardsman was not some rash decision. Before I left my clan, I made sure I knew what I was leaving it for. So I know that Lieutenant Janina used to be Lord Wigram’s apprentice.” He then looked at the young baker more sharply. “...and I dare you not to call me that.”

“Oh, come on. What’s not to like about a big guy...look at you.”

“He’s right, though,” I said. “Lord Wigram was her mentor.”

Nice save, Meneur! The rest was up to them to figure out. But I wondered how he found out. Was it such readily available information? What about Rayden and the others? Morton was surprised by her power, even horrified by who she might be. Unfortunately, he didn’t get a chance to say it out loud.

As I pondered about mind mages and agents of the Empire, the thought crossed my mind. “Did you know he was watching our fight?”

“Who?” Harper asked. “You need to be more specific. There were dozens of peepers.” Yeah, more than they knew. For example, Sah. But he wasn’t the one I had in mind.

“Imperial Chief Healer.”

“Balls!” cursed Freyde.

“Fuck me twice! You’re not kidding, right?”

Their shocked reactions made me grin. “Nope.”

“Fuck.” she cursed again. “I should’ve tried harder. How do you know?”

“How do you think? Deckard told me.”

“I see you’re done stuffing yourself, girl.” His voice in my mind scared the shit out of me. His timing was incredible, almost like he was listening to us. He wasn’t, was he? It should be impossible with the Silencer on. That damn thing was on, right?

It was.

Where was he, anyway? A quick look around, and I found him standing leaning in the doorway to the mess hall.

“Is something wrong? I thought I had all the time I wanted.” Or so I’ve been told. All the time and food I wanted was the deal.

“Well, you did, but you’ve been here over an hour, and the old man is getting impatient.”

“Lord Wigram?” I planned to talk to Deckard, not the Imperial Chief Healer.

“He was pretty fascinated by what you displayed there on the training ground. So, get your ass over here!”

“But...” I grumbled out loud at the sight of the unfinished tray of food.

“Is something wrong, Korra?” Meneur asked.

“You spaced out all of a sudden.”

Harper nodded. “As the pointy ear said, you flinched, spaced out, and now the growling.”

One more disgruntled growl escaped my throat. It was their fault. If they let me finish eating and didn’t ask stupid questions, I wouldn’t have to leave unfinished food. What a waste!

“Sorry, guys, I gotta go.” With a jerk of my head, I gestured to the door. Then I deactivated the Silencer, shoved it in the storage, stuffed my mouth full, and ran to return the tray.

“Later,” I said my goodbye as I walked back around their table.

***

“Don’t get me wrong, but she’s weird,” Harper grumbled as Korra and Deckard left the mess hall together. “How the fuck did she know he was standing there?”

“Union rings. Haven’t you noticed?” Freyde asked. “She had one on her hand.”

Meneur nodded. “Quite ingenious, considering she can’t communicate in her beast form.”

“Yeah, that,” she said and shivered. “Seeing her turning into a beast gave me the creeps. Don’t tell me, you both found it normal, old men.”

“Who do you take for an old man, brat?” snorted back the bookkeeper, but then think about it. “But to your question, no, not really. She wasn’t that hot, is all. What I find unnerving is that something like this could easily happen to us. I’m sure you’ve heard gossips of seekers being altered by the monsters down there in the labyrinth, and some have turned into beasts themselves.”

“Just talk to scare off the pussies.”

“The truth, nevertheless,” Meneur boomed. “I’ve seen some warriors come back with beast madness overshadowing their minds and altered bodies instead of wounds that spoke of their valor. Korra had undoubtedly turned into a beast, yet reason remained in her eyes. A frightening combination to face, so I’m glad she’s in our squad. Plus, when she changed you could see her holding the beast back.”

“Wow, you hardly ever talk that much,” Freyde said in wonder.

“You mean she had trouble keeping her wits about her?”

Meneur shook his head. “No, Harper. I mean, she hasn’t shown us her full strength yet.”

The trio glanced towards the mess hall door, wondering who exactly their newest squad member was and what other secrets she was hiding.

***

“Miss Grey,” cried Lord Wigram enthusiastically before I could give him my greetings. “I was sure you’d surprise me again, and I’m thrilled to have been correct. What you displayed down there was simply marvelous.” Okay, his elation was no less than the last time I saw him, but a proper greeting had to come first. The looks of the imperial soldiers standing around the room warned me otherwise.

I placed my hands over my belly and did a forty-five-degree bow. “My Lord.”

The Imperial Chief Healer laughed. “Nicely done, a bit rough around the edges.” How could it not be? I asked Deckard for a proper greeting on the way here. There was no time to practice the greeting of the nobility by peasants, I mean by ordinary people. It was good enough for the soldiers not giving me the evil eye, though.

“So what was it? The third tier of Beast?” he asked.

“Yes and no, I pushed into the third tier.” I tried to explain, not knowing if what I was saying made sense or if it was true.

However, his question made me realize I hadn’t even looked at the skill description yet. Really dumb of me.

Beast: lvl 30

Passive III

Humans can say what they want, but there is a bit of a beast in each of them. Yet, there is more beast in you than is typical of humans. Why not accept it and admit that you are stronger than a purebred human because of it? Strength and Constitution increased by 77%(70%) → 110%(100%)

II - Acceptance is one thing, but letting out the beast within you another. As you have learned, it is not so easy to control your instincts in that state, but do it, and your Strength and Constitution will increase by up to 22%(20%) → 33%(30%)

III - You’re a beast, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And the beast you are is quick on her feet and heal fast. Your speed and regeneration increase by up to 22%(20%)

Yeah, just as I thought, third-tier brought me a significant increase in constitution and strength. Really really big one. Somewhat surprisingly, the speed and regeneration too. I welcomed the speed, but the regeneration...frankly, right now, it was giving me more trouble than it was worth. Seriously, if I had to pay for the food I just ate, I’d be broke. I certainly couldn’t afford to give in so much to the beast anytime soon.

“Please don’t make me change here?”

Lord Wigram chuckled. “That would be very irresponsible of me, Miss Grey. I saw what it cost you, and I can see how malnourished you still are.”

Was I? Not able to refrain from checking my body, I had to say it was true. Even in that hateful cellar, I looked healthier as my bones were more prominent under my skin than ever before. The healer must have done a worse job than I thought, and perhaps he didn’t even deserve my thanks.

“Oh, in the short time he had, that man did a good job,” Lord Wigram said, smiling wryly at the fact that he could read my open body language. “Getting you to an ideal state, however, would require more than a few minutes. Malnutrition is not to be taken lightly, right Deckard?”

“Don’t worry, sir. We had this conversation.” He responded defensively to Imperial Chief Healer’s somewhat accusatory tone. “She just decided to wait until after class evolution, before she chooses the right skills.”

“Apologies, then.” He smiled innocently. “Truly, a wise decision, considering you achieved that rather quickly.”

“Rather quickly?” I couldn’t resist asking. After all, almost everyone I spoke to seemed shocked at how quickly I leveled up.

“It’s not as unusual as you think, Miss Grey,” he said, frowning at Deckard as if blaming him for not telling me this either. He returned the look and shifted his weight, saying nothing. To do so would be to fall for the old man’s game.

There was no blame in my heart for my mentor, though. I was his apprentice for how long now? Three days? That wasn’t a lot of time for him to tell me everything, especially not if I didn’t ask.

“You see, many people, especially adventurers out there in the wilderness, or seekers down in the depths of the labyrinths, find themselves in a situation where they have to give it their all. It’s in these situations where we grow the most. But you see the catch?”

“I died,” I blurted out. “I mean, they must put their lives on the line.”

“Exactly, Miss Grey. Even with your extraordinary regeneration, which gave me a pleasant surprise, and I realize we didn’t discuss properly last time, you found yourself in a situation where you couldn’t do without help.”

“And you didn’t even win, girl,” Deckard added.

“True, quite a precarious situation, should you find yourself fighting a monster. That’s why expeditions into the deep are undertaken in parties, groups, and units. Only a fool would do that on his own.”

“Or those who are capable of doing it on their own.”

“Then why don’t they train the way I did?” I asked, ignoring their banter.

“If only it were that easy, Miss Grey.” Lord Wigram chuckled. “You see, effort will get you far, if your determination holds out, very far, but it won’t be as fast without pushing your limits. For you, this was the first such battle, something new, very unorthodox for a Slave to do. You had to adapt, find a novel way to fight that man. Now tell me what happens when you’ve had a dozen of these fights under your belt or hundreds?”

“Mmm...” I had to actually think about it. “I’ll have more experience and know better how to fight them.”

“In other words, it becomes routine for you. And, of course, you can challenge a stronger opponent who uses different techniques and weapons. That’s nothing new, and that’s why arenas exist. But in the end, it will just be another match with a human. Such fights will give you less and less. In other words, you will level slower and slower.”

It was pretty obvious he was trying to tell me something, I was just too slow to take the hint. Or was I?

“You’re talking about classes, right?” I asked, and when he smiled and motioned for me to continue, I did so. “I need to challenge my class? Like finding new ways to use it? Oh, like I did with the Slave.”

“Bright you are,” he said with satisfaction. “Make no mistake, though. It’s not as easy as it sounds, otherwise there’d be hundreds of people running around here at my level or your mentor’s. As you progress, you will find fewer and fewer things that will enrich your understanding. It’s also one of the reasons why I find you hybrids so fascinating. You are something new, which makes me in search of a way to help you think differently.”

“You leveled up because of me?”

He laughed. “The credit is not yours alone. I met my first hybrid almost four years ago.”

Of course, Dungreen was working on his sickening experiments long before I fell into his hands. In a way, I was lucky. If the Fae had taken me sooner, I could have ended up much worse off.

Anyway, I understood what Lord Wigram was trying to tell me. Doing one thing over and over again may hone my skills, but it gives me less and less. Basically, if I wanted to progress, I couldn’t stay stuck in one place and had to find new ways to push myself further and learn something new. To broaden my horizons, so to speak.

One thing bothered me, though. “What about Esu? How did he reach his level? He’s holed up in Esulmor.”

“Girl, he’s an ancient beast. Given enough time, even the dumbest can grind through to that power,” said Deckard.

The Imperial Chief Healer nodded. “Moreover, such beasts are not usually found roaming the world but nestled in their dens, and they don’t pick them at random. These are places suitable for them, allowing them to grow stronger.”

So, there was actually something in Esulmor that allowed Esu to gain such power. Interesting!

“I get it, but why are you telling me all this anyway? I thought you wanted to talk to me about my class evolution? Actually, I was going to ask Deckard about my options.”

“That’s wonderful to hear, Miss Grey,” he said, nodding his head in satisfaction. “Many act rashly, not thinking through their choice, only to regret it later. They choose a class that sounds valiant, ‘badass,’ or menacing without realizing how much it will limit their progress. My reason was to enlighten you on how classes work, so you don’t make a rash and uninformed decision. I told you it was in the Empire’s interest that you grow...hold on!” He held up a warning finger to stop me. “I won’t force you to choose anything. I’m not Dungreen, Miss Grey. Believe it or not, I genuinely want to help you as much as the other hybrids, and I’ll do my best to advise you on your choice.”

He didn’t miss my glance at Deckard. “Of course, your mentor can refute any of my arguments or add advice of his own. It’s always better to know more than one person’s perspective.”

“That...that’s incredibly generous of you. Thank you, my lord.”

“So, care to share with us what your efforts have brought you?” he asked, gesturing to the table where a few nibbles and tea had been prepared. He didn’t have to prompt me twice to sit down. Perhaps I would have preferred coffee, but tea was also a good choice for a cultured conversation. There were only a few small details that spoiled the feeling of civility, my torn clothes, and the growl of my stomach at the sight of cookies.

“There is more, so feel free,” Lord Wigram said when he saw me eyeing the goodies. “About your evolution, I suppose you can choose a class from the slave tree, is that correct?”

Munching on a cookie and washing it down with tea, I nodded. “Obedient Slave and Bloody Slave, and I’m not planning on choosing either.”

“Oh, I would not even think of recommending it to you, Miss Grey.”

“Then Masterless Slave, I’m not sure it falls into the slave tree.”

“It does,” said Lord Wigram. “Though slavers don’t like to see that one.”

“Don’t like to see?” Deckard snorted. “They hire assassins to kill these poor bastards. They are a symbol of their inability to control them and heroes to others. What’s worse, the Masterless Slaves are able to limit the power of the masters over their slaves.”

“So you’re saying this class would make me an even bigger target than I already am?”

Deckard nodded. “Basically.”

“Well, then it’s good I’m not choosing this one either.”

“I take it then that you have a choice of others?” Imperial Chief Healer asked.

With a cup of hot tea at my lips, I grinned. “Far more than you think.”