Lament of the Slave

Rezso was not a trainer who was afraid to hurt his student, even though I paid him. He pointed out what I was doing wrong, explained and demonstrated to me how to do it right, which then I was supposed to show in practice. It always sounded easy, but it wasn’t, and even though I tried my best, I always ended up on the ground with more bruises.

When I remembered my self-defense lessons on Earth, I had to admit that they weren’t that different. That’s why I also attended only a few classes before I decided it wasn’t worth the pain. At the time, it seemed like unnecessary torture, of which I just had bruises that were sore all week.

I didn’t expect to ever volunteer for something like that again. Wolfkin turned out to be stricter and more vigorous as a trainer than my previous one on Earth. Luckily my pain was eased by [Painless Agony], and my bruises were treated by [Never-Dying]. Unfortunately, due to the presence of skills and levels, he didn’t have to pay much attention to safety and my complaints, so I got more bruises in half an hour than in a few self-defense lessons.

One hour was too little time, though.

Time flew fast, and before I knew it, it was eight o’clock, and my lesson was over. I felt like I had learned nothing, or rather it wasn’t enough to absorb what I learned, to practice it. That’s why I asked Rezso when he would have another free term.

Although I shouldn’t be surprised, I was when he told me we could continue if I wanted to for another hour.

I gritted my teeth and suppressed my tears, not because of the pain but because of my tiny hoard. Another hour meant another expense. As a result, the purchase of weapons and armor was delayed. Not that I could buy them any time soon.

Even so, I agreed.

It was about an hour and a half in training when I asked Rezso, “How should I attack with my claws?”

“What claws?” He asked, looking at my human hands. “You mean your fragile nails?”

“No, no, no,” I stopped him as I realized my mistake. He didn’t know about my skill. “I have a skill that allows me to have them. Turn my fragile nails into real claws.”

“Hmm...” He nodded and thought. “Such a style of fighting requires a different approach. You can’t punch your opponent, but you have to slash him.”

“Could you show me?” I asked him, realizing too late that I should have demanded it since I paid him for it instead of asking.

He looked at me as if making sure I meant it, “Just like before, I have to point it out to you that those with the right class have the skills to help them in such a fight. You will never be able to fight like them, to cause damage they can!”

“What skills?” I asked, wondering if there were any such skills among my general skills.

“[Slash], variations of [Sharp Claws], [Phantom Claws] which ignore the armor, hmm… [Magic Claws].” he named a couple.

I understood. Like my punches, my claw attack will be just an ordinary claw attack if I don’t have the skills. Still deadly, but not so dangerous.

Nevertheless, I insisted on learning to fight with claws, at least the basics. It could be useful.

“Come on, show me your claws!” Rezso said, not persuading me to change my mind.

I didn’t do it right away. Instead, I looked at him, “Last time, I was last told that I seemed to him like a high-level beast when I transformed. Just a warning!”

“Okay,” the wolfkin nodded, obviously not as afraid of my transformation as I was.

It was understandable, I must have seemed like a newbie bragging about her skill.

“He attacked me!” I added, not wanting it to happen again.

“I won’t do that. You don’t have to worry,” he assured me, sure of what he was saying.

The truth was, swordmaster Blaine wasn’t expecting my transformation, and like me, it surprised him unprepared. He also realized his mistake quickly. So I wanted to believe it wouldn’t happen again, but I still took a few steps back before closing my eyes and channeling my inner beast.

I felt my claws and fangs appearing, itching in places where more fur has grown, but overall it was a painless transformation. Though, wolfkin was not startled by it. On the contrary, he did not react to my presence in any way.

“Interesting,” were his first words, “but I feel nothing of you but fear of your own transformation. I don’t know who you met before, but he probably didn’t meet many beasts and was frightened by your change!”

If the swordmaster had heard his words, he would have taught him a lesson, I was sure of that. However, I was confused why he didn’t feel a change in my presence, wondering what was different. Was it because he was terran, somehow immune to my presence? That didn’t seem very likely to me. The only thing I could think of was that back then, I had been upset, scared, or both at the same time. I growled at Denholm and Blaine, showing my emotions.

Deciding to give it a try, I looked at Rezso, “Please don’t attack me!”

Before he could answer, I gathered my feelings and expressed them in a loud growl that escaped my throat. His response was immediate as he jumped back, his hair bristled, his fangs bare, and his tail held high and still. Rezso was ready to fight.

I raised my hands, “It’s me, it’s still me!”

Wolwkin shuddered, but his vigilance did not diminish, “I take my words back! Now I feel like I’m in the presence of a beast at least a hundred levels stronger than me.”

I nodded, glad he hadn’t attacked me. If this showed me anything, I still had a long way to go before this skill would be useful to me in combat. It took me too long to focus on the transformation, and I wasn’t sure that meeting face to face with a beast or a monster wouldn’t trigger the change. Not to mention my presence, which I obviously could also control. It was not an automatic part of my transformation.

I wondered if a physical transformation in the beast was even necessary for me to have a presence like one.

I still had a lot to learn.

“Let’s get to it!” Rezso said after a moment.

Attacking with claws was more different from punches than I expected, requiring more speed and not so much brute force. But it was just as important to hit vulnerable places I already knew from self-defense classes such as eyes, nose, throat, groin. This was true for beasts and monsters too.

The claws were not a sword with which I could pierce a beast. The injuries I could have caused it could be said to be superficial. So my chances were to hit an artery, eyes, snout, or inflict so many wounds on it that the beast bled out over time.

All that provided, I don’t meet a beast with regeneration like mine.

After two hours of intense training, I had a hard time breathing and was sweating. It was hard to tell, but even wolfkin seemed to feel worse than when I first saw him in the morning.

“Do you think I can stand up to the horned rabbits in the labyrinth?” I asked at the end of the second hour of my training.

He nodded without hesitation, “Sure!”

I must admit that I was hoping for a somewhat more comprehensive answer. But since I growled at him, Rezso had been somewhat withdrawn, more cautious.

“How should I attack them? How should I kill them?” I asked, thinking about my next words, “they seem quite massive to me, that with my fists and claws can’t hurt them.”

“I’m not surprised they make such an impression on a newbie like you. But horned rabbits are pretty stupid creatures. They only know a few attacks, which, if you familiarize yourself with, are quite easy to avoid. It will be easy, especially for you. You are fast, agile, you have good spatial awareness and an outstanding balance,” said Rezso.

His praise pleasantly surprised me, I didn’t expect it after his cautious behavior.

“They have a strong skull, but their weak point is at the nape of the neck. One powerful blow, and it’s over. It’s much harder to get to it than break their neck, though. The rabbits may be stupid beasts, but not dumb enough to let you kill them. Don’t underestimate them!!

“You can attack their eyes first. Although horns partially protect them, they are eyes like any other, deprive them of it, and your hunt will be much easier. The rabbit has no better sense of smell than a human, but even as a blind, it still can hear you. Its hearing is very good. If you deprive it of sight and hearing, you pretty much won the fight.” Rezso finished listing the options for killing a horned rabbit.

However, I could not imagine myself stabbing his eyes and cutting off his ears while the horned rabbit was trying to bite me.

“Another weak point is its belly, but it’s pretty dangerous to get under it,” Rezso added.

I had to reject this idea right away, not wanting to be crushed under a quarter-ton rabbit.

I thought that was all my options, but wolfkin was not done yet, “Another option is to deprive it of its mobility. Break its legs. It is easier to break its front legs, of course. You have the strength, but I don’t think you have enough experience. It’s not that easy to break a bone without skill when it’s more robust than the bones in your hands.”

He meant I could break my own fingers or my hand if I tried. The bones in the horned rabbit’s legs must have been massive if such a beast could jump. Now I understood that killing this beast was probably not as difficult as it seemed at first glance, and if the seeker had a weapon, it was all the easier. That’s why Tenderfire was sure I shouldn’t have a problem dealing with the rabbits.

“As with all opponents, it is not worth underestimating the horned rabbits,” he warned me again, handing me a note confirming the lessons I took.

“Thanks for the advice and guidance,” I thanked Rezso, even though it was what I had paid him for.

On Earth, I often felt that the way my parents raised me was detrimental that those who were more brazen were more successful in society and life. It bothered me, but even a year’s stay and suffering in a cellar where my only company was equally suffering slaves and one madman, did not deprive me of this nature of mine. On the contrary, after this experience, I was even more grateful when someone was polite to me, advised me, helped me, or just when they didn’t want to make me a slave or use me for experiments.

“...and I thank you for the level in [Fear Resistance],” he said, grinning at me.

I looked at him, confused, “W-What?!”

“Your presence is no joke, Grey. When you attacked me, it was scary, even though the strength of your attacks has not changed,” he said with more respect in his voice than I thought I deserved.

It took me a while to put two and two together, but I realized why wolfkin was so wary of me. He was afraid of me, or at least he was scared in my presence. I did not know what to think of it. Was it good that I aroused fear in my trainer, or was it to my detriment?

“Is this a skill useful in the labyrinth?” I asked him as I settled my thoughts.

He nodded, “Undoubtedly, if you freeze in fear even for a moment during the battle, it could mean your death.”

“So I should have it,” I sighed, wondering which skill I should replace.

“I don’t think it’s necessary for you,” Rezso said, and when he saw that I didn’t understand what he meant, he continued. “This skill of yours should counter it. At least until you meet a beast with a higher level than your presence suggests, or a skill more powerful than yours.”

The swordmaster mentioned I could use it to intimidate weaker beasts, but he did not suggest that I could use it to counter fear.

“Are you sure?” I asked, making certain before plunging confidently into the depths of the Labyrinth, expecting nothing to frighten me on its first floors.

Rezso shook his head, “No, I don’t. But...if it is a skill, I think it is, then it should.”

It would seem strange to me if he didn’t know [Beast] as beastman. Not meant to be racist, it was meant rather in terms of odd, as if the firefighter did not know the fire.

“It’s [Beast],” I said, revealing my skill, hoping he’d tell me more about it.

He growled, “I thought so! Be careful with it. It’s a dangerous skill, especially for the terrans.”

“Why?” I asked.

“It’s much easier for us to give ourselves to the beast, to go feral! It’s, let’s say, terran taboo skill!” He warned me, his tone marked the end of the discussion.

“That’s good to know,” I nodded and not to upset him, I didn’t ask more about the taboo skill. I thanked him once again for everything and turned to the exit, wondering what that meant for me.

There was a chance that humans, as well as terrans, could lose their minds because of skill. Go feral. What about me? I was already half a beast, although I didn’t like to admit it. Was it an even bigger threat to me than? Not knowing was very frustrating!

On the other hand, as Blaine said, I gained the skill differently. I didn’t embrace the beast inside me. Well, I kind of did when I changed the first time, but that was different. I already had that skill.

Shit!! I curse internally, frustrated by this one skill.

I had thirteen more skills and I knew even less about many of them.

But I knew one thing, I had to be careful how I used [Beast].

“Grey, wait!” Rezso called me as I was leaving.

I looked back at him, “Yes?”

“My acquaintance, he has a unique fighting style - and you may be surprised, but he’s looking for someone to teach,” the wolfkin told me.

His proposal startled me, and it took me a while to answer him, “I don’t have much money. I can’t afford much more lessons.”

“No, you misunderstood me. I’m not trying to sell you another lesson,” he laughed awkwardly. “I’m just saying I’ll tell him about you if you want. Put in some good word for you. You would show him what you got, and he would either be interested or not.”

It almost sounded like he was trying to sell me to his acquaintance, like I was a thing. I wouldn’t say I liked it very much.

He saw my displeasure and sighed, “I’m not good at this...look, everything would be arranged through the city hall, and you would meet here as well. I’m not trying to sell you into slavery!”

“It looked like that!” I said.

“Trust me. This is the last thing I would do! My people have a bloody history with slavers,” wolfkin said in his defense.

All I could do was trust him in that, even though I had my doubts. I wanted to believe, that only trustworthy people worked for the city hall, though. Not some swindlers. That If the meeting took place under the city hall’s roof, I was not in any danger.

“Okay, so I don’t have to pay anything, sign nothing? Just meet him? Why me?” I asked as Rezso nodded to my questions.

“You have an outstanding awareness and, most importantly, an incredible balance. From what I’ve seen, you’d fit his fighting style,” he said.

I wasn’t very convinced, “And what kind of style is that? I can’t afford any weapons at the moment.”

He grinned, “You don’t need any. It’s a foot-focused fighting style: kicks and such. I’ll leave the details to him to tell you. That is if you are interested. If not, forget it.”

“No, I’m interested,” I said, though it wasn’t entirely true.

There’s no harm in trying, right? Well, if I don’t have to pay anything, it should only cost me my time. It was just a matter of finding out what such a fighting style would involve and if it suited me. I couldn’t imagine it right now, but that could have changed. My grandfather always told me to have an open mind.

Besides, it depended on whether I would be a suitable candidate for the other side.

“So, when should I meet this person?” I asked, hoping it wouldn’t interfere with my shift at Broken Heart.

“Not today! I’ll let him know and leave a message at the front desk,” Rezso said.

“Okay, I would prefer to meet in the morning if that’s not much to ask...and give the message to Enola, she is...,” I said, wanting to describe the receptionist, but he stopped me.

“I know Enola,” Rezso nodded.

Since everything was arranged, I tried to calm my mixed feelings. I was afraid that I would run into an impostor and end up the way I didn’t want to, excited that I got an offer because I had talent in something even though it wasn’t something I wanted, like as flower care, and nervous about the meeting even though it was supposed to take place in the city hall.

There was nothing more to say but say goodbye to wolfkin.

But before I headed to the counter to pay for the lessons, I looked at the system notifications. Since Rezso had gained a level in [Fear Resistance], I was all the more curious about my improvements and level gains.