(Max)
When Boss said 'the forest turn into', me not realize he meant literally turn into. Mostly, Max thought Boss meant that the forest gradually changes to, the weather continuing to get colder, the trees turning more needly, frost creeping onto the ground and trees and rocks.
Not that the forest literally changed all at once. The weather kept getting colder and colder as we went more north, and now, the forest just suddenly changes from green trees that may or may not like the cold to needly trees with snow and frost on them. Like exiting a City. There, there be lots of buildings, then as soon as me step out of it, fields! Or forest. Or something else.
Me old master once took Max to a City sitting on water. Well, it was an island, but the island was the City. Nothing else was on it but the City. It was very disturbing. Mostly because Max wasn't allowed to go swimming, even though there weren't any monsters nearby.
Boss would probably let Max go swimming.
"Hey, Boss?" Me ask as we enter the arctic forest. "Brr! It be cold!"
"Yes, Max," Boss says. "If we come across a place where it's safe to swim, you can swim."
"Yay!"
"None of us know how to swim," Gavin tells Boss. "Except maybe you and Max. I know that if we knew it in our past lives, we might have some muscle memory of it, but-"
"Luca can't swim," Boss says. "He was always too scared of drowning to try. I'm not sure about you or Braden. If we come across a place where it's safe to swim, though, you can try, and if you need help, Max or I will help you with the basics."
"Yep!" Me puff out chest. "Me know all about how to swim! Old masters never let me, but me sometimes sneaky out because Boss not be all that mean."
"What?" Gavin asks.
Me frown as try to think over wording, and Boss looks at Max. Me happy he letting me try to fix what me said to make it more clear rather than him simply clearing it up. This helps Max to learn how to speak better, if me think about what Max said and try to improve it so that normal people and not just beastborn can understand what me said.
"Me old masters," me tell Gavin. Me think Braden understood, but it still be good to work on me wording when it be unclear. "Never let Max go swimming. Me be slave, after all. Slaves don't get to have fun. But Boss isn't mean like that. Me team member, not slave. Friends with all of you. So me sometimes sneak out and go swimming. Learned how! Theodore-Flame taught Max using the pool in the Dark Temple. Sometimes, when Boss sneaky away, Max also leave Maelnor and go swimming in the lake."
Have to fight off monsters sometimes, which makes it even more fun!
"Oh, okay," Gavin says, then looks at Boss. "At least we know who can keep us warm if things get too cold."
What does that mean?
"Come on," Boss says. "Keep in mind that we'll be fighting cold-based monsters. Luca, that means don't use your water magics. One, they'll probably freeze, and two, they'll be ineffective against most things here, apart from impact damage."
"Yes, sir!" We all say.
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(Braden)
I release several more arrows, which pierce through the Frost Knights' armors. Because there's no actual core, I can't just break those. Without any vital spots, I can't deal extra damage. Thankfully, Max and Gavin are here to back us up.
Zack was going to join us, but we asked him not to unless things get bad. He's our ace, and it's best for the ace to not do anything if he's not needed so that the weaker and less-experienced fighters can deal with things.
As the Frost Knights stumble from my attack, Max hits them with Flame Lances and Gavin strikes with Flame Blade. These things are strong enough to not lose even a quarter of their Health from taking a Flame Lance straight-on.
I aim at their legs this time, pinning them to the ground so that they can't move around as much. They'll rip their feet out again, but it still keeps them in place long enough for Max and Gavin to strike again without too much issue.
Well, for Max. Gavin still has to deal with the Frost Knights' swords, but he's able to manage.
We continue fighting, and as the quartet's Health starts to drop, Luca pokes me in the back with his staff. I nod, having already noticed them coming. They sound strange, though, so I glance over. Floating robes with icy blue eyes visible in the darkness beneath their hood, pale staffs with blue markings floating in front of them.
Frost Mages, based on their Statuses, and the lowest of them is Level 20. There are eight total. Another thing I'm weak against. I could learn Flame Arrow, but I doubt it would do much good against these things at Level 1. In addition to the eight Frost Mages, there are an additional eight Frost Knights coming.
This is probably the part where Zack jumps in, but I'll do my best to stall things before then. It would be so much easier if I had Animal Form. Then, I could just barrel through things.
"Gavin, Max," I say. "Keep doing what you're doing. I'll handle the incoming until you finish those. Luca, focus on them."
"Go get 'em, Braden!" Max exclaims as I notice Gavin only now becoming aware of the incoming fight.
"Gavin, focus!" I call as he falters for a moment, then I draw my bowstring, Magic Arrow forming.
I aim at the incoming monsters, then fire my Multishot. The Frost Mages summon icicles to stop my attacks and try to attack me, and I release more arrows as I move towards them, Luca moving to stay behind Gavin and Max to continue to support them.
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Continuing to move around to avoid attacks and stop them, I manage to distract the incoming group of monsters. I move from tree to tree, branch to branch, across the ground and in the shadows. My attacks don't do much, but they're enough to be a menace. I mute notifications, because I don't want the zero-damage notifications distracting as me as much.
The monsters continue to attack me, and I continue to strike at them. With the shadows and the snow all around us, my striping hides me well, my white fur assisting in the camouflage. Their attacks bounce off my hide, barely bothering me as I charge through them, ripping them apart with my claws and teeth.
Only once the fight ends do I realize something was really strange about it. Since when I do have camouflage? My headdress isn't that good at hiding me, my skin contrasts with the snow and trees and shadows, and I don't have claws, I have-
Those are paws. I look at myself and find a body of hundreds of pounds of muscle, large paws with sharp claws, and a thick, padded tail. I thump it once, then twice, then look at my team, who is staring at me in shock, their own monsters dead.
I activate my notices again and do an auto-dismiss of all damage and Experience notifications.
New Class! Druid +1 Agility +1 Intellect +1 Willpower +1 Wisdom +1 Perception
New Skill! Animal Form (White Liger) Active/Passive Take on the form of the mighty white liger, whose hide is tough and resilient, body is strong and powerful. Your claws and teeth are sharp, and power is your language, death, your ally. Your stats in this form are based solely on this Skill and not other. Cost: All Remaining Mana Duration: 1 second per 50 Mana spent (duration increases by 3 Mana every Level of this Skill) Stats: +1 to All every odd-numbered Level of this Skill while in the form for every 10 Adventurer Levels you have; White Liger-specific stats viewed separately (50 Stat Points distributed)
White Liger Stats (per every 5 Adventurer Levels you have) +7 Strength +7 Endurance +7 Vitality +7 Agility +4 Intellect +7 Willpower +4 Wisdom +7 Perception
Whoa. From what I know, even the bear Animal Form only has around 30 Stat Points distributed for the every-fifth. I was Level 100 at the time, so – wait, no, Level 101, but that doesn't matter, since it's not a multiple of five or ten. Okay, so my stats were, let's see…
Wait, can I pull it up?
Status!
Character Information Dark of Water Name: Braden Primary Class: High Warden Level: 101 Unavailable: Unavailable Title: None Unavailable: Unavailable Health: 1,570/1,570 Mana: 72/940 Strength: 157 Intellect: 94 Endurance: 157 Willpower: 157 Vitality: 157 Wisdom: 94 Agility: 157 Perception: 157
Looks like when I check my Status in Animal Form, it shows my Animal Form stats. Based on those Stats, it seems that the base for White Liger is the every-fifth bonus. While most of my Stats are lower than normal, all of my physical Stats except for Agility are higher.
White Liger isn't meant to be used for using a bow, anyway. Well, at least not at my Level. And since all of my Mana drains to power this form, I have to recover it before I can use any Skills. There's not actually much I can do by way of casting spells in this form. No wonder Mama Bear told me most Druids cast Nature's Blessing before going into it, even if it sacrifices duration. It grants them a Mana Recovery buff.
Speaking of buffs, Luca buffed me at some point to increase my stats further, and…
He's charging towards me, and I can tell by his face he wants to ride on me. I only have a few seconds left in this form, I can see a notice which told me I only had seventy-seven-point-four-four seconds, and there's a timer in my vision that's almost to zero.
At least I know he's not afraid of me.
He's halfway to me when my body reverts. It's painless and smooth, even if it happens quickly. For a moment I'm disoriented as my Perception changes again, my senses adjusting. How did I not notice this happening during the fight?
Back in my human form, I notice that I'm still wearing my gear and am holding my bow and knife, just as I was when I transformed. That's awesome. Everyone was making me nervous because they made it seem like everything would fall off, and I'd hate that.
Glad to know it was probably just some psychological hazing they were doing.
Luca pouts at me as I finish filtering out the messages, and I realize it was Zack who gave me those buffs when I see the notifications. I look around for our party leader, and he suddenly comes to my attention as standing right beside me.
"Good job," Zack claps me on the back. "That was pretty fucking awesome, Braden."
"Thanks for the buffs," I tell him.
"You're welcome," he responds, then addresses all of us. "Good job with the fight. Now that Braden can take on an Animal Form, a few more possibilities have opened up. However, don't expect that to mean you can count on him turning into a liger all the time. It drains all of his Mana and has a duration based on how much was spent on it. It's a limited form that's technically weaker than each of you in some way. It'll remain that way both until he raises his own Level and the Animal Form Skill's Level."
Max is bouncing on his feet, looking like he has a question for me, so I turn my attention to him once Zack stops talking.
"Yes?" I ask.
"Braden!" He exclaims. "Me know Skills you be able to use now! Like Claws! And Bite! You do that on your own in kitty form, but animals Skills make them do even more! Max teach you tonight, after we go into City, okay?"
"Um, okay," I say.
"Yay!" He says, and I look at Zack, who just shrugs in response.
"He's been waiting for you to do that so he can," Zack tells me, then addresses all of us. "Alright! Let's keep moving if we want to hit the City by nightfall! There's not much to loot here, so unless you really want to pick up scraps or something, let's go."