We headed to the next floor. I kept my guard up, but soon I found some other beastkin there guarding the entrance and the bodies of some Frost Lizards being dismantled. They were quite a diverse bunch… aside from wolfkin and centaurs, they had dogkin, catkin, and lionkin as well…
I had read about them… Catkin were humanoids with feline ears, tails, and retractable claws, and had a more graceful and agile physique. Their eyes resembled a cat’s, with slit pupils.
Lionkin were humanoids with lion-like manes, fur, claws, and large, muscular builds. Their faces resembled that of a lion, with sharp, predatory features.
As for the Dogkin, they were humanoid beings that possessed canine features and characteristics, reflecting the traits of dogs. They can vary widely in appearance, abilities, and culture, depending on the breed or species of dog they are based on or so I heard. In any case, they had a lot of fur, all of them, and that showed that Nimir was truly a half-beast.
They had some nasty scars on their bodies and pretty big ones at that… I wondered where they got those, before or after becoming battle-slaves. I didn’t know where their skills were put to use, but I imagined that some underground arenas should exist across the empire.
Those guys kept their guard around us and fought the monsters, but they didn’t do much aside from that. I could see them frowning at my smell, though. It wasn’t something I could get rid of with soap. Perhaps there was an anti-undead perfume or potion out there, but they probably would burn me alive if I used.
We had to walk for a while, but we eventually reached their camp at the end of the nineteenth floor… since the whole place was covered in ice, it probably wasn’t the best of places for them to be, but they made some tents using the materials they had. The group had around fifteen adult beastkin and five that were kids. They weren’t battle slaves, but they didn’t leave them behind.
“We are here. What do you want to do? Clear the dungeon first or rest before doing that?”
Vincent said that while looking at me, he looked as relaxed as ever. Still, he was a centaur, so it made sense since he was naturally stronger than me. I was starting to feel good knowing that while I had some advantages, they only put me ahead of some humans. Perhaps I was actually far behind them thanks to my traits.
“You don’t want to be armed as soon as possible?”
“Nimir told us what your goals are, so we can wait a bit, even more so if a new class will improve your skill.”
“I want to rest a bit and make some weapons for you guys. Even if you are strong, it will be better if you have them to fight a boss of this level, right?”
“Not really, I can defeat the boss by myself with my fists alone.”
That certainly was confidence if I ever saw it… still, it made sense. Based on what I heard, Felyndor was a land where the dungeons could be used freely, so it made sense that Vincent would have a bunch of combat classes.
I tried to recall what else I knew about them… The beastkin realm, Felyndor was a lush, expansive realm located within dense forests, high mountains, and rolling plains. The landscape is dotted with ancient trees, vibrant meadows, and hidden glades, creating an environment that nurtures and reflects the primal nature of the beastkin. It had a lot of dungeons, but it was still a peaceful land.
The realm experiences mild weather, with warm summers and cool winters. The varied geography allows for diverse ecosystems, from temperate forests to rugged mountainous regions. All those were things that they were used to. Crossing mountains while running was easy as pie for them.
“What happened to you all… to become battle slaves?”
I was curious about that myself, but Nimir decided to ask that and make me not look suspicious since I already had that label.
“Aren’t you going to say that we were probably criminals sold as slaves?”
Vincent looked at me while still showing his calm smile. I was certainly thinking along those lines, but if he was planning to assume the worst of me at all times, then I would gladly oblige.
“You guys might not be criminals, but you certainly messed up with the wrong group of people. Since they probably could have killed you all, but decided to play with your lives.”
“You aren’t wrong… In our land, we have a group called the Council of the Wilds. In theory, it is a council formed by representatives from each species, promoting unity, peace, and cooperation among all beastkin. They emphasize harmony with nature and the importance of maintaining balance in their realm. However, this group has several factions, some moderate and some more aggressive. We were part of the moderate faction… lately, a lot of half-beasts have been appearing in our lands and people have been arguing about what we should do with them.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
There were a lot of furries in that world for some reason… I couldn’t help but frown. I enjoyed patting cats or playing with dogs, but nothing aside from that.
“Our side was losing power thanks to this and in order to make our side weaker, some of the more aggressive faction decided to use the shadow clan… it is a secretive faction of rogue beastkin who thrive in the darker aspects of Felyndor. They engage in espionage, theft, and covert operations. They make people disappear left and right without leaving traces. I guess we can assume now that they are selling people as slaves that they target for opposing them.”
“I guess they are pretty confident that no one will ever return…”
Vincent nodded at my guess… their land was two countries away from the human territory and they had to cross the elves' territory and the dwarves' territory. It would be one hell of a journey since neither of them like visitors. That also meant that Nimir would have a hard time with them. Still, while I didn’t have much time to teach him independence, it was his life to live and his choices to make.
“... You have a lot of bones here, but I can’t carve many types of weapons from them, I will make the first half now and the other half after getting the next class.”
“So soon? Well, if you are fine with it… we can use all sorts of weapons, so it is up to you.”
This time around, I was going to make weapons and enchant them with the ice enchantment, but I figured out that using the misinformation effect would be a good idea too. The camouflage would also help as well, but could I make gear with bones that aren’t bows that are of the Rare rank? Probably not.
I started to work on making knives first, they were the easiest, after all. Since I focused a lot on it, they didn’t come half bad.
Bone Knife of the Cold (Uncommon)
Enchantment Slots: 01
Bonus Effect: Chilling Aura - Slow down the enemies by five percent when hurting them, the effect lasts for five seconds.
I made other knives, but they came like that too… at the Uncommon rarity rank. Meanwhile, even the crossbows I made with the wood golems parts that I had still came at least in the Rare rank.
‘I guess I can make bows for everyone, or crossbows and enchant them with Misinformation enchantment. I need to get as much experience as possible from all these materials since I won’t be able to sell them at this town or trade them to complete quests.’
I will be paid for it, and I also would gain a lot of experience in a bunch of skills, so it was fine. It took me a full day to make all the crossbows, though. If they truly could use any weapon, then they should become a considerable force as they travel.
While I was working, Nimir kept looking at me with worry in his eyes. It looked like he wanted to say sorry, but my unapproachable aura stopped him. No point in making this harder than it has to be.
“It is fine, it isn't like you had to follow my lead all the time. Besides, your recklessness helped us this time around.
“Aren't you mad, then?”
“I don't have time or energy to be mad.”
Nimir didn't know how to react to that, he just assumed that I didn't care about him that much anyway. Still, that wouldn't make sense considering that I looked out for him for a few weeks. Hence, the difficult expression on his face.
“What are your plans? I hope that you put some thoughts on them this time around.”
Nimir stopped to think for a moment and panicked, he clearly didn't put much thought this time either. However, it was clear what he should do. He was planning to clear a bunch of dungeons and heading to Felynor would make things easier for him afterwards.
“I am going with them… to become stronger and to find out who my father is and why he didn't come with us.”
“I see.”
There were a lot of feelings involved, but it was no longer my place to call his decisions emotional or something similar. If he were to make mistakes, he had to learn from them as well.
“I am ready. Sorry, but we are in a hurry, so I will deal with the boss as fast as possible in order to let you focus on the weapons soon enough and with plenty of energy.”
I nodded at Vincent's words, I was a bit bothered about gaining power like that, but it couldn't be helped and he had a point. The real challenge would be afterward, for us to leave the dungeon without making a fuss and without being chased. I figured out that I had to do something for them, to make Nimir have a decent starting point in his new part of his life, but I couldn't put my own plans into jeopardy either.
“So, what is the class that I should pick?”
I looked at Nimir and scratched the back of my head… it was a bit difficult thing to say. It also felt like a sick joke. Vincent also knew what class I was talking about, so he also showed a difficult expression.
“It is called Seer, it goes more or less like this…”]
Seer - Vision of Life: Gain bonus experience when detecting, tracking, or interacting with living beings.
Parameter - Mana Regeneration: Increases your mana regeneration by 0.1 points per level.
Active Skills: Detect Life - Sense the presence of living creatures within a certain radius, even through walls and obstacles. This skill allows you to locate allies, enemies, and animals nearby, providing vital information about your surroundings.
Cost: 05 Mana per minute
Aura Reading: Perceive the emotional state or intent of nearby beings based on their life energy. This skill allows you to gauge whether someone is friendly, hostile, or frightened, giving you insight into social situations.
Cost: 05 Mana per minute
Nimir nodded while I was giving my explanation. While using both skills would consume a lot of mana, he would be able to almost see people, not their physical appearances, but he would be able to see their life force in the shape of a person.
“I get it… it is quite a convenient class, but since the skills only work for that kind of thing, they are kind of useless in the hands of most people.”
“Just make it sure to activate it before you transform when you have to. That will help a lot. I won’t be around to cover for you, so you need to be more mindful of this kind of thing.”
“Okay… thanks, Regulus. For everything.”
“Don’t use my name… and don’t raise such obvious death flags.”