Who needs keys? I have a roc wingtip bone covered in boiled syrup that works as a club. Bash these doors. Carl is now a warrior level 25. Plump enough, if I may say so.
SMASH.
Skill Club Awakened.
Presence Detection... There is only one person here. Mercy. Wooden door. One brand new steel ax please, dear Item Box. Hack, Hack. Open.
"Mother Mercy, are you fine?" I ask quietly. It is rather dark here. I thank evolution for my elven eyes.
She seems to be sleeping. Appraise. No abnormal status except sleep. Why does the System put 'sleep' and 'unconsciousness' under the same abnormal status?
Name: Mercy (sleep) Race: [N/A] Human (42 years old) Job: [3] Chirurgeon (15) Prowess: 18 (HP: 54) Agility: 28 (Stamina: 56) Magic: 12 (MP: 12)
Time to gag and bind Carl. Blindfold too. I'll sink Carl's hands and feet in the stone wall, facing the wall.
Dismiss Possession. Stamina and MP exhaustion. After laying some clean bedrolls down I lift her and put her head on my lap. I'll rest here for a while and make myself presentable.
Carl is awake but he can't break stone with his strength. Thrash as much as you want, trash. Several minutes later, exhaustion fades. Time to wake up mother-in-law.
"Hey, mother. Wake up. Wake up. I've got some cool spring water here." She wakes up and after her initial confusion goes away I gently pour water on her mouth.
"Where, what? Beowulf?"
She tries to stand up but I hold her down
"Shhh, mother. Everything is fine. Are you hurt? DId they abuse you?"
"I've had worse back in my youth. Yes, it was a very rough youth, but soldiers are nothing new. Don't make that face, dear. Don't worry your head about it. I am just tired and hungry now."
Anger wells up in my very being. It is obvious she is not fine. The smell of the room, the filthy smiles on the faces of the guards up there. The condition of her clothes. Someone is paying for that. In blood. "I have some warm soup here. Take some, slowly. "
"Thank you, my son." I give her a towel embedded in alcohol for hygiene and a bowl of wolf soup that was left from the patrol.
"Anything for you, mother. Here, have some bread too." I found myself caressing her red hair. She didn't dislike it.
"This soup is amazing."
"It was your daughter that made this soup, you know?" She breaks down and cries. "She is fine. I sent her out of town before the commotion. I am checking her status right now in the party screen."
"Can you hold me?"
"Of course. I'm sorry for not coming sooner. I had no idea they would do that to you."
"I've had worse when the former king was expanding into this frontier. I was conscripted to serve the army. I was really lucky to have picked up the Chirurgeon job."
She has no fighting job and she was not serving in the army. She was a village girl forced to follow the army. It is no wonder even Helen has that deep-rooted trauma about herself. I also shed my share of tears. "After tonight, mother, I'll make sure no one can push you around without your consent."
After eating and calming herself, she asks, "Are we breaking out of jail?" I kinda already did. All that is left is to walk past the door.
"Yes. But first, I need to get you ready to go. I think you can use some of Marcy's spare clothes and armor. Take a bath while I prepare your equipment."
"A bath? Are you insane? The guards will be here at any moment! Shouldn't we escape now?"
"No. It is too dangerous for you to go out like this. I have to make sure not a single drop of mother's blood is spilled and that not a single of those filthy knights ever lay a hand on you again. Marcy and I would hate if it happened again."
She blushes slightly. "You really know how to flatter a woman, Beowulf. If only Marcy hadn't set her sights on you first..."
After all this, she finds the strength to make a joke. Like daughter like mother. She has this seductress facade so ingrained that it comes out naturally. But inside she is a wounded girl. "You gave me that sermon about your daughter, but you are exactly the same. So I'm using your own advice on you. Less flirting more bathing. Behind a curtain, please."
I let go of her and take out of the item box a tub, soap and set it at a corner of the cell near a drain. Using fire and water magic, I fill it with warm water. Also a lantern and a large pelt as a curtain, two spikes into the wall's mortar and it is hung and lit.
"You are quite something, Beowulf. To think I would take a bath before escaping from jail."
"If you do it, do it with style, that is my motto."
"Don't you want to clean yourself too? I bet you are filthy too."
"Thank you but no, thank you. I have things to do here, so please take your time. Before you go, I need some drops of your blood in this mortar, please." I'm enchanting a set of armor for her. Can't let my mother-in-law get hurt, can I?
While she takes her bath, I spend another B-rank pemadra from the chimera.
Mercy's Leather Vestments (A): Reduces damage taken from ALL sources by 10%. Increases chance of evasion by 20%. Double stats for purpose of resisting abnormal status. Item self-repairs and self-cleans draining up to 5% of user's MP (minimum 1) every time the pool is full. Adjusts to the wearer. Durability x2. Soulbound to Mercy.
I get near the pelt and set some items over a wooden chair near the edge of the curtain.
"Here, mother. A towel. When you are done, wear these clothes and armor."
She dresses up and comes from behind the curtain. Marcy's clothes are a bit daring but normal for this world. But Mercy is taller and fuller than Marcy, so both the danger and hotness factor of these clothes improved. I have an overcoat ready too, but she won't be using it. The snow and ice outside won't bother her because of my water mastery skill. I am going to use possession on her if she doesn't mind it. But the overcoat is ready as a plan B.
I dump the water in the drain and store the stuff back in the item box.
"I'm feeling awesome. It doesn't even feel real that we are in jail. And are these really Marcy's clothes? They don't feel so tight."
"About the clothes, they adjust to the wearer." Her mood dropped a little. Why? "But we are in a jail, and there is a jailor right there embedded in the wall. I'm going to do some questionable things here, mother. I hope you can overlook."
"Are you going to kill these bastards? You have my full support."
"Good. Party invite, Mercy. You can check Marcy HP bar after joining. It will really put your mind at ease. And hers too, I believe." None of the party members have the sleep status. So they are all awake and I am sure they've seen the notifications about Carl. So they will know I'm with her.
Mercy has joined your party! Mercy's job changed to [2] Apprentice Scout.
"It is like I can feel her." She smiles with watery eyes." I check the status window. None of our party members is sleeping. It means that all of them should be aware of the party composition.
"Job change, Mercy to Apprentice Scout. Goodbye Carl."
Carl has been kicked from the party.
TWACK.
Mercy (2-Apprentice Scout) has gained 11 levels. Beowulf (3-Monster Tamer) has gained 2+1 levels. +18 SP Congratulations, you reached the job's level cap. Job automatically changed to Villager Skill Club level 2.
"Whoa! What just happened? I just rose eleven levels, is that right?"
"In my country, we call this 'Twinking'. Please don't spend your skill points. Job change, Mercy to Scout."
I move the chair to the middle of the room and break Carl's corpse out of the stone.
"Is this chair for me?"
"Yes. Also, swear to me you will put this wool in your ears and not remove it until I tell you to."
"Alright."
"I'll also tie this ribbon around your ears for extra safety. Okay, just like this. Can you hear me?"
No answer. I wave in front of her and point at my own ears.
"No, I can't hear anything," she says. Good.
I leave the cell and relocate to the empty one at the end of the corridor. And there I commit taboo.
Mercy (3-Scout) has gained 22 levels. Beowulf (1-Villager) has gained 5+4 levels. +24 SP Congratulations, you reached the job's level cap. Job automatically changed to Apprentice Scout. Humanization powered up. 5 full charges obtained.
It seems my jobs are cycling automatically from the lowest tier as they are mastered. The multipliers are very tasty. I'll let the System do its job.
I clean myself up, return to Mercy's cell and show her a written note. "Spend SP. Get Bow 4, Athletics 4, Stealth 4 and presence detection 3. Give me a thumbs up when done."
After some strange eye movements and some hand waves, she gives me the thumbs up.
"Job change. Mercy to Ranger!"
Again I leave for the other prison cell.
Mercy (4-Ranger) has gained 8 levels. Beowulf (2-Apprentice Scout) has gained 3+13 levels. +74 SP. Humanization powered up. 3 full charges obtained.
Skill Humanization level 9. {Curb Instincts} learned. Reduces the strength of monster's instinct responses.
It is like I've killed forty-two copies of each of these men when you factor all the exp bosts together. And humans give three times as much Exp as a monster of a similar rank and level.
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Mercy (4-Ranger) has gained 22 levels. Beowulf (2-Apprentice Scout) has gained 5+25 levels. +74 SP. Humanization powered up. 5 full charges obtained.
Again I clean myself, wash my teeth, change my job to magician for the MP boost.
I return to Mercy's cell and give the signal to remove the improvised earmuffs. The whole thing took about 5 minutes.
"What did you just do? I am a ranger level 31 now, is it true? I can't believe. I feel dizzy."
This is probably some sickness of having the body adapt too fast to a huge change in status. Not much different from growing pains.
"But do believe, mother. It is better if you don't know what I just did. But it was to make you survive, no, to make you get out of here without even one more scratch. I think there will be a shitstorm out there. I need a strong partner. And now comes the awkward part. I have a skill that allows me to possess someone's body. I 'enter' the body and remain inside, powering it up. The person possessed becomes unconscious, but if I get the permission first, the union is stronger and you won't faint. Don't give me that face. I'm not talking about sex, you know?"
"Is it so? Mother will be disappointed if her womanly gifts have no effect at all. You didn't even peep on my bath... I have really been sullied if a teenage boy feels nothing."
"No, it is not that! Sorry, mother-in-law, I belong only to those two. This is not the time, the place or the person for this. Do you agree to the possession?"
"Of course. I'm sorry for teasing you."
"I'm glad to see you in good spirits."
I use the possession skill on Mercy. Her status without the possession level 8 bonuses.
Name: Mercy Race: [N/A] Human (42 years old) Job: [4] Ranger (31) Prowess: 38 (HP: 228) Agility: 64 (Stamina: 256) Magic: 18 (MP: 18)
And with me in the pilot's seat.
Name: Mercy (status: Possessed) Race: [N/A] Human (42 years old) Job: [4] Ranger (31) Prowess: 38+32 (HP: 560) Agility: 64+32 (Stamina: 394) Magic: 18+32 (MP: 50)
I try to walk but it is awkward. "What is the matter, son? Is it too titillating to be inside mother's skin?"
"Absolutely not! It is just that each person has their own sense of balance. I need to adjust to yours."
A woman's body has a different balance than a man's. I need to adapt, especially to the wider hipbone and the swaying chest, even with the support of a hard leather cuirass. I have a good composite bow stored from the ones I bought in Colchester, and enough arrows to slay every single soldier and knight Julius brought.
It is very cold but Mercy has the benefit of my water mastery skill. As I expected don't need to don unnecessary clothing like a heavy cloak or the overcoat that I already sent back to storage. Will make all the skulking easier.
"Is this your first time inside a woman's body? The way you are off-balance 'wearing' me is cute." I bet it is like a little girl learning to walk on her mom's high heels.
I don't know what is out there. I think we could get out without a fight. But I really want to kick the shit out of those knights. And cut off their dicks. Or maybe cut the dick first, shove up their asses and then kick the shit out of them.
I think some of Mercy's inner thoughts are seeping into me. I really thought of cutting off their dicks without any sympathetic reaction.
I leave the jail behind and stalk the cold winter night of Mirfield in Mercy's skin. "Would you mind if I spend your skill points, mother?"
"Not at all. Surprise me!"
I think now that the Sniper job could've been a better choice for this mission, but ranger has better utility and it is too late to change. I can always get Sniper later.
We move outside and I check our surrounding. This jail is a building made on top of the old stockades. This is the guard garrison complex the orcs took over.
Scouting around in mother's skin, I discover that the entire town garrison was kicked out to make room for the knight order Julius brought with him.
I'll charge them full payment for eating the children's smoked roc. Presence detection. There is someone coming here. Alone. It is too dark to see well, but he has a lantern. Nock the bow...
"I need confirmation on who is coming. I'd hate if it is some townie was drafted to latrine work."
My elven eyes can see the person from a distance and appraise it. Knight job. Keel. Draw the bow...
And fly. Straight in the eye.
Mercy (4-Ranger) has gained 2 levels. Beowulf (3-Magician) has gained 1+3 levels. +25 SP.
The last ten levels of high tier jobs have a ramping Exp curve.
I dash to the body and item box it. It should be coming to the stockades to check on the guards. I'll track him back to where he came from. There should be some knights on night duty there.
"Beowulf, I hear voices."
"Now that you mention it, me too." It is the same ears, dumb me. Just pay attention.
We approach what looks like a mess hall. There are several strong-looking men drinking and eating this late. they don't have armors but they do have weapons. Some bundles of smoked meat are on the tables and they pull chunks out of them. I'll put tracking markers on all of them. 12 people inside.
"They are eating the children's meat. Helen..."
"How are you going to get these men? They are alert."
"They are not paying attention to the outside. It is safe to skip this building. Besides, I think these are the officers. They are drinking wine."
"One of them is coming out."
We hide and some 6 foot 3 inches tall guy with a bushy brown beard exits the mess hall. He goes around a corner and takes his thing out to piss.
Mercy recognizes the guy. "It is indeed an officer. This guy was the aide of the one that decided who got me or not."
"Be glad then. Now it is our turn to be fucking him. In a bad way, of course."
Get a long dagger, sneak from behind and throat GET!
Mercy (4-Ranger) has gained 4 level. Beowulf (3-Magician) has gained 2+6 levels. +50 SP. Skill Assassinate level 5.
The body goes to the item box before it can even flop.
Two more men are coming. They are talking. One has the Knight job, the other's job is Captain. wow. I'll nock an arrow and slowly draw the bow.
They also come around to piss. There is a torch on the front wall, but this side corner is dark. I'll shoot the Captain in the weener and earth-spike the other. I mumble the chant under Mercy's breath hoping they won't listen. But they don't stop talking about what they did to some town girls. Scum. Makes me sick of being a man. I'm in a woman's body now, but still.
"That is the guy. Nail these bastards, Beowulf."
"Yes, mother."
They both lose their manhood before losing their lives to the next set of arrows. But they groaned and fell on the snow. The noise stirred a guy that was sitting near the door. He is coming to check.
"Sorry, mom, I'll borrow your voice."
I moan suggestively and let small staggered sighs. Reaching for the bodies while I make these sounds, to the item box they go. "Bad acting! I don't moan like that!"
"Too much information. Stop. This is enough to fool a stupid horny man."
"Wow, Captain, share this girl with me too!"
The guy comes around the corner and gets stabbed with the Captain's sword. The metal one.
My bet is that Captain is a tier 5 job. Eight officers to go. I eavesdrop what is going on inside.
"Dude, Captain is taking too long for a piss in the snow. I'm going to check."
"I'm coming too. I have a bad feeling about this." They are coming here.
Both are knights. I'll try the same arrow and earth-spike combo. they come around the corner and...
Mercy (4-Ranger) has gained 9 levels. Beowulf (3-Magician) has gained 3+15 levels. +112 SP. Assassinate level 7. Sword Mastery level 4. Bow level 4. Earth Magic level 7. {Shape Stone} learned.
I use instant movement to get the bodies before they hit the ground this time. Six dead, six dying.
"Isn't this place becoming empty? What is going on?"
Again I make use of Mercy's voice, "Oh, Captain, so hard!"
"There is a party going on out there. These guys are crazy to be shagging in the dead of winter!"
"But I want some action too!"
Three more officers come out of the building. The other three apparently are knocked out and asleep from all the heavy drinking. I'll use the static field to paralyze the ones that came outside. There is nobody else to be alerted by some noise now.
One of them resisted the spell and got an arrow to the throat. The other two met their end with the Captain's sword. Dude this blade is very well made!
I sneak inside the mess hall and kill the sleeping ones after confirming their jobs. One of them was a berserker.
Mercy (4-Ranger) has gained 9 levels. Beowulf (3-Magician) has gained 2+11 levels. +81 SP.
I'll also get all these furniture tables, chairs, benches. There were a few unopened smoked roc meat bundles I retrieved too.
Moving around we killed some sentries that were on patrol and found the barracks. There are around seventy sleeping low-level knights inside, sleeping either in bedrolls or hammocks.
I sneak inside with the Cap-sword and begin a vicious cycle of appraise-kill-store.
Mercy (4-Ranger) has gained 27 levels. Level Cap Reached. Beowulf (3-Magician) has gained 4+8 levels. +63 SP. Level cap reached. Job automatically changed to Apprentice Scout. Racial level cap reached. Evolution Available. Skill Assassinate level 7.
We missed a lot of Exp there for not caring about level caps.
Mercy got a very rare title. I mean, she is the only twinkle this world has ever seen, right?
Title Untouched awarded.
Those that reach the level cap of a 4th or higher tier job without taking a single point of damage while having that job.
Grants +10% chance of absolute evasion.
"Set title: 'Mercy the Untouched'." Mercy's name in her status screen and the party window now reads "Mercy the Untouched."
Mercy is doing her best LOL in my... her head. "I can only laugh at this development. Sorry for distracting you, Beowulf."
"Job Change. Mercy to Villlager. Beowulf to Apprentice Scout."
Mercy is puzzled at returning to villager, "Why the job downgrade?"
"It is no good to remain on a capped job. Gotta diversify. Trust me on this one."
"You're the boss, son. This feeling of being putty in your hands, of losing all control over my being and trusting you from the bottom of my heart, it is not a bad one."
I'll take that with a block of rock salt and assume she is happy for being power leveled. Yes, that feeling when the friend that invited you to a new MMO saves you from all the extremely boring grinding and you walk over a red carpet. I am sure that was what she meant.
Back to the mission.
They have their weapons and armors neatly stored near their sleeping place, along with rucksacks, saddlebags and some footlockers even. As long as I have room, the item box will devour all.
Outside, I have to find easy prey. Mercy got a huge downgrade in her stats now. I need to get the Super Villager to offset this before going at another 4th tier job. Sniper this time. I'll hunt some sentries at the walls.
I found one but my foot slipped in the ice and I-we fell on mother's butt. He noticed me and drew its weapon. Hiding my weapon I make a scared face and he licked his lips seeing the scantily clothed woman in front of him. She is even mumbling.
Actually, it is a spell's chant. "Flash Freeze!" And cut!
I should've used the bow. And to offset the stats, I'll bump possession to level 10. It should give a +8 to all her stats.
{Body Switcher} learned.
Allows possessing another creature the current target is touching. 2x the initial cost must be paid. If successful, switch possessed bodies without the exit penalty.
Nice.
I'll also bump Mercy's bow skill to 9. I am unsure if it uses mine, hers or the highest one.
Another sentry patrolling the grounds. I'll snipe him.
Bullseye. It uses the highest level between me and the host.
Mercy (1-Villager) has gained 31 levels. Beowulf (2-Apprentice Scout) has gained 0+6 levels. +22 SP. Level cap Reached. Job automatically changed to Apprentice Warrior.
We have hunted eight more sentries, and Mercy capped unlocked the Super Villager. Now she is a Sniper. I'll open a fresh 4th tier job, Wizard, to match hers.
You have become a 4-Wizard. Skills Spell Research (D), Fast Casting (D), Spell Duration Increase [C], Spell Power [C], Spell Improvisation (D) added.
Moving around past the stables where a lot of horses are loitering in we've found another barracks. It is cramped and the quality of the gear stowed along the walls is poorer. They are the foot troops. Warriors, Scouts, a few recently-changed knights. A hundred sleeping troops.
This should account for almost all the 200 knights Julius allegedly brought with him. There is no need for subtlety anymore. Time for the twenty-one-second serious chant. It is becoming my favorite spell.
I'll take a lot of distance. I remember what happened to Cloude, I can't let mother-in-law be harmed. But this scum will vanish from this world. Finish the chant, aim at the door... "Lava Bomb!" And this time I have MP to fully pay for the spell cost.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
I'll let the few surviving knights deal with the aftermath.
Mercy (4-Sniper) has gained 25 levels. Beowulf (4-Wizard) has gained 0 + 25 levels. +219 SP. Skill Pyroclasm Magic level 2.
The ones that weren't in this complex, because right now Mercy is the only human alive inside it.
And now it is time for the power walk away from the burning building. I'm cool but I looked at the explosion but it is fine because right now I'm not a guy.
I won't walk away in slow motion either. There is a lot of things to do before the night is over.