His party was arguing over whether to risk attacking Selion or if they should drag Kaden out and flee. Their voices were urgent but calm, and Kaden wanted to help them right after he killed Sara, but right now, he was focused on killing Sara by getting out of the cell. The Minotaur had calmed down. Technically it had passed out after he tried to pet it and it tried to head butt him. The reflexive punch had knocked it out cold and Kaden now held it by the undergrown horns.
There was something there. With it in his grasp, he felt the skill shift as though it were getting ready. For the thousandth time he read the description.
[Beast Form]
You have the soul of a Beast, and now you can take their shape. While in the shape of a Beast, you may use its skills and talents. Your health and mana will average. The resulting Beast’s size will vary based on your level. As this skill levels, you will innately grasp some skills of your selected forms. You must contact a beast to save it as a form.
That was the difference. “Save form. Save Beast Form. Form of Beast. Shape of Beast. Beast Shape, go go, Go!”
Nothing.
He thought of how [Hatred Mark] had mutated, how the skill had felt as it changed from almost a status condition to an ability. He reached out mentally, gingerly, feeling for the difference. And something activated.
You have saved [Minotaur] as a Beast Form.
You may now use [Minotaur] as a target. Warning! Your natural abilities with this form are zero. Focus on forms to increase natural abilites.
Yes! Kaden was rewarded with a flood of pleasure for doing something—anything—to kill Sara. Then frustration as it realized he as no closer to twisting her head until it popped off her neck.
Now the [Beast Form] skill felt different. Active, like a door that was unlocked and ready to open. Kaden triggered it, and fell to one knee as pain split up hand down his body. His feet felt broken, and only removing the boots would help. His chest ached, and his clothes felt like they were strangling him.
Kaden tore the armor off, putting it straight into Inventory so he could breathe. Naked, he kneeled on the floor. The [Beast Form] skill itself felt tender, bruised, but Kaden activated it. Pain became his world.
His feets split and shriveled at the same time, a painstakingly slow process, like his body wanted to do it but couldn’t quite figure it out. Toes merged to form misshapen hooves, which then divided out again and reformed. His skin itched everywhere as coarse brown hair grew in thick—then fell out in patches and regrew, and worst of all was the ache that split his skull as horns, short, stubby horns gew out of his skull.
Moments became minutes, which might as well have been hours. His jaw jutted forward, the teeth were now broad and blunt, but power swirled through Kaden. This body was so much stronger. So much more powerful. For a moment, his body locked up, the spine shifting and re-arranging to absorb impacts to his skull.
Then the mind changes began. Everything stank, even Kaden stank, but it was the herd-smell, the right-smell. The [Slaver] commands recoiled, unable to comprehend what had become of Kaden’s mind.
Kaden knew a few things.
First off, he belonged on the plains, hunting in the tall, cool grass, not in a box.
Second, that door was no match for Kaden’s power. His little brother might not have been able to open it, but that was because his little brother was weak and useless.
Kaden stood, unstable, and staggered back and forth on hooves. The balance was wrong, his knees were wrong, his weight uncentered and difficult to keep on top of his feet, and his limbs moved slowly, so slowly.
The first charge ended with Kaden’s feet going different directions and his tail getting squashed. The second charge, he mistimed [Headbutt] and woke up with the younger [Minotaur] sniffing him for injuries. The plains waited.
Bitter plains wind and darkness and roaring battles waited.
Kaden struggled to his feet and charged. [Headbutt!] He couldn’t say the skill but he could declare it, and the System rewarded him with the most powerful headbutt of his short life as a minotaur.
The door buckled outward, but held.
Little Brother slammed into it.
Good try, Little Brother. On one hoof, his blow had done nothing. On the other hoof, it was the thought that counted. No, actually, it was the headbutt that counted, but Kaden wouldn’t tell Little Brother that.
Kaden rose with purpose, remembering the cold grass whispering at night, the moon high above. Then lowered his head and charged, relying on instinct to activate [Headbutt].
Splinters flew, and the door twisted as Kaden slammed into it. Little Brother’s cries of encouragement had Kaden on his feet, and in a burst of inspiration, he picked up Little Brother and charged, smashing the door to splinters.
You have gained a new skill! [Battering—ERROR_SKILL_ENTRY_EXISTS.]
You have specialized!@# __ERROR_SPECIALIZATION_ALREADY_LOCKED
[Battering Ram] is now available.
You have broken a door.
You have broken your ram.
Little Brother didn’t look so good anymore. He stumbled, as unstead as Kaden, but the pride-smell that came off of him gave Kaden hope. He brayed out a battle call—and began to hunt, following herd-smells. Narrow stone-stairs let him climb up a level, where prey waited. Prey with swords and shields.
The beast portion of his mind knew fear as lightning arced across the [Swordsmen]’s shields, but the human portion knew names. People. Herd. The bad-things here were so focused on hurting his herd they didn’t even notice until Kaden towered over them. [Headbutt] reduced one to a limp wreck, and Kaden picked up the other .
The bad-thing kicked and struggled, striking the metal in Kaden’s chest.
It might as well have been kicking his horns.
Kaden wall-rammed the man, then set him aside for Little Brother to trample, bite and bash. In that instant, the two halves of his mind went to war. One half knew what was right. It was cold and dark and battle and blood and the sheer joy of a bray that sent terror down the spines of everyone for miles.
The other knew names and histories and hearts, and Kaden reached out, forcing, demanding he be in control. The battle was difficult, and far from settled, but he approached the pile of overturned furniture his herd hid behind and kneeled, giving a soft bray.
Speech just didn’t work in this form.
Ashi. That was her name, the [PolyMage] in beautiful tan wraps that glistened with stones. She stepped out first. “Kaden. It is he. The metal in his chest, the mana in his soul.”
“[Slavers] can’t control Beasts.” Sara stepped out and looked him up and down. “You still feel compelled to kill me?”
Kaden gave a slow shake of his head. His fingers were thick and only four remained on each hand. He reached out, grasping air.
Sara drew Remembrance from Inventory. “I don’t know how you use this. I can barely put it away.”
It felt too small in his hands, but he didn’t have a double-edge axe. It would have to do for now. Kaden sniffed the air, then looked up.
“Yes, we still need to deal with Selion. Ashi hasn’t found the Portal blocking runes, but she did find the ones that control the Fire Mana Bombs. Selion isn’t as dumb as he looks. He let the guards in. There were eight, now there’s three unaccounted for.” Sara looked to Ashi. “Where now?”
“Up. We must face the [Slaver] no matter what or risk dying in an explosion. Let him contend with us now. How much of your mind remains?” Ashi asked. “[Their Swordsmen] will rush to attack. Hold them back and we will do the rest.”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Kaden tried to summon a [Mana Dart]. The skill wouldn’t activate. Instead, he pointed up, then made a fist. That should be clear.
Little Brother stood behind Kaden, snorting with rage at Kaden’s party, because he was little and stupid and weak. Little Brother didn’t understand how some family you dropped from onto the earth and hit the earth, shivering and wet. Some family you found as you migrated through the plains of life.
Kaden turned and lumbered for the staircase, dragging Little Brother along behind. There was no Stealth. There was no aura. There was only fear in the air as he climbed, the smell of fear that grew stronger with every step.
At the top of the stairs, he raised his head and bellowed.
You have used [Bahamut Bray]. Allie’s attack will be raised. Enemies will suffer [Fear].
Kaden charged out into the ground floor where he had met Selion. A [Swordsman] leaped from behind the high back chair to swing down, cutting deep into Kaden’s thigh. Kaden lifted him up and smashed his face into the ground and then threw him to the side.
Lightning struck the man, followed by arrow after arrow, while Kaden sniffed. There was someone else here. Someone hiding. Deep snorts brought his scent, and the adrenaline that any clever prey felt when he hunted them.
The Sara-Herd and Ashi-Herd didn’t notice, but the Eve-Outsider was more aware, glancing about.
Kaden picked up the chair and hurled it across the room, then tore cabinets off the wall and slung them to smash out the windows with a roar.
“Kaden!” Ashi-Herd shouted. “Calm yourself. Are you a man or a Beast?”
He knew the answer to that. The broken window brought new air, and with it, a trace of the fear-scent that made Kaden bray with pleasure. He grunted to Little Brother, who bled from his horns as any growing minotaur should. Then grabbed Little Brother and spun, hurling him.
Something oofed as Little Brother crashed into them.
[Stealth] dissolved, and Sara attacked before Kaden could even charge. She fought a [Slyfoot] who carried a blowgun for about twenty seconds, then carried half a blowgun.
A flash of glitter, and the rogue disappeared.
Kaden sniffed, smelling blood from where Sara nicked him, and pointed.
“[Chilling Blast]!” Ashi cast the spell, “[Misty Fog]!”
A shadow moved in the fog as it solidified, and Sara loosed an arrow that stuck in nothing. The [Slyfoot] fell over as [Life Explosion] activated, and Sara mercifully ended the battle a moment later.
Ashi circled the room, then pointed to the wall. “There. A Control Rune.”
Any wall that threatened his herd was a dead wall. Kaden tapped the wall, looking to Ashi. When she nodded, he [Headbutted] it over and over until the plaster cracked. A glowing rune showed in the stone.
“Lift, please. I will not burn mana on [Hover].” Ashi let him lift her up, then put a hand on the rune. It pulsed and blinked, then went black. “No longer will he control anything. The Mana Bombs can no longer activate through these runes.”
A black crow sailed into the room through the broken windows and circled Kaden, and kept circling. After a few minutes, it sailed away. Then returned to Sara. “I’m almost there. One of them was willing. It took so much time to break that bond. Mistress Scylla’s home burst into flame a moment ago and I can’t find Kaden.”
Trella-mate. He couldn’t help the grunt of pure pleasure. Kaden pounded Remembrance for attention and pointed up. He had a [Slaver] to kill.
“Not yet,” Sara-herd said. “Just a little while longer.”
She couldn’t understand.
The smell of others drifted downward, some anger, some fear, some like a sickness, and every ounce of Kaden’s soul longed to chase them down and show Little Brother how to properly gore an enemy.
The Eve approached, looking up at him. “It really is you. I mean, you look like you. Except uglier. So much uglier and you smell terrible. But a level twenty seven [Minotaur]. That’s powerful.”
Something was wrong about that. Kaden was sure he was stronger. Sure he had been stronger. And that was the point at which he panicked, because Kaden no longer remembered what the other form looked like. Or felt like.
“Sara!” Trella’s voice carried through the window as she leaped in. “What are you still doing here? Did you find the slaves? Did you…”
She stared at Kaden. Swallowed. “That…”
“We’ve got bigger problems,” Eve said. “The estate manager is Ducat’s little brother. He’s also a [Slaver] and he attacked Kaden. Beasts aren’t affected by [Slaver] commands.”
“That. Is. Kaden.” Trella put a hand on his. Hers fit in his palm, and his four fingers covered her entire hand. She touched the metal embedded in his chest. “I’m sorry. This is going to hurt for a moment.”
Kaden winced as white light flared behind his eyes, and he almost fell over as searing pain blossomed in his head.
EXTERNAL ENTITY CONTROL REMOVED.
The bond on you has been broken.
You are no longer elligible for binding.
Trella wasn’t speaking. She wasn’t even looking at him. She kneeled down, her head dropped, as her arms shook.
“She’s hit level twenty five,” Sara said. “Hold on, it will pass.”
[Identify] actually differently for Kaden, showing rings of colors like those that told him how dangerous demons were. And Trella was changing color from a light yellow to a deep red.
She stood and patted her self. “How do you deal with this? It’s so intense. Every skill is screaming at me. And I’m so much more powerful.”
“Give it a day or two,” Eve said. “Kaden, it’s safe to change back, right?”
Kaden shook his head, then held out both palms. Back would require remembering where to go back to. And how to get back. And also wanting to get back. This form was so much easier. See an enemy, kill an enemy.
“Kanli told him this could happen,” Trella said. “I have four more slaves to free and one [Slaver] to end. Then we burn this place to the ground in case there’s any ritual equipment left.”
At last Kaden was free. He unleashed another [Bahamut Bray] and charged up the stairs. Remembrance caught a sword swing meant to cut off his head, and Little Brother rammed the [Swordsman] in the chest.
Kaden held him up and put Little Brother’s head right in the center of the man’s chest. Then rammed him forward to break bones.
This time, Little Brother understood. This time, he didn’t just break ribs, he smashed a heart and bleated for approval.
Trella stood behind him, mouth open. “I love you, but it’s going to be a while before we have sex again. I’m going to have to get…all of this…out of my mind.”
Kaden grunted. Grumpy mates were the worst mates.
The other [Guard] stood in front of a group of women, his sword drawn. “If you come one step closer, I’ll kill them.”
Kaden shouldered Remembrance and began to dance, tapping his hooves on the floor in a pleasing pattern.
“What the actual hell is that? Some kind of ritual?” The guard said. His attention slipped for the slightest moment.
Trella [Backstabbed] him as her Deception [Frontstabbed] him, then dodged his slash to cut over and over. Every cut left black stains that grew outward. [Plague] exploded on the man’s body and [Life Explosion] left him a wreck that Little Brother practiced his [Headbutt] on.
One by one, Trella freed the women. “Downstairs. Find the woman with the cosmic horrors—they’re not snakes—on her back.”
Then she looked to Eve. “You can go help Ashi and Sara.”
Eve shook her head. “Just because you’re going to kill a [Slaver]? This death is well earned, and I will help you survive to deliver it if you can protect me from him.”
“Let Kaden go first. Once he’s occupied, you’re welcome to join in if you keep out of sight.” Trella looked upward. “Distract him?”
Kaden headed for the stairs to the rooftop.
Selion stood on the rooftop, clutching a sword. He stared across the city to the inferno that raged on the other side. “Ducat isn’t coming home. So the house is mine. And I’ll claim those beautiful green snakes on your back—wait. Where is the snake woman?”
With each lumbering step, Kaden closed the distance.
“You look familiar, Beast.” Selion pointed his blade at Kaden. “But I have bad news. I’ve killed a beast already—alrea—”
His lips began to bleed, and flies buzzed all around him. Eve had ducked out to use [Plague]. [Life Explosion] hit and blood gushed from every orifice in Selion’s body. Kaden couldn’t use [Mana Drain] but he did have [Blood Drain] in the form of using Remembrance.
Selion might not have been a Centurion but he was a [Swordsman], and instinct alone brought his blades up to block—except that now Trella fought him, and her Deception—and its echo. Selion had levels for advantage, but Kaden pressed him with sheer power, while Eve’s debuffs increased with every minute.
The first strike that delivered [Ink] to Selion was the moment of momentum. Without mana regen, Selion had to choose when to use his skills. Kaden smelled the moment coming, when Selion’s bravado swapped to fear.
He roared a warning, but *Hey, he’s about to run* didn’t really translate into ‘Rawwwaarrrr.’
Selion danced backward to dodge a thrust—and leaped off the building top. He hit the ground and took off running for the gate.
Trella was with Kaden on the roof—and then stepping out of a shadow by the gate to slam a dagger into his belly. Evercut, the weapon that did constant damage. She clutched him close as the suprise faded, then cut both sides of his neck with Evercut.
There was no flash of light, no trumpets.
The Slaver died.
Trella stored his corpse and ran for the house.
Kaden had followed Eve downstairs with Little Brother close behind. Trella watched as Ashi checked each person before allowing them through a portal. “These have no magical implants,” Ashi said, then pointed to a young man. “He will explode if he leaves this building.”
Trella studied him. “Can you remove it?”
“It is but a silver ring in his heart.” Ashi looked to the man. “If I remove it, you may die. If I do not remove it, you will die. The decision I leave to you.”
He shook his head. “Don’t let him kill me.”
Inventory wasn’t natural for Kaden in this form, but he drew the Levicon Blade, which he couldn’t grasp with his blunt, thick fingers. It clattered to the floor, frustratingly small.
Ashi took it.
Kaden didn’t see her move, but blood gushed from the man’s chest, and she pulled back his rib cage to grasp a silver ring before he could scream. And scream he did, even when Eve applied [Life Transfusion].”
“Everyone out. I’m going to set off the activators by the Fire Mana bombs. There won’t be anything left. No evidence we were ever here.” Trella pushed Kaden in the chest.
Well, she gave it a solid try, pushing his belly button. “Trust me. I’ll sabotage a heatstone and set off the activators.”
Kaden fumbled to draw something from his soul. A [Match Lizard]. He pointed at the lizard, then the house, and waved his fingers to indicated fire.
“You seriously think this little guy can set off the activators?” Trella squinted. “It’s better than sabotaging a heat-stone. You could do it remotely, right? Tell him to explode?”
[Beast Soul] worked better in this form, and Kaden appreciated the [Fire Lizard’s] deepest desire for sheer purity. Some lizards just wanted to see the world burn.
He turned and escorted the others out of the house and onto the streets. The city watched as Mistress Trella’s house blazed. Thirty seconds later, the shadows beside him welled up as Trella used [Shadow Arc] to stand beside him. “No one run. Everyone stares at a fire, and we want to be everyone. Kaden, stay right behind Sara. Sara, if anyone asks, you’re a minotaur summoner. Have that lizard do its thing.”
Kaden gave a grunt to reassure Little Brother.
The world turned red as a column of brilliant red fire exploded upward. It was easy to stare. Easy to be one of a growing crowd. And then, as [Fire Mages] gathered to try and control the inferno, easy to drift away.