>Isabelle’s PoV<
“Ow...My head…” I said as held a hand to my aching cranium. Looks like the lion’s last attack on me was strong enough to leave lingering pain. I slowly opened my eyes and sat up to take a look at my surroundings, feeling my chest jiggle from the sudden movement.
…...Wait, ”jiggle”? I was pretty sure I was almost completely flat before. And why didn’t I feel the soft sensation of my Cloud Nine Set?
I looked down and saw a pair of mounds on my chest creating bulges in a Beginner’s Outfit. The mounds were rather modest, but more than big enough to be obvious. The arms that made their way out from my shirt’s short sleeves were a slight tan in color.
“W-What is this…?” my voice leaked out. Feeling something soft brush my neck, I looked behind me to find the cause. It was my hair. I had a long mess of voluminous golden hair. And when I say golden, I don’t mean blonde. I mean golden. I didn’t look at it long because something else behind me drew my attention.
Extending from my rear, just below where my hair stopped, was a long furry tail that ended in a golden dagger.
My eyes widening, a looked around and quickly located what I was looking for. A set of system windows. How do I keep missing these things?
You have been transformed!Impressed with you strength, force of will, and bloodlust, Garn, the king of the Forest of Change and one of the last of Nemean Blade Lion subrace of Were-Beasts, has decided to adopt you as his offspring and successor to his strength.
After several hours of trying to change you, he unfortunately found that his power was no match for the curse that binds you to the form of a Spirit. Never one to give up, he continued trying until he found a way to add the form of his race to you through your [Art of Shapeshifting] racial skill, creating the unique Job: [Formshifter]. Though not a complete change to his species, he is satisfied with the outcome and has given you the name Styra, derived from the word “styren” which means strength in the Ancient Werebeast language.
Racial GroupMythicalRaceWerebeastSubraceNemean Blade Lion
Mythical Racial GroupThe world of Ethris is home to many powerful monsters, but few are a strong as the Mythical Races. While these monsters vary in size, shape, and intelligence, the all share the same lust for battle and glory. Their strength is the stuff of legends, with the countless epics of their battles both against and along side the patroned races told across the land.+25 to all statsAll fame gained while a part of this racial group will be doubled
WerebeastOne of the most well known among the Mythical Races, the Werebeasts are by far the most varied amongst their racial group. While they share many similarities with the Beastkins, the Werebeasts are distinguished by their greater strength and speed as well as possession of a hybrid form in addition to their human and full animal ones.+50 to STR and AGIHuman, Hydrid, and Animal Forms (dependant on Subrace)
Nemean Blade Lion (Ultra Rare)This sub race of Werebeast are an offshoot of the Lion sub race. With blades decorating various parts of their body and golden fur as tough as the strongest armor, they excel at both offense and defense.
They are eager for battle even by Werebeast standards, to the point where fighting and gaining strength are almost the only things they think about. This desire fades with age, however, and eventually they retire from fighting and start to look for a successor. They do this by taking over a dangerous area and testing every fighter that they find.
During these tests, they leave a gap in the armor in a hard to reach place and stick to light attacks. When they find a warrior they feel has a suitable amount of combat ability, willpower, and thirst for battle, they take the warrior back to their lair, change them, and adopt them as a son or daughter to be trained in their methods of combat.Human Form
+50 to STR, VIT, and AGIHybrid Form
+75 to STR, VIT, and AGIAnimal Form
+100 to STR, VIT and AGIRacial Skills
Enhanced Senses.
Armored Hide
King’s Roar
You have obtained a Job!Formshifter(Unique)You have the ability to freely shift between multiple forms in order to make use of the abilities each provides. You will not have access to the racial or class abilities of any form other than the one you currently are in. Those abilities, as well as any derived from them, will be locked until you assume that form once again. Each form will require a separate class and equipment set, as they will not carry over to another form. Each form’s class will level separately from the others.
Any transformation that exceeds at least 30% of your TF Res. will be added as a new form.FormsKitsune-tsuki(Skytail)No ClassWerebeast(Nemean Blade Lion)No ClassNote: Unique Jobs are unequippable but do not count towards your three Job limit.
You have gained an alternate identity!You were transformed in a discreet location and given a new name. From now on, fame gathered by “Styra” will be separate from that of “Isabelle Lazulu” for all that do not know of your dual identity.
All non-unique titles and traits, as well as any Territories, will only apply to the identity that gained it. If it becomes common knowledge that your two identities are one and the same, then all fame, titles, and traits will be converged.
Wow...just...wow.
As I was trying to take this in, the sound footsteps reached my ears. Finally taking a look at my surroundings, I realized I was in a cave that was well lit by the torches lining it’s walls.
“So you’re finally awake, Styra. How are you feeling?” I heard a deep voice say behind me, causing me to turn around.
Standing behind me was a huge man in a sleeveless martial arts gi. His skin was a shade or two darker than mine, and his messy hair and beard gave me an impression of a golden lion’s mane. I didn’t need to ask his name, the golden bladed tail and lion ears gave it away.
“I take it you’re Garn?” I asked cautiously.
The next moment I found myself struggling to breathe as I barely managed to stay sitting up. He was radiating a bloodlust so powerful I felt like I was being crushed. It stopped as soon as it began, leaving me gasping for breath.
“You managed to remain consciousness...Not bad. Let that be a lesson to you, though. While you are in my care, you are to address me as “Father”. Are we clear?” he said gruffly. I nodded, but it wasn’t enough for him.
“I said…Are we clear?” he asked again, beginning to let out a bit of his bloodlust again, though not nearly as much as last time.
“Yes…Father…” I said, glaring at him. He chuckled.
“Good. Seems you’ve got a proper spine as well as a good head on your shoulders, Styra. You have one hour to rest, then we start training.” he said amused, turning around and walking away. As soon as he was out of sight, I let myself fall onto my back and stared out the ceiling.
Father, huh?
>Lady Isabelle!? Are you there!? Are you alright?! Please answer me!< I heard a familiar voice in my mind.
>I’m here Sorako. No need to worry.< I answered.
>Oh thank goodness! When that big brute carried you away, I didn’t know what to do!< Sorako sent back, obviously relieved.
>Garn might be a little rough around the edges, but I don’t think he’s all bad. The first thing he did when I woke up was ask me if I was alright.<
>Garn? You mean the lion? He can talk?< came the confused reply.
>Yeah. Turns out he’s a Werebeast.<
>A Nemean Lion Werebeast? That’s not good...You should leave before he realizes he can’t change you into one of his own! there’s no telling what he’d do to you!< Sorako said urgently.
>Yeah about that...can you keep what I’m about to tell you a secret from the others?<
>Of course, Lady Isabelle. Your secrets will always be safe with me.< Sorako replied without hesitation, causing me to smile. I told her about what had happened so far, including the Formshifter Job.
>And that’s pretty much it, Sorako. “Father” is intent on training me, and I don’t think I’ll be getting out of here until he’s satisfied with my progress.< I said, finishing my recap.
>I see...Shall I join you then?<
>Sorry Sorako, but since I was logged out, I was ejected from the party so I can’t contact the others. I’ll need you to relay news and messages for me.<
>Of course, Lady Isabelle! I shall not fail you this time!< Sorako said eagerly.
This time? Oh, I get it now. No wonder she seems more earnest than usual. She was feeling guilty about the fight with Garn.
>Sorako…<
>Hm? Is something the matter, Lady Isabelle?<
>...No, it’s nothing. What’s going on with the others?< I asked instead. I had wanted to comfort her, but anything I said would probably make things worse. Sorako needed to find her own sense of worth, especially since she couldn’t fight.
>Well, Lady Isabelle, all of them seem to be taking your absence rather hard, but in different yet similar ways. Miss Dawn has yet to leave the area’s training grounds and is training with such intensity that no one dares to approach her. Miss Lynn has holed up in Loksha’s library researching magic. And Miss Lilith is on a rampage through the forest looking for you.<
>I see...And what about Loksha or the Flame Ape Tribe?<
>Neither are aware of the reason for your absence, though both are concerned for your safety.<
>I see. Inform everyone that I’m alright and I’ll be secluding myself for training. If they ask for any other details, tell them that I haven’t told you anything else.<
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
>At once, Lady Isabelle!<
>Thanks, Sorako. You’re a great help.<
>I’m happy to be of service, Lady Isabelle! But may I ask a question?<
>Hm? Sure, go ahead.<
>Why do you want to keep your new form a secret?<
>Oh that? I just figure I could use it to get some time away from Lynn and Lilith in the future.<
>Ah, I see. Well then, I shall go inform the others. Please be careful, Lady Isabelle.<
>Thanks Sorako. You too.<
And with that, our exchange ended and the connection closed. Well, I say closed, but really it just enter a sort of dormant standby mode.
Checking the time, I saw that about 5 minutes of the hour that Ga-I mean, that Father gave me had elapsed. I decided that I needed to try to think of him as “Father” rather than “garn”. it would help reduce that chance of me slipping up. I’d rather not feel that pressure on me if I could help it.
Wrapping the pelts that Garn had thoughtfully provided when he brought me here, I decided to take a nap for the remainder of the time. I wanted to be well rested for whatever training Father had in mind for me. I never wanted to experience such a feeling of helplessness again.
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>Sorako’s PoV<
>Thanks Sorako. You too.< Lady Isabelle told me as our conversation came to a close. Even after I had failed her during the lion’s attack, she still found it in her heart to forgive me. She was so kind and she deserved much more than someone like me as a servant.
Was that why she hadn’t said anything when she realized how I felt? No, Lady Isabelle was too kind of a person to simply abandon me without saying anything. Besides, I had heard the concern in her voice and she had started to say something.
But then why did she stop herself?
The question nagged at me as I started to climb down from the clocktower, Loksha’s largest structure. As the bond was rather new, it’s range was still lacking so I had climbed up so that the trees of the forest wouldn’t provide as much obstruction.
When I was halfway to the bottom, the answer dawned on me. It was obvious. So obvious in fact that I was ashamed of myself for taking this long to figure it out.
She was testing me.
She was giving me another chance. A second chance to prove myself worthy, and I would not let it go to waste.
After realizing this glaringly obvious fact, I planned out my route for the task I had been given. First was to visit the Flame Monkey Tribe. On my way back, I would seek out Miss Lilith. Once back in Loksha, I would inform Loksha’s mayor, followed by Miss Dawn then Miss Lynn.
It was the obvious choice. The Flame Monkey Tribe were far more likely to do something reckless than the people of Loksha and if Miss Lilith wasn’t stopped before she reached Lady Isabelle’s location, then her plans for her new form would be ruined. So those came first.
The was no telling what Loksha’s people might do, so informing them was more urgent than for Miss Dawn or Miss Lynn. And since I wanted to start on my second task as soon as I was done, I decided to inform Miss Lynn last due to needing the the library’s books as well.
I finished my planning just as my feet touched the paved street in front of the clocktower. My tail swishing happily behind me, I set out to fulfill my mistress’s expectations.
I would not fail Lady Isabelle again. Never again.
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>Lilith’s PoV<
Gasping for breath, I slowly walked away from the shatter ice that was all that was left of the lowly beast that had been stupid enough to get between Mistress and I. I stumbled more than once, but I couldn’t rest. Not yet. I had to rescue her and put an end to the beast that had dared to kidnap her.
Dammit...It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Not again…
I...I was supposed to have been strong enough to protect her this time…
That’s why...I couldn't rest...just yet…
Just as i could feel my consciousness starting to fade, I saw a potion being held in front of me. Without thinking too much of it, I quickly drank it.
Though in hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to drink something when you don’t even know who gave it to you. Luckily, it was just Sorako, who was sitting on a low tree branch beside the tree I had been leaning on.
“Thanks Sorako. Do you have anymore? I ran out sometime ago and they’d be a great help in rescuing Mistress.” I asked, relieved that I had some help in this. The other two were “training”, too cowardly to face the enemy without being assured of their victory.
“I made contact with Lady Isabelle quite some time ago. She instructed me to inform you that she is training on her own and is not to be bothered in the meantime. I suggest that you come back with me to Loksha for some rest. That elixir restored your health, stamina, and mana, but it can not cure your mental fatigue.”
Mistress was alright? I was relieved to hear that, but I couldn’t afford to go back to Loksha just yet.
“I’ll stay here Sorako. I can’t fail her again, so I’ll be staying her to train.” I said firmly.
”...I understand your feelings, Miss Lilith. But if it had been Lady Isabelle who had found you instead of I, how do you think she would have felt?”
…!
“Knowing her...She would have been upset and guilt ridden for quite a while…” I said, realizing what Sorako was saying.
“Exactly. As her servants, our priorities should be her safety and her happiness. Since her safety has been confirmed, we should not give her any reason to worry about us. Beside, rather than mindlessly fighting, your time would be better spent trying to find new ways to use the strength you possess, rather than simply throwing it at your enemies as you have been.”
“...You’re right...let’s go back…” I concede with a sigh.
As I followed Sorako back to Loksha, I made a vow that I would grow stronger, much stronger. I had failed twice already and there would not be a third.
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>Dawn’s PoV<
I slashed at another training dummy. Then another. And another.
I kept going, cutting into dummy after dummy. No good. They were all still in one piece. Huge gashes in them? Most certainly. But in one piece nonetheless.
I thought back to the fight with the lion. All three of the others had been able to cause damage to the beast. But me? All of my attacks had come up empty, no damage whatsoever. If that wasn’t bad enough, my contribution to Isabelle’s plan was to attract the monster’s attention. I had been bait. But what had really bothered me was something else.
When the lion knocked all to the ground, I had given up. I had faced the same sort of hopeless situation countless times in other VRMMOs, each time choosing to fight to my last breath.
I had complained to Lynn all those times that I was a guy. That I was supposed by playing a male character just like in every other VRMMO that we had played together. That nothing had changed.
But I had given up. If Isabelle hadn’t forced herself to stand up, I wouldn’t have been able to do the same. And that was the problem. Isabelle hadn’t given up, so I couldn’t just write it off as my female body affecting me. So what was different?
Whatever, it didn’t matter. In every game I played, I never used magic, preferring to use my physical ability. As long as I could catch up to the others without resorting to magic, I could continue to assert my masculinity. Everything would be fine.
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>Lynn’s PoV<
The others were amazing.
Dawn’s speed was top notch and her control was just as incredible.
Lilith-senpai was amazing with magic and stealth. She could wield two elements at the same time and even combine them and the amount of mana she had was insane.
Even Sorako was awesome. She was practically an entire set of encyclopedias on this world.
And Milady?
She was the most brilliant of them all. She was kind, creative, determined, fun, and absolutely adorable. She had been only been playing a short while, but she had already accomplished so much, even if it was reluctantly. I could only image what would happen if she actually put her looks to proper use instead of running from them. I knew she would do a lot of amazing things in this world and I wanted to be right there with her when she did.
But my special skill? Making clothes. I was so good at it apparently, that the game gave me the Sorcerer class as a result. But what good was a skill like that in combat? None at all. At least, not on it’s own.
That’s why I was in here. I wanted to do a little research before I sought out someone who could teach me a Job I was looking for.
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>God’s Domain<
Lucas gave an impressed whistle as he watched the five projections displaying Isabelle and her team members.
“Those kids sure are strong willed. They didn’t waste even a second on being depressed, even after such a beatdown.” he said, amused.
“Oi, Silas! Ah’m chang’n mah bet on whose gunna be ta first to reach ta Deity Rank to the Isa lass!” Dalmar said.
“Hmph. She’s good, but my money’s still on her older sister, Ivel.” Silas responded.
“I still feel bad for them...Are you sure there isn’t another way, Wendolyn?” Irene asked soberly, turning to the fairy goddess.
“We’ve been over this, Irene. This is the only way that doesn’t involve them getting harmed.” Wendolyn said with a sigh.
“Depends on what you mean by “harm”...” Irene muttered quietly.
The rest of the gods nodded solemnly before returning their attention to the projections.
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End of Arc 1 Act 2 - “Road Bumps”
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Cookie Corner
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This week's recipients of the “Good Job!” cookies are: Obi Croft!
Obi Croft: Suggested back in “Chapter 5 - Treasures” that I make the MC’s class something to do with transformations, giving me the idea to use the “Formshifter” concept that’s been in my mind for who knows how long.
Better luck next time guys!
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Author Corner
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Phew! Finally done with this!
Here you go guys, the end of Arc 2 and a little peek into the minds and insecurities of Isabelle’s teammates.
Next up is a training arc and I’m excited!
So a few things before I wrap up Chapter 9:
One: I live for the reactions of others to my work, so instead of just saying “thanks for the chapter” I’d appreciate it if you could, at the very least, tell me what your favorite part was. If not, feel free to say “thanks for the chapter” anyways so I at least know you enjoyed yourselves.
Two: I love it when you guys post suggestions, so feel free to give your suggestions on the path Isabelle and her friends should take as they gain power. What skills and classes they should get, etc, etc.
Three: Please keep your comments appropriate...This story is not a mature one. Not yet at least. I may go into that or I may not. It all depends on where I end up. Writing this story is like playing the world’s most complex visual novel for me. I pick a path out of several available ones and see where it takes me. Point is, until you see a “mature” tag on my fiction page, please do not post inappropriate comments here.
Welp, that about does it! See you guys in Arc 3!
GrandFinale, over and out!