Nirrvash
I have to say - as well as on Patreon - I didn't expect the vast majority of you to be in favor of the [Beast Core] skill. If anything I was prepared for the complete opposite result and a majority win for [Fierce Pounce] or to keep [Master's Shield]. Needless to say, I don't mind and I'm quite happy with the result - [Beast Core] it is. :)
A little note on today's chapter. It jumps around quite a bit between Standard (classical language), beast talk, and speaking through the link of the union rings. To make it obvious who is talking which way I made some formatting changes.
“Hi, Deckard.” - Standard (Normal Spoken Language)
“Hey, what’s up?” - union rings - usually between Deckard and Korra
‘Nice ass.’ - Korra’s thoughts
>> Not much. 17
Ride of Ancestors (Active II): lvl 21
Call of Nature (Passive III): lvl 31
Master’s Shield -> Beast Core: (Passive I): lvl 1
General Skills (10/10):
Eleaden Standard Language (Passive I): lvl 9
Perfect Equilibrium (Passive III): lvl 45
Spatial Domain (Passive III): lvl 49
Beast (Passive IV): lvl 65
Never-Dying (Passive IV): lvl 64 -> 66
Tail of Poison Empress (Active II): lvl 27
Heart of Magic (Passive II): lvl 24 -> 26
Striving Mule (Passive III): lvl 32 -> 33
Dancer’s Stride (Passive III): lvl 44 -> 46
None to Squander (Passive II): lvl 23 -> 25
“I switched the skills,” I said to Deckard, doing my best to sound calm, unaffected by it all. “I chose [Beast Core].”
He surely noticed my unease, yet despite his easygoing nature and tendency to make fun of me, he merely nodded, knowing full well that was all I needed at the moment.
“So, [Eleaden Standard Language],” I spoke after a minute or two. “What skill do you think I should pick?”
“Well, now that we have more of an idea of your Class Skills, I’d go for some martial skill, or combat one in general...if possible, one that would allow you to use magic as well, combine the two,” Deckard said and paused, looking me over, thoughtful. “I’ve been wondering. Tell me, Little Beast. Your connection to Idleaf didn’t grant you any skills?”
Yeah, he wasn’t the only one wondering about that. Actually, flipping through my available General Skills and searching for such a skill was one of the first things I did after I got my head around the whole Guardian thing. “Not one.”
“That’s...”
“I know, weird, right?”
To my surprise, he shook his head. “Actually, not that unusual.”
“Really?” Because I would think I should get some skill. After all, with the mutations, I got access to a bunch of them and apparently being a Guardian of the World Tree was an even bigger deal, so...
“You thought that because you gained skills with your mutations, it would be the case with everything, huh?”
Damn his mind-reading skills!
Damn my body language!
Glad to be in my full beast form, I shamefully nodded. “It isn’t?”
“You generally get General Skills by learning stuff. It doesn’t mean you have to be a master of the art, but you have to know the basics. My guess is that as your mutations came with the knowledge of how to use them, you gained access to the relevant skills right away. Your connection to Idleaf seems to be working the old-fashioned way, though. You’ll have to learn how to use it first,” he explained, and then shrugged. “It’s a shame. Being the Guardian that you are, you could certainly have had access to unique skills. One that no other human has...never had, actually.“
Yeah, I knew what he meant. Why go for some ordinary martial skill when I could have a unique one? Only it wasn’t that simple. “So, how do you get a unique skill the old-fashioned way? If I remember correctly, you told me that after I start training, first I’ll have access to something like [Basic Kick], then [Advanced Kick], and when I’m a hundred years old and experienced as a fuck, then I’ll get access to [Master Kick]. Where does that unique skill fit in? Don’t tell me I have to practice something like [Guardian Kick]?”
He chuckled. “I’m sure I didn’t say it like that, but that’s the gist of it. You have to admit that [Basic Guardian Kick] sounds at least better than [Basic Kick].”
“Yeah, it does,” I grinned, exposing my fangs. The question was how to train something like that, though.
“So...?”
“I said I don’t have access to a single one. And if you think I didn’t ask, I did.”
“And?”
“I would need more Guardian markings. All those runes you see - well, not right now under all that fur - are just the result of what I am, my connection to Idleaf, nothing more.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Then why not ask for the necessary ones?”
“Last time Idleaf told me I was too weak to bear more. Admittedly, it’s been a while. Fine, fine...I call her.” Sending mana to my side and lighting up the rune there was sadly the only trick I could do with them. It worked, though. Idleaf, as if she didn’t have anything else to do, appeared within a heartbeat.
“Yes, Korra’leigh?” she asked curiously after giving the area a quick glance to ensure I wasn’t in danger.
>> I hope I didn’t interrupt you from anything… I was showing Esudein and his kin how to play on a blade of grass, > But, they don’t have hands like you and me. Did he like it? Esudein, I mean. It was the first time he had heard music. He said it was...interesting.
Nirrvash
I have to say - as well as on Patreon - I didn't expect the vast majority of you to be in favor of the [Beast Core] skill. If anything I was prepared for the complete opposite result and a majority win for [Fierce Pounce] or to keep [Master's Shield]. Needless to say, I don't mind and I'm quite happy with the result - [Beast Core] it is. :)
A little note on today's chapter. It jumps around quite a bit between Standard (classical language), beast talk, and speaking through the link of the union rings. To make it obvious who is talking which way I made some formatting changes.
“Hi, Deckard.” - Standard (Normal Spoken Language)
“Hey, what’s up?” - union rings - usually between Deckard and Korra
‘Nice ass.’ - Korra’s thoughts
>> Not much. 17
Ride of Ancestors (Active II): lvl 21
Call of Nature (Passive III): lvl 31
Master’s Shield -> Beast Core: (Passive I): lvl 1
General Skills (10/10):
Eleaden Standard Language (Passive I): lvl 9
Perfect Equilibrium (Passive III): lvl 45
Spatial Domain (Passive III): lvl 49
Beast (Passive IV): lvl 65
Never-Dying (Passive IV): lvl 64 -> 66
Tail of Poison Empress (Active II): lvl 27
Heart of Magic (Passive II): lvl 24 -> 26
Striving Mule (Passive III): lvl 32 -> 33
Dancer’s Stride (Passive III): lvl 44 -> 46
None to Squander (Passive II): lvl 23 -> 25
“I switched the skills,” I said to Deckard, doing my best to sound calm, unaffected by it all. “I chose [Beast Core].”
He surely noticed my unease, yet despite his easygoing nature and tendency to make fun of me, he merely nodded, knowing full well that was all I needed at the moment.
“So, [Eleaden Standard Language],” I spoke after a minute or two. “What skill do you think I should pick?”
“Well, now that we have more of an idea of your Class Skills, I’d go for some martial skill, or combat one in general...if possible, one that would allow you to use magic as well, combine the two,” Deckard said and paused, looking me over, thoughtful. “I’ve been wondering. Tell me, Little Beast. Your connection to Idleaf didn’t grant you any skills?”
Yeah, he wasn’t the only one wondering about that. Actually, flipping through my available General Skills and searching for such a skill was one of the first things I did after I got my head around the whole Guardian thing. “Not one.”
“That’s...”
“I know, weird, right?”
To my surprise, he shook his head. “Actually, not that unusual.”
“Really?” Because I would think I should get some skill. After all, with the mutations, I got access to a bunch of them and apparently being a Guardian of the World Tree was an even bigger deal, so...
“You thought that because you gained skills with your mutations, it would be the case with everything, huh?”
Damn his mind-reading skills!
Damn my body language!
Glad to be in my full beast form, I shamefully nodded. “It isn’t?”
“You generally get General Skills by learning stuff. It doesn’t mean you have to be a master of the art, but you have to know the basics. My guess is that as your mutations came with the knowledge of how to use them, you gained access to the relevant skills right away. Your connection to Idleaf seems to be working the old-fashioned way, though. You’ll have to learn how to use it first,” he explained, and then shrugged. “It’s a shame. Being the Guardian that you are, you could certainly have had access to unique skills. One that no other human has...never had, actually.“
Yeah, I knew what he meant. Why go for some ordinary martial skill when I could have a unique one? Only it wasn’t that simple. “So, how do you get a unique skill the old-fashioned way? If I remember correctly, you told me that after I start training, first I’ll have access to something like [Basic Kick], then [Advanced Kick], and when I’m a hundred years old and experienced as a fuck, then I’ll get access to [Master Kick]. Where does that unique skill fit in? Don’t tell me I have to practice something like [Guardian Kick]?”
He chuckled. “I’m sure I didn’t say it like that, but that’s the gist of it. You have to admit that [Basic Guardian Kick] sounds at least better than [Basic Kick].”
“Yeah, it does,” I grinned, exposing my fangs. The question was how to train something like that, though.
“So...?”
“I said I don’t have access to a single one. And if you think I didn’t ask, I did.”
“And?”
“I would need more Guardian markings. All those runes you see - well, not right now under all that fur - are just the result of what I am, my connection to Idleaf, nothing more.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Then why not ask for the necessary ones?”
“Last time Idleaf told me I was too weak to bear more. Admittedly, it’s been a while. Fine, fine...I call her.” Sending mana to my side and lighting up the rune there was sadly the only trick I could do with them. It worked, though. Idleaf, as if she didn’t have anything else to do, appeared within a heartbeat.
“Yes, Korra’leigh?” she asked curiously after giving the area a quick glance to ensure I wasn’t in danger.
>> I hope I didn’t interrupt you from anything… I was showing Esudein and his kin how to play on a blade of grass, > But, they don’t have hands like you and me. Did he like it? Esudein, I mean. It was the first time he had heard music. He said it was...interesting.
