Chapter 43: Chapter 43: A Wolf’s First Quest

[ Charge Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! 1 skill point gained. ]

[ Skill Unlocked: Pounce. Unlock condition: Have Charge, and Body Slam both at max level. 1 skill point gained. ]

[ Bear Form Skill Level Up! Level Max Reached, Bonus Unlocked! 1 skill point gained. ]

After terrifying more racehogs for a while she had completed her goal, and had also unlocked a new skill. If she remembered correctly, the Sholan Warg had that one.

[ Charge (Active): Charge head first at a target with increased speed. Minimal ability to change direction during charge. Reduced balance during charge. Damage value: (1.5+(0.05*skill level))*attack power. Increased chance to knock target down. Scales with Strength, and user's mass and size. Effect increases with skill level. Chance to receive recoil damage if target is too hard, or user is too frail. Cost: 5 SP. Refresh: 10 seconds.
Max level bonus: Balance penalty while charging halved. ]

[ Bear Form (Active): Druid branch exclusive. User shapeshifts into a bear. Continuous effect. Vitality, Strength, and Defence: +(50+(2*skill level))%. Max HP: +10%. Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom: -50%. Magic power: -10%. Max MP: -10%. Can't cast most spells. Temporarily gain skills: Bite, Rake, Roar, and Taunt. Activation Cost: 5 MP. Cast time: 2 seconds. No further cost while active. Deactivation Cost: 0. Refresh: 10 seconds.
Max level bonus: Attack power: +10%. ]

[ Pounce (Active): Perform a heavy short to medium distance pounce onto a target, with a high chance of knocking them over, even if they are slightly bigger than the user. Range, and effect increase with skill level. Damage value: (1.5+(0.05*skill level))*attack power. Scales with user's mass and size. Warning: hard impacts may cause recoil damage. Cost: 10 SP. Refresh: 20 seconds. Price: 3 skill points. ]

That would consume all three of the skill points she had just gotten, but it was probably a worthwhile addition to her arsenal considering the high damage value, so she only showed some minor hesitation as she hit the Buy button.

[ Skill Purchased: Pounce. ]

Her problem was remembering to use all the options she had. Maybe she could finally knock over a deer now. She'd have to try it out.

"The Sara!"

But apparently not yet.

She knew the ravens said her name like that on purpose to try to get a reaction out of her, so she wasn't going to give them the satisfaction.

"Yes?" she answered calmly.

"There are people asking to see you. Ten of them."

"T-ten?!" Sara couldn't hide her shock.

"Yes, yes! Two of them are the ones you spoke to yesterday. This is getting very interesting already! Very interesting!" the raven said, and started caw-laughing.

At least someone was having fun. Meanwhile Sara felt close to panicking. How had things escalated that much already? Well, she didn't really have any choice other than going to see them, unless she wanted to risk the alliance dying before it even got going. If Mirielle and Luneria had come with the group, then they probably weren't there to cause trouble, but she would ask some of the wolves to hide out nearby just in case. The ravens would probably also be watching with keen interest. So even if things went south, they'd be able to retaliate.

By the time she reached the glade she had 30-40 wolves on standby at different distances. She didn't want to clump them up too much, it was better if they came in waves after the first howl. Plus it was less likely to seem suspicious if most of them were outside of range of stuff like Sense Presence.

There were in fact ten people waiting in the glade. Most of them were pretty strong as well. All of them were wearing the truce symbol, so they must have really worked hard to produce a bunch of them already. Or maybe it wasn't as much work to make one as she thought.

The highest level after Luneria was the uniformed man standing to the side behind her. His mana signature was the second strongest as well, but only barely beating Mirielle. Considering the level disparity she had to be exceptional. There were three people with the same uniform as the man's, just a little less fancy, meaning they were probably his subordinates. In the middle of those three were another three elves that had a more civilian appearance. They were dressed similarly to one another in very functional field gear, but they were clearly not military. And finally the Druid who had come with them looked almost out of place in her green and brown nature-inspired attire (which looked a little bulky on her). Someone unaffiliated hired for the job, maybe? She was an elf like all the others, but she almost looked like someone roleplaying what they thought a Druid should look like.

Sara did a quick check of her skill list to make sure she hadn't left anything she shouldn't on there, and then stepped into the glade. Everyone's eyes immediately fell on her, and she heard gasps from the Druid, the civilians, and one of the (presumably) soldiers. She forced herself to walk calmly towards the statue.

"Greetings, Guardian Beast," Luneria said, and did a small bow. Almost like she was putting on a performance.

[ Luneria Mindagon - Elf Temple of the Moon Bishop (Shepherd Lvl 39) HP: 248/248 ]

Maybe that's how we're doing it today.

Sara gave Luneria a small nod in return, and kept walking calmly until she stopped in front of the statue. The poor civilians looked nervous. She had to wonder what they had been dragged out here for.

Then she shapeshifted into her Tree Form, and heard more gasps. She wasn't sure what they had been told, but maybe they hadn't fully believed it until they got to see it themselves. To his credit the fancy soldier man had maintained a serious, neutral expression the whole time. It was impossible for her to guess what he might be thinking.

She took out the chalkboard Mirielle had left with her, and started writing. It felt easier now, probably because she had gotten more used to it. Getting skill levels in Tree Form didn't diminish the Dexterity penalty, but maybe it still made movement a little easier? She presented her written message to them, hoping it was suitably worded:

"Greetings, Bishop Luneria. And to all I have not seen before. I am the Guardian Beast of Nyolund. One of the Night Ravens informed me that you wished to see me. May I inquire why you have all come?"

Mirielle shot her a smile, which hopefully meant she had done well.

"Certainly," Luneria answered. "I submitted a report of our discussion yesterday, and then I was summoned to the Palace to further discuss the matter with them. The First Princess is very interested in forming this alliance, and has entrusted us with a mission. This man is Lieutenant Davril Fernstone of the Palace Guard." She gestured to the man behind her to the right. "He will explain the rest."

[ Davril Fernstone - Elf Komeron Royal Palace Guard Lieutenant (Paladin Lvl 38) HP: 326/326 ]

Sara had questions about a lot of the things she had just been told, but she would hold off until she got to speak to Luneria or Mirielle in private.

The man took a step forwards, but she noticed he still stayed slightly behind Luneria. A hierarchy thing, perhaps?

"Greetings, Guardian Beast," he said. "The First Princess in her benevolence has given us the task to survey the road to the north, and determine what we would need to open it again. We have reason to believe it might be in a state of disrepair."

That's correct, but I'll hold off on writing any answers until he's done.

"I have brought with me three of my most trusted guardsmen."

That was all they let you bring, huh?

They were two Marksmen, and a Soldier, which were probably all upgraded classes considering they were level 31-32.

She had a feeling this might not have the full support of the city, or the royals yet. It was probably more like a test.

The three guards looked a little unsure what to do, but ended up doing small bows like Luneria had. They probably figured they couldn't show a lower level of respect.

"We have also brought three members of the city's Civil Service Department, who will assess the state of the North Way, and make a report of what will be required to restore it. Priestess Mirielle, and Speaker Laroni will accompany us."

[ Laroni Fanleaf - Elf Naturalist Society Speaker (Druid Lvl 22) HP: 112/112 ]

The latter was the Druid, who really looked out of place, and uncomfortable. Probably someone who had this job pushed onto her after whatever organisation she belonged to had received the request. Hopefully she would be fine.

"In the spirit of furthering this alliance, we request your assistance in keeping our group safe."

Yep, it's a test. Well, I don't mind. This is the kind of thing I was aiming for, anyway. I just didn't expect it to escalate so quickly.

Then something unexpected popped up.

[ Progression Quest ]

[ Survey The Komeron North Way ]

[ The First Princess of the Hanoleav Kingdom has dispatched a survey team to assess the condition of the North Way, in the hopes of being able to reopen it for permanent use. You have been asked to cooperate with the survey team, and help protect them in order to prove you are serious about forming an alliance.
Successful completion reward: Greatly improved Reputation with the participating Hanoleav factions.
Failure penalty: Significant loss in Reputation with the participating Hanoleav factions. ]

[ Accept ] [ Decline ]

That was the first quest form Sara had seen since coming to this world. Which was natural. Who would give quests to a mob? It was odd that it would pop up as a quest at all. If she didn't have menu access, she wouldn't have been able to see it. Were the elves even aware it was presented that way to her?

This has to be Auntie System's work.

But it really didn't matter how it had come about, since she had little choice but to accept. Thankfully she could do that just by thinking about it.

[ Quest 'Survey The Komeron North Way' Accepted. ]

Though she had to write a response as well:

"Certainly. My wolves will keep watch from the woods. I will tell them to coordinate with Speaker Laroni if there is anything you require."

The poor Druid's eyes went wide at seeing her name written on the board. Maybe she didn't want that much responsibility.

"And..." The Lieutenant hesitated. "I apologise for the disrespect, but I was told to verify that you can indeed control the wolves. Can you call, and command them in our view?"

Sara blinked, or maybe she didn't, depending on how eyes looked like on a treant.

Ah, so they stuck that unenviable task onto him as well.

She released a loud howl to get the others to come. Thankfully she was able to convey a short message with the howl, basically saying "show yourselves, but don't attack". Everyone present besides Luneria and Davril (yes, even Mirielle) jumped at hearing the howl. And a certain tension came across the elves as wolves appeared in force around the edge of the clearing. Her wolves still seemed hesitant to enter the glade, as if there really was some power keeping them out. Though if she gave them a direct command, they would probably overcome it.

Sara turned towards her wolves with a creak.

"Okay, listen up! These people are going to inspect the road, and I want you to help them out. Not with the inspecting, but with keeping them safe. Just spread out in the woods on either side of the road, and keep pace with them. Some of you walk a little ahead as well, to intercept any threats. Got it?"

""Yes, boss!""

Sara could feel more presences incoming, along with flapping of wings.

"Help, help! We also want to help!"

"Yes! Help! Help out!"

She looked up to see half a dozen ravens hovering above. That seems to have made the elves even more nervous than the wolves had. Sara wanted to write a quick message that they didn't need to worry, but then realised she had a faster way.

"Speaker Laroni?"

"Y-yes?!"

"So you can understand me, good. Please tell them that the Night Ravens are here because they also want to help out, and there's no need to worry."

"Uh... right!"

Sara left that to the Druid, and looked back up at the ravens.

"I appreciate your assistance, but are you sure you won't get bored?" she asked.

"Not bored!"

"Not bored! Not bored!"

"People very interesting!"

"Will we get to blast things?"

"Hm..." Sara pondered what to ask of them. "Can you take out any cats in the trees along the way? The wolves can't really reach them."

"Nope!"

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"Can't see them! Nope!"

"Ah..." Sara looked at the wolves instead. "You all can tell where the cats are, right?"

"If they're not too high up, boss. But they like being high up."

"Hm... then I think I'm gonna have to ask you to be bait. Just a couple of you walk ahead of the people, and try to get the cats to jump on you. Sorry to ask this, but they're looking for easy targets, so you gotta make yourselves look easy."

"Got it, boss!"

"I'll come along in a little bit, but there's something I have to do first, so you'll be on your own at the start. Can you handle that?"

""Yes, boss!""

"And..." She looked up at the ravens again. "I guess you are the best for the job in terms of bear deterrent. If any of them get close to the road, can you deal with it?"

"Yes! Yes, yes!"

"Blast bears! Blast them!"

"They won't know what hit them!"

"Yes, they will!"

And then they started laughing. She had to wonder where they had picked up a phrase like that.

"I'm really sorry about them," Sara said in a quieter voice to the Druid who had gone a little pale. "They get very enthusiastic about helping out. I think they're just very bored, and want a change of pace from their everyday life. I know they're a little intimidating, but don't be afraid to talk to them. They like people. Though they do talk a lot, so I won't blame you if you'd rather they didn't take notice of you."

Laroni didn't say anything, but she nodded.

Sara started to write a response to the other elves.

"The wolves will cover you from the forest, and the ravens will be on the lookout for bears. I've also asked the wolves to try to bait down the Stalker Jaguars. They prefer easy targets, but I don't think they actually fear death, so they might decide to pounce right into the middle of your group if we're not careful. If you have any way to help shield my wolves from taking too much damage, I would appreciate it. Even though we don't lose anything from respawning, I prefer to not treat them as disposable."

The Lieutenant glanced at Laroni, as if asking her for confirmation on what I said, and she just nodded several times in response.

I guess it will take a while to build trust, Sara thought with an internal sigh.

"Thank you, Guardian Beast," he said out loud. "We appreciate your assistance."

"You're welcome," Sara wrote. "If you don't mind, I would like a few words with Bishop Luneria before I join you myself."

"Bishop?" Davril looked at her.

"It's okay, Lieutenant. I can make my way back to the city on my own after conferring with the Guardian Beast," Luneria replied.

"Understood." He turned to the others. "Okay, let's move out! We need to get this done before the end of the day."

Sara called to the wolves, and the ravens. "They're moving out, so keep pace with them! If you have any questions in my absence, you can talk to the Druid. She'll understand you."

""Okay, boss!""

"We fly, we fly!"

"Look out for bears!"

"Bears, look out for us!"

"Blast them! Blast them!"

The wolves vanished into the woods, and the ravens flew off in high spirits, and the elves returned to the road.

"You're not going with them?" Sara wrote to Luneria.

"No, they wouldn't allow someone in my position to go on a mission like this," Luneria replied. "That's why Priestess Mirielle was pulled into it. I think she wanted to speak more with you too," she added with a smile.

"Speaking of speaking," Sara wrote. "I realised last night that I forgot to bring up what if I want to speak with you first. I don't really have a way to initiate contact, should I want to."

"You're right." Luneria gave it a little thought. "Do you know the Hunting Post in Ethuun?"

"Yes."

"They usually have at least one Druid stationed there who would be able to understand you. I'll ask them to make sure to always have someone on duty, and to not attack you if they see you. While this alliance isn't set in stone yet, my word alone holds enough sway to be able to guarantee that."

"Thank you," Sara wrote. That was probably the best she could hope for. "I have some questions."

"I figured you would," Luneria said.

"Who is the First Princess?" was Sara's first question.

"Right. Of course you wouldn't know anything about our Royal family. Let's see..." Luneria took a moment to think. "Our current Monarch is Queen Lethoria, and she has three children. The First Princess Elnatha, the First Prince Gorivor, and the Second Princess Pholunee. Our succession usually favours female descendants, but it's not a hard rule, so any of the three have a chance at becoming the Crown Prince or Princess. By default the First Princess is first in line, but there are of course politics involved. Whomever is the most distinguished, has the biggest following, and sufficient support will end up getting picked, no matter what advantages they start with."

That did seem to line up with what Sara knew of these sorts of settings, and it might have been how things had used to work in real life too, but monarchies were rare, and the royals had little influence back on Earth. Most of the ones that had been left when she was born had gradually phased out as she grew older, and she wasn't very familiar with the history of such things.

"Currently the Second Princess is quite popular with the general populace, so the First Princess has been looking for any achievements she can add to her list. And when this news came to the Palace, she immediately seized upon it before anyone else could. She won't lose too much if it fails, but she'll stand to gain a lot if it succeeds. It might be motivated by self-interest, but I think she would make a good ruler with a bit more maturity, so I'm glad to count her as an ally, no matter the reasons."

"And so they send out the Lieutenant with only three soldiers?" Sara wrote with some slight snark in mind.

"Yes," Luneria replied with a nod. "Without the full backing of the throne, it would be hard to mobilise more. Besides, it's easy to spin it as they don't need more if the alliance holds true, and they get aid from the Guardian Beast. As for poor Mirielle... you could say she was 'sacrificed' because she was the one who started this, and the Temple didn't want to send anyone more important. I came because I insisted we needed a higher ranked liaison, and since I have already met you, I was the obvious choice."

"And that shaky looking Druid? Was she also a sacrifice?" Sara asked.

Luneria laughed a little. "I believe so. I am not that familiar with the internal workings of the Naturalist Society, but she's definitely not someone very high up. The poor girl looked even more uncomfortable than the surveyors."

"That she did. It's fun to have someone I can actually speak to," Sara wrote. "Though I don't know if I was actually able to reassure her."

"I'm a little envious," Luneria said with a smile. "Maybe if I had picked up the Druid cane rather than the Priest staff when I was young, I would have been able to actually hear your voice as well."

"I had wondered if the maybe the Tree Form would allow me to speak," Sara wrote. "But it seems not. I suppose I would have needed to be able to speak in the first place."

"Resident Druids I've seen have been able to still speak while shapeshifted, so I assume so." Luneria scratched at her cheek. "I see your skill list has updated since last we met. It's only been a day, and yet you suddenly have several higher ranked spells."

"Yes. I've been working hard to live up to the boss title," Sara wrote. "If any raiders show up, I need to be able to fight back, after all."

Luneria nodded. "Indeed. I will be honest, I think it's a little frightening that you can grow. Not necessarily because you are scary, but because it upends so much of our knowledge about mobs."

"As far as I know I'm unique," Sara wrote. "But it is possible other gods have done the same as mine did."

"I was pondering the same thing... but if they end up standing out like you, I guess we'll find out sooner or later." Luneria giggled.

Sara felt a little awkward when it was stated like that. She had tried to stay under the radar. She was simply bad at it. Suddenly she remembered there was something she had intended to mention:

"I forgot to bring it up during the meeting, but I feel like I should warn you about the Night Ravens. They told me that they intend to keep any oath breakers permanently out of the woods. Corvids have excellent memories, and they would absolutely be able to remember anyone they saw breaking the alliance. Which shouldn't be a problem to you, but maybe it could act as an extra deterrent to others?"

"I think it might," Luneria sighed. "Everyone is used to the ravens not taking the initiative on attacking, but if that becomes a possibility should they not respect the alliance... I guess I should add that to my report."

"I also made some more silk balls. I would like it if you took some with you, and got their quality checked. I'll give you some from different stages in the process. I think I got better at it the more I tried, so the more recent ones are likely better, but maybe someone still wants the lower quality ones."

Sara put the chalkboard down, and pulled out six balls. Two of the first ones she had made that morning, two she had made right before hitting max level, and two she had made afterwards.

"Oh, right." Luneria accepted them, and placed them into her magic pouch. "That reminds me I forgot to bring you any food. I'm sorry. Things got so hectic that it slipped my mind."

Sara picked the board back up. "That's okay. Just make sure I get extra next time."

Luneria chuckled. "Will do. I believe this might be another part of why the First Princess was so quick to jump on board as well. I gave one of the balls to the Temple, and sent the other to the Palace, so she most certainly saw it. Maybe she even had it appraised before I got the summon." She gave Sara a sharp look. "So you do have an inventory, then."

Sara froze. It hadn't occurred to her that that might be information she should have kept secret. There wasn't really any point in trying to hide it after the fact.

"Yes," she wrote. "It was one of the gifts I got from my god."

"And levelling, and skill copying are others..." Luneria mused out loud. "It just makes me more curious what else you have, but I understand I shouldn't pry too much. Every girl has her secrets."

Sara chuckled, though that probably sounded weird from a tree. Speaking of skills and secrets, she had one she wanted to share, for no other reason than she desperately wanted to tell someone. When you got something cool, it was natural to want to show it off. Maybe she should have saved it for telling Mirielle later, but she wanted to tell someone so bad, and she had decided Luneria was also trustworthy.

"I made a big discovery earlier," she wrote. "I am going to reveal a skill to you, and I want you to read the description. Look for Slow Fall. It should appear at the end of my Active list."

"Slow Fall?" Luneria went quiet, probably looking the Identify results. "Slow Fall... special skill? I haven't heard of that before... w-wait. Sara? What is this? Where... how...?"

Sara hid it away again, before she could forget. "It was something I unlocked via a hidden condition. I have collected quite a strange variety of skills, and getting six of them to max level caused a reaction. The unlock notification hinted that it might be possible with different relevant skill combinations, but the six that did it for me were Air Control, Balance Up, Cat's Feet, Climb, Firm Grip, and Leap. And it still cost 12 skill points to purchase."

"12..." Luneria sighed. "I can see why. Of course everyone hears stories about super strong skills, though they're usually about some really impressive attack, the kind that can take down a dragon in one hit. But this... this changes how the laws of nature affect you..." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "I can't even imagine how you got all of those skills... and only two of them you have revealed. How much do you have hidden away, Sara?"

"A fair amount," Sara admitted.

"I wish you wouldn't keep giving me this sort of dangerous information," Luneria said with a deep sigh.

"I think this one should be a matter of public record," Sara wrote. Maybe that was just the gamer in her talking. "It's not something most people would be able to achieve, but if the knowledge is out there, then maybe people can add more to it if they find other skills that count towards the unlock. Plus it could be a neat story for people to talk about."

"You sound as naive as Mirielle," Luneria said bluntly. "Not everyone thinks as you do. But I do see your point. I just have no idea how to explain how I learned this."

"Wisdom from the Guardian Beast?" Sara suggested.

Luneria laughed. "Well, that is true, so they couldn't catch me lying about it. Okay, I'll find a way to see it done. You have my promise. Just don't blame me if it causes more people to come to you seeking wisdom."

"I don't think I have a lot else to share, so I can't tell them anything I don't know," Sara wrote. "And if they become too annoying, I have ways to disappear."

"Fair enough," Luneria said with a smile. "Well, I should get back to the city. I don't know how many more excuses I'll get to come out here, but I'm sure fate will conspire to have us meet again. Take care, Sara."

"You too, Bishop Luneria. I should catch up to the surveyors. Thank you for your time."