ã€ŠTransForm Onlineã€‹ Volume 1 Prologue - How I became a Harem Protagonist The year was 2040, and it had been 20 years since the start of the era of virtual reality. Though VR games had first started to appear in 2015, it hadn¡¯t taken off until 5 years later. In this new era, many services were hosted via the virtual internet, or ¡°VNet¡± as it was called, a network of virtual hubs and spaces. While accessing the VNet, one could also access the original internet, which was now known as the ¡°INet¡±. When logging onto the VNet, a user would either access their personal space or a main hub. A personal space was just as the name implied, a virtual room for the user¡¯s personal use. It was furnished and customized based on the user¡¯s wishing by using graphics and furniture that was either bought from shops or, for users with programming knowledge, coded themselves. Hubs were similar to malls of various sizes, serving as both a place to shop and as a socialization ground. A main hub was one maintained by the government. Each one was lined with doorways that were rented by businesses to link to their virtual shops with the larger companies linking the door to their own hubs, known as sub hubs.It was in one of these shops that our story starts, with a certain young man buying his first VRMMO, the recently released hit TransForm Online. TransForm Online, or TFO for short, stood out from the rest of the VRMMO crowd in an unusual way. It only had a single starter race, human. Instead, it introduced a transformation system, in which the player¡¯s race and appearance could be altered by items and in game events. The young man quickly retreated to his personal space and for a little while just stared for a little while at the sphere of data he had acquired. He had recently turned 18, and with that he was finally at the age where he, as it had been with his older siblings, was allowed by his parents to play VRMMO¡¯s. He began to load the sphere into his data library, eager to play the new game. After a few second, the transfer finished and he started the game. He was engulfed in darkness before a window popped up.

Log in to TransForm Online?
Yes	No

He quickly selected ¡°Yes¡± and he was transferred to the character creation screen. Too eager to play to bother with appearance, he let the game base his appearance off of his real body. This left him with a rather plain male standing about 5¡¯8¡±, with short brown hair. His body was on the scrawny side, with neither muscles nor fat visible to speak of. The only thing that stood out was his green eyes, a rare eye color that he was proud to have, even if most people didn¡¯t realize it¡¯s scarcity.

Due to the existence of transgender transformations, your character will need to input two first names, one male and one female. You will also need a last name and a nickname. Your first and last name will be used by TFO¡¯s Residents, while your nickname will be used by your fellow Travelers

He gave his character the male name ¡°Isaac¡± and the female name ¡°Isabelle¡± along with the last name that his siblings used for this game ¡°Lazulu¡±. For his nickname, he went with ¡°Ignix¡± after a bit of after trying a few other and finding out they were taken. Since he had read online that all stats started at 10 and the starting location was decided from a lottery, he thought he was done. But a new window proved him wrong.

Your charisma and luck stat will now be determined randomly. Your charisma stat will subtly affect your appearance and how people react to you. Higher charisma means that TFO¡¯s residents are more likely to give you aid and quests, but also means that those that like to transform others are more likely to choose you as a target. Your luck will affect your game play in helping to determine the outcome of events. High luck means a better chance to succeed at luck based events like gambling and loot drops, and gives you a higher chance of stumbling across great treasure. Low luck gives you a lower chance to succeed at luck based event and gives you a greater chance of running into trouble. It will also influence your starting location. Both stats will start between a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 100.

Continue?

After reading through it carefully he selected the ¡°Continue?¡± button. As soon as he did a new window with a pair of rapidly changing numbers appeared. Over the left number was a label the read ¡°Charisma¡± while a label over the number on the right read ¡°Luck¡±. After a little while, the numbers began to slow down. When the stopped completely and his charisma and luck stats were revealed to him, his jaw dropped. ¡°100 Charisma and 1 Luck?! W-What the¡?¡± He didn¡¯t have much time to dwell on it as he was suddenly transported to his starting location. He closed his eyes at the sudden light, and when he opened them, he found himself in the middle of a clearing surrounded by forest. As he was taking in his surrounding, he heard a several pings, each accompanied by a system message.

You have gained a Title!

Clarissa¡¯s Favorite(Unique)

You are the first Traveler to start with the highest possible starting Charisma. Due to this, you have gained the attention of the attention of the Goddess of Charisma and patron deity of the Demon Race, Clarissa and she has decided to help you along the path of beauty, whether you like it or not.

Your CHA stat is double what it would normally be.

+10 affinity with Residents belonging the Demon Race.

Any transformations you undergo are more likely to grant you a female form.

Favored by Clarissa trait.

Clarissa will be watching you closely from now on.

You have gained a Title!

Lucas¡¯s Toy(Unique)

You are the first Traveler to start with the lowest possible starting Luck. Due to this, you have gained the attention God of Luck and patron deity of the Human Race, Lucas and he has decided to amuse himself by watching your misfortune.

Your LUC stat can no longer rise above 1.

+10 affinity with Residents belonging the Human Race

You will always gain something of value to you each time you experience a major misfortune as a reward for entertaining Lucas.

Those who witness your misfortune will be more likely to aid you out of pity.

Favored by Lucas trait.

Lucas will be watching you closely from now on.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

You have gained a Trait!

Favored by Clarissa (Rare)

The Goddess of Charisma and patron deity of the Demon Race Clarissa has taking a liking to you.

+ 20 CHA

+10 affinity with Residents belonging to the Demon Race

You have gained a Trait!

Favored by Lucas (Rare)

The God of Luck and patron deity of the Human Race Lucas has taken a liking to you.

+30 affinity with Residents belonging to the human race.

You have gained a Trait!

Harem Protagonist (Unique)

For having both of the Unique Titles of Clarissa¡¯s Favorite and Lucas¡¯s Toy, Clarissa and Lucas have created this trait just for you.

+10 to all stats besides CHA and LUC per level

Residents of any race or gender are twice as likely to fall for you.

You gain stats much easier than normal

+10 affinity with all races.

You are the first Traveler to discover the Forest of Change area!

+10 Fame

You are the first Traveler to gain a Unique Title!

+50 Fame

You are the first Traveler to gain a Unique Trait!

+50 Fame

Logbook Udated!

The following entries have been added.

Clarissa

Lucas

Forest of Change

Clarissa¡¯s Favorite

Lucas¡¯s Toy

Favored by Clarissa

Favored by Lucas

Harem Protagonist

After looking over everything, Ignix just stares at the windows for a few seconds. ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!¡± he suddenly yells at the top of his lungs. He takes a few deep breaths to calm himself, before a rustling behind him cause him to freeze up. As he slowly turns around the rustling gets louder and more spread out. Then, various creatures to step into clearing, and after noticing him, began to give chase. In the face of such a large mob of enemies, Ignix did what any badass warrior would do in such an occurrence: Run screaming in the opposite direction. ------------------------------ Meanwhile in a white void somewhere, what looked to be a male human and a female demon were sitting in a pair of lounge chairs while laughing their heads off. In front of the duo was a projection depicting a brown haired human male running through a forest and screaming like a little girl while being chased by a hoard of monsters. ¡°Oi!¡±, a female elf sitting at a nearby table shouted at them. ¡°What the hell was with the name of that trait, you idiots?! Stop reading so much manga and take your jobs seriously for once!¡± A female fairy, also seated at the table, sighed at this. ¡°Leave them alone Irene. Clarissa and Lucas are just trying to have some fun.¡± Then elven woman, Irene, turned to the fairy woman. ¡°But Wendolyn¡!¡± A male dwarf standing nearby gave a hearty laugh and stated, ¡°Ye need ta learn ta live a little, lassie! Ya don¡¯t see ma race goin¡¯ around all bent outa shape like that!¡± A treant standing on an out of place looking patch of grass nodded his head. ¡°It¡¯s a wonderful thing to be so lively.¡± Clarissa sticks her tongue out at Irene. ¡°See that you frumpy prude! Even Dalmar and Victor agree with me!¡± Lucas smirks before turning to a male dragonoid resting his head against Victor¡¯s trunk. ¡°What of you, Silas?¡± The dragonoid, Silas, groggily opened an eye. ¡°As long as it doesn¡¯t disturb me, I don¡¯t really care what any of you do.¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯re the only one who objects to this, Irene.¡± , said a cat beastkin who was also sitting in front of the projection, a smile on her face that gave her the impression of a Cheshire Cat. ¡°I for one hope end ends up as a really cute girl¡± , to which both Clarissa and Lucas nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve got my approval, Aurora!¡±, Clarissa said excitedly. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do to lead him down that path.¡± , said Lucas with a chuckle. Irene pouted. ¡°What is it with you three manga-loving idiots and cute things!¡± At that, Clarissa, Lucas, and Aurora all turned around with smiles and exclaimed ¡°Cuteness is Justice!¡± in perfect unison. As you may have guessed by now, these were the eight AIs that were responsible for maintaining the game, and the patron deities of the major races. Clarissa, the Goddess of Charisma and patron of the Demon Race. Lucas, the God of Luck and patron of the Human Race. Irene, Goddess of Intelligence and patron of the Elven Race. Wendolyn, Goddess of Wisdom and patron of the Fairy Race. Dalmar, God of Dexterity and patron of the Dwarven Race. Victor, God of Vitality and patron of the Plantkin Race. Silas, God of Strength and patron of the Dragon Race. Aurora, Goddess of Agility and patron of the Beastkin Race. Together, the eight of them managed every aspect of the game system, and so far two of them and marked the new player Ignix as their toy. ------------------ Hello and welcome to the Author Corner! This is the prologue of my new story TransForm Online (TFO) , staring a MC based off of one of my favorite rp characters! This is my first story and first time posting on Royal Road so I¡¯m excited for any suggestions you can give me to help it improve. For those wondering about the Ignix¡¯s Logbook entries, anything nessacary to the story will be explained in the story itself, while the Logbook will contain extra info for lore junkies. Each chapter of TFO will be structure like this prologue: The MC¡¯s POV first, then the AI¡¯s POV, and finally the Author Corner. GrandFinale, over and out! P. S. CUTENESS IS JUSTICE! [V1] Chapter 1 - Changes On the western edge of the Forest of Change, there stood a town by the name of Loksha, surrounded by a stone wall, with a gate on the opposite side. This wall was there, of course, to keep monsters from the forest out. The Forest of Change got its name from the monsters that lived within. While there were many monsters in the world that would much rather kill their enemy than transform them, the Forest of Change was unique in that every monster within would transform a downed victim. Not that it mattered too much to the residents of Loksha. The stone wall that protected it did its job quite well, and the western area was one where the population of monsters was much thinner than the other areas, meaning that the likelihood of monsters gathering in enough numbers to actually breach the walls was next to impossible. With this knowledge in mind, the people of Loksha went about their business assured of their completely safety. Today was no different than any other peaceful day for this city. That is, the alarm bell on the eastern wall was wrung for the first time in living memory. Most residents, having forgotten what it just stood watching it. A grave mistake, it turned out, as the eastern wall suddenly cracked and gave in in several places, allowing a horde of monsters to flood through the openings. Normally the bell would have been rung far sooner, but the horde had come charging out of the forest at full speed. Almost as if they had been chasing something¡ -------------------- About half a mile east of the town, Ignix was pulling himself out of a hidden burrow that he tripped into as soon as he had managed to get out of the site of the monsters chasing him. The horde had thankfully not noticed it, and had continued running west. He wanted to think of himself as lucky, but he knew it wasn¡¯t the case, and that with his luck, he had probably woken up whatever lived here. For the moment, however he was being left alone so he decided to make the most of it but pulling out some of the bread that was given to all starting players. He sat down, munching on it to refill his health, stamina, and satiety, while he tried to figure out why his health and mana were so low now by checking his logs.

For charming a large number of creatures at once, you have gained the Charming Presence Skill!

Charming Presence

Passive

Basic Lv 5

Your mere presence allows you to charm anyone aware of it.

Everyone in your presence has a chance to be inflicted with the ¡°Charm¡± status effect for each minute they¡¯re aware of you. Success depends on skill level, CHA, LUC, and level difference.

For running constantly for a long period of time, you have gained the Running Proficiency!

Running

Basic Lv 1

+5% movement speed and stamina

You are out of stamina! Any further running will result in the needed stamina being taken from your total health instead.

You have gain the following Stat Points!

STR: 11

VIT: 14

AGI: 18

CHA: 27

Ignix just stared at everything for a while, trembling in anger. He already had enough trouble with what he had already gotten, and this Charming Presence skill would only bring more of it. ¡°I swear¡Someday¡Somehow¡I¡¯ll get back at those two otaku gods¡¡± Ping!

You have gained a Title!

Irene¡¯s Ally (Unique)

In the hopes that you will become someone she can rely on to help keep Clarissa and Lucas in line, the Goddess of Intelligence and patron deity of the elves, Irene has decided to help you along your journey.

+25 INT per level.

+10 affinity with Residents belonging the Elven Race Race.

Mana costs for all magic based abilities are halved.

Favored by Irene trait.

Irene will be watching you closely from now on.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. At least it¡¯s nice to have an ally up there¡ he thought, before looking back to the burrow. Nothing had come out after all this time, which probably meant something nothing lived there. Remembering that the Lucas¡¯s Toy title promised him something good after every misfortune, he decided it may be worth checking out. Lighting a torch from the ¡°Beginner¡¯s Survival Package¡± that every new play received, he slid back down to check it out. -------------------- A few hours later, he was continuing to descend a hidden spiral staircase that he had found after about half an hour of searching the burrow. He was a little concerned about what he would find so deep underground, and begun to suspect that coming down here out of curiosity and without preparation was a bad idea. Before he could turn around and head back up, however, the staircase finally reached its end. Before him was a single roomed cavern, bathed in an azure light by the crystals forming from its walls. At the very back was an altar of some kind, too worn by time for anything about it to be recognized as a proper shape. Set into the altar was a crystal with the same azure color as the others, only this one was dimly blinking as if it was losing power. He began to approach it, cautiously watching and listening for anything dangerous that might try to surprise him. When he was directly in front of the altar, he stretched his hand out, reaching for the crystal. As soon as his fingers touched the crystal¡¯s surface, it shattered and a burst of a strange azure wind knocked him backwards several feet, resulting in him landing face up on the cavern floor. When he sat up to check on the effects on his surroundings, a sharp pain in his hand drew his attention. When he looked to it, he was shocked to find it had become the same shade of blue that was so prominent in the cavern. What¡¯s more, the color was slowly spreading up his arm, and he felt his strength slowly fade as it did. Dammit¡I shouldn¡¯t have pushed my luck¡ were Ignix¡¯s last thoughts before he blacked out. [table]

You are being transformed!

You have come into contact with all that remains of the soul of what was once a proud and powerful member of the Kitsune Race. Due to her misdeeds, she was sealed here long ago, creating the Forest of Change as a last act of malevolence before she was imprisoned. Though her personality and will have long since withered away, a shred of her power has survived the long years, waiting to turn the next being to come along into a suitable vessel to continue on within.

You are unconscious!

You have lost consciousness for the next 24 in game hours.

-------------------- Irene face palmed as Clarissa, Lucas, and Aurora high fiving each other. ¡°How could he have not realized that touching something unknown and glowing in an underground cavern was a bad idea?!¡± the elven goddess exclaimed. Clarissa put her arms around Lucas and Aurora¡¯s shoulders, saying ¡°Score one for the ¡®manga loving idiots¡¯; zero for the frumpy prude!¡± Several of the others gave a laugh at this, and Irene buried her head in her hands, trying to hide her face which was red with embarrassment. -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- Phew! That wraps up what will hopefully be the first of many chapters! This one and the one after it will mainly be setting up for some key events that''ll really get the story rolling. I¡¯ve gotten some pretty good feedback so far and thanks to that I¡¯ve been able to come up with several ideas for the story. I was even graced with a comment from the writer of Insania Online, one of my favorite Royal Road fictions one of the works that inspired me to try my hand at writing a story myself, Warhawx! I feel so lucky so far, and I¡¯ll do my best to entertain you guys! I¡¯ll cya then! GrandFinale, over and out! [V1] Chapter 2 - Key Players In the skies far to the south of Loksha, a lone demon flew northwards, making a beeline for the town. She wore what could only be described as a maid''s uniform, one with short sleeves that exposed her arms as well as an opening in the front that showed off her rather generous cleavage. While traditional maid uniforms were black and white, however, her''s was completely black in color. This included a black apron, which was tied at her back in a large bow just above where her wings extended out from the back of her waist and a cord-like tail which end in a spade grew out from the base of her spine. On her head, a black maid headdress was visible behind a pair of black horns that grew from her temples and curved inward as if tracing the top of her waist length black hair, which like her demonic wings shimmered with a patterned resembling the nice sky. Around her wrists were a pair of black cloth cuffs, with a gem set into the backs of each one. Her golden eyes stared forth towards her destination and her lips were stretched into an eager smile as she hummed a tune that gave away her happy mood. Her wings, horns and tail were the tell tale characteristics of a Succubus, one of the many Demon Races that Clarissa watched over, while her starry hair and wing patterns marked her as member of the Night Touched sub race. Receiving a warning that her stamina was low, she scanned the plains below her for a suitable place for a break. Spotting a rock she could uses as a bench, she descended landing gracefully on her feet, reminding her once again how glad she was to have spent so many hours trying master her flight ability. Sitting on the rock and looking towards the direction she knew Loksha was in, her thoughts went to her reason for flying to such a far away town. She didn''t just dress as a maid in the game, she worked as one in real life, as had most of the women in her family. She was a personal maid for a young man from a rather wealthy family, though being the same age, the two had been together so long they could be considered childhood friends. So it shouldn''t come as a surprise that she had something of an obsessive crush on him. For that reason, when she learned that he intended to start TFO as soon as he was able, she immediately went out and got a copy, intending to play it on her off time so she would be strong enough to protect him in the game. Earlier today, he had finally gotten his own copy and begun playing, though he had soon logged back out again, saying that his character had been rendered unconscious for 24 hours in-game. With the 3 to 1 time difference, this meant 8 real world hours of being unable to play, so instead he decided to check up on some of his favorite mangas and light novels while he waited. The main problem was that he was rather tight lipped about the details of what happened, but since he didn''t know that she played as well, he let slip his username and current general location. Since it was her day off, she was there more as a friend than his servant, thus allowing her to slip away to login without issue. Having studied the geography of the game world, she immediately began the long journey to the Artam continent, where Loksha and the Forest of Change stood, and where her Master was. Lost in her thoughts, she was surprised to notice that her stamina was full again. She stood up, brushed herself off, and took flight once more. "Just wait a little while long Master Ignix. Your cute maid Lilith Regalia is coming to protect you. I hope you''ll give me a good reward..." she said with a slightly creepy smile and a bit of drool that spoke of ulterior motives. -------------------- At Loksha''s lone gate, a single female figure could be seen leaving the town, with the reconstruction efforts in full swing behind her. Though she looked almost human, the horns that grew from her head and curved backwards and her lizard like tail made her recognizable as a Dragonoid, one of Silas''s Races. Her horns were rather jagged and brown like her tail and she had no wings which taken together meant she was of the Earthen sub race. Out of all the form she had ended up in during her year of playing TFO, it was the one she liked the most. Its high strength and ability to control earth was wonderfully compatible with the martial arts she practiced in the real world. Though she did have a bit of trouble adapting to her new tail. On her body, she wore a Chinese style blouse that was white and rather plain, along with a pair of black yoga pants. Over her pants, she wore a pair of long metal boots that extended up past her knees and shined like silver. A matching pair of fingerless gauntlets enclosed her arms and extend past her elbows, leaving a sliver of her skin on each arm exposed between the gauntlets and the short sleeves of her blouse. She wore no head gear, allowing her straight black hair to reach the small of her back. In the front, her bangs were cut short while the sides extended to her shoulders to frame her cute face and a pair of red eyes that shone like rubies. She was a little on the short side, and her slender figure and modest bosom gave her a lithe and delicate appearance. Even with this appearance, it had been a long time since any of her fellow Travelers had underestimated her. After all, no one wanted to mess with Ivel Lazulu, one of the few candidates for TFO''s disputed top spot. As she walked away from Loksha, she stretched her arms and sighed happily. "That monster attack was pretty fun. It''s not everyday I get to take on an army like that. Now then, what to do, what to do...Ah, that''s right! Little bro''s going to logging in today! I''ll ask him for his username later and track his character down. Should be nice to have a sparring partner for a while..." -------------------- Within Loksha''s walls a pair of female Travelers walked the streets, one grumbling and the other surveying the aftermath of the attack. The grumbling girl was obviously a cat person, one of Aurora''s Beastkins, and her spotted ears and tail gave away her Cheetah sub race. She wore a loose green leather shirt with no sleeves and a pair of baggy leather pants, both of which did a poor job of hiding her womanly curves. On her arms and legs, she wore a matching pair of leather boots and arm guards, while tied around her neck was a scarf that almost long enough to touch the ground. By her sides hung a pair of sheathed daggers, just above a pair of leather pouches strapped to the side of each leg. Her short blonde hair was styled in a messy bob cut, with an ahoge on top that curved back between her cat ears. Her blue eyes were downcast as her cat ears and tail drooped as she continued to grumble. The other girl was surprisingly still human, with red hair that was short up front, and tied up in a long pony tail in the back. Though her curves are slightly lesser than the other girl''s, her clothes are obviously intended to show them off. Her top was a black and red corset while her bottoms were a pair of brown leather short shorts. A pair of black leggings graced her legs, ending just a few inches below her shorts. Her feet were clad in a pair of leather boots that were slightly raised at the heels. She wore a fur lined white jacket with with long sleeves that was open at the front so as not to hide the rest of her outfit. On her hands were a pair of black gloves. The human girl stopped suddenly and gave an exasperated sigh. "Dawn, would you give it a rest already?" she said with her hand on her hips. The cat girl, Dawn Shallent, turned around to glare at her friend. "Easy for you to say, Lynn! Unlike you, I''m not a girl in real life! And what''s more, I''m a cat now too! How is it that you''re still human even though we just fought a mass of monsters who''s abilities focus on changing people?!" Lynn Flonem raised an eyebrow at this. "I don''t see what you''re complaining so much about. The Cheetah sub race gives a huge AGI boost, which is good for your Rogue class, right? As for being a girl, what are you going to do, sue the game makers? We both sighed the waivers when we bought the game, so that''s not happening anytime soon." Dawn folded her arms. "You still didn''t answer my question about why you''re still human. If you think so highly of my new race''s stat boost, why don''t you get a race that boost your CHA for your Sorcerer class. And while we''re on subject of classes, explain to me how you got your first class upgrade ahead, as well as a higher level, when we started at the same time!" "I''m a higher level than you because I play more often, of course." "Quit dodging the question Lynn!" Lynn snickered. "Obviously I''m saving my first time for a very special race! Beside, I don''t see why you''re so hung up on becoming a cat girl, you''re better off than that guy." Dawn looked to where Lynn was pointing just in time to see a male Traveler in the form of an Arachne trip and fall on his face, clearly not used to having so many legs. "Yeah, I guess you''re right..." "Of course I am! Now let''s get you out of that boring outfit and into something much more appropriate!" Lynn make a grab for Dawn as she said this, but the cat girl was to quick and managed to jump back before she was caught. "Oh no! No no no! It''s bad enough I have to be a girl, there''s no way I''m going to dress like one too!" Lynn pouted. "Oh come on! I have a dress I made that I know would be perfect for you!" "Hell no! Geez, ever since you got that Tailor job, you''re been pestering me to wear one of hose frilly dresses of yours! Why don''t you find someone else to be your dress up doll!" Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Don''t be ridiculous! Where am I going to find a girl cuter than you!" -------------------- About half a mile east of Loksha and deep underground, the sole occupant of a cavern full of glowing azure crystals was picking themselves off the floor when they shuddered three times in quick succession. "I have a bad feeling....Wait, what''s wrong with my voice...?" *Ping!*

You have been transformed!

Racial Group	Spirit
Race	Kitsune-tsuki (1st stage)
Sub Race	Skytail

Spirit Racial Group

The Spirit Races were one among the few intelligent races that were not protected by a patron god. Whereas most races who started off as babies and slowly grew up while forming a sense of self, young spirits came into being as children with their gender traits and personalities fully formed. Instead of a slow continuous growth, these spirits experienced their growth in short bursts, moving from one stage to another in response to either outside influences or their own growing power. Although perfectly capable of peaceful co-existence with the eight race groups that had been guided to become civilized by their gods, their vast abilities and lack of a guardian deity lead them to be shunned. After several incidents where the few malevolent spirits decided to wage war against the world, they instead became hunted vigorously, until every last spirit had either been sealed or destroyed. After absorbing the essence of one of these beings, you have become one of their number, and their last hope for revival.

+50 to all stats.

Kitsune-tsuki (1st stage)

The Kistune-tsuki are an all female race of fox-like spirits. Appearance wise, these spirits are almost indistinguishable from humans when hiding their ears and tails. They start their lives in the appearance of a young girl with a single tail, and grow into older looking forms with each tail they gain. Inherently beautiful, magically gifted and extremely clever, these beings tend to rely on their charms, wits, and spells to get by until they become strong enough to create their servants, the Kitsune-bi. Each Kitsune-tsuki is attuned to a single element, and while they can use others it is this element that they are best with.

You are currently a first stage Kitsune-tsuki, leaving you with a body similar to a human child and only a few spells.

+100 CHA

+50 WIS

You CHA is added to your INT when determining base mana and the effectiveness of your magic-based abilities.

Skytail

This sub race of Kitsune-tsuki share a special connection with the wind, making them the most agile of their kin. Of all Kitsune-tsuki sub-races, they also have the most youthful appearances in each stage, never losing their child-like cuteness even as their bodies gain the curves of womanhood. They have pale, nearly white skin and pure white hair and fur. The whiteness of their bodies are broken only by eyes that are azure like a clear blue sky. It is said that their tails, which are the fluffiest among Kitsunes, are as soft as the clouds themselves.

+100 AGI

Wind Magic Mastery proficiency

Wind Magic Mastery

Basic Lv1

You have learned how to control the wind in various ways through magic. As you continue to use your spells in this area, you will learn more ways to utilize the air around you.

Current Spells

Gale - Basic Lv1

Air Bullet - Basic Lv1

Gale

Basic Lv1

You conjure a short burst of wind in a direction of your choosing. The force and duration of this spell depends on your skill level, INT, and CHA.

Mana cost: 5

Air Bullet

Basic Lv1

You compress air into a ball and fire it in a direction of your choosing. The compressed are will burst when something solid is hit. The size and damage of this spell depends on your skill level, INT, CHA.

Mana cost: 25

You are the first Traveler to become a part of the Spirit Racial Group!

+2500 Fame

You are the first Traveler to become a Kitsune-tsuki!

+1500 Fame

You are the first Traveler to become a Skytail!

+1000 Fame

Ignix blinked as the windows opened in front of his, or rather her face. After reading through them, she began to tremble. "A-All female...No...there must be some kind of mistake..." she mumbled, hurriedly bringing up her status window, only to have her fears confirmed. -------------------- Dawn and Lynn were on the east side of Loksha watching the repair work on the walls when Dawn''s kitty ears suddenly perked up. "Do you hear that?" Dawn asked her friend. "Hear what?" "You don''t hear it? Sound like a little girl screaming..." "Really? It could someone in trouble! Let''s go check it out!" "B-But...It''s coming from the east..." "The east? You mean the forest? That just makes it more urgent! Come on, let''s go!" And like that, Lynn began to run at full sprint, slipping past the guards and through one of the holes that hadn''t been repaired yet. "B-But...Oh whatever..." the cat girl said defeated before following suit. -------------------- Meanwhile, the white void where the gods resided was in turmoil. "Don''t let her go Silas!" Irene shouted as Clarissa squirmed in the dragon god''s grip while she, Wendolyn and Victor held Aurora back. "Oh come on! Just a little cuddle! She''s just so adorable!" Clarissa whined. "No means no! We''re not supposed to have direct contact with any of the players! Lucas! Dalmar! Stop laughing and help us out!" It would be quite a while before things calmed down. -------------------- Cookie Corner -------------------- This weeks recipients of the "Good Idea!" cookies are: xacual! xacual: Suggested a incremental change which gave me the idea for the racial stages. -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- Finally done with Chapter 2! Sorry it''s been taking a while to get these out, I''ve been trying to figure out the specifics of the game world in addition to my college work. Anyways, this chapter introduces the specifics of Ignix''s new race as well as a bunch of characters that will be important to the story in some way or another. I also decided to start up the "Cookie Corner" where I give out acknowledgement and cookies for those who I got great ideas from! Next chapter will show Ignix''s status window and feature explanations of some aspects of TFO''s game system! Please don''t hesitate to voice your thoughts and suggestions so I can improve TFO! GrandFinale, over and out! P. S. Tables are the bane of my existence. [V1] Chapter 3 - Down the Rabbit Hole A few hours after she started screaming, Ignix was taking several deep breaths to calm herself. down. ¡°Okay...Just keep breathing¡Then we¡¯ll look over the situation and see how we can salvage it¡¡± she told herself. After a few minutes of this, the newly made girl took a closer look at her status screen.

STATUS
Name	Isabelle Lazulu (Ignix)	Fame	5110
Level	1	Gender	Female
Class Tree	N/A	Class	N/A
Class Level	N/A	Guild	N/A

RACE
Racial Group	Spirit
Race	Kitsune-tsuki
Sub Race	Skytail

TITLES

Clarissa''s Favorite Lucas''s Toy Irene''s Ally

JOBS
Job 1	N/A
Job 2	N/A
Job 3	N/A
Unequipped
N/A

STATS
Health	850/850	Mana	4045/4045
Stamina	425/425	Satiety	100/100
STR	103	VIT	85
AGI	188	DEX	70
INT	95	WIS	120
CHA	594	LUC	1

TRAITS

Favored by Clarissa Favored by Lucas Harem Protagonist Favored by Irene

PROFICIENCIES

Running - Basic Lv4 Hiking - Basic Lv3 Wind Magic Mastery - Basic Lv1

SKILLS

Charming Presence - Basic Lv5 Gale - Basic Lv1 Air Bullet - Basic Lv1

She was surprised at first when Hiking showed up in Proficiencies, but remembering the long walk down the stairway she took to get here she decided it made sense. As she started to look through what she had and devise a plan of action, she realized that in her hurry to open her status window she had missed another system message. Moving the window over, she began to read what else she had gotten.

You have gained a Racial Skill!

Art of Shapeshifting

Basic Lv1

One of the ways that Kitsune-tsuki survive to reach adulthood is by disguising themselves in order to fool their enemies. They start with a single alternate form and gradually gain more as they grow in power and experience.

Alternate Forms

Fox - 30 Mana

Fox Form

The form of a fox is the first form that a Kitsune-tsuki can shift into. Like her normal self, this form starts as cub and becomes older as she goes from one stage to the next. As a first-stage Skytail, your fox form takes on the appearance of a pure white fox cub, with azure eyes and extremely fluffy fur.

After reading through this one, she had to wonder why it wasn¡¯t on her skill list yet. Testing a sudden hypothesis, she watched her status window¡¯s skill list while she closed out the message window. Sure enough, as soon as it¡¯s window was closed, she saw her new Art of Shapeshifting skill appear among the others, explaining why she didn¡¯t notice Hiking¡¯s window among the rest as it had been closed when her transformation had logged her out. Having figured that mystery out, she was about to return her attention to her status window when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. The altar where the crystal she touched was resting previously, was now in ruins, revealing an opening in the wall behind it. Her curiosity got the better of her, and deciding that she couldn¡¯t focus until she knew what lay beyond it, she stood up and walk over to it. Taking a deep breath for courage, she stepped through the hole to find herself in a circular stone room lined with half rotten wooden doors. Having not run across anything dangerous thus far, Ignix began to check the rooms one at a time, coming across a bedroom behind the first door, followed by a kitchen and then a lounge. Upon opening her fourth door, she found a study. Prioritizing information gathering over exploration, she stepped inside. The study was stone like the room she came from, but it was larger with stone shelves cut into its walls. As she scanned the shelves, it was clear that none of the books would be able to help her as most of them were so old that they were barely even there, with the exception of one. A single gold lined book was sitting on the rotting desk in the center of the room, it¡¯s shine standing out against the decayed look of the rest. Must have been protected by some kind of spell...Probably important in that case¡ Ignix deduced as she approached it. She reached out to pick it up, but as soon as she touched it she was blinded by a flash. She braced herself for another change, but after a few minutes of feeling nothing she opened her eyes to find herself floating in an azure void. She was not alone, as floating in front of her several feet away, was a female figure. The mystery woman had pale skin almost as white as her hair, which was long enough to reach her knees. She wore a elegant white kimono that did nothing to hide her figure, but seemed to accentuate them instead, but her childish face and short stature gave her a cuteness that seemed to go well with them. In the middle of the whiteness, a pair of eyes the same color as the void around them stood out, as if they were two specks of blue sky peeking out from a sea of clouds. But what really drew Ignix¡¯s attention, were the fluffy white fox ears perch atop her head and the seven bushy white fox tails that spread out in an arc from behind her. Ignix was so entranced by her, that she wasn¡¯t snapped out of her reverie until the older kitsune spoke. ¡±Welcome, young one. It¡¯s good to meet you, though I assume this is not your natural form, correct?¡± she paused, continuing only after Ignix had nodded. ¡±Then am I to further assume that you gained it from touching the crystal left on the altar?¡± Another nod. ¡±I see...I had hoped that it wouldn¡¯t have come to this but it seems my worst fears have been realized. Before you ask, however, I must confess that I do not have the ability to return you to your original form as I am merely a record of Shirosora¡¯s mind and do not have any power of my own.¡± ¡°Shirosora? Is she the one who was sealed up here?¡± ¡±That is correct. She knew that she would be targeted soon, so she made a jewel to seal herself in case they found this place, intending to possess the next suitable creature that came by. But due to the seal¡¯s nature, being under it¡¯s influence for too long would wither her soul down to nothing. So she created the jewel in such a way that if that happened, it¡¯s victim would be cursed to become one of her race instead and made me to guide whoever activated it¡¯s spell. You may call me Sorako.¡± ¡°Cursed? Does that mean I¡¯m stuck like this?¡± ¡±In a way, yes. A cursed transformation locks it¡¯s target into a form and can only be lifted by it¡¯s caster, or someone of greater power. I¡¯m sorry to say that while I was made from Shirosora¡¯s power and you have absorbed her essence, neither of us are capable of removing the spell as the caster, so your only option is to find someone of greater power. Though to find someone stronger than a seventh stage spirit that won¡¯t attack one on site would take an enormous stroke of luck.¡± ¡°Yeah, I was afraid of that...Luck isn¡¯t exactly on my side though¡¡± ¡±Then I¡¯m afraid that your only course of action if you want to return to what you used to be is to become stronger that Shirosora was and undo the curse on your own.¡± ¡°What was she trying to accomplish anyways? Why go so far?¡± ¡±She had only one objective. The revival of the Spirit Races. She devoted herself to it, transforming all she came across into our kin in the hopes that their former brethren would hesitate to strike them down. Only to watch as her hopes were dashed as they were slaughtered without pause. She eventually decided to retreat from the public eye to wait until the fighting died down in order to begin her goal anew. Unfortunately, as she was in the midst of creating a forest in which to hide, she was beset by her enemies and forced to activate her emergency measures in the hopes that she would be able to continue on in a new body, or that her successor would find it in their hearts to continue on her mission. So I ask you young one, would you please fufill Shirosora¡¯s final wish?¡± *Ping!*

You have been offered a Quest!

Shirosora''s Final Gamble
Rank: SSS[/td3]
You have gathered your courage in order to travel deeper into the very place you were cursed, and have been rewarded by Sorako with the truth of why it was that you became as you now are. But now you are faced with a choice. Do you agree to aid Sorako in fulfilling Shirosora''s final mission or turn her down as revenge for making you into something different from what you once were? In order to complete this quest, you must create a sizable population of followers belonging to the Spirit Racial Group and ensure that they will not be hunted down again by the other races. Rewards: Leadership of the Spirit Races Unknown
WARNING: WHEN YOU ACCEPT A QUEST OF S RANK OR HIGHER, ALL PLAYERS CURRENTLY LOGGED IN WILL BE NOTIFIED. DO NOT ACCEPT IF YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN.
Accept	Refuse

Ignix only hesitated to read the warning before giving her reply. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯m not happy about having to stay like this, but letting the Spirit Races die out is not something I can ignore and doing so isn¡¯t going to change me back to normal.¡± ¡°Really?! Oh thank you so much miss...Oh! Where are my manners I forgot to ask your name!¡± ¡°It¡¯s...Isabelle...Isabelle Lazulu¡¡± she said, trying to hide her red face. ¡±That reaction¡ Oh dear, you weren¡¯t male before, were you?¡± ¡°Y-Yeah¡I was...¡± ¡±In that case, I really must thank you for accepting my selfish request in spite of your changes. I¡¯ll make sure to help you become more accustomed to your new form seeing as you¡¯ll most likely be in it for a while.¡± ¡°Uh...Thanks I guess¡¡± *Ping!*

You have accepted the SSS Rank Quest "Shirosora''s Final Gamble"!

You are the first Traveler to accept a SSS Rank Quest!

+2000 Fame

ATTENTION ALL PLAYERS!

Isabelle Lazulu, played by Ignix, has discovered a remnant of the long extinct Spirit Races and, by agreeing to help revive them, accepted the SSS Rank Quest "Shirosora''s Final Gamble"! Whether she succeeds or fails in this endeavor, the world of Ethris is sure to start to change as news of her mission spreads. Will you aide her along her journey? Or will stand on the side of those who would stop her by any means necessary?

¡±Don¡¯t mention it Lady Isabelle! I will gladly accompany you wherever you wish to go! And though it isn¡¯t much of anything after so long, feel free to use what¡¯s left of Shirosora¡¯s possessions as you see fit!¡± As soon as she finished speaking, Sorako¡¯s body became a mass of azure colored energy, collapsing into a sphere the size of a tennis ball and jumping into Isabelle¡¯s chest. Isabelle¡¯s eyes shot open to find herself back in the study, as if the whole thing had been nothing but a daydream. Isabelle immediately knew it wasn¡¯t due to three things. First, the book that she had touched was gone. Second, in her arms was the fluffiest thing she had ever felt in her life. Third, she heard the familiar pinging noise that alerted her to a system message. She wanted to read it, but she was too absorbed in cuddling the fluffy thing in her arms. ¡±Lady Isabelle? Are you alright?¡± Isabelle jumped when she heard the fluffy thing speak to her in Sorako¡¯s voice. Holding the creature out in front of her at arm¡¯s length, she could see that it was a fluffy white fox with blue eyes. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°Sorako? Is that you?¡± ¡±Obviously, Lady Isabelle. I¡¯m your familiar now after all. A believe the divine messages would tell you of such a thing, no?¡± ¡°Oh! Well I did get some but...I was a little preoccupied with how soft and fluffy you are¡¡± Isabelle said while blushing. ¡±I don¡¯t mind it too much. In fact, I¡¯m rather glad that my form pleases you so much, Lady Isabelle. Though I would suggest checking those messages now.¡± Isabelle nodded and brought Sorako back to her chest as she checked out the new windows.

Sorako has bound herself to you as a passive Familiar!

STATUS
Name	Sorako	Owner	Isabelle Lazulu (Ignix)
Relationship	Familiar	Type	Passive
Gender	Female	Trust	MAX
Assigned Role	Guide	Elemental Affinity	Wind
Diet	Isabelle''s Mana	Satiety	100/100

[td2]RACE

Racial Group	Construct
Race	Artificial Soul
Sub Race	Sky Fox

TITLES

N/A

TRAITS

N/A

PROFICIENCIES

Gathering - Basic Lv1 Mining - Basic Lv1 Skinning - Basic Lv1

SKILLS

Identify - Advanced Lv 2 Storage - Basic Lv 1 Shared Senses - Basic Lvl 1 Wind Manipulation - Basic Lv1

[a]

[Shirosora''s Burrow] has become your Territory!

[a]

[Shirosora''s Burrow] has been renamed as [Isabelle''s Burrow]!

Isabelle looked of Sorako¡¯s information and skills. Her Gathering, Mining, and Skinning proficiencies let her gather materials from her surroundings, mine them from ores and rocks, and get them from disassembling slain monsters respectively. Identify was pretty self explanatory as a skill that allowed to examine objects and monster to learn more about them, while her Storage skill was one that gave non-Travelers an inventory to use. Share Senses was especially interesting as it allowed Isabelle to use Sorako¡¯s senses in place of her own, though it seemed that at it¡¯s current level it was limited to sight and the vision was blurry and colorless. All in all, it seemed like Sorako would be pretty useful, though Isabelle still had a few questions. "Hey Sorako, why can''t I see your stats?" ¡±As I¡¯m a passive familiar, I can not participate in battle so I do not have stats at all. Do you have any other questions, Lady Isabelle?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got several. What¡¯s the difference between a pet and a familiar? Why is Identify at Advanced level two while the others are still at Basic level one? And while I¡¯m at it, what¡¯s a territory and what does it do? Where am I exactly and how far is it to the nearest town? And how can I get a class and a job and what¡¯s the difference between them?¡± Sorako blinked. ¡±Territory? Oh! You are a Traveler then, Lady Isabelle?¡± ¡°Yeah, is that a problem?¡± ¡±Not at all! As for your questions: The main differences between a pet and a familiar are that a familiar is magically bound to follow their own while a pet can leave if it feels mistreated, a familiar can speak to their owner using actual language, and a familiar eats it¡¯s owner¡¯s mana when hungry compared to pets who must eat actual food. My Identify is so much higher than my other skills because I was designed to be a guide, so the others were actually added as a last minute afterthought. A territory is any space owned by a Traveler. No other than who the owner allows can enter, so you being a Traveler works out pretty well for us. You are currently in the Forest of Change on the Artam continent, the nearest town being Loksha, which about about half a mile to the west of the burrow¡¯s entrance. As for classes, you¡¯d need to visit a trainer in a town to get a base class which has a separate level from your own which increases as you use the skills you provide. Once your class reaches level 10, it will evolve into a new one based on a variety of factors. This is known as a class upgrade. An example of such is that someone with the Mage base class who spends a lot of time and focus on improving their CHA stat would most likely have their class upgrade into the Sorcerer class. The Sorcerer class is one that was actually designed a long time ago to mimic your current race by adding the user¡¯s CHA to their INT for the purposes of determining base mana and spell effectiveness. As for jobs, they¡¯re like classes in that you have to find someone to teach them to you and that they level separately from use, but unlike classes instead of evolving they keep rising in level beyond level 10 and they don¡¯t change the way your character works like a lot of classes. Also compared to classes, the bonuses they provide to stats and skills are smaller and they don¡¯t give as many skills. The last main difference is that you can have as many jobs as you want or can find and you can equip up to three at a time. Does that answer your questions, Lady Isabelle?¡± ¡°No that just about covers it. Thanks Sorako.¡± ¡±Happy to help! Sorako responded in a proud tone. Smiling and feeling good about finally getting both a companion and some answered, Isabelle turned to leave but stopped when she noticed something she hadn¡¯t earlier. In far corner of the study, about 5 meters away, stood a full length mirror, slightly grimy but still clear enough to show Isabelle¡¯s reflection even at this distance, though she couldn¡¯t see well enough to make out any detail. This is as good a time as any to check out what I look like now. Might as well get it over and done with. she thought to herself as she set Sorako down on the desk and headed over to it. Standing in front of the mirror, she finally she saw her new appearance. ¡°T-This is¡.me?¡± she asked herself in a tone of disbelief as she reached out to touch her reflection. On the mirror¡¯s surface, a girl that looked like a child version of the form that she had first seen Sorako extended her own hand, touching Isabelle¡¯s fingers as they came into contact with the mirror. The girl had the same pale skin, the same pure white hair that reached her knees, and the same azure eyes that completed the look. However, unlike Sorako¡¯s appearance this girl could only be thought of as a child. She was so small, maybe 3 feet tall at most, and lacked any breasts to speak of. The white fox ears atop her head were small and cute as was the single bushy white tail that grew out from the base of her spine. Her face was even more childish than Sorako¡¯s had been, lacking the mature aura that the older version had emitted. Whereas Sorako had been a stunning combination of sexy and cute, the girl before Isabelle was just as stunning in her own way: she was absolutely adorable. Only her outfit, the beginner¡¯s clothing that consisted of a simple short sleeve shirt, a pair of pants, and a pair of shoes, looked out of place. Isabelle was snapped out of her dreamlike state with a tug at her pants legs. Looking down, she noticed Sorako sitting by her feet. ¡±Lady Isabelle, I believe we should survey the situation outside. There was a barrier in place to keep Residents and Travelers out, power by the crystal that held Shirosora¡¯s soul. But now that it has been destroyed, others are now free to enter the forest.¡± Isabelle nod and bent down to pick Sorako up. Carrying the small fox, Isabelle left the study and headed out for the carven, making her way to the stairwell. -------------------- A few hours of walking up stairs, STR and VIT stat increases, Hiking proficiency level ups, and breaks later, Isabelle had finally reached the top and was sprawled on the dirt floor of the burrow¡¯s entrance area. ¡°Remind me...to put...an elevator in....Sorako¡¡± the tired Skytail said between gasps for air. ¡±I don¡¯t mind, but may I ask what an elevator is Lady Isabelle?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll see...when I...put it in¡¡± ¡±Then I shall look forward to it. Please don¡¯t rest for too long. This area is technically a part of the forest so it won¡¯t be included in your territory unless you acquire the whole of the Forest of Change.¡± After spending another half hour catching her breath, Isabelle picked herself up and dusted herself off. She walked towards the entrance, realizing that it felt like an eternity since she had last seen the two foot hole that she had first fallen through when she was being chased by that horde of monsters. Moving the brush covering it aside, she took a deep breath and poked her head through to the surface. Just in time to see a boot collide with her face, sending her back down into the burrow¡ -------------------- Dawn was helping Lynn up off the forest floor. The two had been searching the forest for hours in search of the source of the scream despite the fact that it had already stopped, when Lynn suddenly tripped over something. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine Dawn, thanks. I must have tripped over a root or something.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I was behind the entire time and I¡¯m pretty sure I saw something white pop up from the ground for a second.¡± The cheetah girl walked back over to the place where Lynn had tripped and after a few seconds of searching found a two foot hole concealed by brush. ¡°Looks like a burrow. What do you want to do Lynn?¡± ¡°What else?¡± the red haired Sorcerer said with a smile, quickly climbing down through the hole, leaving Dawn to sigh as she jumped down the short distance to the bottom. Looking around quickly she noticed Lynn had stopped and was staring at something. ¡°What are you loo-¡± she started to say before stopping after she noticed the small child sitting on the floor holding her nose. The girl had a pair of small fox ear perched on her head while a small and fluffy tail extended out from her rear. She was wearing a set of beginner¡¯s clothes on her completely white body. No, not completely white. Dawn noted as the girl looked up at them with a teary pair of big azure eyes. ¡°Um...Hel-¡± The girl didn¡¯t manage to finish her nervous greeting before Lynn jumped on her. -------------------- On a mountain top some ways away, a lone dragonoid lay sprawled on the ground. But rather than being out of breath or injured, she was instead roaring with laugher and pounding the ground so hard with her fist that craters were formed. In front of the dragon girl was a system message that informed her of a SSS Rank quest that another Traveler had undertaken. ¡°Isabelle?! Silasdammit, little bro! You JUST got the game and you¡¯re already the opposite gender?! This is too much!¡± Of course she knew who it was. How could she not? After all, while a character¡¯s first name could be used freely between multiple players, in order to prevent copy cats a taken last name could only be used if someone who had it gave the player a key via email. And she herself had sent him the key for the last name ¡°Lazulu¡± while he was on his way to buy the game. Taking a few breaths to calm herself, Ivel Lazulu wiped a tear from her eye and turned her attention to the contents of the quest. ¡°At any rate, this is too good to miss out on! I¡¯ll to hurry up and find him, or should I say her! I just hope Chikara or any of her groupies aren¡¯t logged on. If she catches wind of this and finds little sis before I do¡¡± Her mood darkens instantly as she thinks about it. ¡°Dammit I really need to hurry¡¡± she mutters as she resumes her journey away from Loksha at full speed, unaware that she¡¯s headed in the exact opposite direction of her objective. -------------------- Lilith was grinning widely as Loksha and the Forest of Change came into view. She had gotten an absolutely delicious idea when she had seen that system message. Now that I don¡¯t have to explain how I know Mistress¡¯s username when I search for her and have a good excuse for approaching her, I can keep my real life identity a secret and instead of being professional all the time, I can do as I please and pamper her all I want! she thought, going over the plan in her head, getting excited shivers just thinking about it. ¡°Please just hold on a little bit longer Mistress Isabelle. Lilith¡¯s on her way!¡± -------------------- In the void of the gods, there was an impromptu party going on. ¡°I¡¯m so glad she took that quest! Ever since we failed to get our followers to stop from hunting the Spirits to extinction, it¡¯s been weighing heavily on my conscience, you know?¡± Clarissa said happily, raising a wine class. ¡°For once we agree, you manga loving idiot.¡± Irene said with a smile, touching her glass to Clarissa¡¯s. ¡°Cheers then, you frumpy prude.¡± Clarissa replied, downing her glass. The rest of the gods were similarly festive, all feeling some of the guilt they had been burdened with slide of their shoulders with the undertaking of Isabelle¡¯s quest. -------------------- Cookie Corner -------------------- While I did get some great ideas, in order to prevent spoilers I¡¯ll be giving out the acknowledgement and cookies when said ideas are implemented into the story. So for now, this week¡¯s recipients of the ¡°Good Idea!¡± cookies are: xacual and Chemile! xacual: suggested I give a reason for the Travelers not exploring the Forest of Change thus far. Chemile: suggested I give a description of the main character this chapter -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- Heya guys! This chapter¡¯s been a dozy! Special thanks goes to Warhawx for inviting me to the Den, where I got to meet a bunch of other authors and got some great advice for TFO! Only downside is that VRDraco seriously expects me to put out a chapter a day, but that¡¯s definitely a plus for you guys! I¡¯m going to bed now so I¡¯ll be reading and responding to your comments in the morning. Until next time! Grandfinale, over and out! [V1] Chapter 4 - Ambush ¡°Hey! Let me go already!¡± Isabelle shouted as she squirmed in Lynn¡¯s grasp ¡°Never! Who in the right mind would let go of something so adorable and cuddly?!¡± Lynn said with an excited giggle. ¡°Hey Sorako! Help me out here!¡± Isabelle cried, looking to her familiar for help. ¡±I believe I have stated before that as a passive familiar I do not possess the battle stats necessary for such a feat. Beside, she does not seem to mean you any harm and she does bring up a good point.¡± ¡°Oh come on, not you too!¡± the kitsune said in disbelief. ¡°Resistance is futile! You¡¯re a girl who was born to be cuddled, accept your fate and be my cuddle toy!¡± Lynn said as she rubbed her cheeks against Isabelle¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m a guy!¡± the ¡®cuddle toy¡¯ in question protested. ¡°Really? What does your status window say your gender is?¡± Lynn responded with a knowing smile. ¡°F-Female¡¡± Isabelle said hesitantly. ¡°I rest my case! Now let¡¯s go get you something much more appropriate to wear!¡± Lynn declared triumphantly. Isabelle¡¯s eyes opened wide as she look to the room¡¯s other two occupants for help. Seeing this the cheetah girl stiffened before approaching the pair. ¡°Lynn, you haven¡¯t even introduced yourself or asked the girl¡¯s name yet¡¡± the blonde said in an attempt to divert Lynn¡¯s attention. *Ping!*

You have gained a new skill

[tr]

Teary Eyes

Basic Lv1

The cute eyes only cute and adorable creatures are able to make when they beg for something. Your puppy eyes with tears can cause a serious effect on anyone that thinks you are cute. The effect is less on those who don¡¯t care about looks. At this level your teary eyes can cause normal people to help you. Used correctly you can use it to lower prices when bargaining You can use this as a charm skill to attract attention.

Teary eyes has a symbiosis effect with Charming Presence which strengthen the effect of Teary eyes causing a stronger effect when used.

¡°Oh come on!¡± the kitsune cried out in an exasperated tone, before turning to the other three who had confused expressions. ¡°It¡¯s nothing...Just a skill that I don¡¯t need¡Now then I believe you two were about to introduce yourselves?¡± Isabelle told them with a defeated sigh. ¡°Me first! I¡¯m Lynn Flonem! I¡¯m level 24 and I have a level 13 Sorcerer class! It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, cute stuff~!¡± Lynn said as she went back to rubbing against the kitsune girl. ¡°My name¡¯s Dawn Shallent. I¡¯m level 17 with a level 5 Rogue class. And I started as a guy like I assume you did.¡± Dawn followed up, meeting Isabelle¡¯s eyes. The two former males looked at each other as each recognized the other as a comrade in their suffering. Lynn, sensing this, pulled Isabelle even closer. ¡°So what about you my fluffy friend?¡± the Sorcerer asked, breaking the atmosphere. ¡°Huh? Oh! I¡¯m...Isabelle Lazulu...And I¡¯m a level 1...No class yet¡¡± came the absentminded reply. ¡° ¡°Eh?¡±¡± the other two gave Isabelle a blank stare while saying this, causing the pale girl to tilt her head. ¡°Did I say something weird?¡± she asked shortly before Lynn grabbed her by the shoulders. ¡°Are you really her?! Prove it! Show me your status!¡± The now shaken kitsune hurriedly pulled up the status portion of her status window to show Lynn, leaving the rest hidden. Upon seeing it, the red haired mage read it several times before squealing in excitement and beginning the hugging anew. ¡°It¡¯s really you! The real deal! This is the best. day. EVER!¡± Lynn shouted before holding the girl at arms length. ¡°How do I become a Spirit!? Tell me!¡± she demanded. ¡°Um..Uh¡¡± Isabelle was at a loss for words. ¡±If I may interject Miss Lynn, I¡¯m afraid to inform you that Lady Isabelle will be unable to transform others into Spirits until her second stage, and even then she will be limited in what she can turn others into. She will also only be able to change willing participants, but given your enthusiasm, I do not believe that will be an issue.¡± ¡°How do I get Isabelle to her second stage as soon as possible?!¡± Lynn said, turning her attention to Sorako. ¡±Lady Isabelle will assume her second stage when she has become strong enough to do so. If you wish to expedite the process, I would suggest helping her to train and finding her someone willing to teach her a base class.¡± ¡°I can do that. My Mage trainer owes me a BIG fa-¡±No.¡±-vor?!¡± Everyone looked to Isabelle in shock as she interrupted Lynn. ¡°B-But a mage cla-¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to get a Warrior class.¡± Isabelle insisted, interrupting Lynn again. ¡±Lady Isabelle, taking your current skills and racials into consideration, a Mage class wou-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Isabelle stated in a tone that indicated that there would be no further discussion on the matter. Lynn and Sorako looked at each other concerned while Dawn nodded approvingly. Isabelle took this chance to squirm her way out of Lynn¡¯s grasp. ¡°Well Dawn and Lynn, it was nice to meet the two of you, but I really should get moving.¡± Isabelle said headed for the entrance once again. *Ping*

Dawn has invited you to join her party
Would you like to accept?
YES	NO

Isabelle blinked at the messages before turning back to the grinning pair of Travelers. ¡°Did you really think we¡¯d let you do something this big on your own?¡± Dawn said. ¡°That¡¯s right Isa-chan! Not only that, but I still need to dress you up! Oh, and become a Spirit, too!¡± Lynn agreed. ¡°Why was becoming a Spirit an afterthought to dressing me up?!¡± ¡°What can I say?! You¡¯re just too cute to leave in those boring clothes, Isa-chan!¡± Isabelle gave an exasperated sigh. ¡°You know what? Fine. I could use the help and the two of you obviously have too much free time.¡± She quickly selected yes and a new window replaced it.

Dawn has set you as the leader of the party,

Isabelle Lazulu (Leader)	Lv 1	No Class
Dawn Shallent	Lv 17	Lv 5 Rogue
Lynn Flonem	Lv 24	Lv 13 Sorcerer

Isabelle raised an eyebrow, but Dawn spoke before she could voice her objections. ¡°Your quest, you lead.¡± Nodding and looking over the windows, Isabelle noticed something. ¡°Hey Lynn, a class evolves into a new one every 10 levels right?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh! Well, yeah, but it¡¯s optional Isa-chan. Plus it¡¯s not like the class starts over from level 1, so the number you see there is from the 10 levels I earned from my Mage class, plus the 3 levels I earned since becoming a Sorcerer!¡± Lynn said, puffing out her chest proudly. ¡°I see¡¡± Isabelle muttered as she climbed out of the burrow, waiting up top for the other two to climb out. Dawn leaped up in a single bound, and helped up Lynn who was carrying Sorako. Lynn handed Sorako to Isabelle as the four of them set out for Loksha. -------------------- >Loksha< A few meters away from the damaged portion of Loksha¡¯s eastern wall, two figures were engaging in conversation. ¡°Ah¡¯m sorry lassie, ah haven¡¯t heard of a Traveler by the name of Isabelle Lazulu n¡¯ ah don¡¯t have time ta help ya search for her.¡± said a guard, whose bulkier armor signified him as a captain and his short stature and accent gave away his Dwarven heritage. ¡°Isn¡¯t there anyway I can change your mind, good sir? Any at all?¡± replied the other person, a demon woman in a pure black maid uniform. ¡°Ah¡¯m sorry miss, but as ya c¡¯n see our walls have received some major damage. And if that wasn¡¯t enuff, the barrier ¡®round the forest that kept us out disappeared a little over a day ago, which normally wouldn¡¯t have been a problem. The issue is that a clan of bandits from the nearby mountains have been reported enterin¡¯ the forest from the northeast side ¡®n large numbers. Until we can rebuild our walls and send a group to flush them out, we won¡¯t be able to spare any guards for yer search.¡± he said in a huff. ¡°In that case, what if I were to deal with the bandits myself?¡± she responded, causing the guard to blink in surprise. ¡°Interestin¡¯...that¡¯d be a great help to us. If ya can pull that off, ah¡¯ll n¡¯t only be sure to start a search for yer missing friend, I¡¯ll put ¡®n a good word for ya with the mayor ¡®n case you require any more help.¡±

Bandit Blues
Rank C
You have offered to help out the captain of Loksha¡¯s guards with a bandit problem in return for his assistance. To complete this quest, you must either slay every bandit hiding the forest, or find a way to drive them out.
Rewards -The mayor of Loksha and captain of it¡¯s guard shall assist you when you need it so long as your demands aren¡¯t too steep.
Would you like to accept?
YES	NO

¡°I would be honored to lend my aid, even if I did not require your assistance in my search.¡± the demon girl replied with a smile, to which the guard gave a hearty laugh. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Ah like ya, lassie! Mah name¡¯s Durk Bronson, what¡¯s yers?¡± the dwarf laugh extending his hand. ¡°It¡¯s Lilith Regalia. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± she replied, shaking his hand. -------------------- >Forest of Change< A few hours after they had set out, the group of four could see Loksha¡¯s walls through the trees. ¡°Finally! A town! Now I finally get my first class!¡± Isabelle said, enciting a giggle from Lynn ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± the kitsune asked confused. ¡°I hate to burst your bubble, but you have to be level 10 before you can get a class, Isa-chan!¡± ¡°Wait what?¡± Isabelle turned to Dawn for confirmation and received a nod and an apologetic look. ¡°Awww¡Well at least I¡¯ll finally get to explore a town. I¡¯ve been in this forest for what seems like an eternity¡¡± Isabelle sighed, trying to look on the bright side. Dawn, who had been leading the group to the town, gave a wry smile that quickly disappeared as she stopped suddenly, crouching slightly and wrapping her hands around her daggers. ¡°We¡¯ve got company.¡± she told her startled teammates. ¡°Ehehehehe...Looks like we¡¯ve been noticed boys.¡±, a muscular ogre said as he stepped out from a particular large tree in front of the group of girls. He wore a plain pair of pants, a belt, a pair of gauntlets and nothing else. Not even shoes or a shirt. ¡°How can someone so huge be so stealthy?!¡± Lynn asked as she retrieved her staff from her back, and indeed the ogre was almost 7 feet tall. ¡°With practice missy. Now then, I don¡¯t see any reason not to cut straight to the chase.¡±, the ogre replied with a confident smirk. ¡°And what would that be?¡± Dawn asked, her grip on her weapons tightening. ¡°Well you see ladies, the thing is that the little one¡¯s wish wouldn¡¯t be coming true. What¡¯s going to happen instead is that you three will be coming with us, whether you like it or not. The lot of you will fetch too high a price for us to pass up. Come on out boys!¡± At his words, the party of three players and one familiar were surrounded as about two dozen goblin bandits stepped out from behind the surrounding trees. They all were clothed just as their leader was, but didn¡¯t wear gauntlets and they each carried a worn swords of different shapes and sizes. Dawn clicked her tongue and Lynn gripped her staff tightly. Isabelle looked to the ground and started trembling. ¡°It looks like the little one is scared out of her wits! Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll fetch the best price so we won¡¯t hurt you. We just want to have a little fun is all, eheheh¡¡± ¡°Isa-chan¡¡± Lynn said, giving the girl a concerned look. ¡±Laby Isabelle, please don¡¯t be frighten. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll get through this somehow¡± Sorako said, trying to cheer her owner up, while Dawn just stayed silent, unsure of what to say. Contrary to the fear that everyone thought had filled the girl, it was a very different emotion that caused her to tremble. Within such a short time, I¡¯ve been chased by a horde of monsters, lost my sword trying to escape, fell into a hole, got knocked out for a whole in game day, and turned not only into a race that was shunned and hunted out of fear, but also into the opposite gender¡ she began to list her grievances in her mind as rage boiled up within her. And now I¡¯m going to be KIDDNAPPED?! F**K THIS!! Before anyone had a chance to react, Isabelle darted forward, jumping up and landing a flying kick to the ogre¡¯s solar plexus, interrupting his rant about all the thing he was going to do and sending him flying back into a tree.

Crital hit! -1034 HP

Not wasting the opportunity provided by this, she closed the distance between them and began strike at the stunned ogre with flurry of kicks aimed at his vitals. The boost to her leg strength that her Hiking proficiency provided, further criticals, pure rage, and her own martial arts knowledge made each kick take away large chunks of his health, until he had only a sliver remaining. She stopped her assault then, not to spare him, but to gather her remaining strength for the final blow. ¡°Air Bullet.¡± she said simply, causing the air around the two to condense into a tight ball as she raised her leg up into the air. Air bullet, especially at the Basic skill level, normally only resulted in a ball of air that wasn¡¯t dense enough to be seen and only became the size of a tennis ball. Even for those that mastered it, the ball could only vaguely be seen and became the size of softball at most due to the INT and WIS stat being much harder to train than the others. Isabelle on the other hand, had her racial which added her insane CHA stat to the mix. The result was basketball sized sphere that was so dense it looked like glass. The barely conscious ogre¡¯s eyes widened as he saw this, even if he didn¡¯t know what she was going to do with it. He didn¡¯t have to wait much longer, as she brought her foot down, slamming the ball into his crotch. The resulting burst of air was strong enough to knock her back, and certainly strong enough to finish him off. Dawn, who like everyone else present could do nothing but watch out of surprise, snapped out of it when she saw the girl be sent flying. She managed to jump in time to catch the kitsune in mid air, at which Lynn breath a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, this also snapped the rest of the bandits out of their trances. ¡°S-She killed the Boss! KILL HER!¡± one shouted, and the rest rushed in. "Frozen Shade." a cold voice rang out from somewhere above them. In response to the voice, the goblins¡¯ shadows became an icy blue and came to life, wrapping around their owners. When the shadows receded, they revealed that the bandits had all been encased in ice. ¡±Shatter¡± the voice continued, causing the ice enclosed goblins to burst into tiny pieces. ¡°Woah¡¡± Lynn¡¯s voiced leaked out, as a demon dressed in a maid uniform descended from the sky. ¡°Are the three of you alright?¡± the new arrival asked. Dawn nodded. ¡°We¡¯re fine, but our friend Isabelle here seems to have worn herself out.¡± Dawn responded, indicating the out of breath kitsune in her arms. The demon girl stiffened a bit in response to the name. ¡°Isabelle? She wouldn¡¯t happen to be Isabelle Lazulu, would she?¡± the demon maid inquired. For a moment, Dawn hesitated unsure of whether or not to answer honestly, but she was spared from answering at all. ¡°That¡¯s right...what of it¡?¡± Isabelle asked in return, inwardly preparing herself for hostility. What she was not prepared for, was for the demon girl to squee loudly and grab her, bring the the small kitsune¡¯s face into her chest. ¡°You¡¯re even cute than I imagined! It¡¯s going to be an honor serving such an adorable Mistress!¡± the demon maid shouted happily, shocking everyone else. ¡°M-Mistress¡?! W-What are you talking about?!¡± Isabelle asked in confusion. ¡°Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Lilith Regalia, and I¡¯m level 56 with a level 43 Shinobi class. I¡¯ve been traveling the lands, looking for a suitable master or mistress to serve, when the answer to my problems comes in the form of a system window, detailing a noble undertaking that one of my fellow Travelers had began. I decided right then and there to find the one known as Isabelle Lazulu, and to follow and serve her as her maid on her noble quest to revive the Spirit Races!¡± the demon said, giving the group the story she had made up on the way here. ¡°I-I don¡¯t know¡¡± Isabelle replied hesitantly. ¡°Pleeeeassee?¡± Lilith pleaded, pressing Isabelle¡¯s face into her cleavage, causing the girl to turn bright red. ¡°I-I suppose it wouldn¡¯t hurt¡¡± Isabelle consented. ¡°Oh thank you so much! I¡¯ll be sure to take care of everything you might need so don¡¯t worry about a thing!¡± Lilith exclaimed. ¡°F-For now...We¡¯d like it if we could continue on to the town¡¡± Isabelle replied. ¡°Leave it to me!¡± the maid responded, picking up the tired kitsune and extended her wings. She took to the sky and flew towards the town, as Dawn and Lynn realized what was happening and began to rush after them, Lynn carrying Sorako once again. -------------------- >Domain of the Gods< None of the eight figures in the white void spoke. They were all still stunned by the spectacle that Isabelle had put on with the bandit leader. ¡°Okay...I was NOT expecting that¡¡± Clarissa said, finally breaking the silence. The rest nodded, with the exception of Wendolyn. ¡°What did you think would happen with everything you¡¯ve thrown at the poor girl? To be honest, I¡¯m surprised she didn¡¯t snap sooner.¡± the fairy goddess said as she turned to Aurora, the Beastkin Goddess. ¡°By the way, you owe me that popcorn.¡± Aurora simply grumbled a few unintelligible words while passing the large bucket of salty goods. Silas, on the other hand, was looking at the projection of Isabelle with interest. ¡°Not bad...Not bad at all¡¡± he muttered, none of the other gods hearing him. -------------------- Cookie Corner -------------------- As none of the fan ideas made it into this chapter, I can¡¯t give any cookies to you guys this week unfortunately. At least none that i¡¯m aware of. Better luck next week guys! -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- Another day, another chapter! I decided to try my hand a combat, even if it ended simply, hope you guys enjoyed! Though the more I write this stuff, the more I wish I had an artist to draw my characters... In other news, TFO has more than 100 followers! Keep it up you guys! -------------------- Invasion Author¡¯s corner: -------------------- HELLO HELLO! JUST HERE TO SAY HI! And I stole his whole stack of cookies. Bye bye! I REGRET NOTHING! Ass: Warhawx *Runs away with bag of cookies* -------------------- ...Sorry guys, looks like I got to chase War down for my cookies. GrandFinale, over and out! *Runs after Warhawx* [V1] Chapter 5 - Treasures Isabelle held onto Lilith as the demon maid carried her over Loksha¡¯s walls and towards the plaza in the town¡¯s center. ¡°W-Where are we going Lilith?¡± the kitsune asked, a little afraid of the large drop below them. I really need to get some kind of flying skill...It seems like it would make travel a lot easier. Isabelle thought to herself. ¡°I¡¯m looking for the guard captain to turn my bandit killing quest in, Mistress.¡± the maid said simply, hovering over the town¡¯s central plaza and scanning streets. After a few minutes of searching, she noticed something waving at her from the crowd gathering in the plaza below. Looking down, she smiled as she realized that the one waving to her was the very dwarf she was seeking. She began a slow and graceful descent, careful not to jostle the girl in her arms. As they drew closer to the ground, the crowd that had been attracted to the plaza got their first good look at the pair and let out a collective gasp. Isabelle wondered why the gasp until she looked over the crowd and noticed something floating above the majority of their heads. ¡°Hey Lilith, what does a heart icon floating about someone¡¯s head mean?¡± Isabelle asked. ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s the indicator that a monster or Resident has been afflicted with the Charm Status. Why do you ask?¡± the maid responded, confused for a moment until she realized that Isabelle was looking over the crowd. Lilith¡¯s lips curled into a mischievous smile as an idea came to her. She landed next to the speechless dwarven guard, who had been previously talking with a now similarly speechless mayor, and set Isabelle on her feet facing crowd. ¡°Citizens of Loksha! May I present to you my Mistress Isabelle Lazulu, who has recently undertaken a noble quest to revive a race that was almost lost to the world long ago! But such an endeavour is far from simple and she will need all the assistance she can acquire! All those would join her in this undertaking, bow down now and declare your loyalty to your Mistress!¡± Lilith shouted loudly, making sure even those at the very edges of the crowd could hear her clearly, while Isabelle¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. All at once, the entire crowd bow down and shouted various oaths of loyalty. Even the players did so, with some doing so out of genuine devotion to the cause, others because it seemed interesting, and others still doing so out of fear over persecution if they went against the crowd. *Ping*

The town of Loksha has become your Territory!

The vast majority of Loksha¡¯s population has sworn their loyalty to you, earning you both followers who would follow your orders to their deaths and a town to use as a base of operations for your mission of bringing back the Spirit Races.

As Loksha is a town, it does not automatically block Travelers who have not been given permission to enter. Instead you must manually add any Travelers who you wish to keep out to the town¡¯s Blacklist.

The Charm Status of the Residents of Loksha has become permanent!

You have gained the following Stat Points!

CHA: 73

Isabelle was at a complete loss for words. Lilith, seeing this as a chance to take things further so the kitsune would be unable to decline taking leadership of the city, bent down and pretend to be listening to something that Isabelle was whispering to her. She then straightened herself again. ¡°People of Loksha!¡±, the demon maid addressed the crowd, ¡°I have been asked by our Mistress to deliver her reply! She says to you all: ¡®I am honored that you would have me as your leader and vow to do my very best to prove myself worth of your devotion. In exchange for your loyalty and aid on my objective, I shall do everything in my power to ensure that no harm comes to your town or it¡¯s citizens! As of right now, I have business to attend to so I would like for all of you to return to your everyday lives. If I have need of your services, I will send for you, so for now you are dismissed.¡¯ ¡± The people gave out a roar of cheer at Isabelle¡¯s alleged acknowledgement of their loyalty and slowly the crowd dwindled as the people began to return to their own business. Once the plaza had return to normal, an irate kitsune turned towards a demon maid who was looking away and whistling innocently. She opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped when someone suddenly hugged her from behind. ¡°I found you Isa-chan!¡± Lynn shouted as she began to pet the smaller girl. ¡°I...wha¡¡± Isabelle attempted to form words but found that she couldn¡¯t. The petting she was receiving felt too good. Seeing Isabelle enjoying herself so much, Dawn looked to the small fox on her shoulder and asked a question. ¡°Hey Sorako, if Isabelle is a Spirit, then how come she¡¯s so much like a Fox Beastkin?¡± ¡±Well Miss Dawn, the answer to that question lies in the very beginning of the Spirit Races. Are you aware that the world of Ethris itself has it¡¯s own mana?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it before.¡± the cheetah confirmed. ¡±Well then, did you know that the world¡¯s mana was not always as stable as it is now?¡± Dawn shook her head. ¡±Then I shall start from there. As I stated, a long long time ago, the world¡¯s mana was much more unstable. This instability lead to this mana sometimes clumping together and becoming sentient, at which point they materialized using whatever organisms were nearby as the basis for their physical form. For instance, the first Phoenix came into being when a cluster of fire mana came into being inside a volcano just as a single bird was flying overhead. Lady Isabelle¡¯s Race, the Kitsune-tsuki, were made from mana clusters that became sentient while in the presence of Fox Beastkin, leading them to share many traits with that type of Beastkin. Does that answer your question, Miss Dawn?¡± ¡°Yeah, thanks Sorako.¡± Dawn replied. ¡±It was my pleasure to be of service, Miss Dawn.¡± ¡°So Isa-chan really likes petting? That¡¯s some useful info!¡± Lynn smiled mischievously. Lilith on the other hand was glaring at Lynn. ¡°What are you two doing here?¡± she asked coldly, pulling Isabelle away from Lynn. ¡°Oh we were just following the leader of party. You know, the one you aren¡¯t a part of?¡± Lynn replied, as she pulled Isabelle back towards her. As the two magic users glared at each other, one could feel the temperature around Lilith dropping while the air around Lynn heated up. One could see the metaphorical sparks forming between their glares. The small kitsune took this opportunity to escape, slipping away unnoticed by the two girls. She also took this chance to finally look at the messages that had popped up after her fight with the ogre.

For utilizing the raw power of your fury to defeat an opponent over 30 levels higher than you, you have been granted a Job!

Berserker Lv1

You can harness the power of one the most powerful and primal emotions: rage. As this job increases in level, the bonuses it provides will increase as well.

Current bonuses The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.+20 STR when angry

For scoring a long string of consecutive critical hits, you have gained a Proficiency!

Critical Hit Mastery

Basic Lv1

You have become adept at landing blows in such a way such as to maximize their damage. Each of your normal hits now has a larger chance of turning into critical hits, while your attacks to vital areas now have a higher chance to become brutal hits instead of critical hits. This chance will increase as the Proficiency rises in level.

For defeating an enemy while completely unarmed, you have gained a Proficiency!

Unarmed Combat Mastery

Basic Lv1

You have learned how to take down an enemy without the need of any weapon other than your own flesh and blood. Each of your strikes made without a weapon will now do more damage than normal. This boost will increase as the Proficiency rises in level.

For defeating an enemy while by using nothing but leg attacks, you have gained a Proficiency!

Kicking Mastery

Basic Lv1

You have learned to use your legs as deadly striking tools. Each of your kicks will now do more damage than normal. This boost will increase as the Proficiency rises in level.

For utilizing a wind spell in a way other than how it was designed, you have gained a Skill!

Wind Manipulation

Basic Lv1

You have gone beyond the limitations of spells in order to use the element of wind to it¡¯s fullest effect. You now have the ability to reach out with your mana in order to control the wind as you deem fit. This skill relies on you own ability rather than stats, but a higher skill level will make it easier for you to control the air around you.

[tr]

You have created an original Skill!

Gale Burst Strike

Basic Lv1

You have made use of the Air Bullet spell in an original way, giving birth to this technique. This skill allows you compress air around a limb or weapon, to be release on contact with an enemy.

Mana cost: 25

[tr]

You have gained the following Stat Points!

STR: 24

VIT: 19

AGI: 20

DEX: 41

You have leveled up!

Isabelle looked over her gains with a widening grin, glad to finally receive something good for her troubles. No, not ¡°finally¡±, she corrected herself in her mind as she looked over at Lynn and Lilith, who still glaring at each other, and at Sorako and Dawn, who were smiling wryly at the pair, I got something of much greater value even earlier than this. *Ping!*

[tr][tr] [tr][tr] [tr][tr] [tr][tr] [tr][tr]

You have gained a Title!
Wendoyln¡¯s Protege(Unique)
For finally recognizing your greatest treasure, Wendolyn, the Goddess of Wisdom and patron deity of the Fairy Races, has decided to watch over you.
+25 WIS per level	Increased affinity with the Fairy Races.	Wendolyn will lend you her wisdom indirectly from time to time.	Favored by Wendolyn trait.	Wendolyn will be watching you closely from now on.

With her face still smiling, Isabelle closed the windows and headed over to join her friends, glad to have their company on the undoubtedly long road ahead of her. -------------------- >Domain of the Gods< ¡°That should help her out in the future.¡± the fairy goddess as she looked a the projection of Isabelle, smiling approvingly. The rest of the deities were looking at Wendolyn in shock, as she had never graced a Traveler with her blessing before. ¡°Even she¡¯s interested in the girl¡¡± Silas muttered, returning his attention to the projection, his lips forming into a slight smile. It was the first time in a long time that he had smiled at all. -------------------- End of Arc 1 Act 1 - ¡°First Steps¡± -------------------- Cookie Corner -------------------- I managed to get my cookies back! So without further ado, this week¡¯s recipients of the ¡°Good Idea!¡± cookies are: xacual and Truth! xacual: Suggested Isabelle get something to do with Berserker Truth: Suggested Isabelle get Unarmed Combat Mastery -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- And the first arc of TFO comes to a close! Next up will be one or two side stories, after which I¡¯ll jump into Arc 2! Thank all of you guys for your support and follows! See you tomorrow! GrandFinale, over and out! SS 1 - Stirring Factions In the midst of a vast abandoned library somewhere in the far corners of the world of Ethris, a human male sat in a lotus position in the middle of a rather complex magical formation. All around him were floating books that were tinged with the same lime green glow that the magic formation gave off. Some were open with their pages rapidly being flipped through while others were closed and either floating towards him or back to their shelves. This continued for another few hours, with the number of books surrounding him slowly dwindling. After the space around him was empty, he gave a disappointed sigh and stood up, dismissing the search spell he had been using as he did. ¡°I expected a lack of information considering how old this establishment is, but had at least hoped to find a few other leads to the locations of sealed Spirits or at least confirmation that there really is a Kistune-tsuki sealed near Loksha. Without a live specimen to observe, I fear things do not bode well for my research on the Spirit Race,¡± the man said, adjusting his glasses by using two fingers of his gloved hand to push on the bridge. He brushed his clothes off, which consisted of a long sleeved turtleneck, a tight pair of pants, and a hooded cloaking, all of which were black with a red trim. As he began to walk towards the entrance, he heard the familiar ping of a system window. Without breaking his stride, he began to read it, giving a wry smile as he read the contents and recognized the last name. ¡°Isabelle huh? Even in a virtual game, little brother attracts trouble as always, though I guess I should refer to him as a little sister in the game from now on. My twin is probably having a laugh about this right about now.¡± he said, his wry smile widening into a grin. ¡°Who knows? Maybe I¡¯ll meet her on my way to Loksha, if she isn¡¯t there already. Either way, my problem of finding a live specimen is solved even if Loksha turns out to be nothing but a false lead,¡± he continued as he opened the door to the library, pulling his hood over his short and neatly combed brown hair as his green eyes stared off into the horizon. --------------------

STATUS
Name	Andrew Lazulu (Sagis)	Fame	25058
Level	156	Gender	Male
Class Tree	Mage	Class	Sage
Class Level	132	Guild	N/A

RACE
Racial Group	Human
Race	High Human
Sub Race	Ascended

TITLES

Black Sage Master of the Elements Seeker of Truths

JOBS
Job 1	Scholar
Job 2	Spellsmith
Job 3	Librarian

-------------------- The Artam continent, which held the Flinas Kingdom where Loksha was located, was a part of a larger landmass. This land mass, known as Crigess, held two other continents, Izalic and Boldice. These three continents were separated by three mountain ridges, each of which started at the edges of Crigess and meet in the center at Mount Ardan, Crigess¡¯ largest mountain. Travel between the three continents were usually carried out in one of three ways. In order of shortest and most expensive to longest and least expensive, they were by boarding an airship at one of the aeroports, commissioning a ride on a boat at one of the ports, or by paying a toll at one of the various mountain passes. The only free route available to all was also the longest and most dangerous: climbing Mount Ardan. It was a challenge that few took and even fewer survived, as it was so tall that not even the best airships could reach it¡¯s peak. Anyone person who managed to make it to the top, regardless of gender, age, or race, was spoke of across all three continents as a legend. At the very top of this behemoth of a mountain stood a tavern, it¡¯s existence unknown to all but those who made it to the top alive. As if mocking the harsh conditions on the mountains slopes, where the air was blistering cold and fierce monsters roamed free, the inside of this tavern was almost always warm and lively, with food and ale so good that any who made it came back for more at some point. Today was no different, as cheers and laughs were common as the taverns occupants shared tales of their adventures with one another. At a table near the taverns back wall, a particularly noisy group sat, roaring with laughter or cheering as the largest among them shared the tale of his most recent sparring match with one of the tavern¡¯s other regulars, a Earthen Dragonoid whose short stature gave no hint to her monstrous power. At about 8 feet tall, the man was even larger than the ogre that Isabelle had fought. He was dressed entirely in furs, with fur pants around his legs, fur boots around his feet, and fur bracers around his wrists. Draped across his back was a large bear hide tied by it¡¯s front legs around his neck. Although he looked human, the thick white hair on his muscular chest and thin spiked blonde hair that peeked out from the bear head that he used as a hood clued others to his race, a Royal Penguin Beastkin. Finishing his story, he was surprised to hear a ping as a system window opened in front of him. After giving the contents a quick read, he began to roar anew with laughter, drawing confused looks from the Residents in the bar. ¡°It would seems that a certain pair of famous siblings has added a new member to their ranks, and just like her elders the young one has greeted the world by causing as big of a commotion as she can.¡± he explained to the others, standing up and reaching for a single bladed axe leaning against the wall that was even bigger than he was. Lifting the heavy weapon with one arm and slinging it over his shoulder, the huge man left the tavern. On his way out, he sent a message to everyone is his guild to be on the lookout for a Traveler by the name of Isabelle Lazulu. --------------------

STATUS
Name	Dokin Ragnar (Dok)	Fame	20871
Level	178	Gender	Male
Class Tree	Warrior	Class	Viking
Class Level	141	Guild	Den of Madness (Guildmaster)

RACE
Racial Group	Beastkin
Race	Penguin
Sub Race	Royal

TITLES

Bear Slayer King of the Mountains Man Among Men

JOBS
Job 1	Drunkard
Job 2	Wrestler
Job 3	Lumberjack

-------------------- Deep within the Alzen Forest, a vast sea of trees on the Izalic continent, there was a sunlit clearing with large rocks scattered across its grass. In the middle of this clearing, a group of Travelers were taking a break, most of them using a cluster of rocks as seats while one was tending to a large pot of stew and a pair of slime girls played nearby. The two slime girls were almost identical to each other, the only noticeable difference was that one was white and the other was black. They both looked like young girls, looking to be about the same age as Isabelle¡¯s new form, with long slimy hair that reached to their waists in the back and framed their cute faces in the front. Both wore a frilly gothic lolita dress and a large ribbon on top of their heads that was the same color and texture as they were, indicating that their outfits were apart of them. The one cooking was a tall woman who gave off a motherly feeling as she hummed a happy tune while she worked. She wore a red ribbed turtleneck sweater that was slightly loose on her even with the massive mounds that bulged out in front, along with a pair of tight black pants that emphasized her broad hips and plump rear. On her face, a pair of slitted blue eyes watched the food cook from behind a pair of pink rimmed glasses. There was a pair of black cat ears perched atop her slightly messy thigh length black hair, while a long black cat tail swung happily from her rear. Off to the right side of the cook, a pair of individuals shared a rock as they sat back to back, tinkering with their respective weapons as parts lay scattered at the taps spread out by their feet. One was a woman of about average height, with a slender waist and breasts and hips that were a little on the large side, giving her a slight hourglass figure. She wore a black leather jacket over a plain white shirt, and a pair of black leather pants. A pair of dark pointed ears poked out from underneath her mop of white, shoulder length hair. Her tomboyish face featured a pair of purple eyes, which were currently fixed on her work. She was currently maintaining one of a pair of magic pistols, the other of which was in it¡¯s holster on her hip. The other person sitting there was a woman a few inches taller that her companion but her waist, bust, and hips were about the same size, giving her a slightly more slender look. As for her looks the base of her body was human in appearance, but no one looking at her could possibly mistake her for one. On each arm at the halfway point between her shoulders and her elbows, a ring of fluffy white fur acted as a border between her human skin and the reddish fur that covered the remainder of her arms, ending in a cross between hands and paws. There was a similar situation with her legs, with an extra ring above her ankles giving the impression that her hybrid paws/feet were instead a pair of boots. A pair of red bat wings extended out from her upper back, while a red scorpion like tail extended from the base of her spine. A pair of black cat ears sat perched atop her red hair, which was tied back in a short spiky ponytail. She wore a red vest that buttoned up all the way to the fluffy white fur around her neck, along with a pair of red shorts. She was fiddling with the insides of a clockwork sword, somehow managing delicate movements even with her paws being larger than normal hands. On the opposite side of the cooking cat lady from the two workers, the group¡¯s lone male lay on his side particularly long and flat rock with his back to the rest and his head propped up with his elbow. He was slightly taller that the average male, with messy grey hair topped with a pair of wolf ears and bushy eyebrows. The only thing he wore on his muscled body was a baggy pair of shorts with a multitude of pockets and a hole in the back for his grey tail. His eyes we currently closed as he slept. The last member of the group sat on a rock behind the cook at work, watching as she worked. One of her hands rested on her seat while the other held a wine glass, occasionally bringing it to her lips. The woman gave off a presence full of grace and elegance and her curves were second only to the motherly cook. A pair of black evening gloves graced her arms and a matching black evening gown flowed down to her ankles, where her feet were clad in a pair of black heels. Her knee length blonde hair was straight and silky. On her back, a pair of translucent butterfly wings shimmered slightly with rainbow light. On either side of her, four rapiers sat leaning against the rock, giving her a total of eight. She smiled as she addressed the humming cat. ¡°You¡¯ve been in such a good mood lately, Lugra.¡± she said, and the humming stopped as Lugraz turned her head to answer. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be, Yuna? After all, last time me and Andy met up, he not only gave me these clothes to wear, but he also praised my cooking!¡± the cat woman said with an elated smile as Yuna¡¯s turned into a wry one. ¡°You¡¯re really all over that Lazulu guy, ain¡¯t ya Lu? I¡¯ve heard of online dating, but over a game?¡± the red furred tinker asked with a chuckle, looking up from her sword. "You say that like we haven''t met in real life yet, Mu." Lugra pouted. ¡°She¡¯s got a point Mu.¡± the dark skin elf spoke up, finishing her maintenance and returning her gun to it¡¯s holster. ¡°Thank you, Terri.¡± the cat girl said before returning to her humming while Mu conceded the point and didn¡¯t say anything further. Lugra finished her cooking just as the whole group received a system message. After reading it, Yuna looked to Lugra. ¡°Did Mr. Lazulu ever mention a littler sister?¡± the fairy asked. ¡°No, but he did say that his little brother would be starting soon...That poor thing, to be transformed so early¡¡± came the worried reply. ¡°Poor or not, what should we do about this quest Boss?¡± Mu asked, turning to Yuna. ¡°Isn¡¯t obvious? We¡¯ll be helping out, of course. Lugra, can you ask Mr. Lazulu where his brother started out while we eat?¡± ¡°Already asked. Andy said he¡¯s not sure, but he has a hunch that it¡¯s in one of Artam¡¯s newly discovered towns called Loksha.¡± Lugra responded. ¡°That¡¯s pretty far, so we¡¯ll set out right after we eat. Understood?¡± Yuna looked around as her teammates nodded. ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s eat.¡± Mu got up from her seat and walked across the temporary camp to the still sleeping wolf man sleeping there. She then proceeded to kick him off into the grass. ¡°Huh? Wha? Is it time to eat?¡± the confused wolf man asked. ¡°Mornin¡¯ Ran, ya big dope. Yeah, it¡¯s time to eat. We¡¯ve leaving right after though.¡± Mu responded with a grin. ¡°What? Why?¡± The wolf asked, further confused. ¡°Check your logs, ya lazy mutt.¡± was Mu¡¯s only reply. Ran¡¯s eyes moved to the window that had popped up. ¡°An SSS Rank? Sounds interesting.¡± he said as he grinned, revealing a set of fangs. ¡°Alex! Mattie! TIme to eat!¡± Lugra called to the two slime girls who immediately responded. ¡°¡°M¡¯kay!¡±¡± they shouted in unison, uncrumpling the large ball of windows they had been using to play catch. ¡°How come those two only listen to you?¡±, Terri asked, ¡°Not even Yuna can make them listen to her. And while we¡¯re on the subject, How¡¯d you meet Yuna anyways? You¡¯ve been a part of the guild for a while now and the rest of us only know that Yuna showed up to a rendezvous with the three of you in tow.¡± ¡°Some things are better left alone.¡± Lugra answered the elf with a bright smile. Yuna and the slime twins, however, shuddered a bit. At that point, Terri decided it was best to drop the topic. ¡°Now then! Since everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s eat!¡±, Lugra said, receiving a cheer from the rest. As the group sat down for their meal, they began to discuss which route they would take to reach Loksha the fastest. --------------------

STATUS
Name	Yuna Gracieu (Yunari)	Fame	24011
Level	169	Gender	Female
Class Tree	Bard	Class	Blade Dancer
Class Level	145	Guild	Bad Company (Guildmaster)

RACE
Racial Group	Fairy
Race	Titania
Sub Race	Rythmic

TITLES

Lady of Grace Conductor of the Blade Symphony Mistress of the Deadly Waltz

JOBS
Job 1	Composer
Job 2	Muscian
Job 3	Connoisseur

STATUS
Name	Ran Lupus (Ayuran)	Fame	19214
Level	151	Gender	Male
Class Tree	Warrior	Class	Brawler
Class Level	133	Guild	Bad Company

RACE
Racial Group	Mythical
Race	Were-Beast
Sub Race	Wolf

TITLES

Bloodsoaked Beast Army of One Terror of The Moonlight

JOBS
Job 1	Berserker
Job 2	Demolitionist
Job 3	Boxer

STATUS
Name	Mu Schnell (Muyami)	Fame	17432
Level	140	Gender	Female
Class Tree	Warrior	Class	Fencer
Class Level	127	Guild	Bad Company

RACE
Racial Group	Chimera
Race	Manticore
Sub Race	Humanoid

TITLES

Clockwork Prodigy Grand Inventor Speed Demon

JOBS
Job 1	Clockwork Tinkerer
Job 2	Blacksmith
Job 3	Metalworker

STATUS
Name	Terri Geweher (Mistake)	Fame	17412
Level	139	Gender	Female
Class Tree	Ranger	Class	Gunslinger
Class Level	123	Guild	Bad Company

RACE
Racial Group	Elven
Race	Dark Elf
Sub Race	Moondancer

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

TITLES

Magitech Genius Grand Inventor True Marksman

JOBS
Job 1	Magitech Engineer
Job 2	Metalworker
Job 3	Engraver

STATUS
Name	Lugra Materna (Lugraz)	Fame	14781
Level	124	Gender	Female
Class Tree	Healer	Class	Saint
Class Level	103	Guild	Bad Company

RACE
Racial Group	Beastkin
Race	Cat
Sub Race	Panther

TITLES

Mother to All Mama Bear Lover of the Black Sage

JOBS
Job 1	Chef
Job 2	Housekeeper
Job 3	Tailor

STATUS
Name	Mattie Dolce (Yin)	Fame	10195
Level	117	Gender	Female
Class Tree	Mage	Class	Shadereaver
Class Level	93	Guild	Bad Company

RACE
Racial Group	Slime
Race	Candy Slime
Sub Race	White Chocolate

TITLES

One Half of a Whole Deceptively Sweet Little Devil

JOBS
Job 1	Trickster
Job 2	Mascot
Job 3	Metamorpher

STATUS
Name	Alex Dolce (Yang)	Fame	10195
Level	117	Gender	Female
Class Tree	Healer	Class	Lightbringer
Class Level	93	Guild	Bad Company

RACE
Racial Group	Slime
Race	Candy Slime
Sub Race	Dark Chocolate

TITLES

One Half of a Whole Deceptively Sweet Little Devil

JOBS
Job 1	Trickster
Job 2	Mascot
Job 3	Metamorpher

-------------------- On the coast of the Boldice continent, there lay a small and rather unusual country known as Demalheim. Black storm clouds constantly hung over the entirety of the nation, shrouding it in a permanent darkness regardless of day or night. What made this country so unusual, however, was that despite having only existed for a single year, it was one most prosperous and influential nations on Boldice. As proof of it¡¯s standing, Demalheim traded goods and information with nearly every other country on the continent and with many other on the other two. Within an ominous black castle that stood in Demalhiem¡¯s capital, a white pillar of light suddenly shone in the royal bedroom. This was an indication of a Traveler logging into TFO. The light faded just as quickly as it had appeared, it revealing a female demon. Her rather intricate black dress nearly touched the floor as did her ankle length silver hair, which was cut short up front to reveal her stunning face and glowing crimson eyes. A red bow was tied to the back of her hair, from under which a pair of black horns curved around her temples to her forehead, giving the impression of a crown. A thick black tail ending in a large spade grew from the base of her spine and three pairs of demonic wings spread out from her back. Though her curves were rather modest compared to the likes of Lugra, Yuna, or Lilith, she wasn¡¯t flat by any means possessing a figure similar to Lynn¡¯s. Even without their excessive curves, she still carried an aura of her own just like they did, only much more powerful. Different from Lugra¡¯s motherly atmosphere or Yuna¡¯s air of grace, this demon carried an aura of allure, confidence, and authority. She left the room and begun to walk the halls of the dark castle, her steps unhurried as she strode as if she own the very floor beneath her, which, in fact, she did. Reaching her throne room, she sat down on the red leather seat set into the black stone of her regal chair. She then snapped her fingers once. Instantly, a female demon dressed in a pure black maid uniform stepped out of the shadows. This maid looked like a slightly older version of Lilith, but carried a mature feeling to her that Lilith lacked. ¡°You have need of me, Milady?¡± the maid asked, kneeling on . ¡°Just you today, Jodie? What happened to Lilith?¡± the demon queen inquired in return. The maid hesitated for a moment before giving her reply. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I must inform you that my younger sister has reigned in on the agreement that was made when she joined the guild, Milady.¡± the maid said at last. ¡°So she¡¯s gone to join her master then? Oh well, I knew from the start that prying one of your line away from their chosen master would be something of an impossible task to begin with. Besides, wherever they are, they¡¯ll eventually fall under my rule as Demalheim¡¯s expansion continues. Let¡¯s leave them alone for now.¡± the queen replied, her confident smirk gaining an element of amusement as she thought about the particular master in question, ¡°Plus, I can understand her fascination with that man, having met him myself in real life. One thing is for sure, it¡¯s never boring when he¡¯s around and with him in the game, things are guaranteed to become entertaining.¡± Almost as if it was wanting for her to say that, a system message popped up in front of the two demons. Reading it quickly, the demon queen threw back her head in laughter while even Jodie had trouble keeping her composure. ¡°Speak of the devil and he shall appear! You¡¯ve outdone yourself this time, Isabelle!¡± she laughed before turning her head to the maid who was still desperately trying to remain professional. ¡°Jodie, change of plans! I¡¯ve decided that I want Lilith and her Mistress in my employee sooner rather than later! have Syndra search her contacts and tell that once she¡¯s found their location, I want her, Argenom, and Chyrax to find a good country near them to turn into a puppet nation!¡± ¡°At once, Milady!¡± Jodie replied, quickly returning to the shadows. Now alone in her throne room, the demon queen continued to chuckle to herself. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see you...What will you show me this time¡?¡± she mutter quietly, her amused smile refusing to fade. --------------------

STATUS
Name	Chikara Reginia (SubeteNoJoo)	Fame	40934
Level	213	Gender	Female
Class Tree	Mage	Class	Temptress
Class Level	198	Guild	Chosen Revolution (Guildmaster)

RACE
Racial Group	Demon
Race	Succubus
Sub Race	Lilim

TITLES

Demon Overlord Founding Sovereign Born To Rule

JOBS
Job 1	Sovereign
Job 2	General
Job 3	Tamer

STATUS
Name	Jodie Regalia (Aqua)	Fame	23018
Level	172	Gender	Female
Class Tree	Rogue	Class	Shinobi
Class Level	159	Guild	Chosen Revolution (Submaster)

RACE
Racial Group	Demon
Race	Succubus
Sub Race	Night Touched

TITLES

Right Hand of the Queen Invisible Assassin Princess of the Shadowflare

JOBS
Job 1	Maid
Job 2	Advisor
Job 3	Tutor

-------------------- In a workshop on the edge of Loksha, a golem was laughing in a slightly maniacal fashion. His humanoid body was made of vivid brown rocks and covered with with glowing green lines that gathered in the center, forming a kind of nucleus. The same green glow came from where his eyes would have been as well as from his surprisingly soft crystalline hair that was tied back in a ponytail. On his body, he wore a yellow fur kimono with a red and orange flame pattern at the bottom, with buttons instead of a sash, and a matching pair of martial arts pants. His kimono only had a right sleeve, with his left arm having only a shoulder pand and an arm protector. On his feet, he wore a pair of sandals with straps high enough on his ankles to lock them in and keep them from sliding off. Lastly, on his head he wore the most badass bandana that one could ever hope to lay eyes on. The reason for his lay in the system window that was open in front of him. Hours earlier, he had received a system message sent to all players detailing a SSS Rank quest to bring back an entire Racial Group from extinction, followed by a message from his guildmaster to be on the lookout for the player featured in the message. At the time he had just shrugged, believing that the chances of him meeting that particular player were next to nothing. But the window that was currently open in front of him said otherwise.

The town you are in has become the Territory of another Traveler.
Town	Loksha
Owner	Isabelle Lazulu (Ignix)
Although you can enter a town owned by another Traveler, you will be forced to leave if that player decides to Blacklist you.

Continuing his (slightly) maniacal laughter, he closed the window and sent a message to his guildmaster receiving a reply that the man was heading there from Mount Ardan. Then, with a mischievous grin on his face, he headed out onto the streets, switching out his Crystal Tinkerer Job in favor of equipping his Trickster Job. Ardan¡¯s a long way from here. Should take a few days for the bossman to show his face. Plenty of time to have some fun messing with someone. And I know just the player. --------------------

STATUS
Name	Gondorrer Gravelbane (Wargon)	Fame	24132
Level	96	Gender	Male
Class Tree	Warrior	Class	Skirmisher
Class Level	84	Guild	Den of Madness

RACE
Racial Group	Construct
Race	Golem
Sub Race	Harzburgite

TITLES

The Mad Monster Trainer Crafting God

JOBS
Job 1	Trickster
Job 2	Tamer
Job 3	Hunter

-------------------- A few hours after Isabelle gain control over Loksha, next to a damaged tree and a ring of slowly melting chucks of ice, a white pillar of light suddenly shone, tinged with a slight red. This was an indicator of a Traveler logging in after a particularly painful death. The light fade to reveal a 7 foot tall ogre, dress in nothing but a pair of pants, a belt, and a pair of gauntlets. ¡°DAMN IT!¡± he roared, swinging his fist into an undamaged tree beside him, breaking it in two and sending it tumbling to the ground. ¡°THAT DAMN FOX BRAT! NEXT TIME I SEE HER, I¡¯LL MAKE SURE SHE REGRETS EVEN MEETING ME!¡± --------------------

STATUS
Name	Sterk Malaka (RandomG)	Fame	7912
Level	35	Gender	Male
Class Tree	Warrior	Class	Brawler
Class Level	21	Guild	N/A

RACE
Racial Group	Human
Race	Demi-Human
Sub Race	Ogre

TITLES

N/A

JOBS
Job 1	Tracker
Job 2	General
Job 3	Wrestler

-------------------- Far from Crigess, there was an island that was almost completely covered by a massive white temple. This was known as the Eternal Grand Temple and it was the headquarters of the Ethris Theocracy, an organization dedicated to the worship of all eight of Ethris¡¯s deities and one of the world¡¯s most influential powers. The Ethris Theocracy was lead by it¡¯s Council, a group of eight Grand Archbishops, each of which were from one of the eight racial groups patroned by the gods. It had been decided earlier on that no single race should hold the position at the top, so each Council member was chosen to represent the racial group they hailed from. All of them being exceptionally busy, the Council only met in full to discuss matters they deemed urgent enough to warrant it. Such as when each of the received reports from the Travels that had joined their ranks about a Traveler seeking to revive the Spirit Races, a racial group their predecessors had persecuted in order to cement the Theocracy¡¯s power. In the end, discussions came to a close with a 7 to 1 vote to issue an order to their followers that the Traveler known as Isabelle Lazulu was to be stopped at all costs. -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- Long SS is Loooong! Sorry this took so long guys, stuff happened and the side story came along slower than it should have. And I still have characters to introduce in Arc 2! Fun fact: every character introduced in this side story, with the exception of Andrew and the ogre, is based on some else. In other news, I¡¯ll be taking some time to focus on school work for a few days, so in the meantime how about you guys come up with some suggestions for further Side Stories? GrandFinale, over and out! [V1] Chapter 6 - I get a Shishou It had almost a week in game since Isabelle has taken over Loksha. All in all, not much had change for the rural town. Isabelle had left the running to the city to the mayor and none of Flinas¡¯s nobles had even wanted to touch the area it was in, much less lay claim to it. The reason why was obvious to anyone with common knowledge. To Loksha¡¯s north lay the Ulim Mountains, which was the mountain range that served as the border between Artam and Izalic. Of the three border ranges, as they were know, Ulim¡¯s vast and maze-like cavern systems were the perfect hiding places for the various bandit clans that lived there. To Loksha¡¯s east, sandwiched between Loksha and Artam¡¯s coast, lay the Forest of Change, known for it¡¯s monsters whose abilities were focused on transforming others. These same monsters would occasionally venture outside the forest, but luckily these times were so few that they could easily be dealt with by Loksha¡¯s walls and ranged fighters. When these two things were taken into account, it was no wonder that none of the lords wanted to bother with the area. Loksha was only there because it¡¯s founders wanted to be left alone by the nobles so much that they prefered to take their chances, which left no one to challenge Isabelle¡¯s claim to the town. The permanent Charm status on the Residents living in the town weighed on Isabelle¡¯s conscience. That is, until she found out that Charm statuses were only permanent as long as the feelings of those afflicted by them lined up with them. It turned out that ¡°her¡± speech accepting the town¡¯s loyalty, combined with her looks and Harem Protagonist trait, had caused her to accidentally seduce the town¡¯s members, as well as most of the Travelers in the audience, much to her chagrin. As for Isabelle¡¯s progress¡

STATUS
Name	Isabelle Lazulu (Ignix)	Fame	7231
Level	7	Gender	Female
Class Tree	N/A	Class	N/A
Class Level	N/A	Guild	N/A

RACE
Racial Group	Spirit
Race	Kitsune-tsuki
Sub Race	Skytail

TITLES

Clarissa''s Favorite Lucas''s Toy Irene''s Ally Wendolyn¡¯s Protege

JOBS
Job 1	Berserker
Job 2	N/A
Job 3	N/A
Unequipped
N/A

STATS
Health	850/850	Mana	4045/4045
Stamina	425/425	Satiety	100/100
STR	183	VIT	196
AGI	301	DEX	130
INT	155	WIS	120
CHA	740	LUC	1

TRAITS

Favored by Clarissa Favored by Lucas Harem Protagonist Favored by Irene Favored by Wendolyn

PROFICIENCIES

Running - Basic Lv6 Hiking - Basic Lv5 Wind Magic Mastery - Basic Lv5 Critical Hit Mastery - Basic Lv2 Unarmed Combat Mastery - Basic Lv5 Kicking Mastery - Basic Lv4 Jumping - Basic Lv3 Parkour - Basic Lv4 Stealth - Basic Lv5

SKILLS

Charming Presence - Basic Lv7 Gale - Basic Lv4 Air Bullet - Basic Lv5 Art of Shapeshifting - basic Lv 3 Teary Eyes - Basic Lv 2 Wind Manipulation - Basic Lv5 Gale Burst Strike - Basic Lv 3 Gale Step - Basic Lv2 Gale Walk - Basic Lv 2 Wind Edge - Basic Lv3 Gale Clad - Basic Lv4

Her stats and skills had reached a point where she could fight on par with Dawn in a fair fight, although the cheetah beastkin was still more likely to win their sparring matches. But the real cause for her gains was something else entirely. ¡°Come back, Mistress! You need to dress in attire more befitting of your station!¡± a flying demon dressed in a completely black maid uniform shouted at her. ¡°That¡¯s right, Isa-chan! Someone as cute as you should be wearing something equally as cute!¡± a red-haired human agreed, holding up a frilly white dress. While she had sparred often with Dawn over the past few days, most of her play time was spent trying to escape from from Lynn and Lilith. The two girls¡¯ initial animosity for each other seemed like dream once they bonded over a desire to see the adorable kitsune in cute outfits. This led to Isabelle having use everything at her disposal to get away in order to avoid being used as a dress up doll, while the Resident watched with wry smiles, already used to the frequent cases. She had even leveled her Wind Magic Mastery enough to get two new spells: Wind Edge and Gale Clad. Wind Edge was an attack spell that launched a sharp wave of wind at an opponent while Gale Clad wrapped her body in a wind that provided a boost to defense and speed. She had also created two new original skills. One of them, a derivation of Gale Burst Strike called Gale Step, gathered compressed air around a leg of her choosing and released it as she lunged forward, granting her a short burst of speed and allowing her to cover greater distances with a single step. The other, a skill further derived from Gale Step called Gale Walk, compressed air beneath her feet while she was airborne, allowing her to use it as a foot hold. This let her literally walk on air. At first, the pair had been able to easily catch her, dragging her back to the hotel they were staying at located in the town¡¯s plaza, only to be saved by Dawn, who was good at distracting the duo while she slipped away. But as her stats and skills increased, so did her ability to elude her two pursuers. Last time, she had nearly gotten to Loksha¡¯s gate and this time she had decided to use a skill that she had been practicing in secret. One that she hadn¡¯t even told Dawn about yet. -------------------- One chase scene later, Lynn was waiting by the gates to block off Isabelle¡¯s escape path while Lilith hover above the central plaza, scanning the streets below. Unbeknownst to either of them, however, a pair of small fluffy white foxes were currently squeezing through a small hole at the bottom of the eastern wall that the workers had missed. Once outside, the smaller of the pair began to give off an azure blue glow as her body grew and shifted. Once the glow subsided, a small pale girl with a pair of white fox ears and a single white fox tail got off her knees. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d be so glad I forgot to tell the others about that skill. Let¡¯s keep it to ourselves for now, okay Sorako?¡± Isabelle said, brushing herself off. ¡±As you wish, Lady Isabelle.¡± the remaining fox said with a bow of her head. ¡°Now then, let¡¯s get going.¡± Isabelle said, picking Sorako off the ground and heading for the burrow, her other Territory. After half an hour off walking, she began to hear strange sounds. Her curiosity once again getting the better of her, she headed towards them. As she drew near, she started to realize they were the sounds of something metal against something hard, mixed with the sound of an odd song. ¡°I¡¯m a happy golem! I¡¯m a happy golem! I mine, I skin; I craft, I win! I¡¯m a happy golem! I¡¯m a happy golem! The veins are mine! So full of shine! So I¡¯m a happy golem! I¡¯m a happy golem!¡± Just as she could make out the words, she came to the spot where the sound was coming from. What she saw was a green eyed golem in some sort of martial arts attire happily mining away at an aboveground ore vein. Curious about why he was loudly singing in a place where he was likely to attract monsters, she decided to walk up and ask him. ¡°U-Um...Excuse me?¡± she asked nervously. -------------------- One explanation of what she was doing in the forest later, the golem, who had introduced himself as Gondorrer Gravelbane or Gon for short, was laughing loudly while an embarrassed kitsune hid her face in her hands. ¡°You don¡¯t have to laugh so much¡it wasn¡¯t that funny...¡± Isabelle said quietly. ¡°You¡¯re right! It¡¯s not funny, it¡¯s hilarious! I mean you basically spent an entire week training just to get out of wearing something frilly!¡± the golem said, continuing his laughter. ¡°Alright then, if you¡¯re so clever then explain why you¡¯re loudly banging a pickaxe against a vein in the middle of a forest full of monsters by yourself!¡± she retorted, pouting from being laughed at. ¡°That¡¯s easy. Two reasons.¡± Gon said, holding up two of his fingers, ¡°One: To get ores. Two; To attract some monster for me to hunt.¡± He pointed his thumb to an area behind the fallen log they were sitting on, where an assortment of monster corpses lay in large pile. Isabelle¡¯s eyes widened before she realized something, causing her to return her attention the golem with her head tilted. ¡°Why are they just sitting there? Are you going to loot them?¡± she asked, referring to the process of using the looting system. ¡°Nah. I¡¯m going to dismantle them for stuff like their hides and fangs.¡± ¡°Crafting materials? You on a quest or are going to sell them?¡± ¡°Neither, I¡¯m going to craft with them.¡± the golem said with a widening grin. ¡°You¡¯re a crafter?!¡± Isabelle shouted excitedly. ¡°No, I¡¯m an artisan who uses these pieces of my foes to create wondrous works of arts that other hunters utilize in their own dangerous jobs, be them as mighty weapons of destructions or sturdy pieces of armor.¡± Gon reply, with a faked tone that sounded both pompous and a little insulted. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t realize¡¡± the kitsune said, naively taking him completely seriously. ¡°Hmph, people like you have no appreciation for true art! You have no idea how complex the art of skinning can be when you take it seriously!¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be that hard to skin a monster...I mean it¡¯s ¡± she said with a raised eyebrow. ¡°If it¡¯s so easy, why don¡¯t you give it a shot? I¡¯ve got plenty of beasts to spare.¡± ¡°Okay fine then!¡± she replied in a huff, strutting over to the pile only to turn around once she got there. ¡°U-Um...could I borrow a knife¡?¡± she asked sheepishly. Gon walked over to her and handed her a skinning knife from his inventory. ¡°Thanks¡¡± she muttered quietly, before pulling a large boar-like monster from the pile and setting on the ground. She sat down on her knees was wondering how to start before getting a prompt for the system to do it for her. After she confirmed it, the boar shone briefly before disappearing, leaving it¡¯s hide behind.

Large Boar Hide
Item Type	Crafting Material	Quality	Good
A piece of particularly tough boar hide.

She smiled as she gave the window a quick read, pleased with her work. But that smile quickly fade when she turned to the golem standing behind her to gloat. ¡°Why are you smiling about such a lazy job?¡± the golem said with his arms folded. ¡°B-But the quality-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the quality.¡± Gon said, cutting off her protest. ¡°Then what¡?¡± the bewilder kitsune trailed off, confused ¡°I¡¯m talking about how you used the system assist. Sure you probably got a good piece of material, but you took the easy way out and wasted a lot more than you gained.¡±, he continued, keeping to his fake seriousness. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°I could tell you, but I think showing you would be better.¡± the golem said, taking the knife from her and pulling another boar of the same kind from the pile. Sitting down next to it, he began to skin it manually, not only taking the hide but the tusks and even the bones as well.

Large Boar Hide
Item Type	Crafting Material	Quality	Excellent
A piece of particularly tough boar hide.

Large Boar Tusk
Item Type	Crafting Material	Quality	Excellent
A large boar tusk that is harder than normal.

Large Boar Bone
Item Type	Crafting Material	Quality	Excellent
A large bone from a boar.

Boar Meat
Item Type	Cooking Material	Quality	Excellent
A large clump of meat from a boar.

Isabelle was speechless as the golem turned her with a smirk. ¡°Do you see now what you did wrong?¡± he asked her. Isabelle thought about it for a few seconds before coming up with her answer. ¡°Using the assist cause the monster to disappear after skinning, which makes all the other useful stuff vanish along with it?¡± ¡°Not bad, young one. Perhaps i could make you my disciple in the art of crafting, if you¡¯re willing that is.¡± ¡°Could you?! That would be great!¡± the kitsune shouted, looking at him with shining eyes. ¡°In that case, remember to call me ¡®shishou¡¯ at all times.¡± ¡°Why is that?¡± the fox asked, tilting her head. Acknowledging me as such will form a teacher/apprentice bond that will give you a boost to your craft skills¡¯ experience.¡± ¡°Alright then! Thank you, Shishou!¡± *Ping*

You have gained a Title!

Disciple of the Crafting God

You have accepted an apprenticeship under someone with the title of ¡°Crafting God¡±.

All crafting related jobs, skills, and proficiencies will gain experience faster in the presence of your teacher.

¡°Oh wow! You were right, Shishou!¡± Isabelle said excitedly, showing Gon her new title. When he didn''t respond after a few minutes, she turned to him to see a shocked expression on his face. ¡°Shishou? Is something wrong?¡± she asked him, bringing him out of his shocked state. ¡°Oh it¡¯s nothing, my disciple. i was just surprised that you received it so quickly. You must have been very sincere in you desire to learn from me.¡± he lied on the spot. ¡°Of course, Shishou! I look forward to learning from you!¡± she replied honestly. ¡°I shall look forward to teaching you then!¡± he said, placing a hand on her head and starting to pet her. ¡°Wha¡¡± Isabelle started to say something but trailed off when the petting began. ¡°...¡± the golem didn¡¯t say anything either as he continue to pet her soft and fluffy hair. After about 10 minutes, the two were startled out of their respective trances when they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. ¡±If you are quite done, Sir Gondorrer, me and Lady Isabelle will be on our way for now.¡± ¡°Huh? When did she get here?¡± he asked, turning to Isabelle. ¡°Hm? You didn¡¯t notice her, Shishou? She¡¯s been there the whole time. I suppose I should introduce her. Shishou meet Sorako, my familiar.¡± ¡±It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Gondorrer.¡± Sorako said, with a note of hostility in her voice, clearly having not have missed that Gon had been tricking Isabelle. ¡°The pleasure is mine. If you¡¯d like, I could pet you too, Sorako.¡± he responded with a smirk. ¡±Thank you, but i believe I¡¯ll pass up on that.¡± ¡°Is that so¡?¡± Gon said as he began to pet Isabelle again. ¡°And just what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Oh nothing much. You see, I have this quirk where I really need to pet fluffy things, and since you refused, I thought that maybe I would have to continue doing it with your master, so it¡¯s not my fault if her brain becomes mushy after I finish, okay?¡± He said while looking at the kitsune who had her eyes closed in pleasure. ¡±Y-You¡¡± Sorako growled. ¡°Something wrong?¡± ¡±...Fine...I¡¯ll let you pet me¡¡± she conceded. The golem took his hand off Isabelle¡¯s head and walk over, picking up the small fox and petting her instead, while Isabelle shook her head a bit. ¡°Huh¡? Did something happen, Shishou?¡± the confused girl asked. ¡°Oh nothing.¡± the golem replied, smirking. The kitsune narrowed her eyes for a second before shrugging. ¡°If you say so, Shishou. Now then, what was I doing out here...¡± she said, before the sounds of her name being called reached her ears. Recognizing Lilith and Lynn¡¯s voices, she quickly grabbed Gon¡¯s arm and began to run through the forest, using her Gale Step to speed herself along, dragging the golem along with her. -------------------- A little while later, Gon was standing over an out of breath Isabelle while she lay on her back in the dirt entrance room just before her Territory. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked. a little concerned. ¡°Y-Yeah...Just not used to carrying things when I do that¡¡± ¡°Why did you bring me along anyways?¡± ¡°Uh¡Reflex?¡± the kitsune said with a shrug, before hearing voices coming from the entrance hole. ¡°Oh no¡¡± Isabelle muttered, before jumping up and bounding over to a rock. She quickly pushed it out of the way to reveal the stone entrance underneath. ¡°You coming?¡± she asked Gon,sending him an invitation to enter before she began to descend down the stairwell. Curious, the golem accepted the invite and followed her down. -------------------- ¡°A-Aren¡¯t these all sky crystals¡?¡± the golem asked with a shaking voice when the reached the cavern where the altar once was. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s a sky crystal, Shishou?¡± Isabelle asked with her usual head tilt. ¡±A sky crystal is the highest tier of wind elemental crystals. They¡¯re considered extremely rare on the surface and small fragments of them are used to give flight to airships, Lady Isabelle.¡± Sorako explained, having been dropped by Gon in his surprise. ¡°They¡¯re rare?¡± she asked, looking around the cavern so full of the them that one could barely see the walls. ¡°Hey Isa...Do you mind if I take a few of these?¡± Gon asked. ¡°Of course not, Shishou. If a small fragment can power an airship, then I probably have more than I could ever need.¡± she asked, receiving a petting in return. ¡±Ahem! If you¡¯d like, Sir Gondorrer, you may use the crafting equipment such as the forge if Lady Isabelle allows it. That is, of course, if you can manage to repair it.¡± ¡°¡°There¡¯s a forge here?¡±¡° the golem and kitsune asked in unison. ¡±Of course, along with most other crafting equipment as well. Though I must warn you that some of it may be outdated.¡± Gon turned to Isabelle with a grin. ¡°Shall we get started on your lessons, my apprentice?¡± ¡°Yes, Shishou!¡± -------------------- Cookie corner -------------------- Today¡¯s cookie recipients are: Truth! Truth: pointed out that a permanent Charm status is basically brainwashing. Better luck next time, guys! -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- And so begins Arc 2! I hope you guys are excited as I am! This chapter was a lot of fun to write. Gon¡¯s a pretty fun character and I enjoyed writing about his interactions with Isabelle, even if I had to consult with War a few times. As for side stories, instead of just doing them at the end of an arc, I¡¯ve decided I¡¯ll just write them up whenever I feel like it. That¡¯s all for now! GrandeFinale, over and out! [V1] Chapter 7 - Cloud Nine Author Note: I decided to try first person for this chapter. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. -------------------- >Isabelle¡¯s PoV< Shishou and I spent so long down in the burrow that I lost track of time. He taught me all sorts of stuff, not all of it related to crafting. And before any of you perverts start, no he didn¡¯t teach me any of that kind of stuff. What he did teach were a lot of useful things about the game. For instance, he told me that someone¡¯s level was less an indicator of their combat strength and more an indicator of their combat experience. As an example, he told me about a level thirty in his guild that he wouldn¡¯t piss off if he could help it. Something about clockworks and guns. I didn¡¯t really pay attention to that since I was unlikely to ever meet the guy. Or girl. Whatever. Point is I wasn¡¯t likely to meet them. Anyways, he taught the basics of most of the crafting jobs he had. Afterwards, he left me to my work while he decided to work on upgrading the equipment in the workshop with to more modern standards. Seriously though, just how prepared did Shirosora have to be until she was satisfied? She was turning out to be this world¡¯s version of Batman for crying out loud. It wasn¡¯t like we were silent the whole time, though. Shishou kept talking about his past adventures while we worked. He was in the middle of a story of the time he had convinced an all-female sub race of Wyverns to call themselves Rathians and do backflips when he suddenly stopped. ¡°Sorry Isa. Looks like the timer I set is up. I gotta get some sleep before class tomorrow.¡± he said apologetically. ¡°Awwww...When will you be back, Shishou?¡± I asked. He was just getting to the good part! ¡°Dunno. Might be a day or so. But I¡¯ll give you a present for the road before I go.¡± he said, placing his hand on my head. Right afterwards I felt a now familiar pleasurable feeling floating through my head and I zoned out for a bit. When I came to Shisou was gone and I was sitting on my knees of the workshop floor. Shaking off my trance, I wondered what I was going to do. Shishou left before I could tell him that I was leaving town today. Oh well, I¡¯ll just have to write him a note explaining it. Humming to myself, I quickly finished the new gear I had been working on. I couldn¡¯t wait to see how it turned out, especially with the inclusion of sky crystals in their design. My new Crystal Tinkerer job wasn¡¯t a high enough level to use them with with smithing or other crystals, but I was more than capable of adding them as decorations to my equipment. It was my hope that it would still give my armor some kind of bonus, and even if it didn¡¯t I figured it¡¯d still look pretty cool.

(Name your creation) (Chest) (Light Leather)
DEF:	15	M.RES:	100
Quality:	Excellent	Durability:	100/100
Description A pull over jacket made from white cloth that features a hood to hide one¡¯s face as well as several pockets hidden on the inside of the sleeves. As it was made with several sky crystal fragments embedded into it, it increases the wearer¡¯s wind-based magical abilities. AGI+50

(Name your creation) (Chest) (Light Leather)
DEF:	5	M.RES:	50
Quality:	Excellent	Durability:	100/100
Description A shirt made from white cloth. As it was made with several sky crystal fragments embedded into it, it increases the wearer¡¯s wind-based magical abilities. AGI+20

(Name your creation) (Arms) (Light Leather)
DEF:	5	M.RES:	50
Quality:	Excellent	Durability:	100/100
Description A pair of arm warmers made from white cloth. As they were made with several sky crystal fragments embedded into them, they increase the wearer¡¯s wind-based magical abilities. AGI+20

(Name your creation) (Legs) (Light Leather)
DEF:	5	M.RES:	50
Quality:	Excellent	Durability:	100/100
Description A pair of shorts made from white cloth. As they were made with several sky crystal fragments embedded into them, they increase the wearer¡¯s wind-based magical abilities. AGI+20

(Name your creation) (Legs) (Light Leather)
DEF:	5	M.RES:	50
Quality:	Excellent	Durability:	100/100
Description A pair of leg warmers made from white cloth. As they were made with several sky crystal fragments embedded into them, they increase the wearer¡¯s wind-based magical abilities. AGI+20

(Name your creation) (Feet) (Leather)
DEF:	5	M.RES:	50
Quality:	Excellent	Durability:	100/100
Description A pair of shoes made from white leather. As they were made with several sky crystal fragments embedded into them, they increase the wearer¡¯s wind-based magical abilities. AGI+20

I stared at the gear I had made for who knows how long, until a sudden wet spot on my shirt snapped me out of it and made me realize that I was drooling. Wiping my mouth off, I looked over the form of my new duds. The white jacket was about the right size for an average adult male. Which meant that for someone as small as me, it may was well be a dress and not by accident either. I had made it this way on purpose for two reasons. The first was that a small girl wearing something much larger was considered cute by many, myself included. This meant that by wearing this jacket along with my shorts I could hopefully pacify Lynn and Lilith while sacrificing little to none of my male pride. The second was listed in the jacket¡¯s description. The sleeves were obviously too long for my arms, which meant there would be plenty of room for a ring of pockets to line the inside of the space between my hands and the edges of the sleeves. I had learned from Shishou that pouches such as these had their own inventory space. How many spaces they had and what they could store depended on the size of the pouch and the skill of the craftsman, but I had some decent storage for all of the shiny, shiny toys that Shishou had taught me to make, including several types of bombs and throwing knives. It¡¯s last special feature was a hood with two holes at the top for my ears. It would hide the upper part of my face, especially my eyes. I was hoping that it would let me pass as a Snow Fox Beastkin, but only time would tell whether or not it would work. The rest of the articles of clothing were sized perfectly for me and didn¡¯t really have any special features, aside from the sky crystals that were embedded into the azure trimmings of each piece, jacket included. The arm and leg warmers were the thick kind you see in anime a lot. I¡¯d always wanted try these in real life, but I was afraid they¡¯d look weird on me. They both extended about halfway past their respective joints, with the arm warmers having holes for my thumbs on the sides. Probably what I like best about them was how freaking soft they had turned out. Seriously it was like touching a cloud. It was a little odd considering the material I started with wasn¡¯t nearly this comfortable, but I figured it was probably due to the sky crystals. After all, the jacket had the most of them and it was also the softest. Satisfied with what I had made, I set about naming them. I debated over a few names, but in the end I decided to name them after the feeling they gave me when touching them. *Ping!*

The armor you have created has formed a set!

Cloud Nine Set (6 pieces)

Set Bonus The mana costs for wind-based magical abilities are halved. The following skill is available to you when wearing this set: [Flight]

¡ Am I smiling like an idiot? I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯m smiling like an idiot. Either that, or I look like a kid who was told that Christmas was coming early. I slipped my new gear on, slipping my tail through the opening in the back of my jacket and shorts. Immediately, I was enveloped with the most wonderfully soft feeling I had ever felt. Cloud Nine, indeed. Wondering how I looked, I went over to the mirror that was in the tailoring section of the workshop. ...This mirror must be broken. There¡¯s no way in hell that the girl standing in front of me is what I really look like. There just isn¡¯t. She was the kind of tiny and absolutely adorable girl that made a person¡¯s instincts scream to protect her. The oversized jacket that covered most of her body only served to make things worse. For some reason I can¡¯t begin to fathom, I decided to do a few girly poses. Bad move as it turned out. I think my heart stopped a few times as a result, and that wasn¡¯t even the worse part of it. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. *Ping!*

Seeing how exceptional your new clothes look on you, Clarissa the Goddess of Charisma as decided to bless you current armor set!

Blessed Cloud Nine Set (6 pieces)

Set Bonus The mana costs for wind-based magical abilities are halved. The following skill is available to you when wearing this set: [Flight] The CHA penalty when hiding one¡¯s face will not affect you when you don this set¡¯s hood. This set will never get dirty. +100 CHA

You have unlock a hidden stat!

Cuteness

Your [Charming Presence] skill has combined with your [Teary Eyes] skill and Cuteness stat and evolved into the [Charming Aura] skill tree!

Charming Aura - Basic Lv 1

You are clad in an aura that constantly works to charm those around you. But there are many types of charm and each have their own effect on those you meet. This skill tree collect the different types you gain and combines them to boost each. The effects of each branch of this skill tree will be multiplied by the number of branches you possess.

Current Branches Cuteness

Cuteness Cute Aura Teary Eyes

Cute Aura - Basic Lv1
Aura Skill	Passive
This skill clads the user in an aura that carries a feeling of adorableness. All who feel the effects of this skill will experience a desire to dote and protect the user. The strength of this desire is dependent on the user¡¯s CHA and Cuteness stats. Effect doubles when [Teary Eyes] is used.

I had the urge to shout ¡®DAMN YOU, CLARISSAAAAAAA!!!!¡¯ at the top of my lungs like a movie villain, but I didn¡¯t because I was above that. ...Okay fine, you got me. That¡¯s exactly what I did. After I had calmed down, I loaded up my sleeve pockets with my new toys and sent a message to Lynn and Dawn telling them to meet me at the northern edge of the Forest of Change. I had been here long enough at it was and staying here any longer would be pushing what little luck I had. Especially with the new additions to my skill set, courtesy of Clarissa. I set the same message to Lilith, with the addition that she was to inform the mayor of Loksha that we would be setting out to adventure and would return periodically. With that I walked towards the door of the workshop, writing a note to Shishou telling him that I would be leaving town and would gone when he got back. I would have liked to have gotten my first class before I left, but my level wasn¡¯t high enough and I didn¡¯t want to risk staying in one place until it was. I¡¯d just have to make do without it until we got to the next town. ¡±What¡¯s that paper for, Lady Isabelle?¡± I heard Sorako say, as my frantic steps woke her up. ¡°It¡¯s a letter to Shishou explaining that we left town. He logged out before I could tell him.¡± I answered, receiving a nod from her. I had already told her a few days ago that I had planned to leave soon, so she wasn¡¯t surprised by this. ¡±In that case, leave it in the dirt area. Sir Gondorrer doesn¡¯t have full access to your private Territory and he needs to be present for you to give it to him. Since he left without getting it, he¡¯ll reappear there.¡± she told me. With a quick nod, I picked her up and left the room, quickly reaching the stairs. -------------------- I felt like celebrating! For the first time ever, using these stairs didn¡¯t give me a near death experience! YATA! Unfortunately, I was in a bit of a rush, so I left the note by the entrance to the stone area and left through the hole. I made my way through the forest quickly, guided to the northern edge by the party system. Seems like while it wasn¡¯t enough to deplete my stamina, it still took long enough for my friends to gather at the forest¡¯s northern. Go figure. I had to stop once or twice to refill my stamina and satiety, but otherwise it was a pretty uneventful trip. I managed to avoid most of the monsters, but the ones I couldn¡¯t I had to put down. They tried to get a little too close, if you catch my drift. Eventually I made it to the spot on the northern edge where the others were waiting. Dawn was sitting cross legged against a tree, checking her gear and trying to not to be drawn into what the other two were doing. Lilith and Lynn were comparing some small dresses, no doubt debating over which one I would wear. Lynn seemed to being wearing something different than usual. I could tell it was black and white, but I was too far away to make out any other details. I called out to them and the next moment I heard a pair of twin squees just before a pair of objects collided and wrapped around me. ¡°You are so adorable in that outfit, Mistress!¡± Lilith squealed as the two hugged me close from opposite sides. ¡°I¡¯ll say! You¡¯re so cute I could die, Milady!¡± Lynn said from the other side. ...wait, what? Milady? I looked at Lynn and finally realized what she was wearing. It was a black and white maid uniform. ¡°W-Why are you wearing that?! And why did you call me ¡°Milady?!¡± I shouted, stuttering at first in my confusion. Lynn and Lilith looked at each other with a smile before looking back at me. ¡°Lilith here taught me the maid job while you were so cruelly hiding from us, Milady.¡± Lynn said with a giggle. ¡°That¡¯s right. All she needs is to register a master, I think you¡¯d be perfect for it. Come to think of it, even though you agreed to let me serve you you¡¯ve been putting off accepting the system request that makes it official.¡± Lilith said grinning. *Ping*

Lilith Regalia (Anton) has offered to become your maid!
Accept	Decline

Lynn Flonem (Omnom) has offered to become your maid!
Accept	Decline

¡°W-Why would I-¡± I started to protest, but the two cut me off by petting me at the same time. I trying to resist, but it proved futile as my mind blanked from the pleasurable sensations. When I came to a different set of windows greeted me.

You have accepted Lilith Regalia¡¯s offer to become your maid!

You have accepted Lynn Flonem¡¯s offer to become your maid!

Lilith has become your head maid as a result, with Lynn as her direct subordinate.

You have unlock a hidden stat!

Leadership

Your [Charming Aura] skill tree has combined with your new Leadership stat, unlocking the Noblity branch along with the [Noble Aura] skill!

Noble Aura - Basic Lv1
Aura Skill	Passive
This skill clads the user in an aura that carries a feeling of authority. All who feel the effects of this skill will experience a desire to serve the user and carry out her wishes. The strength of this desire is dependent on the user¡¯s CHA and Leadership stats.

¡°You...You tricked me!¡± I couldn¡¯t help saying in protest as both girls smiled mischievously. I wanted to say something else, but I stopped when Dawn spoke up. ¡°I hate to interrupt the whole romantic comedy thing you have going on, but we have company.¡± she said, gesturing to a silhouette approaching us from the north. The two maids let go of me as the four of us got ready for a fight. When the figure got closer, however, our collective jaws dropped once we recognized him, with the exception of Lilith who hadn¡¯t met him before. ¡°N-No way¡¡± My voice leaked out. ¡°Hello girls...I¡¯d say it¡¯s nice to see you again, but I¡¯m not in the mood to lie.¡± said a familiar 7 ft tall ogre who was shirtless. -------------------- Cookie Corner -------------------- I don¡¯t have any cookies to give out this time¡ Oh well, better next time, guys! Keep your suggestions coming! -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- Hello, people! I hope you like my lastest chapter! I decided to try out first person with this one and see how you guys like it. Let me know what you think in the comments, though first person has been so enjoyable for me that I may stay in it unless it¡¯s really unpopular. Well that¡¯s all for now! GrandFinale, over and out! [V1] Chapter 8 - Boss Fights >Isabelle¡¯s PoV< This is bullcrap! Why do I have to deal with this jackhole again! I thought I was done with this guy when I overkilled him, but looks like he was a player instead of a NPC. From the way he was talking about selling us, I was sure he was a NPC bandit. Maybe I just didn¡¯t want to believe that someone from my world could be so cruel. I wasn¡¯t stupid, I knew there were plenty of horrible people in the world. But to think someone could talk about treating a sentient being as an object so nonchalantly made my blood boil. ¡°What do you want, asshat?¡± I asked him as the hands hidden in my sleeves clenched into fists. I was having a hard time just standing there, as every urge I had was screaming at me to attack him. ¡°Something similar to last time missy, only this time I¡¯ve decided to keep you for myself. I¡¯ll take great pleasure in teaching a pet like you exactly who¡¯s boss.¡± he said, his cocky smirk only widening as he stood there with his arms crossed. ...Yep, time to kill him. I rushed in with a flying kick, confident I could kill him in the same way as last time. I was wrong, dead wrong almost to the point of being literal. He stopped my kick, which was enhanced by the [Gale Burst Strike], by closing one of his hands around my leg. He then proceeded to slam me into the ground by swinging me downwards, creating a crater underneath me. The edges of my vision turned red and I could hear my heartbeat, the indicators that my health was in the red. I had managed to activate [Gale Clad] for it¡¯s defense boost before the impact, but my health had still dropped to the double digits. ¡°H-How¡?¡± I managed to speak in spite of both pain and surprise. ¡°Do you get it now, fox brat? The only reason you beat me last time was by surprise.¡± he said as a number of figures dropped down from the trees, blocking the others who had tried to rush over to me. Each were almost as big as the ogre and carried a large axe with a blade sheathed in flames. They were all dressed similarly to the ogre, sans the gauntlets. ¡°Ladies meet the Flame Ape Tribe! They¡¯re a Monkey Beastkin bandit group I took over by eliminating their old boss in order to replace my old crew, which got wiped out for some reason. They¡¯ll be entertaining you three while I handle your foxy friend over here.¡± the ogre said with a laugh, before signaling them to attack. Returning his attention to me, he picked me up by the neck and held my at arms length. ¡°Now then, do you have anything to say for yourself, my little fox?¡± he asked, a triumphant grin on his face. The jerkward that he had won. We¡¯d see about that. ¡°I-I just want to apologize for what h-happened last time, s-sir¡¡± I said, trying to make my voice sound as timid as possible, tearing myself up to activate [Teary Eyes] for good measure. It wasn¡¯t to hard with the amount of pain I was it. ¡°I-If it would help you to f-forgive me...I-I have a present I would like to g-give you, sir¡¡± I continued, taking out a leather ball from one of my sleeve pockets and holding up to him. Confused, he leaned in to take a closer look at it, while I closed my eyes. The next moment, the ball exploded in a brilliant flash of light. The ogre¡¯s face was inches away from it so the light easily blinded him. Roaring in pain, he immediately released me in favor of covering his eyes with his hands. I took the chance to gain some distance from him by using him as a foothold for [Gale Step]. Naturally, I waited until the last possible moment so as to use his crotch, further stunning him and getting some payback at the same time. Since he had been facing about 90 degrees to the right of the skirmish between my friends and his goons, I didn¡¯t land near them. Nor did I want to, as I hoped to deal with the ogre first. I was planning to use everything I had to teach him mess with me, though I doubted the lesson would stick. Either way, the asshole was due for another dose of overkill. I rushed back in with another [Gale Step]. When I was in front of him, I used a third to jump straight up, converting my forward momentum into a somersault that slammed a [Gale Burst Strike] straight into his jaw via a kick. Continuing my assault, I used [Gale Walk] to spin myself around to deliver another kick to his ribs while still upside down. Righting myself quickly, a landed my foot on the ground and immediately jumped back up with another [Gale Step], this time driving a [Gale Burst Strike] into his solar plexus using my knee. This sent him flying back into a tree several meters away. ¡°Y-You little brat¡I...I¡¯LL F**KING KILL YOU!¡± he roared, jumping to his feet and charging at me. I didn¡¯t respond, too busy creating a little surprise for him. I activated [Gale Burst Strike] on my leg and added to it by using [Air Bullet], compressing the air further with [Wind Manipulation]. When he was halfway to reaching me, I swung my leg in a roundhouse kick and manipulated the air to force [Gale burst Strike] to be released without hitting something solid. As I did so, I shape the compressed air into a crescent blade with [Wind Edge]. Shishou had told me he had recreated a skill from one of his favorite game series, so I decided to try doing the same with a move from one of my favorite anime. The results were magnificent. A glass looking wave of compressed air shot forward, cleaving the enraged ogre in two along with several trees behind him. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this¡I swear it...¡± the ogre said, just before the two pieces of his body disappeared. Before I could react this, a series of clanking noises to the side drew my attention. I turned my body and was met with the sight of the Flame Ape Tribe kneeling to me, their axes having been dropped to the ground. ¡°What are you-¡± *Ping!*

As you have bested their previous leader in single combat, the Flame Ape Tribe now answers to you and you alone!

The Pinal, Grento, and Felno Mountains are now part of your Territory!

The Flame Ape Hideout has become your Fortress!

SON OF A¡!! Before I could protest out loud, however, one of them, slightly bigger than the others, walked up to me. ¡°Whatcha want us to do for ya, Boss?¡± he said so eagerly that I didn¡¯t have the heart to refuse his loyalty. Giving a sigh, I turned to him. ¡°Are you the second in command?¡± I asked him. ¡°Yup, been so since two bosses ago.¡± he answered proudly. ¡°In that case, have the others drag these trees back to your hideout. If you really intend to follow me, then you¡¯ll have to give up banditry. Instead, I¡¯d like for you to start selling lumber and maybe sculpting wood. Understood?¡± I replied, motioning to the trees I had cut down. He gave a quick nod. ¡°Good. You guys go ahead, I need to discuss with my companions and after that we¡¯ll catch up to you. I¡¯ll be visiting the hideout to check it out and then I¡¯ll be continuing on my journey, so you¡¯ll be in change while I¡¯m away.¡± I continued, causing his grin to widen. ¡°Gotcha, Boss. I¡¯ll make sure to keep the riff raff out while you¡¯re gone.¡± he said, before striding over to the others and relaying my orders. It didn¡¯t take them long before they had worked together to gather the fallen lumber and started running towards the north. Once they were out of sight, I gave a sigh of relief just before I was tackled by Lynn and Lilith once again. ¡°That was amazing, Milady! And here I was afraid that I would fail you right at the start of becoming your maid!¡± Lynn said, her eyes shining. ¡°Indeed, I was worried as well, but it seems it was for nothing. Forgive me for doubting you, Mistress.¡± Lilith said, wrapping her arms around me. I didn¡¯t get a chance to reply because they started petting me. As always, I blank out during the petting. I¡¯d like to say I hate it, but it just feels so good that I can¡¯t. As always, I came to a little bit after they stopped. Looking around, I saw Lynn and Lilith deep in conversation a little ways away. ¡°You okay?¡± I hear Dawn says as she sits down next to me and hands me a health potion. ¡°I¡¯m fine, but we should see about getting a healer instead of relying on potions.¡± I say as I drink it, restoring my health to full. ¡°Let¡¯s just hope whoever we get isn¡¯t as crazy as those two.¡± she says, nodding in agreement as I turn my attention to the system messages that had been floating around me for a while.

You have unlock a hidden stat!

Bloodlust

Your [Charming Aura] skill tree has combined with your new Bloodlust stat, unlocking the Bloodthirsty branch along with the [Bloodthirst Aura] skill!

Bloodthirst Aura - Basic Lv1
Aura Skill	Semi-Passive
This skill clads the user in an aura that carries a feeling of menace. All who feel the effects of this skill will experience a desire to cower before you. The strength of this desire is dependent on the user¡¯s CHA and Bloodlust stats. As a semi-passive skill, this skill is only in effect when the user is angered.

For once, I get an aura skill I actually like. I¡¯ll take it! Looking at the time stamp, I notice that I got it just before attacking¡¡ huh, never asked his name. Oh well, I¡¯ll just refer to him as Jerk from now on. With a smile, I closed out that set of windows and turned to the other.

You have created the original skill: [Tempest Kick]

Tempest Kick - Basic Lv1
Attack Skill	Active
This skill compresses air around the user¡¯s leg, to be released when the leg is swung. The released air will shot out and form a crescent blade parallel to the leg¡¯s path. The strength of this attack is dependent on the user¡¯s skill level, INT, CHA, and how much mana is used.
Wind Aligned	50+ Mana Cost

Your [Gale Burst Strike], [Gale Step], [Gale Walk], [Gale Clad], and [Tempest Kick] skills have combined to form the [Gale Force Striker] combat style!

Gale Force Striker - Basic Lv1

Class Tree(s): Warrior/Mage

This combat style revolves around using the air around user in conjunction with the user¡¯s physical prowess in order to augment movement and unleash devastating blows. Style Effects +25 AGI for every skill tree in this style. +25 STR for every skill tree in this style. Current Skill Trees Body Legs

Gale Force Striker (Legs) - Basic Lv1

This skill tree collects the skills of the [Gale Force Striker] combat style that focus on the use of one¡¯s legs. Your movement speed will be multiplied by the number of branches of this skill tree you possess.

Current Branches Attack Movement Special

Attack Gale Burst Strike

Movement Gale Step Gale Walk

Special Tempest Kick

Gale Force Striker (Body) - Basic Lv1

This skill tree collects the skills of the [Gale Force Striker] combat style that affects most of one¡¯s body. The effectiveness of your wind based abilities will be multiplied by the number of branches of this skill tree you possess.

Current Branches Defense

Defense Gale Clad

I-Isn¡¯t this kind of OP¡? ¡±Are you alright, Lady Isabelle?¡± Sorako asked, jumping onto my lap. ¡°I¡¯ve just got a combat style is all...But it seems a bit too strong¡¡± I answered, inciting a laugh from Dawn. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I thought the same thing when I got mine, Isabelle. They¡¯re all like that, so it balances out though.¡± she explained after noticing my confused look. ¡°Just what are they for though?¡± I asked. ¡°They¡¯re the bread and butter of combat in this game. And if your class is in the same tree as the style, it becomes one of the main factors to the path your class takes as it upgrades.¡± That sounded interesting, but something about mine had me confused. ¡°What if the style belongs to multiple class trees? Like Warrior and Mage, for example?¡± I asked Dawn, but she shrugged. ¡°Not sure. I¡¯m kind of new myself, so I don¡¯t know everything about the mechanics.¡± she replied, looking a little apologetic. ¡±In that case, allow me to explain, Lady Isabelle. A combat style that belongs to two or more class trees is called a cross class style. If you were to have class in one of the style¡¯s trees, it will most likely evolve into a class that has access to the other class tree¡¯s skills, allowing you to level those skills beyond the Intermediate stage and use them without a class penalty. To use your example, taking a Warrior class and evolving according to the style¡¯s influence would allow you to level Mage skills past Intermediate and vice versa.¡± I nodded in understanding. I was planning on getting a Warrior class anyways, so that works out for me! Just as I closed the window, a roar loud enough to shake the ground stunned all five of us. The ground continued to shake in short bursts, indicating that something big was approaching. Sorako found a good spot off to the side to view the battle from while the rest of us got ready for combat. We didn¡¯t have long to wait, as the trees in front practically burst as a HUGE shape came straight for us. We barely managed to dodge, with me and Dawn lunging to the sides and Lilith shooting up into the air carrying Lynn. She set Lynn down on a large branch of one of the trees encircling the tiny clearing we were in, while stayed airborne. Now that it wasn¡¯t a moving blur, we got a good look at our assailant. It was a lion, a HUGE lion. It was was almost as tall as the trees! What did it to get so big, eat a bus?! The massive feline was a glittering gold, but was really caught my attention were the blades on it¡¯s body. It¡¯s mane wasn¡¯t made of fur but actually consisted of a forest of long golden swords. On the end of it¡¯s tail was the blade of a golden greatsword and each of it¡¯s paws had a set of golden scythes. It roared again, revealing that his fangs were blades as well.

Nemean Blade Lion [Lv ???] [Elite Boss] (Aggressive)

HP: 30000/30000

Oh crap. Anyone who plays MMOs or reads light novels based on them knows that a hidden level can only mean one thing: ¡°You¡¯re about to get rekt.¡± I noticed movement to my right and used [Gale Step] to move back, right before the lion¡¯s tail blade dug a trench where I had just been standing. Looks like we weren¡¯t going to be able to run away from this fight. Lilith seemed to have same thought as I did, as she landed in front it of it and started to attack. ¡±Frozen Shade.¡± she said, and immediately her shadow turned an icy blue and stretched upwards forming something of a flat wall behind her. ¡±Volley.¡± she commanded it, and a swarm of ice projectiles began to fly continuously from the surface of her shadow at the lion, which had to take a step back due to intensity of the assault though it¡¯s health didn¡¯t drop much. She was pinning it down and testing it¡¯s defences at the same time. Smart. -------------------- >Lilith¡¯s PoV< HOW DARE IT! HOW DARE THAT FILTHY MONGREL ATTACK MY ADORABLE MISTRESS!! I¡¯LL F**KING KILL IT!! DIE BASTARD!!! -------------------- >Isabelle¡¯s PoV< It¡¯s always nice to have someone who can stay calm and strategic in times like this. Dawn and Lynn joined in with their own respective attacks. Dawn¡¯s method of fighting involved a continuous flurry of slashes with her daggers. Her arms were a blur as she used them to unleash strike after strike in such a way that seemed like she was attacking wildly. In knew from sparring with her, however, that each of those strikes her coordinated to give the maximum effect. Currently, she moving around the lion, striking wherever she could to try to find a weakness. Lynn, on the other hand, fought by gathering mana into her staff and then swinging it to fling orbs, waves, and even spears of fire magic at an opponent. Each of her movements flowed into the next, allowing to send a stream of attacks at her opponents as long she had the mana. Deciding that it would be best for me to join in, I sent a [Tempest Kick] at it, which was currently my strongest attack.

(-112 HP)

HP: 29212/30000

SERIOUSLY?! At this rate, we¡¯d run out of mana before we could get it down to half health! The lion seemed to have other plans, however, as he let out another roar, momentarily stunning us all. He followed up with a spin, causing his tail to slash me and Lilith as well a cut down a ring of trees around him, including the one Lynn was in. He then slammed his right paw into Dawn, who had jumped and been in the air at the time, sending her crashing to the ground. Looking at the party window, I could see that all of us were in the red. Dammit...What now? I suddenly noticed Sorako sneaking closer to the lion. The next second a vision came to my mind from Sorako¡¯s [Shared Senses] skill. It had been leveled somewhat, so I could see color through it now. What Sorako showed me was a patch of silver fur of the lion¡¯s under bellow. >Lady Isabelle, my [Analysis] has shown that this spot is it¡¯s weakness as this silver fur has almost no defensive power.< Sorako told me via the telepathy that comes with being my familiar. What did it matter though? Unlike the fight with Jerk, I was at my full health going into this and all it took was a single attack to bring me into the red, and I was in so much pain that I barely move. I suppose if the Flame Ape Tribe came back, we¡¯d stand a chance. But with my luck, there was no way that was going to happen. The lion was approaching to finish me off. Better to respawn back and town and try to make our way to the mountains while avoiding the boss. ¡ ¡¡ ¡¡¡ What. The hell. Am I THINKING?! I could feel my blood boil as a forced myself to my feet. Since when did I give up?! If I couldn¡¯t kill this oversized alley cat, then I would at least go down trying! Besides, if Big Sis learned that I had backed down from a fight, she¡¯d probably beat me half to death in another one of her ¡°sparring matches¡±. The alley cat in question backed up a few steps. Score one for [Bloodlust Aura]. I took the chance to chug a couple of potions in order to to refill my health and mana and noticed my party members doing the same. Good, it was payback time and I had a plan. >Hey Lynn. Do you have a spell that can make something along the lines of an eruption, as well as [Fire Manipulation]?Hm? Yes, I have them, Milady. Why?< came Lynn¡¯s confused reply. >I have an idea. Dawn, I want you to draw it¡¯s attention and keep it. Make sure to keep it facing me. When it roars, I want you to get out of there and Lynn to cause an eruption directly underneath it¡¯s head and dump every bit of her mana into using [Fire Manipulation]. At the same time, I need Lilith to bind it¡¯s back paws and keep them anchored. Think you guys can do it?< I received confirmation from everyone. Dawn, as her part of the plan, started attacking the lion to keep it¡¯s attention, while Lynn and Lilith began to gather their magic. As for me, I backed up a bit and knelt into the position used for a crouching start when running. I prepared a [Gale Step] and added an [Air Bullet] to it but stopped it from activating. Next, I activated [Gale Clad], using [Wind Manipulation] to make it spin around my body. The key to [Wind Manipulation] is imagination. In this case, I was imagining a spiral cone around me with the tip pointed towards the lion. I wasn¡¯t done just yet, though. I used [Wind Edge] a few times and added the blades of air to the cone around me and the image of a spiral in my mind changed into one of a drill. Finally, I activated [Gale], making the wind come from behind me which then got sucked up into the cone around me. I finished my preparations just as the lion drew it¡¯s head back to roar. At that moment, Dawn drew back and the other two took action. Lilith locked down it¡¯s back paws as a massive pillar of flame slammed into it¡¯s jaw, forcing it into an upright position. I released the [Gale Step] I had been holding back and shot forward like a bullet, activating [Flight] to increase my speed even further and leaving a cyclone trail behind me. As I passed through Lynn¡¯s still going pillar of fire, the flames were sucked into my attack just as I had hoped. I knew where the silver patch was located so I didn¡¯t have to see it to aim at it. I struck my target, dumping all my mana into it at once just as I hit. The result? A flaming cyclone slammed into the lion¡¯s weak spot and exploded on impact.

Brutal hit! (-12391 HP)

HP: 16821/30000

¡...Dammit. A moment after the cyclone surrounding me fade to nothing, the part of the lion¡¯s tail just below the blade slammed into me, knocking my body to the ground and my health past the red zone and into the critical. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the same tail stab Lilith and her name in the party window turned grey, indicating her death. He swiped his paw, offing both Dawn and Lynn with a single attack. My vision started to fade just as I noticed him looming over me. I waited for my turn, but instead of a fatal blow, the last thing I noticed before I blacked out was the feeling of being lifted up and carried.

You are unconscious!

You have lost consciousness for the next 8 in game hours.

------------------- >God¡¯s Domain: Third person PoV< In the white void, something that had become a common occurrence was happening once again. Clarissa and Aurora were struggling to get free while the other gods, except Lucas and Dalmar who were too busy laughing, were trying to hold them back. They had been like this ever since Isabelle had tried on her new set and had gotten worse after she posed a bit in it. ¡°For the last time, you manga loving idiots, NO. DIRECT. CONTACT!¡± Irene shouted. ¡°SHUT UP YOU FRUMPY PRUDE! EVEN YOU BLUSHED WHEN YOU SAW THAT!¡± Clarissa shouted back. ¡°I BET YOU WANT TO CUDDLE HER JUST AS MUCH AS WE DO!¡± Aurora added angrily, causing the elven goddess to turn red. ¡°W-W-What are you saying?! I-It¡¯s not like I want to hug her or anything¡¡± Irene stuttered. ¡°¡°¡°Elf Tsundere¡±¡±¡± Clarissa, Aurora, and Lucas said in perfect unison. ¡°S-Shut up, you stupid manga trio!¡± They were so distracted with each other, that no one noticed the fight with the lion or said lion carrying Isabelle off afterwards¡ ------------------- Cookie Corner ------------------- Today¡¯s recipients of the ¡°Good Job!¡± cookies are: xacual xacual: Suggested the ogre be like team rocket and suggested I have the God¡¯s Domain segment in this one make up for forgetting to do it last time. Good luck next time, guys! ------------------- Author Corner ------------------- Phew, this one took me a while. Mostly because I¡¯ve been feeling tired lately plus the fact that there were so many paths I could have taken with this chapter. Don¡¯t worry about my feeling tired, it¡¯s just something that happens on and off with me. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything left to say, but if I think of something I¡¯ll leave a P.S. below. See you next time! GrandFinale, over and out! [V1] Chapter 9 - From the Ashes >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 Group	Mythical
Race	Werebeast
Subrace	Nemean Blade Lion

Mythical Racial Group

The 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 stats

All fame gained while a part of this racial group will be doubled

Werebeast

One 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 AGI

Human, 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 AGI

Hybrid Form +75 to STR, VIT, and AGI

Animal Form +100 to STR, VIT and AGI

Racial 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.
Forms
Kitsune-tsuki(Skytail)	No Class
Werebeast(Nemean Blade Lion)	No Class
Note: 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¡¯m here Sorako. No need to worry.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 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?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.< If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. >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. -------------------- >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. -------------------- >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. -------------------- >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. -------------------- >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. -------------------- >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. -------------------- End of Arc 1 Act 2 - ¡°Road Bumps¡± -------------------- Cookie Corner -------------------- 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! -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- 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! [V1] Chapter 10 - Getting Classy >Isabelle¡¯s PoV< I shifted a bit and yawned as my brain started to work again. I always felt so drowsy when I first woke up. As I slowly sat up, a shuffling noise to my right drew my attention. Sluggishly turning my head, I saw Father standing next to me with his back turned. ¡°Your hour is up so I came to wake you, Styra. Though it seems you got up in time on your own.¡± he said. ...Is it just me, or does he sound a little nervous? Nah, it was probably just my imagination. Still, it was surprising that I had only sleep for the hour he had given me. Usually when I take nap it lasts for much longer unless I¡¯m interrupted. Curious, I glance at the clock on my HUD. Huh? According to this, it¡¯s had been a total of four hours since I went to sleep. Either Father¡¯s sense of time was just that horrible or, much more likely, he was lying to me. But why would he lie about that¡? Hmmmm¡ Oh! He must have been training and lost track of time! That would explain the slight redness I saw on his face while he was taking quick glances at me. He must be embarrassed! Welp, since he let me sleep in, I guess I¡¯d let it slide without comment. ¡°Thanks Father. I guess I was too excited for training to sleep anymore than that.¡± I said, playing along. His body seemed to relax as I said that. He must have been really embarrassed. I couldn¡¯t help but giggle a bit before I caught myself. I think I¡¯ve been in a female body for a bit too long¡ Noticing Father giving me an odd look, I told him it was nothing. He nodded and handed me a set of folded clothes. Taking it, I recognized it as a martial arts gi the same golden color as the one Father was wearing. ¡°Get changed and meet me outside.¡± Father said, startling the me who was focused on the gi in my hands. He walked out of the cave a little faster than yesterday. I giggled again. He was so flustered over such a small mistake. Stretching my arms over my head, I looked around the cave. I the room I was in was roughly circular in shape. Most of the floor was covered in the huge pile of different colored furs that I had been sleeping in. As I stated before, the walls were lined with lit torches, looping around the room and through the opening that served as a doorway. On the wall opposite to the door, there was a full length mirror. Must be the bedroom. I crawled over to the edge of the fur pile by the mirror and got to my feet, taking the gi with me. Looking into the mirror, I got the first good look at my new form. The girl looking back at me was just as stunning as my kitsune form, but in an different way. She was extremely cute, but unlike my kitsune form, this one had obvious potential to be a bombshell when she grew up, despite looking to be only a little older. I mean seriously, this body was like 9 or 10 years old and it already had some obvious curves to it. The suntan colored skin and golden hair didn¡¯t help, though thankfully my face was tomboyish enough not to make me look like a bimbo. Speaking of my face, a pair of golden disks stared back at me in the mirror, framed by the long golden hair that tumbled down messily from my head. It wasn¡¯t overly tangled, but still looked like it hadn¡¯t been combed in a while. On top of my head, a pair of golden furred lion¡¯s ears were perched on top of my hair, which went down to my rear, stopping just above where my tail grew out from the base of my spine. At the end of my tail, a golden knife was the only notable indication that I wasn¡¯t a normal lion girl. I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn¡¯t dreaming. I wasn¡¯t. Though I have to say, for something that was supposed to be armored, my skin was rather soft. While I wasn¡¯t dreaming, the pain did wake me from the trance I was in. Deciding that I¡¯d stared long enough, I decided to get dressed. I hurriedly exchanged my Beginner¡¯s outfit for the gi that Father gave me, careful not to brush against any weird places by accident. The gi gave no bonuses to stats or defence, but it had an absurdly high durability. Probably because it was for training. Having finished changing, I left the bedroom and found myself in a hallway of sorts, with a bunch of other openings branching of from it. I looked to my left and the hallway went on past another few room before reaching a dead end. To my right, it did the same, except instead of ending in a stone wall there was a fur curtain flapping gently in the wind. ...I¡¯m going to take a wild guess and say that was the way out. As I approached the curtain, I noticed a salty smell on the breeze drifting through the fabric. How could that be? Weren¡¯t we in the forest? I didn¡¯t have to wait long for an answer as I reached the curtain and brushed it aside as I stepped through. What I saw took my breath away. Turns out the cave we were in was on the side of a cliff, with a large ledge right outside that extended for about 20 feet away from the entrance. On the ledge, large crystals grew in clusters in various places. Directly below was the ocean, which meant we were on the eastern edge of the Forest of Change. I know that it doesn¡¯t sound like much, but that was only part of what made the scene so amazing. The other part was the fact that it was early morning. Since I was facing east, that meant I was treated to a gorgeous sunrise. The sea and sky were dyed a warm orange. The crystal on the ledge caught the light, giving an iridescent glow as a result. ...I-I wasn¡¯t crying...I...I just got something in my eyes from the wind that was blowing in my face, that¡¯s all¡! I was snapped out of my reverie when I heard someone clearing their throat beside me. ¡°NYA?!¡± I shouted as I jerked back in surprise, finally noticing Father standing next to me on the left. ¡°While I understand your urge to admire the scenery, it¡¯s time we started your training.¡± he said, turning around and walking up a sloped ledge that lead up to the top ot the cliff. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I summoned my resolve and followed him. I couldn¡¯t help but get excited as I wondered what he¡¯d teach me. -------------------- After a short trek through the forest from the edge of the cliff, Father and I were standing in front of a makeshift wooden pen. And by ¡°makeshift¡±, I mean ¡°How is this piece of crap still standing?¡±. Inside of the ~~piece of crap~~ pen were several wolves, 10 to be exact. ¡°So...What are these wolves for, Father?¡± I asked, trying to comment on the state of the ~~piece of crap~~ pen. ¡°The warrior class¡¯s training quest.¡± he said simply. ¡!? ¡°R-Really?!¡± I shouted, looking up at him excitedly. ¡°Of course!¡± he said smugly, clearly glad that I liked his present. ¡°Yay! Thanks Papa!¡± I said without think, before realizing what I said. ¡°S-Styra¡?¡± A-Are you alright¡?¡± Father asked, stepping back a bit and sweating bullets. ¡¡...Calm down. That guy isn¡¯t here¡ I took a deep breath and suppressed my anger. My bloodlust aura, which I hadn¡¯t realized I¡¯d been letting out, disappeared as a result. ¡°I¡¯m okay Papa...I just remembered something bad is all.¡± I said while putting on my best innocent voice and giving him the sweetest smile I could manage. I¡¯d only known him for a short while, but having a father figure was enjoyable so far. There was no way I was letting that bastard ruin this relationship for me. Even if said relationship was father-daughter instead of father-son. I could live with being a girl for a while if it meant not making things awkward. *Ping!*

[tr] [tr]

You have gained the skill:[Enchanting Smile]	Enchanting Smile - Basic Lv 1
Aura Skill	Passive
Your smile has a synergic effect on your aura, taking your charm to new heights. When you smile, your aura gains additional effects that are dependent on which part of your aura is the most prominent at the time.
Innocent Smile
This smile comes out when your [Cute Aura] is the most noticeable one. When active, it adds a desire to believe whatever you say to your aura¡¯s effects.
Confident Smile
This smile comes forth when your [Noble Aura] is at it¡¯s zenith. When active, it grants a morale bonus to the stats of all who fight under your command.
Psychotic Smile
This smile forms when your [Bloodlust Aura] overpowers the others. When active, it adds a chance to cause your enemies to freeze up in sheer terror.

Before I could even think of protesting, a suddenly found myself wrapped in a bear hug. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about a thing, Styra! Papa will make an the bad stuff go away until you¡¯re strong enough to do it yourself!¡± Papa said, rubbing his face against mine. ...Eh? Wasn¡¯t this guy supposed to be the aloof father type?! When did he turn into the doting/overprotective dad type?! ¡°P-Papa¡¡± I started to say, but he cut me off. ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank Papa, my little Styra! As long my little princess is happy, then that¡¯s all the reward I need!¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Did...Did I overdo it? I focused my efforts on being cute because I wanted us to be closer, but I didn¡¯t mean to change his personality so drastically! *Ping!*

As Styra, you have gained the title: [Little Princess]

For playing the part of the cute little daughter, Garn has fully recognized you as his own child instead of merely being a successor. The other members of the Nemean Blade Lion Tribe, as well as the residents of their respective kingdoms, will recognize you as the heir of their chief and treat you accordingly. This title will be removed when your body reaches maturity.

The effects of your [Cute Aura] and [Noble Aura] skills are doubled.

You are twice as likely to gain skills fit for a innocent young princess.

What. The. Hell. Papa...is the king of Nemean Blade Lions? Seriously?! Whatever I¡¯d gotten myself into this time, i didn¡¯t see it ending well. My thoughts were interrupted when Papa set me down and put a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Well then my little Princess, it¡¯s time for training!¡± he said excitedly. *Ping!*

Warrior Training

Rank F

Your father, eager for his little girl to follow him down the path of the warrior, has given you a test. Passing it will grant you the Warrior base class. you are incapable of declining this quest. Success: Kill 10 monsters without being defeated once. (0/10) Failure: N/A Rewards: Warrior class. Additional rewards may be given for passing on the first try.

Before I could even say anything back, he strode over to the ~~piece of crap~~ pen and pulled out one of the wolves. He set it down in front of me and jumped up onto a tree branch. ¡°Good luck, Styra!¡± he called down as the wolf charged at me. I lunged to the side as the wolf speed past me. If only my [Wind Magic Mastery] racial hadn¡¯t been locked, then I¡¯d beat this thing in a sec. Since all my wind aligned techniques, along with my combat style, had been derived from it, they were all locked too! The wolf charged again. Time to see what I could do with just my strength. As soon as it was close enough, I lunged at it before it could open it¡¯s mouth to bite me. I landed a direct punch to it¡¯s forehead. And it died...I think I may have been worried for nothing. Papa jumped down and hugged me again. ¡°That¡¯s my little girl! On to the next one!¡± he laughed. The process repeated nine more times until all 10 wolves were dead. ¡°My little princess is so talented! I was going to wait a few years to let you build up strength, but it looks like we can start your technique training right away!¡± Papa said as he forcefully cuddled me once again. *Ping!*

You have completed Warrior Training!

You have passed the test on the first try and impressed your father with your fighting prowess. Rewards Warrior class Your training schedule has been moved up

Warrior Class Tree

Of the 8 class trees created by the gods, the Warrior tree is the Dragon God Silas¡¯s handiwork. As such, it is a class tree that relies heavily on the user¡¯s raw physical power.

Warrior Class - Lv1

This is the basic class that all who would walk the path of the Warrior start out with. Although it is only the first of many, it¡¯s importance is not to be underestimated, for it is the foundation on which a fighter¡¯s strength is built.

+20 STR [Strong Attack] class skill

Strong Attack
Attack Skill	Active
You have learn to build up your strength for a blow that more powerful than normal +20% damage to your next physical attack -5% Stamina 3 second charge time

I know should be excited for my first class...But Papa¡¯s cuddling was making me feel really embarrassed... ¡°P-Papa...Shouldn¡¯t we move on with the training¡?¡± I said meekly. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right!¡± he said. I thought he¡¯d let me got to explain what was next, but to my dismay he instead sat down in a cross legged position and held me in his lap. ¡°Well now that you have the Warrior class¡¯s [Strong Attack] skill as well as our race¡¯s [Armored Hide] skill, you have everything you need to start training for two of our tribe¡¯s combat styles!¡± he said. ¡°Styles? As in plural?¡± I said, tilting my head back to look up at him. My excitement was starting to overcome my embarrassment. ¡°That¡¯s right! The first is one of a series taught to all of our young, though you¡¯ll have to wait until you mature before you can learn the others.¡± he replied. ¡°Why¡¯s that, Papa?¡± I asked. ¡°Because you¡¯re so young, you still haven¡¯t developed all of the abilities that our race possesses, such as be able to make blades appear in places other than the tip of your tail.¡± I see...So I¡¯m literally incapable of pulling them off as I am now, huh? I really hope I can convince this guy to let me go exploring before then. I¡¯m already calling him ¡°Papa¡± naturally, so I¡¯m not sure what waiting here for my body to mature would do to me. Though to be honest, the whole ¡°Papa¡± thing had other factors involved so... My thoughts trailed off for a few seconds before I realized I was forgetting something. ¡°What about the second style?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s a style that is taught only to those of us in the royal line!¡± he said with such pride that I felt it had to be something awesome. ¡°Wow...What¡¯s it¡¯s name?¡± I asked in awe. ¡°It¡¯s called¡¡± -------------------- >God¡¯s Domain< Irene and Wendolyn were waving their hands in front of Clarissa¡¯s and Aurora¡¯s faces respectively. The demon and beastkin goddesses were sitting on their knees, zoned out and drooling a bit. ¡°I think Isabelle might have broken them with that smile.¡± Irene sighed,not getting a response from them. ¡°Indeed, but I wonder why we¡¯re only dealing with two instead of these people like this. Aren¡¯t you also weak to cute things, Lucas? ...Lucas?¡± Wendolyn looked around after not getting an answer from the human god. ¡°Lucas left about thirty minutes after Isabelle fell asleep. Said something about a secret project.¡± Silas said simply, yawning as he watching the projections while laying down with his head propped up on his elbow. ¡°A secret project? I don¡¯t like the sound of that¡¡± Irene said worriedly. -------------------- >???< In the middle of a black void somewhere, Lucas stood alone in front of a character creation menu, messing with a few sliders as he put the finishing touches on his ¡°project¡±. ¡°Irene will have quite a few things to say about this when eventually finds out about this¡¡± he chuckled to himself. ¡°Oh well, it¡¯s not like she can do anything to stop me from doing it. After all, it¡¯s not direct contact so it¡¯s perfectly within the rules. Aaaand done.¡± He stepped back to admire his creation. It was a human of about 17 or 18 years of age in a set of beginner¡¯s clothes. He had messy white hair with forelocks that parted above his right eye, which like his left was red in color. ¡°Perfect. Now let¡¯s get started shall we?¡± Lucas said with a grin as he was enveloped in a pillar of white light. -------------------- Cookie Corner -------------------- Today¡¯s recipients of the ¡°Good Job!¡± cookies are: xacual! xacual: Pointed out my so-called arcs aren¡¯t really long enough to be called such, so I decided to put the down as acts of the first arc. -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- And so begins Act 3 of Arc 1! Hope you guys enjoyed! Sorry I¡¯ve been so late with this. If you wanted someone to blame, then blame the Den members who kept talking about One Punch Man. You see, once I get started on something like an anime or manga it becomes difficult for me to focus on anything else. It¡¯s a trait of mine that has gotten me into a tight spot grade-wise more than a few times. Welp, enough excuses from me! I need some sleep so I¡¯ll be going to bed and reading your comments in the morning. GrandFinale, over and out! Volume 1 Epilogue - Soul Searching >Isabelle¡¯s PoV< ¡[Mantle of the True Golden Heavenly King]!¡± Papa said proudly. ¡ What the hell is with that chuunibyou name?! And you¡¯re actually proud of that?! ¡°Is something wrong, Styra?¡± he asked, confused because I hadn¡¯t answered him yet. ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s such an amazing name that I was left speechless for a bit, Papa.¡± I said, giving him another smile. ¡°That¡¯s my girl! And I¡¯m glad you like it, because in order to use it¡¯s power you need to shout the name at the top of your lungs!¡± he said. Wait, WHAT?! You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me!! ¡°Now then! The first thing you need to do is learn to manifest your aura at will instead of relying on anger. To do that, you need to learn how to meditate properly.¡± he continued, lifting me off his lap and sitting me down right in front of him so that I was facing him. ¡°And how do I do that Papa?¡± I asked, tilting my head. To be honest, I already had some experience with meditation from real life training. But I had already dug myself into way too deep of a hole to stop with the ¡°Little Princess¡± act. ¡°First, you must close your eyes.¡± he said. I nodded and closed my eyes as instructed. ¡°Now then, empty your thoughts and look deep within yourself, down to your very core.¡± he continued. I nodded and tried to clear my mind. ...Hmm...the air is really clear out here in-No, stop thinking. ¡...I wonder what else Papa has in mind for train-No! Stop it! ¡¡... I hope the others at have as hard a time as-MOTHERF**KER!! ...What? I said I had some experience with it, but I never said I was any good at it. I just have a hard time stopping my thought process¡ After about an hour or so of continuing to try and fail, I was left so frustrated with myself that that my [Bloodlust Aura] was slightly active. Seeing this, Papa chuckled a bit. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Princess. It¡¯s difficult to do the first time, but it gets easier after that.¡± he said, placing a hand on my head and starting to pet me. As always, the fluffy feeling filled up my head and felt like a floating in a white void. Hm? What¡¯s that thing over there? I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve seen the last few times I was here as well¡ As I focused on it, I began to float closer to it until it was right in front of me. The thing was roughly the shape of a sphere and about the size of a basketball, with an iridescent glow that surrounded it. Looking closer, I realized it had multiple layers to it. The first layer was completely clear and there was some kind of thin iridescent energy passing through it towards the surface. Somehow, I knew it was some kind of membrane to keep everything else together. Don¡¯t ask me how. I just...knew. The next layer was multi colored, but unlike the iridescent glow that surrounded the object, the colors were grouped up in thick blobs that slowly shifted, kinda like the stuff in a lava lamp. I could help but get the feeling that the blobs weren¡¯t supposed to be this...calm. That they were supposed more vibrant and alive somehow. Curious, I reached out and touch one of them with a red color. As soon as my fingers touched it however, a jerked back as a feeling jolting through my body for the split second I had been in contact with it. Was that...rage? I tapped a blue one this time, and experienced a short burst on sadness. It looks like these things held emotions somehow. As I pulled my finger back, I noticed something underneath the blobs as the hole I made slowly closed. There was a thin membrane directly under the blobby layer, and at the very core there was a small iridescent orb. It was producing the thin energy that was radiating outward to the surface of the object. But there was another kind of energy there, thicker than the other. It was thick enough that it bounced of the membrane surrounding the sphere instead of passing through. Wondering what would happen, I poked my finger through the blobs again, managing to to ignore the various emotions long enough to poke a hole in the membrane. I felt a suction force appear as energy from around me was suddenly drawn to the sphere. I was snapped back to reality by a wave of power flooding through my body. *Ping!*

You have unlocked a hidden stat!

Your Stamina stat has combined with your Ki evolved into the Qi stat!

You have come into contact with your soul and in doing so have released the hidden power that dwells within it that normally only surfaces in times of great emotional turmoil. This power has combined with the energy that your body naturally produces to give you a resource that can be used alternately as a source of endurance or a source of strength.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.[tr]

You have learned the skill: [Meditation]

Meditation - Basic Lv1

This skill initiates a state of great calmness, allowing you to clearly see your soul. While in this state, Mana and Qi regeneration are greatly increased. Your maximum Mana and Qi will gradually rise with continuous use of this skill.

Did...Did I just succeed at meditation through being petted?! ...I¡¯m not sure how to feel about this. Before I could make up my mind, however, Papa suddenly scooped me up into a bear hug again. ¡°You did it! That¡¯s my little girl!¡± he laughed excitedly. I, on the other hand, was feeling drowsy all of a sudden. I yawned as I rubbed my eyes, trying in vain to keep myself awake. ¡°Oops, I forgot the first time always exhausts a person. Don¡¯t worry, Styra. You¡¯ve earned a rest so just go to sleep alright?¡± he said gently. I gave a nod and let myself fall into the sleepiness. *Ping!*

Your familiar Sorako has ranked up into more powerful race!
Through intensive study, Sorako has discovered a way to reverse the deterioration that her body suffered due to lack of maintenance after her former master was sealed. As a result, she has regained her original form and some of her original power.
Racial Group	Construct
Race	Artificial Soul
Sub Race	Kitsune-bi

Just before I fell asleep, a window popped up in front of me. I was too far gone to read it by that time, and sleeping would cause it to close. Oh well, it probably wasn¡¯t important anyways. -------------------- >Sorako¡¯s PoV< ¡°Ah...I forgot how good this feels¡¡± I said to myself as stretched my arms above my head. I walked over to a nearby table where Lynn had dropped some clothes she made off for me. It was a simple set of underwear and a sweater dress with a hole in the back for my seven tails. It would do until Lynn made the maid dress I had asked for. She said she wanted it to be as good as possible so she was holding off on it until she got more experience. I was so glad that I had talked to Lilith second when I had been informing the others of Lady Isabelle¡¯s training. It had given us the chance to have a nice long chat on the way back to Loksha. Plenty of time for her to make me see the error of my ways. I can¡¯t believe I had been so foolish. Instead of allowing her to remain as she was, I needed to make sure Lady Isabelle became a proper young lady. It was my duty as her servant after all. -------------------- >God¡¯s Domain< ¡°Atta girl Lilith! Just one more!¡± Clarissa cheered excitedly, having finally recovered. She waited a bit and then looked over to Irene. ¡°Not going to say anything this time?¡± ¡°...Huh? Oh! Sorry, I¡¯m just a little worried is all. Lucas has been gone for a while now and I¡¯m a little concerned about what he has planned.¡± the elven goddess responded. ¡°Oh come on! Whatever is can¡¯t be that bad¡Then again...This is Lucas we¡¯re talking about¡¡± Clarissa said, starting to get worried herself. -------------------- Cookie Corner -------------------- No cookies today! Better luck next time guys! -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- Sorry it¡¯s so short this time around, but after I got done with Sorako¡¯s PoV I just felt this incredible sense of doneness...I supposed I could have had Sorako¡¯s PoV at the end but that just felt wrong. Plus I¡¯m worn out from a combination of this and school. So here you are. The semester is ending in a week so after that I¡¯ll be able to write more easily. Up next is an announcement and an experimental idea I want to try for reader input so be sure to come back tomorrow! GrandFinale, over and out! Extra 1 - Reader Input Experiment Hello my readers and/or fans! GrandFinale here! Since you guys are so eager to give your suggestions (and because I suck at planning ahead), I''ve to decided to shamelessly take advantage of you guys! That sounded kinda of dirty... Oh well, onto my idea! There are countless possible Racial Groups, Races, and Sub Races, so many that I could never hope to put them all in TFO. S here''s what I''m gonna do. I''m going to put down all the Racial Groups, Races, and Sub Races that I''ve planned out so far, and let you guys make suggestions for additional ones! If I like your suggestion, I''ll add it to the list and if I really like it I''ll add it to the list of forms the MC will obtain during the course of TFO! So without further ado: here is the current list! Racial Groups are in yellow, Races are in cyan, and Sub Races are in white. Human Basic Normal High Human Ascended Star Guardian* (aka magical girl) Demi-Human Ogre Goblin Cyclops Troll Giant Demon Succubus Basic Night Touched Lilim Imp Basic Alp Devil Archfiend Beastkin Feline Panther Cheetah Lion Tiger Leopard Cheshire* Canine Wolf Dog Jackal Coyote Vulpine Penguin Royal Bear Grizzly Polar Panda Rhino Elephant Ganesha Cow Plantkin Dryad Treeant Spriggan Fairy Titania* Rhythmic Pixie Nymph Naiad Lampades Leprechaun Dragon Wyrm Basilisk Wyvern Drake Dragonoid (Humanoid dragons) Earthen Aquatic Flare Gale Shadow Light Serpent Jormandgand Leviathan Quetzalcoatl Elf Wood Elf Dark Elf Moondancer High Elf The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Dwarf Spirit Kitsune-tsuki Skytail Embertail Aquatail Naturetail Dusktail Dawntail Voidtail Kitsune-bi Convert Elemental Sylph Ignis Undine Terra Mana Bird Phoenix Thunderbird Djinn Yokai Yuki-Onna kejourou Construct Golem Harzburgite Granite Marble Obsidian Clockwork Sentinel Juggernaut Automaton Synthoid Homunculus Artificial Soul Sky Fox Kitsune-bi Undead Vampire Daywalker Vampire Lord Vampire Sovereign* Skeleton Lich Basic Knight Ghost Banshee Wraith Zombie Ghoul Draugr Mummy Dullahan Mythical Werebeast Wolf Nemean Blade Lion Fenrir Spike Wolf* Taur Centaur Lamia Naga Echinda Harpy Basic Siren Tengu Arachne Merefolk Basic Kraken Megaladon Chimera Manticore Humanoid Slime Candy White Chocolate Dark Chocolate Milk Chocolate Mimic Gel Metal Queen* Royal Jelly Slime Empress Celestial Valkyrie Angel Basic Seraphim Cerubim Hermes Fallen Nephilim I look forward to your creativity! It''ll help reduce the time it takes me to write somewhat, and if this is successful I''ll probably do it again with other aspects of TFO. GrandFinale, over and out! P.S. Due to the massive amount of suggestions, I''ll limit myself to doing an extensive update this list each time I put out a chapter. Also, items with an asterisk by them are planned forms for the MC. If it''s by a Race, it means i don''t know the specific sub race yet. Volume 2 Prologue - Prelude to War (Author Note: Since I got so many suggestions during the Extra I posted, I¡¯ve decided to close the poll early and start a new one at a later date. Isa¡¯s next form is necessary for the story progression I have in mind so it¡¯ll come before the fairy form, which will come next because it won the poll.) >Arical, Fenrir Castle< ¡°Any news about the whereabouts of that idiot leader of the cats?¡± a cold voice echoed throughout the throne room of a castle completely made out of ice, causing the messenger kneeling in the center of the room to break out in sweat despite the freezing temperatures. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say that our scouts have been unable to locate him, Your Highness.¡± the messenger stated, doing his best not to stutter. The woman sitting on the throne clicked her tongue. ¡°Useless idiots. Continue your search and report back to me the moment you find him, understood?¡± she commanded. ¡°Yes, Your Highness!¡± the messenger replied before hurrying out of the room. The woman seated on the throne let out a sigh, and brushed a pale hand through her flowing silver hair. A giggle from the maid standing the left of her drew her attention. ¡°Is something amusing to you, Miliana?¡± she asked the maid. ¡°It¡¯s just that ever since your loss to Garn, you¡¯ve been chasing after his whereabouts non-stop. It¡¯s almost like you¡¯re stalking him. Did little Rei finally take an interest in a boy?¡± Miliana teased, making the other woman¡¯s pale face blush ¡°M-Mili! It¡¯s not like that!¡± she pouted, causing Miliana to giggle again. ¡°You haven¡¯t changed a bit since our childhood, Reina. Still as cute as ever.¡± Miliana said with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re the only person who calls me cute these days, Mili.¡± Reina said with a sigh. ¡°That¡¯s because you always have such an intense look on your face whenever the two of us aren¡¯t alone.¡± ¡°Of course I do. I¡¯m the queen of the Fenrir Spike Wolves, which is the tribe that leads all the other canine type Werebeasts. I have to appear strong at all times to that I can maintain control of my kingdom. That¡¯s why I need to find Garn and crush him.¡± Reina said firmly as Miliana sighed. ¡°Your duties as queen also include finding an heir to succeed you, Reina. You really should put more effort into either finding a mate or a worthy child to adopt.¡± ¡°Hmph. All the males I¡¯ve met are unworthy of my attention and I don¡¯t have time to look for a kid let alone raise one. It¡¯ll have to wait until I¡¯ve finished my business with the stupid lion.¡± Reina said in a huff, eliciting another sigh from Miliana. ¡°In that case, shall I inform you of the location of your foe?¡± a third voice said suddenly, breaking into the conversation. ¡°¡°?!¡±¡± Reina and Miliana looked to the doorway of the throne room, shocked that they hadn¡¯t sensed the presence of the room¡¯s third occupant. Standing in front of the closed doorway, was a man of about average height with a skinny build. He wore a black tuxedo, with a white undershirt and black tie. On top of his carefully groomed black hair stood a black top hat and a black cane was tucked under his right arm, held in place by a white gloved hand. His face was hidden by a plain white jester mask, with three curved slits place where his eyes and mouth should be. In front of the left eye slit, a monocle was attached. ¡°Who the hell are you and how did you get in here?!¡± Reina growled. ¡°Oh my. It seems I¡¯ve forgotten to introduce myself. Please excuse my poor manners, my fair lady.¡± the man said, unphased by the murderous aura Reina was putting out. ¡°I have many names, but you may address me as Mad Hatter. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintances, Lady Reina and Lady Miliana.¡± he continued, tipping his hat to the two women. ¡°Hmph. So then, you say you have have information on Garn¡¯s whereabouts?¡± Reina said, withdrawing her aura. ¡°Ah, straight to business I see. Very well then. But before that, a suggestion if I may?¡± he asked, the slightly cheery tone he spoke with never faltering. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°And what would that be?¡± ¡°Since your goal is to show your strength to your people, why fight him in his element when you can instead force him to fight in yours for all to see?¡± ¡°And just how do you propose I do that? Get to the point already!¡± Reina shouted. ¡°It¡¯s quite simple. You see, while you may not be concerning yourself with an heir just yet, Sir Garn has found himself one and has become quite attached to the young miss. If you were to take her hostage, he would be sure to come looking for her.¡± Mad Hatter said unhurriedly. ¡°You do realize that this could lead to an all out war between the us and felines Werebeasts, do you not? And what do you hope to gain from telling us this information?¡± Miliana cut in, clearly distrustful of the masked stranger. ¡°Ah, excellent questions, Lady Miliana. Now as for the answers, they both stem from the same source. You see the lady I serve under is quite bored. So it has become my duty to travel the world, recording interesting happenings and bringing them back to Milady. Sometimes the things I record are the natural happenings of the world, but other times I help events flow towards a more¡ entertaining direction. So to answer your questions Lady Miliana, I am indeed aware that this could lead to quite the scuffle between your two sides. In fact, it is exactly the outcome I am hoping for. But why should it matter to you? The feline Werebeasts have been your rivals for many generations now, so why shy away from confronting them now?¡± he said, horrifyingly calm for someone who was proposing all out war. ¡°Why you-¡± Miliana started to growl, but stopped when Reina held her hand out. ¡°Where can I find this girl?¡± Reina asked Mad Hatter. ¡°Ah, I was hoping that you would see things my way. Now then, the heir of Sir Garn, a young miss by the name of Styra, lives together with him on the northern edge of the Forest of Change. Am I correct in assuming you know where that is?¡± the man replied, delighted that Reina had chosen to accept his suggestion. ¡°How could I not? This winter island of Arical is directly southeast of the Artam continent.¡± Reina said with a nod. ¡°Excellent! Now that my business here is finished, I shall take my leave. I look forward to seeing how thing play out! Farewell, my fair ladies!¡± Mad Hatter said, tipping his hat again before slowly sinking down through the floor. Once he was completely gone, Reina turned to Miliana. ¡°Give the order to our best assassins that the northern portion of the Forest of Change is to be searched for Garn and his daughter, Styra. Tell them they are to remain unnoticed at all times. Once the girl is alone they are to capture her and bring her to me, alive and unharmed.¡± she commanded, in a tone that made clear that she was not to be argued with. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡¡± Miliana sighed in a defeated tone and left the room. Satisfied, Reina sat back on her throne with a smug grin on her face. ¡°Fufufu...At long last, it¡¯s finally time for some payback, Garn.¡± -------------------- Cookie Corner -------------------- Today¡¯s recipients of the ¡°Good Job!¡± cookies are: Irina_Akashira and Titans! Irina_Akashira: Gave me the idea for a rival tribe of the Nemeans. Titans: suggested the Fenrir race -------------------- Author Corner -------------------- And so begins Volumne 2 of TFO! I have updated the list of races in ¡°Extra 1¡± so be sure to check it out. If you don¡¯t see your suggestion, it means I either don¡¯t like it, don¡¯t know where to put it, or haven¡¯t got to it yet. There are still a bunch of them I have yet to put on there so keep checking back every chapter. That¡¯s all I have to say for now, but if I remember anything I¡¯ll add a P.S. GrandFinale, over and out! Announcement 1 - Magic Royale Sup guys? Sorry for the silence but I wasn''t able to focus on TFO for certain reasons. You see, the danger of hanging out with authors the likes of Warhawx and VRDraco is that sometimes you''ll get ideas that are just too good not to start working on right away. That is what happened to me this weekend. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. So I present to you my new fic: Magic Royale! I will be alternating between TFO and MR in the future, so don''t worry about either getting dropped anytime soon. GrandFinale, over and out! TFO to return soon Heya guys, sorry to disappear without warning...I got a bd case of writer''s block and i''ve been too ashamed to show my face here on RRL. But don''t worry! I''ve broken through my writer''s block at long last! Be on the look out for new chapters of TFO, MR, and the brand new story that I started writing to overcome this ordeal!This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Best wishs, GrandFinale Poll: Continue or reset? Alright guys here''s the deal...TFO has gotten...A bit out of had for me to continue. It''s possible and I have some ideas of how to get it under control, but it''ll be difficult and will take longer for me to post each chapter. Or I can reboot it from the begining, rework the characters, skills, and system, and hopefully be able to give you guys more TFO more often. I honestly have no idea which path to take. So I''ll leave it up to you guys. Continue or reset?Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. EDIT: Poll is closed. It was rather close, but it''s been decided that TFO will continue as is.