You battled some wolves in the glade,

With tooth marks and scratches to trade.

Now villagers eye,

And whisper nearby,

As if you're some beast to evade!

Goldie Honorhide.

As I expected, I had a lot of skill improvements—Quick Claws, Death Strike, Crushing Bite, etc. Unarmed Combat went to the Journeyman Level. That was unexpected. I didn't consider myself unarmed, but apparently, the skill considered that fight good enough. Now it was Journeyman I felt out the skill, and it did consider fighting with natural weapons to be unarmed. Maybe it was me holding back the skill all along. I wonder if there is a class for claw and teeth fighting?

My Guard Class Levelled. That is twice this trip, and it is probably all I can expect as it is getting harder to level now that it is in the upper apprentice levels.

Felix had learned Crushing Bite from me. That was his first fighting skill.

I am looked at differently now, especially by the wagon drivers. Makara is, too, but she has always been looked at warily. Now I have joined her. Even some of the guards are more wary of me, not all of them, just some.

Makara just laughed, "Ignore them. This is how legends start. The Monster Killer Mer and her trusty sidekick! It will be grand!"

Well. I wasn't very good at making friends, and I was not that interested in it, so I ignored the looks. Felix and I are good.

I thought back to the pack of starving wolves that cornered me on the ice way before I met the dwarves. I have changed so much. They wouldn't stand a chance now. This fight solidified something in me. For all my weapon skills, tooth and claw are my preferred weapons. I can't drop or lose them. They are my NATURAL weapons. I am going to focus on learning fighting techniques that use them. I will probably have to wait and learn from other Beast-kin, but that is doable.

We ate Caribou till we were sick of it. The hides would be sold, and the proceeds would go toward the arrival party when we get to Jern. The wolf hides were ours as we kept them away from the caravan. The Dire Wolf was also our team's. Makara got the monster core, and Yoboc and Goldie wanted to make something from the hide. I needed new armour made, but I doubt there is enough for that as well.

Kevin changed. He didn't look at me warily. It was something worse. It was like he looked at me with awe. "That was scary and exhilarating and awesome all at once!" he declared as he joined us for a meal. I saw you kill the monster," he said to Makara, "and you brawled with wolves! I can't believe it!" he said to me.

I just shrugged.

"You know they are calling you the Wolfslayer? They reckon you tore apart forty with your bare hands!"

"Lad," Yoboc said, "There were only thirty-eight from all of us killing them, plus the dire wolf, of course." He nodded to Makara.

Makara grinned, "Ever tried eating raw monster heart, Kevin?"

He shuddered. Yoboc changed the subject, "And how did you do, Ivan?"

"Good, good," he said. "I killed a couple of caribou," he said, touching the sword at his side. "One reason I came is that I have been offered a class, but I don't know much about it."

Yoboc's eyes narrowed. "You are the scholar, but you don't know about this class?"

"Yeah. It is only a basic three-point class. I think I am going to take it, but I could wait and train for better."

"Tell us how you got offered it," Yoboc said.

"As I said, the stampede was pretty frantic, and I killed a couple of wounded caribou with my sword and knife, but that was not when I got offered the class. No, it was later. I helped the others skin and butcher the meat, and they taught me how to do that. When I got those skills, I was offered the class, so it is not a fighting class, but a crafting type class."

"It could be a hybrid class with both," Yoboc said. "What is it called?"

"It is called Cutter, and it comes with a point in Physical Agility, Physical Perception and Mental Agility. I need the physical attributes, but Mental Agility is my highest attribute already."

"You could start a butcher's shop!" Goldie piped up.

"It definitely sounds like a class focused on bladed weapons and tools," Yoboc said. "I will teach you how to carve, lad. It will be right up your alley. I think it sounds exactly like what you need, and the basic classes will evolve."

I nodded, "I started as a Scavenger with three points."

"See, and look at him now, the mighty Wolfslayer!" Yoboc grinned. I scowled. "You also need to learn weapons maintenance and keep those blades sharp."

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Kevin nodded, paused for a moment, "Done."

"Right, lad. Let's see how fast you can go through the knife exercises now," Youboc said with a grin. "Then we will get some wood, and I will teach you how to carve."

"I have a question," I said, "while our brains are here." I indicated Kevin and Yoboc. "Markara got Monster Hunter as a specialisation, as well as the skill of Regeneration that came with it. I didn't get that. Why?"

"Specialisation Classes are based on the Basic class that is being specialised. I know Forester classes often get a Forest Guardian specialisation from monster kills," Kevin nodded at Goldie as she had that.

"It was my Hunter Scavenger class," I replied.

"Hmm," he said, "Monster Hunter should have been an option, but something must have come ahead in the assessment. What did you get?"

"Kill Thief."

"What?" Kevin asked.

"I got a specialised class called Kill Thief." I reiterated, "It came with a skill that enhances damage called Death Strike."

"The skill is an executioner skill like the assassin skills, but it is not limited to surprise attacks," Yoboc clarified.

"That is something else I have never heard of," Kevin said, "isn't this great! I would think it came from the scavenger part of the class," he mused, "hunters also kill, so there is the basis there." It was almost like he was talking to himself. "Most specialisations coming from monster kills have a healing component, like regeneration. Does this Death Strike also heal you?"

"No. It is purely a death strike," I said.

"Interesting. Not unknown to get a class and skill to help kill monsters, but definitely unusual," he said. "When I get to the Lore Society in Jern, I can look up more. You can get specialisations from any activity. Getting a second monster kill might trigger it."

"I have two monster kills but no new specialisation."

"Two!" Makara said. "The Pike wasn't your first?"

"I really want a self-healing type skill," I said, ignoring Makara.

"Those can be learned," Kevin said. "Any skill can be learned with the right training. Getting it as a specialisation skill is easier, but there is no guarantee."

I remembered the Map Skill I got with the Explorer Class and how it could be learned through the Navigation route. There were also hints that it would come with cartography training. A lot of map users missed out on functions because they had not earned it.

"How can I learn such a skill?" I asked.

"How is your Anatomy Lore, and do you have any other body-specific lore?" Kevin asked.

Of course, it would start with lore. "Anatomy is just at a new apprentice level," I said. "I don't have the patience to become a healer," I said.

"Yet it is the Healer's knowledge you need," Kevin said. "Or you could go the herbalist route or full alchemy."

I scrunched my nose up in dislike. I had Herb Lore and knew some plants with healing properties, but … it didn't feel right. I did enjoy reading about navigation in the Lore Society. "What would I need?" I asked.

"Anatomy is a generalist lore about body parts," Kevin said, "You will need Physiology, which is how the parts work together, and Organ Lore, which is large with many organs creating systems in the body, including your heart, brain, lungs, kidney and liver. I am no expert, as I only have Anatomy and Physiology, which I can help teach you. The Beastmaster has some healing skills for animals, and as you are beast-kin, this might highlight changes you have from human or dwarf."

"Wow. I can see why people just want a class that gives them a skill like Regeneration," I said.

Kevin nodded, "But remember that healers are much more efficient than a hunter with Regeneration. Have you ever wondered how Poison Resistance works? It uses Spirituality to enhance the body's natural defences against various poisons. Then it remembers the poisons it has defended against, so it is faster and better the second time it encounters the poison."

"It uses your Spiritual energy?" I asked as I got very low at times.

"Yes and no," Kevin said. "The skill stores Spiritual energy for its use, and as it levels, the storage increases, so it gets better."

"Cold and Heat Resistance?" I asked.

"Similar," he said. "It stores spiritual energy to regulate the cold or heat. Pain Resistance is using the energy to reduce nerve sensitivity. Some people also think it temporarily enhances Mental Strength, but that doesn't seem likely. That is the same for various resistances. It is the nature of how they work."

Interesting. It sounded like learning the skills yourself made you much better at using them, not that you couldn't learn backwards like I did with the Map.

Kevin was very happy to tutor me in Anatomy and Physiology. With his Tutoring Skill, it would be sped up. He was always looking for ways to level it. His goal is still to get the Teacher Class.

The Beastmaster was a different animal, "Go away! You scare the animals, and I don't want you anywhere near me, and I don't want your smell anywhere near me. Go Away!"

There was no room for compromise there.

The Wagon Master and Caravan Carpenter decided that one of the wagons was too badly damaged to be fixed and would be used as parts instead. We unloaded it and distributed the cargo amongst the other wagons, with the Cargo Master and his assistant recording where everything went. This also helped with the reduced number of horses needed.

Kevin learned new woodworking skills and wagon maintenance as he worked with the caravan carpenter. We didn't have time to study Lore until we returned on the road on the fourth day.

The next week or so went relatively smoothly, although the weather was crap, and the trail turned to mud which slowed us down. We had to dig out wagons several times.

I was dutifully mapping the stars when I saw them and calculating positions. I didn't get any levels.

I did make a deal with Makara, and we sparred often. She needed to level her Unarmed Combat, and I wanted to practice moves specifically for my teeth and claws. She had her Hardened Scales and Regeneration to level, so it worked out in her favour. I also levelled Quick Claws and Crushing Bite.

A week out from Jern, the weather cleared. We passed another caravan as we were going up a narrow pass. That would have been a problem, except the scouts found each other first and negotiated who would go first.

We informed them of the Dire Wolf pack. It might be enough to get the army out early if it stays in the area.

According to their scouts, it was clear to Jern. They either lied or were incompetent.

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