After the meeting the Maes, Loki was welcomed as an occupant of Rondel village. He couldn't be recognized as an official resident because the village was one of several that were situated in this valley, referred to as the 'WerebeastReservations'.
Apparently, over two centuries ago, the entire region was inhabited exclusively by werebeasts, and seperated by racial tribes and clans. However, human settlers began moving into the region in droves, and started pushing out the indigenous werebeasts. At first the werebeasts were willing to negotiate and share with the human settlers, but as the humans demanded more land and resources, conflict inevitably broke out.
The werebeasts had a natural physical advantage, but the humans were plentiful, and they had the backing of institutions like the adventurers guilds, and their various churches. Eventually, the humans were able to conquer the region, and were 'merciful' enough to allow the surviving werebeasts to live in reservations.
The reservations were supposedly independent and self-governed, but they were overseen by the local sovereign city-state, and things like new vaults were overseen by the city-lords.
Anyway, now that Loki was living in the village, he decided to help out however he could.
He took on a number of odd jobs, helping out the builders and blacksmiths. The tasks seemed familiar to him, and he was surprised when he randomly gained a number of new skills through it.
[ALERT! YOU HAVE UNLOCKED THE SKILLS; [DESIGNER], [CRAFTING], AND [TRACE]! YOU HAVE REACHED LEVEL 6 AND YOUR PROFICIENCY WITH YOUR EXISTING SKILLS HAVE INCREASED.]
He had only been helping out for about a week, and he had already gained three new skills and leveled up a number of times. He didn't think it normally happened this easily.
When be told Sara about his sudden progression, she convinced him to keep it secret for now. No need to jump to conclusions over something that may very well be a fluke... for now.
"You should try out for the militia." she suggested one day.
"That is an interesting thing to say at breakfast." He retorted.
"I'm serious. It's clear from your scars that that you're no stranger to conflict," she said, "and with how quickly you pick things up, I'm confident you can handle it."
Loki wasn't as confident as she was, but he did owe her for accommodating him, so he agreed.
The militia normally patrolled the area surrounding the village, hunting and fighting off wild beasts and the occasional low-level monsters that dwelled in the deep forests and got too close, or the occasional roving bandits.
They were a pretty well-organized group, and consisted of about a dozen core members with about a hundred regular volunteers, mostly experienced hunters, rangers, and fighters.
They were on average, in the Grand tier, between levels 150 and 250, according to Loki's [Appraisal], however, Sara was far more interesting;
[STATUS]
Name: Sara Clawthorne
Race: werewolf
Age: 65
Sex: female
Karma: lawful neutral
Attribute: wind / shadow
Condition: calm
Jobs: hunter / ranger / captain
Affiliation: Rondel village
Level: 399
Tier: Elite
HP: 100.00%
Anima: 100.00%
Points: 45,600pnts
[SKILLS]
Archery; Air Strike; Apothecary; Beast Sense; Cooking; Command; Clairvoyance; Dominate; Grey Shift; Healing; Howl; Hunting; Insight; Judgement; Leader of the Pack; Maternal Instinct; Mind Control Resistance; Naturalist; Nocturnal; One with Nature; Perseverance; Poison Resistance; Swordmanship; Soothing; Sneak; Shadow Bind; Shadow Whip; Tracking; Veritas; Wisdom; Wind Walk; Zeal;
[EQUIPMENT]
Simple blouse; Simple skirt; Hunting boots; Elder's broach; Hunter's cloak; Appraisal lens; Hunter's belt; Throwing knives; Hunter's whip;
[TITLES]
N/A; Chosen of the Black Wolf; Arms Master (whip); Ranger; Single Mother; Trainer; Militia Captain; Elder; Strongest in the Village;
[CLAN]
-N/A
-Tetra (daughter)
-Petra (daughter)
He was surprised when he saw some of her skills. She had more than just basic combat skills... she even had some advanced skills as well.
Her level was also quite good, higher than anyone else in the village. No wonder she was recognized as the strongest. She was also older than he would've assumed, due to her higher level. He wondered how that would affect her daughters.
He wasn't sure what 'Chosen of the Black Wolf' meant, but it sounded familiar.
* * *
"You weren't born in this village, were you?" Loki suddenly said one evening, after sparring with her.
She turned towards him, momentarily surprised by his declaration, before she just nodded.
"No, I came here almost twenty years ago, seeking a new life for my girls." She said, "how did you know?"
Loki just shrugged, "your level is higher than everyone else, and I heard that you built up the militia from nothing on your own. Plus, I sense a bit of tension between you and the other elders, and they don't seem very trusting of anyone they deem an outsider, like me... and you."
"Well yes, the werewolf tribes were nearly wiped out after the Purge," She admitted, "the rest of us fled into the mountains, following the old ways, while the other werebeasts assimilated."
"What happened?" Loki asked
"The humans didn't like having wild beastmen loose in the mountains," she said bitterly, "raiding the caravans that got too close to our territory, disrupting their attempt to mine for minerals."
"They tried to hunt you down?" Loki guessed,
She nodded, "we didn't make it easy for them, we knew those mountains better than they ever could, but they had help from other werebeasts. I was captured by a unit led by Maes, I was pregnant at the time, so he took pity on me and offered me a place in his village. I didn't have any alternatives besides prison or death from the humans, so I accepted his offer."
"Whose their father, if you don't mind my asking?" Loki said
"It doesn't really matter, he was a warrior in our tribe that died shortly after our one night together." Sara shrugged, "I can't even remember his name."
"I'm sorry," Loki said
"Hey, that's life," Sara shrugged, "I was able to find a new home here; a nice quiet life in a safe place to raise my girls. I'd say I got a better deal than most."
Loki grinned, "you remind me of someone I think I knew,"
"Oh, so your memory is coming back?"
"Bits and pieces," Loki replied, "nothing concrete yet."
"Don't force it," Sara advised, "your memories will probably come back in their own time,"
"Well I wish they would come back faster, maybe they'd explain why I was in that vault." Loki huffed,
"Speaking of the vault, our advanced scouts have come back." Sara said, "they found a stone sarcophagus in the first chamber, it seemed to have been opened from the inside,"
"So that's where I woke up?" Loki shuddered, "creepy."
"Quite." Sara replied, "beyond that first chamber, there is a passageway leading deeper underground."
"There's more in there?"
"I'm putting together a full expedition team," Sara informed him, "I want you on it."
"You think I might have some secret insight into the vault?" He asked
"I think being in there might jog your memories,"
"What happened to letting the memories come back in their own time?" Loki asked
"Never was that patient myself," Sara shrugged, "we'll be having a briefing tomorrow. I expect you to be there."
That night, in his room, a chime went off in Loki's head. It was a new message from Admin 0;
[HOW ARE YOU ENJOYING THE SLOW LIFE? BORING, I KNOW, BUT EVENTS ARE IN MOTION MOVING TO SPICE THINGS UP. A SMALL CRISIS IS COMING THAT THIS QUAINT LITTLE VILLAGE IS ILL-EQUIPPED TO FACE. SHOULD YOU SUCCESSFULLY PROTECT THIS VILLAGE AND RESOLVE THE CRISIS, YOU CAN LEVEL UP FASTER, AND AS A BONUS, I WILL GRANT YOU AN APPROPRIATE REWARD.
BEST OF LUCK ; )
-ADMIN0]
Of course.
Loki was really starting to dislike this Admin0. Not only was some mysterious crisis on its way that Loki was expected to fix, he also got the distinct impression that it would not be a one-off occurrence. He was being played with by machinations he couldn't grasp... yet.
Now feeling too restless to sleep, he got out of bed, and went to take a stroll.
On his walk, he decided to test out his new skills.
[Design] and [Crafting] seemed self-explanitory, allowing him to visualise blueprints and schematics for any device he wanted to build, and then expertly assemble the available components needed to build it.
[Trace] was different though, while it was similar to [Design] at first, he quickly realized that it allowed him to scan any structure, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and also alter it using his own anima. While that, in itself, was quite a powerful ability, he felt that there was more that this skill could do.
On his walk, he found a fallen branch, about as long as him. It was thin and gnarled. Using [Trace], circuits of green energy ran through its surface. He could sense how durable it was and much force it could withstand. With a thought, he increased its density, and altered its form, straightening and smoothing it's surface. By the end, he now held a staff of polished wood in his hand.
A chine went off in his head;
[ALERT! YOU HAVE UNLOCKED THE SKILL; [TRANSMUTE]! ERROR! YOU DO NOT POSSESS THE ALCHEMIST TRAIT, SKILL UTILITY WILL BE LIMITED. YOU HAVE LEVELED UP [x1].]
Huh? Loki didn't know skill utility was a thing, and what did it mean by 'Alchemist trait'? Loki was working at the smithy when he unlocked [Design] and [Crafting], so does that mean he gained the necessary trait to fully utilize those skills?
That was interesting, so what other traits did he possess that allowed him to use his other skills? And what was [Trace] that it allowed him to gain a skill without the required trait?
He hadn't realized how much anima this skill consumed to function. As a beginner, he had very low anima efficiency, so he needed to keep constant watch over his anima consumption. Fortunately, his vision featured what he could only describe as an augmented reality, with a heads-up display. In the corners of his vision, with a list of readouts;
Anima: 76.85%
HP: 100.00%
Condition: pensive
He was so engrossed in his ruminations, that he didn't notice the twins approach until they was nearby.
"That was amazing." Tetra exclaimed,
"Sorry to bother you," Petra said, "we noticed you leave, and followed you."
"I don't think your mom would like that," Loki grinned
Loki took the opportunity to appraise the two girls, only to receive a blank result with only [N/A].
"You two aren't users?" He deduced
They hid their surprise well, but he caught the subtle cues.
"No, we aren't old enough yet." Petra explained, "once we turn 18, we'll have our awakener ceremony and gain access to the system."
"So no one is born with access?" Loki asked
"You say the oddest things, do you know that?" Tetra asked
"I know," Loki smirked.
"How did you do that?" She asked, looking at the staff in his hand.
"I used a skill, [Trace]."
"What kind of skill is it?"
"I'm not sure," Loki said, "but it allowed me to change the stick."
"Can you use it on yourself?" Petra queried
"What?" Tetra asked
"Hmm, I never thought of that," Loki said.
Suddenly, Loki keeled over. Holding onto his new staff, he grabbed at his chest as heat started to radiate from his heart.
"What's wrong?" Tetra demanded, shocked by the sudden distress, then, as she approached him to check him over, the strange man spontaneously combusted, bursting with bright green energy that engulfed his form.
The twins jumped back in panic, watching as Loki burned with green fire.
"Go get mom!" Patra barked at her sister, as she looked for something to use to smother the flames.
Fortunately, the horrific scene before them lasted only a few moments, and was over just as suddenly as it started.
"Hey, are you alright?" Tetra asked, cautiously approching the kneeling Loki, whose body was smoking. As Loki looked up, the twins jumped back in shock.
"What the actual f@£k?" Petra exclaimed, staring in disbelief as Loki got back up.
"Dammit... what the hell is this?" Loki demanded, looking down at the cleavage of the breasts that now appeared from the ruined collar of her now charred shirt.
Yes. Her.
Loki had just turned into a woman.