Lament of the Slave

Chapter 63: Lucky Girl

The idea that the lettuce moss I was chewing on had grown from the ground where it had quite possibly decomposed a corpse before was revolting. The thought made me so sick that to swallow any more of this food that Esu served me I had to keep telling myself a skill made it, not that it grew up here on some poor chap. The gut-wrenching screams echoing from the clearing weren't helping, either.

While I tried to satisfy my body's needs and not throw up, Deckard watched the ongoing battle between beasts and people. When the screaming started again, I couldn't take it anymore and had to ask. "How are they doing?"

"How's the food?" he retorted briskly.

A growl escaped my throat, and I bared my teeth covered in chewed moss at him. "Delicious, try it." I didn't know how Esu would react to it, but sharing some of it wouldn't be a problem. The lettuce moss was constantly regrowing as I was ripping it off.

"No thanks, I prefer a good steak," Deckard replied, turning back to the clearing where the earth-shaking explosion took place. "Traiana's tits, I didn't see that coming."

"What happened?" I asked when my ears stopped ringing. Instead, a disgruntled roar of mossbears surrounding the clearing reached the furry sails on my head.

"Some Shadowbreaker guy just blew himself up...in the mouth of that mossbear. I guess you can imagine how that turned out," he described what happened through the ring link.

Yeah, I imagined it, shuddered at the thought, but still had to ask. "Survived? The adult mossbear, I mean."

"It's missing its head. What do you think?" Deckard replied when a simple no would have been enough for me.

I cautiously glanced at Esu, but saw no reaction, not even a grumble. It made me question if he didn't mind. If he didn't care, his offspring had just died. I wondered if he was able to heal it as he did with me? Even bring the fallen beast back to life? He might have been capable of it.

It was not so hard to imagine with this ancient beast that revealed so few of its skills. Every one of them gave me the creeps. What I had trouble conceiving, however, was one man killing a mighty beast like an adult mossbear.

"You should know how dangerous a cornered animal can be?" Deckard added, seeing my doubts. "Humans are no exception, nor are terrans, dwarves, or gnomes. Corner them, and you don't know what they'll do. They can break down, beg, attack even more fiercely, do something stupid or unexpected like that chap. It's hard to tell if it was a skill or a magical tool. It could have been an artifact like those return crystals. In the end, it doesn't matter. The beast underestimated him, thinking it had won, and paid the price."

"Hmm...okay, but I thought the mossbears were much stronger..." I argued, chewing on the moss.

"Why?" he asked me instead of answering but didn't let me reply. "Is it because they are massive and have levels we can only dream of?"

Finding myself in an unexpected lecture, I nodded. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, then let me tell you, most beasts that are born with a higher level are like you," he said, pointing at me. Taken aback by his words, I lifted my head from my dinner.

He grinned. "Don't look at me like that. It's true."

"I'm not a fucking beast!" I snarled my words out loud and through the link at the same time just to realize what I've done. Warily looking up at Esu, I hoped he would overlook this little outburst of emotion of mine, that he would disregard my words.

I froze when I found him looking right at me, no doubt judging me. You're bloody dumb, Korra. I cursed myself and Deckard for making me say something that could have cost me my life.