Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

[Welcome. Are you ready to begin?] 

[ Y / N ]

[Excellent.]

        [In the beginning, Creation bursted into Existence. In one singular moment, nothing became everything. The concept of Space, Time, Mass, and many more began. The first Universe - Universe Prime - appeared at this point. Not long after, thousands of parallel universes followed suit. This created the Multiverse. After enough time, it grew to become a Megaverse.]

        [By this point, an uncountable number of worlds for mortals had been created. Every 1 in 10,000,000 planets was blessed to be able to support life.]

        [That was many years ago. Now, every story that living beings have thought of exists. When reality gets large enough, everything is possible and has already happened.]

        [Now then, let’s get to you. Every few hundred years, a mortal soul is gifted a talent. Us beings are capable of manipulating Universes with ease. And you, my dear soul, have been chosen.]

        [Let me say a few things that I have had to repeat over the many, many eons.]

        [You are not chosen because you are special. You were not chosen to fulfill a prophecy by us. We see the lives of the chosen as entertainment. It does not matter if you are a noble hero or the worst mortal imaginable. You are to simply live your life while we throw options for you to choose from.]

[Understood?]

[ Y/ N]

[Good.]

        [Now then, your world has been chosen already. This is because…won the bet. Do not worry about hearing that name, as it is not meant to be heard by any beings below the 6th dimension.] 

        [As for what you can do, you may select your race, appearance, and go through the tutorial phase. Once you have completed it, you will be given an option to choose your beginnings and with it, a backstory.]

        [To demonstrate a feature, you should see something pop up any second now.]

…

[Quest added!]

[The Beginning]

You have been picked to be the next user of this power! However, having this power means nothing if you don’t understand it.

Objective: Finish the Tutorial

Rewards: 200 EXP and Backstory Unlocked

        The void turned to silence for the first time since the mortal soul appeared and had a voice speaking to them. The soul pondered on what to do now before a dozen names and pictures to accompany them showed up in front of them, yet only six of them caught their attention.

[Human - the all rounders. As a human, you will be able to choose what field you want to specialize in compared to how some fields are locked for other races. To view them, choose Human.]

[Satyr - the wild ones. As a satyr, you are given strong legs that can let you outmaneuver many with your speed alone. Along with strong legs, you may choose to have horns.]

[Scorpioni - the scorpion people. As a Scorpioni, you gain thick carapace on your arms, shoulders, and a scorpion tail with a neutralizing agent. Many were known for their strength while others were known for being able to quietly dispatch their foes.]

[Reptilian - the lizardfolk. As a Reptilian, you gain access to scales that can slightly protect you while also having a bonus to your health regeneration.]

[Eternian - the First Ones. The First Ones created tech that confused those long after they were gone. Very few are able to understand their technology, but they were intelligent and capable of wielding magic of a high degree. To learn more about them, choose Eternian.]

[Magicat - the Cat Hybrids. Few know if there are many of them left, fewer know where they come from. Many of them could use magic to help or hurt. Others preferred the up close method and trained hard. The rest preferred sticking to the shadows and striking when their target least expects it. To see their traits, choose Magicat.]

        The soul moved [Satyr] and [Scorpioni] to the side before the races vanished, leaving the other four behind. They looked between [Human] and [Eternian] before removing [Human] , seeing as they were practically the same race, one just knew technology more. The soul looked at [Reptilian] and gave it some thought before pushing it to the side, seemingly coming to a conclusion.

        With those pushed to the side, it left the soul with two remaining choices: [Eternian] and [Magicat]. The soul stared at the two choices for what may have been a minute, an hour, a week, month, or maybe years. 

        After all, Time was an easy thing for the being to manipulate. The soul could continue thinking for a decade before the being may speak up, simply to ask if they were still thinking or were trying to indicate something to them.

        However, that wouldn’t be needed as the soul reached forward and pressed their choice.

[Magicat has been selected for the race. Now that you have chosen, more information will be displayed.]

        A moment went by before the new information appeared in front of the soul.

        [Firstly, you have a few things to learn. You have six ‘stats.’ The first is Strength. This affects how much weight you can lift, how hard you can hit, and affects most damage done through weapons.]

        [The second is Dexterity. This affects how flexible you are, how well you handle projectile weaponry, how fast you are, and affect your ability to hide.]

        [The third is Constitution. This is directly linked with how much HP and Stamina you will have. Alongside the rate that they regenerate at. If you get this high enough, it appears that you can take hits without taking any damage. When in combat, Regeneration is reduced to 1% of total Regeneration]

        [The fourth is Intellect. No, this doesn’t affect how smart you are, it just affects how easy or difficult it is for you to learn things. A high Intellect is necessary if you plan to focus on Magic, seeing as this affects the maximum amount of Magic you have at full capacity. Along with it, most attack spells use Intellect as their capability to deal damage for an attack.]

        [The fifth is Wisdom. This comes from how well you understand what you know. Wisdom directly affects the rate that you regenerate Magic. This is often needed when using spells such as healing and protecting.]

        [The sixth and final is Charisma. No, this does not mean you can get anyone to like you if it is high enough. This doesn’t have much use in combat besides [Taunting]. This just means how likely you could get away with a lie, convincing someone, taking charge of a group, or being diplomatic. At its highest, this could make anyone stop and listen to you. Granted, they may not change their mind but they will at least listen.]

        [You will be given 30 Attribute Points to assign to which stat later. For now, here’s the rest of the relevant information on Magicats.]

        [Magicats do not trust easily but are loyal to those that gain it, even without said Magicat knowing. Due to this, it will be hard for you to make new friends unless they are a fellow Magicat.]

        [All Magicats have traits that they share in common, such as [Night Vision] which allows them to see in dim light, [Magical] which allows them the ability to use magic, and [Razor Claws] that make your unarmed attacks more deadly with the use of claws that can slash through metal. By using your hands or claws, your attacks will be doing damage through Dexterity primarily.]

        [However, there are three branches of Magicats: [Warriors] where they focus more on strength and durability at the cost of speed. These ones are more seen as tanks, being able to take blows that would send many to the grave. In your case, you will gain bonuses as you live that will increase your Strength and Constitution while also multiplying your final Strength and Constitution by 25% after all other multipliers.]

        [Second are the [Mages]. They focus most of their time learning old spells, rituals, and connecting themselves with the magic of the planet: Etheria. Some were able to guard entire cities by themselves, others could heal life-threatening wounds in seconds, and others could wipe out a battlefield. By choosing this path, you gain Intellect and Wisdom gains from skills as they level up. Wisdom and Intellect will be multiplied by 25% after all other multipliers.]

        [Last but not least, the [Hunters]. They focus on being able to silently sneak up on their targets and quickly take them down. If they are spotted, they must be fast enough to take the target down before they get away. They have a focus on [Sneaking], [Running], and [Dashing]. These skills will grow at 3x the rate they normally would from the other classes at the expense of Strength and Charisma, seeing as they often prefer to be alone. By choosing this path, you gain Dexterity and Constitution primarily as skills level up. You will also be multiplying Dexterity and Constitution by 25% after all other multipliers.]

[Which do you choose?] 

[Warrior] [Mage] [ Hunter ]

[ [Hunter] has been chosen. The following attribute bonuses will be added later.]

[Next, let’s get you a body. However, since you are being born into this world, you will be creating what you will look like once you are 8 years old.]

[Now then, have at it!]

        Soul spent a long time working on this, considering that this is what they will be looking like for the rest of this life. 

        After going through the face structures, eye colors, hair colors, fur colors, and everything else, they ended up with their look.

        She would have a dark gray mane that would go just below her shoulders. It would hang over her dark orange fur with a black stripe on both of her arms around their forearms. She also placed a small black stripe that laid across her ass. Her thin black tail would just barely hover over the ground. To finish her look off, she had golden sclera eyes and dark gray cat ears on the side of her head.

        She didn’t mess around with the sizes for her breasts or ass, deciding to let her ‘genetics’ play that part. It helps that the section was locked anyway since those options wouldn’t look right on an 8 year old. She also couldn’t do anything about clothing, seeing as it said that that would be determined based on her background.

        She could also choose her name or let fate decide for her. So, she decided to let fate give her a name.

[It appears that you have finished creating the look for yourself. Now, let’s get to your attributes. Simply think ‘My Sheet.’]

…

Tigra The Magicat

Class: Huntress

Level: 1 (0/200)

HP: 0        HPR: 0

MP: 0        MPR: 0

STM: 0        SMR: 0

STR: 0        DEX: 0

CON: 0        INT: 0

WIS: 0        CHA: 0

Att. Points: 30

Skill Points: 5

Magical Control: 0%

[Don’t worry about the Skill Points. That will be explained after you place your points.] 

        After taking a moment, Tigra allocated her points in how she imagined herself needing to survive in the beginning. She can focus on improving herself later, she wants assurance that she’ll survive.

HP: 150      HPR: 15

MP: 80       MPR: 8

STM: 75    SMR: 7.5

STR: 3        DEX: 8 [10]

CON: 6 [7.5]        INT: 8

WIS: 4        CHA: 1

Att. Points: 0

Skill Points: 5

Magical Control: 0%

…

[With your stats set up, I’ll get into the Skill Points.]

        [Over your new life, your actions may lead to the creation of a new skill that will help you in one way or another. With your skill points right now, you can purchase a spell, upgrade a skill/spell you have by 3 levels per point, or buy a skill for one point.]

        [Would you like to use any of them now? If so, in what way?]

[Y], Spell

        [As this is the beginning, you are limited in what you can purchase. Nonetheless, here are the spells that you can purchase with your magical mastery.]

[Fire], [Flame], [Spark], [Bolt], [Stoneskin]

…

        Tigra looked at them before choosing [Fire] and [Flame].

        [Flame LV 1 (0/50)- the beginning of pyro magic. Using your magical energy, you can create small flames at the tips of your finger. While not much of an attack spell, it helps teach beginners control.  Cost: 10 MP/minute]

        [Fire LV 1 (0/100) - With this, you can now call forth more than a small flame. This can be used to start a fire, heat up food, and cook. This spell is largely used to get a beginner used to using more than a pinprick of their magic for a spell.    Cost: 20 MP/minute]

[Would you like to do anything else?]

[Y], Purchase Skill

…

[Hand-to-Hand]

[Weapon Maintenance]

[Swordplay]

[Reading]

[Writing]

…

        Tigra purchased [Hand-To-Hand], remembering how her claws helped make up for the lack of strength.

[Hand-To-Hand LV 1 (0/100) - With this, you can say that you can throw a punch and hurt the other person more times than yourself. Every level of this skill increases damage done from unarmed or clawed attacks by 1%.  Current Bonus: 1%]

…

[Anything else?]

[Y], [Upgrade Skills]

…

[Skills available for upgrade:]

[Hand-To-Hand]

[Sneak]

[Running]

[Dashing]

[Shooting]

…

        Tigra looked at the choices before putting the last two points to upgrade [Hand-To-Hand] and [Sneak].

[Hand-To-Hand LV 4 (0/400) - Increases damage done with hands by 4%.]

[Sneak LV 4 (0/400) - The ability to move without notice. The chances of not being seen are DEX/2*(1.04) if someone is actively looking for you. Otherwise, it is DEX*(1.04). If someone has a higher level of stealth, it is your chance - 10% per level.      Chance of Success: 5.2%, 10.4%.]

…

[With that, you have used your last Skill Point. There is one last thing to explain. Before you are sent out and likely forget about us, you are allowed to choose 2 additional [Traits]. This is done after the last disappointing holder. Later, a [Trait] may be purchased for 5 Skill Points]

[These are your choices:]

[Pyromaniac - EXP for [Fire type] magic is multiplied by 2. Stackable with other multipliers.]

[In the Shadows - You seem to blend in with your surroundings, making you harder to detect while using [Sneak]. Increases [Sneak] level influence by 50%.]

[Tech Wiz - You have an innate understanding of tech. While you may not get it on the first try, you may on your second. Increases current and future tech skills EXP gain by 25%.]

[You are the Weapon - You prefer your fists to blades. Multiplies bonus from [Hand-To-Hand] by 2.]

[Primal Instincts - You have not lost the instincts your ancestors had. You are aware whenever someone around you wishes to cause you harm.]

…

[ [You are the Weapon] and [Primal Instincts] have been selected. With that, this ends the tutorial.]

…

[Quest [The Beginning] Complete!]

Reward: 200 EXP and Backstory Choices Unlocked

Level up!

Tigra The Magicat

Level 2 (0/300)

Att. Points: 5

Skill Point: 1

…

        Tigra thought about using the five points she just got before deciding against it. If the requirements for leveling up keep getting higher and higher, she should wait until she needs them. Heck, she doesn’t know if she could just improve the normal way. If so, best to do so early on when the result will be more noticeable.

[Good, you are almost finished.] 

[Next is [Reputation]. This could include a singular person, a kingdom, or even the world. There are seven titles for relationships. Worst to best, they are:

[Nemesis]-Those that will be against you even if you were to save the world

[Hated]-Those that will keep their dislike of you without returning to Acquaintance

[Disliked]-Those that will need convincing to listen to you

[Acquaintance]-They don’t feel one way or the other about you

[Friend]-They are friendly towards you and are willing to help you

[Family]-Those that want you in their lives,

[Chosen]-Those that have chosen to be beside you for the rest of their lives.] 

...

[Backstory - Rebellion. You were born in the peaceful kingdoms and have been either convinced or forced to help fight the Horde depending on which background chosen after.]

[Backstory - Horde. You were found at a young age and ended up in the Horde, the militaristic power that plans to take over Etheria. As you are in the Horde, you will be forced to go through the Academy and training. Hope you end up with a good squadron.]

…

[Quest Added!]

[To Save or to Conquer]

Now is the moment. Will you fight to stop Lord Hordak and his Horde? Or will you choose to side with the warmonger and try to conquer the Kingdoms? Only you can choose.

Objective: Choose your Backstory

Reward: 100 EXP, Personal Background options available

…

[Backstory - Horde] has been used. Tigra the Magicat origin starts with the Horde.

…

[Quest [To Save or to Conquer] Completed!]

Reward: 100 EXP, Personalized Background choices shown.

…

[Three options are available:]

[The Shadow’s Apprentice - The Horde have a Sorceress who is extremely capable in the ways of Magic. The Sorceress noticed how you learned the [Fire] spell moments after learning [Flame]. She sees potential use for you.]

[The Spy (Horde) - After seeing you sneak your way into places you shouldn’t be yet able to learn the movement of the guards so young, Lord Hordak decided to train you as a spy for the Horde. He had some Force Captains attack a nearby village and dropped you off. He has plans that you either succeed at, or be seen as an enemy.]

[Just the Three of Us - When you were found, you were lucky enough to have been placed with another Magicat. Even better, you became friends with this strange girl with a poof on her forehead. While the Horde isn’t the best, at least you’ve got each other.]

…

[ [Just the Three of Us] has been chosen as Personalized Backstory. With that, that’s the last thing you needed to know to get started. You will forget about me, but you will believe that you’ve had this ability for your entire life.]

        Tigra’s small body started to glow before breaking off into small pieces.

[Until we meet again, Young Tigra]

Chapter Text

      Tigra woke up with a light groan as she felt something pushing against her side. Her eyes opened slowly to see a little girl with blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail with blue irises underneath her.

      “Tigra, come on. We got to get ready and I can’t do that with you on my tummy.” A young girl with blonde hair in a small ponytail complained.

      “Do we have to, 'dora?” Tigra muttered.

      No sooner after she said that did she feel something, or rather someone, kick her butt, sending her flipping forward with a crash onto the ground. It didn’t hurt that much, seeing as the three of them decided long ago to sleep on the bottom bunk together.

      “Why so mean, Catra?”

      “It’s too early to hear that talk.” Catra spoke, her own brown mane swinging side to side with the shake of her head, sometimes going in front of her yellow and blue heterochromatic scleras. “Besides, the sooner we go, the less likely Weaver will see us.”

      “Fair.” Tigra sighed lightly before stretching, showing off her fur and stripes and grabbing her uniform. It consisted of a red, sleeveless shirt with white around the collar and gray shorts that went down to her knees.

      A minute later, Adora has managed to pull the shirt over her blond head without messing up her ponytail.

[Adora    Age: 8]

[Level 3     Relationship: Family]

      Catra, meanwhile, had to shake her head to the side a few times to get some of her brown mane out of her shirt and ran her short claws through her hair, getting rid of a tangle or two with a wince.

[Catra    Age: 8]

[Level 3    Relationship: Family]

      As the trio finished up, something popped up to the side of her vision for Tigra.

...

[Quest Added!]

The Academy

Today is your first day of the Academy. While you and Catra seem nonchalant about it, Young Adora seems as if she’s on her own quest. While not needed, it never hurts to show others where they stand with you. Will you finish the Academy like the others, or make the Academy remember the soldier later on?

Objective: Finish the Academy

Rewards: 20000 EXP, Cadet Promotion

…

      Tigra hummed softly as they finally started walking to the Academy.

      “Say,” Tigra started. “Want to show why we’re going to be the ones to finish this war?”

      “Oh? What do you have in mind?” Catra asked.

      “Let’s finish the Academy as the three best. Show everybody that we’re going to be their bosses one day.”

      “Can all three of us be the boss?” Adora tilted her head to the side like she’s seen them do before.

      “Why not? When one of us is in charge, we can make the rules.” Tigra shrugged.

      “First time that I’ve heard of three rulers over the same kingdom.” Catra commented.

      “Everything has to happen once if you want it to happen at all.”

      They continued talking during the walk before stopping in front of the Academy before getting in line as instructed by the Greeter. They wore black pants with a gray shirt with sleeves that stopped at their elbows.

      “Seeing as it’s the first day, we’re starting off with a practical test.” The Greeter gestured towards a small obstacle course with rails, tires, and a finish line on the other side of the yard.  

      “There are 50 of you in this class as of now. The bottom five in this test will be expelled.” He dropped a sudden bomb that shocked the whole class. “The Horde will not drag those with no skill or talent. Only the best will be allowed to serve Lord Hordak. First up!” He pointed at the kid in front.

      Yet, another pop up appeared for Tigra.

[Quest Added!]

The First Test

You were greeted by a surprise test via an obstacle course. If you place too low, you may be expelled, denying you the chance to become a Horde Lord alongside Adora and Catra.

Objective: Complete the course without being in the bottom five.

Bonus Objective: Finish within the top 5 best times

Bonus Objective: Finish with the best time

Reward: Continued Admittance, 50 EXP, ???

Failure: Expulsion

…

      ‘First time there’s a failure to these quests.’ Tigra noted. ‘Failure or not, this should be easy for us.’

      Tigra watched as they were called one by one, with their times averaging between 1:57 and 3:23, until he reached Adora.

      “Adora.” He clarified with her, which she nodded. “By now, you’ve seen and heard what I have said several times, correct?” Another nod. “Then you can listen again. You will grab onto the railings and swing yourself across. From there, one of your feet must go inside every tire, otherwise you must start that section over. Afterwards, you are to reach that finish line as quickly as you can. Understood?”

      “Yes sir!”

      “Then…Begin!”

      Adora ran to the railing and jumped, grabbing the first railing. Her small body swung slightly due to her momentum before she stretched out her right hand and grabbed the next railing. She continued until she swung and let go of the last railing, rolling herself back onto her feet. She began running once more before reaching the 10 tires. It took longer than Tigra liked until Adora got out of the last tire and booked it for the finish line.

      Her arms and legs moved as hard as Adora could move them and didn’t stop until she ran past the finish line.

      “1:43.268.” Greeter muttered before writing something, the time likely, down on his paper and clipboard. “Lonnie?”

      A slightly muscled girl stepped forward before getting the same spiel and off she went. She easily went through the railings and seemed to do better at the tires than Adora.

      Yet Tigra knew that she found the weakness of ‘Lonnie.’ 

      She was slow. Not devastatingly so, but it reminded her of Adora’s speed before she had slowly started getting faster since she hated having to catch up to her and Catra when they started really running. Especially since they had begun to explore the Fright Zone more often now that the three of them could climb more consistently without hurting themselves.

      “1:54.829.” Greeter muttered as he likely then wrote down.

      A few more kids went. A Lizardfolk kid named Rogelio finished with 2:03.286 while a Human kid named Kyle messed up on the tires but still managed to finish with 2:41.482. If Tigra hadn’t seen the other kids go already, she’d think that he would likely be in the bottom five. But she could confidently guess that he’ll end up between 42nd and 35th.

      “Catra.” He called.

      Catra walked forward before he called for her to begin. Catra took off at a jog before reaching the railings and swung herself to every other railing before reaching the other side. Catra seemed to barely notice the tires until her stride stopped as her foot almost missed one of the tires. This loss in momentum definitely cost Catra a few seconds before she exited the tires. She began sprinting the instant she left and shot past the finish line and slid to a stop.

      “1:45.845.” He muttered before writing it down and looked at Tigra. “I assume you’re Tigra, considering that you’re the only one who hasn’t gone yet.”

      “You’d be right.”

      “You ready?”

      “Could you repeat the process once more? I want to make sure I don’t mess up something and screw up my time.” She asked.

      “Heh. Since you’re the last one, sure. You will grab the railings and swing yourself across. After, one of your feet must go inside each tire, otherwise you restart the section. Then reach the finish line as quickly as you can. Get it?”

      She nodded as her plan seemed like it would work.

      “Ready…Begin!”

      Instantly, Tigra started [Dashing], increasing her speed/DEX by 50% to 15, towards the railing. Instead of slowing down, she continued running and jumped. She grabbed onto the first railing and used her current momentum and let go. She soared across the railings underneath before rolling once she landed.

      Instead of [Dashing] once again, she began [Running], only increasing her speed/DEX by 25% to 12.5. Yet that was exactly what she needed in order to not accidentally skip a tire.

      She quickly put one foot into the tire. By the time her other was going into the second, her other foot had already begun moving towards the next. She barely slowed since she entered the first tire before leaving the last one.

      This time, she began [Dashing] once more, putting her back at her top speed as she made a mad sprint for the finish line. She zoomed past it and stopped [Dashing], lightly jogging to slow her momentum and not slam into one of her classmates.

      She breathed slightly heavier as she glanced at her Stamina.

STM: 62/75

      ‘It was likely over 1:30, but hopefully not by much.’ She thought.

     [Dashing] seemed to be taking 12 STM per minute while [Running] seemed to only take 8 per minute.

      A bottle suddenly appeared in front of her vision. She followed the bottle and saw Catra was the one holding it out to her while Adora seemed to be excitedly talking about how fast she was.

      She took the bottle before taking a small drink and giving it back.

      “Thanks. Think we made our mark? I think only two others were maybe as fast as us.”

      “You definitely did. While I don’t know what your time was, you likely beat mine. Only because I stumbled on those stupid tires.”

      “You were so fast. I thought I was finally catching up.”

      Tigra lightly smacked her shoulder.

      “Hey, you leave speed to us, and we’ll leave the strength to you.”

      “Yeah, just wait until you can show everyone your best area. Today just happened to be ours.” Catra agreed.

      “Quiet down.” Greeter walked over before looking at his clipboard. “The names I call out, leave and you can try again here next year. Lyle, Terran, Yuro, Ghan, Laye. Your times were atrocious. This Academy is for those that may become Force Captains in the future. You still have two weeks before the other Academies open up for regular training. Dismissed.”

      As the others began to leave, Greeter spoke up.

      “Except for Tigra, Catra, Adora, Lonnie, and Luxion.”

      Luxion seemed to be a human boy who stood at a height between Catra and Tigra.

      “The five of you held the fastest times today. Luxion, you finished with 1:57. Lonnie, 1:53. Catra, 1:45. Adora, 1:43.” He listed off before looking at Tigra. “Tigra, you finished with a time of 1:39. I’m expecting a lot of good things from you five. Dismissed.”

      Lonnie and Luxion left quietly while Adora practically tackled Tigra off of her feet with a short gah before she hit the ground.

      “We did it! We finished in the top three.” Adora happily spoke.

      “Catra, help?”

      Catra looked down at the mess of limbs before smirking.

      “Nah, I think you’ve got this, Ms. Number 1.”

      Tigra groaned before dropping her head onto the ground before looking at the notification.

[Quest [The First Test] Complete!]

Bonus Objective: Finish top 5

Bonus Objective: Finish 1st

Rewards: 50 EXP, 100 EXP, Attention from Administration

…

[Dashing] has gained 30 EXP

[Running] has gained 8 EXP

…

      They had almost made it back to the barrack when Tigra felt her fur begin to stand as her body tensed slightly, preparing itself to either run or fight. She has been told a few times how it looks to someone seeing it.

     Her fur starts to stand in a wave-like motion that seems to start at her shoulder blades before expanding across her body. Her ears quickly shoot backward until they practically blend in with her hair. Her pupils contract into almost needles and her breathing gets ever so slightly faster. Her tail also wraps around either her waist or leg. More times than not, her leg. A final tell for when she seems to be truly on edge is that her body's stance gets lower to the ground, as if preparing to either pounce on something or to suddenly start running.

      Catra noticed Tigra’s body tense and about asked when a voice drew out.

      “Hello girls.” A woman with floating black hair, a crimson dress, and a mask spoke. “I need to speak with Tigra for a moment.”

[Shadow Weaver    Age: 50]

[Level: 75    Relationship: Dislike]

      “Shadow Weaver!” Adora exclaimed. “We, uh…”

      “Adora, dearie. She’ll be back in a moment. Come along, Tigra.” Shadow Weaver turned and started floating away.

      “You girls go ahead and get some rest. I doubt this will actually be quick.” Tigra told before following Shadow Weaver.

...

      It took about five minutes to walk where they ended up where Shadow Weaver spends most of her time with that large, red gem. After seeing it so many times, Tigra knew its name by heart now: The Black Garnet. Some kind of magical gem that Shadow Weaver uses in a similar manner as a battery for her magic.

      “I received an interesting report from the Academy.” Weaver started off. “Would you like to guess what I found so interesting?”

      “Catra, Adora, and I ended up with the top 3 fastest times?”

      “No, if there’s one thing you strays are good at, it’s running.”

      Tigra barely caught herself from growling at that name. If there was a word that ignited her anger the most, is being called a stray. Implying that she was on the same level as an animal seen as a pet that someone did not want.

      “No. What I found interesting is that your time was ahead of hers.”

      “Well, it’s like you just said. I’m good at running.”

      That was the wrong thing to say if her instincts had to say so, considering that they practically yelled danger.

      Weaver’s eyes somehow narrowed through the mask and Tigra began to smell a familiar scent. Something that always had a bad reputation with her.

      Ozone.

      Tigra had only just begun to move when Weaver struck.

      Red lightning flashed from her hand and struck her, causing her to let out a cry of pain as she fell to the floor.

      “You’ve seemed to have forgotten that I know I can be less gentle with you compared to the other pest.” She spoke demeaningly. “While I can’t find out the reason just why you have such an advanced healing factor, I still know about it. I can simply re correct your behavior and actions and need to wait roughly 10-15 minutes. At which point, you seem as if it never happened.”

      Another stream of lightning struck and continued striking as her cries of pain continued. It stopped nearly a minute later, leaving Tigra curled up, twitching from the leftover electricity.

HP: 24/150      HPR: 15/m

      “Honestly, you seem smart for a stray, yet you continue to keep acting out.” Weaver sighed, as though this was Tigra’s fault. “Just because you seem like you haven’t learned, you have two more corrective attempts before I send you back.”

      Tigra could only slightly twitch and glare at Weaver. She couldn’t try to escape or run. To run from Weaver was to run from the Horde. Tigra simply can’t do that. She has nowhere to run to, she has no plan on what to do after, but those weren’t the more important parts.

      She didn’t know how to get Catra or Adora out with her if she left.

      ‘They wouldn’t leave without me, so I’m not leaving them alone here with her.’ Tigra thought. ‘Even if that means I have to endure this hell.’

      Electricity swarmed through her once again after a few minutes.

...

      It had gone longer than Weaver told. Instead of the usual 20 minutes or even 30, she had gone through an entire hour of that hell. Her fur still slightly standing from the lightning and had only just started going down.

      She glanced at her HP and noticed that she has another 2 minutes before she is back to perfect and can hide this from them decently.

      Adora doesn’t fully know what goes on behind those doors. The worst that Adora seemed to get from Weaver was emotional manipulation. Something that could be just as bad as the lightning in the long run. The last thing she wanted was for Adora to do something and have Weaver take it out on her even more. 

     Because if Adora knew about this, she would do something.

      Catra though, Tigra is worried that she’s starting to understand that something strange is up, if her stares and looks of curiosity were anything to indicate, and Tigra is worried just how far Catra’s mind will reach before grasping an answer that makes sense to her.

      And not that Tigra, her childhood friend, can heal from nearly anything in 10 minutes. She could still bleed out as that can stall or overrun her healing factor if bad enough.

      Tigra came out of her thinking and saw that it should be done by the time she got back to the barracks. When she did return, she’s glad she waited as Catra grabbed her arm and pulled her in with a surprised noise before Adora shut the door behind her.

      “Are you hurt? In pain? Tired?” Catra asked rapidly, looking over her body.

      “Not until someone yanked my arm. Someone just yanked my arm. I could use a nap.” Tigra answered.

      "What did Shadow Weaver want?" Adora asked.

      "Something about her not being happy with my time in the exercise course. Said that I should have been faster."

      "Faster!? You are already the fastest person in our class!"

      "Not fast enough for Shadow Weaver though."

      Tigra started getting ready for the 'night,' which is simply power being turned off to certain barracks to simulate actual night time, before snapping her fingers, causing a small Flame to appear on her finger.

      “Does doing that actually help you with controlling your magic?” Adora asked, sitting on their bed as Catra continued watching Tigra closely.

      “Yeah.” Tigra spoke softly before the rest of her fingers on that hand gained a small Flame as well. “It also is relaxing. Like taking a nap to rest your tired muscles. However, this likely won’t help with my control after tonight. Despite learning this not too long ago, it’s…really basic.”

[Flame] has leveled up!

[Flame] has been maxed!

[Flame] will no longer increase control. However, due to maxing [Flame] out, WIS is increased by 3!

Tigra

LV 2 (250/300)

MP: 130  MPR: 22

WIS: 11

Magical Control: 6%

[Flame LV MAX - Cost: 1 MP/m]

[Fire LV 3 (78/300) - Cost: 17 MP/m

Att. Points: 5

Skill Points: 1

…

      Tigra stopped supplying Flame magic and the small flames went out, returning the barracks to the darkness with a faint green light on to let those without Night Vision still see enough to move about. She turned to the duo before raising an eyebrow.

      “I’m guessing I’m sleeping in the middle this time?”

      “Think of it as your reward for placing first.” Catra threw out.

      “Alright. I thought about a small celebration, but I’ll be honest. I’m actually feeling tired.”

      “You were with Weaver for over an hour.” Catra pointed out. “I’d be more surprised if you weren’t.”

      Tigra got onto the bed before Adora laid down on her left and Catra made her way down.

      “Heeeey.” Tigra drew out, faking hurt in her voice. “Is it that bad sleeping next to me that you’d rather sleep down there?”

      “Don’t you punch in your sleep?”

      “No, that’s Dor. I kick.”

     A year ago, Adora had a bit of a fit while sleeping and had elbowed Catra in her side and had accidentally punched Tigra in the face hard enough for her to roll over and fall off of the bunk, all while holding her face.

     Safe to say, Catra doesn't take any chances with Adora unless Tigra is acting as the buffer.

     However, Catra will also sleep next to Tigra once she found out Tigra kicks in her sleep if she has one of her rare restless nights. While Tigra couldn't explain it, the dreams on those nights always felt like she was running away from something.

     Which usually resulted in Tigra accidentally kicking Catra, which always got an apology from Tigra once she learned that she had another restless night.

     Catra blinked before nodding and laid down on Tigra’s right and the situation quickly turned into a snuggle fest.

     After all, they were alone in this barrack for now. They know that that will change soon with the Academy starting up. But Tigra ignores that in favor of enjoying this moment.

[Reputation with Adora has increased. 45→47 [Family]]

[Reputation with Catra has increased. 52→53 [Family]]

     As she drifted off, she noticed one of her oldest skills and it always made her terrified of Shadow Weaver.

[Electrical Resistance] gained 512 experience.

[Electrical Resistance LV 16 (570/1600) - Reduces damage taken from electrical attacks by 16 %]

[Reputation with Shadow Weaver has decreased. -28→-30 [Dislike]]

Chapter Text

     *5 months later*

 [Reading] has leveled up!

[Writing] has leveled up!

[Reading LV 28 (31/1400) - The ability to understand symbols written in a particular order. The higher the skill, the quicker and more accurately you can read the languages you understand. Current Languages: Basic, Signaling (Horde)]

[Writing LV 23 (28/1150) - The ability to write down messages in the languages you know. The higher the skill, the faster and neater your writing becomes.]

…

     A singular beep sounded as everyone put their pencils down. The beep signaled that class ended and as such, the assignment they were working on was to be collected.

     Their instructor walked around and started collecting the papers. 

     Tigra didn't talk to anyone, seeing as this class had no one she knew or cared to know. At this time, she’s in Basic Vocabulary while Adora and Catra should be in their free period.

     Once the last paper had been taken, the instructor looked at them.

     “Those of you who are meeting my expectations when it comes to learning and understanding, keep it up. Those who are falling behind, pick it up. The monthly check-in is tomorrow. If you fail two monthly check-ins in a row, you may be expelled for wasting our time. Dismissed.”

…

[Quest Added!]

Bi-Monthly Check-In (Repeatable every other month)

While in the Academy, you have learned that an exam is given every other month to make sure you are still worth teaching. If you fail more than once, you may be expelled. As this isn't your first exam, keep up the work, otherwise you may fall out of the Academy.

Objective: Pass the exam.

Reward: Continued admittance to the Academy, 400 EXP

Failure: Potential Expulsion

…

     Everyone started packing up before Tigra left the room and headed to her final class: Gym / Battle Training.

     It only took a few minutes before she lined up against the wall where she had been instructed to for the past month. She stretched lightly as she waited for the class to start.

     Another few minutes went by before the instructor, Mr. Baston, started speaking.

     “I know the smarter students have already stretched, but 2 laps around the room. Don’t try to finish it quickly by wasting stamina. You all will be participating in a strenuous activity afterwards.”

     Knowing how quickly she can regain her stamina, Tigra started [Running] and didn’t stop until she finished the assigned amount.

…

[Running] gained 16 EXP.

[Running] has leveled up!

[Running LV 4 (4/400) - While running, increases DEX by 25+ 4 %]

…

     Tigra looked at her stamina and noticed that it only went down by 12, something that will be fixed in roughly a minute. So, she stood back near Baston as they waited for the slower students to finish up.

     It did take long enough that her stamina had just finished refilling when the last student finished.

     “First off, how many of you have actual combat experience?”

     Abour ten kids raised their hands alongside Tigra.

     ‘If living under Weaver isn’t combat experience, what is?’ She thought sarcastically.

     “Good. We will be running simulated combat between all of you. I will need either a volunteer or I will choose two people to start off and I will not be so patient.”

[Quest Added!]

Trial by Combat (repeatable)

You have been invited/forced to participate in a combat scenario. You can either wait to be called, or step up and gain more experience through combat! Note: Forfeit is considered a defeat of an opponent.

Objective: Defeat your opponent(s)

Reward: 25 EXP per opponent

…

     “I’ll volunteer.” Tigra spoke up.

     Baston looked at her before speaking.

     “Since you’re eager, how about you keep going until you can’t? The only rule here will be no killing or crippling. Anything else will be fine, seeing as the tyrannical Princesses will not hold back any less.”

     Tigra nodded before moving to the medium sized circle on the floor.

     “Sarah, you’re up first!” Baston called out.

     A smooth scaled lizardfolk girl stepped into the circle.

[Sarah   Age: 8]

[Level 2    Reputation: Acquaintance]

HP: 120

     “On my say.” He started.

     Tigra tensed her muscles and figured she shouldn’t use her claws just yet. She isn’t sure how much punishment her fellow students can take. She didn’t want Baston to give some form of punishment for an accidental death.

     “Begin!”

     Tigra dashed forward before throwing a straight punch into Sarah’s shoulder.

22 non-lethal damage inflicted!

     She dismissed the confirmation with a glance as she landed another hit to her chest. Sarah threw a sloppy punch, which Tigra focused on avoiding. A notification popped up again, but Tigra focused on her opponent.

     Tigra shot out a kick into the girl’s waist, bending her over slightly. Not wanting to drag out the first fight and already seeing that Sarah likely wasn’t one of the kids who raised their hand, she threw a strong right straight into her nose.

     While it didn’t break, her 8 year old body was not strong enough to do such a thing yet, it did cause Sarah to close her eyes and cry out from the sudden pain. Tigra followed up by slamming her closed fist into her gut.

     Tigra stepped out of the way as Sarah dropped to her knees, clutching her gut.

Sarah HP: 23/120

     Tigra looked at Baston who, upon seeing her looking at him instead of her opponent, spoke up.

     “It is not over until I speak, a surrender is given, or one is knocked unconscious.” Baston informed everyone. “Especially since you are placed in the last slot of the day, I know that you won’t be missing any other class for the day. I am training you to fight, to win. That means you will be in pain, will be causing pain, until the day you graduate and are sent out to help Lord Hordak finish this war.”

     “I…surrender…” Sarah wheezed out.

     Tigra moved back to her starting point and noticed that her stamina was placed at 95/100 and a new skill had appeared during that fight.

[New skill acquired: [Dodge]]

[Dodge LV 1 (5/100) - The ability to avoid a hit during a fight. At higher levels, the chance to successfully avoid getting hit from a faster opponent or otherwise increases.]

[Hand-To-Hand] gained 80 EXP

[Dash] has gained 12 EXP

10 EXP gained

…

     “Next up, Lukan.” A Human boy stepped forward into the ring. 

[Lukan   Age: 8]

[Level: 3   Relationship: Acquaintance]

HP: 140

     “Begin!”

     The boy has moved towards her, meeting her dash with his own it seemed. Tigra ducked into his guard before landing a hit into the middle of his chest. Being this close, she swung her other arm forward and managed to land a blow just as he tried to gain a small amount of room to get her out of his guard.

     Tigra moved to follow but had to throw up her arms to blow a wide blow from his left arm. She pushed the blow to the side before ramming her shoulder into Lukan’s chest, pushing him back. 

     She took a breath before pouncing on him and slammed a good punch into his face, knocking him off balance and onto the ground. Still on top of him, she followed it up with a second and third punch before standing off of him and placing her foot on his chest.

     “I can keep going. I haven’t been hurt and am barely tired. Another two, maybe three punches is all it will take to knock you unconscious at this rate.” Tigra informed before leaning down to him. “So do you give? You have three seconds before I decide that you do not.”

     The first second passed with only a groan from the boy. The second is his eyes opening and glaring at her. The third had just begun before he opened his mouth.

     “You’re just talk.” He bluffed.

     Tigra’s pupils contracted before blood fell on the ground.

26 Slashing damage dealt! [Bleeding] condition has been inflicted!

     “Finished!” Baston declared.

     Tigra stepped back as Lukan closed his eyes as he held his left shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers.

     “Lukan, take your defeat with dignity. Now go get that looked at since you all haven’t learned first aid yet.” Baston ordered.

     Lukan took a moment to get up and walk out of the circle.

     “Let that be a lesson to all of you.” Baston started. “If you plan to taunt your enemy, you better have a plan better than getting the last word in. Tigra, good for remembering that I want them injured, not dead.”

     Tigra nodded before standing back in place.

     “Who’s next?”

[Hand-To-Hand] gained 84 EXP

[Dash] gained 16 EXP

10 EXP gained

Would you prefer to see the gains at the end of the quest?

[ Y /N]

…

     *40 minutes later*

     Tigra ducked under a punch before slamming her fist into Buuka’s throat, causing the Canine hybrid to grasp his throat, leaving him open to her knee to the gut. Buuka fell to the ground before hitting the ground three times, indicating he surrendered.

     “Finished!” Baston declared for the last time. “This has proven informative. For most of you, you will be staying in this class to learn the basics. However, it seems that you have a lot of talent for fighting, Tigra.”

     Tigra nodded as she breathed hard.

HP: 118/200        STM: 14/100

     “So, I’ll be putting in the recommendation of having you bump up one class for fighting. If you’re lucky, it could have you graduating and entering combat early.”

     He looked at her now. “For now, you are excused from class for today, seeing as I need to get these weaklings into shape if you’re that far ahead of them. Dismissed, Student Tigra.”

     Tigra saluted before walking away.

[Quest [Trial by Combat] Completed!]

Objective: Defeat your opponent(s) [29/29]

Reward: 25 EXP x29

EXP gained: 270 + 725 EXP = 995 EXP

Leveled up (2x)!

[Hand-To-Hand] gained 2295 EXP

[Hand-To-Hand] has reached LV 5! DEX+1

[Dash] gained 378 EXP

[Dash] has leveled up!

[Run] gained 130 EXP

[Hand-To-Hand LV 8 (259/800) - Increases damage done from weaponless attacks by 16%.] 

[Dash LV 7 (77/700) - Multiplies DEX by (150%+ 7 %).]

…

Tigra

LV 4 (465/700)

HP: 200        HPR: 20

MP: 130        MPR: 22

STM: 100      SMR: 10

STR: 3        DEX: 14

CON: 8           INT: 13

WIS: 11          CHA: 2

Att. Points: 15

Skill Points: 3

…

     Tigra made her way back to the barracks and found it empty, which she understood, seeing as the others wouldn’t be back for about an hour.

     So, she activated Fire and her hands suddenly caught alight. By using Fire on both of her hands, she was using twice the amount of Magic Cost [34] per minute, which would drain her MP entirely in four minutes. However, doing this method gives Fire 2 EXP per second as opposed to the 1 EXP per second.

     So, that’s what she did for a bit. It leveled up four minutes later, reducing the cost to [32] using this method. However, she did need to wait 6 minutes to do it again. Doing it again gave her another 480 EXP, leveling it to 5. After 20 minutes, she gained 970 more EXP, leveling it to 7.

     Having been at it for half an hour, she did grow a bit more happy at seeing that she could use this method for five minutes now, increasing the amount of EXP she could earn in one sitting. With enough time to do it three times but only fully recharge twice, she continued. The first round gained her 600 EXP, the second 650 EXP, and the third gained her 710 EXP.

…

[Fire LV 9 (728/900)]

Magic Control: 8%

[Magic Control - Due to mastering different spells, you are able to use your magic more efficiently. All spells gain a bonus of 8 % based on the purpose. Be it damage, healing, or protecting.]

…

     Tigra had been laying on the bed when the barrack door opened, revealing a worried Adora and Catra following behind her. Adora had yet to look at Tigra and seemed to be talking about something.

     “Seriously, she wasn’t at Medical, despite the rumors we heard. I mean, surely if it was true, she would at least need to see them after, right?”

     Catra did nothing but stare at the relaxed Tigra with a raised eyebrow, who waved.

     “Tigra, did you really defeat your entire class back to back?” Catra asked, causing Adora to stop worrying and swing around to look at where Catra was looking.

     “Yeah. But only like five of them even knew how to properly throw a punch. Only had to use my claws twice and one of them was because they got on my nerves.” Tigra admitted.

     “Tigra! You’re…fine?” She seemed to ask.

     “Yes, Dor. Before you ask, I barely got hurt from start to finish. I was too quick for them.” Tigra dismissed. “How did your days go?”

     “Nothing interesting. Our class is preparing for the exam tomorrow.” Catra spoke. “Nothing like your day. However, there is talk of some town rebelling near one of the kingdoms.”

     They continued chatting for a while, letting Tigra relax from the presence of these two.

Chapter Text

     ‘Another year gone.’ Tigra thought as she sat boredly in class.

     Over the year, she had gotten far enough ahead of the class that she became bored listening to their instructor speak about things she already knew, comprehended, and could even teach others. Considering she has helped Adora and Catra sometimes with their own subjects, she can say she knows the material.

     She decided to check her ‘sheet’ as it’s been classified to see how she’s grown.

Tigra     Age: 10

Level 9 (1175/1700)

HP: 700      HPR: 70

MP: 200      MPR: 30

STM: 350      SMR: 35

STR: 10      DEX: 29

CON: 35        INT:21

WIS: 15      CHA: 10

Att. Points: 0

Skill Points: 10

[H2H LV 13 (259/1300) - Increases damage from weaponless attacks by 26 %.]

[Run LV 16 (134/700) - Increases DEX by 25% + 16 % when running.]

[Dodge LV 4 (175/400) - Has a 4 % chance to dodge an attack that you don’t notice.]

[Reading LV 31 (481/1550)]

[Writing LV 26 (328/1300)]

[Sneak LV 16 (661/1300) - Have a 16.75% chance to avoid detection from someone looking for you. Have a 33.5% chance of avoiding detection from those that aren’t looking or aware of you.]

[Dash LV 21 (777/1000) - Multiplies your DEX by 150% + 21%]

[Electrical Resistance LV 27 (2158/2700) - Decreases damage taken from electrical attacks by 27%]

[Physical Resistance LV 6 (546/600) - Decreases damage taken from physical attacks by 6%]

Spells:

[Flame LV MAX - Can create small flames on the tips of your fingers. Cost: 1 MP/m]

[Fire LV MAX - Can create larger flames that can cover the hands, be used to cook, or be used to light a campfire. Cost: 4.5 MP/m]

[Heat LV 13 (976/1950) - The ability to produce heat throughout various parts of your body. Use of this could balance body temperature or even raise it as an example. Cost: 11 MP/m]

…

     Tigra had tested the ability to increase her stats through exercise, yet quickly learned that her ability doesn’t translate that way. The only way she’s found to increase her base stats are through leveling up skills or by using Attribute Points to increase them directly.

     She had used 10 each to increase her DEX and CON, 5 for STR, 4 for INT, 3 for WIS, and 8 for CHA. While Charisma doesn’t seem to be doing much for her at the moment, she didn’t like seeing a 2 next to all her other stats. After increasing it though, she found herself able to take charge of group projects and could more easily find ways to motivate others to do what she wanted.

     Tigra focused on her Skill Points before another menu opened up, asking if she wanted to upgrade or create a skill/spell or purchase a trait.

     That had popped up when she reached Level 5 about 6 months ago. Or, more accurately, when her Skill points would have reached 5 total points at one point.

     She had held off on using her points but had seen herself falling slowly behind the others and refused that.

     So, she focused on [Purchase Trait] before a list of available traits appeared for her.

[Traits available: ]

[Strong - Permanently increases STR by 15%]

[Quick - Permanently increases DEX by 15%]

[Durable - Permanently increases CON by 15%]

[Smart - Permanently increases INT by 15%]

[Wise - Permanently increases WIS by 15%]

[Charming - Permanently increase CHA by 15%]

…

[Improved Regen - Multiplies HPR by 2]

[Enhanced Regen - Multiplies MPR by 2]

[Healthy as a Horse - Multiplies SMR by 2]

…

[Pyromaniac - EXP for [Fire Magic] is doubled. Stackable with other multipliers]

[In the Shadows - The level influence of [Sneak] is increases by 50%]

[You are Speed - For 2 minutes, DEX is multiplied by 3. Can only be used once a day]

…

     While there aren’t any that would influence her too much right now, [Quick], [Enhanced Regen], and [You are Speed] are ones that she does want. She thought of the pros and cons of them.

     ‘[Quick] would be active constantly and it affects my speed, ability to dodge, and damage I do in an attack. Con, my DEX is already pretty high and doesn’t need to be increased right now.’

     ‘[Enhanced Regen] would be useful since, unlike my HPR and SMR, MPR is directly linked to my WIS. So, unless I focused on Magic, my MPR would stay lower in numbers compared to the other regens. Con, I’m not planning on using Magic enough to be recognized for it for now, especially with Shadow Weaver still my superior.’

     ‘[You are Speed] would be a good last resort in case I get in trouble. But I believe that I can remain alive and out of that big of trouble for now.’

     With the pros and cons thought of, she decided to get [You are Speed] and [Quick].

Trait [You are Speed] and [Quick] has been purchased for 10 Skill Points.

…

DEX: 29 → 33

...

     With all of that done and having nothing else to mess with with the sheet, she was forced to tone back into what this instructor had been talking about, yet found herself intrigued.

     “Today, those of you who haven’t been placed into squads yet will be when you move to your barracks. Those on your squad will remain so unless they are expelled or removed from action via injury or death.” They informed.

     *Bing*

     “Remember to study. You have your final exam in two months that will determine if you will be moving to the 3rd year of the Academy or if you have wasted our time and must do this again. Dismissed.”

     Tigra hopped out of her chair before making her way out of the class and made her way to the gym with a wide smirk as she prepared herself for her routined quest reminder if they are to fight today. They usually fought about once a week in her combat class with the other days training the body or seeing how far our limits were.

     For Tigra herself, it was easy for her to figure out her limits since her limits could be calculated by her in a few moments. She could [Run] for about 40 minutes before she would collapse, [Dash] for 10 minutes, fight for 30 minutes without breaks, and could take about 40-55 direct hits in a fight with her fellow students before she would need to end the fight one way or another.

     The ones not like her? They could run for maybe 10 minutes, dash for 3, and maybe fight for 12 minutes. They aren’t neat and consistent like she was, yet she preferred that. It always reminded her that not everything comes down to just numbers. Kept her from becoming detached with reality.

     As she walked into the gym, she was greeted by her class and Mr. Baston once more.

     “Anyone here willing to fight Tigra?” He asked them.

     No one raised a hand at this, which only made her smirk harder. 

[Quest [Trial by Combat II] completed!]

Reward: 35 EXP x29

1015 EXP gained.

Leveled up!

Tigra

Level 10 (480/1900)

Att. Points: 5

Skill Points: 1

…

     This had become the norm for her after she had beaten everyone in this class without getting hit and had started to use her claws more and more, leaving more and more people unwilling to fight her where she was given free reign to use her claws.

     “Alright, Tigra, you know the drill.”

     “Run until I can’t, take a small break, and repeat for the rest of class time.” She recited off.

     Baston nodded before Tigra started doing just that. She wanted to level up Dash as she noticed that it increased CON by 2 when it reached level 5.

     But she didn’t just run. No, she also practiced another control spell she acquired from her Skill Point purchases, specifically Heat.

     By using this while using Dash , she would gain EXP while it used Stamina while also having Heat gain experience by using Magic Points. Two separate energy points were being used without interfering with each other.

     By focusing Heat to four separate areas, arms and legs, she could turn the meager 11 MP/m cost to 44 MP/m while also having Heat gain 4x the EXP per second.

     ‘I’ll run out of MP in 5 minutes and STM in about 10 minutes. Heat should gain about 1200 EXP when I run out of MP while Dash should gain about 780 by the time I need to stop running. With my regens, I’ll stop for 7 minutes to let MP refill and STM refill by roughly 70% before starting this pattern for the next hour.’ She thought out while already doing that plan.

     ‘This method lets me empty and refill my MP 5 times when class is over. Stamina will never fully refill but will allow me to use Dash entirely with only four breaks in between, each giving 600 EXP for every break after the first.’

     She had done this for months on end since this became her basic once a week activity. The upside: Run, Dash, and any spells she could use without them being seen could be upgraded at a much faster rate.

     The downside: H2H , Dodge , and Physical Resistance had slowed down since she hadn’t been able to fight people as often as she used to.

     In fact, it has been long enough for her to get confirmation on how much damage she could deal with her hits. She knows her numbers are starting to get high enough that the multipliers for DEX are starting to show. It could become problematic if she doesn’t learn how much others can actually take.

     So, she did her training for the next hour before class ended once more.

…

[Dash] gained 3180 EXP

[Dash] leveled up! LV 21→22

[Heat] gained 6000 EXP

[Heat] leveled up! LV 13→16

…

     Tigra opened the door to her barracks and came upon a strange sight.

     A blond haired human that she vaguely remembered from the first day of the Academy was on the ground, covered by a load of papers with only his head and feet visible. He seemed to have grown taller by a few inches but still retained the noodle-like arms that she thinks she remembers him having.

[Kyle        Age: 10]

   [LV: 7      Reputation: 32 [Friendly]]

… 

     She couldn’t think of anything that she’s done for him to have that high of an opinion of her. All she’s done is fight anyone willing to fight her.

     Near him, the Reptilian Rogelio held his green, scaly face in one of his hands. He stood about 2 or 3 inches taller than Tigra with claws permanently out and a tail behind him.

[Rogelio       Age: 10]

[Level: 8       Reputation: 15 [Friendly]]

…

     Again, nothing stood out to her about what she could have done and at this point, it is just confusing and slightly annoying her.

     Off to the side, Lonnie was leaning against a bed frame and seemed to be laughing slightly. Her arms seemed to have gained some muscle over the past year.

[Lonnie         Age: 10]

[Level: 9        Reputation: 27 [Friendly]]

…

     'Alright, the moment it comes up, I’m asking what I’ve done to make them friendly towards me when I’ve barely interacted with them.’ She thought.

     The mood stopped as the trio looked over at her with varied expressions. Kyle seemed to be nervous to be in the same room as her while underneath a mess that he likely made, Rogelio seemed to be appraising her before finding something he liked, and Lonnie narrowed her eyes at her.

     “The two bunks closest to the doors are mine, Adora, and Catra’s sleeping spots.” Tigra said, walking over to one of the beds and picking up a nearby book.

     She sat on the bed before opening the book and starting to read.

     “So…” Kyle spoke after about 15 minutes. “I guess we’re going to be squadmates?”

     Tigra looked at them.

     “What are your specialties?” She should have expected the ‘huh?’ from Kyle. “Mine are speed and,” With a snap, her left hand caught aflame, taking them back, “Magic.”

     With a quick wave of her hand, the fire went out and returned back to her book.

     “Weapons and close-combat.” Lonnie spoke, catching Tigra’s attention, which could be noticed by her ear flicking.

     “Really? Like to go a few rounds later?” Lonnie simply shrugged, not giving a yes or a no.

     Rogelio growled and hissed, making Tigra look at him with an eyebrow raised.

     “Med-ical and Mech-anic.” He pronounced as he went.

     Tigra nodded slowly.

     “Can that growl and hissing language be taught?” To her surprise, Rogelio nodded with surprise in his eyes. “I will need to learn that to communicate more clearly.”

     “I-uh, seem to do better with small guns and machinery.”

     “Adora focuses on strength and speed as her second. Otherwise, she’ll be focusing on staff, leadership, and hand-to-hand combat.”

     “Isn’t she overachieving there?” Lonnie asked.

     “With Shadow Weaver taking a special interest in you, you either swim or sink. Catra and I won’t let her sink.”

     “Oh yeah, she’s our Squadron Leader right? What is she like?”

     “Annoying, cruel, task driver, and more.” Tigra spoke off the top of her head. “Give it two weeks, you’ll have her personality figured out as you will in three more years.”

     “And Catra?”

     “Speed and strategy. She’s more likely to plan something out for us than to let us do something without at least a contingency in place.

     “Catra, Adora, and I are trying to become Force Captains as soon as we can. Do any of you three have goals that you want to complete as soon as you can?”

     “I just want to finish my missions, fight, and if I become a Force General, so be it.” Lonnie told her after a moment of quiet. “So, I'll only say this once, thanks for helping me improve my combat ability.”

     Tigra blinked before trying to think if she’s actually fought Lonnie before in combat.

     “I…don’t have any memory of fighting you.”

     “You wouldn’t.” Lonnie looked away slightly. “I fought you last year in combat class. We saw each other for maybe two weeks before you were pushed ahead to the next combat class. Despite that, you showed how little strength meant if I can’t actually hit my opponent.”

     “Sounds similar to how she helped me.” Kyle spoke up.

     “How, in Lord Hordak’s name, did I help you?”

     “Well, the few times I would get picked on in classes, you kinda tended to…draw attention to yourself. When they tried to fight me, you tended to call them out as your vict…um, sparring partners and knocked them down with a few hits. Afterwards, they seemed to think you cared about me. So, they left me alone.”

     “Well…while not my intention, I don’t mind that that action occurred.”

     Rogelio started to grumble and hiss while Tigra narrowed her eyes.

     “While I don’t know exactly what you just said, did it have anything to do with me beating up someone or defending someone like I did with Kyle?”

     Rogelio nodded lightly.

     ‘Well, that explains why they have a good opinion of me already: I’ve accidentally helped them in one way or another when all I’ve been doing is focusing on improving my H2H and other skills.’ Tigra confirmed. ‘Well then, at least this will be an easy transition for me.’

[Quest Added!]

Moving up the Ranks

Once you graduate, you will be made a Senior Cadet. From there, you will have to provide results or prove your competence to be promoted to the next tier: Force Captain.

Objective: Be promoted to Force Captain

Bonus Objective: Achieve the promotion within a year of graduation.

Rewards: 10000 EXP, [Title: Force Captain], ???

…

     That was how their squadron began and things only continued from there. 

     Adora seemed determined to be the best that she could become. She more or less mastered the staff, picked up strategy classes, joined Lonnie and Tigra in hand to hand classes, and started to put on muscles. Some of Tigra's protectiveness over the two of them seemed to have rubbed off onto Adora, which caused some tension to pop every now and then between her and Catra.

     Catra only got faster and smarter with time. Tigra isn’t sure but she’s pretty confident in saying that she is only faster than Catra due to the boosts she gets from her skills. Catra also took up small weapons, like daggers, stun batons, and also a whip. She says that she just likes the motion of the whip. While Catra had a rough spot in the beginning when it came to making bonds with the squadron, she eventually gained a friendship with Rogelio and, begrudgingly, Lonnie. She would make fun of Kyle every time he messed something up, yet she seemed to make up ways to help Kyle improve.

     Lonnie grew stronger and more tough thanks to her continuous fighting with Tigra. Since Adora joined them in combat classes more often, Lonnie seemed to have grown to respect Adora, despite how much Shadow Weaver seemed to favor Adora over the rest of them. She got along more with making fun of Kyle and sparring with Tigra more than the others.

     Rogelio grew slightly happier at being able to talk in Lizard Tongue, his native language, more often than before ever since Tigra had shown that she actually meant it about learning Lizard Tongue. He also became the main mechanic of the squadron if something of theirs broke and they didn’t know how to fix it. He seemed to have grown close to Kyle since he spent most of his time with him.

     Kyle actually grew to become a pretty good marksman and medic throughout the years. The main downside for him though is that he becomes a lot more clumsy when he has to deal with those that have some expectation of him. He deals best when it is only Rogelio, Lonnie, or Tigra with him if someone has to be with him. Anyone else, they see ‘useless’ Kyle due to his nerves. As in he would mess up the simplest of things, like not knowing where their homework would be when it was right in front of his face.

     And Tigra? She continued growing, fighting, improving her skills, anything that could put her ahead when they entered the war. After all…

[Quest Complete!]

The Academy

Rewards: 20000 EXP, Cadet Promotion

…

Due to reaching Level 25, a special announcement has been made. As of now, you will be receiving 10 Attribute points and 2 skill points per level up. This will be adjusted once more at Level 50 and 75 respectively.

However, the EXP required will increase once Level 50 has been reached and once more at 75.

…

     Time has run out.

[Tigra       Age: 17]

Level 28 (680/5500)

HP: 1750      HPR: 175

MP: 590       MPR:180

STM: 875      SMR: 175

 ...

STR: 23        DEX: 99

CON: 88        INT: 51

WIS: 56       CHA: 34

Magic Control: 20%

 ...

[H2H LV 69], [Run LV 57], [Dodge LV 38]

[Reading LV 72], [Writing LV 68], [Sneak LV 43], [Dash LV 68]

[Electrical Resistance LV 81], [Physical Resistance LV 34]

... 

Spells:

[Flame LV MAX], [Fire LV MAX], [Heat LV MAX]

[Heal LV 8 - Heals target by 133 HP/m. Cost: 12 MP/m]

[Haste LV 17 - Multiplies Dex by 25%. Cost: 35 MP/m]

...

Traits:

[Night Vision - Allows you to see in very dim lighting]

[Magical - Allows you the ability to use magic]

[Huntress - Increases final DEX by 25%]

[Primal Instincts - You are aware when someone around you has the intent to harm you]

[You are the Weapon - doubles the bonus from Hand-To-Hand]

[Quick - increases final DEX by 15%]

[You are Speed - for 2 minutes a day, DEX is multiplied by 3]

[Healthy as a Horse- Stamina Regen is multiplied by 2]

Chapter Text

     Tigra was getting ready for the day. She brushed her long, black hair that went halfway down her back, pulled up her long gray pants that stopped halfway down her shins. She clasps her brown belt where her dark yellow shirt met her pants, keeping them around her waist, which grew a little larger over the years.

     That’s all she really needs to do for the beginning of her day. She prefers to wear thin shoes that only prevent the cold metal from touching her fur and keeping the bottom of her feet clean.

     A crackle came from the PA system in the room.

     “Squadron Alpha, report to the training room immediately for evaluation.”

     Tigra walked her way there before getting a ping from her communicator when she was roughly halfway there. She looked down at it and saw that Adora had messaged her.

     ‘How are you and Catra the fastest people on the squad yet you both seem to be late more often than not?’

     ‘I’m on the way, geez. Catra’s likely on her way as well. I’ll be there in three.’

     With that, she put it back in her pocket before picking up the pace slightly to get there when she said she would.

     She entered the room before grabbing the simulation goggles they were to wear so they could simulate battles easier.

     She heard a quiet thump near her.

     “Go for Adora while I go for the small ones?” Tigra asked.

     “You get Adora.” Catra told, putting her own on.

     Tigra nodded before moving across the room and seeing Adora start to fall into a pit. She jumped and kicked the large bot away before grabbing onto Adora’s wrist.

     “You hanging in there?”

     “Really? You guys got here late enough for us to do the hard parts?” She asked.

     Tigra pulled her up hard, where her feet came out of the hole and back onto stable ground.

     “I’ll have you know that Catra went to help the pinned down squadron.” Tigra snarked/defended while pointing in the general direction. “Besides, I have to make sure that you guys aren’t getting lazy with me on the team.”

     Adora rolled her eyes at that but gave a smirk in return.

     Adora had placed 1st in the Academy when they graduated, Tigra in 2nd, and Catra in 5th. Academics and work aren’t what Catra’s best known for but she is far from stupid or lazy. She just puts effort into things that she prefers instead of putting effort into everything she doesn't.

     “Training exercise complete.” The PA spoke.

     “Come on, I know that you want to get this gear off as much as Catra and I do.” Tigra gestured towards the locker room that they were to leave their gear after finishing up.

     “Yeah.”

******

     They were putting the devices up while Catra was laughing in her squeaky laugh.

     “Come on, guys.” Adora groaned out. “We’re senior cadets now. I can’t believe that you both are still pulling these immature- is that a mouse?!”

     Both Catra and Tigra’s fur stuck up as their pupils narrowed.

     “Where!?” Both of them exclaimed.

     Adora’s laugh was the only thing they heard, causing their fur to go back to normal and frown slightly at her. Not that she did that, but more along the lines that there wasn’t a mouse.

     “Are either of you ever going to not fall for that?” She asked.

     “I don’t know, are you ever going to let it go? It was one time.”

     “Still can’t believe you tripped me so you could get it.” Tigra muttered.

     “You know that nothing’s too low for me.”

     “Adora.”

     That voice killed the mood faster than Tigra could ever run.

     Shadow Weaver floated into the room. Her looks haven’t changed, despite over a decade passing since Tigra knew her.

     “You have done well. You’ve completed your training course in record time.”

     “Uh, well, that wasn’t just me. You know, Tigra and Catra did as well.”

     “Ah yes. How those as unmotivated as you completed the course in that time, I’ll never know.”

     “Always serving up those pep talks, huh, Shadow Weaver?” Catra spoke.

     “Silence.” She said, causing Tigra’s fur to raise and step in front of Catra slightly, drawing Weaver’s attention to her. “Do not be flippant with me, cadet.”

     “Sorry, Shadow Weaver.”

     After seeing her threat work, she turned to Adora.

     “Adora, walk with me.” Weaver told before starting to float away.

     Adora looked at them: Catra shrugged while Tigra looked to the side.

     “Adora.”

     Seeing that nothing could be done, Adora followed after.

     Only once they left, did Catra shove Tigra lightly.

     “I don’t need you to defend me against Weaver.”

     “I will always protect my family from threats.” Tigra said, gaining a frown. “I’m not saying you need it, just that I’ll always help.”

     “Maybe…maybe I don’t want help from Weaver’s second favorite.”

     The room went quiet for a few seconds before Tigra spoke, her eyes narrowing.

     “What is that supposed to mean?”

     “Please.” Catra rolled her eyes. “Shadow Weaver keeps taking you aside privately while you seem to continue growing faster every few weeks. You seem to continue growing more proficient in magic.”

     “Are you suggesting that Shadow Weaver is why I’m growing stronger?” Tigra snarled. “That she's helping me? If you believe that, then you are working with false information.”

     “Then what is the right information, huh?”

     “...I’ll see you later.” Tigra spun around and left the room, leaving behind a frustrated Catra.

******

     Tigra sat on the edge of their spot. It was a place they found when they were 11 when they went exploring. It was at the top of an abandoned building about 25 minutes from the barracks. There were several places to sit down with railings that could hold two people max before snapping.

     It’s a place they would go to get away from the Fright Zone’s atmosphere, people, or just any problem. Here, they could be 100% themselves without someone noticing their weaknesses. Only Catra and Adora have ever seen her tears when she has cried from feeling overwhelmed for one reason or another. They were the only ones that she could trust to not use anything she has said while emotional against her. 

     Afterall, most only looked out for themselves and their ‘family’ in the Fright Zone. And anyone can be kicked out of a family if it benefited them enough to do so.

     She stayed up there for roughly half an hour before someone swung themselves up here. Judging by the quiet sound and how quick it was, she guessed Catra and simply waved behind her, still in her head.

     The conversation from earlier came back to her head. While she could solve the communication issue between them, the answer Catra was looking for would only produce other issues that aren’t as easy to fix and could lead to issues with Shadow Weaver backing out…of their deal. It happened a while ago but it was the main reason why she didn't want either of them finding out about her electric moments.

     Neither of them spoke, just listening to the sound of distant machinery before another sound of someone climbing with some grunts could start to be heard.

     ‘And that would be Adora.’ Tigra thought.

     Once Adora parkoured her way to the top, only then were the first words spoken in the half hour that Tigra had been up there.

     “Look, I’m sorry.” Adora started. “I didn’t think you wanted to be a Force Captain.”

     “I don’t.” Catra denied. “Here, take your stupid badge.”

     Tigra turned around now and saw Adora catch something.

     “Come on, Catra. This is what I have been working for my entire life. I was hoping you could be, I don’t know, happy for me. Maybe both of you?”

     “Whatever.” Catra grumbled. “It’s not like I really care. I just wanna get out of this dump at some point before I die of boredom.” Catra looked out into the distance where the Fright Zone ended. “I wonder what’s even outside the Fright Zone anyway.”

     “With you there.” Tigra spoke up. “Congrats on the promotion, first off. But I do wonder what it actually is like out there.”

     She knew the crock-shite that the Horde had public information against the Kingdoms was just that: propaganda. However, for every three falsities, there often lies a single truth. If she plans on living and not just surviving in the future, she’ll need to know as much as she can about how the kingdoms actually are. Most of that information just so happens to be restricted to Force Captains and Commanders, the rank between Cadet and Captain, and above.

     “Well…” Adora spoke, continuing once the two of them looked at her. “Why don’t we go find out?”

     She held out a vehicle key.

*******

     “I take it back. You’re officially awesome. I can’t believe you actually stole a skiff.” Catra rambled.

     “Borrowed.” Adora stressed. “Please don’t make me regret this.”

     They - Catra and Tigra - had to sneak down into the hanger while Adora could simply acquire a skiff, a small manned vehicle, thanks to her new rank. Adora had gotten the skiff running before the two cats had snuck their way onto the skiff and they shot out of the hanger. It only took a few minutes before they had made some distance away from the Fright Zone.

     Once they had made some distance, Catra spoke up.

     “I’ve always wanted to drive one of these things. Here, gimme.”

     Catra reached across and started driving, pushing down on the lever that controls the gas for the skiff. The sudden increase in speed caused Tigra to suddenly shoot her claws on her right hand out and into the metal flooring.

     “Whoa there. Save us enough fuel to get back!”

     “That is a problem for future us.”

     They started fighting over the driving stick, causing the skiff to start swinging side to side, making Tigra slide around slightly.

     “Woah, woah, wah!” Tigra exclaimed as her claws came undone from the metal, causing her to really start to slide.

     They kept bickering, seemingly not noticing her sliding around, until Tigra spotted a forest coming into view that would soon be in front of their path.

     “Forest!” Tigra exclaimed, stabbing both hands into the metal this time to stop completely stop herself from sliding.

     The skiff came to a hard stop with a slight spin until the nose of the skiff ended up pointing parallel with the forest.

     “What is that?” Catra asked, looking at the forest.

     “I think this might be the Whispering Woods.” Tigra supplied.

     “They say there are strange, old monsters in there, an- and the trees move when you’re not looking. Every Horde squadron they’ve sent in here has never come back out.”

     A pause occurred with the three of them looking at it from the entrance.

     “Let’s go in.” Catra straight up smiled.

     “Wait, what?” Adora asked before yelling as Catra started gunning the skiff into the woods.

     “I am sooo losing one of my nine lives!” Tigra exclaims.

     They weave and bob through the many trees until Adora starts shouting something.

     “-ra! Tree! Tree!”

     Adora grabs the skiff control and flies them almost straight up.

     When they were halfway up the large puprle trees, a vine hit Adora in the head and pulled her off of the skiff.

     “Adora!” Tigra and Catra yell out as the skiff continues going forward.

     Tigra growls in annoyance and worry before speaking.

     “Set it down!”

     Catra set her mouth with a slight downturn before getting the skiff to go back to the ground and towards Adora.

     “Hope she’s not too hurt.” 

     It took a minute before they reached the area where Adora fell.

     There, Catra spotted Adora on her back and ran over to her.

     Tigra got the skiff close to them but stopped a small distance away from them.

     “-dora? Adora!”

     “Hrg? Catra? What happened?” She groaned out.

     “You fell out of the skiff after you drove it into a tree.”

     “No, you drove it into a tree.”

     “For Lord sake!” Tigra threw her hands in the air, approaching. “The important thing is that you fell out of the skiff. Now then, let’s get back on the skiff and get back before someone really does notice we’re missing.”

     “Wait. Where is it? Where’d it go?” Adora started to look around the area.

     “What?” Catra asked, confused.

     “There…there was a sword. It was right here. I tried to touch it, but it got really bright.”

     “Are you brain damaged?” Tigra cocked Adora’s head to the side before looking Adora in the eyes, looking for a concussion or something similar.

     “Don’t be brain damaged. Shadow Weaver’s gonna kill me.” Catra muttered.

     Adora pulled her head out from Tigra’s grasp.

     “I’m not brain damaged. It was here, I saw it.”

     “Well, there’s nothing here now.” Catra confirmed. “So, come on, let’s go.”

     A few minutes later, the three of them were zooming out of the Woods and back towards the Fright Zone.

     Neither of the Magicats noticed Adora looking back though.

******

     It was during the ‘sleeping’ phase of the day when Tigra woke up. Really, it was the light elbow to her side that woke her up.

     She kept her eyes closed as she could tell that Adora has likely been tossing and turning, something she does every so often. It was one reason why Catra liked sleeping at Adora’s feet instead of beside her like Tigra does.

     She feels Adora sit up quickly, likely waking from whatever was causing her distress.

     She stayed quiet as she felt Adora get up and her steps became quieter and quieter. Yet, she continued ‘sleeping’ when Catra also got up.

     While she couldn’t hear it well enough to understand, she could hear the sounds of a conversation before someone returned and nudged her.

     “Unlike Adora, I know you’re awake.” Catra muttered.

     “Well duh.” Tigra whispered before opening her eyes. “What’s the deal? Nightmare?”

     “No, she’s going insane!” She whispered-yelled. “She wants to go back out to the Woods and find that sword she swears she saw. She also wants me to stay because she doesn’t want me getting in trouble on her behalf.”

     Seeing her grumble, Tigra hesitated before speaking.

     “If you hurry, you can sneak aboard. I’ll stay behind and distract anyone?”

     Catra stayed quiet for a moment before shaking her head.

     “No. I don’t want to keep stretching my neck out for her if she keeps doing these things. She'll only start to become more reckless.”

     Tigra sighed. “Catra, you know we’ll get in trouble if Adora's not back regardless, right? Doesn’t matter if we’re here or out there with her.”

     “I might. You-”

     “Stop.” Tigra cut her off. “Just…stop.”

     With that being the last thing she’d say, Tigra closed her eyes and turned back to face away from the center of the bed.

     “If you’re joining me in sleep, remember. I’m a kicker.”

     As sleep started setting in, she felt the bed sink in near her before feeling two furred limbs wrapping around her. She let out a soft rumble before sleep claimed her.

*******

     ...Adora didn’t return by the time Shadow Weaver called Catra and Tigra down.

     “I will ask one last time. Where is Adora?” Her voice held her normal tone yet with a hint of anger.

     “For the last time, we don’t know. We were sleeping and suddenly, she’s not in her bunk.” Tigra lied. “No note or explanation in sight.”

     “We don’t keep her on a leash.” Catra scoffed.

     “I know you two are lying. You three are closer than I would prefer, yet she seems to care for you strays.” Tigra held in her growl. “She would never depart without informing you two.”

     “Then I guess she let all three of us down, huh?”

     Shadow Weaver narrowed her eyes before looking to the side.

     “Have it your way. I already know where she is. I’ve been tracking her.”

     “Your shadow spies.” Tigra realized, catching Weaver’s slight ire if her, once again, narrowed eyes said anything.

     “Then…why did you ask us?” Catra asked.

     Weaver grabs Tigra’s arm, making Tigra slightly nervous.

     “Because you two are going to bring her back.”

     “I don’t think so.” Catra rolled her eyes, yet Tigra’s fur began to stand.

     Not long after, did electricity course through Tigra for a second to get Weaver’s point across. Before, that would have had her on her knees or convulsing, yet it just felt like static.

     “Your insolence will not protect her and will only harm this one. You two will do as I ask.”

     “Or what?” Tigra asked, long since used to the electricity so something that should have caused pain only felt like a zap.

     Shadow Weaver looked her in the eyes.

     “Or you both will suffer the consequences in her place.”

     Tigra didn’t hold back her growl that time, only to be met with a slightly stronger shock.

     “Do not forget who is the one who holds your leash, stray .”

     With that, Weaver floated away with Tigra keeping her snarl.

HP: 1700/1750

     ‘Without my resistance, those two shocks would have done-’

[Electricity resistance gained 263 EXP]

     ‘Well, that much.’

     “Tigra…” Catra spoke, causing her to look at her.

     “What?”

     “You…you weren’t phased by that amount of electricity going through you.”

     Tigra stayed silent, realizing that Catra had finally seen this happen for the first time. She had been careful to keep any sign of being hurt away from her and Adora, only for it to potentially have gone down the drain due to Weaver's suddenness at displaying her emotions.

     “Why weren’t you phased?”

     Tigra could not give a good answer as Catra seemed to think that she was Weaver’s second favorite up to now. Coming back unscathed after every meeting likely didn't help her case.

     So, she simply started to walk away.

     Catra reached out and grabbed her wrist. “Tigra! Please…why didn’t that surge of lightning from Shadow Weaver affect you?”

     Tigra pulled her hand free and left with one sentence.

     “It does no good explaining it for either of us.”

     Catra watched as Tigra quickly made distance, a heavy feeling settling in her stomach.

[Quest Added!]

Thaymor

You and Catra have been assigned as part of the soldiers being sent to capture Thaymor from the Rebellion. Shadow Weaver has also commanded that you retrieve Adora, should she be there.

Objective: Capture Thaymor

Bonus Objective: Return with Adora

Reward: 4000 EXP

Failure: Shadow Weaver’s Anger

*******

     Tigra watched from inside the village of Thaymor. She had decided to sneak into the village, which was ridiculously easy, with her 142% chance of not being detected since this was an ordinary village without vigilant guards.

     She looked across the various food stand and past the play - whatever that was - but her eyes stopped on someone they were forced to learn about.

     From their pink, sparkly hair to her purple outfit and boots. Her white forearm gloves and blue cape with sparkles.

     This was Princess Glimmer of the Kingdom of Brightmoon, heiress to Queen Angella, the main enemy of the Horde.

     ‘Her powers include bright, physical balls of light and teleportation, if I’m remembering correctly.’

     Suddenly, explosions started occurring on the other side of the town. Tigra frowned as they started the attack without a notice. What if she was in the attack zone?

     She pressed her communicator.

     “This is Tigra, thanks for the heads up.” She spoke sarcastically.

     “Seeing as you're still speaking, you’re still alive.” The current Force Captain she had been placed under snarked back.

     “If you had waited, I could have informed you that there is a princess here.”

     “A princess!? Are you sure?”

     “Well, unless I’m staring at the Princess of Brightmoon’s twin, then I’d say yeah, I’m sure I’m looking at the glittery Princess Glimmer.”

     “What is her current location?”

     “Heading towards Squadron...Hoot.” She tracked. “Alongside some kind of archer with trick arrows.” She watched as two soldiers were held in place by some kind of adhesive.

     She kept directing more soldiers to the area until she and the archer vanished.

     “The Princess and archer have teleported. I no longer have a visual. I repeat, I no longer have a visual on the Princess or archer.”

     “Acknowledged Tigra. Return to your squad, we’re about to wrap up here.”

     “Understood, Tigra out.”

     With that, she started jumping across the tops of the buildings for a few minutes before seeing a tank stopped on the outskirts of the village with Catra and several other soldiers surrounding the archer.

     She about dropped down before being blinded by light. She covered her eyes before seeing…

     'Woah .'

     An eight foot tall woman with long golden hair floating about. She wore white clothing with white short shorts underneath a short-skirt with red lining the inside. On her chest was a golden, eight pointed armor piece with a teal jewel in the middle. She had a golden tiara with wings pointed above her head and golden gauntlets that went down to her elbows. With a red cape that went down to the middle of her muscular calves. Her right hand held a blue bladed sword with a golden guard and pommel.

     Yet her eyes were a magical blue that looked strikingly familiar.

HP: 97875/97875

…

     ‘...That’s a lot of HP.’ She thought.

     The woman pierced the ground with her sword before the ground gave way underneath a large number of soldiers and bots. She pulled the blade out just as a tank shot at her, yet she deflected the shot. She jumped to the tank and sliced the barrel, destroying the tank due to energy feedback. More soldiers charged forward, yet they were all smacked back by the blade before she straight up picked one of their bots up by the leg and threw it away. 

     Tigra grimaced before pulling her magic and activating Haste. Right after, she activated You are Speed, which multiplied her DEX by 3 times.

     She crouched down before dashing.

     She appeared in front of the woman before slamming a kick into her head.

[2330 damage done!]

     The woman staggered back before Tigra slashed at her, yet the woman seemed to anticipate it and barely brought her sword to block it and Tigra learned something important.

     That sword is strong as fuck.

     She jumped back before dashing once more and this time, she landed a good swipe at her waist.

[2798 slashing damage done!]

     However, the woman managed to get a hit in, sending her across the ground, causing her to lose the focus needed to keep Haste going, making her lose the extra speed.

[1480 Damage taken!]

     She struggled to her feet before something cut through the chaos.

     “Retreat!”

     Tigra snarled but knew that it would be best to follow that order and quickly returned to Catra, holding her chest.

     Only when they started to leave did Tigra see the woman glow…

     Revealing the giant woman to have been Adora.

     She also watched as the archer jumped and hugged her from behind.

******

     After making distance, Catra seemed to have noticed something wrong.

     “Are you okay?”

     The reason why was that Tigra seemed to be walking with a limp in her steps.

     Tigra looked at her HP.

HP: 250/1750

     “I…I don’t think so.”

     The reason? Her health hasn’t moved a single digit upwards, despite 10 minutes having passed.

HPR: 0 [Suppressed: 107 minutes remaining]

     “Whatever makes Adora that giant woman…it affects my recovery rate. I should be good as new, yet I still hurt the same amount from when we left the battle.” Tigra explained.

     “Well, then maybe you should leave that woman to me. After all, I don’t have a disadvantage when fighting them.”

     Tigra opened her mouth before wincing and clutching her chest as the pain worsened.

HP: 246/1750    [-4 HP/m: Bleeding]

     “Let me rephrase that,” Tigra started. “I am not okay.”

     Catra’s eyes widened before shooting forward and catching a falling Tigra.

     “MEDIC!”

H2H gained 5218 EXP

H2H leveled up! LV 69→70

STR and CON have increased by 1

Physical resistance gained 2271 EXP

Magic Resistance discovered!

[Magic Resistance LV 1 [450/500] - Through being affected negatively by non-elemental magic, your body is slowly growing more resistant. All effects - debuffs or damage - against you by non-elemental magic is reduced by 1%]

[Quest [Thaymor] Failed!]

…

     Tigra closed her eyes before darkness took her.

Chapter Text

     Tigra opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling, seeing the white of the medical bay. She looked around the room and noticed several injured soldiers in the bay. Almost all of them belonged to the invasion force against Thaymor.

     The sound of light beeping entered her ears a few seconds later, causing her to lazily move her head towards the direction and found herself hooked up to a device with several numbers on its screen. She recognized blood pressure and oxygen intake but other than that, the numbers meant nothing to her.

     She tried sitting up but felt a slight pinch against her skin and looked down. She wore some kind of medical garb that she could tell had nothing on her chest, yet she still had the gray pants she usually wore.

     She found an opening and pressed her hand on the area that felt off and found bandages on her chest and gut that wrapped all the way around. She messed with it and found that it was lightly stuck to itself or other bandages.

     She took a look at her sheet and came upon a new discovery.

Tigra   Age: 17

Level 28 (1280/5500)

HP: 1200/1775*      HPR: 120

MP: 590/590      MPR: 120

STM: 600/887.5*      SMR: 120

STR: 16* (24)      DEX: 66* (99)

CON: 60* (89)      INT: 59

WIS: 60      CHA: 34

Status: Weakened [13:14:37:42]

*Your body may be strong and fast healing, but there are methods out there that can limit or detriment your body. While weakened, your stats are lowered based on how hurt and what affected the body.

…

     “Great. While not a large hit to Strength, that really hurt my Dexterity.” She muttered to herself before looking at the time going down every second. “To make matters worse, I’ll be like this for the next 13 days.”

     She leaned forward completely this time before seeing a button next to her and recognized it as the call button. She’s come here before when she’s gotten injuries that her healing factor could take care of but would still rather get the opinion of someone who knew their shit, especially when she was younger.

     As she grew, she had slowly stopped coming here when she had gotten hurt, seeing more and more proof the kind of injuries that her body could heal on its own.

     She pressed the button before it glowed yellow, indicating that it had been pressed. The reason she had been told in the past is that the glow is to tell the patient that the signal had been sent and doesn’t need to be pressed multiple times.

     Doing so tends to make the staff believe that an emergency is happening and not someone just calling a nurse or doctor to ask a question.

     A few minutes go by before a woman just taller than her walks in, her short crimson hair bouncing with her steps, her eyes trailing what must be her medical record as they slowly went in one direction before returning to where they started.

     Her green eyes look up from the clipboard.

     “Been awhile, Tigra. I started to think you became afraid of me.”

     “Anyone would be afraid of you Doc. If you aren’t slightly afraid of the people who know how to break a bone to reset it, you don’t have the right priorities.” Tigra admitted. “Anyways, can I leave Rose?”

     “Once I inform you of your injuries and give you the needed prescriptions, then you only need to sign out and you’re good.” Rose informed. “Desperate to get back out there or bored?”

     “A mix of both. You no doubt know that I can’t stand sitting in one place I don’t want to for long. But I also have a duty now to be ready to be sent back out to fight as soon as I can be.”

     Rose rolled her eyes. “Great, you’ve been infected by Restless Soldier Syndrome already. You were already a pain enough without it. If you keep that mentality, you and I will be seeing each other much more often than we like.”

     “Nah.” Tigra waved off. “That new princess was the cause of this.”

     Rose inhaled sharply. “The one that injured 100 soldiers without a scratch and could throw our combat drones with one hand with ease? The one that at least two dozen soldiers are dead due to her actions?”

     “100 huh. More than likely though. 8 feet tall with long blonde hair?” She received a nod. “That’s the one.”

     “You are aware just how close you were to entering the other category, right?”

     “I know I was hurt. Why don’t you give me my wounds analysis?”

     “Well, you had a couple of fractured ribs, a thinly cracked sternum, and a couple of ruptured blood vessels.” She read off. “When you arrived, I had been informed that the field medic patched you up as best they could, but you were still on Death’s door when we got to you. You required some transfusions and a surgery to fix you up.”

     She looked at Tigra with some seriousness.

     “We know that you have a strong healing factor, yet it seemed noticeably absent for the first hour after you arrived. Only once we had gotten you out of surgery did it seem to start kicking in. Can you think of any reason why that may have happened?”

     “My opponent and the surgery.” Tigra answered. “My opponent seems to have some kind of ability to halt my healing factor. I noticed it about 10, maybe 15 minutes after we retreated. By then, my surface wounds should have started to close, if not completely close. Yet, the wounds stayed the same. As for the surgery, it wouldn’t make sense for it to try and heal what is being done if something or someone is already helping with fixing me.”

     In reality, the surgery likely counted as ‘battle’ since she would have been taking constant damage and healing from their methods. Thus, her healing factor would not have engaged at full potential while under surgery.

     Rose started to write things down.

     “But I feel fine now, with the exception of a little fatigue.”

     “Well, then I need to get your prescriptions to help you recover if you plan to go back out there so soon.” Rose informed before leaving.

     She came back later with some pain relievers and some pills that provide extra nutrients needed to help repair any lasting bone damage and help increase blood reproduction to replace any loss of blood.

     A few minutes and she was walking out of the hospital with her slightly damaged shirt, her armor not being enough to completely stop the powerful blow from whatever the hell Adora had turned into. She thought about heading back to her barracks until a soldier approached her.

     “Senior Cadet Tigra?” He asked for clarification.

     “I am her.” She nodded.

     “Lord Hordak wishes for you to report to his throne room for debriefing.”

     Tigra did nothing but blink from surprise.

     “Huh. Alright, I’ll make my way there.”

     The soldier nodded before leaving, likely to inform his superior that the message had been delivered and that she was on her way.

     She changed directions to head to the throne room and had to pass a few younger soldiers and she began to hear strange things.

     “That’s her? Thought she’d be bigger.”

     “She was a blur. Practically unseen.”

     “Took a hit straight to the chest and walked it off like it was nothing for over ten minutes.”

     “Only one who seemed to deal actual damage.”

     At first, it was interesting but it quickly grew old on her 10 minute trip until she reached the throne room, which opened for her.

...

     She walked into the throne room before kneeling in front of Horde Lord Hordak. His body was hidden by the shadows that stopped roughly 8 feet in front of her. His red eyes seemed to glow in the dark.

     “Senior Cadet Tigra.” He started. “I’ve heard many stories involving you from the past day. Inform me of what occurred on the mission of Thaymor yesterday from the moment you arrived to the moment you retreated.”

     “Yes, Lorde Hordak.” She started.

     If there is one singular person you don’t get on the bad side of, it is the one running the kingdom that you are currently inhabiting.

     “At 1700, we arrived at Thaymor. I informed my Force Captain that I could sneak into the town and provide reconnaissance of any potential guards and locations of importance potentially missed before we had arrived. While undercover in the city, I had discovered a princess hiding among the city folk. Princess Glimmer, the Princess of Brightmoon.”

     Lord Hordak’s eyes narrowed at hearing the princess of the kingdom that had been a thorn in his side had been hiding among them since the beginning of the attack.

     “Before I could radio it in, someone had ordered an attack on the opposite side of town, quickly drawing the princess’s attention. Only by seeing her head in that direction, did I notice that she had a companion. An archer with different versions of trick arrows, not limited to adhesives, nets, and armor piercing arrows. After 10 minutes, the two of them teleported out of my sight. I was then ordered to return to my squadron. After I arrived, Senior Cadet Catra and several other soldiers we were assigned to were about to either capture the archer or eliminate him. Then…it happened.

     “A blinding light occurred before a new foe appeared. An eight foot tall woman, muscular, and a blue bladed sword. She stabbed it into the ground before the ground seemed to implode underground and gave way under our troops. A few of our combat drones attacked, only for the woman to easily pick them up and throw them to the side. A couple of our troops rushed the woman but were easily swept to the side.

     “Seeing as the normal soldier would only get injured or killed, I decided to intervene and provide some breathing room if possible. I used a spell to help bolster my speed and engaged. I managed a successful first hit against her, yet she seemed more surprised to be hit than from any pain I could have inflicted. I followed it up with a second attack with my claws, only for her sword to stop my claws. After a few seconds, I managed to sneak in another hit before she finally landed her own. She had swung her fist to the side with such strength that I practically flew away from her and rolled for about 3 or 5 seconds. That hit almost killed me. I struggled to my feet before a retreat had been called and returned to my Squadron and fell back with them.”

     After giving her report, she went silent. While she may not fear Hordak, he could get in her way much more than Weaver could. While Weaver had magic and experience under her belt, Hordak had Intelligence and technology on his side. This room could be trapped in ways she would never know and would only find out if used against her.

     “Intriguing. This princess came from nowhere and easily out muscled everything thrown at her. From the video retrieved by our remaining bots, she took blaster fire that could knock over a tree in one shot with no scratch.” He leaned forward. “Yet you managed to wound her. While it was nothing more than a light scratch that broke skin, you still did more than the artillery provided for the invasion.”

     “Tell me, Senior Cadet, are you aware of the casualties that occurred? Of the 200 soldiers sent to capture Thaymor, 89 are injured and 23 were killed. The Force Captain you served under for the attack was one of the fallen. We are a Force Captain short.”

     Hordak held out his hand and opened it, revealing a badge with a stray beam of light bouncing off of it, revealing it to have a green outer casing with yellow on the inside with green wings and a small diamond between the bottom of the wings.

     “Will you continue to improve and prove your worth as a Force Captain?”

     Tigra felt like she couldn’t move. She had expected to give a report of the battle and be sent on her way to wait for the next mission she would be sent on. She never would have seriously guessed that Lord Hordak himself would potentially promote her.

     “I…I will. I’ll continue improving until I can confidently say that I will always end my fights.” She declared.

     “Then rise.” He declared before his outline stepped closer to her before he dropped the badge into her hands. “Continue helping us liberate the kingdoms from the princesses, Force Captain Tigra.”

     “Of course, Lord Hordak.”

     “You will be briefed on more information in three days in a meeting that will be sent to your device. Dismissed.”

     Tigra walked out of his throne room while adjusting the badge to sit just above her left breast and looked at the new message.

[Quest [Moving up the Ranks] Completed!]

Rewards: 10000 EXP, Title: [Force Captain], 1x Trait Upgrade

Leveled up! (2x)

Tigra, Force Captain       Age:17

Level 30 (80/5900)

Attr. Points: 20

Skill Points: 4

…

[Titles provide a passive effect with those who know of your position. However, titles can be lost from future actions.]

[Force Captain - This proves to those who know that you are no ordinary grunt of the Horde. With this title, those of the Horde gain 30 Rep with you automatically. However, the opposite is true for most of the Horde’s enemies]

     She narrowed her eyebrows in slight confusion at the extra reward given for being promoted within her first year of service. No later did a screen pop up.

A Trait Upgrade has been acquired. This semi-rare upgrade does exactly as it says. It improves a trait you already have and pushes it to evolve.

Choose a trait you have in possession to upgrade:

Night Vision → Night & Thermal Vision

Stealthy → Silent

Razor Claws → Obsidian Claws

Quick → Speedy

Primal Instincts → Primal Senses

…

[Razor Claws] has been selected to upgrade. [Razor Claws] has evolved to [Obsidian Claws].

[Obsidian Claws - When attacking an enemy with your claws, you do (2*DEX + STR/2) with the bonus of [H2H] included.]

…

     She determined her claws since she would be using them most of the time and would therefore be noticed more times than not. She then got to allocating the Attr. Points she gained and put 2 skill points she just received into [H2H] , seeing as that has been getting slower to upgrade, and 2 into [Dash].

[H2H Leveled up (6x) - 70 →76]

[Dash Leveled up (6x) - 68→74]

Milestone [Hare] reached: 100 DEX. Increases movement speed by 25%.

Milestone [Iron Body] reached: 100 CON. Decreases damage taken by 25% after resistances.

HP: 1383/2075*      HPR: 207.5

MP: 630      MPR: 120

STM: 692/1040*      SMR: 208

STR: 25      DEX: 116

CON: 104      INT: 63

WIS: 60      CHA: 34

Movement Speed: (DEX/9)*1.25. 16 MPH

…

[Quest(s) Added!]

One Step Closer

Now that you have been promoted to Force Captain, there are only two more steps to becoming Horde Lorde. Force General and 2nd-In-Command.

Objective: Become a Force General

Bonus Objective: Become Force General in 2 years

Reward: 25,000 EXP, Title: [Force General], ???, ???

One Step Left

The last step before becoming Horde Lorde is to become the 2nd-in-Command. Through this position, you will learn nearly everything you will need to know to smoothly transfer into becoming the Horde Lorde in the future.

Objective: Become the Second in Command

Bonus Objective: Become the Second in Command in 3 years

Reward: 50,000 EXP, Title: [Second-in-Command], ???, ???

The New Ruler

The time has finally arrived or it is time to plan for the inevitable. One day, you plan to be a/the Horde Lorde, either alone or with Catra at your side. 

Objective: Become a Horde Lorde

Bonus Objective: Become Horde Lorde in 5 years

Reward: 100,000 EXP, Title: [Horde Lorde], 3 trait points, 2 trait upgrades, ???, ???

…

     Tigra looked down at her claws and noticed that they seemed to have grown slightly darker. 

     ‘I wanna fight Adora again.’ She smirked with a hint of want.

     Ever since the third year of the Academy, she hadn’t been able to truly fight to her heart's content due to just how quick she started becoming. No one besides Catra could keep up with her speed and fewer wanted to fight when her claws could come out.

     But that form that Adora took, she barely noticed her attacks yet she gained so much EXP for [H2H] against her, confirming that the skill gains EXP based on how much damage she’s done with that skill.

     ‘Combat skills are based on damage, most spells and non-combat skills seem to increase based on the amount of time working on them or the amount of MP used.’ She determined, walking back to her quarters to rest for the night.

     She passed a few soldiers and noticed a few stood straighter as she passed and it took her a second to remember that she is no longer Senior Cadet Tigra.

     She is Force Captain Tigra.

     The remembrance brought back her smirk all the way until she laid onto her bunk and closed her eyes, happy that the day went better than she expected after failing to take Thaymor.

Chapter Text

     Her next mission turned out to be much later than she thought.

     Her communication device pinged, getting her attention as she was putting her outfit on and picked it up.

     “Force Captain Tigra, you are being sent to the outpost near Plumeria due to Lord Hordak believing that it could be going much faster due to Shadow Weaver being distracted about her missing soldier. You are to take command of the outpost and determine if it could be sped up. The outpost code is 8-Sigma-Delta-2”

     After she finished reading it, she typed a message equivalent to “Understood, I’ll head out now.”

     She has yet to see Catra today, but figured a quick message to her wouldn’t hurt.

     ‘Hey Catra, I’ve been sent out on a mission as soon as I woke up. I likely won’t see you for a week or two, but take care of yourself. I have to leave all of the dumbass energy here with you.’

     With that sent, she made her way down to the garage and commissioned a skiff.

     It took about 15 minutes before she set out, receiving a singular message while waiting.

     ‘Be careful. I’ll still need my future second in command with me.’

     She focused on driving as she should reach the Plumeria outpost in roughly 3 days.

     3 agonizing days of lonesomeness.

…

     “Identity and password.” One of the guards demanded, despite seeing her arrive on a skiff.

     She raised a slight eyebrow but decided to simply do what was asked to make the process easier.

     “Force Captain Tigra, 8-Sigma-Delta-2.”

     The guard seemed surprised if his body language said anything, considering the full body armor they were to wear as Cadets. Including a gray helmet with a green visor.

     “Outpost Commander Jar is located in the middle of the outpost, Force Captain!” He saluted.

     Tigra nodded before bringing the skiff into the outpost, parking it in the garage near the entrance.

     She hopped off before making her way to the command center.

     She looked around along the way and saw many things that explained why Lord Hordak would believe that this outpost may be slacking.

     From the information given to her before leaving, it expressed that this outpost held 70 guards, 10 engineers, 5 scientists, 10 construction workers, and 5 tech people.

     Considering that it was meant to be an outpost and not a permanent foothold, the numbers could be excused.

     What couldn’t would be the 55 guards doing nothing and several workers seeming drinking something alcoholic, given the way they were swaying told anything.

     ‘An outpost this size should always have 30 guards on shift and rotate every 30 minutes. That way any guards coming off duty would have plenty of time to rest before going back out. The important people to this project, such as the engineers and scientists, shouldn’t be prevented from working in any way. This outpost’s job is simple yet important: Deal damage to the Kingdom of Plumeria without actively fighting them.’

     The fact that, to the other kingdoms, they only fought Brightmoon. If they openly attacked another kingdom while they still held neutrality, then it sends the message that the Horde will be attacking all of them, even if they hold neutrality.

     ‘While we will, it is best to attack the kingdoms one by one if possible. Once we move past Brightmoon and attack another though, that message is out in the open. So we want to deal as much damage to all of them before that happens.’

     She walked into the command center and found who must have been Commander Jar, given how he listened to a report given by a construction worker.

     “-in the coming months.”

     “Alright. Meet back up with me in two days and I’ll see if we’ve come up with any ideas on how to approach that.”

     The construction worker nodded with a slight frown.

     They noticed her right after though.

     “Commander Jar?” Tigra asked, making sure of his identity before continuing to talk with them.

     “I am. Lukan was just leaving.” Jar dismissed him.

     He nodded before leaving, looking at her for a moment before continuing out.

     “You must be Force Captain Tigra. I received a notice that you’d be arriving sometime today. However, they didn’t tell me why.”

     “They wouldn’t. I need to be brought up to speed on your projects at taking down Plumeria and their timetables.”

     Commander Jar seemed to understand, walked over to a small filing cabinet, pulled out a folder and held it out to her.

     She took it before speaking.

     “Summarize it for me real quick. Afterwards, I’ll take a look at this.”

     “We are using a large chemical injector to poison the land and plants around to kill them off. We estimate that the forest around Plumeria will die completely within 2 weeks, 3 if the princess gets the idea to start regrowing trees. The Heart Blossom, her source of power, within 2 months given that they will use all they have to keep that tree healthy.”

     Tigra nodded before asking the obvious question.

     “Give me the basics regarding the princess. Princess Perfuma, correct?”

     Jar nodded. “She seems like a pacifist who believes that the Universe will protect them and provide what they need.”

     They both gave a light laugh at that. No one in the Horde kept that mentality after a week of living in the Fright Zone.

     “So she shouldn’t cause any big problems while I’m here as long as we don’t attack her subjects? That’s good news.”

     “Really? From what’s been going around the rumor mill is that you fought a princess. Figured you are wanting a crack at another one.”

     “While I wouldn’t say no to fighting one, that’s not my reason for being here. I’m here to quietly take down Plumeria, remove a princess from the board, and complete the mission given to me.”

     She looked him in the eye again. “I am not battle hungry enough to risk our operation and fury of our Lord.”

     Silence took over for a moment. “Now then, how can we speed up that timetable? Say, within the week?”

     Jar looked hesitant.

     “Do it.” Tigra spoke, surprising him. “I am here because Lord Hordak believes that this outpost is slacking off. From what I’ve seen, he may be right. So I don’t care how angry your people will be at me for making them work overtime. Because their anger will be nothing compared to the anger Lord Hordak will have at having confirmation that this outpost is wasting time and resources.”

     He winced slightly at that.

     “Simply get them working as fast as they can and I’ll inform him that there was a slight efficiency miscalculation that has been taken care of.”

     She started to leave but stopped at the entrance.

     “I am trying to be merciful. I don’t want Lord Hordak’s anger so I will not hesitate to tell him how you have half the amount of guards on patrol and your essential workers being influenced. I will inform him of every flaw I’ve seen and it’s enough to get you removed and half the people here sent back to basic training. So if you fuck up, you’ll be fucking up everyone’s position in the Horde.” Tigra warned. “Now then, I’m going to be in the spare office. Retrieve me if there is an issue that you think I should be aware of.”

     With that, she left and remained in the office for most of the next two days.

…

     It happened while she was walking around when a familiar scent brushed past her nose. She closed her eyes for a moment and focused on the scent. She opened her eyes and quickly started sneaking towards the source.

     It smelled familiar yet different. There were several scents trying to cover the recognizable one but she could work through it with some effort.

     Her eyes traced across the area before landing on the door leading to the injector. She would have made her way there but shift change was called. She watched as a guard opened that door.

     “Hey! What are you three doing here?”

     Her ears twitched as they caught a scoff.

     “What are you doing here? We have clearance, password 5-echo-niner.”

     Tigra resisted the urge to face palm as she knew that voice and the fact she hadn’t considered the obvious response when a Force Captain, candidate or not, suddenly turns traitor.

     “We haven’t used those codes in months. Hands up!” The guard ordered before pressing the alarm and aiming an energy blaster at the group inside.

     “Adora, what do we do?!” A male voice asked.

     “Run!”

     Tigra knew that a fight would likely happen and immediately casted Haste . She waited until three people ran out - Archer, Glimmer, and Adora. She waited for the perfect moment before dashing.

*Adora*

     “Alright, maybe not my best plan, but don’t forget you agreed as well!” Adora proclaimed as they took cover behind barrels. “How many soldiers can you take?”

     “Between 1 and…zero.” He breathed heavily.

     “I’ll take them all on.” Glimmer then started breathing hard. “Just give me…a moment.”

     Adora did not like these odds.

     Especially when Bow let out a large exhale and suddenly disappeared from beside her.

     “Bow!” Glimmer shouted, turning to look behind Adora. “Let him go!”

     Adora started turning when she heard a voice she had been dreading, yet slightly hoping to hear again.

     “So that’s your name? Or is that a code name for an archer?”

     Adora turned around and saw Tigra, holding Bow up by his shirt, his feet dragging on the ground.

     “Funny running into you here, Adora. It’s been a couple of months since you’ve gone missing.”

     “Tigra.”

     Relief flooded through her at seeing Tigra standing alright. She can still remember hitting Tigra in the chest, feeling bones and muscles shift in ways that Adora had known weren’t good.

     It terrified her to this day that she could have killed Tigra and had been thinking she did. Considering that Tigra hadn’t shown up until now, entire months later, Adora feared her strength that she didn’t have control of.

     So, she spent an entire week straight practicing in that form to get a grip on her strength.

     “What’s with that tone?” She asked curiously.

     “Well, you are holding one of my friends by his shirt.”

     “Friend? Interesting. Are you 100% aware that you are aiding the Rebellion, the group that we are supposed to be fighting?”

     Adora…didn’t get what she meant. Surely she knew that was what she meant to do.

     “After all, this could be a misunderstanding. Surely by bringing back the princess right by you, even Lord Hordak would see it as an attempt to bring down our enemy. But if you say that you were aware, you will be declared a traitor of the Horde. Nothing except taking Brightmoon yourself would earn you forgiveness.” 

     She narrowed her eyes at her, yet Adora could easily understand what she left unsaid.

     Choose your next words carefully. Are you with me? Or not?

     Adora looked at her more closely and her stomach dropped slightly at seeing the Force Captain badge. That meant that Tigra had become important to the Horde in one way or another and was under scrutiny now more than ever.

     Before Adora could say a word, Tigra’s ears twitched and she looked to the side slightly, just as the wall came down with a large amount of vines.

     “I’ve always said the Universe would repay the Horde someday!” Perfuma exclaimed, riding the wave of vines. “I guess today is that day!”

     “For She-Ra!” The citizens of Plumeria yelled out.

     “Great.” Tigra grumbled. “First job and I have to deal with a kingdom throwing away their neutrality.”

     The Plumerian people quickly started storming the outpost as Perfuma made her way over.

     Glimmer teleported before grabbing Bow. Tigra let go at the last second and avoided being teleported with them, back to her side.

     Tigra looked between the four of them before breathing in slowly and exhaling. She then crouched as her claws came out while locking eyes with Perfuma.

     “For the Honor of Grayskull!” She exclaimed on instinct alone.

     She quickly turned into the giant form of She-Ra, drawing several eyes.

     Tigra seemed to scowl at her.

     “You idiot.” She growled out. “You’ve made yourself a high priority target.”

     “I’m not scared of Hordak.” She-Ra denied.

     “It isn’t Hordak you need to worry about.” Tigra denied. “Hordak could give a rat’s ass about you right now. No, you’ve just revealed that Adora and this She-Ra are the same person. Weaver’s going to know by tomorrow.”

     She-Ra did pause at that, drawing Glimmer’s attention.

     “And now…I must view you as an enemy.”

     “You don’t need to!” She-Ra suddenly spoke. “Did you know about how bad the Horde was? You could join us and fight them back! Prevent others from going through what we did.”

     Catra may not be willing to listen to her yet, but she could try with Tigra.

     She-Ra saw Tigra glance to the side and saw hesitance before looking back at her.

     “You’ve already left Catra,” The statement felt like a cut to the heart. “I won’t force her to go through that pain twice.”

     She-Ra felt pain in her side and shoulder before her instincts stopped the third attack.

     “You’ve gotten faster.” She told.

     Tigra smirked before backflipping and slicing vines that had gone where she was.

     “Not really.” She spoke as she landed. “I’ve simply had no reason to go this speed, except against this transformation of yours.”

     She ducked under a teleportation punch from Glimmer before she slammed a closed fist into Glimmer’s chest. Glimmer practically almost folded in two before Tigra brought up her other hand and palmed her chin, making Glimmer fly back about 4-5 feet away and groaning hard.

     She-Ra took stock of the situation and noticed Bow on the ground, straddling his stomach, telling her that Tigra must have hit him before he had disappeared from beside her earlier.

     ‘Of the four of us, Bow and Glimmer are down and Perfuma…’

     Perfuma sent a continuous amount of vines to Tigra, yet she kept avoiding and slashing them. When she tried to get closer to her, a circle of vines appeared around Perfuma, preventing her from getting closer without also being caught in the vines.

     Suddenly, Tigra crouched and made a mad dash at her. She ducked under a fist from She-Ra and landed two cross slashes against She-Ra yet had been hit by a held back punch on She-Ra’s part. Tigra quickly made space between her and the duo still standing.

     Tigra stood a good distance away before opening her mouth.

     “Retreat!” She yelled, taking Perfuma and her back. “The outpost has fallen!”

     Right after the command was given, several Horde Soldiers fell back where some civilians started to follow.

     “She-Ra!” Tigra called out. “Control your soldiers or I will remove them.”

     “Perfuma!” She-Ra exclaimed quickly, letting Perfuma know without a doubt that Tigra was serious.

     “Citizens!” She called out. “Let them leave. Let them tell the rest that we won’t let them poison our land anymore!”

     She-Ra watched as Tigra kept an eye on them while keeping track of her own soldiers. As several of them got on skiffs and left until what looked like a commander drove next to her.

     “Force Captain, we’re all that’s left.”

     Tigra nodded before jumping onto the skiff and the commander drove off, Tigra watching for a moment before getting too far away for She-Ra to notice her features anymore.

*Tigra*

     Tigra sat on the floor, touching her shoulder with a wince.

HP: 778/2075 HPR: 10 (Suppressed: 12 hours)

     “For not wanting to fight Princesses, you certainly don’t stick to that message.” Jar started. “Folks are usually terrified of fighting one princess, let alone three at the same time .”

     “Well, not like they could really hit me until the end.” She said, “You don’t have to worry about your positions. I’ll inform Lord Hordak that the outpost was lost when the three princesses showed up.”

     Jar nodded before she let him focus on driving as she looked at her notifications.

[Quest [Join the Rebellion] abstained!]

[H2H gained 25730 EXP]

[H2H Leveled up! 76 →79]

[Physical Resistance gained 2275 EXP]

[P.R. Leveled up! 34→35]

[Magical Resistance gained 455 EXP]

[Magical Resistance leveled up! LV 1 → LV 2]

3250 EXP Gained!

LV 30 (3330/5900)

Title gained: [Princess Fighter]

[With this title, the Horde knows that you're strong enough to take on princesses and come back for more. The Horde are more respectful of you while Princesses are wary of you.]

…

     ‘Considering that I’m not passed out from the fight this time and I haven’t grown that much stronger in terms of CON, Adora must have held back. That, combined with the ability to suppress my HPR, paints this ‘She-Ra’ as a very dangerous opponent to face.’

     She leaned back against the metal, knowing that she would likely take over driving in about 3 or 4 hours.

     ‘Hopefully, Lord Hordak will be understanding about the failure.’ She thought, already typing up her report.

     It would take 3 days to return to the Fright Zone, giving her plenty of time to type down everything from arrival to retreating due to the action of three princesses-Perfuma, Glimmer, and She-Ra.

...

     She had been on the day she would have arrived back when she retrieved a message from the Force General she had been assigned under.

     “In one week after arriving back, you will be sent to the town of Geotan, a 2 day trip near the edge of Salineas. You will be leading a garrison of 45 soldiers and 5 medics. Expect your forces to be met by Brightmoon Soldiers. You are to take the city with as few losses as possible. If you fail this mission, you will be explaining to Lord Hordak in person.”

[Quest Added!]

Taking Geotan

You have been assigned a garrison of 50 Horde Soldiers to take the town of Geotan. This town will be necessary to take in the case that Salineas joins against the Horde, similar to how the Kingdom of Plumeria has.

Objective: Defeat the soldiers stationed in Geotan.

Hidden Objective 1: ???

Hidden Objective 2: ???

Rewards: 100 EXP per enemy, ???, ???

Failure: Possible Demotion, Possible Death

…

     ‘Well…the missions are only going to get harder from here on out.’ Tigra thought, staring down at her communication tablet. ‘But…they’re the main way for me to keep getting stronger.’

     She sighed before looking out from the side of the skiff, watching as her surrounding passed by faster than she could move on her own.

     'For now.'

Chapter Text

     Tigra stayed in her assigned room given to her when she reached Force Captain. Something about how the higher positions needed room to themselves to handle the extra work, especially when that work could often be confidential.

     She had arrived 5 days ago, only to find out that Catra and another Force Captain by the name of Scorpia were sent out to assess the strength of the Sea Gate and potentially take Salineas should it be down or weakened. The trip itself would take 6, maybe 8 days depending on how the waters treated their ships.

     She remembered hearing of Scorpia and had looked deeper into her and remembered just why her name was familiar.

     She was the only Princess on the side of the Horde.

     The Horde had been established in her family’s kingdom and, through one way or another, turned over the Black Garnet, a runestone that helped princesses channel their magic, and their kingdom.

     They only seemed to ask for two things: Princess Scorpia’s safety and to not let Scorpia suffer. As such, once she reached a certain age and graduated from the Academy, she would be granted Force Captain immediately and have an easier road to promotions.

     Lord Hordak would not just give her the positions, but he would allow her to get away with more things than other soldiers.

     Scorpia has been described as strong, a bit of a clutz, and incredibly friendly.

     While checking out her sources, she had gathered quite a number of books on strategies and anything relating to the history of their enemies.

     After all, not every person in a position of a kingdom learns from their predecessors’ mistakes. If a mistake has been made in the past, Tigra could use that situation to her advantage should the chance arise.

     After spending the last few days reading and strategizing, her two skills Reading and Strategy had gone up a few levels. Reading increased to 75 and Strategy to 45, increasing INT by 2 to 67, boosting the maximum MP to 670. She also learned a few interesting things about Princess events and their kingdoms.

     On the sixth day, she summoned all of the soldiers that she would be in charge of and brought them to the training grounds.

     She looked across the 50 soldiers gathered in the area and saw them chatting with a few of each other, seeing as she didn’t speak or gather their attention for a moment.

     After letting them talk for about five minutes, she figured that it would be best to speak up now.

     “Soldiers,” Her voice carried across all of them, catching their attention. “As I’m sure many of you know, we will be heading out to Geotan tomorrow morning at 0900. As such, I figured it would be in your and my best interest to introduce you to your commanding officer for this battle.”

     She looked across all of them and saw a few from the academy that she could have recognized, especially when their faces paled at seeing her.

     “I am Force Captain Tigra. Would the medics step up here beside me.”

     A few seconds passed before the five medics stopped in front of her.

     “All of you, look at these medics. Memorize their appearances. They may not be the ones that will fight beside you, but they will be doing something just as important. They will be fighting Death itself to keep you with us. Make no mistake, this is war. Some of you will not make it to see the end of it, but they will help prevent all of you. If you are injured by the time the battle is over, find them! If you are too prideful, then you are useless! Instead of dying with pride and honor, push them to the side to help end the next battle quicker! A kingdom will remember its fallen, so long as there is a kingdom left to remember them! Be the soldier that many want to be, not the one they want to be remembered as!”

     She could see her words were getting to quite a few of them.

     “I don’t care if you hate one of the healers with every cell in your body. On the battlefield, there will only be the Horde and our enemies. If you can not keep your mindset this way, don’t bother showing up!” Her words shocked a few. “I need soldiers that I can trust to do what they are told. Do what is needed. If you can’t do that, leave now!”

     There was some muttering before someone brave or foolish spoke up.

     “You say that you’ll fight beside us. How are we supposed to know how well you fight?” A young male human asked.

     “Good. You may ask questions if you feel the need, but do not disobey my orders once we are out on the field without having evidence that it would only cause your fellow soldiers harm.” Tigra explained.

     She had read somewhere that introducing one’s self as a commanding officer needed respect and discipline established. By putting a place where she would not be happy with those questioning her and a time she would appreciate it, she is already showing when she expects discipline.

     “As for your question, there is a reason why I had you all gather here in the training room.” She walked out to the middle of the room. “Any of you who wish to test my combat skills yourself, gather to my right.” She pointed to her right. “Anyone who doesn’t, move to the left.”

     After waiting and seeing a few soldiers shuffled around, she found 12 soldiers wished to fight her while the rest were content to watch.

[Quest Created!]

Prove Your Mettle

12 of your soldiers wish to test you on your word of fighting beside them. Whether they don’t believe you or simply want to know how much they can put their lives in your hands, they have challenged you.

Objective: Defeat all of your challengers.

Reward: 50 EXP per defeated challenger.

Failure: Loss of Horde Reputation

     “Good. When the fight is over, the loser is to go see a medic and get worked on by them. This is to get them used to treating someone after they have been hurt.

     “Now then, I will be providing an incentive to be fighting to your best. I do not care if you fight dirty, honorably, or anything. The only rule is that it must be a 1v1 against me. I am doing this to demonstrate my ability, not to send multiple people to the medical bay. To those that manage to beat me via ring out,” She gestured to the 20 ft ring around her. “Tap out, or knock out, you will not be forced on night watch for the duration of this mission. However, if you lose, you will listen to my criticism and advice without complaint. Understood?”

     “Yes, Captain!” Several of them voiced out.

     “Now then, you twelve will set up your order. Don’t worry about me being defeated before your turn. I will fight all of you, regardless of my condition today.”

     As they started coming up with an order, she observed the ones who stayed to the side and noticed that of the 33 combat soldiers, 14 of them had been in her combat classes.

     ‘Good. They know who I am and what I can do. That means that they should know that I will keep as many of them alive as I can. If any of them are bad enough, I could always use Heal and get them out of the critical zone.’ She thought.

     Depending on how badly this battle goes, Heal could level up a few times or not at all.

     She noticed one of the soldiers with silver, shoulder-length hair, blue eyes, a slight burn mark on his right cheek, and was taller than most of them, stepped up and held their hands up.

     “Senior Cadet Harold, graduate of 3 years.” He said, his voice slightly lower than she expected for someone of his size and age.

     She sized him up before looking at the other soldiers who were waiting. “I forgot to mention, I will not be using my claws unless one of you manages to piss me off.” She informed, facing the soldier.

     “Now then, Medic Susan, will you be the countdown person?”

     A lizard person stepped forward before holding her hand in the air.

     Harold tensed up while Tigra stayed relaxed.

     Considering how this is just a spar and would be bad to rough them up bad enough, she would refrain from upgrading her DEX through her methods. Not to mention, she had been getting used to that speed and that was becoming dangerous.

     Most of her fights were over in less than two minutes. The battle tomorrow would not end that quickly unless she focused on ending as many of her opponents as quickly as possible. Even then, she’s not 100% sure that a Princess wouldn’t show up during the fight. At that point, it would be best to keep her abilities hidden and ready.

     “Begin!”

     Harold quickly closed the distance between them and threw a straight punch. Yet Tigra side stepped it, her hands behind her back before shooting her foot out into his side, dealing 316 damage, sending him onto the ground and stopping himself before he would have rolled out of the circle.

     “Come on, Harold.” She chided. “I was not just given my position, I earned it through combat. I did not sit behind a desk and work my way up over years of work. I attained Force Captain within a month of graduating.”

     While on technicalities - such as how she had been in a battle before being promoted due to her commanding Force Captain falling in battle - she hadn’t lied.

     She put her hands on her hip. “So attack me as if I am your enemy, or get out of the circle.”

     She meant it. She saw how his smirk never left his face, his legs moved slower than they should have, and his arm could have been thrown much faster and harder than he did.

     He hadn’t taken her seriously and she would not stand for that level of disrespect aimed at her.

     Harold held his side while looking at her.

     “I mean it.” Her eyes narrowed as her mouth shifted into a slight frown. “Take me seriously, or you will piss me off.” She held her right hand out to the side, her claws clearly visible.

     Harold made his way back up before seemingly getting more serious. His stance grew closer to the ground and his arms drew closer to his chest.

     ‘Good. If he continued as he did, I would have made his wound bloody.’

     Harold made his way towards her slower than before before he suddenly dashed at her when he was just out of range. He threw another punch that she sidestepped, yet he had anticipated that and thrown his other fist to where she would have been, had she not crouched under.

     She kept dodging, yet she noticed that instead of growing more and more frustrated, he seemed to be learning. To the point that the reason she could keep dodging was her high DEX.

     She did stop it a moment later by jumping into the air and slamming her foot into the side of his head, sending Harold out of the ring while still rolling.

Senior Cadet Harold Defeated!

H2H gained 632 EXP

Dodge gained 851 EXP

     Tigra turned to the other eleven and saw them looking at her with cautiousness.

     “That’s one down. Next, step up. While I’m not in a rush, I will not be standing here longer than 1 minute. If you have not stepped into the ring by that point, I will have that person disqualified and on night watch every night while we are out of the Fright Zone.” She warned.

     A woman gulped before stepping forward. Her blue scales covered any revealing parts of her body, such as her head and neck with her rosy eyes being shown prominently. Her posture seemed hunched, indicating hesitance and lack of confidence in this fight.

     “Senior…Senior Cadet Lucy. Graduate of 2.5 years.” She stated.

     And so, the same pattern continued on for each of the challenges. 

     She focused on dodging for the first minute with her focus on finding flaws in their stances such as too much focus on strength or speed and lacking the other. Then she would strike them once and see how they responded to pain and how they fought afterwards.

     7/12 times, they became more defensive at experiencing that she could hit them faster than they could move, resulting in pain that could blindside them. The other 5 times, they became more aggressive, trying to get her on the backfoot and hope that she would lose focus on the distance between herself and the ring.

     More than once she had used someone’s attack to throw them out of the ring before telling them that someone could use their strength against them, just as she did.

     By the time she kicked the last one out of the ring, she still had yet to use her hands. It wasn’t that they were that unskilled, it simply dealt with her speed. None could get close enough that she couldn’t ‘dance’ away and strike with her feet.

H2H gained 6004 EXP

H2H leveled up! LV 79→ 80. 

For reaching LV 80, STR and CON increase by 1.

Dodge gained 9361 EXP

Dodge leveled up! (3x) LV 38→41.

[Dodge LV 41 (93/4100) - You have a 41% bonus to dodge an attack that you can sense coming via instincts but not see.]

[Quest [Test Your Mettle] Completed!]

Rewards: 50 EXP x 12 (600 EXP)

Tigra Level: 30 (3930/5900)

HP: 2100/2100      HPR: 210

MP: 670/670      MPR: 122

STM: 1050      SMR:210

STR: 26      DEX: 116

CON: 104      INT: 67

WIS: 61      CHA: 34

     Tigra stood as her hands rested on her hips as the last soldier made their way to the medic.

     “I hope you understand how important a medic is.” She spoke. “All you have sustained in this fight have been bruises, bruised bones, and bruised egos. Out in the battle tomorrow, you may have actual injuries. Your armor can only do so much to protect you.”

     Tigra walked over to the spare armor chest piece she had brought with her when she arrived.

     “However, that does not mean it will save you from everything.”

     She picked the armor up and extended her claws before slashing, dealing 639 damage to it. While not enough to completely destroy it, it had a large section of the chest area torn off and hanging in her claws.

     “If you are fighting an enemy soldier, they will attack with this kind of intent.” She threw the damaged armor and scrap to the side. “Your armor can withstand 4, maybe 5 hits of the average soldier. You know your armor better than almost anyone else, seeing as you are the one wearing it and have been since you graduated.”

     She walked forward until she could look across at all of them without being too far away.

     “There will be one condition that I will enforce if I must. You are to fall back away from any princesses that enter the fight. I have experience fighting Princess Glimmer, the Princess of Brightmoon and Teleportation. I have experience of being in combat against Princess Perfuma, Princess of Plumeria. She can grow plants and vegetation around her as an attack or defense. Finally, I have experience in fighting She-Ra, the newest Princess with the title of Princess of Power. She backs it up. She is strong enough to lift 10 tons with ease, break the ground with a sword pierce, and durable enough to tank cannon fire before destroying it by slashing through the armor of the tank’s barrel.”

     She saw a few seemed shocked that she had accomplished that within months of active combat.

     “I have fought her in combat twice and both times, I have injured her enough to draw a small amount of blood. I do not and will not expect you to fight her. Every time I have fought her, I have almost died. The only reason I have not is my speed. What all of you have experienced in your fights with me, know this: She would keep up easily. When I fight her, I go full out. Through my methods, I can increase my speed nearly 8 fold [9x total].” She saw eyes bulge out.

     “Some may not believe it, but I will provide proof.” She held a hand out before channeling Haste. “This spell increases my speed by roughly 25%. Combined with a secret ability of mine, I can multiply my speed further by 3. When I dash at something, I am moving at my full speed.”

     She crouched down before activating her setup she started to call H.S.D. [Haste-Speed-Dash]. It was a good combination that would always serve her well.

     She seemed to disappear for the faintest second before they saw her on one side of the 1000 foot room and the other side in 5 seconds.

     She then returned to infront of them in a second.

     “At this speed, I can move roughly 200 feet per second, about 136 mph.” She stated as fact. “For 2 minutes, I can move about as fast as a skiff at full speed.”

*Speed is DEX/9*

     “Why 2 minutes?” Harold asked.

     “My ability is strong, as in multiplying my speed by 3. However, it is extremely taxing on my body. All of my muscles are forced to work at full power and as such, can cause muscles to tear and rip if I force them hard enough. It could go as far as pulling apart or breaking my bones.” She bullshited.

     “And you used it as a demonstration!?”

     “Relax.” She waved off. “I’ve worked it out to a science. I know how long and how often I can use this ability without endangering myself. Now then, with all of this out of the way, enjoy your last day here and get some sleep. Tomorrow, you’ll need all of your energy for the fight. Dismissed!”

     Tigra quickly zipped around, cleaning up any mess this meeting had caused before leaving the area and finding herself back in her personal workout area, something she had used some of her money she earned.

     For the next 5 hours, she continued running on her treadmill. Only once she stopped did she check to see how much she ran.

     120 miles.

     'That's get a good amount of EXP, considering I get 300 EXP per mile for dash and run.'

Running has gained 36000 EXP

Running has leveled up! (6x) 57→63

CON and DEX increased by 1.

     With nothing else to do without exhausting herself of the mental energy she would need for tomorrow, she headed to her single bed and got under her cover, reveling in the warmth they provided.

     Yet it did nothing for the lack of pressure she had grown to miss beside her.

     3 days later, Tigra found herself and her squad on the outskirts of the town of Geotan.

     “Has the missive been sent?” Tigra asked her second in command for military aspects, Harold.

     “Yes. Susan and Lucy have just returned and are waiting for you in your tent.”

     Tigra nodded before ordering him to follow as she started heading back to her tent.

     She had pushed aside the flap before seeing the two she was looking for, waiting on her.

     “What kind of news do you bring back?” She asked, straight to the point.

     When they had arrived here, she had sent Susan, a medic, out to the town with the message to either surrender Geotan to the Horde, or move the civilians out of the way of the upcoming battle.

     If they chose the first, no blood would be spilt and the mission is successful. If they chose the second, she made sure that they knew that none of them would be offered mercy until their side surrendered.

     “They’ve denied surrendering, seeing as they know they have about twice as many soldiers as us but have agreed to hold the battle outside of the town. While they do slightly regret having it come to a battle, they want to let you know that, regardless of the outcome, they appreciate you allowing them time to move the civilians to safety.” Susan informed.

     “Why are you doing that again?” Harold asked. “Like, I understand that we will need them to continue working once we capture the town, but we’ve given up any chance of a surprise attack.”

     “That is why.” Tigra answered, yet saw his confusion only grow. “When dealing with war, opposing generals and chain of command become apparent. One Force Captain will fight differently from another. By showing that we are willing to do a non-forceful takeover, the enemy will be hesitant on attacking the only ‘reasonable’ leader of soldiers. Thus, by getting rid of our surprise attack option and keeping to that, the Rebellion side should see that they may get a better action from talking to us than straight up attacking us.”

     She looked him in the eye at the next part.

     “By drawing attention to our ‘peaceful’ way of combat, I am hoping to prevent as many of my soldiers’, current and future, deaths as I can. If it comes down to it in the future, I can attack with the full might against a town. Hopefully, they will want to try and talk with us instead of waste blood and lives.”

     “You…seem to care about us living a lot.” He noted.

     “I could give logical reasons and few emotional reasons. At the end of the day, I take responsibility for each and every single one of your deaths. Now then, we will be splitting our group into three. Harold, you will be directing one third, Lucy another, and I will be directing the last.”

     “Us!?” Lucy exclaimed.

     “Yes, you. Harold is because he’s been around the longest and has participated in several live combat scenarios. You, because you have experienced combat twice more than most of them. If you are unsure what order to give, keep them alive. You each will be given two medics while Susan will be sticking with me. If you run into any trouble, try to lead your groups towards mine. If we are in trouble, yell out Blur. It tells me that I will need to use all of my speed that I will be saving for an emergency or a Princess.”

     A soldier flipped open the flap.

     “Brightmoon Soldiers have been spotted leaving Geotan. Estimates put them at around 90 to 110.” He reported.

     Harold gave a low whistle while Lucy started to shake lightly.

     “I expected more.” Tigra admitted, shocking those in the tent. “Doesn’t change anything. I will be attacking the middle while you two will be making sure that my group doesn’t get pincered. Let’s get moving.”

     Tigra walked out of the tent, pushing the flap out of the way, the people behind her, quickly following.

     “Soldiers!” Tigra bellowed out. “Brightmoon Soldiers are here to greet us! What say we give our own greetings? We tried to keep this civil without blood, but they refused! Show them the might of the Horde and come back alive! If you can’t, I’ll find you myself and force you to walk back to camp!

     “You all know your groups. Group 1, follow Harold. You follow his orders as if they are my own. He says retreat, you get your ass back. He says charge, you fight! Same to Group 3. You will follow Lucy.

     “Group 2, you’re with me. We will be in the middle of the battle, meaning that you’ll be in danger almost the entirety of this battle. So fight as if you could end the war today, because this battle could be one of the deciding factors!

     “Are you ready!?”

     “Yes, Captain!” All of them shouted.

     “Then head to your area!”

     They instantly dispersed and went to their areas.

     “You really have a way of speaking to your soldiers.” Harold commented. “I’ve seen Force Generals who can’t encourage their soldiers half as much as you just have.”

     “I think like them.” She admitted, pulling on her thin armor that covered her from her neck to her wrists. “I think ‘What would I wish to hear from my superior in a moment of uncertainty? In a moment of fear?’ More times than not, it is words of encouragement, factuality, and proof of words. I’ve shown that I have the skill to back them up, that I will not sugarcoat words if reality will not let me, and that I want them alive more than the mission completed.” She then pulled on the rest of her armor, covering her legs down to her ankles.

     What? She could move around easier without something blocking her feet.

     “And that helps you connect with them better?” Lucy asked.

     “Helps me connect with my soldiers.” She stressed. “To connect with those that will follow me after their first real taste of battle. To realize that I meant what I said.”

     She then reached over and grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair up.

     “Come back alive. That is my main mission given to any of my soldiers. If the battle is lost, we can take this town another day. But if they’re lost? I have to find a replacement, inform their squad if absent, train the replacement, teach them how to work with a team that just lost someone, and then test them in actual combat to see if they will stick around. It is much better if they simply fail and come back. Then…then they have a chance to succeed next time.” She finished just as she stopped messing with her hair, leaving it up as a high ponytail.

     “Now then, let’s get moving. The fight will start within the next 10 minutes. It could last 3 minutes to an hour or more. Know your limits. Come back alive.” Tigra demanded before walking away.

     “Make the Horde proud to have you as a soldier.”

     Tigra walked at the front of her group, 15 soldiers and Susan behind her. Her feet made light thuds as they pressed down on the green ground that would likely be dyed a different color this day.

     The sound of metal and stomping echoed across the plain before they stopped in unison. Harold at the front of his group, his own armor a bit more bulky than most while Lucy stood to her right.

     Right across from them, stood the hundred strong army of Brightmoon Soldiers. While 100 soldiers aren’t a lot in the big picture, they need to take them out without losing as many soldiers as possible to take the town and defend it until the rest of reinforcements arrive.

     Tigra popped her limbs before applying Haste. With her MP amount, she could keep it going for about half an hour.

     She won’t let this fight last that long.

     She took a small breath, in and out, before raising her hand.

     With that one motion, an outsider would see how all but one person tensed up on the battlefield. How many grit their teeth, steeled their nerves, and gripped their weapons.

     The hand came down and screams of war rang out. The two sides charged at each other with one soldier breaking rank quickly and charging towards the other side at a much faster rate.

     Tigra studied the first soldier as the information appeared.

Brightmoon Soldier      Level 25

HP: 1200         REP: -47 [Disliked]

     As she got close, she continued to Run with Haste, boosting her DEX to 231. She brought back her claws and slashed at their neck.

Damage inflicted: 1237 

     Her claws sunk through the neck with ease, slicing through skin and arteries. The body hadn’t fallen to the ground before she moved to the next.

     The next one saw what she had done, yet hadn’t been prepared for the bare foot to impact her chest, dealing 558 damage due to the reduction property of the armor. Tigra followed it up by clawing at her helmet, dealing enough damage to kill them next.

     By now, her garrison had caught up to her and began to fight alongside her. Yet she couldn’t slow down. They were outnumbered 2:1 with only maybe half of her soldiers having experienced a single live combat.

     So, she continued fighting and sending her enemies to the ground.

     She kept slashing at soldiers’ throats, bashing against helmets, and kicking soldiers for what felt like hours until a yell caught her attention.

     “Blur!” Lucy called out.

     Tigra didn’t hesitate. She activated You are Speed and started to Dash. Her DEX increased drastically to 978 and moved as fast as a skiff can go. Even just kicking people now could dent their armor enough to knock them out, let alone her claws that could now slice through the metal and those inside like paper.

     Her hands and limbs were a flurry of death. In the span of a second, 4 soldiers fell.

     In 5, 14 soldiers.

     10, 22 soldiers.

     30, 47 soldiers.

     She had pounced on one of the last soldiers around her before stabbing her claws into their chest piece and ripping her hand out, bringing with it a small fountain of gore and blood.

     She stood over the body, blood dripping off of her armor and claws. She’s got a few patches that she knows she’ll have to wash extra on her face to get the stray blood off of her.

     She looked around and saw the remaining Brightmoon Soldiers drop their weapons and get on their knees.

     Tigra stepped forward, appearing in front of them in an instant.

     “You are prisoners of the Horde. If you attack us, one of you will be killed. It may or may not be the one who attacked us. Keep that in mind.” She warned before turning to her own troops. “3 soldiers with close combat weapons and 6 with ranged weapons are to watch over them. If you need me, I will be providing aid to the injured.”

H2H gained 73200 EXP

H2H Leveled up! (8x) LV 80→88

For reaching 85, STR increased by 1.

     She disabled Haste to conserve magic and prepared herself to start using Heal if she needed to.

     She reached the area they had set up for wounded soldiers and approached Susan.

     “I have access to healing magic. I can get them out of danger but would prefer to leave them in your care for minor injuries.” Tigra informed her.

     She pointed to a group of 11 Horde soldiers on the ground. “Each of them are in danger. The rest can wait.”

     Tigra nodded before approaching one and placing her right hand on them before it started glowing an orangey color. She watched as their HP went from 124 to 241. She used it for three additional minutes to bring them up to 592, just over half of the HP they should have on a healthy day.

     She moved on to the next and continued healing them for up to four minutes. Then the next, and the next, and the next. Each time, she could see their skins growing more healthy and a few were waking up with groans.

     She reached the last one.

     It was Lucy, and she had 34 HP and was slowly dropping. She used Heal until she reached 853 HP, causing her to open her eyes.

     “I gave you an order and an ultimatum.” Tigra spoke. “Come back alive or I will make you walk back to camp. Right now, you’re making me consider the second option.”

     “Don’t be cruel.” She muttered.

     Tigra glanced at her MP and saw that the healing binge used 308 of her 430 available points. Haste had used 240 by the time she dismissed it.

Heal gained 5504 EXP

Heal leveled up! (2x) 14→16

     Tigra stood up and released a long sigh.

     “Now, I need to schedule a watch, inform Geotan that they are under Horde control now, write up a report, tally our dead…” Tigra muttered.

     “What you need is rest.” Susan cut in. “Harold can set up a watch and inform Geotan. I can tally up the injured and dead. Lucy, Harold, and I can write up the basic report while you rest.”

     “I don’t-”

     “Tigra.” Susan interrupted once more. “You’ve eliminated over 60 men and women if I had to guess today in your first big combat mission. Take time to destress. Don’t think that I can’t see the trace of adrenaline still pumping through you.”

     Tigra stayed silent before sighing.

     “2 hours. That is the maximum time I will rest. At that point, I will read your reports and write my own report.”

     Susan nodded before waving her away.

     Tigra walked away before staring at Geotan, a few of her soldiers walking into the town. She could count the number of the soldiers from her group and only came up to 9. Which meant that 6 were unaccounted for. Hopefully they were resting with light injuries in the medical zone.

     Today, she had actually completed a mission given to her with positive results. She hadn’t been forced to fight a single princess. Hopefully, this would become the usual and not the exception.

     She stayed there for a while before hearing a set of steps coming from behind her. She turned her body to the side to see who it was and found the trio.

     “Nice to see you still alive, Captain.” Harold grinned.

     “I’m not done leading you just yet. However, I can assume that you three are here to give your reports to me?” She saw them nod. “Alright. Harold, you first.”

     “My group contained 15 soldiers, including me, and 2 medics. Of them, 7 of the soldiers are injured and 4 are dead. Armor and weapons are in alright condition with the exception of those killed. I have 3 of the healthy soldiers in my group providing security for the prisoners.” He informed.

     Tigra nodded slowly before looking at Lucy.

     “Similarly, my group had 15 soldiers and 2 medics. Of them, 7 soldiers are injured and 2 are dead. I have my six remaining healthy soldiers combined with Commander Harold’s division to guard the prisoners. Our armor is more damaged than would be appreciated but our weapons are in good condition.”

     Tigra nodded at the similar report before turning to Susan, knowing that this would be important.

     “After the battle, we recovered a total of 12 lightly injured soldiers, 8 moderate, and 11 heavily injured. Due to your help, only 4 soldiers died after arriving at the medical zone. The official count of death is 10 deaths, 27 injured, and 13 healthy units. Those injured will be expected to recover anywhere from 2 days to a month.” Susan reported.

     “I will write out a report on the battle and results. For now, dismissed.”

     The trio nodded before leaving her alone, just as a few messages appeared in front of her.

Quest [Taking Geotan] Completed!

Objective: Take Geotan

Hidden Objective 1: Lose 30 or less soldiers.

Hidden Objective 2: Lose 10 or less soldiers.

Rewards: 100 EXP per enemy (105x), 150 EXP per soldier left (40x) | Horde Rep. increased by 5, Title: [Conqueror]

16500 EXP gained!

 Leveled up! (3x) LV 30→33

30 Attr. Points and 6 Skill Points added!

…

Title: [Conqueror] - For every city/town/village you take from your enemies, your allies' reputation towards you will increase by 15/10/5, starting with 10 from your first capture.

…

Create Spell selected: 

Spark

Lightning [Spark Mastery Required]

Flame Armor

Shield

Hold

Stoneskin

Absorption

…

Flame Armor selected.

[Flame Armor Lv 1 (0/200) - Covering yourself in flames, you increase the denseness of your muscles to higher levels. The downside is that the power is dependent on the amount of magic you use per minute. The greater the amount, the greater the effect. CON is multiplied by (1+Amount_Used/[400-Level_Flame_Armor*2]). Alongside, an enemy will take Amount_Used/2 as damage if they strike said armor physically. Cost: Special]

Trait Shop opened:

[Smart (Trait) Purchased]

[Smart (Trait) - Multiplies INT by 1.15]

     Tigra started looking at her stats and where she should put her points before putting 10 in CON, 15 in INT, and the last 5 into DEX.

Tigra      Age: 17

Level 33 (2130/6500)

HP: 2350      HPR: 470

MP: 1000      MPR: 122

STM: 1175      SMR: 235

STR: 27      DEX: 124

CON: 118       INT: 100

WIS: 61      CHA: 39

…

[Milestone [Genius] Unlocked: 100 INT - EXP for Spells multiplied by 2]

…

     She let out a smirk at learning that spell, as it should allow her to finally take more than one hit against Adora, and achieving that milestone before making her way to the tent for her to type up her report.

Chapter Text

*Adora*

     “Princess Entrapta will be a total catch for the Rebellion. My mother is going to be so impressed!” Glimmer told with excitement.

     Adora raised an eyebrow. “Why is Entrapta so important?”

     Bow saddled up next to her and began to speak with a hint of awe.

     “She’s a brilliant inventor. She makes robots and rehabs old tech left by the First Ones. She’s a pretty big deal in the Etherian makers community. Which I am a part of, because I dabble in gadgetry myself.”

     Adora gave a light smile, easily hearing “Nerd” in Tigra’s teasing voice, quickly followed up by her and Catra cackling. The kind that never really meant it as an insult. 

     The smile slowly went away as she remembered that she likely wouldn’t hear that tone either for a long time or at all. Lord, she hoped it would never be the latter when she thought of things along that nature. Yet her soldier training always pointed out that they are her enemies now and would have to fight them again later.

     “-ora? Adora?” Glimmer’s voice suddenly cut through her thoughts.

     “Huh?”

     “Are you alright? You had that deep concentration look going on, despite nothing going on at the moment.”

     Adora hesitated on speaking up, considering that opening up about feelings had been drilled as a weakness her entire life. While she understands that the Rebellion is saying that is the Horde mentality at its worst, she can’t help how she feels about that.

     Before she could attempt to lie and say that she was thinking of how Entrapta could possibly help, Bow’s communication pad chimed with the Brightmoon’s alert sound that Bow set up.

     He pulled the pad out and pulled up a message sent to him, only for his face to gradually grow paler until he spoke.

     “So, we aren’t going to be able to stop by Geotan on our way back from recruiting Entrapta.” His voice had gone slightly high pitched.

     “What? Why? They have the best snacks at good prices. Yes, while I’m rich due to my heritage, I still prefer not to throw money away on overpriced goods.” She explained, despite having told Adora that several times since she joined their side months ago.

     “More like, it is no longer under Brightmoon’s control.” He saw them freeze before continuing. “As of two days ago, a Horde force numbering around 50 soldiers had invaded Geotan and killed over half of the soldiers stationed there. While it has not been confirmed, their losses could range anywhere from 20 losses to as low as 5.”

     “5!? We had around 100 soldiers stationed and you’re saying we took heavy losses from a smaller force and barely did anything to them!?” Glimmer exclaimed.

     “Who led the assault? Someone with experience should have led the assault if they managed to overcome those odds while Brightmoon soldiers held the home territory.” Adora contemplated aloud.

     “The ones who had managed to escape told that the commander in charge of this unit was…Force Captain Tigra.” His voice turned quieter near the end.

     “What?!” Both of them exclaimed.

     “Tigra shouldn’t be in charge of a garrison of 50 people in a battle for a town with only a few months of experience.” Adora spoke aloud, finding what seemed to be holes in the story.

     “I can give you the description that was given in this report.” Bow offered. “A Magicat woman with dark orange fur, around 5’2” to 5’5”, black mane that seemed to be held up in a ponytail, dual yellow scleras, light Horde armor without shoes or gloves, and a slim, black tail.” Bow read off.

     “Her identity was solidified when a report came in telling that a Force Captain named Tigra had sent an envoy ahead to determine if Brightmoon’s soldiers would surrender without a fight or turn the field red. She had given them about half an hour to get the civilians either in a shelter or they would be seen as enemy combatants if fighting took place inside of Geotan. After giving the order that they were to fight, they did and a slaughter occurred. Despite having a 2:1 in troop numbers, the losses were about 7:1 with Brightmoon being the 7. It is believed for the Horde to have lost a measly 10 soldiers in this battle of Geotan.”

     “We lost about 70 soldiers for only 10 of theirs?” Glimmer muttered in shock, with Adora only slightly less.

     Horde battles against the Rebellion had casualties around the standard 5:6 range for either side including the Horde’s robots. 5:3 if they were only including sentients from Brightmoon’s perspective.

     “It is believed that she focuses on close quarter combat with her claws being her strongest weapons, evidenced by destroyed armor on the bodies. Several had lacerations that went through bone with relative ease. It is also suspected that she uses magic to make herself faster with some mages referencing a spell known as Haste. It is a concentration spell though, meaning that she wouldn’t be able to be hit heavily without having to recast the spell.”

     “That explains her speed!” Glimmer gasped. “It explains how she’s able to blindside She-Ra and react to me when I teleport near her. With this, we could potentially stop her speed in her tracks.”

     “Not that easy.” Adora shut that idea down. “While that terrifying speed is all that you two have seen, her actual speed is nothing to sneeze at either. Ever since we entered the Academy, other than Catra, there was never someone faster than her around our age group. By the third year of the 9 year Academy, no one in the Academy was faster than her. By graduation, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the fastest person in the Horde.”

     “Are people really that slow in the Horde?” Bow asked.

     “More like she’s just that fast. She’s always been determined to get faster and control what little amount of magic she has to perfection.”

     “Can you tell us anything about Tigra and Catra?” Glimmer asked.

     “Why Catra?”

     “Well, didn’t you grow up alongside both of them?” Bow asked this time.

     Adora seemed to guard herself.

     “They had been beside me ever since I found them when I was 4.”

     “Wait, what do you mean by ‘found' them?’ I have long since learned that sayings like that aren’t usually heard in the Horde?” Glimmer asked.

     “That’s a saying? I mean I found the two of them inside a cardboard box and decided that they would be my friends.”

     “They were abandoned?” Bow whispered.

     “Yeah, it happens.” Adora shrugged, not seeing why Bow reacted that way.

     Horde children were abandoned or placed in orphanages quite often. Unwanted from their parents, loss of their parents due to workplace accidents or war deaths, or abandoned by unknown parents who dumped their children near the edge of the Fright Zone.

     “Anyways, I found them, they seemed to feel the same way I did but they needed names. So, I suggested their names.” Adora spoke with a smile, as if reliving that memory.

     “Wait, you gave them their names?” Glimmer clarified. “You named a magicat Catra and the other one’s name can be rearranged as Tiger if you replaced the a with an e?”

     “I was 4.” Adora pointed out. “Did you expect me to know what names would sound good? Or go with names that a 4 year old would come up with?”

     “Fair.” Glimmer acknowledged.

     “Out of the three of us, Catra was the smartest. She always managed to come up with a solution to get what we wanted without getting in too much trouble. She could keep up with Tigra until the 7th year of the Academy. Their claws could tear nearly any metal. Tigra has been kinda overprotective of us, stating that she needs to be fast enough to deal with anything that could threaten us.”

     Adora could have continued if she didn’t almost run into a large amount of rocks.

     “Looks like a landslide occurred.” Bow pointed out, as if they could have missed it.

…

*Tigra*

…

     Tigra groaned lightly at having to deal with all the paperwork necessary for the setting up work needed to actually place Geotan under the Horde’s control. This included the civilians, amount of rations, how much space is available for construction, how many soldiers will need to be placed here, and more logistics.

     She likes the position of power and respect that Force Captain has granted her over the past few months, but she’d prefer to have someone deal with the paperwork.

     ‘Maybe I should see about hiring someone to handle the paperwork that I don’t need to handle.’ Tigra thought. ‘Maybe in the future. As of now, I don’t really know what paperwork would fall under importance to even inform said position to pass on to me.’

     Not long after that thought, did she come across another potential con to that idea.

     ‘It would create another place that Rebellion spies could get into and disrupt our chain of command. It would be easy as well. A paper misplaced here, a mistyped report there. It would be easy to create false information and disrupt information I would need to know.’

     It still didn’t stop the sigh at resigning herself at having to deal with paperwork she wouldn’t be adept at handling for quite a bit of time.

     A knock came from the other side of the door in her temporary office.

     “Enter.”

     The door opened outward before Lucy stepped into the room.

     “C-Captain. Two other Force Captains and a small squad of Cadets are waiting outside of the East Wall we put up yesterday. We didn’t let them in under your orders of not allowing anyone in or out without your clearance.”

     Tigra nodded as she stood up out of her chair.

     “Good. We are still setting things up and the request for the soldiers that will be arriving to help fortify Geotan won’t arrive for another two days. You may return to what you were doing beforehand. I’ll go see what this small group has to say about why they showed up unannounced.”

     Tigra walked around her desk before the both of them exited the room.

     “So, what’s your story?” Tigra asked.

     “Well…I was born in the Horde to two mothers: Marron and Aqua. They raised me until I entered the Academy’s 5th year. I was informed that they were killed in action during a revolt near Salineas’s border. So, I wanted to grow my skills enough to eventually take back the town that took them from me.”

     “Well, what was the town’s name?”

     “Scycis.” Lucy’s hands clenched just as much as her snarl deepened.

[Quest Suggested!]

Reversing a Revolt

After talking with Lucy, you have learned that the city named Scycis had revolted from the Horde’s control and took Lucy’s parents - Marron and Aqua - from her. Lucy’s main goal seems to be revenge against it.

Objective: Retake Scycis for the Horde

Bonus Objective: ???

Rewards: 7000 EXP, Title: [Conqueror] updated, ???

Failure: Potential Death, Loss of Lucy’s Reputation

…

Quest Accepted!

     “Tell you what. If I’m given the opportunity, I’ll let you know if I’m heading in that direction.”

     Lucy nodded her head, yet her narrowed eyes remained, even as they split off so she could continue what she had been doing before informing her.

     Tigra sighed lightly before walking past the citizens that continued working while more soldiers walked around, reminding them of who’s banister they fall under now.

     Despite only two days passing, she had expected more animosity towards them, especially her. While the rest were soldiers, she was the leader of the invasion force that had taken over. She didn’t do anything to hide that fact, yet at worst, they gave her a look when they thought she wouldn’t notice.

     ‘I thought there would be more riots, resistance, Lord anything besides this.’ She thought. ‘Yet, besides a few nasty looks, it would seem as if it was another town that someone had just walked into.’

     For now though, she had more important things to think on.

     Specifically, the people that one of the soldiers placed to guard the temporary wall were speaking to.

     “Come on man, we’ve been traveling for the last three days. Mostly on foot too.” She heard a familiar voice talking.

     ‘That sounds like…but why would she be here?’ Tigra thought before getting closer.

     “I’m sorry, but it’s the commanding Force Captain’s order that no one enters or leaves until reinforcements arrive to fortify Geotan.” The soldier repeated.

     “And how long is that going to be?”

     ‘Lord, I can hear the eyeroll.’

     “A commander has already left to inform the Force Captain about your arrival.”

     “Who is the Force Captain in charge here?” A new voice spoke up. “I don’t think it ever came up due to our sudden departure.”

     She saw the guard notice her.

     “Good for you, the Force Captain has arrived.”

     “You are dismissed, Gutan.” Tigra ordered, walking into view of everyone for the first time. “I’ll handle these soldiers.”

     “Tigra!?” A few exclaimed in shock.

     “Force Captain Tigra.” She stressed. “While I am active, I’m afraid that my rank holds more importance. Now then, who are the ones in charge of your unit and why are you here?”

     “That would, uh, be me, Scorpia.” A scorpioni woman spoke.

     ‘Lord, she’s tall.’ Tigra couldn’t help but think.

     Scorpia appeared human-like with physiological features of a scorpion, such as a long scorpion tail, broad pincers, and a bit of carapace on her arms and legs. She is tall, about a foot taller than Tigra. Her lips are black, and her hair is white with an undercut. She wore a red sleeveless shirt marked with a Force Captain badge near her collar, and simple burgundy pants.

     “Well, me and Catra.”

     “Nice to know you haven’t forgotten me Scorpia.” The sarcasm dripped from behind Scorpia. 

     Tigra looked over across all of the soldiers and only noticed about 3 people who didn’t belong in her old squad, Scorpia excluded.

     “For those who need a place to rest, the building with a yellow triangle above the door is a rest spot. There is enough space to house 15 more soldiers with another being built in the coming days. So you don’t need to worry about finding a place to sleep.”

     Tigra turned to walk away but continued to speak.

     “For those that wish to speak with me, follow me.”

     A few moments later, she heard a few steps quickly approaching her from behind.

     “So you’re the leader that captured Geotan?” Lonnie wanted clarified.

     “Yes. You can ask the other soldiers around to easily get stories that continue to prove that I was the leader. Granted, the soldiers were split into three groups so, technically, there were three leaders.”

     “Did you get hurt?” Kyle asked. “I mean, we received the message that you managed to capture Geotan, despite being at a number disadvantage.”

     Tigra looked back with a quirked eyebrow.

     “No, I didn’t get hurt. I moved too quickly for any of them to actually hit me. A few got close, but they started dropping like flies when I moved at full speed.”

     “How fast are you now?” Rogelio growled out.

     “Fast enough that I eliminated about sixty percent of their defending force in about a minute.” She informed. “But if you were looking for a comparison, about as fast as the skiffs can go for about two minutes.”

     “Are you serious?!” Scorpia exclaimed in shock. “Those top out around 140 mph!”

     “Told you she was fast.” Catra spoke up. “The best part? I know that she’s nowhere happy with her speed.”

     “When you’re right, you’re right.” Tigra nodded. “To me, I am still too slow. Anyways, here’s the building I’m working in. Come on in.”

     After a few minutes, Tigra found herself sitting next to Catra while looking around the group.

     “Last I heard, your group was headed to Salineas. I’m guessing that it did not go well if you are here.” Tigra deduced.

     “It did at first.” Catra spoke. “Then She-Ra and her little friend group showed up and started to fix their magical gate that causes us trouble.”

     “The Sea Gate.”

     “How come you know about it!? Did you go to this ‘Captain’ Orientation?” Catra accused.

     “There’s an orientation?” Tigra tilted her head. 

     “I only know about the Sea Gate because I’ve read up on several reasons why we haven’t taken over other kingdoms yet. Mystacor is a theoretical kingdom that houses sorcerers and sorceresses but they are hidden by magical means; the Kingdom of Snows is nearly nothing but rock, ice, and snow; we would have to destroy the forest and land around Plumeria to properly take it if we can’t get rid of the Princess; Dryl is next to nothing but mountain ranges; the Sea Gate for Salineas; and Brightmoon has the Whispering Woods.” Tigra listed off.

     “Either way, it was going well until She-Ra fixed the gate, allowing the Princess of Water to fight us and practically sink our ship.” Catra huffed. “We found a place to rest for the night and received a message that night, informing us that Geotan had been taken.”

     Catra placed her hands behind her head and gave a smirk at Tigra.

     “Little did we know that it was because of you.”

     “Honestly, I probably could have taken Geotan alone. I’d likely be lightly injured but I still could have done it. Especially now.”

     “Why now?” Lonnie asked. “Some new way to go even faster?”

     “Close.” Tigra stood up and focused on using Flame Armor with about 1000 MP per minute. Enough that she could see how much this would affect her if she could use it for only one minute.

     A situation where it was do or die.

     Tigra snapped her fingers before she suddenly erupted into flames that made everyone stand up from the suddenness. Yet they caught themselves from jumping at her when she didn’t make a noise of shock, pain, or confusion.

     “This is a new spell I’ve been working on. As it looks, I surround myself with fire that will protect me similar to armor. Supposedly, if someone were to hit me with their hand or close combat weapon, they should be hurt by these flames.” Tigra explained before she glanced at her affected stats: HP and CON.

…

HP: 8225/8225

CON: 411

[Fire Resistance Discovered!]

[Fire Resistance LV 1 (0/100) - Decreases damage taken from fire by 1 %.]

*Note: Flame Armor will continue to go until either user has lost consciousness, willingly stops putting magic in it, or runs out of MP. The spell can also use HP in place of MP at a ratio of 5:1 with the maximum amount being your max base HP but will take fire damage equal to the amount used per minute.

…

     ‘Well, it definitely affects my HP and CON in a large way. Considering the last time I fought Adora, she could do about 2,000 - 2,500 damage in one hit without her sword. I can now actually take a third hit if I use all of my MP without taking into account my resistances.’

     The main problem though, would be that it would take 7ish minutes to recover 1000 MP. That would also be assuming that she wouldn’t be fighting afterwards as well.

     The flames continued burning for a little bit longer before they went out.

Flame Armor gained 2000 EXP

Flame Armor leveled up! LV 1 → LV 5

…

     “That is one of my trump cards now.” Tigra spoke after a moment. “With that and my speed, I can guarantee that I could have taken Geotan alone.”

     “How do you keep improving so quickly?” Lonnie asked. “At this point, it just seems supernatural.”

     “Magic.” Tigra rolled her eyes. “Really. I’m learning spells that improve on my specialties and trying to find ways to make my body stronger.”

     “That’s it? It’s amazing.” Scorpia asked.

     “Yeah, she’s been like this since we were little.” Catra confirmed. “Without all that magic though, she’s just quick but could be taken down with a good plan.”

     “That confident?” Lonnie asked.

     “Don’t.” Tigra cut in before anyone got any funny ideas. “I know you have at least 7 different ways to stop me, most of them likely involve ways to either slow me down or prevent me from moving, right?”

     “Yep. Or ways to turn your speed against you.”

     Tigra nodded. “Now then, how long do you guys plan to stay?”

     “Officially, we’re already on our way back to the Horde to report the unfortunate news about Salineas and them likely joining their Princess Alliance.”

     Tigra leaned forward. “Can you repeat that?”

     This was the first time she’s heard that the Alliance between the other kingdoms was reforming. If the Princesses come together to fight the Horde, then the fighting will get much bloodier and more devastating.

     “Princess Mermista is likely to join the Princess Alliance that is being reformed.” Scorpia reported. “You know, it’s been said that you’ve fought She-Ra. Could you actually take her down in a fight?”

     Everyone looked at Tigra for an answer, yet she tilted her head to the side and her eyebrows furrowed.

     She ran the numbers in her head from the last time she fought her and thought about all of her skills. While she likes Haste, most of her magic would be going to Flame Armor. It won’t matter if she focuses on attacking if she can’t get hit more than once.

     “As of right now…37:2 odds against me winning.”

     She-Ra just dealt too much damage and had too much health.

     “R-Really?” Catra’s voice raised as her eyes widened. “But if that’s true…how come I can easily fight against her?”

     “For one reason or another, She-Ra doesn’t seem to want to actually hurt us.” 

     Tigra didn’t want to say Adora’s name in the case that they didn’t know. However, she looked Catra in the eye and hoped that she understood what she was trying to say.

     “However, I don’t give her that choice. She-Ra is an enemy of mine and I move to incapacitate. With my speed, She-Ra seems to instinctively act as if I am an enemy. While you may or may not have been on the end of her hits, she hits hard. Enough that, without that spell I just showed, I’m not confident I can survive a third hit from her, let alone getting hit with that sword.”

     “Is she really that dangerous?” Catra muttered.

     “Cat, you saw the result of me getting hit by her a few months ago. I was out of commission for about 9 hours and forced to rest for nearly half a month. I met She-Ra again during the botch outpost near Plumeria. I was a bit stronger, but I still would have been done in by a second hit.”

     Tigra took a breath.

     “Whether she knows it or not, I feel like something bad will happen if both of us have the intent of taking the other down.”

     “Hey, what kind of talk is that?” Lonnie snarked. “You use your speed to avoid that situation if it happens. We need you more than we need that Princess gone.”

     “Yeah!” Kyle supported her. “Until that happens, just keep getting stronger and faster until you aren’t at risk.”

     Tigra sighed before speaking.

     “I have no plans on fighting She-Ra to the death. If I did, it would be a lose-lose. Considering it would either be my death or Shadow Weaver actually trying to kill me.”

     “Would she?” Scorpia asked. “Would Shadow Weaver actually kill you for taking out one of the Horde’s enemies?”

     “Shadow Weaver cares about herself first, the traitor Adora second, and the Horde third. For one reason or another, Shadow Weaver wants She-Ra. Whether it would be for her magic or otherwise, she would kill me. I may escape, fight back, or something else, but Weaver would not stop until one of us would be dead.”

     The room fell into silence before Catra spoke up.

     “You…genuinely believe that?” Her voice had sounded quiet, as if she didn’t want to disrupt the silence.

     “I do.” Tigra nodded. “She would do anything and everything to see me burned and forgotten.”

     Tigra turned and looked at a clock.

     “Well, reinforcements for the fortification will arrive in two days. I assume you all know where you can sleep?” Tigra looked around the room, indicating to them that there are places around her office that one could sleep.

     “Yeah, we’ll see you in the morning.” Kyle told with his face strangely pale.

     Tigra only tilted her head and watched as the trio of Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle walked off to their own room.

     “Night guys!” Scorpia declared, walking into her own room, banging against the doorframe on the way in before closing the door.

     Tigra shook her head before walking over to her own room and looked over her shoulder.

     “Are you joining or want your own room?”

     Catra seemed to choose that moment to release a yawn and walked towards her.

     “Joining. Haven’t had a good night's rest over the past week.”

     Tigra chuckled lightly before holding the door and closing it behind Catra.

Chapter Text

     Tigra grumbled as she walked towards the room holding that giant red gem. For one reason or another, Shadow Weaver had called her down to the room, despite only returning a few days ago after a 2 day trip.

     While she could ignore her request or simply deny her summons, seeing as she is stationed under Force General Judai [a middle aged female human with a missing arm from her elbow down], it would only piss Shadow Weaver off and let her potentially go through proper channels that could call her credit as a Force Captain into question.

     She stretched her shoulders and was met with the usual sound of her joints popping lightly, accompanied by the light groan that followed. There are only a few times where she hasn’t felt the need to pop something in the morning.

     Her mood is only worsened when she remembers that she hasn’t been able to do anything besides paperwork since she’s gotten back. The only thing that made it more bearable for her is that her Writing skill is at a high enough level that she can do about an hour’s worth of work in 10 minutes.

     She went back to wearing her regular outfit and had become interested in getting a metal piece created. She talked to a metal worker and said that they could make it in about two months, since Lord Hordak wanted metal workers to focus on their assigned jobs.

     She reached the room, only to run into Catra right outside as well.

     “Did Weaver call you down as well?” Tigra asked the obvious question.

     “Yeah. Wonder what mission involving Adora it’s going to be this time.” Catra scoffed at the end.

     Adora…was a tricky subject between the two of them. Catra seemed angry and hurt over Adora leaving but seemed even more angry at being sent on missions to bring her back.

     Tigra…she’s not sure how to feel with her besides fighting. On one hand, she’s glad that Adora isn’t stuck here anymore and doesn’t have to go against her principles. That she seems to be doing better without Shadow Weaver watching her every move, besides what she’s been doing to get her back.

     On the other hand, Adora just left them. The first day out of the Horde and she left while telling Catra to stay so she wouldn’t get in trouble. She tried to convince Tigra to leave Catra behind. She argued about how the Horde were bad, which had been obvious for nearly everyone in the Horde. How they could stop what happened to them from happening again to someone else, yet it was still happening to them. If Tigra chose to leave, it would still be happening to Catra.

     Yet not a single word about Adora wanting them to be with her. Only to prevent the Horde from having them as soldiers and making them throw away what they’ve been working towards since they were 6.

     “Whatever it is, I hope it’s not sneaking into Brightmoon. You know that she would order something like that if she got desperate enough.”

     Catra nodded. “We could do it, but to be caught would be a death sentence practically.”

     Tigra walked forward before they entered the room to see Shadow Weaver holding her hands against the Black Garnet. Magical energy circled around her arms as a red light seemed to gleam from the top of her head.

     “Shadow Weaver,” Tigra started. “You wanted to see us?”

     The energy suddenly released a bright light that caused the two of them to hold a hand in front of their eyes before it dimmed and Shadow Weaver floated over to a cauldron.

     “Ah, Force Captains. How kind of you to join me.”

     “What’s up with you? You’re acting creepier than usual.” Catra asked.

     “My shadow spies have located Adora. She’s on her way to Mystacor with her new friends. For once, this will be too easy.”

     “So, what did you want us to do?” Tigra asked. “Sending us to retrieve her?”

     “No, I can’t trust either of you to actually succeed in retrieving her given your past failures regarding her. You two will be waiting outside and guarding this room. No one is to enter. I will be going after Adora personally. Now, go.”

     Tigra rolled her eyes at being given such a useless task before leaving, Catra not far behind.

     Tigra leaned against a wall before snapping her fingers, causing her entire body to light up in yellow flames.

     Catra held up her hand to block the sudden light with a slight curse.

     “Can you warn me before you suddenly turn yourself into a walking flare?” She snarked.

     “Sure.” Tigra shrugged. “Just finding a way to pass the time that we could be doing for anything else. I mean, no one really wants to come to this room. Lord, does anyone even come to this room?”

     “Not as far as I know. Weaver intimidates enough people that they don’t visit places she usually goes without being ordered to.” Catra admitted. “But as for passing time, you want to explain why you lit yourself up like the factories?”

     No sooner did she finish talking did Tigra stop glowing.

Flame Armor gained 2000 EXP.

Flame Armor leveled up!

[Flame Armor LV 6 (1000/1200) - Multiplies CON by (1+Amount_Used/388)

…

     “I’m trying to get used to this spell as quickly as I can. I can tell that I’m wasting magic that could be used to enhance the protection it is giving me.” Tigra explained.

     “I have two ways of training with it: using all of my magic at once to get a better feel for how the spell uses it, or…risk my health.”

     Tigra had gained Catra’s full attention if her narrowed eyes meant anything.

     “What do you mean by ‘risking your health?’”

     “You see, I…found this spell. From some old text that was laying around. The spell mentioned that one could use one’s own ‘life force’ to power the spell should one run out of magic.”

     “Can you put that in terms that doesn’t sound like you are throwing away the time you have left?”

     Tigra sighed. “I burn myself alive.”

     “WHAT!?”

     “By burning myself, I can turn parts of me into pure magic, which I can then fuel into the spell. By doing this, I could keep the spell going longer than I should.”

     “Can’t believe I have to say this, but don’t burn yourself alive! ”

     “Relax. I can cut off the spell at any point. Plus, I would likely start becoming fire resistant as it continued. The text did mention something like that.”

     Half of that was utter shite. Or at least, in connecting the spell to her in a way that makes sense. There is no text she found nor any explanation on why she would become resistant to fire in the future.

     ‘Lord, if I practice with the spell long enough, I may become fire proof .’

[Quest Created!]

More than Resilient (Continuous)

After pushing your resistance to one thing or another, you gained the idea to become immune to that instead of just resistant.

Objective: Increase one of your Resistances to Level 100

Reward: 1x Trait point per Level 100 Resistance

…

     “JUST…don’t.” Catra let out a long breath. “I don’t like hearing you say that you could burn yourself alive.

     They sat in silence for a moment.

     “Would it help at all if I say that I can heal my injuries?”

     “No. That just means you’ll likely do it hidden away and heal any damages that you take before anyone notices it.”

     “Fair.”

     Another minute passed before Tigra snapped her fingers once more, glowing in flames once more.

     The fire went out on Tigra once more before the recurring message popped up once more.

Fire Armor gained 2000 EXP

Fire Armor leveled up!

[Fire Armor LV 24 (800/4800) - CON*(1+Amount_Used/352)

…

     “This is so boring.” Catra complained, tossing her pad to the side, finishing up whatever report she was on this time. “Got any spells that could provide any entertainment?”

     Tigra sat there as she waited for her MP to refill once more.

     ‘Maybe I’ll get another Regeneration trait. If I get the magic one, then I double the amount of MP I can get every minute during a battle from 1/100 to 1/50. While still not that much in the big picture, that could really affect certain spells. Lord, Flame can already be done indefinitely during battle. Imagine if I could do that with other spells.’ Tigra thought.

     “-igra. Tigra.” Catra’s voice brought her back, making her look at her. “I’m guessing you didn’t hear a word I said?”

     “Spells and entertainment?” She guessed. She remembered hearing those two words but not much else.

     “Yeah. Do you have any spells that could entertain us while we wait for whatever Shadow Weaver’s doing to finish?”

     Tigra thought about it.

     ‘Flame is overused to the point it doesn’t entertain us anymore; Fire is just a weaker form of Fire Armor in terms of looks; Heat just makes me give off a nice layer of heat through and around me; she’s seen Flame Armor for the past couple of hours; Heal would require one of us getting hurt.’ She thought through her spells.

     ‘Haste … Haste could be entertaining.’

     “How would you like to experience the spell that I use to increase my speed in the field?”

     “That haste spell, right?” Seeing Tigra’s surprised face as she hasn’t actually said it’s name up to this point, she continued. “I’ve heard a few soldiers on the other side comment about a spell called haste that does what you’ve implied.”

     “Well…that’s the one. It increases your speed and reaction to allow you to be used to that speed. Would you like to try it out?”

     “Is it safe?”

     “I’ve used it since we’ve left the Academy almost every time I go into a fight.” Tigra deadpanned. “It’s safe as long as the person it is being applied to isn’t moving when the spell cuts out.”

     “And you can-”

     “Yes, I can control the rate. I could easily keep the spell going for about half an hour.”

     She looked at the spell to remind herself if that was true.

[Haste LV 28 (1246/7000) - Multiplies DEX by 1+(0.25*(1+Magic_Control). Cost: 22 MP/m]

…

     Doing the math, she could do it for about 45 minutes straight before needing 7 minutes to recover the MP back, but she’ll stick to half an hour at this point.

     “The only way this goes wrong is if you do some kind of stupid shit. In which case, I should still be able to reach you before you would even hit the ground.” Tigra threw out. “So the only thing stopping this, is your choice.”

     Catra stayed silent before breathing in and opening her mouth.

     “Do it.”

     Tigra nodded before pointing her palm at Catra and focused on Haste. As she casted it, Catra tensed her body before she gained a faint orange glow around her. Other than that, she seemed the same.

     “Alright, it’s done. You will be quite a bit faster for the next half hour or less.” Tigra informed.

     Catra seemed surprised.

     “That’s it? I didn’t feel a thing!”

     “And you shouldn’t.” Tigra stressed. “The magic I’ve been practicing has not hurt me once, with Fire Armor being the only one that could hurt me without a backfire.”

     Catra moved her limbs around, yet she seemed to have already noticed the difference in speed.

     “If I’m right, you should be able to reach somewhere that would normally take you twenty minutes in about sixteen minutes.”

     “That’s it? You always make it look so much faster.” Catra admitted.

     “Because it is. I understand how the spell works and how it affects my body. My skills are best suited to helping me most while also being capable of helping y-others.” Tigra changed at the last second. “Now, why don’t you get the excess energy out of yourself by running around. I’ll keep a close eye around here. Who knows, I'd be willing to teach you some spells if you're ever interested.”

     Catra seemed hesitant about doing that.

     “Cat, take some time to just run and think. Feel the wind through your fur, your muscles straining under their own power, the feeling of getting that energy out-”

     An orange blur ran past her with a faint laugh fading, leaving behind a smiling Tigra.

     “Lord knows that we both need a break about now.” She whispered to the air. 

*2 hours later*

     Catra had long since returned with a grin on her face, saying that she wants to do that again some other time.

Reputation with Catra has increased. 86→88 [Family]

     While Catra enjoyed that time of running, Tigra grew slightly surprised at seeing a notification for Haste upon her arrival.

…

Haste gained 1100 EXP

…

     ‘That’s right. [Genius] multiplied the EXP for spells by 2. So what would have only been 550 from using 22 MP/m for 25 minutes became as if it was for 50 minutes.’ She remembered.

     It had honestly taken a few skill points to get Haste up as high as it was, seeing as it didn’t translate well off of the battlefield where she could have practiced it more often. 

     More times than not, she ended up in a state of being like Catra had been, just so full of energy that she wanted to burn it off. The problem is that her energy sometimes came back after a minute of rest before she felt as if she didn’t run at all. The few times she did try to train with it, she had…accidentally…destroyed an entire training room.

     Tigra and Catra simply started passing time by throwing a crumpled up ball of scrap back and forth until a loud thud from within the room they were guarding.

     The two of them looked at each other before Catra raised an eyebrow.

     Tigra rolled her eyes before walking into the room.

     “Shadow Weaver?” She questioned the room. “There was a thud so I came to…Shadow Weaver?”

     On the floor next to the cauldron that she had been using earlier, laid Shadow Weaver. The glow from the gem in her mask seemed to be slightly faded and her eye sockets for the mask were completely black instead of white.

[Shadow Weaver      Age: 61]

[Level 93            Status: Unconscious]

[Reputation: Disliked]

…

     Tigra gave a low bark of laughter before turning around and leaving the room.

     She saw Catra looking at her in curiosity when she entered the hallway.

     “Her plan failed. Whatever happened, knocked her clean out.”

     “Probably something that Adora did.” Catra suggested. “But this just paints a clear picture of what should be done. If even Shadow Weaver failed to bring her back while fighting her, that means that the weak link to getting her isn’t Adora.”

     Tigra thought about that for a few moments before her eyes widened ever so slightly.

     “You’re suggesting her allies? That it would be better to target them than her?”

     Catra nodded. “While it is simple and obvious, that may be to our advantage. We simply will need to find an opportune moment to target and capture them. At which point, Adora will likely either come after them herself or trade herself to get them released.”

     Both of them seemed hesitant about that last part.

     “Why…are we trying to bring her back?” Tigra finally asked. “Adora will not return to how she was before she left, let alone be allowed to move about the Fright Zone after being acknowledged as a Traitor.”

     “While you are deployed under Force General Judai, I am still under Shadow Weaver. As such, she’s given me an unofficial mission to bring her back. If I continue to fail, she would have the ability to bring my credence as a Force Captain into question.”

     Tigra lightly growled at the knowledge that, while she was slightly more free of Weaver, Catra hadn't been. Sure, she knew Catra still worked under Shadow Weaver, but she had been assuming that she was, at least, deployed under another Force General.

     “Hey.” Catra spoke, stopping her growl. “I can handle myself. Even if I couldn’t, I do still have the trio of Kyle, Lonnie, and Rogelio. We may get into a spat every so often but we still have each others’ back.

     “You don’t though. You’re on your own with whatever squadron you get assigned to for the mission you are deployed for. So, you focus on keeping yourself safe for now. It’s only a matter of time before Shadow Weaver does something that puts herself into Hordak’s line of ire. Especially if she keeps going after Adora and pushing off her other assignments.”

     Tigra nodded, accepting her reasons before looking to the side.

     “The same goes for you.” She muttered. “While you’ll have backup, you won’t have them watching your back 24/7. Keep yourself safe and I’ll promise to do the same.”

     Catra nodded before they walked away back to their quarters, with Tigra reaching hers first and saying night.

     Tigra stood in the shower before breathing in and snapping her fingers, causing herself to catch on fire and wince from the sudden feeling of burning.

[Flame Armor] activated with 205 HP. Due to [Fire Resistance] and [Iron Body], this has reduced the actual damage by 26%, to 153 HP/m.

…

     It felt hot, obviously. In actuality, it felt like hot water hitting her skin all at once after being submerged in icy water. She had decided to do this in the showers for: the ability to have water put out any sudden fires and to not accidentally burn off anything she wears on a daily basis.

     She likes what she wears, thank you.

     After a few seconds, she placed her right hand on her chest before focusing on Heal.

[Heal LV 16 (1853/2400) - Heals target by 152 HP/m. Cost: 10 MP/m]

…

     She immediately started feeling relief but felt like she was standing in slightly too warm of water.

     She thought about doing this while Catra had been off running around and determined that, as long as she could use Heal with Fire Armor , she could level both up while potentially leveling up Fire Resistance at the same time.

     So, for 100 minutes, she could be gaining: 82 EXP for F.A. , 302 EXP for Heal , and maybe 205 EXP for Fire Res. every minute.

     And considering that Fire Resistance is a new skill, it should be easy to level up at first and with it, easier to level up in the future as she can personally ‘burn’ herself alive now without worrying about burning herself to death.

     So, she stayed in the shower for the longest time she had ever been in there before feeling herself start to burn once more and cutting off the spells. She glanced at her HP to see how well it became affected and liked the results.

HP: 2228/2350

…

Heal gained 30200 EXP. Leveled up! LV 16 → 26

[Heal LV 26 (1303/3900) - Heals target by 174 HP/m. Cost: 7 MP/m]

Fire Armor gained 8200 EXP. Leveled up! LV 24 → 25

[Fire Armor LV 25 (4703/5000) - CON*(1+AMOUNT_USED/350)]

Fire Resistance gained 20500 EXP. Leveled up! LV 1 → 20

[Fire Resistance LV 20 (1500/2000) - Decreases damage taken from Fire by 20%]

…

     She liked the results, especially at how this should only keep increasing due to several factors. Heal takes less MP to sustain and that had been the reason she stopped in the first place this time. She simply ran out of MP to supply it with.

     Then there’s Fire Resistance increasing the amount of damage reduced from fire, which comes from using HP for Fire Armor . Since Fire Resistance reduces the damage the higher it levels up, it would allow her to use more HP for Fire Armor, thus gaining more EXP.

     ‘It’s like a strange circle for EXP for these three abilities.’ She concluded, turning the shower off and drying herself off quickly by using Fire Armor with MP for a few seconds to evaporate the water off of her fur.

     Once finished, she let the spell go before heading to her bed and flopping down on it and closing her eyes, letting her mind rest for the rest of her night.

     Yet, she received a message that she would notice only after waking up the next morning.

     “Lord Hordak has chosen your next mission. You are to head out to the town of Terra. It is a town that borders Plumeria and the route we will need once we have taken care of the Whispering Woods. It will take 2 days to meet up with the 60 soldiers and 10 medics. You will be given the ability to take the town through your methods, so long as the town still stands afterwards. You leave in 5 days from this message. Lord Hordak expects results within two weeks.”

Chapter Text

Battle of Terra

Lord Hordak has sent you to take the town of Terra as it could create problems once the Horde is ready to fight Brightmoon. The main reason it has been left alone has been due to Plumeria’s neutrality, but they have publicly announced to have joined the new Princess Alliance. Hordak cares little how it is done, but Terra must be taken.

Objective: Eliminate the soldiers of Terra

Hidden Objective: ???

Hidden Objective: ???

Rewards: 100 EXP per soldier defeated/killed, Title: [Conqueror] updated, ???, ???

Failure: Potential death

Time Limit: [06:12:54:21]

     Tigra took a deep breath as she would be arriving with the soldiers in a few minutes. As she let that breath out, the flames surrounding her body suddenly went out and her right hand stopped emitting a small yellow light.

Flame Resistance gained 39150 EXP. Leveled up! LV 20 → 35

Heal gained 46940 EXP. Leveled up! LV 26 → 36

[Heal LV 36 (4743/5300) - Heals target 197 HP/m. Cost: 5 MP/m]

Flame Armor gained 15600 EXP. Leveled up! LV 25 → 28

[Flame Armor LV 28 (5063/5600) - CON*(1+AMOUNT_USED/344)]

     "I expected them to grow at an increased rate once I found this neat little trick, but I didn’t expect them to grow this fast." Tigra hummed to herself.

     In two hours time, she gained a collective 28 levels when it comes down to her skills and spells.

     Heal would never have leveled up this quickly since she doesn’t visit clinics or injured soldiers, unless she personally knew them, and neither would have Flame Resistance.

     She had it confirmed a while ago, but it seemed that she could only get resistances after being harmed by that type or she has the capability to be harmed by that type, such as how Fire Armor had been her first spell that could cause actual damage to her and didn’t focus on increasing her control over her magic.

     In fact, by doing it slowly over a longer period of time and using HP instead, Flame Armor actually gained more EXP than it would have with MP, due to how long it takes her to regain her MP to start over again.

     So, slow and steady had outdone speed.

     ‘Ironic.’

     She reached the soldiers about 5 minutes later and slowed her skiff to a stop and hopped off of it.

     She landed with little noise before walking forward and looking over the soldiers to see if she recognized a few.

[Sarah the Reptilian     Age:17]

[Level: 19     Relationship: 27 [Acquaintance]  ]

[Buuka the Canine      Age:17]

[Level: 22     Relationship: 21 [Acquaintance] ]

[Abby the Satyr      Age: 17]

[Level: 18     Relationship: 12 [Acquaintance] ]

[Serena the Human      Age:17]

[Level: 26   Relationship: 11 [Friendly] ]

     Out of everyone there, those four names were the only people she seemed to have any relationship with that didn’t end at 45 [Acquaintance] due to her titles- [Conqueror] +10, [Princess Fighter] +5, and [Force Captain] +30 - increasing them for one reason or another.

     She slightly remembered Sarah and Buuka. She feels like she has fought them a while ago. Sarah was more memorable because she was the first person she properly fought in the Academy.

     Abby…nothing. Considering that her relationship is lower than the default seems to be, she can guess that she must have rubbed Abby the wrong way somehow.

     Not surprising. She had one main goal in the Academy and that had been to learn and improve as fast as she could. It didn’t matter who she pushed to the side, save for her squadron. Abby was likely just one of those caught in her path.

     Serena, however, seems to actually like her. Which is a positive, considering that she seemed to be the highest level in front of her with the exception of a 28 for a Canine in the back.

     That doesn’t change the fact that she doesn’t remember Serena.

     “Which one of you can give me a blueprint of the town, their estimated numbers, and shift changes?” She called out.

     A quiet murmur went through the soldiers before Serena stepped forward, her curly, red hair bouncing with a few strands going side to side in front of her violet eyes.

     “I have that information, Captain.” She told.

     “What is your rank in this situation?”

     “I am Force Commander Serena, Miss.”

     “Commander Serena, gather everyone here that has experience when it comes to sneaking into places.” Tigra commanded. “As for the rest of you, dismissed!”

     A few grumbled while Serena went off to gather those that fit her criteria.

     She looked at her quest once more and noticed that, instead of defeating them, she had to eliminate them.

     Before at Geotan, defeat made sense as, no matter how it could have gone, a fight would have happened regardless. They had known that they would have been attacked by Horde soldiers within the week.

     But Terra? The soldiers had stationed themselves away from the town to not draw attention. Serena likely did this to prevent additional soldiers from being called for reinforcements.

     ‘If I use this properly, I can take Terra without having to take a single casualty.’ She planned.

     About 15 minutes passed before Serena returned with five soldiers behind her, all already in full armor.

     “I’ve retrieved those that you have requested, Captain.”

     “Good work, Commander Serena.” She nodded at Serena. “How much do you trust there to not be a spy among us at this moment?”

     She seemed taken aback.

     “Miss?”

     “I have been developing a plan since I was assigned this mission. So, I need to know if any of the five you have brought could be a spy. My plan will be happening tonight and if it goes well, you’ll be occupying Terra come morning.”

     Serena looked at the five she gathered before turning back to Tigra with a determined look in her eyes.

     “If there is a spy, they are not with us at this moment.”

     Tigra nodded before positioning herself to look at all of them.

     “A night attack. Who among you can’t see in the dark that it won’t impede the mission?” One raised their hand. 

     She nodded. “I am asking for complete honesty. I can not bring those who will risk the operation. Now then, who is not 100% confident in their ability to sneak into the town without alerting the guards?”

     Another two lifted their hands before receiving another nod.

     “Finally, who has not taken a life or can’t kill quietly.” The other two hands went up.

     Tigra nodded while inwardly frowning at having her downside be shown now.

     If she wants to do this quickly and quietly, she’ll have to do it herself. If someone were to see her or she is not fast enough to remove them before they reach the alarms, she’ll be stuck in enemy territory all by herself.

     While she doesn’t think that she’ll be in any danger if she’s caught, she would rather take as few risks as she could while still improving her skills and spells.

     If she planned to sneak, Haste and Fire Armor are off the table. Haste creates a dim orange light around the target while Fire Armor sets her alight. Flame and Fire would only draw attention to herself.

     It would leave Heat as the only spell that wouldn’t draw attention in complete darkness that she would be going out in.

     “Alright, I’ve got a different assignment for you five then.” She informed them, getting them to stand just a tad straighter. “You are to prevent communications from leaving this camp. While I doubt there is a spy in this small contingent, it only takes one unaccounted variable to cause a plan to fall apart.”

     “Captain Tigra…” Serena started.

     “Commander Serena, you have another important job. Should I be successful, I will head to the outskirts of the town and light two fires. If they are not lit by morning, assume that the plan has failed and the soldiers will be under your complete command.”

     She seemed surprised.

     “I can confidently say that I can sneak into the town and dispose of the guards. All I need is the blueprints of the town and what times their shift changes are.”

     She nodded before pulling out a large slab of paper and laid it out in front of her.

     “The guards seem to largely stay on the newly constructed walls, the barracks, and the town square. At night, the only active guards are in the barracks and on the walls. They have a guard shift every hour on the hour. So if you plan on doing this completely quietly, you need to start here,” She pointed towards one end of the wall before sliding her hand along the wall in the opposite direction. “And make your way towards the barracks. You’ll only have one hour to do so without suspicions being raised. Maybe 45 minutes at the earliest.”

     Tigra raised an eyebrow at that timeline.

     “Terra isn’t an important city of Brightmoon nor is it slightly militarized like Geotan. This is a Plumerian town guarded by Plumerians. They don’t worry unless the mess is right in front of them.” She explained. “Nor are they in communications like us, where we would know something is up if they don’t send some kind of message every 10 minutes of their shift.”

     While the constant messaging was said to have been annoying for those who dealt with it, Tigra had seen the reports where multiple attacks had been repelled due to a soldier on duty not meeting their scheduled check in and others being sent to investigate.

     Tigra nodded before looking at the map and drawing up her plan.

     “I’ll move out at 2200, about 7 hours from now.” She informed. “Until then, I wish to remain alone. I have my rations for the next 3 days on me and will be wrapping up my plan until then.”

     “Understood, Captain.” Serena nodded before she and the other soldiers left her alone in the pitched tent they had been in.

Reputation with Serena increased. 11→23 [Friendly]

     Tigra waited a moment before she bursted into flames once more, preparing herself just a bit longer.

Heal has reached max level! Due to this, WIS has increased by 5 and gained 1 skill point.

[Heal LV MAX - Heals target for WIS*3*MAGIC_CONTROL.    257 HP/m.    Cost: 5 MP/m]

Fire Resistance gained 197600 EXP. Leveled up! LV 35 → 72

Fire Armor gained 79040 EXP. Leveled up! LV 28 → 40

[Fire Armor LV 40 (3703/8000) - CON*(1+AMOUNT_USED/320)]

     Tigra nodded before opening the spell shop.

[Fireball], [Fire Step], [Fanning Fire], [Spark], [Bolt], [Chill], [Freeze], [Stoneskin], [Bubble], [Jet]

…

[Fanning Fire] has been chosen.

…

[Fanning Fire LV 1 (0/100) - The next step of pyromancy. This spell helps those to learn how to enhance or reduce the fire surrounding them through their breathing or actions. Cost: 20 MP/m]

     Tigra used Fire before three flames appeared around her feet and the fire started growing and shrinking with every breath of hers. She focused on making the fire grow by imagining she was feeding more oxygen into the fire. It grew before she imagined taking away oxygen from said fire, just for it to grow into a weak flame.

     After about 15 minutes, she stopped supplying magic to the spell.

Fanning Fire gained 5400 EXP.

Fanning Fire leveled up!

[Fanning Fire LV 10 (900/1000) - Cost: 16 MP/m]

     She stopped as she needed to get moving, as night had dropped about half an hour ago.

     ‘I should be able to max Fanning Fire out by the end of the day, maybe tomorrow. Thanks to Genius, it practically cut the time needed to learn it in half. With it, there’s probably one or two other spells that I could master, seeing as I may be finishing the mission almost a week earlier than Hordak wanted.’ Tigra thought.

     Thanks to Genius and her much larger pool of Magic, she should be able to master these spells much quicker than it took to master the basics for fire.

     She exited the tent before heading out on foot, running towards the town under the curtain of night.

     It took about fifteen minutes to travel the eight miles of distance between the camp and the wall she needed to wait at.

     She had started to sneak when she got within half a mile of the wall joint before sinking her claws into the wall and pulling herself up slowly until she almost reached the top.

     She listened for movement before hearing nothing. She checked the watch that Serena lent her so that she could keep track of her time without having any kind of glare reveal her location.

10:58

     “Hey!” A voice spoke up, causing her to stick herself to the wall.

     While she doesn’t doubt the 176% chance of not being noticed, someone could still get lucky and shine a light on her. If so, then her chances don’t matter if she has a spotlight on her.

     “Shift change. Go and get some rest. Want to look your best when Bolt comes here in two days, right?”

     ‘Fuck.’

     The last thing she needed to hear is that someone with a reputation would be arriving the day after tomorrow. 

     ‘Reputation means one of two things: experience or nepotism. Based on how they are talking about them as well, I’m more likely to believe the experience. Nepotism isn’t too kindly looked upon, regardless of what kingdom you support.’

     “Come on, you know I’ve got no chance. I’ve heard that he can out speed the Horde’s skiffs while jogging . No doubt he’s gotten many other suitors after him.”

     “Get off the pity horse. Sometimes, a person wants someone who will look at a person and not their deeds. I know my partner doesn’t care about what I do, so long as I keep helping her around the house like I’ve been doing once I get back home. Now, go get your rest.”

     “Alright. Tell Harna I said hello, would you?”

     “I will.”

     Tigra could only hear someone walking away and what sounded like someone sitting down.

     Tigra took a breath in before moving five minutes later, in case the soldier returned for something they forgot.

     She pulled herself up into a shadowy corner before spotting the guard with their back to her, watching out over the wall. 

     Tigra made her way over, watching her steps to not let out any sudden noises before stopping right behind them and raised her claws and struck.

691 damage dealt! (2x)

     The guard would have fallen to the ground if Tigra has not stopped the guard at the last minute and placed the guard to stand upwards, leaning against the wall as if they were still on active duty.

     ‘That should prevent anyone from being suspicious at a glance.’ She thought before starting to run down the path she had determined before arriving.

     If she continued running the entire way, it would take 25 minutes to reach the barracks, but dealing with each of the guards along the way would take an additional minute each to take care of and set them up, raising it to 40 minutes.

     So, she ran and met another guard. Continuing her quiet run, she pounced and sliced.

1334 damage dealt!

     ‘...fuck.’

     The attack had too much extra power and, while it did kill the guard, it tore a large amount of their neck off as well. She wouldn’t be able to stand this one up well, considering that the missing part of the neck was obvious.

     So, she was forced to lay the guard down while keeping any part of them out of view from the small windows in the wood around the walls.

     She glanced at the body and then ahead before shaking her head.

     The original plan had been to do what she did to the first one to buy her as much time as she could get.

     But this body ruined it if any military personnel didn’t see a guard in this position, they would investigate and then find the body.

     ‘At least, assuming them to be competent.’ Tigra admitted in her head.

     No, now that the original plan had been ruined, she needed to eliminate as many hostiles as quickly as possible now.

     So, she took a breath before dashing.

     While it affects her STAMINA more than running - 12 to 8, it increases her base speed by 25% more than running, not taking their levels into account.

     She started moving much faster and reached the next guard in about a minute and slashed, not stopping this time and continued moving.

1583 damage dealt!

…

1583 damage dealt!

…

1583 damage dea-

…

1583 damage d-

…

1583 dama-

…

1583 da-

…

1583-

…

158-

…

15-

…

1-

…

…

…

     Tigra stopped after killing the last standing guard on the wall and checked her watch.

11:36

…

H2H gained 13500 EXP.

H2H leveled up! LV 88 → 90

STR, CON, and DEX increased by 1.

[H2H LV 90 (4143/9000) - Increases damage done while unarmed by 180%]

Sneak gained 21300 EXP

Sneak leveled up! LV 43 → 47

[Sneak LV 47 (4428/4700) - Chances of being hidden are: 93.5% if people are aware, 187% if unaware. -10% per level higher in sneak of said person]

     Tigra let a grin show up on her face. She had started to become curious over what would happen when she reached 100 for one of her skills instead of a spell.

[Quest Created!]

Is This the Peak?

Get one of your skills to Level 100 and discover what happens then.

Objective: You just read it.

Reward: [???] function unlocked

     Tigra blinked before a thought came to her.

     ‘There are ‘functions’ locked to me?’

     She had gone her entire life up to now believing that, whatever power she had, was just that: a power. She had received it and that was the end of it. She didn’t know that there could be things hidden from her.

     She shook her head to get focused again.

     ‘Eliminating first, potential life changes later.’

     She made her way off of the wall and down to the streets before sticking to the darkness.

     As she reached about halfway, she spotted two guards heading in her direction, likely to check on the lack of communications.

     ‘When I reach the barracks, I’m not going to have time to be quiet. I’ll have to get my DEX up as high as I can and dispatch all of the guards in there. Here’s hoping all of them are in there.’

     As the two reached her area, she dashed.

1624 damage dealt! (2x)

H2H gained 1800 EXP.

     She pulled the bodies into the alleyway where they would remain hidden for the night.

     She moved out once more before reaching the ‘barracks’ she was looking for.

     In reality it was a large building with flowers thrown all over the outside of it. A good amount of windows on the second and third floors and about two, maybe three entrances/exits.

     Tigra made her way to the door before casting Haste on herself, creating a dim yellow light around her. Once more, hopefully for the last time of the night, she took a breath before exhaling.

     She opened the door and activated You are Speed.

     She noticed about maybe 15 guards at a glance before dashing.

     She took a quick glance at her DEX.

DEX: 1126

     ‘Horde damn.’

     She moved and her claws had already entered the closest guard.

6345 damage dealt.

     Her claws practically decapitated the guard with one slice. Yet, she didn’t stop and had pierced the weak helmet of another guard. The guards were only now starting to scramble to their feet.

     By the time they did, another three guards fell. By the time they grabbed their swords and guns, another five.

     The last five guards shook in terror before meeting their swift end a moment later as well.

H2H gained 13500 EXP.

H2H leveled up! LV 90 → 92

     You are Speed would continue for another 87 seconds as she quickly made her way up onto the second floor. A few guards were coming out, likely hearing the small amount of ruckus that had happened downstairs.

     The three guards quickly found it as their last choice as they fell to the ground.

     Tigra opened room after room and disposed of any guard inside if there were any.

H2H gained 6000 EXP

     Tigra reached the third floor, just as You are Speed ran out. She took a second to get used to the new speed before continuing on.

     Only to feel her instincts scream out. She activated Fire Armor at 500 MP a minute.

100 damage taken!

250 fire damage inflicted!

HP: 6060/6160

     Tigra heard the cry of pain before dashing at the person who just hit her and slammed a burning kick into them.

1085+250=1335 damage inflicted.

H2H gained 900 EXP.

Physical Resistance gained 500 EXP.

     Her burning leg went halfway through their chest while cauterizing the wound. Tigra scrunched her face as the smell of burning flesh and cloth hit her nose.

     She jumped back and disabled Flame Armor, leaving her with 628/1000 MP and continued fueling Haste. Only then did she glance at her HP to see how the increase in HP affected her normal HP after taking damage.

HP: 2361/2400

     ‘That’s roughly the same percentage of what my enhanced HP had been. So, I guess that it works based on the percentage of the new HP and it reverts to my normal HP afterwards.’ She determined.

     She continued walking onto the third floor and met 4 other soldiers, yet they sat at a table in front of her.

     “Not going to attempt to fight me like your other companion?” Tigra asked, hoping to find out the reason.

     “No. We know that if you were cautious enough to take out the first floor of guards almost silently, you would have likely taken out the guards on the wall as well. If not, you’ll be doing so after.” One of them spoke.

     “We can only ask that you don’t take your wrath out on the citizens.”

     Tigra raised an eyebrow before nodding.

     “I never planned on involving the citizens. At the end of the day, the only thing that will change will be those in charge of the town. Whether it is Plumeria, Brightmoon, or the Horde, it would make no sense to involve them in a military matter. But if you want reassurance, then I’ll say this. I, Force Captain Tigra, will ensure that the only deaths that will result from this take over will be military personnel.” She declared for them.

     Two of them nodded as thanks to her.

     “In exchange, I’d like to ask a few questions. First, how likely am I to expect a violent attack against us by the citizens? Remember, I’ll do my best to prevent civilian casualties but it will be out of my hands if they start a conflict. My first order is to protect those I command, especially if we’re in hostile land.”

     “Unlikely. Most people here are traders and people who have lived here for generations. So long as they are left alone, they likely won’t care.”

     She nodded.

     “Second, has any message been sent for reinforcements?”

     “It was brought up, but denied. By then, you would have built up a defensive line that would only result in lives that could be sent somewhere better.”

     Another nod.

     “Finally, who is this Bolt that will be arriving sometime in two days?”

     They were quiet for a moment.

     “If you decide to hold information, I can contact intelligence on how dangerous this Bolt is and then prepare for elimination. If you tell me, I’ll hold back on any order to remove this Bolt.”

     She would be contacting them regardless of what these guards say. An enemy you know is coming should be one researched. Their strengths, weaknesses, history, and even morals would be needed in a fight if it turns difficult.

     “Bolt is from the rare race of Magicats, just like you. He honed his speed over his years and has been known as one of the fastest people on Etheria. He travels with three companions with varying degrees of use in combat and outside. He is noticeable by his short, brown hair, blue sclera eyes, and brown fur.”

     Tigra nodded before extending her claws.

     “I’m sorry, but I’ve been ordered to take Terra.”

     The four of them nodded, hearing the hidden message that she conveyed through that sentence.

     I’m not taking prisoners.

     “Can you make it quick?”

     “I can.”

     Through the use of dash, four bodies hit the ground soon after the statement.

H2H gained 4800 EXP.

     Tigra shook her hand, getting rid of some droplets of blood that would be a deal to get out for the next chance at a shower she would get.

     She walked out of the building, getting rid of Haste and made her way to the front of the town before finding a few stacks of hay left out.

     She grabbed two bags laying around and stuffed them full of hay before continuing to the area she had told Serena to keep an eye on.

     When she did, she placed the bags on separate sides of the entrance before setting her hand alight with Fire.

     The first bag caught alight before building a larger fire from the hay combusting. The second caught fire a few moments later as she stood in place, her arms crossed and a smirk on her face.

     ‘Misson…’

[Quest [Battle of Terra] Completed!]

Hidden Objective 1: Finish the battle by losing 10 or less soldiers.

Hidden Objective 2: Take Terra alone

Rewards: 100 EXP x 50, Title: [Conqueror] updated | 50 EXP x 70, 2 Trait Points

…

8500 EXP gained!

Leveled up! Level 33 → Level 34

10 Attr. Points gained! 2 Skill Points gained!

…

     ‘...Completed.’

     She placed 5 into DEX and 5 into WIS before looking at the Trait Store.

Durable-Multiply CON by 1.15

Speedy-Updates DEX multiplier to 1.3

Strong-Multiply STR by 1.15

Intelligent-Updates INT multiplier to 1.3

Wise-Multiply WIS by 1.15

Charming-Multiply CHA by 1.15

…

Pyromaniac-Multiplies EXP for Fire spells by 2

Electromaniac-Multiplies EXP for Lightning spells by 2

In the Shadows-Increases Sneak’s level influence by 50%

…

Improved Regen-Multiplies HPR by 2

Enhanced Regen-Multiplies MPR by 2

…

[Pyromaniac] and [Enhanced Regen] purchased.

…

3 skill points have been used for H2H.

H2H reached level 100!

Feature [Prestige] unlocked!

…

[Prestige: Once a combat or combat-related skill reaches level 100, you are given the choice of either staying at that level or restarting at level 1 with excess EXP carrying over. However, doing so multiplies EXP needed by 2 but it multiplies the effect of the skill by 2 for every level of prestige the skill gains]

[Would you like to Prestige Hand-To-Hand?]

[ Y /N ]

[Hand-To-Hand has reset to level 1. Converting excess of 7013 EXP into new regulation.]

…

[Hand-To-Hand LV (1)13 (13/2600) - Increases damage dealt while unarmed by 52%. [H2H_Level*2*2^Prestige_Level] ]

…

     ‘While my attacks will be weaker for a little bit, it will be worth it in the long run. It would have stopped at 200%, but now it can go to 400% if I’m right. Then 800%, 1600%, and continuing. It’s best to do this as soon as possible while combat is still on the table.’ Tigra determined.

     “Well, I might as well put that new trait to work.” She muttered before the dual flames around her started to grow and shrink.

     While waiting, she continued thinking how she would likely continue training with fire until the next element was decided.

     ‘I’m thinking Ice. If it is anything like Fire, then there’s likely a chilling control that would work similarly to Heat. If so, I could then regulate my temperature in and around me however I want. On the other hand, I almost have Electricity Resistance maxed and Fire Armor proved to be an effective way of raising it.’

     …

     ‘Well, I’ll make that decision once I have enough skill points to get another [-omaniac] trait to learn the skills quicker. For now, I’ll learn Fire spells much faster than any other branch.’

     She didn’t care to learn attacking spells, but would rather learn control first so that when she does learn any offensive spells, they can make up for their use of low damage in the beginning.

     An hour went by before another pop up appeared.

Fanning Flames gained 28800 EXP.

[Fanning Flames has reached max level! As a reward, WIS is increased by 3 and 1 Skill point is awarded]

[Fanning Flames LV MAX - The step of pyromancy of controlling fire around you. Cost: 1 MP/m]

…

Spell shop opened

…

Fire Step selected.

[Fire Step LV 1 (0/150) - This spell allows the user to send a condensed amount of fire through their feet to shoot them around in the air. Cost: 23 MP/m]

…

     Tigra blinked in shock at finishing Fanning Flame so quickly. She figured that it would take another half hour or so.

     Having nothing to do, she channeled fire through her feet before hovering in the air about a foot off the ground as the flames kept her in the air.

     Two more hours passed before Horde soldiers appeared further out based on the dim lights she could see reached her and she let go of the spell.

Fire Step gained 28800 EXP.

Fire Step leveled up! LV 1 → 20

[Fire Step LV 20 (300/3000) - The ability to move the body with propulsions from flames. Cost: 9 MP/m]

…

     Tigra took one last look at her sheet before they reached her.

Tigra Age: 17

Level: 34  (4130/6700)

HP: 2460      HPR: 246

MP: 1000     MPR: 296

STM: 1230    SMR:246

STR: 32     DEX: 135

CON: 123     INT: 100

WIS: 74     CHA: 34

Magic Control: 35%

[H2H  LV (1)13], [Run LV 63], [Dash LV 74]

[Dodge LV 41], [Reading LV 75], [Writing LV 69], [Sneak LV 47]

[Fire Res. LV 72], [Phys. Res LV 35], [Elec. Res. LV 82], [Magic Res. LV 2]

Spells:

Flame, Fire, Heat, Flaming Armor

Fanning Flames, Fire Step

Haste, Heal

…

Reputation with Serena increased. 23→57 [Friendly]

Chapter Text

     It was early morning when Tigra woke up and went to work on Fire Step. She stretched her legs to prevent any sudden tenseness before jumping into the air with fire coming out of the bottom of her feet.

     She angled herself and started to fly around before activating Fire Armor with 1427 HP and activating Heal with her hand.

     While it was strenuous to activate three spells at the same time mentally, nearly no MP is being casted. With Heal and Fire Step, they combined to only 10 MP/m.

     As she flew through the air, burning a yellow fire, she also kept an eye on her clothing to make sure that they don’t burn when she uses HP.

     She could see an ember every minute or so flake off of her, confirming a thought about her HP and her clothing. Despite the clothing being just cloth and other lightweight protective materials, it counted as armor.

     So long as she has enough HP, it would be her body burning away but Heal would fix the damage almost as soon as it started happening, leaving nothing behind to indicate that part of her just burnt away.

     For about 70 minutes, she continued flying around before landing after a notification popped up.

Fire Step gained 16200 EXP.

Fire Step maxed out! WIS increased by 2 and 1 Skill point gained!

Fire Armor gained 85120 EXP.

Fire Armor leveled up! LV 40 → 49

Fire Resistance gained 99890 EXP.

Fire Resistance has leveled up! LV 72 → 85

…

     Tigra grinned as she waited for her MP to restore to full as she thought over Fire Resistance.

     ‘That gives me an 85% decrease in damage from Fire related attacks. Then, [Iron Body] kicks in and reduces that remaining 15% by 25%. So, I’m actually only taking 11% damage from Fire related attacks.’

     It would take an attack doing 2000 damage regularly before she would have to worry about any fire attack. Worse case? She could just activate Flame Armor to a high degree and multiply her HP high enough that she could just stand in the fire while it would only raise her resistance even higher, making it do even less damage.

     She then opened the Spell Shop and looked at any Fire spells.

Flame Charge, Fire Shield, Fire Absorption

…

Flame Charge chosen.

[Flame Charge LV 1 (0/200) - The user can condense their flames and use it to send them shooting towards any direction, should they have good control over fire. Increases DEX by 25% when used for 3 seconds or until path is interrupted. Cost: 22 MP]

...

     Tigra took a breath before deciding to use it and see how it would work into her style of fighting. She focused her fire to the bottom of her feet before condensing it more before letting it out.

     She shot forward but continued letting off her burst of fire and started zipping around even quicker. She kept going for another 5 minutes before stopping due to needing to let her MP recharge.

     ‘While not seeming like much, every burst of fire costs 22 MP. Considering that, if pressured, I could use it 6 times in 5 seconds, it could use up a lot of my MP in a short amount of time.’ She thought.

Flame Charge gained 7040 EXP.

Flame Charge leveled up! LV 1 → 8

[Flame Charge LV 8 (1440/1600) - Cost: 17 MP]

…

     Tigra suddenly gained a splitting headache, as if she had slammed into a tree during this practice.

     “That must be the drawback of using so much MP in such a short amount of time.” She muttered to herself. “But hey, I got a good amount of practice for Fire Spells today. Maybe I’ll come back to this later, considering that I need to do some other work for the day.”

     She made her way back to her temporary office before taking some pain medication.

     She continued writing up reports and reading through other reports for practically the rest of the day, except for a three hour window, in which she practiced her Fire Armor extensively now that she could use almost her entire HP amount and, due to her resistances, could still heal faster than she could take damage.

Fire Armor gained 118,080 EXP.

Fire Armor leveled up!

[Fire Armor LV 60 (2623/12000) - CON*(1+AMOUNT_USED/280)]

Fire Resistance gained 295,200 EXP.

Fire Resistance leveled up!

[Fire Resistance LV 99 (0/1) - Decreases damage taken by Fire attacks by 99%. With [Iron Body], it becomes 99.25%]

...

     “The hell?” Tigra muttered, staring at Fire Resistance. She used Fire Armor again for a second.

Fire Armor gained 33 EXP.

...

     “Why didn’t that go up? I took damage. Then again, it is extremely strange for the last level to be 1 EXP.”

     She looked through the Skill shop for an explanation, but didn’t see anything in there about it with the only exception being a message saying: “Invalid for use of skill points to upgrade.”

     It didn’t make much sense until the last sentence.

[To see further explanation, please look through [Trait] shop]

…

Trait Shop opened.

     Everything looked the same, except for a few new things.

[One with Fire - Fire abilities only take 75% as much MP as they would normally]

[Fueling the Flames - Damage done through Fire attacks are increased by 50%]

[Phoenix - If your HP is reduced to zero, you return to 75% HP once with a 25% increase in stats for the next 10 minutes. Useable once every month]

[Fire Immunity - Grants 1 EXP to [Fire Resistance] and evolves it into the trait [Fireproof] ]

…

     “So Fire Resistance is a skill…yet Fire Immunity is a [Trait]?” She muttered.

…

[Through purchasing this, every cell in your body will undergo a change to become completely fireproof]

…

     “That makes a bit more sense now. It wouldn’t be a skill because my body would literally be gaining the trait fireproof. But if that was the case, shouldn’t Fire Resistance have been a trait?”

     She sighed before heading back to her room.

     She was too tired to even think about how the complexities between skills and traits are complicated yet simple at the same time.

*Next Day*

     Tigra had been waiting at the entrance to the town on the wall, her legs dangling over the edge.

     She wore the bottom half of her armor while only wearing her yellow shirt. Her black hair had once more been put into a ponytail.

     After the enlightening moment last night, she’s decided that she should start saving 5 skill points from now on in the case something like this happens or there is a better trait that she may want.

     But none of that was important at the moment, as she waited for this ‘Bolt’ to show up.

     From the intelligence she received after reporting that Terra had been taken and that someone named Bolt was heading in her direction, they provided information in the chance that she came to blows with him.

     It had been quiet since she arrived here about half an hour ago. Horde soldiers posted nearby had noticed her and had the good idea of maintaining a professional look while they were on duty.

     Which meant that they barely moved and seemed as if she would bite their heads off if they so much as twitched.

     Tigra sighed before doing something she rarely does.

     ‘Sheet - Reputations.’

Reputations:

Chosen - Those who will  help 

Family - Those who may go out of their way to help

Friendly - Those who will help more than not

Acquaintances - Those who may or may not help you

Dislike - Those who need convincing to help

Hated - Would need a good reason to hear you out

Nemesis - Those that would only help at the end of the world

Horde: 0 [Friendly]

Salineas: -10 [Acquaintance]

Brightmoon: -25 [Acquaintance]

Plumeria: -25 [Acquaintance]

…

Reward for reaching [Friendly] with Horde: CHA + 10

 With reputation with Horde reaching Friendly, most soldiers will acknowledge you with respect and will listen to your commands as long as it is not telling them to sacrifice themselves for you.

     ‘Sheet - Relationships.’

Relationships [Towards You, Towards Them]:

Catra: 90 [Family], 30 [Chosen]

Adora: 52 [Family], 88 [Family]

Lonnie: 66 [Friendly], 42 [Family]

Rogelio: 66 [Friendly], 35 [Family]

Kyle: 63 [Friendly], 22 [Family]

Serena: 57 [Friendly], 18 [Acquaintance]

Scorpia: 40 [Friendly], 28 [Acquaintance]

Lucy: 30 [Friendly], 15 [Acquaintance]

Harold: 0 [Friendly], 33 [Acquaintance]

Susan: 40 [A], 21 [Acquaintance]

Lord Hordak: 40 [Acquaintance], 25 [Acquaintance]

Sarah: 32 [Acquaintance], 18 [Acquaintance]

Buuka: 26 [Acquaintance], 15 [Acquaintance]

Abby: 17 [Acquaintance], 12 [Acquaintance]

Bow: -5 [Acquaintance], -10 [Acquaintance]

Lukan: -22 [Acquaintance], 5 [Acquaintance]

Perfuma: -25 [Acquaintance], -15 [Acquaintance]

Glimmer: -10 [Dislike], -20 [Acquaintance]

Weaver: -15 [Dislike], -56 [Hated]

…

     To the outside world, Tigra remained the same, just staring out across the open field as if expecting something to show up in the next few minutes.

     On the inside…she froze from surprise.

     While she has never seen crossed out names on her Relationships, she knows enough that it is not good.

     ‘Sheet - Relationships.’ She calls up again.

Relationships [Towards You, Towards Them]:

Catra: 90 [Family], 30 [Chosen]

Adora: 52 [Family], 88 [Family]

Lonnie: 66 [Friendly], 42 [Family]

Rogelio: 66 [Friendly], 35 [Family]

Kyle: 63 [Friendly], 22 [Family]

Serena: 57 [Friendly], 18 [Acquaintance]

Scorpia: 40 [Friendly], 28 [Acquaintance]

Lucy: 30 [Friendly], 15 [Acquaintance]

Lord Hordak: 40 [Acquaintance], 25 [Acquaintance]

Sarah: 32 [Acquaintance], 18 [Acquaintance]

Buuka: 26 [Acquaintance], 15 [Acquaintance]

Abby: 17 [Acquaintance], 12 [Acquaintance]

Bow: -5 [Acquaintance], -10 [Acquaintance]

Lukan: -22 [Acquaintance], 5 [Acquaintance]

Perfuma: -25 [Acquaintance], -15 [Acquaintance]

Glimmer: -10 [Dislike], -20 [Acquaintance]

Weaver: -15 [Dislike], -56 [Hated]

...

     They were gone.

     It is as if that sheet only meant to show her that something had changed and, once it went away, it updated as if it was a sheet in a system.

     It got rid of information that would no longer be useful going forward.

     She took a deep breath before activating Fire Armor with all of her 2460 HP and used Heal.

     It received a few looks at seeing their Force Captain suddenly combust, yet they didn’t move once seeing her not be phased by being on fire.

     She continued to fuel the flames with her emotions for the next 35 minutes before letting the spells go. Since it was only 35 minutes, her MP practically refilled once she stopped.

Fire Armor gained 68880 EXP.

Fire Armor leveled up!

[Fire Armor LV 65 (9536/13000] - CON*(1+Amount_Used/270)]

…

     She calmed down enough for now. It would do her no good to mourn them right before an enemy would show up. Especially one that is a Magicat that seems to focus on Speed just like her.

     ‘The information provided mentioned that he travels with three companions, each knowing some basic magic and specialize with one element. Part of me wants to believe that it is so he can be Hasted thrice, thus increasing his speed by 1.95 instead of the usual 1.25.’

     One of the first things she learned once she found out about enemy mages was to see how they used the spells she uses.

     Haste is one that stood out.

     There is a limit to how much someone’s abilities can be increased by an outside force. The recommended limit is 3 but the absolute limit is 5. Any more than 5 and the body starts to come apart.

     While not many, that could still boost someone’s DEX by 1.25^5 or roughly 3x.

     But the outside source is what caught her attention. Apparently, the targeted person could use Haste themselves and be the target of five other people using Haste.

     That raises that 3x to roughly 3.75. That extra .75 could be monstrous depending on how high one’s DEX already is.

     Her abilities are already proving that.

     She actually got curious and went through her sheet and decided to see how high her multiplier had gotten.

     ‘Dash increases it by 2.24, Haste does 1.35, Y.A.S. does 3, that new spell Fire Charge increases it again by 1.35. Putting them together and multiplying my 135 DEX by…12.24…’

     Tigra’s eyes widened in shock and slight excitement.

     ‘My highest DEX comes to 1655. Doing more math, that comes to about 230 mph after including Hare’s additional 25% to movement speed. Taking into account my low H2H at the moment, I should still be doing a little over 2000 damage per hit.’

     And she could keep that speed for 2 minutes straight.

     She could move nearly a mile in 15 seconds.

     ‘Granted, after two minutes, it drops down to 552 but hey, I hope to not be fighting someone long enough for that to be an issue.’

     She continued sitting there until she spotted four figures in the distance coming out past the tree line.

     “Guards,” She suddenly spoke, making them stand at attention. “I’m going to greet our visitor.”

     She hopped off of the wall before using Fire Step to slow her descent until she landed on the ground and walked about a quarter of a mile out. From there, she waited for them to reach her.

     As they got closer, she noticed that the one she assumes to be Bolt had blue sclera eyes like the last guards claimed.

     The three behind him wore cloaks hiding them from view.

     The one on the left wore a dark blue, the one in the middle wore a light green, and the one on the right wore a light blue.

     “Hello there.” Bolt proclaimed. “I can’t help but notice that you wear the emblem of the Horde. Does that mean that you have taken Terra?”

     “Yeah.” She admitted.

     She wouldn’t try to hide something so obvious.

     “And the civilians?”

     “Unharmed. The Horde needs working people just as much as the other kingdoms do. However, the guards here were dispatched.”

     He nodded. “It means little but thank you for leaving-”

     “Yeah yeah.” She waved off. “I’m not a heartless monster. Civilian deaths serve no purpose but mindless bloodshed.”

     “But if it did have a purpose?”

     “I said heartless. I am still a monster. One must become one to be able to fight against the Princesses.”

     He stayed silent as he seemed to study her before looking behind him at his companions.

     “I think I can handle this alone.”

     “You are the first Magicat I’ve met outside of the Horde. I want to see how much I still have to grow.” Tigra declared.

     She was only Level 34 but had a strong feeling that he should be higher than her if he had earned his nickname, the Bolt of Lightning.

     Bolt simply grinned, yet his eyes seemed wider than earlier, before popping his neck.

     “Very well. Magic or no magic?”

     Tigra studied him for a moment.

[Bolt      Age: 34]

[Level: 73      HP: 9000]

…

     “Magic.”

[Quest Created!]

Final Bolt

You have encountered the Bolt of Lightning. You must defeat him or he might just get rid of the soldiers that have only just been posted as you had done.

Objective: Eliminate Bolt

Bonus Objective: Don’t get hit more than 3 times

Reward: 40,000 EXP and 5 Skill points | 80,000 EXP, 20 Skill Points

…

     ‘Well that bonus must be impossible.’ Tigra thought. ‘120,000 EXP would be the total reward and that would surely get me just under level 50.’

     Haste became active at that moment, a yellow light surrounding her body.

     He raised an eyebrow as his grin turned to a smirk as he lowered his body.

     She charged Fire Charge to move quickly as she lowered her body as well.

     They stared at each other before they both moved, except Tigra had a burst of fire come from behind her.

     Tigra shot a punch at him.

     Only for him to dodge out of the way. 

     She barely had time to dodge his slash and kick a leg upwards, hitting his chest and pushing him away.

274 damage inflicted

...

     Tigra didn’t want to lose any momentum as this simple exchange told her something she had a hard time believing.

     He could move as fast as she could go without Y.A.S. and he hadn’t used any enhancing magic yet.

     She shot fire out of her feet and met him once more and tried to land a kick against him. He raised his arm and allowed the leg to hit him in the side before pinning her leg against his side and spinning.

     Tigra was off the ground for a moment before using Fire Charge to shoot flames out of her captured foot, allowing it to escape from the sudden force. As she glided back to a safe distance, she noticed that Bolt was coming right at her.

     She barely put up a block before a foot impacted her chest.

132 damage taken!

…

     She blasted fire from her left hand, shooting her to the right. Using it again to close the gap between them and land a strong right fist into his side.

     He grunted before Tigra found a fist under her chin.

265 damage taken!

…

     Tigra performed an uncontrolled flip before landing on the ground with a grunt. She got to her knee before shaking her head.

     “So, I’m not the only one holding back.” She accused.

     He blinked at her before laughing.

     “I knew that wasn’t all you had!” He smiled. “I suggest you go all out. I’m not going to slow down from here on out.”

     She frowned lightly before reapplying Haste, it coming undone from the sudden uppercut.

     “Fine. I’ll go all out.”

     She crouched down and started charging fire into her feet and arms to prepare for the sudden speed she prepared to go.

     She took a breath in.

     And breathed out.

     ‘Y.A.S. activate.’

     And she shot forward at a speed she had never gone before.

     She reached Bolt in a fraction of a second.

     She boosted fire out of her right hand at an angle and slammed a sped up spin-kick into his chest, sending him flying backward.

896 damage dealt!

…

     ‘Not enough!’

     Another two bursts from her feet found herself behind him and landed another punch into his back with a slight crack echoing.

     She had been afraid that she could have been outsped in this fight considering he had been keeping up with her but came to a conclusion.

     He was arrogant and couldn’t boost himself without his companions’ help.

     She threw a slash, intending on dealing extra damage before he could potentially react.

     Only…he disappeared with a blue flash of light.

     Her instincts screamed.

     She boosted herself three times into the air, trying to get away from the ground while also trying to locate Bolt.

     It wasn’t enough.

     She felt something kick her side that sent her flying horizontally, flying over the ground.

385 lightning damage taken!

…

     'Lightning damage!?'

     She boosted to the side, wanting to regain her lost momentum, only to feel a deep pain in her chest and something slam into the side of her head.

770 lightning damage taken!

…

     Tigra closed her eyes as she hit the ground and rolled for a few moments.

     Tigra reopened her eyes and caught a glance of a figure cloaked in lightning heading her way fast.

     ‘Flame Armor!’

     No sooner did her flames appear and cover her, did another impact hit her body.

385 lightning damage taken!

376 fire damage inflicted!

…

     Tigra fell to her knees from the sudden impact but held a grimace with a smile after hearing a sudden cry of pain.

     “Fracking Fire Armor!” Bolt yelled out, holding his lightly burnt hand. He then muttered something that only confused her.

     "But...why does this fire feel familiar?" 

     He looked at her before breathing out slowly.

     “Alright, I’m done here.”

     …

     “Huh?”

     “I said I’m done here. While I’m curious how you boosted your speed so much, it’s not fast enough for me to be worried. You already can’t keep up with my speed with my Lightning Armor and my three friends over there and I could use Haste on me as well. I can move nearly 4x this fast without suffering any consequences and yet, you could barely catch a glimpse of me at the end, couldn't you? That seemed like a fight or flight response. However, there is one inescapable fact when it comes to you fighting me.”

     He crouched down in front of her as Flame Armor went out.

“You’re just too slow.”

H2H gained 7474 EXP.

H2H leveled up! (1)13→(1)15

Flame Charge gained 816 EXP

Flame Charge leveled up! 8 → 9

Lightning Resistance gained 8856 EXP

Lightning Resistance leveled up! 82 → 83

Physical Resistance gained 816 EXP.

…

Quest [Last Bolt] Failed

…

     Tigra grit her teeth as she slowly stood up.

     “Seeing as there are no revolts, I can assume that you really are treating the citizens well enough.” He started. “We’ll leave to avoid any more bloodshed. Fair warning, I don’t let my enemies live a third time. So either get fast enough to impress me the next time we meet so that I’ll spare you one more time, or don’t run into me. Who knows, you may make our next encounter something I may actually enjoy.”

     Tigra didn’t hide the anger she felt from him.

     “Aera, Posei, Glae, let’s go.”

     He turned around and started walking, his companions catching up quickly before they walked away.

     Tigra stayed standing as her regenerations started to kick in before she used Heal to speed it up just a bit.

     Tigra growled lowly before making her way back to Terra.

…

     Tigra made her way back before seeing Serena waiting at the front.

     “Did you push him back?”

     “You didn’t see?”

     “None of us could. You two were moving too fast for us to really distinguish anything. It was just flashes of yellow and a bit of blue at the end. But, considering that you came back alive, you pushed him back.”

     Tigra stayed silent for a moment.

     “No, I didn’t.” She shook her head, much to their surprise. “Bolt deserves his title as the fastest person on Etheria. He didn’t take me seriously until he started using lightning. Once he used that, I couldn’t get more than a glance of him at my fastest.”

     “But…then where is he?”

     “He spared me. He left since we’ve been treating the citizens well. If it wasn’t for that, I very much doubt that we would be alive at this moment.” She clenched her hand.

     “How much longer until the reinforcements to hold Terra arrive, Commander Serena?”

     “Tomorrow evening, Captain Tigra.”

     Tigra nodded before starting to walk away.

     “Have no one bother me for the rest of today. The battle with Bolt was…enlightening. Dismissed.”

     Tigra walked away from them as they only stared at her back.

     Tigra found a secluded spot before using the maximum HP for Fire Armor and started using Flame Charge.

     Flame Charge would take a bit to master since she gains 44 EXP per boost at the cost of 16 MP per use. Taking into account her MP amount, she could use it 62 times before running out of MP. However, she would have to wait only 3 minutes to do it 62 more times once more.

     She grit her teeth as she started zooming across the area, with the intent of mastering this.

     It took 45 minutes before Tigra stopped zipping around the area and used Heal, fixing the damage she had been taking in a matter of minutes.

Flame Charge gained 55000 EXP.

Flame Charge maxed! 

[Flame Charge Lv MAX - The ability to charge fire towards various parts of the body and shoot out, sending you flying in the opposite direction at a high speed. Cost: 5 MP per use]

WIS increased by 2 and 1 Skill point gained.

Flame Armor gained 135360 EXP.

Flame Armor maxed out!

[Flame Armor LV MAX - Cover yourself in flames that protect you based on how much MP is used. CON*(1+Amount_Used/250)]

INT increased by 10 and 2 Skill points gained.

…

Spell Shop opened [Beginner Elemental Spells filtered]:

[Spark], [Bubble], [Flake], [Breeze], [Light], [Darken], [Stoneskin]

…

[Spark and Flake selected]

…

[Spark Lv 1 (0/50) - The beginning of electromancy. By sending magic to your hands, you can create small sparks of electricity to get used to the feeling of electrical magic moving through you. Cost: 10 MP/m]

[Flake LV 1 (0/50) - The beginning of cryomancy. By sending magic to your hands, you can create a small amount of snowflakes to come out of your hands. Cost: 10 MP/m] 

…

     Tigra gave a low chuckle before gaining a manic look in her eyes.

     “You’ve messed up Bolt. You’ve shown me that lightning has its own armor. One that increases your speed. If Fire and Lightning have it, why wouldn’t all of the other elements have an Armor spell.”

     She let out a loud laugh as a thought crossed her mind.

     “And what would happen if I combined them all?”

[Quest Created!]

Elemental Armory

You were shown that various elements could have their own sets of Armor spells. Having realized this, you have decided to learn as many Armor spells as you can.

Objective: Learn additional Armor class spells from various elements

Reward: 1000 EXP per Armor spell learned [1/8], 5000 EXP per Armor spell mastered [1/8]

...

6000 EXP awarded for new quest.

Level up!

Level 34 → Level 35

…

DEX increased by 10!

…

[Quest Created!]

Armor of the Elements

After a revelation, you’ve had the idea of learning the Armor spell for the elements. You had the idea of combining all of the Armor spells together to create one singular Armor with all of the elements.

Objective: Create the Elemental Armor by mastering all 8 Armor spells

Reward: 10 skill points, 50000 EXP, 2 trait points

…

     Tigra shook her head before heading back to her sleeping quarter, letting her mind and body finally get the rest that it would need after all the training, fighting, and eliminating people she had gone through over the past three days.

Tigra        Age: 17

Level: 35 (3430/6900)

HP: 2460      HPR: 246

MP: 1120      MPR: 312

SP: 1230      SPR:246

STR: 32      DEX: 151

CON: 123     INT: 112

WIS: 78      CHA: 44

Magic Control: 50%

Attribute Points: 0

Skill Points: 3

[H2H LV (1)15], [Run LV 63], [Dash LV 74]

[Dodge LV 41], [Reading LV 75], [Writing LV 69], [Sneak LV 47]

[Fire Res. LV 99], [Phys. Res LV 35], [Elec. Res. LV 83], [Magic Res. LV 2]

Spells:

Flame, Fire, Heat, Flame Armor, Fanning Flames, Fire Step, Flame Charge

Flake

Spark

Haste, Heal

Traits:

[Night Vision - Allows you to see in very dim lighting]

[Obsidian Claws - Increases unarmed claw attacks to do DEX*2 + STR/2 while being multiplied by H2H’s bonus afterward]

[Magical - Allows you the ability to use magic]

[Huntress - Multiplies final DEX and CON by 1.25]

[You are the Weapon - Multiplies H2H bonus by 2] 

[Genius - All EXP for spells is doubled]

[Hare - Increases movement speed by 25%]

[Iron Body - Decreases damage taken by 25% after resistances]

[Primal Instincts - You’re aware when someone near wants to harm you]

[Quick - Multiplies final DEX by 1.15]

[Smart - Multiplies final INT by 1.15]

[You are Speed - For two minutes a day, your DEX is multiplied by 3]

[Enhanced Regeneration - MP Regeneration is doubled]

[Healthy as a Horse - Stamina Regeneration is doubled]

[Pyromaniac - EXP for Fire Spells is doubled]

Chapter Text

     It was nearly noon by the time Tigra managed to get alone time to practice with her new spells.

     Today, Tigra had returned to her yellow shirt and dark gray pants that went down to her ankles. Her hair is still up in a ponytail though.

     She sat in her chair while taking a break in her office before holding her hands upward but to her sides, pushing Flake into her left hand and Spark into her right hand,

     From her left hand, the air seemed to grow a tad bit on the cold side before small twinkles appeared to be hovering over her hand. Tigra did not doubt that if she could look more closely at the twinkles, they would be small ice crystals in the shape of snowflakes. While she hasn’t seen actual snowflakes before now, she has read the reports from soldiers who were investigating if there were any differences between regular snow that other places experience and the snow found in the Kingdom of Snow. Each one of her fingers were creating their own snowflakes above them.

     From her right hand, a small stream of sparks started coming out of her fingers, popping and jumping a few inches away from her hand. The air around her right hand seemed to have an energy in it, similar to how one can feel electricity in the air if there was a sudden charge. The magic in her hand however felt like it wanted to be released. Since there was very little magic being put into the hand, it was safe to escape but she could tell that if she had somehow gotten her hands on a higher tier spell with a normal body, it would likely have electrocuted her arm and left burn marks.

     She did nothing but continue feeding magic into both of the spells for the next hour before she received the notifications she wanted.

Flake and Spark gained 2750 EXP

Flake maxed out!

[Flake LV MAX - The beginnings of cryomancy. This spell helps beginners get used to the coldness ice magic brings forth. Cost: 1 MP/m]

Spark maxed out!

[Spark LV MAX - The beginning of electromancy. This spell helps the user get used to electricity flowing through their magic and getting a feel of how volatile electromancy magic can become. Cost: 1 MP/m]

Due to Spark and Flake being maxed, WIS increased by 6 and 2 skill points received!

…

Spell Shop opened

…

[Freeze] and [Charge] purchased.

…

[Freeze LV 1 (0/100) - The next step in cryomancy. With this, the user emits an aura of coldness low enough that it can freeze water over time. Cost: 20 MP/m]

[Charge LV 1 (0/100) - The next step in electromancy. The user sends electricity into their hand and can transfer electricity or store an amount of electricity that could be used as an attack. Cost: 20 MP/m, Damage: INT*2+10/m of charging]

…

     Tigra groaned lightly, flexing her hands as the magic going through them stopped and left strange effects in each of her hands.

     Her left hand felt as if it had been pressed into something cold, like one of their freezers the Horde has to preserve specimens or other material that can expire due to heat. She sent a little bit of Heat through her hand and found that it was fixing the problem pretty quickly.

     Her right hand felt twitchy. Not like when Weaver would send lightning through her twitchy, but more as if her muscles were just coming down from a form of adrenaline. Unlike her left hand, she didn’t have a spell that would help fix that problem.

     “While those spells were mastered quickly, it’s going to get slower from here on out. Unlike with Fire, I’m back to working with a 2x multiplier instead of a 4x. Worse, these ones can’t be learned the way I learned Flame . If I send too much of Charge to any one place, it could mess with my nerves and those are painful to deal with. Meanwhile, Freeze may make my body freeze up due to it being used to heat at this point. Noticeable with Flake, a beginning level spell.” She spoke aloud.

     Tigra relaxed for a few minutes before activating Freeze and Charge at the same time.

     This time, the air seemed to drop even more from her left hand to the point that she could see a tiny amount of frost starting to form on her desk and metal canteen she drinks from whenever she’s away from the Fright Zone.

     In her right hand, a small ball of lightning started to form in her hand and seemed to slowly grow as time continued going on. As she reached the last minute before her MP would run out, she placed it against the ground.

Charge inflicted 494 damage!

…

     The area where it touched the ground received a dark burn mark but otherwise, the rest of the floor seemed to be fine.

Freeze gained 3240 EXP

Freeze leveled up!

[Freeze LV 8 (440/800) - Cost: 12 MP/m]

Charge gained 3240 EXP

Charge leveled up!

[Charge LV 8 (440/800) - Cost: 12 MP/m]

…

     That would likely be all of the time she would be able to work on them for the day as she needed to finish up the paperwork required for the people taking over so that she could return to the Fright Zone, figure out what happened to Harold and Susan, and continue her training plans.

     ‘If they are all this easy, I should be able to start working on their Armors by the end of the week. Yet…this “Ice Armor” will take the longest to level up, seeing as I don’t have any resistance except for the bonus from Iron Body.’ She thought.

…

Writing gained 7831 EXP

Writing leveled up! LV 69 → 71

For reaching LV 70, DEX increases by 1

…

     Tigra finished her paperwork about five minutes before the soldiers were to arrive. She did more than she needed to, but she had to make papers that strongly explained that Bolt only left the town under Horde control due to the citizens being treated as well as they were when Plumeria had control over Terra.

     Tigra simply waited for the soldiers to arrive before Serena walked up to her.

     “So you’re heading back to the Fright Zone after this?”

     “Correct. I’m going to ask for a few days off to train on a method I’ve thought of recently. I’ll likely be sent out to the front lines or to more towns close to our borders in the future.”

     “Why’s that?”

     “This is my second town I’ve taken. The first, I fought against 2:1 odds and only lost 10 soldiers out of 50, excluding myself. Now, I took Terra in a night without a single casualty. It would kind of be a bad idea to keep me back.

     “Besides, I will only get stronger through conflict like this. I could train back at the Fright Zone, but actual combat is worth much more than training safely to me. I get experience and reduce the total number of enemies in my future.”

     “I wanted to give my thanks before you left.” Serena spoke. “We were only informed that a Force Captain would be arriving. All of us had assumed that we would be forced to simply charge Terra, losses be damned. Yet, you showed up. Instead of asking for our numbers, you asked for those that could sneak through the night. Instead of being angry at our soldiers for not meeting your expectations, you simply assigned them somewhere they could still be useful for. 

     “When you went out there alone, I’ll admit that I thought that you may have bitten off more than you could chew like other Force Captains from the past. Yet you took down their guards alone in the dead of night and allowed us to take Terra. So, I’m thanking you for saving my men and women from dying in a fight that they did not need to.”

     “...They are part of my kingdom.” Tigra said. “Whether or not I care for them, they are protecting my home in any way they can. My home contains those that I see as my family. By protecting the kingdom, they are also protecting my family. The least I can do for any squadron I’m sent to is to do the same.”

     Tigra spotted soldiers approaching on skiffs before standing.

     “Or, that’s how I view it.”

     Serena stared at her before smiling.

     “I hope you continue to go far, Force Captain Tigra. You’d be good for the soldiers.”

     “I will. Keep leading your soldiers well, Force Commander.”

Reputation with Serena increased! 57 → 81 [Friendly]

…

     They stood in silence before the troops arrived and one skiff came closer before stopping. A person stepped off before Tigra’s eyes widened.

     “Lucy?”

     Lucy stepped forward before a small smile appeared on her blue skin. She had a few new scars on her right arm and one that went along her cheek.

     “Hello again, Tigra.”

     “You two know each other?” Serena asked.

     “This is Senior Cadet Lucy. She was part of the soldiers I helped fight with to take Geotan a while back.” Tigra explained.

     “Force Commander now.” Lucy corrected.

     “Congratulations on the promotion.” Tigra hesitated before continuing. “Have you heard from Harold or Susan? I haven’t heard from them in a while.”

     Lucy’s demeanor turned somber, already telling Tigra that her feelings about names being crossed out were likely correct.

     “Senior Cadet Harold and Medical Apprentice Susan fell in a skirmish a week ago. Their bodies were able to be retrieved and given a soldier’s burial.”

     Tigra did lower her head slightly.

     “Incinerated with their names being put into the codex with their deeds?”

     Lucy nodded.

     “Alright.” She let a heavy sigh out. “At least they won’t be forgotten.”

     The three of them sat in silence as a form of respect for the fallen soldiers from this skirmish that Tigra had not heard about.

     After a few seconds, Tigra continued.

     “So, you’re here to fortify Terra so that I can head back, correct?”

     “Yes. I’ll be stationed here for the next month to work with Force Commander Serena on allowing a smooth process for those that occupy this town.”

     “Well, we already have a hard rule in place for Terra.” Serena informed before getting a look from Lucy. “The citizens of Terra are to be treated as well, if not better, than when Plumeria had control over it.”

     “Why is that? It is a smart choice, but something about how you worded that made it seem that it holds more importance than simply keeping the working people happy and working.”

     “Someone has already come to try and take it back.” Tigra jumped in. “The famous Bolt of Lightning.”

     Lucy blinked before grinning and opening her mouth.

     “I did not beat him back.”

     This time, her grin fell before her eyes narrowed lightly.

     “Bolt only left after seeing that the citizens of Terra were not immediately revolting or even had the signs that they would. If he wanted to, he could have easily taken Terra back.”

     “Even with you? No offense, but I’ve seen how fast you are Tigra.”

     “I’m even faster now.” She informed. “However, it might as well have been you guys fighting me, except the other way around for once.”

     “Is Bolt really that fast?” She muttered.

     “At my full speed, I could only catch a glance of him and he could still have gone faster with help from his comrades.” Tigra dropped the bomb. “Bolt’s reputation is both well deserved and not stated well enough. Bolt is as dangerous, if not more, than most of the Princesses in terms of capability.”

     “...Then you best get back to the Fright Zone and surpass him.” Lucy concluded.

     “That’s the plan. While Bolt spared me, he revealed something idiotic to reveal to me. It will only make me much more dangerous next time the two of us genuinely fight again.”

     “Then don’t let me stop you.” Lucy nodded her head backwards slightly. “Since most of us are going to be staying awhile, you’re free to take the skiff I came on back. It has enough to make a trip and a half back to the Fright Zone. Just make sure to park it in the garage and set it to be charged.”

     Tigra gave a small smile before holding her hand out.

     “Stay safe and keep your soldiers even safer, Force Commander.”

     Lucy grabbed it and shook.

     “Keep pushing your soldiers and pushing yourself even harder, Force Captain.”

Relationship with Lucy increased! 30 → 48 [Friendly]

…

     Tigra made her way to it before looking at them.

     “I don’t need it.”

     With that, Haste covered her before she took off in a run, leaving several stunned people behind as she started moving about 55 mph.

…

*2 hours later*

…

Run gained 33,000 EXP

Run has leveled up! LV 63 → 68

Due to Run reaching LV 65, CON increases by 1

[Run LV 68 (4664/6800) - Increases DEX by 25% + 68 %]

Haste gained 5280 EXP

Haste leveled up! LV 28 → 29

…

     Tigra sat on the ground as she started using Freeze and Charge once more in a similar method to last time.

     “I’m going to do this until either I run out of Magic or I master them.” She spoke to herself.

     While working earlier in the day before they arrived to take her place, Tigra determined a good method of training her magic without getting that massive headache that prevents her from even using Fire without pain.

     She would use all of her MP in the mornings and again at nights. This way, she gets to practice twice a day and her mental health or whatever should have enough of a break to not get hurt.

     So, she spent the next 46 minutes practicing the two control spells before her magic gave out.

Freeze and Charge gained 5520 EXP.

Freeze leveled up! LV 8 → 13

Charge leveled up! LV 8 → 13

…

     Tigra laid on the ground for a moment to let her magic regenerate so she could reapply Haste and get moving once again.

     She chose to run for the first part of her journey due to wanting to increase these skills. They are part of her multipliers and help increase her stats. The higher they get, the faster her base speed and the higher her multiplier becomes.

     While waiting for 3 minutes to pass, she began eating one of her rations.

     ‘I have enough rations to last me three meals a day for 2 days. Doing the math, the Fright Zone had been about 1400 miles away from Terra. While running with Haste, I could move about 55 mph. I’ve run about 110 already in two hours. If I were to constantly run, it would take…24 hours to reach the kingdom. If I stop for 1 hour every 2 hours of running or 1 hour of dashing with 6 hours of rest a night, that increases the time to about 36-42 hours.’ She deduced.

     So, she stood up before reactivating Haste and started dashing.

…

*1 hour later*

…

Haste gained 2640 EXP

Dash gained 19,680 EXP.

Dash leveled up! LV 74 → 77

For reaching LV 75, CON increased by 2

…

     Tigra looked at how dark it was getting but determined that she could get one more training in with Freeze and Charge for the night before she wouldn’t be able to before a minor headache would appear.

     She prepared for the headache to appear after she finished, yet let out a sigh of relief at seeing a pop up after only 23 minutes, halfway before she would have run out of Magic.

Freeze and Charge have gained 2700 EXP.

Freeze has been mastered!

[Freeze LV MAX - Allows you to lower the temperature around an area to freeze water. Cost: 5 MP/m]

Charge has been mastered!

[Charge LV MAX - Allows you to gather electricity into your hands and create a ball of electricity that can grow more powerful over time. Damage: INT*2 + 10/m. Cost: 5 MP/m]

Due to mastering Freeze and Charge, WIS has increased by 4 and 2 skill points were awarded.

…

Spell Shop [Cyromancy and Electromancy filtered]

…

[Ice Shot], [Chill], [Ice Walk], [Lightning Bolt], [Neuron], [Lightning Rod]

…

[Chill] and [Neuron] purchased.

…

[Chill LV 1 (0/150) - An intermediate spell of Cryomancy. Your control over Cryomancy has grown to such a point, you can use ice magic through your body to lower your temperature and the temperature around you. Cost: 25 MP/m]

[Neuron LV 1 (0/150) - An intermediate spell of Electromancy. Through practice, your body has grown tempered by the electricity magic flowing through it. With this, your body will move with your thoughts instantly. Cost: 25 MP/m]

…

     Tigra looked at the two of them and came to a conclusion: She should focus on one of them now.

     With Chill, she could just use Heat as well and practically cancel out the difference in temperature changes. It could push her though mentally at having Haste, Chill, and Heat activated at once for long periods of time.

     “Hopefully Heat won’t be too much trouble since I’ve mastered it. If they are combined, I’ll be using 51 MP per minute, letting me use it for 21 minutes.”

     With Neuron, it would likely pair well with all of the ways she increases her DEX but also with Flame Charge to boost her anyway with an instant.

     Tigra made her way over to a tree and parkoured her way up into its branches before tying her waist to the sturdy branch.

     She closed her eyes before falling asleep.

***

Next day

***

     After waking up with a slight yawn, she had untied herself before dropping to the floor and activated Haste before using Neuron.

     The instant it activated, her body felt strange until she felt her claw already scratching an itch the second she registered that there even was an itch. Her left hand suddenly shot out before grasping something.

     She opened her hand and it revealed a small bug that had been annoying her for the past minute.

     She smirked before she started dashing once more, causing her surroundings to start to blur.

…

*3 hours later * 15 hours left of dashing

…

Dash gained 60,360 EXP

Dash leveled up! LV 77 → 84

For reaching LV 80, CON increased by 2 and DEX by 1

Haste gained 7920 EXP

Haste leveled up! LV 29 → 30

Neuron gained 21,600 EXP

Neuron leveled up!

[Neuron LV 17 (1350/2550) - Cost: 9 MP/m]

…

     Tigra had decided to take a break for her lunch while she let her body and magic refill while she stopped to think about what she should do if Dash or Run reach max level.

     “While it is good in the long run, it may be good to wait a little bit so that I don’t get taken advantage of because of my lowered speed. H2H was alright because the damage would let me build it back after doing damage. And considering how often I’m sent out to deal with conflicts, it will build back up quickly as long as I keep DEX as high as I can.” She thought aloud. “Then again, if I work on Lightning, I could potentially gain another multiplier to my speed if I work on it quick enough. Combine that with my current speed spell, it could make up for the lowered speed.”

     After taking a 20 minute break, she reapplied her two spells before dashing once more.

…

*1 hour later* 14 left

…

Dash gained 21000 EXP

Dash leveled up!

[Dash LV 87 (775/8700) - Increases DEX by 50 + 87 %]

For reaching level 85, CON increased by 2

Haste gained 2640 EXP

Neuron gained 7200 EXP

Neuron mastered!

[Neuron LV MAX - Your electrical signals are boosted by electrical magic, allowing them to move without any delay. Cost: 5 MP/m]

Due to mastering Neuron, WIS increased by 3 and 1 skill point gained.

…

Spell Shop opened [Electromancy]:

[Bolt], [Lightning Rod], [Lightning Redirection], [Lightning Armor]

…

[Lightning Armor purchased]

…

1000 EXP awarded due to [Elemental Armory] quest.

…

[Lightning Armor LV 1 (0/200) - Advanced Electromancy. Using what you have learned, you can now surround yourself in lightning to increase your speed while also increasing your reactions. Amount boost is DEX*(1+Amount_Used/750). Damage is Amount_Used/4. Can use HP with a ratio of 5:1]

…

     Tigra smiled before waiting to let everything refill.

     ‘While the amount used is larger than with Fire Armor , I can knock the cost down a lot thanks to my Electricity Resistance . Because of that, I can use HP and Heal to keep it going for a long while without running out of HP or MP.’ She analyzed.

     Her eyes drifted to her sheet and stared at Chill.

     “I…should be fine using that as well…but if I also use Heat, I’ll be using 4 spells at once. I don’t even need to attempt it to know that I’ll get a migraine strong enough to prevent me from using magic again for the rest of the day, maybe tomorrow as well.”

     She considered it before shaking her head.

     “I can just practice Chill with Heat once I return to the Fright Zone. For now, let’s have some fun.”

     She lowered her stance to prepare to start moving before activating Haste and Y.A.S. She then started Lightning Armor with the equivalent of 544 MP usage through HP and Heal.

     Yellow lightning came to life around her, similarly to how yellow fire surrounded her with Fire Armor. The main difference is that the lightning seemed to spaz everywhere and a low hum echoed around her.

     She pushed off before her surroundings vanished.

     She zoomed past the trees, cleared a large plain in a few seconds, and zipped past a small village before they could get a chance to identify her.

     She slowed down after about two minutes, but she kept running for the rest of the hour, her blood pumping as her smile only grew larger with this result.

***

1 hour later [13 left]

***

Dash gained 39040 EXP

Dash leveled up! 87 → 91

Due to reaching LV 90, CON increased by 2 and DEX by 1

Haste gained 2640 EXP

Haste leveled up! 30 → 31

Electrical Resistance gained 156000 EXP

Electrical Resistance leveled up! LV 83 → 99

[Electrical Resistance LV 99 (0/1) - Reduces damage taken from electrical attacks]

Lightning Armor gained 62400 EXP

Lightning Armor leveled up! 

[Lightning Armor LV 25 (2400/5000) - DEX*(1+Amount_Used/700)]

…

     Tigra couldn’t help the wave of relief she felt at seeing Electrical Resistance at level 99. While she wished it was level 100, she’ll take the fact that, if Weaver attacked her once again, she would only be dealing 0.75% the damage it normally would.

     “To kill me, Weaver would have to deal…350,000 electrical damage in quick succession before I could get Heal going.” 

     She let out a long laugh. So long in fact, that her eyes started to water. She ran her right hand through her hair as her laugh slowly stopped.

     “Ha ha haaa.” She slowly stopped before wiping away any tears that started to form. “She can’t hurt me anymore.”

     She smiled before activating Haste , Lightning Armor , and Chill - letting it take the place of Heal - before taking off.

***

3 hours later [3 hours left due to Lightning Armor]

***

Haste gained 7920 EXP

Haste leveled up! 31 → 32

Chill gained 21600 EXP

Chilled leveled up!

[Chill Level 17 (1200/2550) - Cost: 8 MP/m]

Lightning Armor gained 93600 EXP

Lightning Armor leveled up!

[Lightning Armor LV 40 (0/8000) - DEX*(1+Amount_Used/670)]

Dash gained 39300 EXP

Dash leveled up! LV 91 → 95

For reaching LV 95, CON increased by 2

…

     Tigra came to a sudden stop and gripped her head at a sudden splitting headache. She leaned against some of the last trees before she would be running across barren land as she enters the border of the Fright Kingdom.

     She pulled out her canteen and took a drink, releasing a sigh from the water going down her parched throat.

     While the lightning barely hurt anymore, it still tensed a few muscles and her throat had gotten dry during the last fifteen minutes.

     She looked at her pad and didn’t see any new messages save one from Catra about an hour ago.

     'When you get back, I think I have a good time to start our plan at completing my task. Message me when you get back or something.’

     Tigra thought about what she should say back before shrugging to herself.

     “I’ll likely be back sometime in the morning - 9-11 A.M. - tomorrow. See you them.”

     “Then.”

     Tigra turned the pad off before climbing her way up into the tree. It would hopefully be the last time she would be sleeping in a tree for a while.

     After tying herself down once more, she closed her eyes and went for an early sleep to get rid of her headache.

***

Next day

***

     Tigra groaned as she woke from an interesting dream. While she couldn’t remember much, she faintly remembers a red, wavy gem and an intense heat around it. Strong enough that it felt like she was going to boil alive if she touched it. It was also surrounded by ruins of an abandoned building.

     She shook her head to focus on the real world and released herself from the tree and jumped down. Once her feet hit the ground, she stretched her arms and legs before activating her spells once more and moved.

***

3 hours later [0 hours remaining]

***

Haste gained 7920 EXP

[Haste LV 33 (2318/8250) - Increases your DEX by 25%*Magic_Control. [37.5%] Cost: 17 MP/m]

Chill gained 7200 EXP

Chill has been mastered!

[Chill LV MAX - You can lower your body temperature and the temperature around you. Cost: 5 MP/m]

For mastering Chill, WIS increased by 3 and 1 skill point earned.

Dash gained 39300 EXP

[Dash LV 99 (7415/9900) - Increases DEX by 150%+ 99 %]

…

Spell Shop opened [Cryomancy filtered]

[Ice Walk], [Ice Shot], [Ice Shield], [Ice Armor]

…

[Ice Armor purchased]

…

[Ice Armor LV 1 (0/200) - Advanced Cryomancy. You can surround yourself in ice to reduce damage taken to protected areas by Amount_Used/100 % with a maximum of 75% after all other bonuses added. Damage is Amount_Used/4. HP can be used for a 5:1 difference.]

…

1000 EXP gained due to [Elemental Armory] quest.

Ice Resistance discovered!

[Ice Resistance LV 1 (0/200) - Reduces damage taken from Ice attacks by 1 %. 26% after Iron Body]

…

     Tigra stopped just outside the Fright Zone and actually smiled at seeing all of the machinery.

     “Can’t believe I’ll say it, but I missed the place after being gone.”

     With those words, she walked back into her kingdom.

Tigra Age: 17

Level: 35    (5430/6900)

HP: 2720      HPR: 272

MP: 1120      MPR: 380

SP: 1360      SPR: 272

STR: 32      DEX: 154

CON: 136       INT: 112

WIS: 95      CHA: 44

Magic Control: 70%

Attribute Points: 0

Skill Points: 3

[H2H LV (1)15], [Run LV 68], [Dash LV 99]

[Dodge LV 41], [Reading LV 75], [Writing LV 71]

[Sneak LV 47]

[Fire Res. LV 99], [Phys. Res. LV 35]

[Elec. Res. LV 99], [Ice Res. LV 1], [Magic Res. LV 2]

Spells:

Flame, Fire, Heat, Flame Armor, Fanning Flames, Fire Step, Flame Charge

Flake, Freeze, Chill, Ice Armor

Spark, Charge, Neuron, Lightning Armor

Haste, Heal

Chapter Text

*An update has occurred.* 

Any spell below advanced level will no longer provide a skill point upon mastery. For the reason why, the explanation is given.

“Potential exploitation noticed. Free pass due to testing but has been patched.”

Spell levels will be shown as a reminder.

[Beginner [LV 15] - Adept [LV 25]- Intermediate [LV 50] - Advanced [LV 75] - Expert [LV 100] - Master [LV 150] ]

The levels indicate how high the spell can go for its class to be determined upon mastery.

Flame had 10, making it a beginner. Flame Armor has 75, making it Advanced.

Most spell limits may be increased through various methods that you may or may not encounter in this life.

*Thank you*

     Tigra opened her eyes before a single thought came to mind.

     ‘The hell kind of dream was that? Surrounded by nothing but an empty void and a notification in the middle of darkness.’

     She got dressed before heading over to Catra’s place.

     Force Captains and above are provided their own rooms due to the amount of confidential work that they are doing and part of. Another reason is that their schedules no longer align well with a Force Cadet or Commander anymore. Force Cadets are active between 0800 and 1600, Force Commanders from 0900 to 1800, and Force Captains from 1000 to 2000.

     As Tigra walked through the halls, she passed a few students before someone called out with a shaky voice.

     “F-Force Captain!”

     Tigra stopped and turned around, seeing a human with red hair and eyes with a few freckles splattered across her cheeks.

[Scarlet           Age: 16]

[Level: 18          Relationship: 15 (Friendly)]

     “Yes?”

     “Is…is it true that you’ve taken a town for the Horde alone?”

     “It is. The town you’re talking about is called Terra. It used to belong to Plumeria.”

     “Would it…would it be possible for me to ever become that strong?”

     “...How do you think I took it?”

     “W-Well, a lot of the rumors say that you killed all of the guards in combat, one after the other. So, I assumed that you just fought all of them.”

     “Well, those rumors are exaggerated. I am far from the strongest person in the Horde. However, I make it up with my speed and sneaking capabilities. I snuck in during the night and eliminated the guards one by one in a timely manner so that their absences would not be noticed. It took me over an hour to deal with them.”

     She looked Scarlet in the eyes.

     “When it comes to a fight for your life, there is no such thing as fairness or honor. It is you or them, that simple. An honorable soldier may find themselves in a grave. One who will do anything in a fight to win? They will come back home more times with the knowledge of having won.

     “My best piece of advice? Find what you are really good at, be it a tank, medic, thief, whatever and strive to become the best of that. I strive to become fast enough to stop anything from hurting me.”

Quest Created!

The Fastest Alive

One of your goals is to become faster than anything to protect the few that you care about from harm.

Objective: Reach 750 Base DEX.

Bonus Objective: Reach 50,000 MPH [80,467 KPH] at any point in time

Reward: Title [Fastest Alive] | Title [Fastest in History]

     “You really think I can do it?”

     “Kid, I don’t know you.” She told bluntly. “Keep working hard and I may hear your name in the future.”

     With that, she turned around and continued to Catra’s room, leaving the kid and those eavesdropping to stare in wonder.

     Tigra opened the door before Catra’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

     “I’m sick of this! Shadow Weaver failed to get Adora and if Lord Hordak finds out, she’ll take us down with her. We need to think of the big picture. With Shadow Weaver in charge, she’ll keep sending me-us, after Adora until we either succeed or she demotes me. It’s time someone else took over. Someone like me. So, are you in?”

     “I can’t believe you’ve let me in your room.”

     “Scorpia. Unfortunately, you, Tigra, and my old squad are the only ones I can trust.”

     “You trust me?” Tigra spoke, getting both of their attention. “How sweet.”

     “About time you got here. I messaged you like 10 minutes ago.”

     “Got stopped by a few young students who were curious if I had any advice to give them.”

     “Aw. What did you tell them?” Scorpia asked.

     “Use everything and anything to win a fight to the death, as honor and fairness mean nothing in war.”

     Catra gave a small laugh at seeing Scorpia deflate.

     “So both of you are like this?”

     “The hell does that mean? I’m practical. If it keeps you alive instead of in the ground, fucking take it.” Tigra shrugged. “If that’s a problem, I’m not the one that’s going to change.”

     “Can we focus?” Catra said as she slowly stopped laughing but kept a small smile. “I have the beginning of a plan but it won’t be enough. I need to impress Lord Hordak enough that, after Shadow Weaver is out of the way, he’ll make me the new second-in-command. How do I accomplish it before Shadow Weaver tries to demote me?”

[Quest Suggested]

New Second-in-Command

Catra has told you and Scorpia her dislike of Shadow Weaver being the second-in-command and her ruling officer. She has asked for your and Scorpia’s help in getting her into Lord Hordak’s good side to become the next second-in-command.

Objective: Help Catra become the next S.I.C.

Reward: Reputation increase with Catra, Reputation increase with Scorpia, 5 skill points, 15,000 EXP

     “You could try something at the All Princess Ball?” Scorpia asked, holding a scroll with light blue holdings on the ends. “Every princess is gonna be there. So Adora will probably be there too. Oh! This year’s theme is Winter Wonderland.”

     Catra was next to Scorpia soon after while holding the scroll.

     “How did you get your claws on this?”

     “I’m/She’s a princess.” Tigra and Scorpia answered.

     “You’re a princess?!” Before Catra turned to Tigra. “And you knew?!”

     “While I didn’t attend the Force Captain Orientation, still not sure that there was one, I still read the summary they sent out to new Force Captains. It mentioned responsibilities, what you should be familiar with, and Scorpia. She’s the only Princess to be on the Horde’s side.”

     “The Horde crash landed in our kingdom. After one thing or another, we gave them our kingdom and our runestone, the Black Garnet.”

     “Alright…so you’re a princess and you’re going to a princess ball?” Catra turned her attention back to Scorpia.

     “Oh, no. I'm not going. No one liked my family, even before we joined the Horde. I never really fit with the other princesses. I made them uncomfortable and they don't like that. They don't like me.”

     “Well, I don’t like them.” Tigra said. “I barely know you but I can already tell that you’re likely the friendliest person in the Horde.”

     She meant it. Tigra had interacted with Scorpia once, maybe twice, yet Scorpia viewed her as a friend of such a degree, she was halfway to Family status towards Tigra.

     ‘Maybe Catra helped with that. She could have said something about me to her.’

     “That's exactly why you should go! How dare they pretend they're better just because you're different! How dare they abandon people just because they don't fit into their perfect little lives!” Catra started to list off.

     “Yeah!”

     “How dare they take best friends and turn them into giant, sword wielding ladies who run off with people clearly inferior to you!”

     ‘Very on the nose there Cat.’ Tigra thought.

     “It’s like you're reading my entire life story.” Scorpia said under her breath.

     ‘The hell are you talking about?’ Tigra couldn’t help the eyebrow that went up at Scorpia, who ducked her head to the side slightly.

     “It’s time to show those princesses something they won’t forget! You’re going and I’m coming as your plus one.”

     “Super Pal Du-er, Trio, is in the making.” Scorpia amended quickly.

     “That’s great and all,” Tigra spoke for once. “But what am I supposed to be doing? Scorpia’s invite is for her and one person. How do I fit into what seems to be a dance for two?”

     Catra turned to look at her.

     “While Scorpia and I find clothing to fit in with the crowd that will be there, you are going to round up the old squad. You and Lonnie will be disguised as…their guards. We’ll need a ship to hide nearby for a quick escape. That will be Rogelio and Kyle’s job.” Catra started to rattle off as a plan started to come together.

     “The palace will be made of ice, correct?” Catra asked either of them.

     “Considering that it is taking place in the Kingdom of Snows,” Tigra read from the scroll. “I will wager a yes.”

     “Gather half a dozen Heat Bombs. Tigra will be the one to sneak them in and, when Scorpia goes off on her own at some point, you will give them to her and she’ll start placing them in the area around you two.”

     “Why would she do that? That could possibly incriminate both of our disguises?”

     “She would do it out of view of you two.” Catra rolled her eyes. “If I know anything about the two Adora seems to travel with, Adora will convince them that Scorpia and I are up to no good when she notices us. It will be my job to distract Adora, since I know how to do that well.

     “Leaving Sparkles and/or Archer to investigate Scorpia when she moves away from the floor. Hopefully, they will only notice Scorpia placing the Heat Bombs and they will have to go to the guards to tell what they saw.”

     “Which would be me and Lonnie due to us being the closest guards to them.” Tigra realized. “They also can’t do anything until they inform us as the Kingdom of Snows is, ironically, very clear about their neutrality.”

     Catra nodded as Scorpia watched with slight awe at the two of them seemingly following each other easily as a plan bounced back and forth between them that would have taken her a few hours to come up with yet they did it in a few minutes.

     “At which point, you or Scorpia should subdue them to take back here as a prisoner. Preferably Scorpia, seeing as her toxin can subdue someone for either 30 minutes to 2 hours. Once that is out of the way, one of you needs to go to where they store weapons from the guests. You need to take that damn sword and anything of value there.”

     “Once finished, we are to load the prisoner(s) onto our ship and wait for both you and Scorpia to be ready to leave.” Tigra nodded. “I’ll go find the squad and we can take off soon. It will take a day on the Horde Ship we’ll be taking to reach them.”

     Catra smirked. “See you then.”

     “Bye Scorpia. See ya, Cat.”

     The group had arrived 5 minutes ago and Scopria and Catra would be entering in 10-15 minutes due to the line she saw outside. So, Tigra has that long to find the guards, take them out quietly with as little bloodshed as possible, return to Lonnie, sneak her in with their disguises, and stand guard.

     She traveled by climbing the outside of the castle before finding a window and climbing in. After entering, she found a sleeping guard in the room as it seemed to be a bedroom or barrack-like place.

     She snuck over to him before raising her arm and an idea popped into her head.

     She activated Lightning Armor but redirected the lightning that would have been around her left hand and replaced it with fire with her claws pointed out like a blade.

Spell created!

[Flame Fists LV 1 (0/150) - By channeling fire to your fingertips, you can dramatically increase its power. This increases your damage by [50+ 1 ]% through Fire Magic. Cost: 20 MP, 50 MP/m]

     No sooner did that pop up that her hand already moved and pierced through the head.

1428 damage dealt!

H2H gained 1100 EXP

75 EXP gained

Flame Fists gained 4400 EXP

Flame Fists leveled up! LV 1 → 8

[Flame Fists LV 8 (700/750) - 58% bonus, Cost: 18 MP, 42 MP/m] 

     Tigra pulled her hand back and burned off the blood from her hand. She looked around the room and noticed the winter coat and silver mask hanging on a hook and table respectively.

     She glanced down at the needless dead body now before pulling him out of the bed and pushing him under the bed.

     She then activated her pin.

     “Lonnie, I’m coming out dressed as a guard from the window to…the left and up.”

     …

     “Copy. I’ll be waiting.”

     …

     She looked around once more before grabbing several blankets to hide any view underneath the bed before walking to the coat and putting it on along with the mask.

     She walked back to the window and jumped out of it.

     She fell for a good few seconds before seeing Lonnie near the area they had designated as the meet up point between them.

     As she started getting close to the ground, she used Fire Step to slow her momentum until she hovered over the ground.

     “Ride for Lonnie?”

     “Since when can you fly ?!” Lonnie exclaimed quietly, walking over.

     “Since a week or two ago.” Tigra landed. “Now, wrap your arms around my neck from behind. I’m going to do what I just showed you to return to that room.”

     Lonnie seemed hesitant.

     “It’s either that or we waste time climbing.”

     With a defeated sigh, Lonnie wrapped her arms around her before they shot into the air.

     It took about half a minute before they reached the window and Tigra entered it and Lonnie let go.

     Tigra walked over to the gloves and boots before putting them on, seeing as her fur isn’t too discrete.

     “I’m going to find a good place to guard, find one guard and tell them that an intruder was spotted climbing outside. I’m going to lead them here where we will dispose of them and you get your disguise.”

     Lonnie nodded before Tigra left and walked down the hallway.

     There weren’t any guards for about a minute before she spotted one guarding a door by themselves.

     She picked up her pace before acting like she had been running.

     “Intruder!” She proclaimed once she reached them.

     “Are you sure? We do have a lot of guests here today.”

     “Unless one of our guests is climbing the walls outside, then I say yeah.”

     The guard’s stance turned serious.

     “Lead the way.”

     Tigra turned around and started to run, making sure to keep at a pace that the guard could follow.

     After a minute, they reached the door and Tigra opened the door before taking the punch from Lonnie.

75 damage taken

     Tigra took a few steps back as if by surprise before the other guard charged towards Lonnie.

     Tigra dashed forward with Flame Fists activated.

1945 damage inflicted.

H2H gained 1200 EXP

H2H leveled up! LV 15 → 16

75 EXP gained

Flame Fists gained 4800 EXP

Flame Fists leveled up! LV 8 → 11

Physical Resistance gained 150 EXP

     The guard fell to the ground with a hand through their back. Tigra laid them on the ground before stripping the guard of their outfit before shutting the door.

     “Put everything on. While we are guarding the place, don’t show anyone your back.” Tigra commanded, her time as Force Captain bleeding through.

     It took Lonnie a minute to get everything on before they stuffed the body under the bed with the other one. The blankets were bulging outward but could be explained as being too long for the bed.

     Tigra quickly led them back to the door to guard before both of them stood at attention.

     Tigra messed with the pad hidden underneath the coat before sending a message to Scorpia.

     “Lonnie and I are two guards by a large door roughly a 3-5 minute walk from the ballroom. If it is us, I’ll address you as just Scorpia.”

     With that, the two of them were to wait until Scorpia approached them.

***

20 minutes later

***

     Tigra’s hidden ears perked slightly at hearing walking coming towards them. A few seconds later revealed it to be Scorpia.

     She had slicked back her white hair, put on black mascara, and wore a nice black dress with an opening for her right leg in the front.

     “Hello Scorpia.” Tigra spoke up, causing Scorpia’s eyes to widen and look in Tigra’s direction. “I believe you left something behind.”

     Tigra held out the only other item she brought with her on this mission: a small bag holding 6 Heat Bombs, enough to take out a large room or two. It would be an excellent method of distracting anyone still here when it goes down.

     Scorpia took it and opened her mouth.

     “You should return to the party, Princess Scorpia.” Tigra spoke before she could. “After all, you shouldn’t be here.”

     Scorpia nodded her head.

     “Ah, yeah. I uh…got lost trying to find the bathrooms?”

     Lonnie and Tigra looked at each other, their eyes hidden by their masks, yet all three of them could understand the ‘really?’ going through their minds.

     “Sorry, for uh, bothering you.”

     Scorpia turned around before walking away to the right.

     Thus, Tigra and Lonnie returned to just standing guard outside of the room.

     Until they heard someone running and it happened to be Bow, the archer of the Rebellion. He seemed more dressed up due to the prom, yet his mid-drift was still showing.

     “Princess Scorpia is planting heat bombs! We have to stop her!”

     Tigra and Lonnie looked at each other and Tigra could practically hear her question.

     Now?

     Tigra glanced over Bow’s shoulder and saw Scorpia approaching with Adora’s sword over her shoulder and her tail ready to strike.

     Tigra nodded before Tigra and Lonnie grabbed both of Bow’s arms.

     “What!? What are you doing? Let me go! The Horde-”

     “Has what we came for.” Tigra told him, making him go wide eyed.

     He grunted before falling limply into unconsciousness, Scorpia’s tail hanging in the air where she had stung him.

     “Alright.” Tigra clasped her hands together. “Lonnie, help me get him on the ship. Scorpia, be on the lookout for a teleporting princess.”

     “Aye aye.”

     Lonnie grabbed one arm of Bow while Tigra grabbed the other and began to drag him away.

     A few minutes later, Tigra could see large cracks appear on the outside of the ice castle and feel the rumbling from the heat bombs going off.

     They just about reached the ship when said princess appeared in a pink light and looked around as ice chunks started falling around her.

     Tigra made eye contact just as Princess Glimmer did.

     Tigra could see how her eyes began to shrink from fear and surprise before being replaced by rage.

     “Get away from him!”

     Glimmer’s hands shined before she shot a ball of light at her.

     Tigra enveloped her right arm in fire and held her hand out, blocking the ball of light.

180 light damage taken!

HP: 8480/8660

CON: 433

…

Light Resistance discovered!

[Light Resistance LV 1 (180/250) - Reduces damage taken from light magic by 1 %. 26% due to Iron Body]

…

     Tigra did not move except to continue blocking her magical ball attacks until Glimmer teleported after hitting her 6 more times and seeing it do nothing to her.

     Tigra’s ears swiveled until she shot her right foot to the side just as she heard the slight crunch of snow being stepped on.

     Her foot found its home from hitting Glimmer in the chest and sliding backwards.

732 damage dealt!

…

     Tigra let go of the fire, seeing as Glimmer fell into her impromptu trap.

     Glimmer glared at her so much, she failed to recognize that real threat until it had stung her in the back, causing her vision to go black.

     Scorpia stood over her back with a grin.

H2H gained 732 EXP

Light Resistance gained 1080 EXP

Light Resistance leveled up! LV 1 → 3

Assistance in taking down Princess Glimmer and Bow!

1500 EXP awarded

Level up!

Level 36 (180/7100)

Attribute Points: 10

Skill Points: 5

…

     Tigra opened the Trait Shop.

[One with Fire - Fire abilities only take half as much MP as they would normally]

[Fueling the Flames - Damage done through Fire attacks are increased by 50%]

[Phoenix - If your HP is reduced to zero, you return to 75% HP once with a 25% increase in stats for the next 10 minutes. Useable once every month]

[Fire Immunity - Grants 1 EXP to [Fire Resistance] and evolves it into [Fireproof] ]

[One with Electricity- Electric abilities only take half as much MP as they would normally]

[Charging the Connections - Damage done through Electric attacks are increased by 50%]

[Raiju - The ability to transform yourself into a purely electric creature that resembles you most. While in this form, you can not be hit physically, yet take 3x water damage and can not interact with non-conductive materials]

[Electric Immunity - Grants 1 EXP to [Electric Resistance] and evolves it into [Electric-proof] ]

...

[Electric Immunity purchased]

Electric Resistance gained 1 EXP.

Electric Resistance reached level 100! Electric Resistance is evolving into a Trait!

…

Electric Resistance has evolved into Electric-proof!

…

[Electric-proof - Through a long, painful journey, your body has now become immune to anything involving electricity with the intention to cause you harm. Be it natural or unnatural. This can cause physical changes when combined with ???]

…

1x Trait point rewarded from [More than Resilient]* Questline.

…

Trait: [Fire Immunity] Purchased.

Fire Resistance gained 1 EXP.

Fire Resistance reached level 100! Fire Resistance is evolving into a Trait!

…

Fire Resistance has evolved into Fireproof!

…

[Fireproof - Through a long, painful journey, your body has now become immune to anything involving fire with the intention to cause you harm. Be it natural or unnatural. This can cause physical changes when combined with ???]

…

1x Trait point rewarded from [More than Resilient]* Questline.

…

Trait: [Phoenix] purchased

[Phoenix - If your HP is reduced to zero, you return to 75% HP once with a 25% increase in stats for the next 10 minutes. Useable once every month]

…

     ‘Sheet - Stats.’ She thought, focusing on where she should put her new 10 points.

…

Tigra      Age: 17

Level: 36 (180/7100)

STR: 32     DEX: 154

CON: 136    INT: 114

WIS: 96     CHA: 44

…

     After looking at them, she put 4 points into WIS to get it up to 100 and 6 more into DEX.

…

STR: 32     DEX: 162

CON: 136    INT: 114

WIS: 100     CHA: 44

Milestone [Patient]: 100 WIS reached!

[Patient - MPR remains active at 5% while using spells continuously]

…

     ‘Full Sheet.’ Tigra thought, dragging the unconscious princess onto the ship.

…

Tigra Age: 17

Level: 36 (180/7100)

HP: 2720    HPR: 272

MP: 1140    MPR: 400

SP: 1360    SPR: 272

STR: 32     DEX: 162

CON: 136      INT: 144

WIS: 100      CHA: 44

Magic Control: 70%

Movement Speed: 22.5 MPH

Skills:

[H2H LV (1)16], [Run LV 68], [Dash LV 99]

[Dodge LV 41], [Reading LV 75], [Writing LV 71], [Sneak LV 47]

[Phys. Res LV 35], [Ice Res. LV 1], [Light Res. LV 3], [Magic Res LV 2]

Spells:

[Control - 11] [+]

[Buff - 5] [-]

Flame Armor, Ice Armor, Lightning Armor, Haste, Flame Charge

[Healing - 1] [-]

Heal

[Attacks - 1] [-]

Flame Fists

Traits

[Night Vision - Allows you to see in very dim lighting]

[Obsidian Claws - Increases unarmed claw attacks to do DEX*2 + STR/2 while being increased by H2H’s bonus afterward]

[Magical - Allows you the ability to use magic]

[Huntress - Multiplies final DEX and CON by 1.25 and multiplies EXP for Dash and Run by 3]

[You are the Weapon - Multiplies H2H bonus by 2] 

[Genius - All EXP for spells is doubled]

[Hare - Increases movement speed by 25%]

[Iron Body - Decreases damage taken by 25% after resistances]

[Patient - MPR remains active at 5% while using spells continuously]

[Primal Instincts - You’re aware when someone near wants to harm you]

[Quick - Multiplies final DEX by 1.15]

[Smart - Multiplies final INT by 1.15]

[You are Speed - For two minutes a day, your DEX is multiplied by 3]

[Enhanced Regeneration - MP Regeneration is doubled]

[Healthy as a Horse - Stamina Regeneration is doubled]

[Pyromaniac - EXP for Fire Spells is doubled]

[Fireproof - You can not be hurt by fire through natural or unnatural means]

[Electric-proof - You can not be hurt by electricity through natural or unnatural means]

[Phoenix - Once a month, if your HP is reduced to zero, you return to 75% HP once with a 25% increase in stats for the next 10 minutes]

…

     Tigra sat down in one of the chairs once she and Lonnie had tied up their prisoners with magic dampening cuffs.

     “I say that it was a successful mission. Good job.”

     “We didn’t have to do much on our end though.” Lonnie complained lightly.

     “Good.” Tigra spoke quickly. “The less that needs to be done, the lower the chances of something going wrong. Imagine that we had to fight our way out. The chances of something going wrong and one of us being left behind would rise at an extremely high level.”

     Lonnie frowned lightly before sighing and giving a small smile.

     “I guess.”

     “Now, go spend time with the other two.”

     Lonnie’s face turned a shade of red, making Tigra cackle.

     “What….What are you talking about?” Lonnie choked on her words for a moment.

     “Please. I don’t know if anyone else would have seen it, but I can tell that you three care for each other.” Tigra gave an actual smile this time. “I genuinely wish you three the best.”

     Lonnie looked to the side at that comment.

     “Yeah well, I hope things work out well for you.”

     A thump sounded out from the outside platform before the door opened up.

     “Did everything go to plan?” Catra walked in before asking.

     Tigra pointed to the sword that Scorpia was holding and the two unconscious prisoners.

     “The sword and two guests.”

     Catra smirked hard.

     “Good. Let’s get back and report a mission success.”

     The ship started to zoom away, yet Tigra caught a glance out of the window of something red on the side of the glacier.

     She squinted slightly before her eyes widened at seeing the red figure was Adora…in quite a nice red dress. She seemed to be holding onto something stabbed into the side of the glacier.

     They made distance quickly before Tigra turned and found Catra talking to Scorpia.

     “Will she live?” Tigra asked, cutting through any discussions.

     “What?”

     “Will Adora live or did you leave her there to hang onto something until she falls to her death?” Tigra clarified.

     “...Does it-”

     Tigra erupted in flames, making a few of them take a step back.

     “If you finish that as ‘does it matter,’ I will jump out and get her onto land this second.” Tigra growled out with a snarl.

     “Isn’t…isn’t Adora an enemy?” Scorpia spoke.

     “She’s also the person we grew up with for nearly a decade. If you can leave her for dead after only about a year, that leaves serious questions in the air.”

     Tigra faced Catra once more.

     “So…will she live? Or was she left to hang?”

     “...She’ll live. I saw guards heading in her direction.”

     Tigra let the fire fade away. Only once the last flame went out, did Tigra nod.

     “Is that concern just for Adora or?”

     “It’s for those I care for most.” Tigra admitted. “If my actions led to someone I care about getting hurt…”

     The ride turned silent before conversation naturally spun back up later.

     Tigra closed her eyes to get some rest.

Relationship with Scorpia increased. 55→67 (Friendly)

Relationship with Lonnie increased. 66→72 (Friendly)

Chapter Text

     Tigra laid on her back onto a bed, reading another report from Geotan and had another from Terra waiting to be read.

     ‘The locals are continuing to work with little resistance. Force Captain Tigra’s method of capturing Geotan seems to have done wonders in keeping them reluctant in revolting against the town. It is unknown still if that is simply due to how quickly Tigra showed that she can put down those that are willing to resist her or how the next Force Captain to retake Geotan may not care for the loss of civilian life.

     We’ve finished putting up the surrounding wall to prevent Rebellion soldiers from entering the town from anywhere. The new soldiers are performing well and most seem to have gotten over the loss of Senior Cadet Harold, who lost his life buying time for the others to arrive and drive back the small contingent of Rebellion soldiers.

     Alongside them, the medics are finally back up to the level they were under Medic Apprentice Susan. The chances of a revolt fall under 1:50 with the chances of being retaken by the Rebellion as 1:28 with the number expected to fall as more towns are taken with more strategic value to Brightmoon.’

     ‘Well, I finally found out just how they died.’ Tigra thought. ‘They’ll be remembered.’

     With that thought, she turned back to Terra’s report.

     ‘Locals seem to be behaving well under our command. We have been treating them well, under the recommendations from Force Captain Tigra and Force Commander Serena. To keep it short, Force Captain Tigra had a confrontation with Bolt of Lightning. While it ended under a loss for Force Captain Tigra, Bolt of Lightning left soon after with the comment of treating the citizens well or he may come back.

     The walls have been repaired alongside the barracks. Soldiers are keeping a tight schedule of who and when are supposed to be on guard duty. Force Commander Serena has taken to training those under her more often than those under her say. The reasoning is that they could do very little to help Force Captain Tigra take Terra.

     It is recommended to recall Force Commander Lucy from the town of Terra under the belief that Force Commander Serena is capable enough to continue running Terra until more soldiers arrive to allow her to return and continue leading future soldiers.’

     ‘Good to see Serena doing well. While I don’t know her, I can tell that she’ll likely be a competent soldier to keep an ear out for.’

     “D15!” Scorpia exclaimed after taking a minute of silence.

     Tigra swiped the reports to the side and brought up a marine fighting simulation app.

     “In the water.” Causing a cry of maaaan to come from her. “B11 followed by C11.”

     She watched as the first shot left her ship’s cannon before firing into the large cloud of mist before an echoing boom sounded before another shot went out and a much louder boom sounded.

Frigate Sunk!

You win!

     “How do you keep winning?” Scorpia sighed out. “24 games in a row with the most number of ships I take out being 2 of your 5.”

     “You have a pattern. You always put your smallest ship next to your largest with the mindset of your little buddy needing a big helping hand. Your submersible is next to your carrier so that your soldiers don’t get any sudden explosive from under the water. Finally, your last ship is always in the center so you can always say-”

     “Bullseye.” She groaned out with a smile.

     “Exactly. It’s not that I’m really good at this, you’re unfortunately predictable after playing against you so many times in a row.”

Relationship with Scorpia increased! 67→82 [Friendly]

     The door suddenly slid open and Catra walked through with a growl.

     “You won’t believe it! Shadow Weaver is taking credit for capturing Princess Sparkles! From attacking during the Princess Prom to us capturing her and her friend!”

     “I find that very believable.” Tigra commented and shrugged at Catra’s glare. “What? We both know all she cares about is power and she would gain Hordak’s trust by ‘proving her value’ through capturing the daughter of the Queen that is causing the Horde the most difficulty.”

     “Put like that, it does make sense, Wildcat.” Scorpia agreed.

     “Just, whatever. Now, I have to find another way to impress him.”

     “Or…what if we go the opposite way?”

     “What do you mean?”

     “Catra, what would I do if the Rebellion captured you?”

     “You would attack the closest village belonging to the Rebellion and capture hostages. Likely try to find where I am being held. Then, either hold them hostage in exchange for me.      Depending on how it goes from there, I could even see you invading Brightmoon alone to find me.” Catra answered easily.

     “You thought of that too quickly.” Scorpia commented.

     “Now then. Bare with me for a moment. What do you think Adora would do in this situation?”

     She scowled lightly before her eyes opened widely.

     “She would do the same.”

     “Exactly. At this point, it is only a matter of time before Adora tries to rescue the princess. And if the other princesses see this as a personal attack, they may help her. If this happens, the princesses of nature, water, ice, and power are heading our way.

     If Adora leads them, there are likely several entry points that we wouldn’t consider that she will come through. So, who would take the blame for attracting the princesses and letting them infiltrate the Horde while holding information from Hordak?”

     “Wait, Shadow Weaver’s withholding information?” Scorpia asked.

     “Weaver wants Adora’s magic more than likely. Hordak wouldn’t give a rat’s ass and would demand that she be eliminated for being a traitor and an enemy princess.” Tigra explained.

     “And if Sparkles and the sword were to escape…”

     “Then it falls on Weaver’s head, making Hordak’s opinion of her lower even more and will likely be taken out of her position the next time she does something not for the Horde, which would likely be soon.” Tigra finished.

     “So, what? We let the princesses sneak in and take them?”

     “More like, be more airheaded. If you recognize them, take their story with very little thinking. However, don’t make it obvious enough that they may think you’re a traitor.”

     Tigra’s ears twitched before her expression flattened.

     “Scorpia has a simulation she wants to show you.” She suddenly changed course. “It involves trying to sink an enemy fleet before they can yours.”

     Catra raised an eyebrow.

     “Just make sure not to let Scorpia copy you. Otherwise, she may beat my record of wins. If she does, you don’t want me to overhear .”

     Her eyes widened slightly before turning to a confused Scorpia.

     “What is it?”

     Seeing a chance to hang out with Catra, Scorpia let the confusion be left behind and pulled up the simulation/game that she called it.

     Meanwhile, Tigra could hear something in the vents stop and listen for about 10 minutes before moving on.

     ‘How have I forgotten about Hordak’s Imp.’ She chastised herself. ‘One wrong moment and Hordak could have had a recording of everything we just said.’

     So, Tigra laid on the bed before activating Ice Armor around her arms using 687 HP, as it would equal the amount of HP Heal would restore per minute after all of the reductions.

     And thanks to Patient , her MPR would refill 20 MP per minute while Heal only takes 5 MP per minute.

*4 hours later*

Ice Resistance gained 217,400 EXP*

*Would have taken that much damage before reductions and the rest from healing constantly*

Ice Resistance leveled up! LV 1 → 47

[Ice Resistance LV 47 (1200/9400) - Reduces damage taken from Ice attacks by 47 %. 60% due to Iron Body]

Ice Armor gained 86,952 EXP

Ice Armor leveled up! LV 1 → 29

[Ice Armor LV 29 (5752/5800) - Reduces damage taken after resistances by Amount_Used/71 %. Caps at 75%]

…

     Tigra turned off Ice Armor and applied Heat throughout her body to warm herself back up.

     Scorpia had left a while ago to go down to the garage for one reason or another while Catra had left about 15 minutes ago and told her to lock the door once she left.

     She stood up and popped her neck and left the room.

     …

     And turned around and locked the door before continuing on.

     She was heading to the library to continue reading more on the history of the kingdoms and she had left off at some civilization called the First Ones.

     While she doesn’t know much about them, she can assume that they are ancient if they have the name ‘First Ones.’

     However, she didn’t make it there when she received a message from Scorpia.

     ‘Mermista’s date from Princess Prom is out by the garage.’

     “Mermista? …Who is Mermista again? Have I actually met her yet? I only recall Flowers and Sparkles.”

     ‘Which element is that one again?’

     …

     ‘Water.’

     …

     “Damn. Why did the water princess have to be here? Lord, that's going to mess with my fur.”

     Certain types of water often dried out her fur and could cause clumps.

     She would have made her way over if she didn’t see someone with long, large, purple hair.

     “No one here has hair like that.” She muttered before heading in that direction.

     She found herself in a hallway with the woman messing with a control panel.

     “Fright Zone log, day one continued.” The woman had a higher pitched voice than Tigra had expected. “Keypads appear in every corridor and are capable of giving status updates on multiple systems.”

     “Hey,” Tigra called out to her. “Haven’t seen you around here before.”

     The woman turned towards her.

     “Hello there. I’m Entrapta. Say, did you know that your systems could easily be hacked or delayed?”

     Tigra could only blink as Entrapta continued talking tech before messing around with a Bot and starting to head somewhere.

     “Entrapta,” Tigra started. “How about we head to the garage? A friend of mine-”

     “Garage! Can I look at more tech?”

     “Uh…sure.”

     “Thanks stranger.”

     “Oh, I didn’t introduce myself. Haven’t had to do that in a while. My name’s Tigra.”

     “Tigra? As in Adora’s childhood friend Tigra?”

     ‘Well, Entrapta’s definitely not good at espionage.’

     “I assume so. Anyways, we were going to the garage.”

     The walk to the garage was one of the most annoying walks she had in a while. Entrapta kept getting distracted by other monitors, stopped to disassemble another bot, chatted with ‘Emily,’ the robot that she had reprogrammed quite easily, and almost ran off several times.

     Tigra did find a few of the things she talked about interesting though. Especially her view on failures.

     “There is no such thing as perfection. Life is full of imperfections, failures, and that makes it beautiful. Heck, I’m a failure yet I continue to view it as another chance to learn. To grow and improve. If everything was perfect, there would be no experimentation, no learning, no improvements. Imperfections make life beautiful.”

     Tigra grinned.

     “I like the way you think. Maybe once you’re out of here, we’ll meet again and have a chat.”

     Entrapta did pause before looking at her.

     “You know?”

     “Trapta, there is not a single person in the Fright Zone with hair like yours. Considering that you’ve reprogrammed a bot in a manner of minutes, it would be best to get you out of the Horde while you aren’t working with us.”

     ‘Or eliminate you.’

     “Well…thanks, I guess.”

     “Now, we’re about at the garage where I suspect one of your companions are.” Tigra explained. “You can meet up with them there and get out of here with the rest of you.”

     “You know there’s more of us. Fascinating. Are you using technology to do such a thing?”

     “Intuition. A few of us knew Adora well enough that she would try to rescue the two we took quickly. Even more once the Queen had been given a timeline to surrender herself or her daughter tomorrow morning.”

     “Makes sense.” Entrapta agreed. “Looking back at the data, there is a clear pattern.”

     They stepped into the garage when Tigra spotted Scorpia talking to another person she’s never seen in the Fright Zone.

     While she may not know everyone in the Fright Zone, she knows that no one would be wearing that outfit he’s wearing here. Too colorful and seems dressed to suddenly be drenched.

     “Scorpia!” Tigra called out, getting both of their attentions and saw the guy seemed to pale. “Leave the…”

     “Inspector!” Scorpia supplied.

     “Leave the inspector be. We need to get back. Inspector, I’m leaving Entrapta with you. When you’re done…inspecting…please take Entrapta back to the walls.”

     “Uh, yes! I will do just that!” He managed to get out before Tigra hopped onto Scorpia’s skiff.

     Scorpia walked on before they zoomed away.

     “Looks like our thoughts were correct. Adora’s here and brought help from the Princess Alliance.”

     “Yeah, and they seem new to this. I mean, I had to pretend that the guy I knew from Princess Prom was an inspector for 10 minutes. Any longer and I would have had to call him out on it before he could say anything suspicious.”

Relationship with Entrapta created!

Entrapta: 45 [A], 40 [A]

     Tigra had been wandering aimlessly until she came upon something that made her groan.

     She walked over to it before speaking.

     “Soldiers, would you like me to take over in transporting her?”

     A few guards seemed to sigh in relief.

     “We would graciously accept, since there’s little we could do in the case something funny happens.”

     Tigra nodded. “Where is she being taken to?”

     “Garnet Chamber.”

     Tigra internally winced but simply gave another nod.

     “Very well. Dismissed.”

     The four guards nodded before leaving, leaving Tigra alone with the prisoner.

     “Let’s get this over with.” Tigra muttered before typing a message to Catra.

     “Were you there at Princess Prom?” Adora asked, walking beside her.

     “Not as a guest. Were you hoping to see me in fancy garbs?”

     “I mean, would it have been anything like Catra’s suit?”

     Tigra tilted her head slightly. “Maybe a dark gray version highlighted with red.”

     “...huh.”

     “Stay in the present, Dora. Speaking of the present, you got a plan to get out?”

     “No, why would I have a plan to get out when I surrender myself?” Her voice raises an octave.

     Tigra looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.

     “You graduated first in the Academy. You are not stupid. Even Kyle would know not to sneak in somewhere without having an escape plan. I know you only surrendered to get to where Sparkles is being held.”

     “Then..why-”

     “Weaver should not be second in command. She is doing nothing for the Horde and is starting to get in the way.” Tigra told. “Just, don’t come back once you leave again.”

     “Tigra…Why did you stay behind? I know that you don’t really care about the Horde.”

     “I already told you. I’m not leaving Catra behind. Simple as that.”

     “So, if Catra were to leave, you would?”

     “...We’re almost there.”

     The two turned silent until they reached the door to the Garnet room and the door opened.

     Adora spotted Glimmer and started to move, until Tigra grabbed her shoulder and moved her over to a table.

     “Glimmer, I’m here! Don’t worry, I’ll get you out of here.”

     Shadow Weaver stood next to Tigra.

     “Leave us. Tell Catra that she can pack her bags in the Force Captain quarters. With Adora back, there’s no longer a need for her to be a Captain.”

     Tigra didn’t even feel the need to growl. She knew something like this would happen.

     So she made sure to record it for Catra to at least know that Weaver would have taken the opportunity to do it immediately.

     Tigra stiffly nodded before heading to the door and started to sneak .

     She quietly made her way back to a dark area near Adora and Weaver.

     “Shadow Weaver, I’ll stay here willingly, as long as you release Glimmer.” Adora bargained.

     “Adora, don’t.” Glimmer weakly tried to convince.

     Tigra looked at her restraints and recognized it as one of Weaver’s contraptions.

     ‘Magic absorption restraints. That will make getting out of them difficult for Sparkles.’

     Instead of the nullifier cuffs - they worked for about 8 hours - that they had used during transport, these fully absorb magic from the user and, supposedly, could interfere with runestone connections.

     The reason they don’t have more of them for princesses is that they aren’t very mobile and are costly for materials.

     “Oh, Adora. Of course you’ll stay willingly.”

     ‘Why does she sound so confi-’

     “You will because I’ll be erasing your mind.”

     Everyone, besides Shadow Weaver, couldn’t believe what she just said.

     “You’ll have no memory of She-Ra or the time you have spent while with the Rebellion. It will be just like it was before you found the sword. As for the Princess, you’ll be happy to have her as your prisoner once I’m finished.”

     Shadow Weaver’s hands started to glow red while maintaining a sparkle of red lightning around them.

[Duo Quest Created!]

Back to the Beginning

Shadow Weaver is preparing to erase the memories from Adora back to when she left the Horde. No more She-Ra, no more fighting Adora, and things go back to normal.

Objective: Let Shadow Weaver wipe her mind

Reward: Adora returns with no memory from the past year, Relationship with Adora towards you reset back to 73 [Family], Major decrease in relationship with various princesses and kingdoms, 3000 EXP

Towards Tomorrow

Shadow Weaver wants to erase Adora’s memories from the past year. While Adora will return to how she was, you and Catra will bear the burden of knowing that Adora is only there because she has been changed.

It. Wouldn’t. Be. Adora.

Objective: Stop Shadow Weaver and help them escape

Reward: Relationship with Adora increase, Relationship with Glimmer increase, potential loss of relationship with Shadow Weaver, 3000 EXP

[You must choose one of them. This will affect Etheria’s future severely]

     …

     …

     ‘...Heh, that’s…an easy choice.’ Tigra thought.

     In a moment, Tigra activated You Are Speed -DEX*3- and Lightning Armor with all of her MP -DEX*2.7-, raising DEX to 1316. To finish it off, she instantly dashed -DEX*2.49-, increasing it further to 3277.

     ‘I don’t know if I can control it, but make this non-lethal.’ She thought before slamming a punch into the side of Shadow Weaver’s head, knocking it to the side suddenly.

5256 non-lethal damage inflicted!

Target has been knocked out!

…

     Shadow Weaver’s body slammed into the ground before slumping lifelessly.

H2H gained 5000 EXP

H2H leveled up!

[H2H LV (1)17 (2887/3400) - Increases unarmed damage by 68%]

Sneak gained 3000 EXP

Sneak leveled up!

[Sneak LV 48 (2728/4800) - Chances of being discovered [known, unknown]: 124.5%, 249%]

…

     Tigra stood over her unconscious body before swiping her claws at Adora’s restraints.

     Tigra’s claws easily sliced through them and caught Adora as she slumped forward. Tigra set her down gently as Adora got her balance.

     Not knowing how much time she had, she zipped over to Glimmer’s cell and slashed at them as well, breaking them easily.

     Glimmer managed to catch herself and looked at her in slight confusion.

     “No one deserves to have their memories messed with.” Tigra spoke. “Not even She-Ra.”

     “Do you hate She-Ra that much?” Adora asked, helping Glimmer stand.

     Tigra could have sworn she saw Sparkles ‘glitch’ out but dismissed it, seeing as she didn’t react.

     “I’ve only met her in a fight.” Tigra shrugged. “Now, you two need to get out. Head down the hallway to the left. You’ll find someone waiting with your sword.”

     “With my- Are you-”

     “Get going!” Tigra cut them off. “I have to leave as well before she wakes up.”

     Tigra zoomed off, easily putting distance between the Garnet Room and herself.

     After all, she wasn’t supposed to be there.

About half an hour later, she received a notification.

[Quest [Towards Tomorrow] completed!]

Rewards: Relationship with Adora increased. 43 → 67 [Family], Relationship with Glimmer increased. -30 → 24 [Acquaintance], 3000 EXP

…

     “They’re gone.” She muttered. “Guess Catra managed to get them the sword.”

     Tigra stood and arched her back, popping it a few times. She had been in their old spot for that amount of time, watching for any potential Rebellion people left behind or gotten lost.

*Next Day*

     Tigra’s communicator pinged as a message came through. She opened it to see a message from…Lord Hordak?

     “All Force Captains and Force Generals report to the Throne Room.”

Chapter Text

     Tigra stood next to the other Force Captains in the Throne Room. It really seemed to just be a large metallic room with some green energy pipes running through in the corners, powering any lights found in the room.

     Catra and Scorpia flanked her sides as they were forced to watch Lord Hordak start to go off on Shadow Weaver.

     “You are my current second in command and are held to a higher degree of expectation! And yet, not only did you lose Princess Glimmer, the child of the leader of Brightmoon, but I’ve learned that you have hidden reports talking about how this She-Ra has actually been Adora, the soldier who has turned traitor and had intimate knowledge of our operations and snuck into the Horde without being noticed for a good half hour!”

     “Now you understand why I wanted her back.” Shadow Weaver spoke. “With all of her power and her ability to create a strategy such as that, she would be a boon while working with the Horde.”

     “All you have accomplished with your mission was invite an attack from an enemy combatant with detailed knowledge of our operations. If I had known that your plan involved a traitor to bring back, I never would have agreed to such a horrible plan!”

     “Yeah, bad plan.” Catra muttered under her breath.

     Which caused Tigra to elbow her lightly in the side.

     “Wasn’t it your guys’-” Scorpia started to whisper.

     Another elbow.

     “From this moment on, all of your plans must be told to me. If I find out a single plan of yours happens without going through me for permission, you will receive punishment worse than a warning. There will not be a second chance for you to prove your usefulness outweighs your liabilities.” Hordak decreed.

     “Force Captains and Generals, you may go. Know that any of you could be in Shadow Weaver’s place should you mess up so badly to draw my attention like this again.”

     Several nodded before everyone except Weaver and Hordak started walking away.

     “Man. Hordak really let Shadow Weaver have it, didn’t he?” Catra smiled. “Did you see the look on her face?”

     “Yeah. Well, I think so. Kinda hard with that mask and all in the way.” Scorpia stumbled with her words.

     “It’s more of a feeling.” Tigra tried to explain. “We know enough about her to know that she felt annoyed at being talked down to and angry at putting herself in this situation due to taking credit for the mission.”

     A robotic beep came from behind the trio, making them look behind them and see a robot following them but looked upwards, as if trying to look nonchalant.

     Something about the robot seemed familiar to Tigra, as if there was something special about this robot.

     Catra and Scorpia turned back around to continue walking when Tigra caught a scent.

     Catra must have as well as they both seemed to sniff the air.

     ‘Grease, metal, and… sweets?’ Tigra thought, making her way to a grate.

     The same one Catra made her way to.

     Catra swung her claws and swiped the grate off.

     A small figure with large purple hair rolled out onto the ground.

     “Hii?”

     “Entrapta?” Tigra asked, shocked that she was still here.

     “You know her?” Catra asked.

     “She was here yesterday.” Tigra explained before Catra scowled with a sigh coming after.

     “Entrapta, would you allow us to go through basic procedures and lock you up as a prisoner until we have this all sorted out with Lord Hordak?” Tigra asked.

     “Can Emily stay with me?”

     “Who’s Emily?” Scorpia asked.

     “Yes, Emily can accompany us while Scopria and Catra go inform that they have taken a prisoner. In the meanwhile, you and I can have a lovely conversation.”

     “Yaaay! Do you want to hear my theories?”

     Tigra motioned for them to start going while walking over to Emily.

     “How about we move to the Holding Room nearby and you can tell me about your theories? That way, no one may interrupt you.”

     Entrapta’s hair practically moved alive and wrapped around her wrist.

     “Let’s go!”

     “Yaaah!” Tigra cried out, practically being pulled off of her feet as Entrapta, Emily, and Tigra started down the hallway.

     Surprisingly, in the right direction.

     Catra and Scorpia stood there for a moment before Catra let her head fall with another sigh.

     “Is this…normal?”

     “Not in the least. Tigra would have usually torn her hand out of her hair. It means that this ‘Entrapta’ has somehow already put herself in Tigra’s good reputation despite meeting yesterday.” Catra told. “Which means, we likely will need to convince her to stay.”

     “So wait,” Tigra interrupted Entrapta, who let herself be ‘restrained’ to a table at a diagonal angle. “You think these First Ones found a way to combine technology with magic? That’s why their technology seems more advanced than most of Etheria?”

     “It all makes sense based on the data I’ve been collecting over the years. If only I had managed to investigate a nearby ruin I detected not too long ago.”

     “Entrapta…why are you still here?”

     “Well, you wanted to hear-”

     “No, I don’t mean here here. I mean, why are you still in the Fright Zone?”

     “Well, I was waiting for my friends to come back. Apparently they have trouble finding me when I don’t stay in one place. So, I decided to stay in one place to make it easier for them to find me by staying put here.”

     Tigra couldn’t help the shock running through her upon hearing that.

     “Entrapta…they left a while ago.” Tigra informed. “They left you behind.”

     “What? No, no they wouldn’t do that. They’re my friends.”

     Tigra got up and walked over to a monitor and made her way through the channels to find recordings from the past 24 hours.

     “Wow. You don’t know how to do that well, do you?”

     Tigra looked at some of her most recent skills that served little purpose recently.

[Hacking LV 1 (42/150) - The ability to go through technology without the correct procedures. The higher this is, the more that can be done with higher secured technology]

[Security LV 2 (21/300) - The ability to create firewalls and security for programs that you create. The higher this is, the more likely that your security can catch someone trying to sneak in]

[Programming LV 2 (200/300) - The ability to create programs to do various tasks. The higher this is, the more that your programs can do and the more capable your future programs can be]

     “Well, I am new to using technology like this. Most times, I simply use it for information, orders, and alarms. Only recently have I been trying to get better.”

     “Here, let me show you.” Entrapta suddenly started typing faster than Tigra could keep up with, yet she noticed a notification.

You have found a teacher willing to help!

[Teachers] are people in your world that are extremely proficient in certain categories. Depending on their proficiency, they can provide a multiplier to how quickly you level up a skill and gain experience from watching them perform said skill or half it by just being in their presence [ie, either the same room or 100 ft].

*You can become a teacher for a skill once it reaches Prestige. Every level of Prestige increases your student’s learning speed by 100%. The learning amount decreases by 100% for every level of Prestige in the student’s skill. This will increase REP with those under [Family] by 1 every hour.*

Entrapta - Hacking x5, Inventing x7, Security x3, Programming x9

     ‘Lord, she is extremely proficient in programming.’

     Tigra sat back and watched as Entrapta made line after line of code appear before stopping a minute later.

     “There! Now we have all of the memory from the cameras from the last three days!”

Hacking gained 5000 EXP

Hacking leveled up! LV 1 → 9

     “Wow.” Tigra couldn’t help but mutter. “You really know your way around tech, don’t you?”

     “Well, I guess. I’ve been messing with tech for about 20 years.”

     “Yeah, I guess that would make…hang on, 20 years?” Tigra looked at Entrapta. “You don’t look over 20 itself!”

     “29 coming up soon.” Entrapta supplied. “Now then, you wanted the cameras for a reason, correct?”

Entrapta    Age: 28

Level: 47     REP: 45 [Acquaintance]

     Tigra shook her head to refocus before looking at the information and making her way through the data.

     It took a couple of minutes but she eventually found the camera she was looking for.

     It provided a good angle of an exit from the Fright Zone where a large skiff could be seen with several people on board.

     Tigra could identify Bow and Perfuma on board, but hadn’t seen the others.

     “That’s them.” Entrapta whispered. “But…why are they waiting on the skiff? Shouldn’t they have been looking for me? Surely they would have noticed that I wasn’t with them?”

     Tigra said nothing and watched as She-Ra suddenly appeared with Princess Glimmer. The two of them seemed upset before stepping onto the skiff.

     A few moments later, the skiff takes off.

     Leaving Entrapta alone in the Fright Zone.

     “I figured it would be best to see proof if they knowingly left you behind or not.” Tigra started. “It looks like…”

     “They left me.” Entrapta muttered, her hair turning slightly limp. “They were ready to leave in an instant from how they were waiting on the skiff. They left soon after Glimmer and Adora got on the skiff. They were waiting on them…not me.”

[Quest Suggested!]

A New Ally

Entrapta has apparently been left behind by the Princess Alliance. It seems Entrapta may not know what to do.

Objective: Convince Entrapta to stay with the Horde

Rewards: Relationship with Entrapta increased, Entrapta will remain as a potential teacher

Failure: Entrapta leaves the Fright Zone

     “You know, you could always stay here.” Tigra suggested. “You seem interesting to have around and you can continue working with Horde Technology if you join the Horde’s side.”

     “Really!?” Entrapta got right up into her face, her hair stretching her up. “I can continue making things here!? You guys have more advanced technology than the rest of Etheria, aside from the First Ones.”

     Tigra held out her hand.

     “Would you like to make a deal? I’ll vouch for you and you continue helping me learn about tech while you continue making things?”

     Entrapta thought about it before a smile graced her face.

     “Deal!”

[Quest [A New Ally] completed!]

Reward: Relationship with Entrapta increased! 

45 [Acquaintance] → 25 [Friendly]

     The door slid open to reveal Catra and Scorpia.

     “Alright, Prisoner-”

     “Entrapta.” Scorpia supplied.

     “I know that.” Catra muttered back.

     “Partner.” Tigra cut her off from continuing.

     “Huh?”

     “Entrapta here is a technological genius. While you were informing Lord Hordak, I struck up a deal with our forgotten guest. She had been left behind by the Alliance and they likely aren’t coming back for her. Meanwhile, she had been telling me interesting stuff about the First Ones.” Tigra explained.

     “I’ve been attempting to integrate First Ones tech into my experiments for years, but my understanding of their code is still rudimentary. If I could just find the key to their language, there’s no telling what I could build. Such a find could yield almost unlimited power.”

     That caught Catra's attention.

     “Oh? How would one go about finding said tech?”

     “First One ruins are found all over the planet. It is just laying around because no one knows how to use their technology. They give off a certain signal that I can track. In fact, I had just found the largest signal closeby. It must have a large stash considering how strong the signal is.”

     “Where is it?” Tigra asked.

     “I’ve triangulated the signal somewhere in the Whispering Woods. The whole ‘shifting landscape’ makes it difficult to navigate, but I developed a program that can map the way to the signal accurately within two quadrants.”

     “How large are these quadrants?”

     “About a mile.”

     “That’s not bad.” Tigra admitted. “If needed, I could cover that area within a minute or two.”

     Entrapta was in her face again.

     “How!? The only one I know that could cover that much ground that quickly is Bolt.”

     “I’ve met him. He’s an idiot, but he’s fast.”

     “Back on topic.” Catra interrupted. “How do we get our hands on that map?”

     “Like any good scientist. I kept it on me.”

     Entrapta holds out a tablet to Tigra, who went through the screens and managed to find the program she was mentioning.

Quest Started

Rediscovering the Past

Entrapta has informed you that there is a large cache of First One tech that may hold the key for Entrapta to understand the First One’s language. If so, she could determine how they work and could provide the Horde with better technology.

Objective: Retrieve First One tech

Hidden Objective: ???

Rewards: Horde may gain access to First One tech, Entrapta relationship improve, 3000 EXP, ???

     “Alright. We go collect some First One stuff that can hopefully teach you their language. Doing so, it will allow you to experiment more to create better technology that will help us immensely.” Tigra summarized.

     “Sounds correct.”

     Tigra looked over at Catra and Scorpia talking.

     “Scorpia, you’ll stay behind to ‘guard’ Entrapta.” Tigra finger quotes. “Meanwhile, Catra and I will go retrieve it.”

     “I could do it myself.”

     “Going into the Whispering Woods alone is dangerous, downright suicidal. With me there to also watch your back, you can focus on anything coming at us from the front.”

     A moment of silence before Catra nodded.

     “Alright, let’s get going. The faster we do this, the faster Entrapta can start working with us for real.”

     Saying that, she turned to Entrapta.

     “Sorry, but Lord Hordak is easier to convince if you have proof of something you want to get from him. With this, we could easily convince him that you would be a massive boon to the Horde. Thus, allowing you access to materials with more ease.” Tigra explained.

     “That’s fine. Just let me continue working in this room with Emily and I should be fine for now.”

     Tigra nodded before she and Catra took off.

     Scorpia turned to Entrapta with amazement in her eyes.

     “How did you get Tigra to trust you so easily?”

     “I just keep to facts. I know them best and, I can conclude, that Tigra is similar in a way. She seems to do her best to make logical decisions instead of emotionally. I only have two days worth of data, but she convinced me to go to the Garage with the promise of tech after seeing me work around it. While it was a slight manipulation trick, it was not done through harmful intent. Simply a way of least resistance.” Entrapta explained.

     “Moreover, I would love to study Tigra. Something about her seems different from the rest of us Etherians. She moves far too quickly than someone her age should be able to, magic or not.”

     Tigra was in her room gathering her supplies when her eyes landed on the thing she had asked a metal worker to make in their free time months ago.

     It was a bracelet with three heads attached to it made of metal.

     It had been a design from when Catra, Adora, and Tigra had drawn little pictures of them on the wall near their bunks. Catra had wild hair with her red mask on, Adora held a large smile with her eyebrows down in a mischievous manner, and Tigra had her hair swooped to the right over her eyes and right ear with a smile with two fangs on opposite ends.

     They were each attached to the bracelet independently with a small chain.

     She picked it up before hiding it in a hidden compartment she had made under the drawer. It was too small to hide anything larger than a dagger, but easily big enough for the bracelet.

     She closed the drawer before turning her claws against the front of it and a small click sounded out.

     She didn’t want to keep a key that could open it somewhere someone could get to, so she simply bolted a lock, shaved off a little bit of the inside, and bam, she had an unopenable lock without a key.

     Except for the claws she had that could open it. If it ever got broken though, she could pierce into the drawer with little issue.

     She finished packing, just as her door opened.

     She glanced back and suppressed the need to roll her eyes.

     “What do you want, Shadow Weaver?”

     When she didn’t answer for a moment, she looked at her more closely and noticed that she seemed…wrong. Her stance was more hunched than usual and her breathing seemed more laborish than before.

     “I heard that you and Catra were going somewhere.”

     “Don’t bother looking into it. We got a lead on something and are going to go check it out. I figured you wouldn’t want to take credit for something we do again. You know, considering it almost cost you your position with Hordak. If it didn’t happen to us, I could see myself feeling a slight bit of pity for you.”

     Tigra swung her bag up over her shoulder and began to move when Shadow Weaver grabbed her arm.

     “Just because you have a bit more leeway with Horde Commanders, don’t think that you can speak to me in that way. I do not need your pity.

     “I will admit that I was hard on you two, more than needed likely. I do not regret it however. It was to make you strong enough to face the world prepared. So that you could eventually do what must be done.”

     Tigra looked her in the eyes with a raised eyebrow.

     “While it did make me strong, don’t think I couldn’t have done this without you. All you attempted to do was make me fear you so I would do everything you said, even though we had our little deal.

     “Congratulations though. You did teach me how to do what must be done when needed. Just make sure that what is needed doesn’t need to be you.”

     Tigra pulled her arm out of Weaver’s grip.

     “I don’t fear you now. I will admit that you are magically strong, but nothing that I can’t face.”

     Tigra walked off, leaving Shadow Weaver standing outside of her room as the door closed.

     Tigra and Catra reached the edge of the Whispering Woods before going in on foot. The last thing they needed was for the landscape to change and throw a tree right in the path of a speed skiff. Both of them would need to be lucky to walk away without potential injuries.

     They went in, the moonlight being their main source of light. After walking for a bit of time, Catra growled in annoyance, catching Tigra’s attention.

     “What’s wrong?”

     “Entrapta’s map is pure static!”

     Tigra took the map from Catra before she could break in anger before looking at it.

     While it would be years, even by her standards, before she would ever understand technology like Entrapta, she could at least look at the tech and try to see what the problem is.

     Instead of a wave showing the area around them, it only showed constant waves similar to how heat looked through a potential map.

     “While I don’t know how to fix it, I believe the issue is magic.”

     “Magic?”

     “The Whispering Woods is a large amount of land that constantly shifts from the multiple attempts we have seen from trying to go through them. Since nowhere else has land that shifts as often as these woods do, it means it is not purely natural. Considering that the Woods stretch to the edge of Plumeria and all the way to the coast, I can assume there’s magic involved beyond the simple answer of ‘moving trees equal magic.’” Tigra explained her hypothesis.

     “So, we can’t use the map?” Catra asked.

     “No. The magic is interfering with it in some kind of manner.”

     Catra groaned.

     “Welp, pick a direction and let’s go.” Tigra suggested. “Or I could use my speed to check out the area around-”

     The trees suddenly shifted to have roots sticking out of the ground around them that Tigra would have to constantly watch the ground if she didn’t want to trip and fly straight into a tree.

     “Or we could simply walk?” She asked.

     The roots shook lightly before going back underground.

     The two Magicats stared at the area that had returned to normal before looking at each other.

     “Magic.”

     So, they took off in one direction, passing several large trees that looked the same with a few branches showing that they were different.

     It felt like hours before the woods opened up slightly enough that they suddenly spotted someone else wandering through these woods.

     They climbed a tree each as they saw the person get closer to what must have been a First One structure as it looked nothing like any of the other kingdoms to Tigra.

     “Hey Adora.” Catra muttered.

Chapter Text

     Tigra and Catra crouched on two separate branches and watched as Adora walked up to part of the structure.

     Adora must have muttered something or it reacted to her specifically, considering that the floor started to glow a light purple before it went down like a ramp.

     Adora started walking in when Catra quietly jumped down.

     Tigra followed close behind as they made their way to the entrance and saw it start to glow once more.

     It started to close, yet not fast enough to prevent Tigra and Catra from quickly getting inside.

     The two stopped and looked around, finding themselves in a triangular hallway with purple walls and light pink lines and shapes lining the walls in a way that Tigra couldn’t make any kind of connection.

     ‘Something tells me that these aren’t just decorations.’

     They stalked forward, keeping their steps quiet and following after Adora.

     When they reached the end of the hallway, the room looked as if it were made of crystals, yet Tigra knew it was all metal and circuitry from looking closer and the metallic scent coming from the room.

     Adora faced the opposite way while holding her sword straight up in front of her before moving her body, as if trying to find something with it.

     Catra and Tigra moved behind two pillars just as Adora started to turn in their direction.

     A few seconds went by before a voice cut through the quiet.

     “Greetings,”

     They both had to hide a snicker at hearing Adora screech in surprise.

     “Administrator. What is your query?”

     “Oh, uh. I need help to heal my friend. She had magical buildup and it disrupted her connection to her magic. I-I don’t know how to help.”

     ‘Guess I took too long getting Glimmer out.’ Tigra shrugged lightly to herself. ‘Nothing I can do about it now.’

     “The legends say that She-Ra could heal people with the sword. How can I do that?”

     A moment passed.

     “What is your query?”

     Tigra was glad it wasn’t her in Adora’s position.

     She’d get annoyed quickly.

     “Not this again.”

     ‘Again?’

     “For the honor of Grayskull!”

     A brief light went out before Tigra assumed that She-Ra had appeared.

     “How about now?”

     “Administrator detected. Welcome, She-Ra, Princess of Power.”

     Tigra heard Adora take a breath.

     “Right, let’s try this again. What can you tell me about this sword?”

     “Subject: The Sword of Protection. Classification: Portable Runestone keyed exclusively to Administrator: She-Ra, Princess of Power.”

     “How can I use it to help my friend?”

     “Query not recognized.”

     Adora groaned for a moment.

     “The legends say that the sword has healing powers. Is that true?”

     “One of the sword’s intended purposes is to heal and restore balance.”

     ‘Restore balance? Balance to what?’

     “And how do I do that?”

     “Query not recognized.”

     “How can I use the Sword of Protection to heal people?!” 

     A light clang followed the yell. If Tigra had to guess, she would say that She-Ra had let her sword hit the ground.

     Tigra caught movement and noticed Catra signaling to her.

     Crystal on the left. Moving to retrieve it.

     A second went by before Tigra started signaling back.

     Move quietly. Adora could react if there’s an alarm.

     Tigra knew nothing about this place or even how the technology is still running after nearly a millennium of no upkeep since that’s what the records mentioned about when First Ones disappeared.

     Yet, everything seemed to be still working and she knew that she would have put alarms in case someone tried to take something from the Horde if she were in charge of it.

     Catra nodded before sneaking her way behind another pillar.

     Adora groaned once more before her groan suddenly cut off.

     “Let me speak to Light Hope.”

     “Light Hope.”

     While it was spoken monotone like, Tigra could hear it as if it was a question. 

     “Light Hope, that’s her name right? The woman I saw when I first touched the sword? Where is she?”

     “Yes, Light Hope is here. She has been waiting for you.”

     ‘Great. Another person to help the Rebellion.’

     Catra had managed to move next to the crystal and had placed her hand on it.

     “Can I talk to her?”

     “You will meet her soon. But first, you must let go.”

     “What’s that supposed to mean?” Adora asked the same thing Tigra wondered.

     “You are not ready just yet. You must let go first.”

     “Let go of what?”

     Tigra watched as Catra took the crystal out and looked at her with a smirk.

     Tigra, however, was more focused on the interface it had been attached to start to turn red.     

     A moment later, an alarm sounded from the interface and she saw She-Ra raise her sword and start to turn.

     It all happened in an instant, yet Tigra knew what Adora was going to do and it went all the way back to how the Horde had programmed their instincts.

     If a sudden noise occurs when it shouldn’t, an enemy is near.

     Tigra dashed towards Catra while activating Ice Armor with all of her MP over her arms.

     Tigra stopped right in front of Catra and crossed her icy arms in front of her and got her feet strongly against the ground.

     Turned out to be the wise decision as a beam of magic struck her icy arms and a large force went through her arms before the magic beam deflected into a pillar, breaking a chunk off of the pillar and across the room as debris.

1980 Magical Damage taken!

…

Magical Resistance gained 3344 EXP

Magical Resistance leveled up!

[Magical Resistance LV 4 (1249/2000) - Reduces damage and effects taken from non-elemental magic by 4%. 28% after [Iron Body] takes affect]

Ice Armor gained 3344 EXP

Ice Armor leveled up!

[Ice Armor LV 30 (3296/6000) - Reduces damage taken by Amount_Used/70 % after resistances. Caps at 75%]

     The process only took a second before the dust settled and Tigra could see She-Ra looking at them in shock.

     “Youch.” 

     Tigra shook her hands, letting loose and cracked pieces of ice fall off of her arms and clink against the metal flooring.

     After a moment, she let the spell go and started applying heal throughout her arms.

     ‘Should be back to normal in 3 minutes if we don’t start a fight.’ She determined.

     “Catra? Tigra? What are you two doing here? And did you just use ice ? I thought you used fire?” Adora asked.

     “Sight seeing in a structure that had been abandoned and yes, I used ice. Yes, I use fire. Just because the princesses you hang out with only use one element, doesn’t mean that it applies to me.” Tigra answered back to back.

     “Unauthorized presence detected.”

     This was the first time that Tigra had seen where the voice came from.

     It belonged to a blue woman-like hologram about one and a half times larger than She-Ra and started to turn red.

     “Security protocol activated.” 

     The hologram disappeared before the rest of the room started to turn red and a low energy seemed to start surging through the room.

     ‘That doesn’t sound good.’

     Right after she finished that thought did she quickly apply Haste to herself, increasing her DEX to 231.

     “No, no, no, not again!”

     “Uh, what just happened?” Catra questioned as Tigra finished healing her arms and flexing them to make sure there weren’t any strange feelings of pain.

     “This isn’t good. Neither of you should be in here.”

     A rumbling noise sounded out throughout the room before doors started coming down, blocking off hallways one by one.

     Adora wastes no time and grabs Catra’s hand.

     “Follow me!” Adora commanded before running for one of the still open hallways.

     Tigra followed before new sounds started coming from the hallway they were heading to.

     Adora stopped and the three of them came face to face with three large, spider-like robots that looked more advanced than the robots the Horde could create.

     The spiderbots screeched, each of their six eyes locking onto one of them.

     “What are those!? ” Catra exclaimed.

     “Also not good.”

     Adora turned around and started running towards another hallway while Tigra activated Lightning Armor with 800 MP, boosting DEX to 507. She dashed forward, boosting it even further to 1264.

     She swung her claws into the head of one of them.

4274 damage dealt.

...

     What she didn’t expect was to only break one of the eyes and for it to screech as if in pain, drawing the attention of the other two away from her companions.

     “How strong are these things!?” She wondered in surprise.

[Spiderbot      Age: 1045]

[ Level: N/A      REP: Nemesis [-150] ]

HP: 20726/25000

     ‘Lord…’

     That was the highest amount of HP she had seen, not counting She-Ra.

     The spiderbot in front of her swung a leg forward, and Tigra bent backwards to let it swing over her.

     Tigra used Flame Fists and You Are Speed, boosting her DEX to 3793.

     She vanished from view for a split second before a loud cracking noise sounded out.

21550 Damage dealt!

…

     Tigra’s arm up to her elbow had gone through the bot’s head and watched as the five remaining eyes dimmed slowly.

     She heard something hit the metal floor before she moved once more.

21550 Damage dealt

…

     As her second hit connected, some kind of adhesive connected with her right elbow. Not willing to give these things time, she struck with a kick.

6386 damage dealt!

…

     The kick finished off the second robot as its head split apart and sailed through the air. Tigra turned around, just as the last one yanked backwards, intending on sending her flying.

     Unfortunately, she knew how to fly.

     She used Fire Step while in the air and maneuvered herself to fly around it, wrapping its legs in its own adhesive. She wrapped around it twice before stopping and focusing fire to her feet and Flame Fists to her left hand.

     She charged forward with Flame Charge boosting her DEX one last time to 5406 for a split second.

     It was fast enough that when her flaming claws struck…

30690 damage dealt!

     She tore through it and the adhesive like paper before flying into the open door She-Ra seemed to have been holding up.

     She barely had any time to pull up Ice Armor with all the MP she had left [850] to her front before she slammed into the metal wall hard.

1050 damage taken!

     Tigra groaned as she popped out of the Tigra-shaped hole in the metal wall. She got up onto her knees and watched as Catra crouched down next to her and grabbed her shoulders.

     “You good? Anything broken?”

     “I’m in pain. Worst is likely bruises thanks to my Ice Armor spell. It really acts like armor the most out of everything I use.” Tigra rounded off.

H2H gained 75,000 EXP!

H2H leveled up!

[H2H LV (1)32 (5887/6400) - Increases damage dealt unarmed by 128%]

Due to H2H reaching LV 20, 25, and 30, STR increases by 3, DEX by 1, and CON by 2.

Flame Fists gained 300,000 EXP

Flame Fists leveled up!

[Flame Fists LV 64 (6800/9600) - This increases your damage by 114% through Fire Magic. Cost: 10 MP, 25 MP/m]

4500 EXP gained

Level up!

…

INT increased by 4, STR increased by 5, CON increased by 1

…

Tigra Age: 17

Level: 37 (580/7300)

HP: 1550/2800      HPR: 280

MP: 886/1200      MPR: 400

SP: 1280/1400      SPR: 280

STR: 41      DEX: 492 [164]

CON: 140      INT: 120

WIS: 100      CHA: 44

Magic Control: 70%

Attribute Points: 0

Skill Points: 2

     “Was that lightning!? Do you know all of the elements?!” Adora's voice rose a few octaves from disbelief.

     “Of course not.” Tigra dismissed, making Adora sigh. “Not yet at least.”

     Tigra stood up before the lights started going dark.

     While that may be a problem for Adora, this normally wouldn’t be a problem for Catra and Tigra.

     Normally.

     Because there were at least 60 orange eyeballs in the darkness.

     Looking right at Tigra.

     ‘Spell shop - Fire! Spell shop - Fire! Spell shop - Fire!’ She chanted quickly in her head.

Spell shop opened. Fire Filtered.

Fireball, Fireblast, Fire Shield, Flame Dagger, Flame Sword-

…

Fireball selected

[Fireball LV 1 (0/200) - Using fire magic, you can now hurl fireballs at a target. Upon hitting the target, everything within two feet of the target will also be hit. Damage is INT*(1.25+LV/100) with surroundings taking 75% of the initial attack. Cost: 30 MP]

…

Skill point used for Fireball!

…

[Fireball LV 4 (0/800) - Deals 155 damage on contact and 116 to surrounding targets within two feet of impact. Cost: 29]

…

     Tigra immediately put her hands forward and shot yellow fireball after yellow fireball.

155 damage plus 116 surrounding damage.

Fireball gained 1548 EXP and leveled up!

[Fire-]

     ‘Hide messages about Fireball gaining levels!’ She thought, needing to focus as the three of them started to run as she continued firing behind her.

     “What’s going-” *explosion* “-on!? Why are those-” *explosion* “-things trying to-” *explosion* “-kill us?!”

     “This place-” *explosion* ”-sees you two-” *explosion* ”-as invaders!” *explosion*

     “I hope-” *explosion* “-you have-” *explosion* “-a plan. Because-” *explosion* “-I’m going-” * explosion * “-to run out-” *explosion* “-of magic-” *explosion* “-before these things-” *explosion* -”stay down!” Tigra informed them over the explosions.

     It was true. Each of the fireballs were taking a decent chunk of MP for each of them.

     Tigra stopped using Fireball after allowing one message through.

168 fire damage dealt with 126 surrounding damage.

     Despite using it so many times against them, it simply wasn’t doing enough damage for how much it cost her right now.

     It was wasting her MP.

     They continued running until they reached a dead end and turned around.

     “You know what?!” Tigra yelled out. “SCREW! THIS!”

     She hadn't wanted to do this in the chance that even more of them showed up.

     She used Lightning Armor once more with all of her MP [569] and Flame Fists before she zipped at them, due to You Are Speed still going for another 15 seconds.

     She reached the first one in one second. 38181 damage dealt!

     The second had been bashed with her other hand the next second.

     The third raised a leg to swipe at her, only for her claws to tear through the leg in one second and into the head the next.

     The fourth opened its mouth in time for her left hand to stab through the head.

     She pounced on the fifth one and tore its head in half.

     Jumped over the adhesive from the sixth one to rip the neck open on the seventh one.

     Then went back for the sixth one and sliced its underbelly open and reappeared next to Catra and She-Ra.

     Just as her spells stopped, leaving her with 124 MP due to starting and stopping Flame Fists so that it could destroy any adhesive that suddenly stuck to her hands.

     “I’m out.” Tigra huffed out.

H2H gained 145,092 EXP

H2H leveled up!

[H2H LV (1)50 (5113/10000) - Increases damage dealt through unarmed attacks by 200%]

For reaching LV 35, 40, 45, and 50, STR increased by 4 and DEX and CON by 2.

Flame Fists maxed out!

[Flame Fists LV MAX - Increases damage by 150% while converting damage to fire, if not already fire based. Cost: 10 MP/m, 15 MP]

Due to mastering Flame Fists, INT increased by 10

7 * 1500 EXP = 10500 EXP gained!

Leveled up!

 INT increased by 10

…

Tigra Age: 17

Level: 38 (3780/7500)

HP: 2860      HPR: 286

MP: 124/1430      MPR: 400

SP: 1200/1430      SPR: 286

STR: 45      DEX: 167

CON: 143      INT: 143

WIS: 100      CHA: 44

Magic Control: 75%

Attribute Points: 0

Skill Points: 2

     Unlike last time, Tigra didn’t plan to use those skill points just yet.

     “Hold on!” Adora yelled before slashing at the ceiling, causing parts of it to break.

     Before the ceiling itself started to collapse.

     Adora grabbed Tigra and pulled her next to Catra and her sword…

     Turned into a shield?

     Whatever the case, the area went black.

     When Tigra could see again, the area still glowed a dark red but the way they had come from was blocked off by rubble.

     “You guys shouldn’t be here.” She turned and saw Adora- as Adora- speaking. “Those things aren’t going to stop until they get you two.”

     Adora looked at Tigra.

     “Especially you. They don’t seem to have taken you destroying their fellow robots well, seeing as they were looking right at you before we started to run.”

     “I don’t think we need to worry.” Catra started. “I mean, you saw Tigra take down 10 of those things, right?”

     Adora started to talk, but Tigra spoke first.

     “I’m not certain how well that will work again. But more importantly, I can’t move that fast anymore. My magic is almost gone and that will take a bit to regain. 4 minutes without a fight, an eternity if there is one.”

     “So I have to protect both of you.”

     “Good thing we don’t need protecting.” Catra told, annoyance clear in her voice.

     “Wait, you know, what-” Adora took a deep breath before releasing a heavy sigh. “Why are you two here? I mean, how did you find this place?”

     It was Catra’s turn to sigh. “It sent up a beam of light a mile high. It wasn’t hard to notice.”

     ‘There was a light?’ Tigra thought.

     “Does…Shadow Weaver know that you two are here?”

     “Ha!” Tigra laughed. “Weaver’s got more important things to worry about right now. She can’t afford to mess up after Hordak learned that she was suppressing information about you being She-Ra.”

     Tigra noticed that Adora looked at both of them strangely.

     “What? What’s that look for?”

     “I know what it is.” Catra started. “I knew that you would be weird about us letting you go. I told you that, just because I let you go, didn’t mean I liked you.”

     Adora looked at Tigra.

     “What about you? You’re the one who prevented Shadow Weaver from erasing my memories.”

     “Wait, she tried to do what?!”

     “Yeah, why do you think the two of them escaped a little earlier than we planned?” Tigra asked. “It was either wait and have potential brain damage be inflicted on Adora and she take your place as Force Captain, or commence the plan early.”

     “Hang on, why would she…did Shadow Weaver really?”

     “I can show you the recording I took when we return.” Tigra suggested. “It won’t do anything besides potentially hurt you, but it is proof that I wouldn’t be saying this without proof.”

     “Anyway,” Adora spoke after a moment of silence. “You didn’t answer my question.”

     Tigra sighed this time.

     “Adora, what are you really asking? It doesn’t matter how I feel about you. At the end of the day, you’re with the Rebellion and we’re with the Horde. We’ll be forced to fight each other at multiple points in this war until either we die or one side is victorious.”

     “Is there really no way for the three of us to be on the same side again?”

     “You won’t rejoin the Horde. Catra doesn’t want to continue following you like a lost child. I don’t really care who I fight for, just as long as my family is safe.” Tigra listed off. “The only side I can see all three of us being on the same side at this very moment, would be if we joined the third side: neutral.”

     “Neutral?” Both seemed to ask.

     “Essentially, mercenaries or staying out of the conflict completely. Work for money and connections. The downside is that no kingdom would likely stick their necks out to try and help us should we get into trouble.”

     “...Where would you even start?” Catra asked.

     “I don’t know!?” Tigra threw her hands to the side. “I have not been planning something like this! It just came to me.”

Potential Questline Created

[The Third Side: Neutral]

At any point, you could leave the war behind or continue to fight it while not being aligned with any kingdom the way you are with the Hode. 

*Should this Questline ever be started, any quests involving the Horde Questline will be canceled at that moment. They will not count as failures, you will just be unable to ever complete them while on this path.*

     ‘That…is interesting.’

     While she is fine working for the Horde, it is nice to know that there were quests that could be picked up in the case that she didn't want to work for them anymore in the future.

     “How’s your magic doing?” Catra asked.

     Tigra took a moment to look at it before finding that 3 minutes had passed.

     “I’m good if I have to do that again. Just know, it won’t end well. By now, they’ve certainly analyzed how I fight and will likely have several drones ready to hit me with their adhesives while one keeps my attention.” Tigra thought aloud. “If they really are as advanced as what has been told to me.”

     Tigra looked behind them at the rubble and down the only hallway that they could go down.

     “We’d best get moving before we get trapped like before.”

     The trio looked at each other before giving a nod.

     Whatever kind of problem they had right now, it could wait until the three of them were on the outside again.

     They started to walk.

Chapter Text

     They must have been walking for nearly half an hour at this point. They passed rooms with nothing in them and a room with a waterfall , before they stopped at the last dead end.

     It was another wall with strange writing on it, like the entrance.

     “Another dead end!” Catra growled out.

     “Not exactly.” Adora muttered. “Eternia.”

     The wall glowed before sliding upwards, revealing it to have been a door and not a wall.

     The two of them looked at Adora, who shrugged.

     “Long story.”

     Adora walked into the room with Catra behind her and Tigra bringing up the rear.

     The three of them could barely see anything until the pommel of Adora’s sword started glowing a light blue light, yet the room still looked dark, even if they could now see each other.

     “Cool. You found the infinite darkness room.”

     ‘Weaver would likely love this room.’ Tigra hummed.

     “While you look around here, Tigra and I will go back and look around more…where’s the door?”

     Tigra looked where they came from and, indeed, the door had gone missing.

     “Hey, I think I see something.”

     Tigra turned back to Adora and spotted what she likely meant.

     It was a very faint red light near them with Adora getting closer to it.

     The two magicats were right behind her while Tigra narrowed her eyes at the light.

     Despite the light being right in front of her, she couldn’t make out even the shape of whatever was making the light.

     Until the red light bursted out as a bright yellow light, making everyone close their eyes and shield their face from the light.

     When Tigra put her arms down and opened her eyes, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

     They were back in the Fright Zone.

     “What? But, that can’t be possible.”

     “What kind of game are you two playing?!” Adora accused.

     “Woah! I don’t have any idea what’s going on. It’s impossible for us to be in the Fright Zone right now.”

     Adora looked at Tigra, who only cocked an eyebrow.

     “I thought you would have learned by now that I don’t like mind games.”

     Tigra glanced around at their surroundings before seeing a slight movement on the wall nearest to her.

     She walked over to it and saw that the wall seemed to be…glitching? There were small movements on the wall, as if it didn’t know if it was in the right place or not. She reached forward to place a claw on it, only for the finger to go through the wall.

     “It’s a simulation.” Tigra muttered. “Girls, it’s like our old combat simulations.” She called out.

     Yet didn’t receive any confirmation from either of them.

     When she turned around, she didn’t see Adora or Catra.

     “Girls?”

     Tigra walked forward before seeing the two of them with their backs to her.

     “There you are.” Tigra started. “I had started to think-”

     “Does it look broken to you?” A high pitched voice asked.

     Confused, Tigra walked up to the two of them before her eyes widened.

     Because right in front of the three of them…were them.

     Specifically, when they were maybe 6 or 7.

     “It’s not broken. Don’t be ridiculous.” Young Adora denied.

     “It’s not ridiculous.” Young Tigra argued. “We haven’t actually broken any bones yet, so we can’t compare it. Even if the nose isn’t bone.”

     “What is it then?” Young Adora asked.

     “Car-der-lidge.” Young Tigra pronounced slowly.

     “Cartilage.” Tigra muttered under her breath.

     Young Catra removed her hand and gave a small shriek at seeing blood on her fingertips.

     “I’m bleeding!”

     Tigra grabbed both sides of her face and looked at her nose.

     “You’re not bleeding!” Adora denied again.

     Tigra moved Catra’s head a little bit in multiple directions.

     “You’re not bleeding , but you did bleed.” Tigra declared. “You were bleeding at one point, but no more.”

     “Why did you pick a fight with Octavia anyways?” Adora asked.

     “I didn’t do anything. All I did was exist near her.”

     “And scratch her eye badly enough that she can’t see out of it anymore.” Tigra added on. “Nice job.”

     “Tigra, that’s not something to congratulate.”

     Tigra shrugged her shoulders.

     Adora reached out a hand. “Where is she?”

     Catra grabs the hand after a second before grabbing Tigra’s hand with her other and leading them to another room.

     Once they stopped at a ledge, Catra pointed at Octavia.

     Octavia had green cyan skin, two arms, two legs, four limbs and a muscular build. She wore an orange and brown uniform with brown below-the-knee boots. Octavia has her left eye bandaged.

     “Hey Octavia!” Adora exclaimed.

     “What?” She asked, already sounding annoyed.

     “You’re a dumbface!”

     Ocatvia snarled and let out a roar of anger before starting to stomp up the ramp.

     “Well, you got her attention.” Tigra commented with a light laugh.

     “She’s comin!”

     “Run!” Adora exclaimed.

     The three of them started running, still holding hands and laughing.

     The three kids continued laughing even after their forms changed back to their 17 year old selves.

     It took a few seconds for each of them to come back to reality and for Catra to let go of their hands, Adora’s faster than Tigra’s.

     “What was that!?” Catra sounded exasperated with this place already.

     Tigra looked for any kind of notification, yet there was nothing.

     No quest, sudden skill acquisition, or any kind of EXP for anything she already had.

     ‘It’s purely mental.’ She determined. ‘And it must be completely tech based, as it doesn’t seem like I grow resistant to just tech.’

     “This place is so weird .” Catra grumbled. “How can either of you deal with this kind of magic shit?”

     “Tech shit.” Tigra corrected. “It’s likely incredibly advanced tech that could be compared to magic, but it is purely tech.”

     “Thanks.” Catra threw an annoyed face at her.

     “Welcome.”

     “I’m only dealing with this to find a way to heal Glimmer.”

     “Do you need to?” Tigra asked, before continuing when Adora threw an annoyed look at her that time. “I mean, you mentioned her magic being disrupted. Can’t she just…disconnect and reconnect with her Runestone?”

     Adora opened her mouth but nothing came out of it.

     “Are you suggesting that Sparkles needs to be turned off and back on?” Catra asked, a hint of a smile on her face.

     “I don’t see why not. Then again, I don’t know about the connection between Runestones and someone well enough.” Tigra explained.

     They continued walking until Adora spoke up again.

     “I think I know why Tigra helped me escape, but why did you Catra? It didn’t help you in any way.”

     ‘Wrong. It hurt Shadow Weaver’s reputation.’ Tigra thought.

     Before she could give any kind of answer, Adora’s foot slipped on a crack and started to fall backwards over the ledge before two hands caught each of her hands.

     Tigra on the left, Catra on the right.

     “Did you really expect us to just let Shadow Weaver erase your memories?” Catra asked.

     Adora did gain a small smile.

     “No, I guess not.”

     They pulled her back up onto her feet before letting go of her.

     “Glad to know that you kept your faith in us.” Tigra told. “Now let’s keep going. I want out of here before something more harmful pops up.”

     The three started to walk again before Catra shoulder bumped Adora.

     “It wasn’t all bad in the Fright Zone, right? Surely you had some good memories, right?”

     “Of course. While I had the memories from you two and the squad, I just couldn’t go back to the Horde after seeing what they have been doing.” Adora waited a moment before knocking her shoulder into Catra. “Missed you two as well.”

     “Wha, I didn’t miss you.”

     Tigra walked over to a wall and turned around to lean against the wall, knowing that a friendly argument would likely start.

     As she leaned back against the wall, she couldn’t help but notice that something felt wrong.

     She should have hit the wall by now.

     Her feet slid out from under her before her back hit the ground with a light thud.

     “I really hate this place.” Tigra spoke aloud. “Robots, memories, and fake walls.”

     Adora and Catra jogged through the wall and they held out their hands.

     Tigra took both of them and let them pull her up.

     The ground around them turned into large hexagons that turned red with the ones further out being green.

     “Oh, come on!” Catra announced.

     A 12-13 year old Catra phased through Catra before the present Adora and Catra disappeared from Tigra’s view.

     “Catra! Adora!” She exclaimed before the area continued going.

     She watched as a 12-13 year old Adora and Catra were sparring with staves. They wore the standard simulation chest piece that would change red and emit a buzzer noise if struck.

     Adora blocked a strike from Catra, causing electricity to crackle around the ends before Adora pushed Catra backwards before swinging the staff. 

     Catra moved to the side before jabbing her staff forward, Adora jumping to the side before they clashed once more.

     After another push, Adora started pushing Catra back with multiple attacks that kept making Catra back up.

     Tigra only watched on in slight confusion, wondering why she wasn’t present in this memory.

     “I know I didn’t skip any combat scenarios when it came to the squadron. I may have shown up late on purpose a few times, but I never missed one.” She muttered.

     Catra eventually knocked the staff out of Adora’s hand and went to strike her chest piece. Only, Adora had managed to catch the staff and throw Catra over her shoulder and onto the ground with a hard thump.

     “Owww.” Catra groaned.

     “You okay?” Adora sounded concerned.

     Except, Catra took advantage of her dropped guard and knocked Adora’s feet out from under her and went on the attack. She had almost managed to get a hit on Adora’s chest once more, until Lonnie appeared and practically made Catra abandon Adora as a target if she didn’t want to be taken out of their test.

     They have a brief skirmish before Lonnie jumps over Catra but leaves her chest piece exposed to an attack from Catra’s staff, causing a buzzer to go off.

     Catra breathes out heavily before Adora manages to do a sneak attack by knocking Catra’s staff out of her hands and landing the deciding blow against Catra’s chest piece, signaling another buzzer before the area regains light, revealing a combat instructor and the rest of the squadron, Tigra missing though.

     “There’s our winner.” The instructor announced, ending the scenario. “Good job, cadet.”

     Tigra watched as Catra walked over to Lonnie.

     “Thanks for ganging up on me.”

     “Relax. I saw an opening and went for it. Just how you did moments before it.”

     “Why couldn’t Tigra be here?” Catra complained. “Usually she gets you three out quickly and it becomes a battle royale between us three before any of us could win.”

     “Isn’t she with Shadow Weaver right now?” Lonnie asked. “I still think something is going on between the two of them.” Catra made a disgusted face. “Not like that. It’s just…she gets called down almost as often as one of you three causes trouble. The only other person called down to her nearly as much is Adora, who we all know seems to have some kind of investment with her.”

     Catra frowned lightly at that before looking to the side.

     “I’ll ask her again later. See if I get anything besides the standard ‘She saw me do something subpar and wanted to fix it.’ Lord knows that it clearly isn’t that simple.”

     Tigra frowned at that, learning that Catra seemed to have caught on to the situation much sooner than she had believed.

     “So I’m not in the place of my younger self because I’m not here.” Tigra talked to herself, moving through the room before ending up in the locker room.

     She looked around for anything that could get them out of the memory.

     “Lockers, benches, lockers, benches, mirror with red glowing-” She stopped before looking at the mirror to confirm what she just saw.

     “2 mirrors with six glowing orbs each.” She confirmed before the simulation around her glitched.

     “Unauthorized presence detected. Security protocol activated.”

     “Just great.” Tigra muttered.

     Two Spiderbots crawled out of the mirrors and screeched.

     She went to activate Lightning Armor just as something shot out of one and clasped around her wrist.

     Instantly, her Lightning Armor stopped before it could begin.

     She looked at her wrist and found some kind of bracelet with a red light on it. She reached to grab it, before another clasped onto her other arm.

     They suddenly pulled towards each other strongly before they stuck themselves together like magnets.

     She looked at her sheet quickly to see what she feared.

Tigra      Age: 17

Level: 38 (3780/7500)

HP: 2860      HPR: 286

MP: 0*       MPR: 0*

SP: 1430      SPR: 286

STR: 45      DEX: 167

CON: 143      INT: 143

WIS: 100      CHA: 44

*Status: Magic Blocked - Through some method, your magic has been sealed off and will not regenerate until the method is either removed or passes.

     “Just great!” She growled, her hands unable to move apart from each other.

     She watched the Spiderbots get closer as she tried to figure a way out of this.

     ‘No Haste, Flame Fists, Lightning Armor, Fire Charge .’ She scowled at all of her options being taken away. ‘Only thing I can still do is dash, run, and attack with my feet.’

     One of them opened their mouths and Tigra dashed.

     She still got hit by their adhesive tape and it started to wrap around her. She tried to tear it apart with her claws, but they were the first things that were wrapped and couldn’t move well.

     The second one shot another device from its mouth before it clasped around her neck.

     “I know that you didn’t just put a col-” Her yells were muffled by more wrapping and the one that wrapped her up started to drag her away.

     “Tigra!” She heard someone yell.

     She looked over her shoulder to see Catra running at her, only to stop to avoid being wrapped up by the other robot.

     Catra looked her in the eyes, just as she was pulled away into the darkness.

     “TIGRA!”

     Tigra’s growl stayed muffled under the wrappings until she twisted her hand where it started to hurt. She continued twisting until her claws could touch the device on her left hand and kept stabbing the claw into the device repeatedly.

     It took a minute before she felt what she thinks is the locking mechanism break and her hands no longer stuck together, yet the magic blocking feature stayed in effect.

     She used her claws to quickly break free and stand on her legs, facing the Spiderbot, who had cut the bindings from itself, seeing as she had freed herself.

     It screeched at the same time she had dashed forward.

     She jumped over a swung leg and onto its back and managed to slash at its head twice.

5116 damage inflicted! 

     The Spiderbot bucked itself, throwing her into the air.

     She crossed her arms as a metal leg slammed into her and threw her a few feet away.

250 damage taken!

     Tigra landed on her hands and sprung herself backwards to kill her momentum and charged forward.

     Spiderbot opened its mouth once more, yet Tigra had been prepared for it.

     She jumped as soon as she saw something start to leave its mouth and soared over the green wrapping and shot her claws into two of its eyes.

5116 damage inflicted! 

     It screeched before it did something that she should have seen coming.

     It bit her in the leg.

350 damage taken!

…

350 damage taken!

     “I am not your food!” She yelled in anger, hitting it two more times again, taking out another one of its eyes.

5116 damage inflicted! 

…

500 damage taken!

     Tigra slammed her claws into where she assumed the hinges of its jaw were, hoping to get herself out.

4326 damage inflicted! 

     She seemed to have gotten lucky as it released her and she jumped backwards and took a look at her leg and winced.

     Her right leg had multiple bite marks that were bleeding.

     ‘I need to end this now so my regeneration can kick in and hopefully combat the bleeding I likely have.’ She thought.

     The Spiderbot raised a leg and swung it at her.

     She moved, yet found herself shocked when it made contact with her side, sending her to the ground.

300 damage taken!

     “Damn, my leg must be worse than I thought. It’s affected my speed.”

*Status: Magic Blocked [∞], Bleeding - 5 HP/s, Fractured Thigh [00:27:38] - DEX is decreased by 20%*

     Tigra breathed in before dashing, wincing at the pain and the 40 damage she just took doing it.

     She pounced on its face and used its jaw as a brace and slashed at its head.

2046 damage inflicted!

…

2046 damage inflicted!

…

2046 damage inflicted!

400 damage taken!

     With her last swipe, she managed to slam her arm into its head just as it stabbed a leg through her side.

     The Spiderbot sparked before it fell to the ground and she did as well, holding her side and breathing slightly heavy.

     She looked at her important sheet.

HP: 650/2860      Regen: 100/m

     She laid on the ground as she felt her regen start to kick in now that the fight was over.

H2H gained 25,000 EXP

H2H leveled up!

[H2H LV (1)52 (9913/10400) - Increases unarmed damage dealt by 208%]

Physical Resistance gained 4410 EXP

P.R. leveled up!

[Physical Resistance LV 37 (318/3700) - Decreases damage from physical attacks by 37%. Due to [Iron Body], it is 53%]

1500 EXP gained

     She noticed a light occurring just below her head and could see…sparks?

     She grabbed whatever was on her neck and started messing around with it with her claws until she managed to break through the clasping function.

     Otherwise known as, stabbing through two points close to each other and dropping the device.

     When it landed on the floor, she finally saw what exactly it was doing.

     It was violently shooting electricity through the inside of it to where there was a bright yellow spot in the middle of the collar where her neck had once been.

     “Too bad that that won’t work on me.” She gave a light smirk.

     The smirk fell once she noticed that the area had started to change once more.

     Her eyes widened and her breath grew more rapid when she recognized what this next moment would likely be.

     Since it was the Black Garnet Chamber.

*Catra*

     She ran into a room with Adora right behind her.

     Any other time, she would have wanted Adora away from her. She didn’t want Adora back in the Horde now. She doesn’t want things to go back to normal.

     She wants to be recognized for what she can do, not go back to being under Adora’s shadow.

     This isn’t just any time though.

     Tigra had been taken and had looked… afraid .

     She didn’t look scared like a kid or lost soldier.

     She looked like she was helpless. 

     Seeing her wrapped up in whatever capture device that these spider robots have. Catra could also spot what looked like a collar on her neck.

     Catra looked around in a hurry before her eyes narrowed on a destroyed robot.

     “Alright, Tigra’s not captured.” Catra sighed in slight relief. “That means that she can still defend herself.”

     “Catra…we need to find her. Now.” Adora sounded horrified.

     Catra made her way over before she inhaled sharply.

     Across the ground had been a good amount of blood, broken pieces of metal, and the collar that she had seen on Tigra.

     Catra got closer before it seemed to react and electricity suddenly came to life from the collar.

     They both jumped back slightly before looking around more.

     “Tigra may be able to defend herself…” Adora started.

     “But not for long if she is this injured. She could come into contact with another robot. One that may…”

     Neither had to say it, but they both knew how that sentence would have ended.

     One that may finish what this one caused.

     Adora looked around before seeing something.

     “There.” She pointed at a wall. “It’s glitching just like how all these rooms have been when memories started playing.”

     “Then let’s get going.”

     The two of them jogged into the fake wall before finding themselves outside the Black Garnet Chamber.

     “Great.” Catra grumbled. “Maybe now we’ll find out what Shad-”

     A scream of pain from within the Chamber cut her off and made both of them freeze and stare at the door.

     “That…”

     Catra steeled herself before walking through the door and further into the Chamber with Adora following.

     Catra could see a bright red light flashing further in and continued before freezing at the edge of the room as she felt her fur start to stand.

     “Catra? What is…No.”

     Another flash of red went out with another cry of pain coming from a 15 year old Tigra. The Magicat’s body seemed to curl inward and her hands seemed to spasm slightly.

     “Stop it!” Adora yelled out, moving in between them, yet it did nothing.

     The red lightning simply went through Adora and continued shocking Tigra, who had stopped screaming as all of her fur stood on end.

     After a minute , the lightning finally stopped, letting Tigra close her mouth from silently screaming. The red electricity jumped across her fur and off of her as her body trembled.

     Catra tried to touch Tigra’s body, only for the body to suddenly change and appear in a different place.

     Tigra now appeared to be 12 years old.

     “So, why did you prevent me from participating in the squadron’s test?” Tigra asked. “I know I could probably get away with not showing up, considering I’m a combat class ahead of them, but I figured you would want to have a test to see my capabilities?”

     “This is during the last memory we were in.” Catra muttered in shock.

     “Yes, well, I’ve read some interesting papers.”

     Both of them saw Tigra tense up, causing Catra’s gut to drop.

     “A lot of the instructors believe that you’ll end up placing as the highest cadet in the Academy of your year. You know, the place that belongs to Adora.”

     “Was Shadow Weaver the reason why I was placed above her?” Adora whispered.

     “Surely, it was a mistake.”

     Tigra gripped her hands tight enough that the two of them could see trace amounts of blood beeding on her fingers from her palm.

     “You want me to lower my score to be underneath Adora?”

     Shadow Weaver floated across the ground until she towered over the 4’9” girl. Her black hair floated over her as her eyes narrowed.

     “Want? No. I expect you to. Afterall, I already need to fix the mistakes you need to recorrect.”

     “Mistakes?” Tigra asked quietly.

     “Why yes. You continued staying above Adora, Catra has nearly defeated Adora a few times in front of examiners, and Adora has been falling behind in combat classes.”

     Tigra gulped lightly as her feet moved backwards before a red aura surrounded her and held her in place.

     “Now, now. Were you thinking of going back on your word? You said that you would take the punishment for your mistakes.”

     “Her mistakes?! Two of those weren’t even due to her!” Adora exclaimed.

     “‘We’ll get in trouble if she’s not back.’” Catra quoted. 

     “What?”

     “It’s something Tigra told me the night you left. About how we’ll get in trouble for you being gone. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, considering that Weaver just seemed more annoyed at the time.” Catra then shifted her eyes back to the two from the memories. “But it is starting to look like Tigra may have been punished more than I thought she would have been.”

     “But why? Why would-”

     The room lit up red once more, only this time, a younger voice started to scream in pain.

     The two closed their eyes and were forced to listen to Tigra scream for another minute before Shadow Weaver stopped again.

     “We’ll be doing this in intervals for the next hour.” The cruelty of the act terrified the duo. “If Adora isn’t ahead of you by the end of the year, I’ll extend it to 2 hours. Every year that you fail to return to where you belong, I will add another hour.”

     Tigra looked up with anger in her eyes.

     “Is that clear, cadet?”

     “Crystal.” Her ragged voice told.

     The two figures shifted again.

     “That was the year I got ahead.” Adora whispered.

     “It was also the year that Tigra started meeting with Shadow Weaver even more. Lonnie and I made bets on what the reason was for.” Catra was quiet for a moment. “Neither of us won that bet, based on what we are seeing.”

     “Just…why?” Adora sounded heartbroken. “Why would she do something like this?”

     “Control.” Catra answered. “Tigra would likely have graduated early if it wasn’t for Weaver’s interference.”

     The next memory seemed to involve…

     “No, please no.” Adora pleaded for once, seeing the small, cute form of an 8-year old Tigra.

     “I received an interesting report from the Academy.” Weaver spoke. “Would you like to guess what I found so interesting about this report?”

     Tigra tilted her head to the side.

     “Is it that Catra, Adora, and I ended up with the top three fastest times?”

     “This was the first day of the Academy.” Catra whispered. “That was the only time that Shadow Weaver pulled her aside for anything relating to times where we were the top 3.”

     “How do you remember that?” Adora asked.

     “While there are few Magicats around today, it was widely known that we have excellent memories. I can remember as far back as a week before I ended up in the Fright Zone.”

     “No.” Shadow Weaver spoke, drawing their attention once more. “If there is one thing you strays are good at, it is running.”

     The two of them easily saw Tigra barely holding herself from growling. The fur on her arms would raise and her jaw would clench. Her eyes showed fury the likes that an 8-year old probably shouldn’t be able to show.

     “No, what I found interesting is that your time is ahead of Adora’s time.”

     “Well, it’s like you just said. I’m good at running.”

     The duo saw Weaver’s mask narrow and they already knew what was about to happen.

     “She’s been dealing with this since she was 8?” Adora asked, with little life in her question. “How did we not notice it?”

     “Because she didn’t want us to.” Catra answered. “There’s no way that this could have been missed by accident for the past decade without planning involved. Either Shadow Weaver planned this in moments that we wouldn’t question her injuries, or Tigra only showed herself once she was well enough not to draw questions she didn’t want to answer.”

     Unlike the other times though, they saw Tigra start to move and likely run away. The two could barely hold any kind of hope that she managed to escape.

     Only for that hope to be crushed as red lightning seemed to hit her instantly and cause her to collapse to the ground.

     “You have seemed to have forgotten that you have told me that I can be less gentle with you compared to other pests. After all, you and I both know that you have an advanced healing factor. You can heal from the damage I inflict on you through my attempts to recorrect your behavior in roughly 10 to 15 minutes.”

     The duo were shocked to hear that about their friend.

     “If she can heal from this in 10 minutes at the age of 8…”

     “How fast can she heal now?” Catra finished.

     “More importantly, how many times did this happen if she needed to wait just 10 minutes?” Adora asked. “All those hours that Tigra’s been gone…how many times did Shadow Weaver almost kill Tigra?”

     Another stream of lightning struck Tigra and continued for nearly a minute. For another minute, they were forced to hear the 8-year old Tigra cry out in pain. Were forced to see her small body spasm from the amount of electricity flowing through it.

     They disappeared once more.

     “Okay, that’s it right?” Adora asked. “I can’t think of any other moments earlier than that for her to get electrocuted.”

     Catra stayed silent as a small detail jumped to the front of her mind.

     “Tigra reacted.” She whispered.

     “What?”

     “Tigra reacted before Shadow Weaver threw lightning at her.” Catra reminded. “She had already started to move away from Shadow Weaver. Tried to make room to react to the sudden red lightning.”

     Catra snarled as she came to a conclusion.

     “That wasn’t the first time Tigra had been struck with lightning from Shadow Weaver.”

     “But…But she was eight !” Adora grabbed her hair with wide eyes. “Are you saying that Shadow Weaver-”

     The area changed once more, stopping Adora in her tracks.

     Right in front of them…stood 7 year old Tigra. The main difference in how they can tell them apart is that Tigra stopped wearing sleeves at 8 years old for a reason she didn’t care to explain.

     This Tigra had red sleeves down to her elbows and gray shorts down to her knees.

     “I thought I told you to leave. Adora and your fellow pest have already left.”

     “Only me.” Tigra spoke, confusing Shadow Weaver. “Only hurt me. I can take it.”

     “She shouldn’t have ever said that.” Adora muttered.

     “Oh? What do you mean by that?”

     “I heal fast. Anything you do, besides cutting my arm off, will be gone in about 15 minutes.”

     “You sound like you’ve tested this.”

     “You get hurt jumping around the Fright Zone.” Tigra admitted. “So, I want to make a deal.”

     “...Alright, what would I gain from this?”

     “An outlet of using magic without worrying about crippling someone. Lord Hordak won’t know about you injuring a Fright Zone citizen as there will be no proof if you control the recordings.”

     “And you?”

     “Adora and Catra won’t get hurt. No magical punishments. No injuring them. Their safety.”

     “Do you think you need to protect them from me?” Shadow Weaver finally asked, towering over the little magicat kitten.

     “Adora? No. She’s part of the deal so that you can’t loophole in a strange way. Catra? Yes. You don’t care about us. If I guess, you dislike or hate us.”

     Shadow Weaver seemed to think about it before she held out a hand and red electricity sparked out from it, making Tigra stare at it in slight curiosity and hesitance.

     “I will agree to it, should you last half an hour through this.”

     Tigra closed her eyes while clenching her jaw before opening her eyes with resoluteness clear in them.

     “Deal.”

     Red light flashed once more and the scene disappeared quickly after.

     “Shadow Weaver…she…” Adora could barely speak.

     “She’s been torturing Tigra for over a decade .” Catra growled out. “I thought she was just intimidating and could make you disappear. I didn’t think that she was like this completely.”

     “We need to find Tigra.” Adora focused. “These events…they must have been traumatic and she just re-lived all of those.”

     Catra nodded before they looked around for any signs of her.

     Nothing except a large walkway with no railing to stop someone from falling down into the deep darkness over the edge.

     Except, for a rumble and a sudden crash.

     They looked in the direction to see a figure roll across the ground and come to a stop.

     “Tigra!” Both shouted, running forward.

*Tigra*

     She groaned as she pushed herself up with her right arm before almost falling back down, if someone didn’t catch her.

     She looked over and saw Catra looking over her with wide, frantic eyes.

     “How bad?”

     Tigra glanced at her HP.

HP: 127/2860      HPR: -50

Status: Magic Blocked, Bleeding - 7.5 HP/s, fractured right thigh  [00:17:58] - DEX*0.8, fractured left arm [00:24:27] - DEX*0.75 and STR*0.8, Concussion [11:23:57] - INT*0.6

     “Neva…been…worsh.” Tigra slurred out.

     Catra tightened her grip before placing her down and looked over to the side as Tigra’s vision started turning black slightly.

     “Adora! We need…now!”

     Tigra could hear the sound of Adora likely fighting the last Spiderbot she had been fighting for the past few minutes.

     It had snuck in during the memory room and had managed to get a good hit in before she focused on dodging the rest of its attacks while taking a swipe when the opportunity appeared.

     This had been the worst fight Tigra had been in. Though, it could be tied with Bolt, seeing as he appeared to have been messing around with her if his speed at the end said anything.

     Though, she couldn’t access her magic and had a fractured arm and leg, making her slower than she should be.

     Tigra groaned as she looked at her HP once more.

HP: 71/2860      HPR: -52

     Tigra groaned as her eyes started to slip shut.

     “Hey!” A voice seemed to yell at her. “You…eyes open!”

     “...Heavy…”

     She could barely speak, let alone try to keep her eyes open. It felt like someone had attached weights to her eyelids and didn’t have the strength to lift them.

     “Adora! She’s…worse! Get rid of that…”

     Tigra blanked out for a moment before a yell reached her.

     “ADORA!”

     She barely cracked an eye open and could only make out a blurry shape fly over the edge of the ground and disappear.

HP: 7/2860

…

…

…

HP: 5/2860

…

…

…

…

HP: 3/2860

…

…

…

     Tigra’s eyes closed once more.

HP: 1/2860

…

…

…

…

HP: 0/2860

…

…

…

Phoenix trait activated!

     Tigra’s body suddenly bursts into royal red flames with a loud noise screeching through the air before taking the shape of an avian.

     Tigra’s eyes snap open and she feels the fire around her. The dull heat that she had grown used to. The, once yellow but now red, flickering as it came off of her body. The strength that felt like she could take anything thrown against her.

     Fire that she should not have been able to make.

     Acting on instincts, she tried to focus it like magic to her wrists, right where she could feel the cuffs..

     The bird-like shape quickly shrunk before flying towards her wrists. The fire seemed to condense itself until it seemed to glow so white that it blinded everyone and anything with vision on her.

     Tigra dropped back on the ground with her eyes practically on fire.

     The royal fire quickly changed into yellow lightning except for her right hand.

     She zoomed forward and struck straight through the head of the spider.

10201 damage inflicted!

     Tigra stood over the broken body of the Spiderbot before her spells wore off and almost stumbled, if it wasn’t for Catra catching her.

     “You idiot!” Catra exclaimed, hugging her tight. “I…I thought you died !”

     Tigra did not have it in her to tell her that she did.

     “Let’s…get home.” Tigra spoke gently. “I need to heal and we need to get that crystal to Entrapta.”

     Catra let go of her after a few moments, which allowed Tigra to look around before growing confused.

     “Where’s Adora? I know I heard you speaking to ‘er?”

     Catra looked over at the ledge and Tigra’s stomach dropped.

     “She flew over the edge?”

     “The robot landed a hit while she was fighting it. She went flying over the edge. It turned its attention towards us, just before you…did whatever that was.”

     Catra looked at her, worry still prevalent. “What was that?”

     “A failsafe.” Tigra kept it brief. “In case I ever get too injured, it would release all of the magic inside of me as a large burst of fire. I used it to melt the cuffs on my wrists and as such, I could use my magic fully again.”

     Tigra winced before placing her right hand over her body.

     “Speaking of being able to use my magic…”

     Tigra began using Heal to boost her HPR to a positive 602 for the next 10 minutes since Phoenix boosts her stats by 25% for 10 minutes.

     Tigra released a breath as she could feel her body starting to fix itself quicker. Since Phoenix restored her HP to 75%, she focused Heal to fixing her injuries, such as her fractures, quicker than they would otherwise.

H2H gained 15000 EXP

H2H leveled up!

[H2H LV (1)54 (3913/10800) - Increases unarmed damage dealt by 216%]

Physical Resistance gained 1200 EXP

     Catra helped Tigra hubble along for a few minutes before her fractured thigh fixed itself with her arm being right behind.

     Her concussion would likely be fixed by the time they returned back to the Fright Zone.

     “Do you think Adora’s alright?”

     Catra held in a scoff. “She’ll be fine. She’s this She-Ra, remember?”

     “Not always. She’s also Adora, the person who thinks she needs to fix everything herself. She puts herself last.”

     Catra hummed lightly before they found a way out of the structure and made their way back through the woods.

     Tigra laid her back against the main part of the skiff as Catra started it up, watching Tigra while her eyes were closed.

     “Tigra?”

     “Wha?”

     “...We need to talk soon.”

     “...That doesn’t sound bad, at all.”

     “You won’t like it.”

     “...Blast.”

     Catra soon pointed the skiff in the direction of the Fright Zone and they sped off.

     Catra and Tigra walked into Entrapta’s “holding room” when Scorpia noticed them.

     “Guys!” Scorpia started with a smile before it turned to worry. “What happened? You’re all dirty and could maybe use some help.” Scorpia spoke to Catra before looking at Tigra. “And your outfit is all bloody with holes in it! Do you need first aid?”

     Tigra held her head and groaned lightly.

     “Scorpia, inside voice please.” Tigra pleaded. “I’ve got a massive headache right now.”

     Entrapta sprung up in front of her face with a machine pointed at her.

     A few clicks went by with no one speaking, with a strange sense of awkwardness hanging in the air.

     “Concussion.” Entrapta spoke after the clicking stopped. “Either you were lying to get out of the predicament, or you have not experienced a concussion before. I suggest that you take some time to rest. Anyways, how did it go? Did you find something?”

     Tigra waved Catra forward, keeping a glowing hand to her head.

     It appeared that, while she couldn’t completely heal the concussion, she could treat the symptoms and reduce the pain as long as the spell continued running.

     Catra handed the crystal to Entrapta, who took it with a gasp.

     “An intact data crystal!? I’ve never seen one so perfectly well preserved! Who knows what secrets this could reveal!”

     “What did I tell you!” Scorpia laughed. “Catra’s practically the best friend you could ask for.”

     Tigra took that moment to leave the room and head to her room, until a hand landed on her elbow.

     “You look like you could use some company, even if it’s only for some presence.” Catra quietly told.

     Tigra let a weak smile appear on her face.

     “I’d appreciate that.”

Relationship with Catra improved! 93 → 98 [Family]

Quest [Rediscovering the Past] Completed

Objective: Retrieve First One tech

Hidden Objective: Defeat 8 Spiderbots

Rewards: Horde may gain access to First One tech, Entrapta relationship improve [25 →47 Friends], 3000 EXP | 2 trait points

…

Leveled up!

Level 38 → Level 39

…

10 points into DEX

…

Trait: [Fueling the Fire] purchased.

[Fueling the Fire - Damage inflicted through Fire Magic is increased by 50%. Affected Spells: Fire Armor, Fireball, Flame Fists]

…

Tigra     Age: 17

Level: 39 (780/7800)

HP: 2860     HPR: 286

MP: 1430     MPR: 400

SP: 1430     SPR: 286

STR: 45     DEX: 184

CON: 143     INT: 143

WIS: 100     CHA: 44

Magic Control: 75%

Attribute Points: 0

Skill Points: 4

Trait Points: 1

Skills:

[H2H LV (1)54], [Run LV 68], [Dash LV 99]

[Dodge LV 41], [Reading LV 75], [Writing LV 71], [Sneak LV 47]

[Phys. Res LV 37], [Ice Res. LV 47], [Light Res. LV 3], [Magic Res LV 4]

[Program. LV 2], [Security LV 2], [Hacking LV 9]

Spells:

[Control]

Flame, Fire, Heat, Fanning Flame, Fire Step, Spark, Charge, Neuron, Flake, Freeze, Chill

[Buff]

Flame Armor, Ice Armor, Lightning Armor, Haste, Flame Charge

[Healing]

Heal

[Attack]

Flame Fists, Fireball

Traits

[Night Vision], [Magical]

[Obsidian Claws - Increases unarmed claw attacks to do DEX*2 + STR/2 while being increased by H2H’s bonus afterward]

[Huntress - Multiplies final DEX by 1.25 and multiplies EXP for Dash and Run by 3]

[You are the Weapon - Multiplies H2H bonus by 2] 

[Genius - All EXP for spells is doubled]

[Hare - Increases movement speed by 25%]

[Iron Body - Decreases damage taken by 25% after resistances]

[Patient - MPR remains active at 5% while using spells continuously and in battle]

[Primal Instincts - You’re aware when someone near wants to harm you]

[Quick - Multiplies final DEX by 1.15]

[Smart - Multiplies final INT by 1.15]

[You are Speed - For two minutes a day, your DEX is multiplied by 3]

[Enhanced Regeneration - MP Regeneration is doubled]

[Healthy as a Horse - Stamina Regeneration is doubled]

[Pyromaniac - EXP for Fire Spells is doubled]

[Fireproof - You can’t be hurt by fire through natural or unnatural means]

[Electric-proof - You can’t be hurt by electricity through natural or unnatural means]

[Phoenix - Once a month, if your HP is reduced to zero, you return to 75% HP once with a 25% increase in stats for the next 10 minutes]

[Fueling the Fire - Increases Damage for Fire attacks by 50%]

[Phoenix Fire - Due to being revived by Phoenix, your yellow flames have changed to crimson without losing any power]

Chapter Text

     Trees moved beside her as a blur. She could barely tell that they were trees due to the purple bark and green leaves gracing the tops of purple.

     She could hear the faint rapid breathing coming from what or whoever was carrying her. She could feel the wind whipping at her, blowing her hair all over the place.

     "We're almost there, kitten." A soft voice spoke to her. Tigra could not place it, but she felt like she could trust that voice. Trust that they weren't trying to do anything bad to her.

     A noise suddenly seemed to appear out of no where before Tigra felt all of the momentum stop.

     "Vi'ra! Stop this nonsense! Return with us and no harm will come to you."

     'Vi'ra' growled as she hugged Tigra to her chest.

     "Don't try to lie, Nari. I know why you followed me out here. You and your companions."

     "I am giving you this chance for the sake of Queen Selina. If you continue to resist...we will do what we must."

     Tigra's view shifted from a black shirt until she was staring at Vi'ra's face.

     Her dark orange fur made her golden eyes seem to shine brighter, made even more prominent by her long red hair. She had two small black lines underneath her eyes but beside her nose.

     "Mama loves you, little Py'ra." She whispered as her eyes shined lightly. "Grow strong and live happily. No matter how you turn out, I will be watching and giving what ever kind of support Suran will allow me."

     Tigra noticed that Vi'ra placed a claw onto her chest lightly before a faint purple energy started to glow.

     "Stop her!"

     Tigra looked over and caught sight of the perpetrator.

     She couldn't make out a face, but they had gray fur/skin, golden eyes, and short white hair. She rushed forward with a long blade and made to attack once she got close enough.

     "Find your family and love them. Goodbye, Py'ra."

     Tigra's surroundings changed until she found herself in an alley way.

     She felt the hair all over her slowly start to stand on end. She could feel her body itself start to shake.

     Where was the one she trusted? Who split them apart?

     When...when will she be safe?

     She heard a rustle and shrunk herself into her body and prepared for anything to appear.

     Only to be met by a large mane of brown hair on top of a small body with blue and yellow heterochromatic sclera eyes.

     Tigra woke up with a groan.

     "Been awhile since I had that dream." She muttered, getting up. "Whatever. I have a plan to start today. First step: Getting outside the Fright Zone."

     ...

     Tigra stood outside the Fright Zone before suddenly glowing yellow and yellow lightning sparking to life around her. She crouched down before she dashed.

     The surroundings blurred as she looked at her DEX since she was using Haste , Lightning Armor powered with the equivalent of 572 MP - giving a 1.8x boost to DEX, and dashing. It increased her DEX to 1201, making her move just about 167 MPH.

     ‘If I keep moving for about three minutes, I should max out dash and see how I can proceed from there.’ Tigra thought. ‘If it prestiges like with H2H, I best focus on increasing it now and rebuilding it. If so, I need to run for the next few days to rebuild it back up to an acceptable level. Don’t know when the next battle will take place.’

     “Glad I didn’t reach LV 100 in it before yesterday. I know I wouldn’t have survived those encounters without that speed.”

     She continued to run around the outskirts of the Fright Zone before a message popped up.

Dash has maxed out!

CON increased by 2 and DEX increased by 1

…

Special Prestige available due to [Huntress] class being chosen.

Dash - Dash’s effect is doubled but EXP requirement only increases by 1.75x. DEX increments change from 1 every 10 levels to 2 every 10 levels.

Prestige now?

[Y /N]

…

Prestige finished!

[Dash LV (1)01 (0/175) - Increases DEX by 50+2% per level]

…

     Tigra immediately felt the change in her speed. She knew it would happen, but hadn’t taken into account just how much it would affect her.

     She glanced at her DEX to see the damage.

DEX: 1226 → 742

Speed: 170 → 103 MPH

…

     “Alright, with dash taking 12 SP per minute, I should be able to dash for 2 hours straight. With those two hours, I should be able to get quite a good amount of EXP and hopefully get it back above run.” Tigra spoke aloud as she continued dashing.

     With her MP regenerating 20 MP/m while using spells and Haste using 17 MP/m, she could use Haste indefinitely at this point. With Lighting Armor being unable to damage her, she could use her Max HP as fuel and keep it going indefinitely as well.

     “Right now, I could travel 197 miles before I need to stop for 5 minutes to be able to run 197 miles again. Not taking into account how much it will increase my speed during this, I should gain just over 59,000 EXP for dash when I’m done.”

     With that, she dashed.

*2 hours later*

Dash gained 4033 EXP

Dash leveled up!

[Dash LV (1)34 (2331/5950) - Increases DEX by (50+ 68 )%]

Due to massive increase in Dash’s level, DEX increased by 6 and CON have increased by 12.

Lightning Armor gained 152,640 EXP total!

Lightning Armor leveled up!

[Lightning Armor LV 56 (640/11200) - Multiplies DEX by Amount_Used/638]

Tigra   Age: 18

HP: 3180      HPR: 318

MP: 1430      MPR: 400

SP: 1590      SPR: 319

STR: 45      DEX: 193

CON: 159      INT: 143

WIS: 100      CHA: 44

Attr. Points: 0

Skill Points: 4

Trait Points: 1

Trait Upgrade points: 0

…

Happy Birthday! Due to reaching 18 years of age, two potential gifts are available for choosing.

You can have 30 Attribute points and 10 Skill points, or 2 free trait points and a trait upgrade!

Would you like option 1 or option 2?

[1/ 2 ]

…

Option 2 selected! Hope you make it another year!

…

2 trait points and a trait upgrade have been awarded!

…

Trait [Improved Regen] purchased.

[Improved Regen - Multiplies your HP Regeneration by 2]