Fenrir's Journey : I Shall Devour The Heavens!

Now that she had assumed a human form, Fenrir moved on to the next step of the plan she had formed. She wanted to be able to obtain information from one of the human Cities but, learning her lesson previously, Fenrir wanted to first observe how other people acted. Even if she looked human, people might think she is strange if her behavior didn't meet their expectations. Thus, in order to complete her disguise, Fenrir began skulking around the outskirts of the City she had located and began secretly following those that wandered outside its tall walls.Since she needed to know how to act like a girl, most of the people Fenrir followed were groups of women that would often head off into the forest to hunt monsters. Fenrir had noticed that there were very different types of people in the world, though it was the same in her previous one. Just as there had been Adventurers, Merchants, Business Owners, and Civilians in her previous world, Fenrir noticed this one had Cultivators, Mercenaries, Merchants, and Civilians. There were various other businesses as well, but Fenrir noticed they were generally owned and operated by Cultivators and Merchants, many wearing the same kind of clothing.That was another thing Fenrir had noticed through her observation, that people generally wore clothing that designated their profession. Male Cultivators generally wore neat and stylish robes that made them look something feminine and girly, at least in Fenrir's opinion. Some of them even wore makeup on their faces to give themselves the appearance of fair skin, even though they tried to act prideful and arrogant. As for the females, Fenrir noticed that there were only a few ways in which the girls styled their hair, even if they were Cultivators. The way they dressed was also very similar, though the differences between Civilians and Cultivators were very easily seen.Civilian women would often wear linen robes, somewhat similar to the clothing from the Far East, but with a slightly different aesthetic. Their hairstyles were usually neatly arranged into a bun, with trimmed bangs and long fringe locks framing their faces. Very few women ever wore their hair down, unless they were from one of the various 'Sects' Fenrir had come to learn about. These women usually let their hair grow freely down their backs and, though they would style it into ornate patterns as well, there was almost always a long length flowing down the ornamental gowns they wore.Fenrir didn't really understand why everyone was so 'similar' to each other but, after recalling the studies she had done in the past, Fenrir believed it was just a cultural thing. She didn't think it was so important to clearly define your status to others, but status itself seemed to be 'very' important in this world. Not only the girly men, but most of the doll-like girls would generally have a large number of people escorting them everywhere they went. Fenrir's frows would furrow every time she saw so many 'servants' waiting on these young men and women, many of which seemed severely lacking in character...After observing such people for a long period of time, Fenrir realized how fortunate she had been to have a kind and caring Master. In this world, there were people that would draw the long swords at their waist and simply cut off the heads of people who offended them. Since the offense was usually something 'fabricated' by the arrogant people, Fenrir had grown to dislike this world even more, especially after witnessing one of the girly men 'taking' a girl that had been on a date with another man. When she resisted, the girly man ended up stabbing the girl's boyfriend, laughing all the while the man bled out on the ground. That day, Fenrir added several more kills to the number she would have to apologize to her Master for...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'This world is full of hypocrites and cruel people. I'm sorry, Master, but I can't just watch people wronged for things they didn't do...')

After observing other people for a long period of time, Fenrir was confident she would be able to properly disguise herself. She actually realized there wouldn't have been much of a difference between entering the City now, or entering it without any prior knowledge. Depending on a person's occupation, they all had unique quirks and, Cultivators especially, all behaved drastically different from each other. Ultimately, it depended on a person's status, wealth, and if they had any affiliation with a certain group or Sect. Fenrir had decided to disguise herself as a lone Mercenary since, after watching all the Cultivators putting on airs, she didn't really want to be associated with them.Since the only reason she dressed in cute clothes had been to appeal to her Master, who was now heartbreakingly far away, Fenrir decided to wear relatively plain clothing. She didn't want anyone eyeing her in the possessive manner that some of the men looked at women, so Fenrir chose to try and avoid such things by covering her body and dressing like a warrior.Fenrir used her magic to create a midnight blue tunic and, since shorts didn't seem to be a thing in this world, she covered her legs in loose-fitting black trousers. Around her waist, she wore a red cincher with a white fur lining and, as it seemed popular amongst Mercenaries, Fenrir wore an overcoat with a cowl, similarly lined with white fur. As she wasn't used to it, Fenrir decided not to wear shoes and, as many people seemed to walk around barefoot, or wrapped their feet in cloth, Fenrir didn't think it would be an issue.To complete her outfit, Fenrir wore similarly red guard on her forearms and calves, giving her the appearance of a warrior who relied on her hands and feet to fight. Though her appearance was very uncommon, as females typically wore thinner fabrics, Fenrir didn't care since she wasn't trying to appeal to anyone. The only reason she wanted to enter the City was to gain information, observe how people lived within the Cities of this world, and try to obtain a proper Cultivation technique.Fenrir knew that each technique was a closely guarded secret and, seeing the number of small groups, Clans, and Sects, Fenrir knew there are 'a lot' of different techniques. There even seemed to be things called Martial Skills, Spiritual Skills, and Qi Manifestation Techniques. Fenrir had seen people throwing flames, swinging around swords with their minds, and stepping on both the air and water as if it were the ground. However, though these feats impressed many of the people that witnessed them, Fenrir found they were crude and lazily done.Even at a glance, Fenrir could see that these people put more effort into showing off, making their skills flashy and overbearing, than actually being useful. It wouldn't be difficult to emulate most of their 'skills' just using her magic power alone, even without relying on any spells. Fenrir didn't know why these people thought that performing such 'basic' feats were deserving of praise, and it just made them seem childish and ignorant in her eyes. The fact that they 'forced' weaker people to revere them for such pathetic skills made her feel nothing but contempt for each and every one of them...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'This world is just full of people who bully other people just to feel better about their own pathetic skills...disgusting...')

Fenrir didn't know how many days had passed, as it became much easier to simply not pay attention to such things. All she knew was, for a long period of time, the only things she did were training her magic, eating monsters, and meditating to increase her control. By the time her training had come to an end, Fenrir felt like she had become much stronger than before and, for the first time, she had been able to complete her transformation.Instead of having paws, Fenrir now had hands and feet and, where fur used to cover her forearms and calves, there was only fair, white, and unblemished skin in its place. Even her hair, and the large ears affixed to the top of it, had become sleeker with the floppy ears her Master loved being replaced by to rounded humanoid ears at the side of her head. One of the things that had taken her the longest, other than making her tail shrink away, was forming the ears at the side of her head. It felt very strange to hear things from a different location than normal, but Fenrir worked hard to adapt to the form until she was able to maintain it indefinitely.However, though her physical appearance had changed drastically, those that knew Fenrir would have taken note of completely different aspects than just the change in her racial traits. Because of her Ageless body, Fenrir's appearance never changed much and, as a result of the record she had been given, her original appearance was petite, lithe, wild, and 'barren'. She looked somewhat pale and was thin enough that her ribs would show whenever she strained her body, almost as if she had no fat anywhere on her figure. Now, her skin looked more 'fair' than pale and, instead of seeming to be 'too thin', she had a softer appearance with a light layer of frost lingering around her body.Because Fenrir had been training her [Mind of Still Water, Heart of Eternal Ice] for so long, the Yin Elemental energy she had been absorbing had slowly started to affect her appearance. She now had an almost stoic and icy expression, making the scarlet in her eyes stand out even more alongside her midnight blue hair. And, though her proportions hadn't changed at all, including in the chest region, Fenrir no longer looked gaunt, but now had a healthy and jade-like quality to her skin.Fenrir had seen her appearance several times in the reflections of her ice mirror and, though she was happy about the change, it also pained her cold heart greatly. The only reason she had ever wanted to have a 'human' form in the past was so that she could be with her Master without accidentally tearing things apart with her claws. Now, even though she had a form she believed he would like, Fenrir simply didn't have the option to be with him anymore. Thus, even though the icy energy that had pervaded through her body was very comfortable, Fenrir felt very lonely and often craved the warmth of her Master. Unfortunately, no amount of longing could change the reality of her situation so the only thing Fenrir could do was mimic his voice with her eyes closed, saying kind words to herself while curling up into a ball, hoping to dream of her Master when the darkness claimed her...(Fenrir's Commentary: 'You're a good girl...You are so beautiful...I love you, Fenrir...' -said in the voice of Vahn Mason)

Chapter 29: Observation