Shopping with the girls was an adventure and a half.

  Thankfully, the fitting portion of the trip didn’t take too long. Kassandra’s family friend—the bear kin Silas that had sold me my first sword—was able to take measurements to make armor for the girls over their clothing.

  Since my girls would be enchanting the equipment themselves, he’d be able to alter existing stock for the most part and have it done in a few days.

  From there, we’d gone to the local branch of the bank that Kassandra used.

  While we were waiting in line, the girls asked me how much money I’d need to withdraw. When I admitted that I only wanted about a dozen silver coins to experiment with, Kassandra had promptly towed us back out of line with a roll of her eyes.

  “For that little coinage, you should have just asked me,” she growled and fished in her pouch to present me with the coins. “It’s not pocket change, but I can just balance it later when I make a trip to check on the investments I set up. I already had extra out for the trip to Uncle Silas’ shop…”

  I hadn’t honestly considered that, so I just slipped the silver coins into my Dimensional Pocket and gave Kassandra a kiss on the cheek.

  “Thank you, love. I’ll probably end up needing more soon, but I wanted to do some experimenting to see how well the silver pieces sell compared to the gold ones. You sure this isn’t going to cause a problem using the coins?”

  “No, it’s fine. If you weren’t taking them home then it might cause problems with the counterfeiting laws, but for this?” Kassandra shook her head in the negative.

  “We can also get you bar stock if you want. There are merchants who deal in such things and it would at least be a use for your coins on this side,” Rieka offered while leading us down the street.

  “Is there anything you could buy here to sell on the other side, Liam?” Jane asked, the small scholar bouncing along on my other side with a happy smile on her face.

  Jane had joined us shortly after I had explained to Rieka about how her mother had summoned me so that her dad could meet me. That had left my wolfish princess in a mortified state for a good ten minutes since her parents had apparently decided that my connection with her was close enough that her father needed to meet me.

  Now that we were done with the errands we needed to complete, the girls and I were just wandering the small city aimlessly while we talked.

  “I don’t know, Jane. I hit on the idea of selling handmade jewelry because it was something that I could slip under the firm regulations. While they don’t make it too difficult to earn money back home—they need people working to be able to tax them after all—there aren't really that many easy answers to producing cash out of thin air. Not without having some kind of underworld connection.”

  “What about your friend, the pretty one who stopped to talk to us while the others were… uh… extracting that thing?” Shayla suggested from her position at the back of our group.

  I twisted my head to look back at her thoughtfully. I’d initially been about to deny it, but Shayla had a point. The daemon’s had been able to shuffle money around for me and the System had ways to dispense cash in exchange for SP.

  “I should ask them… worst case scenario they say no.”

  Shayla shot me a sunny smile, clearly proud of her idea and glad that I’d thought it had merit.

  I made a mental note to reach out to Cariad and Cerebaton later about that. Since I had my girls with me right now, I wanted to focus on them.

  “I also had an idea of acting as a translator, so that might also bring in some extra funds. But yeah, I’m doing good for now. Hey, while we are in town, do you all want to head to the market? There has to be some supplies that you need for classwork or the enchantments you want to do on your armor when Silas finishes it?”

  “Oh!” Jane exclaimed suddenly, her fluff-tipped tail wiggling like a happy flag over her head. “That’s a great idea! I need some powdered lapis for something that I wanted to try.”

  “I could use some more of the nicer paper for my sketches too,” Shayla said shyly as well.

  “You never know what kind of things you might run across in the market. Let’s go have a look!” Kassandra proclaimed grandly and began to slither forward, using the grip she had on my arm to tug me along. I hadn’t expected such a response from the girls, so she actually tugged me slightly off balance in her enthusiasm.

  Rieka just let out a light laugh, making shooing motions at me when I glanced her way. The expression on my princess’ face clearly said ‘you started this, you get to see it through.’

  <><><>

  The swirl of light and power deposited me in my dingy apartment several hours later. I’d spent the last four hours wandering the local market with the girls while they browsed what felt like every single stall in the place.

  Despite the effort that the walk had taken and the energy of keeping watch over them the whole time, I didn’t feel tired. Being around my girls always made me smile, and I couldn’t honestly complain about it given how excited each of them had been with their finds.

  Rieka had found a beautifully tooled leather belt that hugged her hips like a lover, patterned with a design of storm-shrouded mountains and done in white-dyed leather with a polished silver buckle.

  Kassandra and Jane had spent most of their time haggling for spell components, everything from different types of crystals to specific herbs and mineral dyes that she thought might be useful for everything she and Jane planned to do to their armor.

  Shayla’s only purchase was a bundle of fine white paper that I tucked away into my Dimensional Pocket for her to keep it clean. She’d spent the rest of our shopping trip following along with a soft smile as the other girls cavorted through the different stalls, all the while quietly holding on to the back of my shirt with one hand.

  I’d offered the moth woman my arm a few times, but she’d declined each time. It wasn’t until the third time that she explained properly why.

  “You are our protector, Liam. I don’t want to get in the way of you needing to act. Being able to have a hand on you is all I need,” Shayla had answered shyly, her antennae wiggling slowly through the air like a pair of dancer’s hands.

  I couldn’t really argue with that statement, so I’d just given her a kiss and let her do as she wished. Though I made sure to show her plenty of affection when we were waiting for the others to make a purchase.

  Now, though, I was back in my apartment once more, and alone again.

  I’d spent most of the day with the girls today, but there were still several hours of daylight left to make use of. I could either work on more projects for the Bitsy storefront, do some more brain puzzles to work on expanding my intellect more, or reach out to my daemon friends.

  Why not all three? I thought with a grin and fired off a quick message to Cariad and then another to Cerebaton.

  I kept the message simple, asking if they were able to assist me with liquidating resources from the other world in my current one or not. I made sure to include a statement that I understood if not, but even just pointing me to the right contact would help.

  With that done, I grabbed my phone and started up a podcast I’d been listening to that talked about small businesses and legal issues surrounding them, then dumped the silver coins out of my Dimensional Pocket onto my table.

  As had been my habit whenever I planned to sit around for a period of time, I used my Shape-Shifting to mimic the shimmer-nest conch that Kassandra had told me about and started making more pearls. I had a sizable stash of them in an old coffee can in my pantry, but it never hurt to have more.

  I’d just picked up the first silver coin to inspect it and started working with the coin, figuring silver and pearl earrings were easy to mass-produce as a sample product, when I got a response from Cariad.

  Cariad

  Hey Liam. I don’t think we are able to do something like that, given the restrictions that the DSR has for interacting with the local population of a world. Travelers are largely left to their own devices as long as they don’t damage the dimensional membrane. I’ll pass it along to Mr. Cerebaton though, in case he has any ideas.

  “Yeah, about what I expected,” I muttered to myself before focusing back on the pile of silver coins in front of me.

  Manipulate Element flowed out of my hand, melting into the silver and measuring the actual precious metal present.

  The coin was nearly pure silver, with only trace elements added in to improve its stability. I knew that sterling silver, the most common type used in jewelry, had around seven to eight percent of its total purity made up of copper and other metals to improve the durability of the final product. I didn’t need much to balance out what was in the coin already.

  “Just need a bit more copper,” I muttered and got up from the table.

  A quick trip to my junk drawer produced my source for raw copper. The hunk of copper pipe that I’d bought at the hardware store looked like someone had gone at it with a file, which wasn’t inaccurate really. I didn’t see a reason to degrade anything of value, and the bit of pipe had cost me less than a dollar.

  Through magic, I was able to liquefy the silver and mix in the trace amounts of copper needed to bring it up to a sterling silver alloy instead. Then segment the single silver coin into the mountings for a dozen sets of earrings, complete with a proper clasp at the back.

  “I’ll do studs for the first set, then hoops with captured pearls for the second. Maybe spirals for a third?” I mumbled while the podcast continued to ramble on about margins, licensing, and market shares.

  A flicker of light at the edges of my vision interrupted me while I was halfway through carefully shaping the sixth set of stud mountings out of the silver. The light heralded a message arriving and I quickly checked it before firing off a response.

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  Cerebaton

  Liam, I wanted to discuss something else with you but can also include this in our talk. Do you mind if I stop by for an in-person visit?

  Liam

  Of course. I’m at my apartment right now making some items to sell, feel free to stop by.

  It was only because I was listening for his arrival that I detected Cerebaton when the large man arrived less than a minute later.

  After seeing the portal open up in the underground complex for them, I’d finally known how he and Cariad traveled so soundlessly. But my crappy apartment was useful for something, because the floor gave a creak when Cerebaton’s weight settled onto it.

  “Make yourself comfortable, Cerebaton,” I said without looking up from my work. “Give me a minute to finish this up.”

  “Oh, don’t put yourself out,” the big man rumbled in response, his deep tone telling me that he was in his native form right now without even having to look. “This isn’t an official visit after all, just me stopping by to check on you.”

  That simple statement told me a lot. The fact that Cerebaton felt the need to openly state it wasn’t ‘official’ but he was here to check on me meant that he was likely doing this off the books, like when we’d gone for drinks.

  Which likely means he can’t actually help me move raw metals. Damn, I thought, but didn’t look up from my work. Instead, I used Shape-Shifting to produce an extra arm by dividing my right arm at the elbow so I could turn my podcast off without tearing my shirt or stopping working.

  “You are getting quite skilled at that, Liam,” Cerebaton said before my shitty couch groaned in protest as the large man sat down on it. “I wouldn’t normally believe that you were new to all this as recently as only months ago.”

  “Had a good reason to practice,” I replied with a snort, finishing the bit of work and setting the small bars of silver aside on a plate. “Gotta keep my girls safe. You want a beer or anything?”

  “A beer would be good, actually.”

  I pushed back from the table and headed into the kitchen. A bit of fishing in the fridge got me two bottles of beer and I popped them both open one-handed before carrying them out into the living room.

  Cerebaton sat in the middle of my couch, looking like someone had stuffed the Jolly Green Giant into a suit. His wide frame took up most of the three-seater couch even though he was sitting in the middle of it. The spreading rack of antlers that sprouted from the crown of his head made the sight even more bizarre. But the bags under his eyes told me that my normally composed and stern trainer had been busy.

  “How’s things been going? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this worn out, Cerebaton,” I said, offering him one of the bottles of beer.

  “Busy. After that shit-storm that kicked up in the wake of your discovery, the DSR has been on high alert. The upper-echelons have been worried that this was the sign more such artifacts would turn up, so wanted everyone on standby. Since they were already standing around, those same higher-ups decided it was time to audit the different departments as well.”

  “Oof,” I said with a grimace and Cerebaton nodded in agreement with me. His yellow eyes were more orange at the moment, thin threads of an odd color running through them like someone who had bloodshot eyes.

  “ ‘Oof’ indeed. I just got done with a twenty hour shift. Thankfully, since nothing has cropped up we are letting people stand down now,” the big green daemon said before tilting his head back and pouring some of the beer into his mouth.

  Like Cariad, Cerebaton had gloves on his hands, so the bottle wasn’t dissolving at his touch. I knew that if he actually put it to his lips to drink, the glass bottle would start to slowly corrode. Even a material as non-reactive as glass wouldn’t be able to stand up to the negative energy that filled the beings known as daemons.

  “Should you be drinking after such a long shift?” I asked, settling back into a seat at my table, this time facing the living room so we could talk while I worked.

  “No better time to do it,” Cerebaton said with a shrug. “I plan to go straight back home and sleep when we are done here. Your message caught me while I was leaving the office, and I thought I could finish off two things at once.”

  “Yah? Well don’t keep me in suspense,” I said, picking up the next pellet of silver and pushing mana into it to start shaping the metal like it was clay.

  The hand that I had shifted into a shimmer-nest conch sat on the table, slowly converting particles of sand into the all-important pearls that would complete the pieces. It was a little awkward to work one handed, but I was able to use Shape-Shifting to produce another hand if needed. Right now though, I kept at it since it would also help my mental flexibility.

  “I know I said it before, but you’ve adapted surprisingly well to having a fluid form, Liam,” Cerebaton said next, instead of getting to what he wanted to discuss. “Normally, people with the power tend to keep to very simple or small changes. That or they end up avoiding using it because their minds rebel against the idea of their bodies being so fluid.”

  “It’s still my body,” I replied with a shrug, not looking up. “I’d thought about it before, actually. I unlocked an ability called Grant Power that lets me share a power with my contracted, but at a much reduced skill level. The girls were helping me train Grant Power during my last trip, but the only ability that I have which is high enough level to use it on is Shape-Shifting.”

  “And I take it they didn’t react well?” Cerebaton asked, his tone tired but curious.

  “For little things, they had no problem. Stuff like changing their bust sizes, skin tones, or hair colors. But when Rieka attempted to mirror my form by hiding her ears and tail, she freaked out a bit.”

  “That is understandable. She was the wolf woman, right?”

  “Yeah. I figured it was because it changed how her senses operated and she wasn’t ready for that.” I set aside another finished pair of mountings and picked up the next nugget of silver.

  “That likely contributed to the problem. But realistically? It probably had more to do with the fact that she’s had those things all her life and lacking them was a psychological weight. Dysmorphia is a common downside to Shape-Shifting and I will not lie and say that it didn’t also affect me at times.”

  “Really?” I looked up at that.

  Cerebaton was leaning forward, his elbows on his knees as he watched me work. His yellow eyes were intense, but I’d gotten used to the serious gaze of the daemon while he taught me how to wield a sword and fight months before.

  “Yes. Even when I was training with you, it bothered me to not have my familiar form. I’ve learned to control it over the years, since I use Shape-Shifting in order to conceal myself for missions or to avoid notice of locals. But it’s still there, digging at the back of my mind.” He shrugged and took another deep swig of his beer.

  I took a moment to consider his words, turning my eyes back to my work. I had thought about the dysmorphia before, but it had never really bothered me. The fact that I could sprout multiple limbs, multiply or divide my weight, and even shrink in size and turn myself into a centaur hadn’t bothered me in the slightest. I’d made some of those extreme changes on the fly and even then I’d settled into the body without hesitation.

  “I can see that you understand it,” Cerebaton said a moment later while I was remembering the last time I’d gone quadrupedal. “I can only assume that it is something the System saw in you when it gifted you that power through your introduction. I am eager to see what you are capable of when you fully master the ability.”

  “It’ll be a while yet. For all that I’m using it whenever I think to, it’s still slow going.” To mirror what I was saying, I produced another arm to pick up my beer bottle and take a swig before setting it down again.

  “Just be sure you only show it to people you trust,” Cerebaton reminded me tiredly and I nodded in understanding.

  “That’s been part of it. When I go out with folks, I have to remind myself to not just stretch my limbs out or make an extra one to do something. Wearing tight clothing helps because I pause to think so I won’t tear the cloth.”

  “Smart,” Cerebaton raised his beer bottle in salute to me before leaning back into the couch with a groan. “But I should answer your earlier question. I’m sure that you would prefer that to hearing an old man ramble.”

  “You aren’t that old,” I said automatically and the daemon laughed.

  “I’m older than you think, but I won’t get into it with you. As to helping you liquidate precious metals, there isn’t much that we can do for you. The DSR operates businesses on different worlds to allow for the necessary support structures that we use, but your world has been cut off from the System for long enough that we don’t have any local contacts. System payouts are handled by the System itself, and it only operates on SP. Even if we did have businesses here, we wouldn’t be able to act as a front for you.”

  “Basically what Cariad said to me. Just had to be sure,” I said while gesturing to the small pile of silver coins. “I have wealth, but not on this world. My little business is doing well, but it requires more attention than I want to give it.”

  “Hire someone to handle the parts you don’t want to then,” Cerebaton replied simply. “It’s how businesses normally grow like that.”

  “Yeah, I’ll deal with that later. I’ve got a few other ideas of things I can do to get money, too. I just need to explore them a bit more before I commit to one. Till then, I’ll just have to keep plugging away.”

  “It’s a good use of your secondary abilities and capitalizes on how thick the mana is here on Earth,” Cerebaton replied with a nod.

  “I had wondered about that,” I looked up to lock eyes with him and he quirked an eyebrow. “It felt like I was regenerating faster here than on Cortha, but I couldn’t tell if that was just me or not.”

  “You should regenerate faster here. The density of mana on this world is roughly four or five times that of Cortha, though it doesn’t normally coalesce into physical form here. Without native casters to use it, the mana remains loose within the atmosphere.” Cerebaton gestured with one hand over his head. “It’s part of why I was surprised and gratified that you work so hard on your Shape-Shifting when it would be excessively easy to train your magical powers.”

  I filed that particular thought away for another day. I would need to test just how fast I regenerated mana here on Earth and quantify it. There had been a long-neglected power in my potential list that might be worth grabbing if I could quickly regenerate mana.

  Instead, I cleared my throat and looked back to Cerebaton again.

  “What was the other thing you wanted to talk to me about?”

  “Oh that,” Cerebaton grimaced faintly but pushed it aside. “Those higher-ups that I mentioned? One of them found the note in your file about having the Traveler’s Call ability and thought that, since you were a relatively new Traveler and without a support structure, there might be a way that it could be ‘exploited’ to the ends of the DSR.”

  “What kind of exploitation?” I asked, my tone sharpening unconsciously.

  “Insertion of operatives, mostly.” Cerebaton paused for a long moment before continuing, not meeting my eyes. “How our operatives travel is, for lack of a better term, rather ‘loud’ as far as dimensional entities are concerned. Travelers have a much ‘softer’ sound when they are transferred due to System assistance. The idea floated was that you could be sent ahead to a location to secure it, then use your power to call DSR operatives in to handle an issue.”

  “But the power costs me SP…” I drawled and Cerebaton nodded in agreement, pointing to me with the beer bottle in his hand.

  “Exactly what I said. We aren’t allowed to pay you in SP either, so it would be a physical funds transfer instead, plus any SP you earn from your summoner on the other end.”

  “How would you ensure that I was summoned to the right location then?” I asked, definitely not sold on the idea right now. I needed cash but not so desperately that I’d fritter away the limited supply of SP that I had.

  I carefully ignored the voice in the back of my head that told me I’d been willing to do just that to call my girls over for a visit.

  “That would be the challenge, but it was mentioned in passing. I just wanted to put the idea out there for you so that you could consider it and come up with a list of problems, requests, and issues in case someone seeks it out in earnest.”

  “Is another daemon going to show up and try and proposition me?”

  “No… well they had better not. You have a working relationship with my department already and have a liaison assigned to you. Miss Cariad is performing her job admirably and I will not stand for someone trying to circumvent protocol like that.”

  Cerebaton’s words were as hard as his eyes now and that actually mollified me somewhat. I knew that sometimes office politics could get out of hand, but having someone in upper management like Cerebaton making promises like this meant that they’d happen.

  “If it comes through your department, and specifically through Cari,” I said after a moment of consideration. Cerebaton raised an eyebrow when I paused to order my thoughts, so I continued as soon as I was ready. “I will consider it. No promises or guarantees.”

  “If it comes to the point where we need a Traveler to assist us in inserting a team to deal with a problem, it will be a critical issue already. I appreciate that you are willing to even think about it, and I will be sure that those throwing the idea around are aware of your initial requirements,” Cerebaton said with a rather fierce smile. “I was hesitant to bring it up, as the initial presentation would have put you on the hook to provide secret access for any number of teams. But with all of them having to come through my department, I can ensure that your time and abilities aren’t wasted. That’s even if this gets beyond the ‘batting around the boardroom’ phase.”

  “Fair enough. Thanks for the info, Cerebaton.”

  “Thanks for considering the idea, Liam.”

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