“Just a bit more,” I growled under my breath as I focused my attention despite the chilly late-season rain that had soaked me to the bone.

  The icy water was annoying, but Shape-Shifting came to the rescue with a seal’s hide underneath my clothes to keep the worst of the chill off of me.

  “Okay!” I swore and hurried over the muddy ground to an oddly-shaped boulder that sat in the middle of my new property, stepping carefully in my bare feet to avoid any sharp rocks or large patches of mud.

  A gesture with one hand caused the thin shell of stone that blocked my door to melt away, revealing the entrance that it concealed lit by dancing firelight.

  Stepping through the door, I closed it with another gesture and a push from Elemental Manipulation. It was getting to the point that I was using Elemental Manipulation as instinctively as I would Shape-Shifting, though I always reached for Shape-Shifting first for a given problem if it was something that could help.

  But now, I was working on training another power.

  Standing in the small stone anteroom in near darkness, dripping water all over the ground, I focused intently on what I wanted to do while adjusting my eyes with Shape-Shifting to be able to see better in the darkness.

  My little entryway was about eight feet square, with the floor gently sloped to the right and ending in a trough of gravel and sand at the corner of the room. My soggy work boots currently sat on the far end of the gravel trough, dripping water down into the rocks and sand. Behind me, the door to the outside world finished sealing up and blocking out the watery sunlight, and ahead of me was a singular doorway that led deeper into the hillside, and the flickering light of the fire came from.

  Within seconds, my shirt was bone dry, as was the hide underneath. My pants dried further, but not completely, so I walked over to the trough in the ground and held out my right hand.

  Water poured out of my palm as I emptied my Dimensional Pocket, having used the ability to pull specifically the water molecules off of my skin and clothes and store them.

  I repeated the process twice more to ensure I was fully dry before using a combination of Dimensional Pocket to hold them, and my earth-aligned Manipulate Element to also remove any dust, dirt, or debris that had been left behind when I pulled just the H2O molecules into storage.

  Those were compacted into a pellet twice the size of a lentil and were tossed into the bowl I’d shaped into the wall above my drip-drain.

  Closing my eyes, I checked the status of my Dimensional Pocket ability, as it was the one I had been training.

  Mastery - 880/1000

  “Not bad,” I murmured with a grin to myself.

  I’d been meaning to do some focused training on the storage power for quite a while, but I’d kept putting it off thinking that I could just wait to let it grow naturally with use.

  Then I’d found out just how much the magical artifacts from Cortha that I was betting on to make my new shelter comfortable weighed.

  So here I was, killing time while the girls were in transit to their next stop while training. I could probably have done it in the carriage with them, but I had needed to get work done on the new place as well. That didn’t mean I wasn’t in contact with them, though.

  Another power of mine that was getting a workout was the Contact Contracted Companion ability, as all four of my girls were chattering away with me in my mind.

  Jane was discussing architecture with me, having decided that since I was working on my new home I clearly needed suggestions. Which I did, so I made sure to file away any suggestions or ideas she had.

  My delightful artist was having me describe my new home to her in great detail, great enough that I was fairly sure she was trying to draw the scene out herself. A suspicion that was almost entirely confirmed when her mental message trailed off into rather cute profanity that she blamed on the carriage hitting a bump in the road.

  With my princess, I was chatting about plans for the future. The deployment to the front was going to be a far longer campaign-style event that would last a month or more, and she admitted to feeling guilty at how much she liked the idea of simply stealing me away for the entire month. I had to alternate between reassuring Rieka that I didn’t mind being stolen, and explaining that I’d have to come back to check on things on Earth every few days anyway.

  Kassandra spent her time alternating between teasingly describing what she was wearing, to what she wanted to do when the girls finally reached her manor, and then lewd ideas of what I could do to the other girls. She made sure to never overstep or push too far, but it was entirely Kassandra’s fault that I walked funny for most of the day.

  Currently, I was reassuring Rieka again that I didn’t mind being on call or deployed with them during different shifts and engagements.

  Seriously, Rieka. My job is to protect you girls whenever there is a need. Not just to go on adventures in the wilderness or the bedroom with you, I sent teasingly before turning back to the entryway and studying it.

  The power basically acted as a voice-messaging system, so I had a minute before I’d get a ping with a response that would play as if Rieka was speaking into my ear.

  “Nothing else to do here for now. I’ll mount a light crystal above the door though…” I mumbled before heading into the main room.

  While it had taken most of several days to do, I’d slowly been hollowing out the hillside while reinforcing the ground above and to either side. I made sure to keep several thick pillars to support the rocks, soil, and trees above me, but at the moment I had a hollow space about twelve feet high and thirty feet round just inside the entryway.

  At the moment, there wasn’t much of anything in the way of decoration. The walls were smooth granite with a number of built in shelves and nooks all along the outer perimeter to store stuff. Mostly they held my clothes, appliances, and tools right now. I’d shaped a large central firepit that was recessed and lined with sand to help disperse the heat into the floor.

  Above the firepit, I had a chute that split up into the rock, channeling smoke out of the cavern and into a number of different routes spread across the nearest acre of land. I had twice as many fresh-air vents coming in from the walls that used the suction created by the rising smoke to pull fresh air into the cave, ensuring I wouldn’t suffocate.

  “Still surprises me how warm it stays in here,” I mumbled while scuffing my bare feet on the smooth granite floor.

  I hadn’t polished the ground to a shine, just enough so it wasn’t painfully abrasive on my feet, but the stone underneath was a cool and comfortable temperature underfoot.

  The layer of earth insulating me had done wonders to boost the ambient temperature of the little hollow that I’d made. I knew that I’d need to come up with a way to better spread the heat around if I expanded the little shelter, but for now it was comfortable enough.

  “Return to monke,” I muttered with a grin as I walked over to the firepit and checked the stone nearby and overhead for any signs of stress damage.

  Having a fire inside a cave was generally considered a bad idea, as the repeated heating and cooling of the stone could cause stress fractures and collapse. But my Manipulate Element again showed its worth in allowing me to search for and mend any of those cracks that formed.

  Rieka’s response arrived as I was walking from the firepit to the corner where my bed was set up. At the moment it was just a raised section of stone with an air-mattress set up on it and piled with blankets, but it did the job for now.

  I closed my eyes briefly to trigger the message from Rieka and smiled as I listened to the arousal in my princess’ voice. I probably shouldn’t be teasing her too, but Kassandra was continuing to wind me up.

  Liam, I would hardly call what we’ve done so far to be a real adventure. Not unless we start getting a bit more risky in location, that is. Kassandra is wriggling quite a bit in her seat, are you teasing her too? Do the two of us need to wear you out again soon?

  Smirking, I took a moment to compose my response before sending it.

  You are welcome to try to wear me out. Call in as many reinforcements as you want from the other girls as well. I don’t have to remind you to not make things awkward, you are very aware of how the people around you feel, Rieka. It’s part of what I love and respect about you. That and the way your body shakes when you think about me breeding you.

  Snickering, I bypassed the mattress for the set of shelves that held my clean clothing. The rain-wash and elemental purifying helped a lot to keep my clothes as clean as possible, but it wasn’t the same as actually washing the clothes.

  “Gonna have to either figure out an answer to that, pick up a wash-board, or just make it part of the trips into town. Laundromats are still an option, and this doesn’t feel like that big of a downgrade from my old life in the apartment,” I said to no one in particular.

  The only downside to my rock-insulated abode was the fact that I got basically no signal on my cell phone in here. That didn’t mean I was about to give up that bit of technology, but I was already researching ways to set up a satellite internet service and run the cables down a channel into the cave.

  Jameson is going to flip his lid when he sees this, I thought with a grin as I looked around the rugged but comfortable cave. Sure, I’m living like a caveman for the most part, but the important things like light, heat, and comfort are all taken care of. And not having to pay rent to some landlord is nice. I earn more than enough through the Bitsy store to cover taxes for the government too. Though it might be time to subcontract that out to someone.

  I felt another pressure against my mind as a message came to me. But when I accessed this one, it wasn’t one of my lover’s voices that spoke. Instead, it was Queen Coldeye, Rieka’s mother.

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  Traveler Liam. Can you confirm if you are available to visit for a time. I would like to discuss your recent trip as well as have you deliver some official paperwork to my daughter, Rieka.

  The queen’s voice was stilted and a bit reserved, honestly it reminded me of an older person who was being forced to use technology she wasn’t quite comfortable with yet, and that made me grin.

  “Also gives me a chance to test something,” I said aloud and gave myself a once-over before sending a response to Queen Coldeye.

  Of course. I am not currently with them, having returned home to take care of some business while they traveled. I can easily pass a message to her via this communication method now, or a written one later today when they stop. Is there anyone that you have a need to impress or scare handy?

  While I waited for the response, I quickly peeled out of my clothes and changed into a set of fresh and clean ones. I didn’t worry about my rain-mussed hair, since I’d be able to adjust it with Shape-Shifting easily enough.

  The queen’s reply came immediately and I had to suppress a wicked laugh at the amused tone in her voice as she spoke into my mind.

  I would normally be concerned if a guardian was not with their charge, but I know just how quickly you can respond to a threat even when summoned. I hadn’t expected you to respond so quickly, so I am in the middle of a meeting with my generals. None need to be scared, but it wouldn’t hurt to remind a few of the power of the throne.

  Thinking over what she’d said, I set to work molding my form. It took a minute or two in order to get things shuffled around properly, since I was used to simply shifting the bare minimum to handle a threat. This was more about presentation though, so I gave a bit of thought to it before making my choices and stripping out of my clothes once more.

  First, I packed on size. Growing to around seven and a half feet in height, I added volume by changing my skin to a thick carapace and layering tissue underneath it. Since this was meant to be a display of the strength of the throne, I knew exactly the creatures I wanted to emulate.

  Thick mandibles formed on either side of my jaw, but I didn’t modify my actual teeth or mouth at all. I still needed to speak after all, while a dense white fur sprouted over my back, legs, and waist to preserve my modesty. A second set of arms below the first slid out of my body and sprouted large claws of an ice-blue chitin.

  A large, fluffy wolf’s tail popped out of my spine and swept the stony earth under me, while a pair of pointed wolf ears sprouted from my head. I shivered as I felt the insides of my head shifting about to accommodate the changes to my sensory organs as my old ears faded away, but focused on the end result.

  When I was finished, I looked like an amalgamation of the polar worm that I’d fought in the competition months ago, and a massive, platinum-blond werewolf, minus the wolf’s muzzle. My fur color was an exact match to Rieka’s hair color, even down to the dusting of coal black across the tips of my ears and the end of my tail.

  If that doesn’t get people thinking not to mess with Rieka and by extension her mum, then I don’t know what will short of actually stabbing someone in the meeting, I thought with a fierce grin before accessing a power that I’d been leaving alone for too long.

  Tunnel to Contracted (Unranked) - Cost: 0 SP (Special Award) - For a proportional cost in SP, the user may create a dimensional tunnel from their current location to a summoner who holds at least a Guardian Contract (Level 1) with them to transit to their contracted without needing a summon.

  This ability will function at a reduced cost if on the same plane as the target.

  SP cost is determined by how long the user remains at their destination, their power level, and current mastery of skill. (Current rate: 3 SP/ten minutes.)

  I read it over a few more times to be sure I had the information straight before I nodded once and sent a warning to the queen.

  There is a reason that I don’t need to be with them at all times, as you remember. I need to practice this ability more, just so that you have a warning that you’ll need to pretend you actually spent the summoning power on me.

  With that done, I mentally accessed the Tunnel to Contracted power. Words flared in a bright, acid green in front of me, listing out my bonded companions and the level of their contracts.

  Kassandra Silverscale (Guardian Contract level 5)

  Rieka Coldeye (Guardian Contract level 5)

  Shayla Valo (Guardian Contract level 4)

  Jane Carsan (Guardian Contract level 4)

  Gemma Coldeye (Guardian Contract level 1)

  I mentally selected Gemma and braced myself. Which was good, because the normal byplay of ‘would you like to view summoning or just go’ didn’t appear.

  Instead, I felt my entire body jerk like the ground under my feet had just been shot out of a cannon. The world around me vanished in a maelstrom of screaming colors and weeping light as I tumbled through the edges of reality on an assault trajectory.

  Whenever I passed between worlds with a summoning, I was treated to strange sights, sounds, colors, and tastes. Every single one of my senses would dance and play with reality for the handful of seconds that the transit took while inside of a rail-car looking out.

  This, however, was like being strapped to the nose of a bullet train going full speed. Ephemeral wind tore at my skin and made my fur flap and wave. Colors assaulted my eyes and sound my ears. I flashed through a chilling void of darkness studded with billions of stars as the rippling wave of a supernova chased me, intent on burning the hair of my tail.

  And then I saw my destination. I had only a second to brace before I impacted with all the speed of a falling meteor.

  My foot-paws landed with delicate pats of impact on the stone floor just to Gemma’s left. Despite the speed and angle of impact, I landed as soft as a feather, though my fur still tossed and danced from the speed of my travel. A flickering timer in the upper right corner of my vision counted down from ten minutes, with a ‘-3’ already flashing under it.

  Cool, it keeps track of how much SP this costs. Good to know, I thought while scanning the room.

  Gemma sat on an elaborately carved wooden chair to my direct right, her long blonde hair tightly braided out of her way. She wore another regal dress, this one in an icy blue-green color trimmed in silver and gray pearls.

  In front of her was a broad table that had a map spread over it. A number of wooden figures were set on the map, denoting forces or camps was my guess. I didn’t really care as the majority of it didn’t have any bearing on me.

  Six men and two women stood around the table, the two women and four of the men had their hands on weapons while one was mid-tumble from falling over in surprise. The last was Gemma’s husband: Prince-Consort Jonas Coldeye.

  Jonas had a shit-eating grin on his face as he watched on in amusement from Gemma’s other side, apparently having been warned by his wife somehow. In fact, his voice was the one that rose up to calm the others.

  “Greetings to the Traveler. Dear, did you need to summon him like this? I think you scared the generals,” Jonas said while studying me carefully from the top of my head to my toes.

  “I had a need for him to carry the orders to my daughter,” Gemma replied with just the right amount of haughtiness before she turned towards me.

  I’d been learning to read people better, and had Rieka to practice learning the various tells and bits of body language that gave me an understanding of how a wolf kin would react.

  The brief widening of Gemma’s eyes when she saw my form, and how her ears tucked back for just a moment before springing forward, told me she was surprised. The appraising glance over my body that lingered on my ears and tail, that told me she noted my rather obvious choices, along with the fur color that matched Rieka’s hair.

  “Thank you for responding so quickly to the summons,” Gemma said firmly before glancing at her generals. “I must speak with the Traveler for a moment. Why don’t you all take this time to… compose yourselves.”

  “My queen, is it safe for you—” protested one of the older men, a grizzled bear kin from the rounded ears I saw amongst his graying hair.

  “The queen is safe in my hands,” I interrupted the man with a wave of one large, clawed hand. “Her pact obliges me to protect the Coldeye line.”

  I wanted to add on some more flowery wording, but couldn’t think of anything that I could say with a straight face. So instead I just locked eyes with the concerned man.

  His hand remained on the hilt of his weapon, but there was resolve in his eyes. I had a feeling that this man’s concern had been true for the queen’s welfare. And when Gemma rose from her seat and gestured for me to follow her, the man relaxed faintly but kept careful watch on Gemma as we stepped away from the table.

  “That was a rather impressive appearance,” Gemma murmured in a low tone to me as she guided me to the side of the room.

  “Was it? I’ve not practiced that power before,” I asked just as quietly, shifting to block the queen from view as much as possible as a quiet conversation started up at the planning table.

  “Honestly, no. You appeared without fanfare or light. If I hadn’t known you were coming, I would have lashed out myself. I only had time to warn Jonas. A rather ideal way for a protector to show up, without warning to allow an enemy to prepare,” Gemma answered, reaching into one of her full sleeves and extracting a roll of paper.

  “Good to know. I’m on a rather expensive timer, since I’m the one footing the bill for being here. I only used it to test it out safely. I’m still keeping it as a secret otherwise to save the girls if needed,” I said, accepting the rolled scroll with one paw-hand and banishing it to my Dimensional Pocket.

  “Good. I need you to keep good care of my daughter and her friends,” Gemma said, darting a glance around me at the table of generals before looking me in the eyes once more. “Rieka is going to be put in a position to learn command during that assignment you lot are going to be on. I need her to be safe. She may not believe it, but her ranking amongst my heirs is rising quickly.”

  I felt my heart clench at that statement. Not because I didn’t believe Rieka deserved it, but because my thoughts immediately jumped to the fact that, if Rieka were to end up as the next in line for the throne and unseat one of her sisters, wouldn’t she be expected to enter into a political marriage?

  As if Gemma could see the fear in my eyes, she reassured me with a few quick words.

  “Nothing is decided yet, and I would never force any of my children to act in a way that they do not agree with. But because of her rise in importance, more eyes will be turning her way. And not all of those will be kind. Those around her will be at risk as well, so be watchful.”

  “Understood,” I murmured, doing my best to keep my features calm. I’d come here of my own will to both give the queen a boost in reputation and practice the power, but that simple request from her had my mind spinning.

  “Don’t fret, Liam,” Gemma said, her stern features melting into a smile. “I can tell what way my daughter’s heart sways, and I’ve known her long enough to understand she will follow it if I try and order otherwise.”

  “Got it,” I said quickly before glancing back to check on the others. “Anything else you need?”

  The amusement dropped away from Gemma’s features and the stern queen was once more present as she asked me a pointed question.

  “You mentioned that my ‘pact’ obliges you to protect the Coldeye line. How far does that go?”

  I shrugged, and when her brow furrowed in irritation, I explained my thoughts.

  “It was meant to extend the shield you are creating with me to your other children and to Jonas. If someone thinks I’m likely to pop out of the woodwork if they are threatened enough, they are less likely to try something, yes?”

  “But what about if you don’t show up? That would ruin the entire facade,” Gemma asked. She didn’t wait for me to answer, continuing on to her own resolution to the situation. “If you are amenable to it, I would like you to form a basic summoning bond with my other children and Jonas as well. I understand your primary tie is to Rieka, but we have talked about you acting as the messenger and courier for important documents in the past. If you would be willing—”

  “Sure,” I interrupted the queen as she started to ramble and her facade faded just a bit to show the concerned mother underneath. “I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to do much for them, and I will prioritize my stronger bonds, but I can act as an emergency contact for them.”

  “Thank you, Liam,” Gemma breathed in relief, her eyes closing as she steadied herself. “I appreciate that more than you can know. I’m not asking this as a queen, but as a mother.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Just let me know in advance and have them summon me. It won’t be hard to form a basic pact with them like I did for you. As long as they know that I’m not going to always be available then we should be fine.”

  “I’m sure most of my children will only see it as another protection in case of emergency. I won’t keep you any longer, Liam. Just deliver those orders to Rieka when you see her next. They are the official documents for her and the other three’s assignments. Also, don’t tell her about her rising reputation, she doesn’t need that stress. Just watch her a bit closer for me, okay?” I nodded as she spoke, and Gemma gave me a small smile.

  Gemma stepped back at that point and drew her spell rod from a holster on her hip. She made a gesture with it that I recognized as the one to dismiss a summon, so I relaxed my grip on the Tunnel to Contracted power.

  I felt the same jerking and cannonball sensation as before, but in reverse this time. While it felt like I was being hoisted by a dimensional crane in a harness normally, this felt like being sucked backwards through a tube in space and time.

  Less than a pair of seconds later, I landed back in my cave-home and had to steady myself against a nearby pillar.

  “Well, that worked better than I had expected,” I mumbled as words scrolled over my vision.

  Traveler has returned to home dimension after utilizing Tunnel to Contracted.

  Total time utilizing power: four minutes, thirteen seconds.

  Total cost to Traveler: 3 SP (fixed rate for up to ten minutes)

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