I spent the rest of the ride doing my best to puzzle out what had happened. Between the high point value of the mission and the odd messages from the System, I knew that this wasn’t going to be as simple as I might hope it to be.
What concerned me the most was the mention of the Emirates. Was the neighboring country going to cause problems? Or was it because Rieka had specifically mentioned them? The additional information from the System and its side mission had me wondering how much was generated from my girls’ words and how much was the System itself.
The girls decided to head out as soon as our carriage stopped, in hopes that this would further the image that they were here for a specific hunting mission for those that saw us, and to minimize the chance that word might get out of their presence there.
Our coachman promised that he would be back on the appointed day to pick us up in order to escort the girls back to Juneau. Rieka ensured this by promising a twenty-percent tip as long as he was waiting on the chosen day, which amusingly enough to me was a Tuesday.
Not having a regular day job was still something that felt so freeing to me. I’d punched a clock for nearly half my life, and now I was self-employed and setting my own schedule. Which was fortunate since I needed that financial freedom in order to be on call for my summoners.
I wonder how much I need to get put back in order to live on the dividends? Should see if Jameson knows someone who handles investments, since I don’t want to be ducking the government on this stuff for the rest of my life. Not like I can just say that the gold is something I happened to find in mass quantities. That kind of thing will get some bureau on my ass like flies on honey.
Pushing that thought to the side to deal with later, I surveyed the stableyard where the carriage had just dropped us off. The girls didn’t have any luggage with them, all they needed was packed away into Rieka’s dimensional bag and Kassandra had actually sprung for one of her own as well, so we had space to store any loot we recovered from the ruins.
The town of Stonebrook reminded me of Kintos, the small trading city that existed outside of Juneau. It was circled by a large wall and sat straddling a point where three roads joined together. One from the east, and the heartland of the Coldeye Queendom, one from the west and the lands the Emirates held, and another from the north that paralleled the border. There were all sorts of people walking the streets. The wide majority of those being kin of some kind, the part-animal folk like Rieka and Jane. The major difference was the warmer climate and lighter garments worn by the citizens.
Amazing that only two days by enchanted carriage brought us to a whole different environment. Then again, two days by car would cover most of the width of the United States back home.
Rapid movement at the corner of my eye drew my attention that way and I spotted for the first time a regular-sized lamia.
The man’s human upper-half was broad and well muscled, with a loose cotton shirt that was left open nearly to his navel. A leather harness across his chest held a pair of swords on his back as well as rounded pauldrons on his shoulders. Short-cropped black hair crowned his head and the lamia had a scowl firmly pressed onto his face as he pushed through the crowd. His tail was only about half-again as thick as Kassandra’s, so he was maybe thirty feet long in total, but would have been eye-to-eye with me if he had been on this side of the street.
I can see why they make Jane nervous if she got cornered by several of those, I thought as I watched the scaled man go, his monochrome tan scales blending well with the dust of the road.
I felt hands grip the back of my left pant leg and didn’t have to look down to know that Jane was hiding behind me. The only other person small enough to grab the back of my leg casually like that was Kassandra, and I knew she’d have gone for a grope rather than just my pants.
“Come on, ladies,” I said while keeping an eye on the lamia as he vanished into the crowd. “Let’s get moving. Those gyrak birds won’t hunt themselves.” The gyrak bird was the monster we were supposedly hunting for our cover, and something semi-rare in the area. They got more common the closer we got to the desert, as they were scavengers, but with the somewhat tense stance between the two countries it made sense to stay further from the action.
“Right, let’s get moving!” Kassandra chirped, slithering about to lead the way towards the city gate with the rest of us falling in behind her. Jane remained tight to my legs, so I was careful to set my pace to not drag her along.
We joined the flow of traffic moving through the gates. While Stonebrook was on the frontier between the two nations, there was still a need for farms and farmers to supply the city, so the traffic moving back and forth through the gate was steady enough that the guards didn’t stop us when we ambled past.
I watched the guards just to be sure, but they idled against the curtain wall, lazily scanning the passing crowds exiting town. Only on the way in were people stopped and taxes assessed to any merchants passing through. As we’d come in on a spelled carriage earlier, we’d been waved through once the driver had advised he was carrying students from Juneau on a special assignment for their classes.
Outside the curtain wall, the land rolled off into the distance. The grass tossed in the wind like an emerald sea with hundreds of different-sized islands of gray or white stone poking up out of it. To the north, I could see a large range of mountains poking their heads over the horizon, while to the east and west the grassland just continued until it vanished into the horizon, but to the south was a large green smear that I guessed was a forest.
Once we had passed through the gates, Kassandra led us off the road while Rieka dug into her dimensional bag for the map. One of the things that the girls had rushed to do in the days leading up to the trip was transcribe the important information from the tarnished copper map onto paper. The original was currently hidden deep within Rieka’s dimensional bag, wrapped in waterproof canvas and buried under our supplies.
“Okay,” Rieka said when she produced the square of paper and unfolded it to reveal a rough map of this portion of the nation. “So if we are correct in the landmarks, then we need to head south and west. There is a river that travels out of the forest and vanishes into the desert on the other side of the border. The river is our major landmark, as the target is on the other side of it.”
Rieka was careful not to mention exactly what we were going for as we were still within hearing distance of the passerby.
I glanced in the direction she’d indicated, and just saw rolling hills studded with ancient, lichen covered boulders and no sign of the supposed river. Not even a sign of any farms out that direction either.
“I think we should head south for the moment, make for the forest and then turn west,” I said in a low tone, drawing a line along the route I suggested on the map. “We can follow the edge of the forest until we find the river if we have to, but I also dislike not having landmarks to navigate with out here. These plains feel vast enough that you could easily get lost in them.”
“It’s another reason why I brought plenty of supplies,” Rieka said with a smile, quickly folding up the map and tucking it into her shirt to keep it handy rather than her bag. “On the off-chance we get lost, better to have the supplies. You can contact Mother if there is a problem and she can send folk to look for us.”
“We won’t get lost,” Jane said confidently, and I glanced down at the small mouse woman curiously.
“What makes you so sure?”
“Wind magic is my specialty after all,” Jane said with a shrug. “It’s good for scouting open ground like this. Plus, if worst comes to worst, you can always sprout wings and go for a fly, Liam. Get high enough and you’ll be able to spot the route back.”
I was taken aback at her confidence in that statement before snorting and rolling my eyes.
“I’m the one with the Shape-Shifting and you girls are thinking more about how to use and abuse it than I am. That just doesnt feel right.”
“It’s fine, Liam. We just like coming up with new ways to use you is all,” Kassandra replied with a salacious wink. “It’s a common subject of conversation, you know? Us girls have to keep busy while you are distracted.”
The way that Shayla and Jane blushed fiercely while Rieka’s tail picked up speed clued me in on what Kassandra was insinuating. Apparently, I’d come up in conversation while tending to Rieka’s needs in the bath.
Wonder if they did the same while I was with Kassandra last night? God, my life is weird enough. Don’t question the good fortune of how the girls get along with each other. I cut that train of thought off and focused on what we were doing while the girls headed off the road and in the direction of the forest.
After only a short distance, we arranged our formation with me in the lead, Kassandra behind me and to my right, with Jane just a bit behind her, then Rieka, and lastly Shayla. The other three girls all walked in a line to my left to leave room for Kassandra’s longer tail without stepping on it or stretching out our formation.
We didn’t talk until we’d made it a good mile or more from town, and the road was just a distant ribbon with movement like ants along it.
“I am so glad that we decided not to go and take a look at that ‘Yellowtooth Chemical Facility’ that was on the map,” Jane groaned. “Yorum Lake is supposed to be so caustic that the air itself hurts to breathe.”
“That was part of the reason we decided against it,” Rieka said. A rustle of paper told me that my princess had pulled her map out once more to consult. “That and Yorum Lake is well away from the borders. This one was labeled as a research facility like the other one, what was it called?”
“Shadow Mountain Research Facility,” Kassandra answered blithely. “This one was titled ‘Ice Field Research Facility,’ which makes me wonder if there are going to be lots of little ice monsters wandering it like those shadow beasties we saw before.” Kassandra gave a full-body shudder at that thought.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Well, if it does then you have Liam to warm you up at least?” suggested Shayla, getting a sudden grin from Kassandra.
“That’s right! I can always use him as my portable heater again! It’s been a while since we did spell training like that.”
Kassandra’s statement reminded me of the numerous times that I’d been summoned to be her space-heater while the dwarf lamia worked on mastering her control of the ice magic that she was inclined to. The fact that someone who was cold-blooded was gifted with ice magic was just the sort of ridiculous twist of fate that confirmed whatever was in control of the universe had a cruel sense of humor.
That and the dichotomy of her having such bright red hair, but not using fire magic, I thought with a smirk.
While we walked, I pulsed my Manipulate Element power through the earth ahead of us, looking for anything that might be concerning. While Kassandra and Rieka had gotten supplies ready for the trip, Shayla and Jane had done research on what sort of threats liked to call this area home, so I had a good idea of what to keep my eyes open for while we moved.
“Seriously though, I’m really hoping that we don’t have to deal with explicitly ice monsters…” Kassandra whined, breaking me out of my thoughts while my scans revealed a rabbit warren to our right.
“I doubt we will,” Shayla answered before I could. “The previous ruins, ‘Shadow Mountain’ as you said, wasn’t established to study shadows. It was in the shadows under a mountain. I would believe that their naming structure is more descriptive. I wouldn’t be surprised if they named this facility for an ancient glacier that came through.”
“Glacier? In this warm of a climate?” Rieka asked, picking at her long-sleeved shirt to fan it softly. I couldn’t fault her disbelief, it was markedly warmer out here this close to the edge of the desert.
“It’s possible. That or they were being sarcastic and wishing for the appearance of one to cool things off,” Jane said with a shrug. “I’ve read all about different ages in the passage of time where the face of our world was rearranged. It’s possible that they also named it for the fact that long ago, a glacier came through here. Or, heck, it might be just to throw off those trying to find the facility.”
“I dunno, there was a map with the different facilities marked out on the wall inside the entrance of that first one, doesn’t feel very secret to me,” Kassandra drawled.
“An entrance which was past a viciously sealed magical door,” Jane countered sharply. I glanced back to spot the mouse kin pouting at Kassandra, who was bobbling her head in grudging acceptance.
“Additionally, they didn’t have directions on where to find these locations. Just a general map and a dot. Sure, it can get us close but so much time has passed that it’s entirely possible that the ruins are fully filled in at this point,” Rieka pointed out, her tail flicking slowly behind her. “I’m even more glad that you chose earth magic when you did, Liam. Otherwise we would have had to bring in even more people to help us locate this ruin.”
“I dunno, Rachel would have likely been able to handle it,” I suggested, remembering the elven woman who had taught me the initial part of how to use Elemental Manipulation. The elven woman had been quite knowledgeable and had commented on wanting to learn from me when I could teach her more.
“While Miss Cedarfall would have likely been able to step in, I would rather keep the number of people who are aware of what we are doing to a minimum for security,” Rieka said, but I was distracted from her words a moment later when I realized something.
Wait, I got that power a while back to give powers to others. It really can only work with my Shape-Shifting right now because of the requirements… but I really should train that.
I stretched my senses out with my Manipulate Element to confirm we were safe before closing my eyes and referencing the power once more to check it.
Grant Power (Minor) - Able to grant specific abilities to contracted partner for a short window of time. Power is reduced by two tiers from what the Traveler has mastered. Parameters are preset at time of granting.
This is what I get for spreading myself too thin, I forgot about this damn thing. I should get the girls working on it.
“Hey, question for you all,” I said, interrupting a brief argument between Kassandra and Jane that I only now realized was them plotting to see if one could sneak into a piggyback pose while I was distracted and if I’d notice.
“What is it, Liam?” Shayla asked sweetly from the back of the group and I shot my wonderful moth-girl a smile. The bright afternoon sun shone on the white, fuzzy ruffs at her neck and wrists while her antennae wiggled happily. Her curves bounced gently in the confines of the sky blue dress she wore that left little to my imagination, not that I needed to imagine what lay underneath it.
“I just remembered that I had the ability to grant one of my powers to someone under a very limited circumstance. I’m hoping that circumstances will loosen when I train it more, but do you all want to help me practice with it?”
“What can you grant?” Rieka asked intently, her ears perking up in curiosity.
“Shape-Shifting.”
That statement was met by first a single heartbeat of silence and then a storm of demands for each girl to get a chance to try it out. Even Shayla was bouncing excitedly at the back of the group, her wings flaring rapidly enough that I was wondering if she’d take flight.
“Easy! Take it easy, girls,” I said with a laugh once the demands slowed enough that I could talk. “It’s only the minor rank of the ability that I can share right now, and it says we have to set the parameters before I grant it. So this is going to take some trial and error, okay?”
“Okay, so what are the limits of the minor rank then?” Jane asked rapidly, her long, tuft-tipped tail flicking in excitement above her head.
“Yeah! I’ve always wondered how you people balance on feet, I want to try and swap my tail for legs to see!” Kassandra gushed.
“If we could use it to camouflage ourselves then it would make it far easier to do things. We might have been able to save some of the theater previously,” Rieka added.
“I’ve seen you shift your eyes and ears before, Liam. I am curious to see how different animals perceive the world around them,” Shayla muttered shyly, her antennae betraying how excited she was at the thought with how they wiggled happily.
The girls’ excitement was infectious, and despite my best efforts to keep myself stern, I couldn’t help the smile that formed on my lips.
“Well, the limits are simple. No more than five pounds of matter can be added, removed, or shifted, and no more than two different animals can be used. The specifics that it recommends is giving yourself claws, thickened skin, enhanced vision, and the like,” I reeled off from memory.
“Wait, we can use Shape-Shifting to remove weight?” Kassandra bounced even more in excitement, sending ripples through her full bust where it jiggled inside her corset.
“Yes, but it’s not permanent. At most you are hiding it,” I warned her.
“Oh, poo,” Kassandra sulked, getting a giggle from the other girls.
“You are just going to have to work off those calories from the sweets the old fashioned way,” Rieka suggested with a grin.
“I know how I want to work them off. Wanna help me, Liam?” Kassandra said, perking right back up and wiggling her eyebrows salaciously at me.
“Sure, now who wants to go first in testing?”
Four hands shot up in a blink and I hesitated, not entirely sure who had been the quickest.
<><><>
We learned quite a bit in that initial wave of experimentation. When the Grant Power ability said that I had to set the parameters of the ability, it meant all the parameters. While I could use Shape-Shifting free-form without hesitation on myself, even when limited to the smaller shifts, I learned that I had to specifically formulate what it would do when triggered by the girls before Grant Power took effect.
“I don’t know, I think that Rieka looks good like this!” Kassandra cheered while Rieka pouted at me, her tail down and ears fanned out to either side.
“I look ridiculous, Liam! Why did you set it up like this?!” Rieka growled.
“Because I was curious if it would work. Apparently there really is an animal with hot pink fur out there,” I said with a shrug.
My wolfish princess looked like she’d had all her hair turned into cotton candy with how pastel pink it looked. Even her eyebrows were a light and airy shade of pink.
“Reverse this immediately!” Rieka demanded with a cute little stamp of her foot.
“He can’t, Rieka. He told Kassandra that when she was freaking out over her fingers,” Shayla said calmly from behind the wolfish princess. “You have to focus and will the Shape-Shift to revert, just like you did when you shifted the first time.”
Kassandra had decided that she wanted claws for her attempt earlier, since she couldn’t do feet. So I’d focused and used the same sharp claws as I’d copied from Lady Valda months previous. Apparently, Kassandra hadn’t realized that she’d lose feeling in the tips of her fingers and the sensation had freaked her out enough that she’d panicked. That had taken a bit of coaching to bring her back down, which is why I’d gone for something more tame for Rieka’s attempt.
“Fine!” Rieka snapped and closed her eyes while her brow furrowed furiously. Moments later, the pink color in her hair faded away and was replaced by her normal platinum blonde with black tips to her ears.
“There you go,” Jane cajoled the grumpy princess, patting her back gently. “Back to normal, easy as that.”
“I looked ridiculous, and it’s Liam’s fault,” sulked Rieka.
“You looked adorable, like someone had made a princess doll,” Kassandra quipped, though I noted her rubbing her fingertips together, clearly still a bit freaked out by the change in their sensitivity.
“Not a doll,” growled Rieka.
“You did leave it up to me, Rieka,” I said, trying to mollify the wolf-featured woman. “I just wanted to see what sort of limits it had.”
“I did that to see what color of hair you preferred,” Rieka grumped, her ears still pinned back.
I sighed and stepped up to the princess. She tried to step away from me but I scooped her into my arms before she could escape.
“I love your hair how it is, Rieka. It’s part of what makes you who you are,” I murmured into one of those blonde triangles. The ear flicked and smacked me in the nose lightly, displaying its owner's irritation when it folded back down, but Rieka didn’t snarl or continue to grumble. Instead, she buried her face in my chest and went silent.
“Okay, what do you want to try Jane?” I asked over Rieka’s head. We’d stopped to give the girls a chance to rest and try out the power without walking, but could still see the distant city wall.
“Oh, I don’t know. Give Shayla her turn instead while I think?”
“I can do that,” I said, turning towards the moth woman who was biting her lip in concern. “You wanted to boost your senses?”
“I did… but I think I’ll hold off on that. Kassandra’s reaction to her claws was strange enough. Maybe… maybe an experiment like Rieka was suggesting? Change my coloration?”
“I can do that,” I said with a gentle smile. “I know the senses thing can be jarring, it was for me when I tried it.”
I was fibbing right through my teeth, as I’d been able to adjust to the different sensations rather rapidly during Shape-Shifting, but maybe that was because I knew innately how to reverse the changes and reclaim my form?
I hadn’t really thought about it, but I never really suffer from dysmorphia, even when I’ve got extra limbs or major changes in place. I wonder why?
Turning that thought over in my mind, I listened to Shayla describe what specific changes she wanted to her appearance, having learned from Rieka’s mistake of letting me pick.
Shape-Shifting if he can get that skill trained up...
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