Chapter 11

Erhard's workshop was... VERY well appointed. It had all of the things I was used to, and a few other things that I could tell were magical in nature. There were also magical replacements for some things, like his furnace. It used no fuel, but something else that I could only tell was 'magical' in some way.

The other three were all looking about in amazement, while I looked for the familiar.

"Feels weird having strangers in my workshop." He grumbled, scrubbing the back of his head with a hand, "If you don't know what it is, ask before you touch it!" He commanded, "You... Usa was it?"

"Yes sir."

"See that there?" He pointed to a bellows, "I want you to move that up and down in time with your breathing. You, Raphtalia!"

"Yes!" She squeaked, her body and tail going rigid 'at attention'.

"You're going to help get measurements, and hold down the hides when I work with them!" He then pointed to Clive, "There's a well out that door. Fill buckets and set them down there until you run out of buckets!"

"Gr."

"And you." He looked down at me, "Why do I get the impression you really do know what you're doing?"

"Because I do." I said, "Oh sure, I don't know how the magic of this world works... Or the weird metals function... or why a magic furnace needs air still. But if I were strong enough to really swing a hammer..." I sighed, "I also have a special request. Do you have some basic iron and a crucible?"

"Of course. Going to need it for the work ahead."

"I have a request then. And do you have another chisel? That twit stole it when he imprisoned me, along with the other stuff I bought from you." I grumbled.

"Well, suppose I can just give you the other half of the chisel I broke for you." He shrugged, then smiled, "You can use that table over there, and my spare anvil." He pointed to a dusty, mildly rusted anvil that was tucked into a corner on the floor, "It's just your height."

"Sir, you can't kick him in the shin." Raphtalia chided when I started to give Erhard's laughing face a glare.

"He wouldn't feel it anyhow." I sighed.

Erhard was... a pro. Sure, he had all kinds of magical stuff to help him work. His hammer for example, had some kind of minor magic on it that made it super easy to swing. His furnace had a weird magic stone in it that reacted with air to heat it up, making it like a normal furnace just without the need to burn wood or coal. The anvil and the stand it was on had some kind of minor enhancement on it to lessen the shock travelling into the floor, meaning he wouldn't ruin his floor with the constant hammering. But all those magical things were just there to make his work easier, not do the work for him.

It was kind of like my magic kitchen back home, except for the workshop. Welf and I never bothered going this far, save for the magic stone furnace.

But when I got back home? I'd reconsider.

Even with all the little magic shortcuts he had installed into his shop, he didn't lack skill. His ability to eyeball measurements was nearly as good as Raphtalia with an actual measuring tool. He could pull metal out of the furnace at the exact moment it would be most pliable. He never let things cool down too far before heating it up again. He knew how, and when, to use the more sensitive magical tools, like when he was checking the Black Dog's bones for their magical conductivity, or picking out the purest shards of Light Metal.

"Huh, well, I mean, you've got noodle arms, but you have the rhythm down well enough." He looked over me as I hammered a plate of Ko-steel flat against his old anvil. "What did you mix into the pot with the iron?"

"Gr." Clive interrupted me before I could reply.

"Oh! You can stop with the water now. It's almost dinner time." Erhard said, "I won't make anyone skip a meal, myself included."

I had to ignore my stomach as it rumbled, "My fur." I said, my tail lashing around a little, "Thankfully, it's something that didn't change between worlds." I looked at the nearly perfectly flat card of Ko-steel, then picked it up off the anvil with my bare hand, and dipped it into the water bucket next to me.

Erhard's eyes went wide at the sizzling sound, and reached down to pluck my hand out of the water, "That's... wait..."

"That's another thing that stayed the same." I said with a tight smile. The still very hot metal hurt, but it was just pain. Pain I apparently needed to get used to again. "Mixing my fur with iron makes it easier for me to enchant. I dunno about the local metals, but this..." I let Erhard take the card from me.

He held it, squinted at it, even took out a little monocle similar to what the Tailor used to look at my clothing, "It's apparently called 'Ko-steel'?"

"Only two people in my world can make it." I smiled, "After we finish, if it's not too late, want to exchange notes?"

"Well, we're almost done actually." He handed the card back, "I won't teach you anything unless you buy me dinner first." He laughed.

I rolled my eyes theatrically, but nodded. "Fair. Going to need a place that doesn't mind demi-humans though."

'Almost done' still took another hour. Thankfully, my Shield still had some bread and Nourishing Beverages in storage, and Raphtalia and I didn't have to get our minerals by eating metal.

Clive, being our team's archer, was now sporting a long cape of stone grey... well, it was formerly Black Dog fur. Using various templates and some simple adjustment, Erhard had also given Clive leather and metal bracers. He also got a helmet that fit his oddly shaped head but still allowed his eyes to 'roam' about freely. To further prove I knew what I was doing, I also made a bunch of Bodkin point arrows. Armour Piercing tips.

Usa also got a helmet custom made to allow for his ears. Erhard went a little further with the idea too, and left gaps in the leather padding so Usa could tuck his ears under the helmet. Using some of the Black Dog leather, and letting me use a little contraption he had in his shop, we made him a better whip as well. Longer, tougher, and with a Light Metal tip. Usa decided to keep the old whip as well, just in case he didn't want to kill something, but still use a whip. He also got proper metal bracers, and hardened leather vest and chaps. More resistant to bites, but still allowing full motion for his arm and shoulder.

Raphtalia got a proper sword. Still a 'short' sword, it was sized for her and made for slashing. She still kept her 'long knife', smiling when she said, "I killed my fear with it, so I'm going to keep it."

It would cost me a couple extra silver for not selling it to Erhard, but, you know, she did good with it, and I could understand the sentiment for sure.

She also got bracers, though they were leather. I asked why, and Erhard shrugged and said they wouldn't fit in a week. He'd also have to re-work my commission of spiked bracers as well, since I'd already outgrown them. As it was, well, we both got leather vests and stiff leather caps. The vests were basically just strips of leather from the Black Dog that were just tied in place for now. Again, because we were growing. But even if they were temporary 'armour' they still had the same PDEF as the 'real thing'.

Just for smol people.

Most importantly though... I had made two Tarot blanks. I'd have to etch them later, but I had, I hoped, my first step towards contacting home.

"With what you have, I suggest going a bit further out." Erhard said as we all ate in a nearby tavern. No one had bat an eye at me or the others, but I'd also 'stuck' the Shield to my back under my new fur cape.

With my utility knife at my side, and a spare quiver of arrows at my other hip, I looked like a baggage carrier for the other three. This was perfect.

"Oh? We need to catch up, since the others didn't run into the same problems we did." I replied.

Erhard sighed, "Yeah... Well, if you go... oh, you know your directions?"

"That was also something that didn't change when I left home." I nodded.

"Good good. So if you go north, there's some forests that tend to get a bit wild. No settlements near it to thin the animals out, so you should have better luck that way." He explained, "With your new gear, you won't be in as much danger, but you'll still have to be careful."

I nodded, looking to the other three, "We'll get some supplies on our way out of the city, and head out before they close the gates."

They nodded, each of them looking at their plates, "More time out doors?" Usa asked.

"Don't worry. We know how to make our own shelters now, remember?" Raphtalia said cheerfully, toying with a little white flag that had been attached to a toothpick.

"Gr." Clive nodded, tugging his bleached fur cloak around him with something approximating a happy sigh.

"When you aren't rushing about like a headless Pikyu, I'm going to want to know how you are just so... capable. You're only what? Ten years old?"

"Eight." I corrected with a little smile, "And if I'm ever not running around like a headless Pikyu, I might tell you..." I nibbled at my food, "Those wouldn't happen to be what I'm eating, would it? We call them 'chickens' where I'm from."

After dinner, and getting an especially welcome headpat from Erhard, my band of (well fed) adventurers and I made one more stop before heading to the city gate. We didn't have much time, and just about everything we needed was already in our packs or in the Shield's storage.

The Alchemist was just as gloomy looking as the last time I'd been in. But when he saw me, and the other three, he started to look nervous. I suppose in a city of mostly demi-human hating people, a group of four armed demi-humans walking into a shop of breakable stuff would make any shop owner a bit nervous.

"Relax, Master Alchemist." I said, "Have you figured out my potions yet?"

He lowered himself back into his chair, squinted at me, then perked up to his almost not gloomy self that I'd seen when I left last time. "No, sadly, I have not." He shook his head, "I have to ask, before we continue..."

"We both know I'd have a much easier time starting a fire with a pair of sticks and a string than that fire stone." I sighed, "And no, I didn't get it back."

"Well." He looked, if anything, relieved at my explanation. "I do have spares, but I'll have to charge full price this time. Unless..."

"Well, I do have more herbs. Oddly enough, they're better quality than what I'd foraged before." I'd basically set the Shield to make 'low quality healing paste' until it had run out of materials, but we'd also gathered a lot of the medicinal herbs around mine near Riyute village. "Or, if you want, I can sell you finished product. It's not the best quality, but I had to work with what I had."

"Oh? Well, I suppose all the good glass in the world won't help when you don't have a good heat source. Let me see."

"Oh, and while you look... Usa? Raphtalia? Come here a moment. Clive, don't eat that, not sure you'd like it, even with your stomach."

Before we got to 'business', I had him take a look at the two of them. For Raphtalia, he gave her a few simple tests. Listened to her back, poked her ribs a few times, and otherwise did a 'clothes on' checkup. He then complimented me for the medicine I used, and gave Raphtalia a headpat for being brave enough, or stubborn enough, to drink the stuff. What ever she had been afflicted by, was all but gone now.

Usa... Well, he told us what we already knew. A defect from birth was beyond normal magic, or alchemy. But, and this was unconfirmed you see, there were legendary medicines that were said to cure everything but death itself.

My reply to this? If I find that medicine, I'll let him know. Until then, maybe I could figure out how to make a golem arm for him. Usa looked a little panicked at the thought of me cutting off his crippled arm, but I reminded him I'd never do that without permission.

I also asked for a recipe for a mild pain killer. Growing pains sucked, and he was sympathetic enough to write one down for me.

In the end? Well, I got a heating stone again, and tucked it into the shield properly this time...

"Thank you for your busi... oh for the..."

Mortar Shield conditions met.

Beaker Shield conditions met.

Druggist Mortar Shield conditions met.

Mortar Shield: equip bonus: new compounding

Beaker Shield: equip bonus: liquid compounding bonus

Druggist Mortar Shield: equip bonus: collection skill 2

Apparently having the complete set of alchemist equipment in my inventory was the trigger for more unlocks... And once again, a day late and a valis short.

"Something amiss?" The Alchemist asked.

"Sir does this every time the Shield does something." Usa mumbled.

"I don't want to sound ungrateful, and I understand why it's working how it does. But it feels a little insulting sometimes." I sighed, "I hope to do business with you again." I offered the man my hand, and we shook, "I'll be sure to bring any spare medicine I make back if I can."

"Make sure it is only your spare medicine. Take care of yourselves." He said with a severe look.

"I like him." Raphtalia said as we walked around the outer circle of the town, "I hope you can make that... what did he call it? 'Anti-inflammatory'?"

"Me too." I grumbled.

"There there." Usa said while Clive clicked his beaked mouth a couple of times to 'chuckle' at us. "In a way, I envy you that pain. I had to endure it over years, along with the pain of..." He sighed. "But you two are growing in strength, even as you grow in stature."

"I feel a little sad." I admitted, "Just a little!" I added, "But the children of this world, or any world, should be allowed to be children. Not forced into adulthood."

"Well..." Usa seemed at a bit of a loss.

"I don't care about that." Raphtalia said, "It means I get to stay with you." She hugged my arm, then looked back towards Clive and Usa, "And protect my friends."

Thanks to my 'disguise' (really just being a bit taller and having the Shield out of sight) the two guards at the northern gate didn't even blink as we just... walked out. I almost wished they tried to stop us... but we were already behind the other parties. I honestly would have liked to stay the night, but that didn't go so well last time.

Once we got out of bow range of the Castle-city, I summoned up a bit of Senjitsu fire (sadly, foxfire just wasn't working) and I lit the way until we found a place to set up camp for the night. It seemed there were all kinds of little streams running through Melromarc, and places like this were easy to find.

However, while I scrubbed myself as best I could while not stripping completely, I considered what to do about my 'identity'. Raphtalia hugging my arm reminded me that I wasn't going to be a 'child' much longer at this rate...

It was a shame my usual Kitsune abilities were absent. Aside from my genitals I could have changed anything I wanted. Even my height, if only by a little bit one way or the other. I still had my tail though! Yes, you are a good tail, even if you are... just kind of a tail right now. I missed having to think about controlling them. So far all it had done was swish a few times depending on my mood.

But I had the ability to do small amounts of Senjitsu. So long as I had the element handy, and could remember the seals. But that too was very weak. The magic in this world was weird, but I could feel at least a little of the 'pulse' under the surface. The dragon veins, or this world's version of them, were less a 'vein' and more a 'yes'. No real concentration, just... there. I'd have to experiment more... It was getting stronger as I levelled though, seeming to match my 'MAG' ability...

The forest Erhard mentioned was indeed 'wild'.

From his brief geography lesson, the nearest settlement aside from Melromarc Castle, was the 'Ivyred Territory'. But even that was a week or so away. So this forest was essentially as wild as it got. But that was exactly what we wanted.

We set up camp in the ruin of a long forgotten cabin, spending the rest of our first day out of the castle-city securing it so we could rest, eat and recover with less risk from roaming monsters. As I taught them, we had our shelter, the forest would provide food, and the previous owner of the cabin had apparently dug a well for water. I wouldn't trust that water without boiling it first, but even Usa could start a fire on his own now.

The forest itself, in relation to the cabin, was about an hours hike away. That gave use plenty of time to warm up for the day ahead, for me to teach them more about field craft, and to show them what plants and herbs I needed for either food or medicine. I might have been over harvesting some of the medicinal herbs, but I had this idea in the back of my head, and I would need both money, and medicine to make it work.

At the edge of the forest, we all met something new. Well, kind of new. We'd all seen them in Riyute village, the tame little (sigh, yes) ball shaped Pikyu. Those were relatively small, fluffy feathered and tasted amazing when fried in oil.

The ones we met however, were larger, still kind of ball shaped, and were mean as a toothache. And they were pack hunters! They even worked together with the Balloons, squawking and growling as they ran on raptor feet or bounced like insane beach balls.

But with Clive picking things off from afar, then Raphtalia and Usa snapping them apart while I stood in front and controlled the flow of monsters, only letting them past me one or two at a time so the others could slay them safely, we had no problems... Well, past the initial shock of the first encounter.

PikyuPikyu shield conditions met.

Pikyupikyu shield: equip bonus: simple weapon restoration 1

We went further into the forest. Usa, and his growing expertise in using his incredible hearing, let us find monster packs we could handle. Mush and Eggug were plentiful here, but the alcoves and glades where they 'rested' were generally empty. Silence was a clue all its own in the wild, so we knew what to expect.

Balloons tended to bounce off things, their rubbery bodies making a distinct noise. Simple monster, dangerous in packs, can still cause anyone but me harm if they latch on to unprotected skin.

We discovered something new in a glade of flowers. Brightly coloured and sweet smelling (unless you were Clive, he was apparently sensitive to pollen), these flowers had cloud of little butterflies fluttering over them. I had to grab Raphtalia's collar before she could go into the glade however, and teach them all another lesson.

"Stop stop..." I said quietly, letting her go, "In my world, when something small and edible is brightly coloured, like insects, it usually means they are poisonous."

"But... they're so pretty..." Raphtalia pouted, earning herself a headpat for comfort.

"They are." I agreed, "But to birds or lizards who might eat them, it's a sign to stay away." I crouched down, looking under a few of the bright flower clusters. "See?"

There were a couple of Pikyu, seemingly sleeping under the flowers. But I could also see ants, or this world's equivalent, swarming under the stiff bodies.

"Do we... do we turn around then?" Usa asked.

"We will. But here's the next lesson. Moth and butterflies have paper fine wings, but, those wings are covered in a kind of scale. Back home, we use their wings for medicines. Its for things like these, that I made sure we all had a pair of gloves." I looked to Clive, "Seriously?"

His eyes were doing exactly what a real chameleon's eyes would, lining up one, then the other, on a prey insect. He stopped, his eyes looking at me, "grr..." He pouted.

"Maybe later, but only after I have what I need for some kind of antidote."

Butterfly Shield conditions met.

Butterfly Shield: equip bonus: paralysis resistance (small)

The most challenging monster we faced was encountered near nightfall as we made our way out of the forest. Usa heard it long before we saw it, chewing on a shrub of this world's analog of chives. Since I wanted to harvest what ever I could, for food or medicine, I decided to make one last side trip before we headed back to our temporary cabin.

"Here's your next survival lesson." I said as we looked at the rear of a porcupine that probably weighed twenty or thirty kilograms, as it nibbled noisily on crunchy plant stems. "Herbivores have three options when it comes to avoiding predators. Can you name them?"

"Hiding?" Raphtalia said.

"Being awake when the hunters are sleeping?"

"Gr." Clive held up an arrow.

"That's right." I said, "Camouflage, coming out from a den during the day or night when the bigger animals are resting. Or some kind of passive self defence. Like that thing. Clive? Bodkin arrow. If you don't down it in one shot, Usa, stay away from it. Raphtalia and I will deal with it."

They nodded, and I got in front of Clive, ready to spring from cover just in case. There was a slow creak from Clive's bow as he got it to full draw, a pause... Then with a quick 'twang-fwish-smack!' a new feathered quill was buried deep into the beasts back, the arrow almost getting lost from sight in the monster's natural defence.

I then found that I was in error about this monster. Yes, it was eating a plant, but when it turned and snarled at us, it had VERY sharp teeth in its mouth. It started to approach us, and I rose to meet it, ready to bracket it with my Air Strike Shield, then hold its attention long enough for Raphtalia to stab it.

But then there was a second, though quieter 'twang-fwish-smack!' and the porcupine's toothy open maw was suddenly fed a normal broad head arrow.

EXP: 100

"I got it!" Raphtalia cheered as the quill covered monster's mouth spurted blood, the arrow deep enough in its body that the feathers were only just outside its open mouth.

I turned, and gave her a Karate Chop of Justice. Then a headpat. "If you have a suggestion for the plan, say so before we use the plan. But that was a great shot."

"Sorry..." She looked admonished, but still leaned into the headpat.

"That was a very good shot Miss Raphtalia." Usa said, "Something you said though, Sir. Animals grow defence for predators, right?"

"That's right." I nodded, getting closer to the very dead porcupine monster and wondering how to go about skinning it...

"That means... something would hunt this?" He continued, taking us usual position behind the three of us, his head and ears moving, doing his job without prompting.

I paused, looked back to him, and smiled, "That's a good question, what would hunt something like this?"

"It's probably scary..." Raphtalia sighed, "ouch..."

I stopped trying to pull quills out and took Raphtalia's hand, "Right through the glove too..." I backed away from the carcass tugging her with me so I could pull off her glove and examine the wound. "It's not bad..."

"Gr?" Clive found a fallen branch and used it to poke the body until it was on its back. "Gr!"

"Careful." I said, summoning up a bottle of healing salve "Numbness? Burning sensation?" I asked Raphtalia.

"No... just surprised me... I can do that." She held her free hand out for the medicine, glancing away from me.

"Okay." I nodded, patting her shoulder then turning back to the dead critter, "I'll deal with the quills. Clive? Find some of those dark barked saplings. The ones that grow really straight. These quills would make great arrow points. Usa? Just keep doing what you're doing. After I store what I can from this, we're avoiding everything until we get back to the cabin."

Animal Needle Shield conditions met.

Animal Needle Shield: equip bonus: attack 1. equip effect: needle shield (small)

Our cabin didn't really have much in the way of furnishings. That was fine, we didn't plan to stay long. What it did have though, was part of a roof, a few reasonably good timbers to make sure that roof wouldn't fall in on us, and enough broken furniture to make into a couple of serviceable tables.

I got my alchemy set going for some real work, and the others got to work making dinner. The Black Dog shield had a 'mastery' ability, one I didn't need to have it equipped for, that made a kind of motion detector in an area around us, so I wasn't worried about Usa being occupied. I didn't tell Usa about this though... I could tell he was getting 'supporter syndrome'. Feeling like his lack of ability was slowing us down. Just like all the other supporters back home, I'd have to give him 'the talk' about that.

But I also knew that me opening the subject would hurt his feelings even more. So I would wait, and give him tasks I knew he could do. That was my job as Captain. Even so, he was level 12 now, and was gaining confidence and accuracy with his whip at a pace you'd expect from an adventurer from Orario.

Clive was also showing improvement. When he wasn't focused on wondering if it was edible or not, he was quickly learning my version of 'too loud to talk' hand sign. He already knew how, considering he'd never been able to speak real words. But we'd been refining it, and teaching the other two as well, making it more 'combat focused', just like in Orario, where sneaking up on a monster was almost always the best way to deal with them. He was just shy of level 15 now, and had only missed a single shot out of the dozens of arrows he'd used today.

Raphtalia however... She reminded me of Bell in a way. Optimistic, caring of those around her, brave but not reckless, and was growing into a similar 'get it done' mentality that every rookie adventurer needed. Her fear of blood was gone. She was picking up the survival lessons I was teaching almost flawlessly, and she asked questions when ever she didn't know or understand something. You'd never have guessed she was an underfed, scrawny, nightmare plagued waif like... a week ago? She was behind in experience, but only just. Level 11.

And I was just behind Clive at the bottom edge of 14. We had a little less than two weeks, if I remembered right, before the next Wave, and I refused to fall behind the others.

"Sir?" Usa said quietly, "Your watch is over, you should rest."

"Almost done." I mumbled back, "Come, sit." I gave the spot next to me a pat, looking at various coloured liquids bubble through the alchemy kit, the heat stone being fed a slow constant drip of my MP, just enough that I had to stop every so often to recover it.

He knelt next to me, "What are you making?" He sniffed, "It smells like those flowers."

"It should. In this flask here, I have ground up butterfly wings." I pointed, "In this one, some of those herbs the nice Alchemist fellow told us about, to help with growing pains." I pointed to the final flask, where the two were mixing and dripping together, "And this here, at the bottom there, is finely powdered charcoal, from our fire pit."

He scratched one of his ears, "You don't want this to be drinkable?"

"Medicine, actually, no. Let's think more universal. Your body is a 'closed' environment. A box, with very few ways in. You breath to let in air. Your skin keeps most things out. Your nose will filter some things. Your mucus, inside your nose, will trap some things before it harms you. Your stomach can resist many things, more if you're Clive."

I motioned to the flask, "Making it like this, will allow me to adapt it to a 'vector'. Or different ways to interact with a body. I could roll a pinch of it into a pill. I could add water to dilute it into a paste, or further into a drink or tea. Or, if, I could make it really dry, and make it into something you could breath in."

"But the charcoal? Doesn't it effect the medicine?"

"It's a 'binder'. A non-reactive substance that holds the medicine in place. About all it effects is taste." I watched the last of fluids blorp and bloop along the glass tubes, "Just a few drops le-"

Numbing medicine successfully created!

Numbing medicine: quality: high, cannot be increased in quality. Reduces levels of sensation when applied or ingested.

Added to recipe book.

"Ha, that'll teach you." I squinted at the gem on the shield, then to Usa, "There's enough here for a few doses." I took the little flask out from under the no longer dripping tubes and got a little glass rod, "Turn your back to me."

"Sir?" He questioned the order, but didn't disobey.

I pulled up the back of his shirt, and smeared a little trace of the pasty, pretty smelling stuff over his good shoulder. I then set the rod down and rubbed it over the skin. "How does that feel? Shrug a few times? Raise and lower your arm?"

"Oh... that..." He moved his arm around a little, "Feels kind of tingly. Like my bad arm does sometimes, but without the urge to scratch at it."

"Working as intended then. You have a little patch of charcoal dust on your back, but it smells nice at least. Keep the fire low, and your ears open." I gave his shoulder a pat, then started to stow the equipment inside the Shield. I then poured the new medicine into one of the dozens of 'leaf cups' the Shield's automatic crafting process made for medicine, yet left behind once you drank the stuff.

"Sleep well Sir. Thank you."

"No problem."

It took us almost a week to find what we were looking for. Well, aside from the EXP we needed to level up, and the discipline we needed to survive. The deeper we got into that forest, the more aggressive the monsters got. Mush of various colours started using clouds of toxins. Balloons only... spawned? In red, their most powerful (though still not very powerful) colour. Eggug, also not very strong, were using weak magic attacks (some kind of 'air bullet' that didn't hurt me, but 'stung a lot' from Raphtalia's description)...

We even found a weird 'pyramid' of Balloons. Almost like a hive! That took us almost an hour to destroy, the weird rubbery tower spitting out dozens of the things. At first, they spawned faster than we could kill them. But soon we broke even, then turned the tide on them. And once again, my luck decided to slap me in the butt like Aisha loved to.

Level up!

You are now level 16

Pipe Shield Conditions met!

"Sigh..." I summoned the Pipe Shield and read the now unlocked ability it offered.

"Oh, that's your largest Shield yet!" Raphtalia said, eyeing the new form.

It was, more or less, sized like a Roman Scutum shield. Rectangular, wide and tall. Not wide enough, not tall enough, but the shape was the same. The face of it though, was made up of little pipes, locked and linked together like some plumber's nightmare. There were no gaps, so that wasn't why I was sighing.

"We could have used this ability a moment ago." I said, pointing at Raphtalia, "Shield Prison."

With a little "Eep!" of surprise, Raphtalia was quickly surrounded by an interlocking perfect sphere of shields. Clanking together rapidly out of thin air, she vanished from view a moment later, the sphere of metal quietly thumping to the forest floor when it was done. "Ahh! It's very dark in here!"

I waved my hand, and the effect vanished, going on a minute long cool down. "That would have been perfect to trap that... whatever it was, with all the Balloons..." I sighed.

"Don't do that again?" Raphtalia asked. "Please?"

"Well, I can protect you, or entrap something else. But yes, that was thoughtless of me." I replied, "Hmm, I'm getting taller than you now."

Raphtalia looked at me, doing one of those 'top of head then measuring forward' motions with a hand, "No fair!" She stomped a foot, "I'm the older one too." And then pouted.

"You are still very reliable." Usa said, with Clive nodding in agreement. "Sir? I hear more." He added a moment later. "I haven't heard this noise yet..."

"Careful." I said, "Usa, point the way."

Usa pointed the way, while we all moved as quietly as possible. We avoided combat, eager to see this 'new sound' Usa had heard. It wasn't long before we all heard something else.

Large and heavy, it sounded like someone using an axe the wrong way on a tree. There were other noises too, heavy and brutal, then a final wet growl.

Then silence. At least, for me. Usa however, his usually timid face very serious, did little side to side turns with his head, then finally said, "It's... I think it's a burrower. I heard it move over the underbrush, then just... gone."

"Anything else?"

"That porcupine is dead."

"Okay, quietly, lets go see what it left behind."

The answer? A bad smelling mess.

There were signs of a VERY quick fight. The sound of something heavy hitting wood was probably from... some kind of tail? A beaked head?

The remains of the porcupine were minimal. There weren't many quills left behind either! What ever attacked it basically ate it whole.

Then, yes, there was a shallow depression in the leaf litter on the ground. Quite wide across, with no other 'prints' along the edges. Probably something snake-like?

"Gr." Clive held up one of the few leftover quills, the point of it however... well it wasn't pointy. Examining the other quills showed the same thing. The points of them looked to have been worn down... or melted?

I summoned up a bunch of Balloon skin scraps, and hung a bit on an eye level branch. "We're going to go plan. Lets mark our trail back, and fight our way out."

That night, while we ate a much improved version of 'meat (or no meat for Usa) mushroom and wild herb (with more vegetables for Usa) stew, we summed up what we knew. Time for another dungeon lesson, adapted to this world's monsters.

"So. We know it's large enough to eat a porcupine without leaving much behind. We know it can crack a tree almost as thick around as someone's head. And we know it can blunt the porcupine's main defence somehow. What else?" I started, glad I used a little more onion (or whatever it was) in the stew.

"It doesn't have feet?" Raphtaila offered between mouthfuls.

"It likely burrows underground, instead of lurks in a tree." Usa added.

"Hiss..." Clive said with a five degree head tilt to signify a 'question'.

"Probably a snake of some kind, yeah." I nodded, "But what else? We have a 'shape'. Now we need 'offence' and 'defence'."

"It has some method of hitting really hard." Usa nodded, "A... heavy tail? Bony head?"

"It smells bad." Raphtalia added.

I nodded, then Clive repeated, "Hiss." This time though, he held up one of the blunted quills.

"Very good. A bad smell might mean acidic breath, or even skin. It's skin is probably thick too, to resist attacks from quills, or even other monsters that don't care about defending themselves, like Balloons. And it has enough mass and strength to damage trees."

"So... how do we kill it?" Usa asked.

"Gr." Clive shook his head, using one hand signify 'ground' then a finger poking up through his fingers.

"We need to lure it out first?" Raphtalia guessed, getting a pleased 'Gr Gr' from Clive.

"Well, I don't like porcupine meat." I shrugged, "And we know more or less where it is. We'll make our way there tomorrow as directly as possible, try and lure it out, then ambush it." I then added, "Well done."

That night, while I scrubbed myself with well water behind our re-purposed cabin, I finally admitted to myself that there was just no real way to hide it anymore. Over the last week, my body had gone from 'thinking about being a girl' to 'starting to blossom into womanhood'. The clothes I'd arrived in were still the exact same fit, but the fur cape and 'straps' from the Black Dog were only just hiding my growing curves.

The first time someone hugged me, or tried to push me, or looked at me in just the right lighting would figure out my 'disguise'. It wasn't really a disguise... more like a... perpetuation of ignorance. But, should I drop the act now? Let it be found out later?

Choices choices...

NOTES!

See? No cliffhanger! But we all know something big (or at least, bigger) is going to get ganked next chapter. I think... unless something doesn't line up right, chapter 13 will be the Wave. So look forward to that too.

Thank you for reading! And if you want to see any full colour art, join the discord!

aKAQg4bnYu for the discord!

And my actual book, Were Too? is on Inkitt.

And! I'm looking into getting some story themed merchandise made. Join the Discord to find out more!