The strain on Shift grew more intense with every use. I’d gotten used to most of it but the partial Shifts were more taxing. My head was thumping as well, which was growing worse, but I was already prepared for a skull-breaking headache.
I embrace the pain if that’s what it takes to learn more about Shift! I told myself and tried a few transformations into Hnoll and human arms. Only when I was sowhat satisfied with the result did I test other creatures.
My left arm turned into blue liquid as soon as I triggered Shift, yet it didn’t maintain my arm’s form. The arm, or what it had turned into, splashed onto the ground. A mont later, my other arm followed as it turned to liquid sli as well.
"Please don’t release Shift," Fern called out worriedly.
She didn’t want to lose my arms, neither did I. Although I was curious to figure out what would happen if I shifted fully back to my main form when my arms were puddles of slimy liquid on the ground. Alas, curiosity wouldn’t help if the more likely case was true – that the slimy liquid would turn into my arms, and that I’d lose them forever.
The risk wasn’t worth it. I transford into the Blue Sli, reunited with the slimy liquid and shifted back to my main form.
After making sure my limbs were intact and in the right position, I turned my arms into that of a Greyskin Borillar. When that worked, even if it drained a lot more energy and put an even heavier strain on Shift, I transford my arms into an Esar Boar. Then a Deathstalk Squirrel.
Only when I had more than enough intel to know that I could easily transform my arms into the limbs of any quadruped monster did I transform into the weakest Kerink as well – arms only.
Clove burst out laughing when my arms turned into wings that were definitely too small for to compare with a monstrous harpy, but the worst was Fern’s grin. She tried hard to hide it, yet the corner of her lips curled upward seeing .
As embarrassing as it looked, the form was weird. A Kerink’s wings were certainly not a compatible replacent for human arms.
Why can’t I grow wings out of my back? Do I have to shift sothing else to turn into wings? What about hair, or so muscles? No, that’s probably not enough. Just shift my shoulder blades if there’s nothing else to shift. I grumbled while activating Shift with all the strength I could muster.
At first, I thought sothing was about to happen. I was half-certain I succeeded when a prickling sensation spread throughout my upper back. Then Shift deactivated and sothing warm flowed down my nose.
Touching my nose, I saw blood. It wasn’t much, but it told a silent tale.
"It didn’t fail." Not exactly, at least.
Did I really have to sacrifice my arms to acquire wings or was there sothing else? Maybe my mind was too restricted, or I was simply too weak. It could be sothing else but weakness sounded the most plausible. Now all I had to figure out was whether my mind or my Power had been too weak.
Does that really matter though? Nurturing my Core will strengthen both.
That was true enough. Hence, my attention shifted to yet another issue; I transford into the human soldiers I’d killed in Camp Ashborn.
Xavier Halur (Theor Caster)
Core: Tier-1 (22%)
Primary Power: Shift, Words of Truth
The Truthspeaking boy was exactly what I expected from him. He’d been even weaker than I first suggested, but it had never been his Core’s strength that made him important. His Power, Words of Truth, must have earned Captain Anthea’s attention.
It was also his Power that had him killed because he felt safe enough in Camp Ashborn to ask questions he should have never asked.
Next up were Loverboy One and Loverboy Two.
Xavier Halur (David co)
Core: Tier-1 (59%)
Primary Power: Shift, Charming Lips
Xavier Halur (Oarf Ter)
Core: Tier-1 (63%)
Primary Power: Shift, Blade of Astor
Loverboy One was not all that interesting. Sure, his Core was decently well nurtured but his Power... It sounded like sothing one would find in a professional establishnt for sexual transactions rather than a soldiers’ camp.
Fortunately, only Loverboy One was equipped with sothing I’d never need. Oarf Ter’s Power read far more interesting.
"That is crazy." Clove’s voice rang out from beside , and I turned to see him shudder.
Fern just nodded, her lips pressed together.
"I won’t ever get used to that either," I said before quickly transforming back into my main form.
"That’s my line." Clove chided.
"I think so as well." Fern muttered, before hurriedly adding, "Well, at so point, it will feel like the most normal thing. I will get used to it quickly. I promise."
She quickly pressed her lips against my cheek, after making sure I was actually in my main form.
"You don’t have to explain yourself. I feel a little odd as well," I said, even though that was not exactly the truth.
Shift did not feel odd to . But what confused was the thought of Fern kissing in another form. I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to think, however, I’d prefer it if Fern liked my main form more than any other.
It’d be weird if she would only like one of my other human forms, right?
Regardless, I was satisfied with the turn of events. Fern’s apprehension was also not all that bad. She loved my main form the most, and accepted the rest of as is.
That was all I could have hoped for in a partner – a mate – right?
I shared a smile with Fern and leaned into her, pressing my lips against her soft, full lips. She didn’t pull back nor was there any hesitation as she slung her arms around my neck. Our connection flared up and burned brighter than the day before.
In the anti, Clove cursed and made vomiting sounds beside us – sounds that were pointedly ignored.
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