Lucinda awoke to find herself alone in the bed she had shared with Waflaw. Sparing only a moment to consider that discovery, she stretched out in the bed and sighed in satisfaction.

Last night was amazing. Even better than I imagined!

With no sign of Waflaw, Lucinda was forced to climb out of bed and find some clothes. She soon found her discarded shirt and travelling trousers, along with her underwear which was, unfortunately, smelling too pungent for her to wear. Donning a fresh pair, she dressed and then tidied up her pack a bit, before checking herself in the small mirror that sat upon a washbasin in the corner of the room.

Lucinda Bazan, now a Shifter, and a woman.

Her reflection was smiling back at her, looking happier than she could ever remember herself being. Still smiling at herself, the door to the room suddenly burst open, revealing a flustered looking Waflaw, fully dressed in his leather armour and robe.

“We need to go,” he said without preamble.

“What’s going on?” Lucinda replied, her mood shifting as she saw the serious look on Waflaw’s face.

“Trouble, that’s what. Wollow spotted some shady men heading towards the village. You packed?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Grab it and let’s go.”

Her pulse beating at the suddenly precarious situation, Lucinda picked her pack up from by her bed, and then followed Waflaw out of their room, while collecting her staff on the way. At a rapid pace, Waflaw lead her out of the inn, and from there north out of the village entirely.

“Where are we going?” Lucinda asked, as she hurried to keep alongside her mentor.

“Away from here, for now.”

Waflaw remained silent as they continued through the wild grassy terrain in a northeasterly direction from the village, and the speed at which they journeyed soon had Lucinda feeling weary. It wasn’t until the village was well out of sight that Waflaw stopped. Thankful for a short reprieve, Lucinda caught her breath as she watched Waflaw cast a spell on himself.

“I’ll carry you for a ways,” he announced, shifting his pack to his front. “Hop on my back.”

Lucinda complied, climbing up on Waflaw until her legs were held by his arms, and her arms were wrapped across his neck. Even feeling slightly foolish in her strange position, Lucinda was silently thankful for the break it offered her.

“What was that spell?” Lucinda asked, once she was comfortably in place.

“A handy little thing that should keep my tracks hidden.”

“They're following us then?”

“There’s a good chance.”

“Isn’t Wollow following them?”

"The terrain is too open for him to follow them safely. I ordered him back."

“Couldn’t you fight them? You beat Lawrence so easily.”

“I always try and avoid conflict with unknown enemies, as should you. Especially ones that have probably been hired to take you down.”

“That makes sense,” Lucinda admitted, blushing slightly as Waflaw’s reply made her question seem foolish.

I’ve still got so much to learn. Another reason to stay with Waflaw.

After close to an hour of Lucinda riding on Waflaw’s back, during which Waflaw seemed unaffected by the additional weight, Lucinda was made to walk again, though this time in deer form. With another cast of his anti-tracking spell, Waflaw lead them onwards through the same grassy wilderness that seemed to stretch on endlessly, interrupted only by changes in elevation, bodies of water and rivers, or clumps of trees. It wasn’t until the sun had reached past its midway point in the sky, that Waflaw finally called a halt to their journey. At the foot of the small hill they’d just traversed, Lucinda shifted back into human form and sat next to Waflaw for some much-needed sustenance.

“Have we lost them?” Lucinda asked, as she put down and opened her pack.

“I’d be surprised if we haven’t. With no tracks for them to follow, and no idea of our direction, I think we’re safe for now.”

Lucinda nodded at Waflaw’s words, before taking a bite of a biscuit. “What will we do next?”

Waflaw seemed to be considering his response, but was interrupted before he could reply, by the sudden arrival of a small bird. The blue and white feathered creature, that was barely bigger than Waflaw’s hand, flew down and landed on the Druid’s knee. Lucinda noticed a small scrap of parchment that was tied to its leg.

“A message?” Lucinda asked.

“Looks like it,” Waflaw replied, as he moved to retrieve the parchment from the small bird.

Once removed, Waflaw unrolled the strip and began reading. The bird flew away as soon as its message had been delivered, leaving Lucinda to watch her mentor and observe the steady frown that emerged upon his brow.

“Bad news?”

“So it would seem,” Waflaw replied, as he scrunched up the parchment and threw it in his pack. “It’s from Saseligan. Good news: Seems your father managed to talk the High Cleric out of revealing you're a Shifter to Prilemia officials. Bad news: He was forced off the council as you guessed he would be, and those prisoners were executed. Saseligan thinks there’s a good chance Chakog'mar will retaliate in some way.”

“Oh-no,” Lucinda gasped. "Are my parents okay?"

“They should be fine. Even if it does turn to war, it’s unlikely they’ll end up in the fighting. Conscription generally only occurs when a nation is in real trouble, and Prilemia has an army of similar size to Chakog’mar last I heard.”

“Oh…”

“Why anyone would want it to come to war, I still have no idea,” Waflaw pondered aloud, before sighing. “Not that it’s my problem,” he continued before turning to face Lucinda. “Eat up, we should get moving. And start discussing your future while we’re walking.”

“Mmm, okay,” Lucinda replied, as she increased the pace of her eating.

A short time later, with her needs taken care of, Lucinda returned to deer form – which had recently reached rank 2 – and made to follow Waflaw. They were just a few steps away from where they’d sat, when a sudden voice reached them.

“Hold up,” a gruff male voice called out.

Lucinda spun around just a split second after Waflaw, and tracked the voice to two figures standing atop the small hill. The first was a dark-haired man in plate armour, with a shield on his back, and a sword at his hip. The second had similar coloured but longer hair, a dark robe, and a wooden staff in one hand. Both looked quite unfriendly, and Lucinda’s pulse quickened with concern as she considered their possible intent.

“Woah, careful there,” the armoured man replied, unsheathing his sword as Waflaw began casting a spell immediately.

“Just recalling my other animal friend,” Waflaw replied casually. “He’s gone and got himself lost.”

The armoured man frowned from atop the hill, but made no move to try and intervene, as did his ally. “Guess we’ve been had,” he admitted with a small smile. “You’re a wanted man Waflaw, and we’re here to take you in. How about you just surrender and save us this unpleasantness?”

Wollow emerged from the ground at Waflaw’s feet as the spell completed. Though neither Waflaw or the two men seemed to react to the sudden appearance.

“I’m innocent,” Waflaw replied, with a shrug and a smile of his own.

The robed man burst into laughter. “Of course you are, friend. We’ll be sure to pass that on when we turn you in. That’s a promise. Though we can’t guarantee you’ll still be alive by that point, I’m afraid to say.”

“Run,” Waflaw whispered.

Lucinda froze in indecision momentarily as she watched the inevitable confrontation commence. The robed man began casting a spell, his hand tracing lines in the air, while the armoured man dashed forwards with sword and shield drawn. Waflaw too was casting a spell, while Wollow remained ready at his side.

“Go!” Waflaw said more loudly.

Startled into action, Lucinda turned and ran as asked.

Two against one… If only I wasn’t just a burden!

Running fiercely in her doe form, Lucinda suppressed her negative emotions as best she could. She made it several tens of metres in little time, thanks to her four legs and good footing, until a sudden shout drew her gaze back to the battle.

The armoured man was closer to Waflaw, but didn’t seem to have reached him, as the grass covering the area had grown wildly and appeared to be hindering his movement greatly. The robed man was casting a new spell, though the effects of anything else he may have cast weren’t visible. For his part, Waflaw was once again looking different, though this time his skin was almost metallic, rather than wooden, and as Lucinda watched him, he finished a new spell of his own, bringing a large brown bear into existence beside him.

I must be able to do something!

A small torrent of green liquid suddenly burst forth from in front of the robed man, arcing over his ally, and splashing over Waflaw even as he continued casting a spell of his own. Lucinda flinched as she watched the liquid hit, and then felt another pang of worry as she saw steam rise from where the strange fluid had landed.

What was that!? Ah, how can I help when I have no idea what people are capable of?

Waflaw seemed unimpeded by the green liquid, but the armoured man had managed to reach him. Lucinda watched her mentor take a step back, as Wollow and the conjured bear fell upon his attacker. Then a brief flash of light from the robed man drew Lucinda’s attention back to the top of the hill, and brought a sudden thought to her.

Maybe I could sneak up behind him? And… hit him with a web! He won’t be able to dodge if I use it from behind? I have to try!

Turning from the ongoing engagement, Lucinda dashed away further, intent on falling out of the robed man’s notice. Looking back at the proceedings several times as she moved, Lucinda soon felt comfortable enough to try sneaking around the vision of her target.

With the hill the robed man was standing upon increasing in height towards where Lucinda had fled to, it made it easier for her to hide, but also completely blocked off the sight of the battle. A fact that had Lucinda worrying more and more with each passing moment, even as she raced to move into position.

Waflaw will be okay… He’s strong!

Coming to a point a fair distance back from the hill, a spot she hoped was close to where the robed man was standing, Lucinda shifted to human form, and then back to a giant spider. As soon as she was transformed, she began towards the hill, while trying her best to remain silent.

The sounds of battle reached her as she approached, though other than assuring her that Waflaw wasn’t dead yet, the occasional cries and discharges of spells provided little else in the way of information.

Reaching the rear lip of the hill, Lucinda slowed and crept upwards as stealthily as she could manage. She was about halfway up when she picked up the sound of a sudden blast nearby. Assuming the robed man to be the cause of the noise, she altered her direction slightly and continued upwards.

Emerging over the crest of the hill, Lucinda let out a mental sigh of relief as she spied her target just a few metres away. A very quick glance past him revealed Waflaw was still active, and likely healthy. Looking back at the robed man, she was just in time to see a small cloud of flying insects barrelling towards him, that were then incinerated by a sudden burst of flame from the man’s outstretched hands.

“Gah, I hate those things! Damnable Druids.”

Please don’t see me. Please don’t see me!

Her heart pounding in the spider equivalent of her chest, Lucinda crept forwards until she was entirely on the hilltop, her eyes locked on the robed man, as her mental prayers for success continued. Then, after only a brief moment of indecision during which she considered how badly things might end for her, she used her eight legs to bring her body upwards and then fired a burst of web towards her target. Resisting a sudden desire to flee for her life, Lucinda remained still as the web projectile flew through the air. In less than a few seconds, it hit, landing directly on the robed man’s back and then splattering outwards to cover him.

“Ah! What!?” the robed man exclaimed.

I did it?

Lucinda’s worry and fear slowly gave way to excited disbelief, as she watched the man struggle against his new web bindings. As the web had spread, it had wrapped his arms, holding them against his body, while covering the tops of his legs, restricting his movement noticeably. Amazed that her risky gambit had paid off, Lucinda began rushing forwards as fast as her spider form allowed. The robed man, still bound, just managed to turn his body to see her approach, and his eyes shot wide as they found her.

“No no no!” he cried out, as his struggles increased in force, causing the webs to bulge and stretch.

Crap… Is he breaking free already?

Staying her course, Lucinda reached the man, whose frantic struggles had halted as he instead tried to escape on foot. Fortunately, the webbing on his legs restricted his speed such that Lucinda caught up with him in moments, and from there she pounced, delivering a firm bite of her poison filled fangs.

“Ackkk!” the man yelled as he collapsed under Lucinda’s assault.

Backing away slightly, Lucinda surveyed the man as she considered how to proceed. Her victim was still struggling against his bindings, with his face a mask of pain, but with the webbing still holding, Lucinda rushed forwards to continue her assault. Delivering another bite and a dose of poison, Lucinda lent back and fired two more blasts of webbing, until the man was completely covered from head to toe.

“Please… Stop…!” the man’s muffled cries sounded out, as he thrashed about on the grassy ground helplessly. “Mercy!”

Lucinda did stop at his words, halfway to biting him some more.

Ah, what was I thinking… I could have killed him!

Stepping back from the man, Lucinda shifted back into human form. Gripping her staff tightly, as it and her hands reformed, she stood over her opponent, ready to strike if necessary.

“Stop struggling, and I won’t harm you,” she called out, her voice shaking with adrenaline and nerves.

A sudden explosion of light and noise drew Lucinda’s attention to the battlefield down the hill. She saw Waflaw standing a good distance away from the armoured man, though visibility was poor thanks to a heavy deluge of localised rain that was coating the area. Lucinda just had time to notice the small dark cloud hovering low in the sky above, when another similar explosion sounded out in the form of a lightning bolt.

Wow…

Lucinda could only stare in amazement as she watched the destructive blast blink into existence from cloud to ground, striking the armoured man head-on.

“Help!”

The muffled cry of her prisoner bought her attention away from Waflaw’s spectacle. Lucinda sighed in relief as she saw the man hadn’t made any progress towards escaping in the short time she’d looked away, but then felt annoyance as she watched his continued struggles.

“I said stop moving! I don’t want to hurt you,” she said as sternly as she could manage.

“Poison…” the man replied, as another bolt of lightning lit the area with a brilliant flash.

“I can heal you. Just stop struggling!”

“Heal… me! Please!”

Even with her irritation at the man’s continued struggling, Lucinda quickly gave in to his demand as her concern for his well being won out. Bringing her hands together, she brought forth a green ball of mana and shaped it to completion, before projecting it towards her captive.

“There, I’ve healed you. So stay still.”

Maybe if I didn’t sound so terrified he might actually listen…

Certain she could hold the man – even with her greatly diminished mana reserves – and that Waflaw would defeat his own adversary, Lucinda watched and waited, while focussing most of her attention on her webbed victim, with only occasional glances down the hill. From what she could ascertain from those brief looks, Waflaw had managed to trap the armoured man in the ground. She wasn’t sure how exactly, but the effects were clear, as the man continued to struggle fruitlessly even as several more lightning bolts hit him. Even with how on edge she felt, Lucinda couldn’t help but be astonished at the armoured man’s ability to survive such seemingly powerful magic, and she felt a huge surge of relief as she watched the man eventually succumb to the continuing assault.

With the other man defeated, Waflaw ran up the hill towards Lucinda with Wollow at his side. Lucinda noticed the look of concern on her mentor’s face, and the hint of anger it also held.

“I told you to run,” he admonished as he reached her.

“I wanted to help…” Lucinda replied quietly. “I did help!” she then added slightly more forcefully.

“I know…” Waflaw said, as he moved atop the web encased man. “I’m not mad. What you did was just… incredibly risky. It worked, and I’m impressed, but… We’ll talk more about this later.”

Lucinda felt a mix of emotion as her mentor chastised and praised her simultaneously.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she offered.

“Me too. We’re not quite done just yet though,” Waflaw returned, before moving to cast a new spell.

Lucinda watched as her web encased foe – who had been muttering and cursing as he tried in vain to free himself – was further subdued by thick grasping roots that sprang out of the ground and wrapped around most of his body. Waflaw took a moment to look over the man once his spell was finished, and then retrieved a knife from his belt and cut a hole in the webbing over the man’s face.

“Let me go!” the man cried out.

“Answer my questions first,” Waflaw demanded. “Who sent you?”

“We told you… You’ve a bounty on your head! Everyone in the kingdom knows it by now.”

“Where did you hear about it then?”

“From a contact in Hajilm.”

“You have any other allies? Or know of anyone else after me?”

“No! No one!”

“Suspicious, but it adds up,” Waflaw said to Lucinda, his face frowning unhappily.

“It’s all true!” the man replied.

Ignoring the man, Waflaw handed his knife to Lucinda. “Finish him off,” he said.

“No! Please!” the man cried out, as he began thrashing violently against his bonds.

Waflaw turned to the bound man, and as he did one of the thick roots moved to cover the man’s mouth, silencing his protests.

“Kill him?” Lucinda asked in shock. “But… we’ve beaten him? Couldn’t we let him go?”

“We could, but that would be a mistake,” Waflaw returned levelly. “I know you’ve spent a lot of time in a temple of Hefnopt, so this might seem wrong to you. But, you need to understand how the world works, Lucinda. We let him go, and he’ll just come back with more allies to kill the both of us. We can’t have him arrested either, we’re in the wrong here according to local laws, regardless of my own innocence. There's also the fact that he now knows a lot more about the both of us. An unhealthy amount even.”

“What if we made him promise to leave us alone?” Lucinda asked with a trembling voice.

Waflaw fixed Lucinda with an incredulous stare, that she soon withered under.

“Sorry… I guess you’re right,” she admitted. “Okay…”

Gripping the knife in both hands, Lucinda lent forwards and held it point down over man’s body. Offering her a reassuring look, Waflaw guided her hands into place above the man’s breast, before nodding solemnly at her.

Waflaw’s right… He would have killed us both…

With a soft breath of effort, Lucinda plunged the knife downwards, forcing it between the roots holding the robed man, and then through the webbing covering him until it plunged into his flesh. A muffled cry of pain emerged from the man’s lips as his body continued to thrash against the bindings holding him, all the way up until he fatally succumbed to his wound.

You have reached level 2!

You have reached level 3!

Your health has increased by 8 points.

Your mana has increased by 12 points.

You have 20 attribute points to spend.

You have 1 skill point to spend.

You have gained spell: Bitter Berries

You have gained spell: Touch of Rot.

Status

Name

Lucinda Bazan

Class

Shifter

Level

3

Experience

83%

Health

Strength

Agility

Endurance

126

126

8

10

7

Mana

Intelligence

Willpower

Spirit

43

178

11

10

14

“You did well,” Waflaw encouraged, as he took the knife from Lucinda’s shaking hands.

Even with the sick feeling that had emerged deep inside her belly, Lucinda felt a slight sense of appreciation at Waflaw’s words.

“Come on, we better get moving. No telling if these two were really alone or not.”

Lucinda nodded silently and retrieved her staff from the ground nearby. Despite his words of urgency, Waflaw took some time checking the man’s body, while Lucinda tried her best to ignore its existence.

“Grab his pack. I’ll check the other one, then we can leave.”

“Okay,” Lucinda replied.

The man’s pack had fallen nearby during the struggle, and Lucinda picked it up before following Waflaw down the hill. The area of Waflaw’s battle was rough, the grass wildly overgrown, and the ground turned to a wet mud, making movement difficult. Moving over to the corpse of the armoured man that was still hidden in the muddy grass, Waflaw dragged the body clear, before crouching down and performing the same body searching process.

A short time later, Lucinda was following Waflaw in human form, carrying the pack of the man she’d killed and feeling quite guilty about that fact. Waflaw was equally burdened with new items, including the weapons of the two men that he’d tied into a bundle.

“Is the armour worth a lot?” Lucinda asked, as she glanced at Wollow and the armour he bore on his back.

“I’m no expert, but it looks like reasonable quality plate armour. Should be worth something I hope, and better than just leaving it out here in the middle of nowhere.”

“Won’t people ask questions when we try to sell these things?”

“Quite possibly. Then again, none of these things are marked, or magical as far as I can tell. Should be easy enough to convince someone to part with coin for them.” Waflaw replied with a casual smile. “Don’t feel bad for them. I’ve never met an honest bounty hunter, if that’s even what they were.”

“I’m trying not too…”

“Well, I don’t want to put you off, but this won’t be uncommon no matter what path you choose. It’ll get easier in time though.”

“Mmm,” Lucinda replied non committally.

“How about that daring surprise attack you pulled off though? That wizard didn’t stand a chance,” Waflaw said, offering Lucinda a wide and enthusiastic smile.

Despite her gloom, Lucinda found herself responding similarly.

“I couldn’t believe it worked…” she replied, before frowning at Waflaw. “But, I thought you were angry about it?”

“Well, to tell the truth, I was terrified you were going to get hurt,” Waflaw returned, his mirth fading in an instant. “When I saw you sneaking up on him, knowing there wasn’t anything I could do to stop you, or help you… It was rough.”

“I… Sorry,” Lucinda replied, feeling a glowing warmth spread through her body at her mentor’s touching words. “I couldn’t just run away while you were fighting.”

“There’s no need to be sorry. You did what you thought was right, and you were a great help. Even if it was a bit risky.”

Lucinda returned Waflaw’s smile easily as more of her concerns dwindled in the face of his praise.

“Of course, I would have defeated them both eventually…” Waflaw continued with a cheeky grin.

“You did show off some amazing spells,” Lucinda conceded, unable to hide her amusement.

“I did, didn’t I? That’s what they get for challenging a Druid in his natural environment.”

Their journey had continued away from the sight of battle at a steady pace, bringing them through more grassland, and into a sparsely wooded area.

“You get some levels for defeating that wizard, then?” Waflaw asked, as they wove through a patch of denser trees.

“I’m level three now,” Lucinda replied, feeling a hint of the same guilt swell up inside her.

“Hmm, I’d expected more. Can’t be helped. So, attributes and skills… You haven’t spent them yet, I hope?”

“Not yet,” Lucinda acknowledged.

"Good. Then before I delve into the details: Can you remember what each attribute is for?"

"I think so. We learnt it in school. Strength is easiest, it makes you physically stronger. Agility makes you faster and better able to avoid getting hit. Endurance is also easy, more health. Intelligence is for boosting some spells, I think mainly offensive ones. Willpower is similar for defensive spells. Then Spirit provides more mana, but some of my shapeshift skills seem to benefit from it as well."

"Well done, that's almost everything. I'd add that Willpower also improves your ability to resist hostile spells, and is directly countered by Intelligence. Also, Spirit marginally increases how quickly your body recovers from injuries. Though that's not something that matters much to those with healing spells."

"Okay, I'll make sure to remember that too."

“Alright, on to the details, and this is where it gets tricky. Distributing attributes is quite easy for some classes: Fighters, rogues, wizards, and similar, for example. Basically, any class that only has one clear option for how to get stronger. Though if we had an experienced member of any those classes here now, they’d likely disagree, I’m sure.”

“And for the others?”

“Well, for classes with more than one option, usually melee or spell casting, you allocate your attributes to benefit one of those options exclusively. Alternatively, you pick some balance between, perhaps a 50/50 split, or something more complicated.

“Oh. What did you choose? Spellcasting?”

“I sure did. My weapon skill in clubs allows me to defend myself," Waflaw replied, patting the small weapon that rested at his hip. "But I can only try and deter attackers, rather than seriously injure them with it. As you’ve seen, I mostly rely on my spells to stop people, so in other words I’ve got a lot of points in Intelligence, some in Willpower and Spirit, and a healthy amount in Endurance.”

“Having more health is pretty important I guess,” Lucinda commented.

“Exactly. Being dead isn’t a lot of fun from what I hear.” Waflaw replied with a brief laugh. “Unfortunately, this is where things get tricky for Shifters in particular.”

“Ah… Because my forms override it?”

“Spot on again. With your ability to acquire new forms easily, it means you’ll need quite an investment of points to keep your physical attributes above the base value of those forms. Though, with the modifiers, I expect you could reach impressive attribute levels if you did.”

“Should I go spell casting then? Even though I can’t cast in shapeshift form?”

“You can’t now. But, there are skills that can allow that. Druids have that option as well, one I took a long time ago in fact, allowing me to cast spells while shifted with a significant penalty. With further points you can even remove that penalty. Whether or not to focus on spellcasting though… That’s a difficult question. The core of the tricky part in fact.”

Having exited the patch of forest, Lucinda took in more of the surrounding grassland. A settlement was just visible in the extreme distance to the north-west, though Waflaw seemed to be leading them in a mostly easterly, northeast direction, and other than a not too distant river, there was little else of interest in their chosen path.

“What would you choose?” Lucinda asked, having spent a few moments considering her own opinion as she surveyed the surroundings.

“Hmm, I’m a big fan of magic, so almost certainly that. That is a very biased opinion though.” Waflaw smiled back at Lucinda. “However, I am fairly sure that Shifters don’t get as many spells as Druids, and there’s a good chance you’ll have class-specific skill options that boost your physical options even further.”

“That doesn’t help much…” Lucinda whined, causing Waflaw to laugh quietly.

“You’re right, sorry. Let’s see if I can’t summarise it then… I’d say putting points into physical attributes has the potential to be extremely powerful, especially if you focussed on Strength and then found a form that boosted it strongly, say a bear. While putting points into mental attributes gives you greater utility, and means those points are never wasted. Ah, even like that it sounds less than helpful. If only my Shifter friend wasn’t on the other side of the world we could ask him.”

“That’s okay, that does help a bit more,” Lucinda admitted. “I’ll think about it and let you know.”

“Good idea. Make sure you take new skills into account as well. And feel free to run those by me too. We’ll stop for the night in another two hours or so, and should be across the border by then. Fancy a ride on Wallow again?”

“If that’s okay with him,” Lucinda replied hesitantly, her eagerness for a break warring with the guilt of using the animal in such a way, despite having done so before.

“Of course it is. Let me just shift this armour off of him.”

Riding along on Wollow’s back, Lucinda had plenty of time to focus entirely on her options. She had to admit that Waflaw’s description of an exceptionally strong bear was tempting, as were similar ideas, such as an incredibly agile feline, or even an immensely durable boar. But, the worry that some of her attribute points might be wasted if she were forced to use a different form for a certain situation was still troublesome.

Being the strongest bear around would be a lot of fun. I should find one and get its form soon even if I don't go that route!

The choice of focussing on mental attributes was also clearly powerful. Thanks to Waflaw’s demonstrations earlier, Lucinda felt she had a good idea of just how impressive powerful magic could be, and the thought of being able to do that while shapeshifted was highly alluring.

Could I cast spells from the air as a bird? That would be incredible… How would anyone stop something like that? I’d need some better spells first though… And a flying form…

I should check the skills I can get. Skills.

At the bottom of the skill menu, beneath the skills Lucinda currently had, was a new section with a list of skills that were available for purchase.

Purchasable Skills Name Description Proficiency: Armour Type Governs ability to use armour type without penalty. Skill with armour improves with rank.

Requirements: Armour of the desired type. Proficiency: Weapon Type Governs ability to use weapon group without penalty. Skill with weapon improves with rank.

Requirements: Weapon of the desired type. Proficiency: Tradeskill Governs ability to successfully complete actions relating to specified tradeskill. Higher ranks improve success rate and production quality where applicable.

Requirements: Basic knowledge of desired tradeskill. Shapeshifting Mastery I Shapeshifting is 20% faster and 20% cheaper to use.

Requirement: None. Brutish Forms I Increases Strength modifier for all forms by 0.05 per rank of form.

Requirement: 1 shapeshift at rank 5. Graceful Forms I Increases Agility modifier for all forms by 0.05 per rank of form.

Requirement: 1 shapeshift at rank 5. Hardy Forms I Increases Endurance modifier for all forms by 0.05 per rank of form.

Requirement: 1 shapeshift at rank 5. Natural Casting I Allows spell casting while shapeshifted at 75% efficiency.

Requirement: 2 shapeshifts at rank 5. Level 4. Careful Casting I Reduces Mana cost of spells by 10%.

Requirement: 1 spell at 20% mastery. Level 4. Aquatic Forms Grants the ability to acquire and use aquatic shapeshifts.

Requirement: Level 6. Mental Boost I Provides 5 extra points to chosen mental attribute immediately, and 5 more every 5 levels, starting from, and including, level 10. Applies retroactively.

Requirement: Level 6.

Wow, a lot of options. Wait, I need a skill to use armour? Even though I got staves for free?

“Do I have to buy the armour skill to use armour?” Lucinda asked Waflaw, with her skill menu still open in front of her.

“No, you can train it. Same with weapons. We could even buy you some armour when we’re next near a large enough town.”

“Really? That would be awesome!” Lucinda grinned.

“It won’t do anything in shapeshifted form though.”

“Ah… I wondered. Okay.”

What else is here? More efficient shifting is something I could get a lot of use out of. That's tempting.

Then, three skills that make my attributes even better when shapeshifted, oh, and one for mental attributes too. Any of those could be really useful.

Aquatic forms might be fun. Finding a big enough water creature might be difficult though, the sea isn't anywhere close to here…

I should probably ask Waflaw before picking anything. Oh, I got those new spells too.

Spells Name Description Mastery Bitter Berries Conjure a handful of bitter berries.

Shaping Steps: 60 · Cooldown: 1 Day · Base Mana: 100% (122)

Attribute: None 0% Touch of Rot Inflicts a disease on target via a touch. Disease reduces physical attributes for duration.

Shaping Steps: 6 · Base Mana: 20% (24)

Attribute: Willpower 0%

Bitter food… Yuck. Maybe if I'm desperate that will be useful. Then, a disease… Kind of strange, but reducing physical attributes does seem nice.

Lucinda spent the next portion of their journey discussing her skill options with Waflaw. Providing the description of each, along with her own opinion, before comparing that to her mentor’s ideas. Lucinda was still mulling things over, when Waflaw called a stop to their journey, having found a suitable place for them to rest amongst a copse of bushes.

“Well, my apprentice,” Waflaw began, as they sat around a small fire Waflaw had started with his magic. “I hate to burden you further, but you’ll soon need to decide if you’re continuing your journey with me or not."

“I’m coming with you,” Lucinda replied immediately, offering a warm smile as she did.

“Just like that?” Waflaw smiled in response. “I thought you might be sick of my endless talk of combat-related topics by now.”

“Maybe you could focus on other things a bit more…” Lucinda laughed quietly. “But, there’s still so much for me to learn from you. And you promised me that armour!”

“I’m not sure promised is accurate, but if that’s what you want, so be it. And I’m more than happy to have you along until you get sick of me for real. You make a great travelling companion, both on the road, and off,” Waflaw said, finishing with a knowing wink.

“Mother was right! Men are only after one thing!” Lucinda exclaimed in mock surprise.

Waflaw let out a hearty laugh at Lucinda’s jibe. “Well, I did intentionally find a secluded spot for our camp, and ended our journey with some daylight remaining… Maybe she wasn’t entirely wrong.”

“I noticed,” Lucinda replied as her cheeks flushed ever so slightly.

“Help me get the bedding unpacked, and we can get comfortable."

Though Lucinda did not regret her decision form the previous night, without the alcohol in her system she was able to more rationally evaluate the situation, which made some aspects of the arrangement suddenly seem more troubling.

"Umm… Waflaw… I really enjoyed last night, but… I'm not sure we should continue… I mean, I could get pregnant, and if my parents found out they'd kill me! There'd be talk of marriage and settling down, and I never even asked if you were married, or had children, or anything, and I…"

“Woah, Woah! Slow down. I understand,” Waflaw interrupted. “If you don't wish to, then we won't, simple as that."

“Sorry…” Lucinda said quietly.

“There’s no need to be. Really,” Waflaw returned with a reassuring smile. "Though to answer some of your questions: I've never been married, and I don't have any children. As far as I know at least." Waflaw cleared his throat noisily. "Anyway, don't feel like you have to offer me anything. I won’t lie and say I’m not disappointed, but don’t let that bother you. I will simply have to content myself with the memory of our beautiful moment together, and our continuing friendship." Waflaw's smile became suddenly playful as he made to continue. "Still, you should probably watch out that I don’t try and force too much alcohol on you in the future…”

Lucinda's embarrassment and worry turned to amusement at Waflaw's joking warning. “So, that was your plan all along!?” Lucinda gasped in mock outrage.

“Ah… Whoops, I’ve said too much.” Waflaw laughed loudly, and Lucinda soon joined him. “However,” Waflaw said more seriously.

“However…?”

“As my apprentice, I must demand you keep me entertained through other means.”

“Umm, how so?” Lucinda said with a suspicious frown.

“Dice, of course!” Waflaw said with a smile, while he brought his set of dice out of his pack.

“Oh…” Lucinda voiced, as a slight feeling of relief passed through her. “Sure! But, I need to practise my spells too.”

“How have I never had such a diligent apprentice before?” Waflaw said to himself with a shake of his head. “Oh, there was one other thing. It’s kind of important. For you especially. Shapeshifting is a strange process, as you’ve discovered, and while it is generally, perfectly safe, the same does not hold true for those with child. As the new life would not survive a shift.”

“… You tell me this now?”

“Well, I didn’t want to spoil the mood… Anyway, now you know.”

“Waflaw…” Lucinda groaned.