Lucinda awoke slowly, her mind feeling sluggish. She opened her eyes to see bright sunlight cascading down through the tall grass that mostly covered her, as well as a notification awaiting her.

You have reached rank 4 of Shapeshift Boar.

Ah, that’s good! Not long now. Though, I think I’ll pass on the next late-night adventure Waflaw has planned. I’m still so tired…

Just barely managing to stifle a yawn, Lucinda looked around the area that was their camp. A slight sense of relief found her as her eyes fell upon Waflaw, who was sitting quietly nearby with his attention firmly locked on a small book that rested upon his lap. Lucinda was about to shift back to human form and greet her mentor, when she remembered she hadn't spent her attribute points from her most recent level up. After a spell of considering, she settled upon following the same distribution pattern, keeping her three mental attributes as balanced as possible. Then, she shifted back to human form to greet the reading Druid.

“Morning,” she called out, her voice revealing the fatigue she still felt.

“Morning,” Waflaw replied, looking up and putting his book aside. “Just barely, I should add.”

“Oh.” Lucinda glanced up at the sky to confirm Waflaw’s words. “That’s not my fault!”

“I never said it was. Why, do you regret our little trip last night?”

“No… Last night was a worthwhile experience,” Lucinda forced herself to admit. “But, I think I’d prefer to stick to daytime adventurers in the future. How did you find out about that place, anyway?”

“We have Wollow to thank for that. As part of becoming my animal companion, he has become much less in need of sleep. He’s not one to sit idle either, or waste time pointlessly. In other words, he often spends his time scouting, whether I ask him to or not.”

“I see. What about that necromancer? Did your friends have anything else to add while I was busy fighting for my life?”

“Gaining valuable experience, I think you mean?” Waflaw replied with an amused smile on his lips. “But, no, not really anything of particular interest. Just more of the same: Skeletons being raised and abandoned. Forcing that Cleric and his Paladin friends to traipse after them, in an effort to put the dead back where they belong.”

“Mmm, you’re right I did gain valuable experience. Fighting undead was… pretty scary. But, it got easier, and I think I’ll be more prepared for next time.”

“Glad to hear it. You did well, honestly. It’s true they weren’t much of a threat, but I half expected you to have to flee more than once regardless.”

“Thanks… Oh, do you know why they were like that?” Lucinda asked, before realising her question was entirely unclear. “I mean, do you know why they only reacted when I get close to them? Before that, they didn’t seem to care I existed.”

“Undead are often limited mentally, especially the weaker ones. They may have been given a specific order of that nature, or maybe this acolyte we heard of botched things.”

“Right, okay. That makes sense. It was a bit weird, but that didn’t stop me levelling up!”

“Ah, congratulations!” Any new and exciting discoveries to share?”

“I haven’t really checked yet…” she admitted, eliciting an amused chortle from her mentor.

“Well, why not check during ‘breakfast’? Feel free to help yourself to my supplies, I know you’re still low after trading all yours away yesterday.”

“Okay, thanks!”

Retrieving a small chunk of dried bread, along with some nuts and fresh berries, Lucinda brought up her skills menu.

Purchasable Skills Name Description Proficiency: Grants ability to use . Skill improves with rank.

Requirements: Related item or relevant knowledge. 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. Attribute Shift When shapeshifting, user can choose to temporarily shift their highest physical attribute to another physical attribute of their choosing at 80% efficiency.

Requirement: One physical attribute above 5 x level. Level 8. Lingering Resilience Retain 50% of shifted Endurance when returning to human form. Effect lasts 2 hours.

Requirement: No physical attribute above 5 x level. Level 8. Desperate Measures I Shifting form at less than 25% health, allows for one instant cast Heal spell at 150% mana cost. Cooldown: 1 Day.

Requirement: Heal spell at 50% mastery. Level 8.

Oh, a skill that would have allowed me to make better use of my physical attributes if I’d gone that route… Bit late now. I’m happy with magic, anyway. Lingering Resilience looks really good, though! At least, when I work out how much health it might provide. And then this last one… That seems really useful. Hard to resist a skill that could easily save my life.

Lucinda briefly explained her new skills to her mentor, including her own opinions on each. Both of the two new ones she could potentially acquire seemed to be focussed around increasing her survival, a fact that both she and Waflaw agreed was nothing but good news. Deciding to consider things carefully over the next few levels, Lucinda moved onto another topic.

“I got a new spell too!” Lucinda said excitedly.

Not waiting for a reply from her mentor, Lucinda began her spell. Conjuring an orange ball of mana between her hands, she manipulated it to completion in a few seconds, before releasing it. In place of the mana she’d used, a fiery orb appeared, the heat of which she felt against her skin for just a moment before it arced away from her. Soaring through the air, the spell came to rest upon a patch of grass, where it detonated noisily in a puff of explosive energy.

“Scorching Orb?” Waflaw asked.

“Aww… A Druid spell then?”

“Sure is, but don’t let that diminish your enthusiasm.”

“I won’t… Eeek!”

Lucinda’s eyes went wide in alarm as she saw the ground smouldering where her spell had landed. Grabbing a water skin as she climbed to her feet, she rushed over to the patch of grass and put out the budding fire before it could ignite and set the grassland ablaze.

“Sorry, I should have realised…” she said sheepishly.

Waflaw chuckled briefly before replying. “No harm done.”

Returning the water skin, Lucinda sat down to finish the remainder of her breakfast.

“Could you summon some creatures in a bit? I’d like to get to boar form to rank 5 as soon as possible, so I can cast spells while shapeshifted!”

“Sure, just let me know when you’re ready.”

Before long, Waflaw was summoning creatures for Lucinda to defeat as she’d asked. Even in her boar form, Lucinda found Waflaw’s rats to be far too easy, which soon led to her asking for more challenging foes. It was quite clear that she’d grown in strength since their training session a few days prior, with only combat against Waflaw’s wolves proving to be much of a challenge.

Thrilled by the realisation of her own improvement, Lucinda worked hard defeating foe after foe for close to an hour and a half before she received the message she’d been waiting for.

You have reached rank 5 of Shapeshift Boar

You have gained: Charge (Boar) Charge (Boar)

Increase burst movement speed by 15%. Sprinting more than 5 metres towards a target increases melee damage of next hit.

Effect scales with Base Level.

Status (Boar)

Health

Strength

Agility

Endurance

274

274

24

17

42

Oh, that might be useful. A way to close on a distant enemy, and deal more damage in the process? I’ll have to try it soon… But, that can wait!

Skills Name Description Natural Casting I Allows casting while shapeshifted at 75% efficiency.

Still in boar form after her intensive training session, Lucinda began casting her first spell while in a non-human form. The process was unsurprisingly different in a number of ways. Most obviously, the ball of mana appeared in front of her face, just past the tip of her snout, rather than between her ‘hands’. The required motions the spell explicitly demanded of her were likewise altered, which was certainly a good thing as she had a severe lack of the relevant appendages to work with. Instead, the shaping steps involved careful flicks of her snout to guide the spell, which she managed to use successfully on her first attempt, albeit noticeably slower than she was used to.

This is going to be great once I get the hang of it. I’ll have to relearn how to cast more quickly like this, and probably slightly differently for every form too…

“Strange, isn’t it?” Waflaw commented, as Lucinda’s completed healing spell flooded her with warmth.

Nodding and offering what she hoped was an agreeing grunt, Lucinda moved onto to trying more spells. Thankfully, there were no new surprises for her to discover in the new casting process, and before long she’d cast each of her 5 remaining spells as successfully as the first. There was, however, one interesting new aspect to one spell in particular: Bitter Berries.

These actually taste okay in boar form… I really didn’t think that was possible…

After finishing her light after-breakfast snack, she decided to practise a few more spell casts to properly familiarise herself with the experience. Starting with a couple more in boar form, she soon moved onto her other shapeshifts, which turned out to differ again, much as she’d expected. Bear form worked quite well, as it was possible to use her forepaws to help shape her mana, and badger form performed similarly. Deer and wolf form, were unfortunately almost the same as boar, with a noticeable lack of manual dexterity. The most interesting of all, however, was her spider form, which she discovered was capable of using up to four limbs simultaneously to shape the spell. It required an immense amount of concentration for her to accomplish, but the potential increase in spell casting speed was unmistakable.

All things told, she’d spent the better part of an hour testing her new skill, which had had the added benefit of further boosting her spell masteries.

Spells Name Description Mastery Heal Restores a portion of target's health on touch.

Shaping Steps: 10 · Base Mana: 30% (38)

Attribute: Willpower 19% Biting Frost Small burst of frost in front of caster. Slows and damages those caught within.

Shaping Steps: 4 · Duration: 15s · Base Mana: 45% (58)

Attribute: Intelligence 10% Morning Sun Warming glow that very gradually restores health in area. Only usable outside.

Shaping Steps: 20 · Duration: 1m/level · Base Mana: 10% (13)

Attribute: Willpower 7% Bitter Berries Conjure a handful of bitter berries.

Shaping Steps: 60 · Cooldown: 1 Day · Base Mana: 100% (128)

Attribute: None 4% Touch of Rot Inflicts a disease on target via a touch. Disease reduces physical attributes for duration.

Shaping Steps: 6 · Base Mana: 20% (26)

Attribute: Willpower 1% Scorching Orb Lob a small orb of fiery magic at a distant target. Explodes on impact.

Shaping Steps: 8 · Base Mana: 40% (51)

Attribute: Intelligence 0%

“Do we have any plans for today?” Lucinda asked once her training was complete.

“I did have something in mind. But, it’s a bit late in the day now.”

“Oh, what was it?”

“Another opportunity for you to gain some experience. A small band of kobolds was spotted by Raerol and his allies as they journeyed to the ruins we met them at. Much further east and south, so little chance of us making it there before dark.”

“That’s too bad…” Lucinda replied, while being unsure of if she actually meant her words or not.

“It is. With the need to stop by town tomorrow to get your armour, they’ll most likely be dead by the time we can next reach them. Instead, we could head back to the forest and hunt down a few wolves. There were a lot more than those three we found. It just depends on how you feel about that.”

Lucinda considered the possibility briefly, before deciding upon her answer. “…I don’t think I could. It wouldn’t feel right after befriending some of them yesterday. Unless there’s too many and we really need to do something about it?”

“Not this time,” Waflaw replied with a shake of his head. “Then, maybe we should return to town. That way you can do some research on local birds. Once you have your armour, you’ll be in a good spot to seriously think about finding an animal companion.”

“Oh, good idea! I was also thinking I could acquire more shapeshifts there. If badger is possible, then maybe other smaller animals are too?”

“Looks like we’re decided then,” Waflaw agreed with a sharp nod.

Lucinda helped her mentor clean up their campsite before they set off in a northerly direction towards the distant town. It didn’t take much work, especially with her having slept in shapeshift form. Not having to pack up her bedding was a plus, even if she was left wondering about what extended stints as an animal might do for her overall cleanliness.

“So, let’s continue our conversation on classes, shall we?” Waflaw announced shortly into their journey. "Tell me about Clerics and Paladins.”

“Umm, both use a mix of melee and spell casting to fight. Paladins focus more on melee, but Clerics can do the same with the help of magic. Their main magic type is light, but they usually have one other that varies based on the God they follow. Hefnopt’s is earth. Oh, Paladins are supposed to have gleaming blonde hair too, and be incredibly handsome!”

“Well put. Not sure I agree on that last part, though,” Waflaw replied matching Lucinda’s smile with an amused expression. “I don’t think I have anything to add. Not that I expected anything less from the daughter of two Clerics. But, how about their opposites?”

“Death Knights and Hierophants? Aren't they mostly the same? Umm, I guess with opposite magic types?”

“Easy enough, isn’t it? Keep in mind they prefer weakening their opponents with magic over bolstering themselves, and you’ve pretty much got it. Although, while I’ve never faced a Hierophant in combat, I hear they often focus on summoning magic.”

“Oh, okay. Their magic depends upon which Dark God they worship too?”

“It does.”

“Mmm, I hope I never run into either.”

Waflaw chuckled briefly upon hearing Lucinda’s admission. “I can agree with that sentiment. Well, we’ve still got a ways to go. How about I go through a few more while you rank up a shapeshift?”

“Sure!”

Deciding that her bear form was very likely to rank up during future combat, Lucinda soon settled on shifting to her wolf form. Then, as they continued journeying, Waflaw offered up further explanations on a number of classes as promised. Some of it Lucinda knew, or was familiar with at least. For example, despite having never been taught of Druids in school, she knew about Rangers and their similar preference for nature, as well as their fondness for ranged weaponry. Fighters, Rogues, and Knights were likewise easy enough, focussing on Strength, Agility, and mounted combat, respectively.

“Alright,” Waflaw announced after a lengthy stretch of lecturing. “There’s still more to talk about, but we can leave that for another day. Then we can move on to discussing strategies for fighting them after that.”

Lucinda gave a simple bark in response, content to digest what she’d learned so far, before letting her thoughts drift to considerations of the forms she might be able to acquire in town.

Arriving at the western gates of Malart, Waflaw adjusted their journey to continue north around the walls of the town. His reason for doing so was not lost on Lucinda, as she too had noticed the farmland that stretched out to the northeast. By the time they reached the northern gate, some few minutes later, Waflaw called a halt.

“Here we are,” he said. “I’m going to let you handle this, but take Wollow with you.”

“Where will you be?” Lucinda asked.

“I’m going to try and earn some coin in the meantime. I’ll be back before dark, which should only be a few hours away. We’ll meet here, okay?”

“Okay, see you soon then.”

Lucinda barely had time to consider how her mentor intended to earn a significant amount of coin in such a small amount of time before Waflaw had waved farewell and left her behind. Offering a smile to Wollow, she set off on her hunt for forms.

Once within the farmstead proper, Lucinda made her way past the fields of crops that were dotted with farmhands, to where she had spied the livestock. Seeing little harm in her intended actions, and preferring to keep her true intentions a secret, Lucinda decided not to ask for permission to approach the animals. Not that she knew who to ask even if she had wished to.

Stepping off the dirt road into the first grassy field she came across, Lucinda began projecting a sense of calmness as she moved towards a small group of pigs.

This is probably pointless… I’m not sure it will be fun either… I just have to hope they have some kind of useful ability.

Shapeshifts Name Base Attributes Attribute Bonuses Base Level Rank Bonuses STR AGI END STR AGI END Pig 10 10 10 X1.1 X1.0 X1.0 1 1 Iron Stomach Iron Stomach (Pig)

Eat and digest almost anything without penalty.

That’s actually not bad…

Having easily acquired the form of the pink animals that were passively enjoying the afternoon sun, Lucinda dismissed her status and moved on to look for another target. She made it a few steps from the pigs, before a loud shout stopped her in her tracks.

“Oi!” a man’s voice called out. “What you doing with our pigs?”

Turning, Lucinda saw a young man walking hurriedly towards her from the road. He had long and messy brown hair, but was well built and mildly handsome despite the mud on his face and clothes. Putting on a friendly smile, Lucinda tried to defuse the situation.

“Hi,” she replied. “I was just petting them. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Pettin' pigs?” the young man asked with a confused look. “Why’d you wanna do that?”

“Because I think they’re cute, why else? I was hoping to meet more animals too.”

“Yeah? What for?” The young man scowled faintly at Lucinda.

“To pet them as well. Would you mind?”

“I’m not s’posed to let folk wander the fields…”

“You could accompany me. To make sure I don’t get up to any mischief,” Lucinda said, while increasing size of her smile ever so slightly.

In a flash, Lucinda saw the young man’s demeanour change. Even with her self proclaimed lack of skill in regards to men, she couldn’t help but notice the way he suddenly took in her appearance more closely. That combined with the wide smile that appeared on his own lips, had Lucinda blushing faintly despite herself.

“Da won’t be happy about it… But, you seem harmless enough.”

“Harmless, that’s me,” Lucinda replied encouragingly. “I’m Lucinda.”

“Harlow. Everyone calls me Har.”

“Pleased to meet you, Har.”

“You want me to take you to see other animals?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll take you then.”

The young man named Har beckoned Lucinda to join him as he began in the direction she’d been heading before being interrupted previously. Lucinda was relieved to see things had turned out well, but was slightly ill at ease thanks to the frequent sidelong glances the young man kept shooting her way.

“You a Druid?” the man asked her as they walked.

“Did my stag friend give it away?” she replied with an amused smile.

“Yeah. What’s it like bein’ a Druid? You go round petting stuff all day?”

“Something like that. It’s not a bad life, if you like animals.”

“I was gonna’ be a Fighter you know. ‘Til Da talked me outta it.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lucinda offered, unsure of what the young man wanted in way of reply.

“Yeah… Someone’s gotta take care of the farm.” Har said unhappily. “S’not so bad I s’pose. I’m still plenty strong for it,” Har continued, before pumping one arm to expose his sizeable biceps beneath the thin shirt he wore. “See?” he asked with a wide grin.

“Umm, yeah, I see,” Lucinda stammered.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

“What other animals do you have here?” she asked in an attempt to change the topic.

“All sorts. Cattle, horses, goats, sheep, chickens… and a donkey.”

The information wasn’t at all surprising for Lucinda, as she could see most of the listed animals from where she was. She nodded along, all the same, relieved her question had seemed to have the intended effect.

With her two chaperones in tow, Lucinda made the rounds of the farm, meeting the selection of animals on offer. She gained a form for each without issue, except for the chickens due to their status as flying animals, though she still petted one or two to maintain her act. With the farm animals acquired, Lucinda found out about the pets Har’s family kept, and with a bit more convincing soon added two more forms to her rapidly growing list.

Shapeshifts Name Base Attributes Attribute Bonuses Base Level Rank Bonuses STR AGI END STR AGI END Cow 17 12 12 X1.1 X1.0 X1.0 2 1 Quality Milk Goat 10 10 10 X1.0 X1.1 X1.0 1 1 Steady Footing Sheep 10 10 10 X1.0 X1.0 X1.1 1 1 Flock Leader Donkey 14 12 14 X1.1 X1.0 X1.1 2 1 Beast of Burden Dog 10 10 10 X1.1 X1.0 X1.0 1 1 Best Friend Cat 10 10 10 X1.0 X1.1 X1.0 1 1 Tiny Predator

Having spent a fair amount of time with the young man, during which she endured a few more crude flirtations, Lucinda was quite ready to leave. However, one of her forms had given her an idea that was simply too good to pass up on. And it was something she would need some help with.

“Har, I have a favour to ask of you. It’s going to sound a bit strange, but it would mean a lot to me if you could help, and if you could keep quiet about it.”

“Yeah?” Har replied with an eager smile. “What’s that then?”

“Is there somewhere quiet we can go? Somewhere where no one will see us?”

“Yeah! I know a spot!” The young man’s smile only grew wider as his excitement did too. “You want me to take you there?”

“If that’s okay. Could you bring a pail too? With a lid?”

“What you want that for?”

“I’ll tell you when we get there.”

The spot the young man knew turned out to be a crop storage house that was mostly empty. The inside was plain, with straw littering the floor, and a strong musty scent filling the air.

“No one will hear us here,” Har said with a grin on his face. “You gonna send your friend away?”

Lucinda frowned at the young man’s words for a few moments before realisation hit her.

“Oh… Har, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that!”

“You… didn’t?” Har’s face slipped to a hurt frown in an instant. “But… You said a quiet spot? And… You’re a Druid!”

“Sorry, Har. I wanted your help with something else. I didn’t mean to mislead you like that. Honestly!”

“It sure sounded like you did…”

“Sorry… Umm, but what does me being a Druid have anything to do with it?”

Har’s hurt filled gaze snapped to Lucinda’s face from where it had been staring at the floor. She saw confusion war with unhappiness across his face as he made to reply.

“That’s what they say… That Druid girls are prom… prom… Uh, easy. All the men at the tavern go on about it. Something about not carin’ for proper behaviour like most girls.”

“Promiscuous?” Lucinda said in shock. “They say that?”

“Yeah… That’s why I thought… When you said… But, you’re not?”

“No. Sorry,” Lucinda returned, before falling silent as she considered the apparent local reputation Druids held. “But, would you still help me?”

Har took a long time replying. Remaining silent, until he released a heavy sigh and then began.

“I s’pose. What, then?”

Should I still go through with it after all that? … It’ll be worth it. I’m sure of it!

“You know that Druids can shift into animals?”

“Yeah…?”

“Okay, well as I said… This is going to sound a bit weird. But, I’ll be really grateful!”

Lucinda was sitting by the side of the road just opposite the northern gate back into town. Having finished with her goals on the farm, she’d returned with Wollow to the meeting spot, and was waiting for Waflaw to return with considerable anticipation. The sun was gradually sinking out of sight in the sky above her, and Lucinda had started worrying about what she’d do if Waflaw didn’t show up. Fortunately, before she had managed to make any desperate plans, her mentor finally arrived.

“You’re late,” Lucinda accused.

“Sorry,” Waflaw replied with a placating smile. “I found a good source of income and didn’t notice the hour. How did it go?”

“It went well,” Lucinda said, her annoyance at having to wait quickly fading. “I met a lot of animals. I even helped out a bit on the farm, and they gave me some milk to take away with me.”

Lucinda pulled a corked bottle out of her pack, whose opaque surface hid the milky contents within.

“It’s really nice and fresh! You should try some,” she continued, offering the bottle to Waflaw.

“Hmm, go on then.”

Lucinda fought to keep her smile normal as she watched Waflaw take the bottle and uncork it, which became increasingly difficult as her mentor took a sniff of the milk it held.

“You okay?” Waflaw asked as he held the open bottle before him.

“Fine,” Lucinda replied, as she stifled a laugh before it could emerge and ruin her scheme.

She managed to keep her cool all the way up until Waflaw took a large swig from the bottle, whereupon she burst into laughter.

“Something the matter?” Waflaw cocked an eyebrow at Lucinda as she continued to laugh loudly.

“…How was the milk?” she managed to ask.

“Quite nice, as you said. Why?”

“One of the animals I petted today… Was a cow.”

Lucinda had been hoping to see a look of shock or disgust spread across her mentor’s face as she revealed the truth at last. Unfortunately, Waflaw instead broke out into laughter of his own.

“Well, you’ve produced some great milk, my apprentice. I thank you.”

“What!? No! You’re supposed to be upset!” Lucinda complained. “Don’t you get it? I made that!”

“I do get it, and I’m honoured you chose to share it with me. It’s really quite nice, you should try it.”

“Ugh! No way.” Lucinda exclaimed, as Waflaw offered her the open bottle.

“I take it this was some attempt to get back at me?”

“It was…” Lucinda admitted, pouting as she did.

“Sorry to disappoint you then. Still, I’m not sure what you expected. And I can’t help but think about what you had to go through to produce it.”

“Forget it! Let’s go to the inn.”

“We can go, just as soon as you tell me what it was like to have your udders squeezed and stretched as you let yourself be milked,” Waflaw said with a teasing grin on his face.

“Stop it!” Lucinda shot back angrily. “I don’t want to talk about this any more…”

Despite her protest, Lucinda endured many more teasing comments all the way to the inn, and throughout the remaining hours before they finally called it a night.

Shapeshift Bonuses: Quality Milk (Cow)

Produce up to one bucket's worth of milk. Possesses a slight restorative effect.

Effect scales with Base Level and Spirit.

Cost: 90% Base Mana Steady Footing (Goat)

Improves ease of movement in mountainous terrain.

Effect scales with Base Level and Agility. Flock Leader (Sheep)

Nearby sheep will flock to and follow you without fail. Beast of Burden (Donkey)

Safely carry up to 50% of your own weight. Best Friend (Dog)

Through cuteness and charm, convince people to divulge their worries and woes.

Effect scales with Base Level and Spirit. Tiny Predator (Cat)

Discern the location of all tiny creatures in the nearby vicinity.

Effect scales with Base Level and Spirit.

Cost: 5% Base Mana