Shapeshifter

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Two days later, we were on our way back from another day in the square when a commotion occurred outside of our carriage. I peeked out beyond the curtain to see a man thrown through the door of a store, out onto the street, almost landing between the wheels of our carriage. Immediately, I knocked on the front side of the carriage, signaling for Juak to stop, and listened.

"I ought to have your head, for lyin' to me, you shapeshifting twat!" The shopkeeper roared, throwing the man's bag out next to him. "A shame, 'cause you were the best damned clerk I ever had, but I ain't havin' no skin-turners in my shop!"

"Well, screw you, too!" The man yelled back, getting up and storming off. I managed to catch him with <Observe > before he blended into the crowd, curious. "I'll show you what a skin-turner is capable of!"

[Siv Wippo]

Race: Shapeshifter;

Titles: Salesperson Extraordinaire;

Age: 22

Rank: Shapeshifter (1.5x)

Affinities: Wind; Blood;

Level: 53 (91%)

Health Status: 1590/1590

Mana Status: 1590/1590 (2.5/m) (3rd)

Stamina Status: 1590/1590

Body: 159(106) (+2/)

Mind: 159(106) (+2/)

Spirit: 159(106) (+2/)

Status: Frustrated, Disappointed, Saddened.

Thoughts On You: Curiosity; Hope;

I signaled for Juak to keep moving as I looked to Vaquin and Ilyor. "What is a skin-turner?" I asked.

"It's what shapeshifters are called," Vaquin answered. "Damn creatures wear other people's faces, manipulate and cheat people on the daily. Not a surprise that shopkeeper acted that way, when he found out he was employing one."

"I think it's too harsh," Ilyor said meekly. "I mean, they didn't choose to be born like that…"

"My ma got tricked into believing my pa came back from the dead, by one of those skin-turners," Vaquin spat. "Shithead stole her savings and ran - we never found the conniving bitch."

Ilyor frowned, but remained quiet. I glanced back at the shop, which then had a paper stuck to the door window reading 'no skin-turners!'. It seemed social prejudice permeated every society, no matter what universe they were in… Something else to think about.

*****

At the end of the week, following a final free enchantment, the carriage made its way through the streets on a different route, then before. Not towards the castle, but towards another district of the merchant district. Father and I had gone through the paperwork, and I had rented a somewhat-downtrodden building not far from the square for cheap. 'Cheap' meaning more than the monthly wage of most non-merchant workers, but only one-fifth of what we made in a day in the square.

The carriage pulled into an alleyway next to a quaint two-story building, with access to one of the main roads leading away from the square. I took out one of the masquerade masks Ravelus had given me - one that looked to be made of griffon feathers - and wrapped it around my head as I got out. Ilyor used a key to open the doors to the shop and opened them for me, revealing the some-what run-down interior of the building.

To my understanding, this building had been a high-profile clothing shop about a decade prior, but the owners had been laundering money through it to avoid mercantile taxes, so the place had been shut down and turned over to the royal family. In that time, nobody had been around to upkeep it, so it suffered from coastal weathering, and slowly broke down. It wasn't too bad, not by a long shot, but it wasn't yet presentable.

I peeked into every room, ascertaining as to its condition before returning to the front and motioning for Ilyor to go get the cleaning supplies from the carriage. Vaquin, I sent to scour the place for rodents and insects, not wanting to find out they were infesting my goods at a later date. Then, I waited in the main room, thinking about my plans and mentally arranging the furniture and shelves.

I senses someone approaching me from behind and turned, expecting to see Ilyor, but was instead met with the massive bust of a woman standing only half a meter in front of me. I immediately exhaled all of the air from my lungs and turned around, face red, and spoke up with a shaky voice. "H-hello?"

"Hi, there, sweetheart! What's your name~?" The woman asked in a sultry voice.

"S-Sterling," I replied, still trying to purge the image of the woman's barely-covered bosom from my mind. From the second-and-a-half I had looked, I could see she was wearing a very revealing outfit, borderline scandalous, which is why I wasn't looking in her direction.

"Oh, you must be that merchant's son! My, you're a cutie~! Such nice ears!" I felt her hand settle into the space between my ears and shivered, my teenage hormones acting up - at least, spiritually. My young body wasn't capable of such reactions, yet. "Can you point me towards your father~? I've come to ask him for a job!"

I didn't answer for a second, trying desperately to calm myself down. Yes, I'd seen mother's breasts when she breastfed me nine months prior, but that had been different. She was my mother, and this woman was… for lack of a better term, much-better-endowed.

"Oh, you don't have to by shy, sweetie~!" The woman grabbed my shoulders and turned be around to face her, revealing my atomic-red expression. "Aww, you think I'm pretty?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" I replied on instinct, trying to squirm my way out of her grasp. She responded by laughing and pulling me into an embrace, shoving my entire head… you know where. I tried to force myself away, but she was stronger than me by a good margin - almost doubly. I almost infused myself with mana, but I didn't have to as I heard someone else come in through the front door.

"B-boss!" Ilyor gasped, dropping the brooms and cleaning supplies as she came upon the sight of me being suffocated by this strange woman. "What are you doing to him?!" Ilyor demanded of the woman.

"Me? I'm just appreciating this lad's handsomeness~!" The woman smiled at her, embracing me tighter. "He doesn't seem to mind, do you?" She looked down at me. Of course, I was still trying to escape, pushing against her hip and sides. In my desperation, I reached up a little too far, and… "Oh! That's a spot only big boys should touch, you know~?"

' Ahhhhhhhhh! ' I screamed in my head, drawing mana into my muscles and pulling myself away, falling back a few meters. "Ahhhhhh!" I yelled aloud, curling into a ball and wrapping my arms around my very-warm face.

"It seems I've broken him~…" the woman smiled innocently, cocking her head to the side.

"What's going on?!" Vaquin stormed through a door and vaulted the counter, sword in hand. "What did you do to him?!"

At this, the woman seemed genuinely scared and raised her hands, eyes wide. "I'm sorry! I was only teasing him, and I got a little too ahead of myself!"

"Boss, are you okay?" Vaquin knelt beside me, checking me over.

I only whimpered in response, still trying to contain my blush as the hand I had… done that with clenched and unclenched in remembrance of the feeling.

"Boss? You mean this kid's actually the enchanter, Sterling?!" The woman gaped. "I-I didn't know! I'm sorry!" She then smiled offhandedly. "…Not that it wasn't fun…"

I was so embarrassed that I had to infuse my will with mana to calm myself down, breathing deeply until I could sit up. With the infusion, I was able to look at the woman and use <Observe >, wondering who the hell she was.

[Siv Wippo]

Race: Shapeshifter;

Titles: Salesperson Extraordinaire

Age: 22

Rank: Shapeshifter (1.5x)

Affinities: Wind; Blood;

Level: 53 (91%)

Health Status: 1590/1590

Mana Status: 1590/1590 (2.5/m) (3rd)

Stamina Status: 1590/1590

Body: 159(106) (+2/)

Mind: 159(106) (+2/)

Spirit: 159(106) (+2/)

Status: Shocked, Fearful, Abashed.

Thoughts On You: Curiosity; Hope; Platonic Infatuation (You are Cute); Fear;

"Y-your that Shapeshifter from a couple days ago!" My eyes widened. As did hers, once she comprehended what I had said.

"H-how can you tell?" Siv asked fearfully. "Nobody can tell a shapeshifter off of appearance!"

"But I can based on your mana," I said. Indeed, every person had a unique mana signature, which I could feel and remember quite easily. Still, I wasn't going to tell her - or him, or whatever - about the system. "I remember you from when you got fired from that shop down the street; you almost got run over by our carriage."

"That was her?" Ilyor gasped, face still beet-red. I wondered why she didn't try to help me, but that could wait. "Why is she here, now?"

"To ask me for a job, apparently," I stated, shutting my eyes as I thought.

"I-I'll just leave… Surely, you don't want a skin-turner in your establishment…" Siv moved to exit.

"It's alright," I said, raising a hand towards her. "You can stay, while I think." She gulped and stood still, nervously eyeing Vaquin's sword. "What were your intentions, if I may ask? Beyond seeking a job."

"I-… I created this form to seduce the enchanter into allowing me a job. That's it! I promise!" She started shaking, on the verge of tears.

"Calm down, nobody's going to hurt you," I said calmly. "Why did you grab me, like that?"

"I… thought I could get to the enchant through you, whom I assumed were his son," she answered, slightly calmer. "Get you to plead my case, because you thought I was pretty…"

I hummed in thought. "So, it's safe for me to assume you've done this before? Used your ability to manipulate people into doing what you want, or behaving the way you seek?"

"Y-… Yes," she nodded.

"Final question: could you put that to use in a work environment?"

"Wait, you can't seriously be considering a skin-turner for-"

"Silence, Vaquin," I glared at him. "I will not tolerate discrimination in my presence. I understand you have a history with Shapeshifters, but it's just that: history. Put it aside, and look at people for who they are, not what those of their kind have done to you."

"But-"

"I will remind you that there are many peoples who dislike humans for the actions of our ancestors and fellows. Should they hate us for that?" I looked at him seriously. He remained silent. "The answer is no. So long as you are under my service, you are to treat everyone with respect, even if they fall below you in your personal hierarchy."

"…Yes, sir," he said.

I nodded and turned back to Siv, who was staring at me with wide eyes and an agape mouth. "You… You defended me?" She asked.

"It is my understanding that all sentient life is valuable," I said, smiling. "To value one less than another is contradictory to the beliefs of my family. Those employed by me will respect that belief, even if only in my presence."

At this, tears came to her eyes and she took a step towards me before recoiling when Vaquin's sword hand twitched. "Sheath your weapon, Vaquin. Let there be no bad blood between us, this day."

"Yes, sir," he sheathed his sword with a stony expression.

"You want a job?" I asked, looking at the Shapeshifter. She nodded excitedly. "Take some supplies and clean the upstairs room on the right. Do it well enough, and I might hire you."

She jumped into action, literally, bounding over to the supplies Ilyor had dropped and picking some out before rushing towards the stairs with a grin on her face. Ilyor and Vaquin looked to me for orders, so I gestured to the supplies. "The building needs to be clean before we can start on the repairs, so we'll begin there."

"We?" Vaquin asked. It seemed any hostility he had in him was gone, replaced by his usual stoic - albeit flippant - dutifulness.

"You may still work under me as Alistair, but you work with me as Sterling. I'll be helping in any way I can, until we get ourselves off the ground," I grinned, picking up a broom and getting started. It only took a few moments for my subordinates to get over their shock and start helping, sweeping and washing the floors, walls, and even the ceilings. Within two hours, the main room was clean. Around the same time, Siv came back down the stairs, dirt smudged on her face and… you know where.

"I finished~!" She chirped happily, setting down her supplies. "Wow, you guys work fast~!"

"As do you," I nodded towards her. "Ilyor will check your work and get back to me. For now, I want you to go out and find a furniture store."

"Yes, sir~!" She skipped out of the building, her motions having the expected effect on her… you know whats. I simply blinked, infusing more mana into my will before shaking my head and gesturing towards Ilyor and Vaquin. Ilyor went upstairs while Vaquin and I moved on to one of the back rooms on the first floor, which would be used as a workshop and storage.

A few minutes later, Ilyor came down and gave me the affirmative, telling me that the room was indeed cleaned well, before joining us. Siv came back, eventually, telling me about a store a few blocks down that sold good-quality furniture for not-so-much money. I asked her to lead me to it, leaving Vaquin and Ilyor behind to continue cleaning.

"Can I… hold your hand? To make sure you don't get lost in the crowd, of course!" Siv asked. I rolled my eyes and nodded, grabbing her hand like a child would their mother when they go to an amusement park. Despite the fact I knew this woman could turn into a man, the teenage soul in me didn't care. She was a woman, now, with huge boobs. Boobs are cool, when they're not on your mother.

"Are you a boy, or a girl?" I asked, looking up at Siv questioningly. "Originally, I mean."

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I've been changing since I was born, as do most Shapeshifters, and I don't have parents to tell me which one I came out as, so… I kinda just pick whatever suits the situation."

I nodded, humming. "Shapeshifting seems like a cool ability. It would certainly help me in a few endeavors."

"You think so?" She asked.

"Yes, actually!" I grinned. "Being able to change my hair or skin color to blend in with a crowd, or making myself taller… It sounds very handy."

Siv laughed. "It's not so simple, unfortunately. Yes, I can change the pigmentation of my body, but it takes time. The whole time between when I was fired and now, actually. Body proportions are also difficult, sometimes. To increase the mass in one place, you have to decrease it in another. In this case, I took away from my height to make my breasts ginormous!"

I coughed into my fist. "Interesting. So, you have to put on weight if you want to get bigger, or lose it to become smaller…"

"Or you can compress it," she said. "I'm actually about one-hundred ilos, despite only being 140 cirs tall."

"Oh, look, we're here," she said happily, dragging me into a larger building. A couple people were looking at the various chairs and bedroom tables placed within, while a younger couple were talking to the clerk. I watched as the clerk held out a hand and said a chant, causing a couple double-sized beds to appear in the open space obviously dedicated to the practice. "I asked about their prices, and this place seemed good."

I nodded, watching as the couple tested out the beds before handing the clerk some money, getting a slip in return. They left, happy, and the clerk returned the items to her pocket dimension. Siv, still holding my hand, approached the clerk with a smile. "Ah, back already? And who's this little guy?" The woman asked, cocking her head to the side.

"This is my friend, and we're here to get him some furniture," Siv said.

"Do you have any single beds for sale?" I asked.

"Of course! I have three in my pocket, right now, and we have some more in the back. Would you like to see them?" She asked, getting a nod from me. She chanted again, and three single beds appeared in the space. One had a dark brown base and yellow covers; another, a light brown base and blue covers; the third, a black base with red covers.

"Try them out; you'll probably know more about mattresses than I would," I said.

She nodded and tried all three beds before returning to my side. Pointing at each of them, from left to right, she gave her verdict. "Too hard; nice and soft; even nicer, for some reason. All of them are much better than any I've used before, so it's easy to distinguish."

"What about the colors?" I asked.

"I like red," she grinned.

"The third one, then," I nodded, pointing at it. "How much for that one?"

"150 silver. It comes with a matching nightstand, too," she said. 

"We'll take it," I said, pulling out the money and handing it to her.

"Alright, then~! Just take this slip and hand it to the folks in the back, and they'll carry it-"

"That won't be necessary," I waved her off, touching the bed and adding it to my inventory. It disappeared with a small fwhip as air was sucked into the place where it had been. I was wearing the <Dusk Crown Ring>, which I pointed to as an excuse. "Family artifact."

"That's useful! I'm stuck using my magic, which requires a chant, and doesn't have much space," the clerk grinned.

"You're young, so it'll definitely grow!" I smiled. She smiled back and chanted the nightstand out.

"Anything else?"

"A dining table and a couple chairs would be nice. I can get a washbasin and oven from the smith we passed on our way here," I said.

"Dining table and chairs to match the bed; gotcha," she nodded, holding out a hand and drawing out her mana. It flowed through her spacial gate and out through her palm, filling a space in the physical world in the shape of a table, surrounded by chairs, before a pulse was sent along the strand that popped the outlines into reality. It was interesting to watch.

"Ooh, I like them," Siv commented, trying out one of the cushioned chairs. "These are nice!"

"We'll take these, too. How much?" I asked the clerk.

"One gold for the set," she replied. I handed her the money and took everything into my inventory with a smile.

"Thank you, ma'am. This helped a lot. I'll be sure to come back if I need more help!" I said, grinning.

"You're very welcome~!" She ruffled my hair. "Come back any time!"

Siv and I left in search of the smithy we had passed, looking to get the rest of the things one would need to furnish and apartment.

*****

Meanwhile, Rel was trying her best not delve into her bestial spirit form and seek out the Shapeshifter who had done such a lewd thing to her precious son. Anir was, as always, watching over the boy, and had reported the incident almost immediately. Rel wanted nothing more than to choke the woman who dared to molest her little boy.

It was only worsened by the fact that Alistair was so kind, that he agreed to hire her! Sure, she had some merit, as far as the manipulation of patrons went, but she had still invaded his personal space, and practically shattered his innocence! Now, she had led him by the hand to a store, where he bought her furniture?! And, she had the Gaul not to realize it was for her?!

"That boy is too kind for his own good," Rel mumbled to herself, teeth clenched hard enough to bite the woman's head off. "Trusting random women he only met that day… Just how peaceful was Earth?"

*****

"There!" Siv exclaimed, putting her fists to her hips as she looked at the room with pride. I had asked her to arrange the room how she would like it, for reference, and she had done so with glee. The table and chairs were under the window, which looked out into the back alley, and the bed was in the corner. The washbasin - which I had given a minor heating enchantment to keep the contents hot, and another to clean the water within - sat behind a folding screen in another corner. A couple trunks beneath the bed had enough space to contain a moderate amount of clothing.

"Nice place, ya set up for yourself!" Siv said, looking over at me.

I simply smirked and said; "You mean for you."

She froze before looking at me with wide eyes. "You mean...?"

"You're hired? Yes. You can stay here, rent-free? Yes," I smiled at her. "You will be running this shop, after all. Won't you?"

"Y-yes! I will! Of course I will!" She laughed, snatching me up into a hug that made me scream in my head. "Thank you, Sterling! I won't let you down!"

"Y-you can start by letting me down," I pointed at the floor. She nodded and set me down, grinning. "Now, we have some time before the store opens. In the meantime, I want you to scout for staff. Only people we can trust to keep my age a secret, but they also have to be capable. Just a few to man a couple carriages."

"I gotcha," she grinned. "I know a circle of outcasts like myself looking for work. Attractive outcasts. They don't oust each other, so I doubt they'd oust you."

"I'll gladly meet them," I nodded. "Get in contact with them and bring them here whenever they're ready. For today, I'd like help refurbishing this place."

"You got it, boss!" She nodded emphatically, striding out of the room.

I smiled and followed, finding Ilyor and Vaquin coming out of the other room on the upper floor, supplies in hand. "We've finished cleaning, boss," Ilyor said.

"Good! We can start replacing the broken flooring," I said. "All you have to do is cut the broken sections and replace them with the new stuff. While you do that, I'm going to set up the lights and locks I made."

"What flooring?" Vaquin asked. I waved for them to follow, and went back downstairs, then held out my hand and bought the laminated maple planks I had bought from the system shop, which matched the color and size of these foreign planks perfectly. I had bought a bundle of them for twenty SC, providing enough to refurbish the broken segments of the floor.

"These should work. Use the saws and wood glue in the carriage, and make sure to make it look good. Measure twice, cut once; you know?" I said. "I'll apply durability and warming enchantments to the whole floor, later, to make it more comfortable. For now, we just need to get it in place."

"Yes, boss!" The three of them said with varying levels of enthusiasm.