Alice Angel of Mercy

We talked into the night. Making a run for it was tempting but from what Amy was saying the school had some way of tracking me if I left here in debt. There was also higher security along the border for obvious reasons so even if I did go, I would have to have a reason to get through the checkpoints. It all led back to the Adventurers Guild. While they had an identity check, it simply made sure you weren't on the most-wanted list. Other than that they simply didn't care until you started failing on missions. Although in all honesty, that generally meant you were already dead or ran off leaving your group to die so I didn't see that as an issue. The fact that you could use fake names or as they call them 'Team Names' was a bonus and once you were of higher rank you could travel across the borders with less scrutiny.

For this to work, I needed to make a new spell. This was going to be my first attempt at it. The only thing I had going for me was the book Peter gave me and a spell I could base it off of. I was going to try and disassemble 'Animalistic' and put it back together to do what I wanted. Sadly, none of my friends had taken any courses that would help, so they weren't of much use. They had friends or acquaintances that could but I didn't want our plan spreading out. There was also the need to get a new outfit and a weapon which my friends were glad to help with. Bella was all for me switching weapons since a mace didn't suit me. When I told her I picked it because my first one was made out of wood and I didn't have the materials for a sharpening enchantment she just gave me a look of disbelief. She finally sighed and gave me a few options to choose from; a rapier, short swords, dual daggers, whip or a staff. The staff wasn't really a weapon, instead it helped control spells. Most newbies used them as a crutch to cast spells they shouldn't.

I didn't have much of a preference on my outfit or weapons other than that they needed to be different from my normal gear. Although I did shoot down the whip idea right off. Sexy dominatrix just came to mind and I wanted to be low key while adventuring. Once I said I didn't care about my outfit I knew I made a mistake. It was probably Amy and Lilly's giggling and the fact that they wanted to strip me to my underwear to get measurements that gave me that clue. Still if they were willing to do the work, I was willing to accept their help. I had already decided to show them the tattoos. Maybe they knew what they were if not it wasn't like I was the only person that had tattoos. A lot of people that came by boat, for trade, had them.

I wasn't sure what I expected but Amy staring at my neither regions while trailing her hand along the roots, which sent shivers racing through me, wasn't it. She wasn't trying to be perverted. No instead, she looked at it as trying to ferret out the mysteries of the universe. That universe just happened to be between my thighs. I finally had to lightly slap her hand away. She looked confused and I told her we should get started on the measurements. I was going to try and use 'Animalistic' to change myself. Any clothes they make me I will enchant to change in shape but the closer it is the less materials and energy I would need to do it.

The first time I tried, I went with a bunny. I broke apart my aura, wrapped every tendril around myself and cast. As I did, their glow changed from gold to green. I had to cast a few times until I finally got the right combination. My legs were bent into an 'N' shape that took a bit of getting used to. They went forward, then bent backwards, and then went forward again. I felt my muscles shifting, probably to allow me to jump better. My feet were a little flatter, my fingers shorter and both had little pads at the tips. A soft golden fur grew and soon covered my body while my ears flopped against my neck as I looked at my changes. The tail was the most uncomfortable thing that happened simply because it was pressed downward into my butt crack by my underwear. My face had also apparently shifted but from the girls reaction it should be ok. The one thing I did notice was that  while the fur did cover the tattoos it was a darker fur, so if people were paying attention, they would still notice the shape of it.

My friends quickly surrounded me and took my new measurements and then had me try a different animal. We repeated this a few times trying to find ones that fit my personality type. It finally came down to two: the cotton-tailed rabbit and the arctic fox. The bunny made me look shorter because of how the legs were shaped while the fox changed my face shape a bit more. Both had their advantages but I was leaning toward the bunny. It just felt more natural to me. The walrus proposed by Amy wasn't bad. Even though it increased my chest a bit, it was the tusks that I couldn't get used to. We also tried birds but the changes had me looking more like a harpy than a beastkin. I just couldn't get it to work. When I remake the spell I will try and take flying beastkin into account as well. For now, it will have to wait.

As Bella and Lilly left, Amy stayed behind. She looked upset which surprised me since she hadn't been all day. "It was me wasn't it? The person you brought back to life in the medical center!" she said it all in a rush and it took me a second to process it. Before I could answer she exclaimed, "I knew it. There was too much blood and the hole in my shirt lined up with my heart. Once you told us you could... I just knew. Here for.. for saving my life. Maybe it'll save yours." with that she forcefully handed me a bracelet and ran out of the room. I didn't even get out a thank you.