Chapter 26

“I haven’t told them, so you’ll probably want to bring it up before you shift mid-fight,” I warned Stephen quietly when we entered the safe zone of the fourth floor.

“I think I’m going to hold off on shifting for the first day,” he replied. “I’ve really been enjoying the camaraderie. I don’t want to ruin it just yet.”

“I really don’t think it’ll change anything.”

Stephen smiled, but didn’t look convinced.

Since we’d all explored the first several rooms of the floor, we didn’t hesitate to leave the safe zone and head toward the first room. Sure enough, Stephen hung back, using his Archery and Shadow Bolt skills to provide ranged support during the engagements.

“You running low on arrows?” Mike asked when Stephen stored another broken arrow after the fifth room. His quiver only held about twenty to start, and that number had already thinned by quite a bit.

“A little. These low-grade arrows are a lot weaker than what I’m used to using. I also rely on Archery less when I fight alone, so I misjudged how many arrows I’d need for the delve.”

“I’m not much of a fletcher, but I can make some arrows for you,” Mike offered. “There’s a type of crystal in the dungeon that is light like wood but durable enough not to break when used as a projectile. Emie has stored a bit of it for me. If you want, I can whip up a couple of dozen arrows for you later.”

“We don’t have anything that would work for the fletching, though,” Cora pointed out. “Unless you found some metagnite you haven’t mentioned, you won’t be able to add the flexible feathering.”

“Metagnite?” I asked. “I’ve never heard of that.”

“It’s a type of mineral that naturally forms very thin sheets that are flexible when separated,” Mike answered.

“So, like mica, then?”

“Maybe? I’m not familiar with that term. I imagine they must not be the exact same thing. Otherwise, the term would have been translated directly.”

“Well, I can handle the fletching myself if you are willing to craft the shafts and arrowheads. You can take whatever you think is appropriate compensation from my share of the loot,” Stephen said as he put away the last of his recovered arrows.

“That sounds fair enough,” Mike replied. “I’m going to get started on harvesting the airy blooms. It’s nice having another experienced forager working with us. It makes this part of the delve go by so much faster.”

Learning that Stephen had a foraging skill had been a nice surprise. It wasn’t quite as good as Herbalism, but Foraging at least helped with the harvesting process.

Stephen had seemed just as surprised to see that our entire party took the time to forage after each room was cleared, even if Cora mostly stuck with Mike because she didn’t have a skill related to harvesting or identifying flora.

On floors we’d already cleared a few times, she could function on her own. But the fourth floor was still new to us, so she mostly just stuck with Mike or me to prevent overlooking something valuable.

Happy to lend a hand, the shapeshifting archer had joined right in, though he’d needed a bit of guidance on harvesting a few of the herbs that the Foraging skill didn’t really cover.

“Should we take a break for lunch now, or after the next room?” Mike asked once we finished gathering the scattered resources from within the room.

“I could eat,” Cora replied.

“Me too,” I agreed.

Stephen shrugged and nodded.

Mike and Cora looked at me expectantly.

“Alright. Time to share another secret, I guess,” I said, turning to our now-confused temporary party member. “I earned a boon from my former deity because I helped establish a second Realm Dungeon. As reward, I have a small dimensional space that serves as a sanctuary.

“I still need to be touching anyone that I bring inside with me,” I added, holding out my hand. Cora had already grabbed my other one, forming a bridge between Mike and me. “I promise, it’s safe.”

Stephen’s hesitation only lasted a moment before he slid his hand into mine. “I trust you.”

Feeling an unusual warmth spreading through my chest, I shifted the four of us into the sanctuary of my demesne.

“Oh,” Stephen exclaimed quietly. “I don’t know why, but I was imagining something more like a cave than a… house?”

His hand was still in mine as he took in our change in surroundings, though Cora and Mike had already moved toward the table.

The space looked a lot different from the way it had a few weeks earlier. Instead of being a sparsely furnished open room, the space truly did look more like a residence, if an unconventional one.

Cora had picked up several pieces of décor, including curtains that gave the illusion of windows where none existed. There was also a fake fireplace that we combined with a set of antlers from one of the hearth deer to make the space feel warmer and more inviting.

Cora had also shown that she did have a bit of artistic talent by painting several landscapes and other, more abstract pieces of art, which she then hung around the sanctuary to make the space feel a bit warmer.

Mike had created very thin dividers out of stone and gemstone, with wavy patterns that created the illusion of texture and movement. The stone dividers created three semi-isolated sleeping rooms – one for me, one for the couple, and a third we’d recently added for Stephen.

“Your bedroom is over here,” I said, motioning toward the newest partition as I released his hand. “I hope it’s not weird that we picked up a bed and bedding for you, but it seemed rude not to provide you with a comfortable place to sleep.

“For now, our furniture is either handmade by one of us or purchased from one of the low-end shops that cater to new adults. It’s not the quality that any of us are used to, but it’s all we can really afford right now.”

“You really didn’t have to go through this trouble for me. I would have been comfortable sleeping on a spare pelt, especially in my leopard form.”

I smiled and glanced at the couple, who’d clearly heard his comment. They seemed a little surprised and curious at his statement, but I didn’t sense any tension in either of them.

“I guess you’re ready to have that conversation now?” I asked as I headed toward the table.

“Might as well get it over with.”

“Before that,” I said, looking to my other two team members, “What do you all want for lunch?”

I listed out the options, including the breakfast plates I’d prepared in advance. Not everything in my storage was made by my hand, though. Some we’d purchased from street vendors and other food-service providers instead.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

With the help of Mike and Cora, I’d stocked up on plenty of options for our delve – enough that I hopefully wouldn’t need to cook over a fire any time soon. I still might if I got the itch to do so, but I liked having the option of just relaxing instead.

Once everyone had a meal in front of them, Stephen shared his own secret with the rest of our group.

“A full shapeshifting ability? Like, you actually turn into the beast and have all of its senses and everything?” Cora asked.

“That’s right.”

“What can you shift into?”

“A mist leopard and a mirror falcon,” Stephen answered. “They are creatures from my previous realm. I’m not sure either exists here, but I haven’t noticed any changes to my abilities in either form.”

“A leopard I can see, but a falcon… aren’t they much smaller? Where does the extra mass go?”

“My falcon form is pretty large. I’d say it’s about half of my regular size. As far as where the extra mass goes, I have no idea. I used to be able to shift into much larger creatures as well, so I’ve always just figured it was an aspect of Zoki magic.”

As he answered their questions about his shapeshifting ability, I could see the tension draining out of him. I couldn’t help but smile as my friends proved they were exactly the type of people that I thought they were.

Stephen seemed happy about their reaction as well. I could almost feel the relief radiating off of him in waves.

“So, can we see you fight in beast form?” Cora asked with sparkling eyes.

“Sure. Instead of just hanging back and peppering the mobs with arrows, I’ll show you what I can do in my leopard form.”

We discussed our shift in approach as we ate, and after our meal, I moved us back to the empty room from which we’d departed.