Chapter 15: Chapter 15. Thrilling experiences

The commotion in the Kartan Town continued for two days until it was The Day of Plethora, one of the last days in autumn. All the citizens of the Dawn Empire and majority of the countries celebrated this day. Main streets of the town were full of people from all ages, tunes from several different musical instruments filled the already noisy atmosphere with sounds pleasant to hear.

Merchants had taken the opportunity from the event to make a large profit. Small-scale business was at its peak, as their salespeople didn’t stop emptying pockets of citizens of the small town, especially from the young.

There were multiple spots where skilled acrobats and magicians made performances. Their presentation didn’t include the actual magic that was executed using mana power. They were just artificial methods to imitate the real magic users. Still, children’s eyes were sparkling from seeing spreading mist below their knees and a skilled fire usage of the performers.

A shorthaired woman, clothed with leathery coat was rotating a staff, which was unceasingly producing steam from its both ends, exhibiting a somehow angelic show. It looked as though she was spinning a circle of a sliced cloud, fading instantly into the air the moment it was generated.

Another performer was a man with a crimson headband. He too was whirling a demonstrative staff, coated with fire except for the center part, which was its holding place. Other entertainers were dancing around them, occasionally making tricks with the staff users.

Felix watched them all in his Sareen persona. He strolled over almost all the performance centers and quick-serve restaurants, enjoying various shows and fast food of this magical land. Some people would try to flirt with him at the sells-points, especially young men around the same age as his original male self. He would just avoid them or excuse himself with his maiden smile.

When the festival reached to its hottest hours near the noon, Felix headed toward a district where food products were sold. He needed to make a good use of the lower prices in the markets on this day. The travel he was going to set out was not expected to be a short one. When the shopping was done, he made his way back toward his lodging he had spent time in the last two days. The supplies that was collected were enough to travel at least a week without the worry of his stomach.

Felix didn’t join the celebration for the rest of the day. Spending time practicing his ability and studying the map he had bought seemed more beneficial. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to find any bookstore that he could learn the history of this world or other fields of magic. They must exist only in bigger cities.

The next day, having assured the preparations were complete, Felix embarked on his journey. The main goal was to observe the world, finding an average city and search for an inner magic user to learn the techniques of inner mana control.

But first, he needed to add more transformation skills to his repertoire. Running at fast speed was a piece of cake to his barghest form. Strolling streets as a stray cat was a convenient means to watch any city’s lifestyle. And soon, he would experience actual flying.

He wanted to find more bird species to move in cities and towns more furtively; a pigeon or a sparrow would do. Moreover, he lacked a strength based transformation ability and an agile animal form in order to protect himself. He hoped to find these kinds of creatures in the Great Forest, which lay to the north of the town and the said empire.

After selecting and acquiring new creature forms, Felix would head to the other cities of the Dawn Empire. Many people would say that this country was the strongest among its neighboring nations. It should be peaceful to find a living place in this empire.

The gates of the town were not as strictly secured as they were three days ago. However, it didn’t mean he would be allowed to pass without inspection. The distressing problem was his overly piled coins that could wake suspicious if he was revealed; a young rich maiden traveling alone who was known to no one as a magician or a magic warrior.

After considering choices for an appearance, Felix finally opted to go by his young woman figure, Sareen. Relying on his old man appearance was too risky, now he had thought his previous action thoroughly. He had no idea how long the woodcutter had been living in this town and how many people knew him.

Thankfully, a few merchants with their carts were on their way out of the town. Accompanying them till the half way was his best bet to get out of these toweringly tall walls.

“Excuse me, uncle. Can I follow your caravan? I needed to get to the Sand Village,” He asked from a merchant leaving the town, who looked quite decent from his outfit and appearance.

The Sand Village was one of the closest villages to the Kartan Town, Felix had looked up the map. It was a village far more preferable to his liking. Its location was farther from the ocean, which was bordering west and south part of the Dawn Empire. He didn’t enjoy spending time near seawater.

“I’m sorry young miss, but I’m heading to Zenet.”

Luck didn’t smile at him this time. Zenet was a port town nearest to the Kartan Town. Three days’ worth of travel on foot would be needed to reach to the place. Going to this port town was not a good option according to what he heard of this region. Small squabble were a daily occurrence if he were to believe the rumors. Since it was much closer to the Uncontrolled Lands he had heard a lot from the Kartan Town’s folk; that town’s state of peace was quite changeable. Pirates would raid the harbored town occasionally in order to plunder its residents.

“Hey lass, you are going to the Sand Village? It’s on our way. We would love to have one more fellow passenger among our company”

The person who asked the question was a plump man with clean shaved face. He wore a smile almost reaching to his ears. His clothes and behavior were telling Felix he was a merchant of obsession in wealth and cunningness, maybe a little stinginess. The man wasn’t alone, though. Accompanying him was a stout man with a large flat sword hanging on his back. Further behind these two, around a dozen men and a few women were watching them together.

“Really!? Can I go with you?” Felix took a sigh of relief, inwardly planning to get away from this bunch as soon as possible.

“Of course. Feel free to join our little ‘caravan’,” he said, not missing to mock him a little for his word choice to address the previous merchant. “My name is Lipin. This convoy will pass along your village. Our guards are the most reliable. And we don’t charge a pretty young miss such as you for this small trip.”

“Thank you,” Felix said with a small bow.

“No need for gratitude,” the merchant waved his hand. “You have quite a luggage. Why don’t you entrust it to my son? Meristin!” He turned his head back and shouted at one of the younger men standing beside their two carts.

Felix could only smile shyly for the attitude he was receiving. Maybe he should have taken a gamble and crossed the gates alone in a first encountered male form.

Felix gave his bag to the son of the merchant, who took with an imperfect gentlemanly smile. The other members of the traveling merchants greeted his feminine form warmly, introducing themselves and asking about him. It was not too difficult to make up a fabricated story.

The inspection he had hoped to be strict wasn’t that thorough. Carts were full of goods, so they must have felt lazy to check all of them. They departed the town along with other merchants, who drove several more carts.

Finally. Felix started getting impatient to try his ability and expand its capabilities.

His traveling companions were a little chatterbox. In spite of his silent behavior, they kept telling him stories about their long travels. Impressing a young woman was always a thing, no matter which world it was. Of course, the stories were useful for Felix to grasp this world’s small affairs, but his mind was elsewhere, so he could only wait for a right moment to leave these merchants.

Fortunately, after passing quite a long distance from the town when it was almost noon, the heads of the convoy decided to take a break. People began searching for a convenient spot to prepare a lunch, some went to feed their horses. And Felix looked for a way to slip away.

Getting away from others wasn’t a problem. How could he take out his half-a-human-sized bag unnoticed? There was a bold method for solving this issue.

He took out his bag, hugging it with both arms, and made a straight path toward deeper parts of the woods that started thinning out by this time of the travel. Many people were busy minding their own businesses, apart from one of his route companions.

“Where are you going with it?” the son of the merchant Lipin, whose name must be Meri-something he didn’t remember well, asked as he approached hurriedly from Felix’s back.

“I, ah… I must change my clothes. There is no closed place to change, so…” He smiled indicatingly with a bit shyness.

“Why changing clothes?”

What a stupid question! Felix barely controlled his facial muscles from glaring the merchant’s son.

“It’s… you know…the-“

“Stop bothering the girl, Mer. Girls have their own issues. Come here, help me!” A man adjusting a saddle of a horse from the same merchants group interrupted them, scolding the young man as he called him over.

The young man walked away unwillingly, frowning with puzzlement as he repeatedly glanced back at Felix.

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Thank you helper uncle.

Felix strode to the direction where the trees seemed the thickest, trying to make as long distance from the convoy as he could and came across a slope that went downside. When he was sure the merchants were far away behind, he started stripping his clothes starting with his warm coat.

The days had not become too chilling yet, but still his fragile maiden body protested for the exposure to the cold air. He had no other choice. Transforming by tearing up his gown was not a good idea. From the place rich with trees, he doubted to find clothing suitable to his human forms.

However, when he was about to take off the last layers of dresses on his body, he heard a sharp voice of a twig being broken. He scanned the surroundings with readiness to an unexpected predator, drawing mana for a possible threat he was about to encounter.

A small part of a cylindrical object that didn’t fit well with the nature behind a nearby flat hill he came over pulled his attention. Not losing his cautious and squinting his eyes, he soon recognized what it was. It rose some inches, revealing the rest of its shape and proving Felix’s assumption of its origin. It was a round hat of Meri-boy who kept trying to get close to him. And the young man himself who was wearing it.

Felix loosened his tense muscles from their prepared stance to danger. It wasn’t a monster, after all.

The merchant’s son took careful steps as he started approaching where Felix stood. It was a bit strange. He didn’t approve the youngster tracked him this far, but him looking at Felix with the gaze as if he was a half-ready meal…

Wait!

Felix swiftly dropped his head to look at his current state. He was very close to be considered naked, with a few pieces of undergarment. Of course, he could arise the youth’s lust with such a body and with such an appearance.

“Wait Mer… You should go back to the others,” he said with lifted hands, trying to pacify the young man’s possibly surging hormones. “And you are being rude, so please go.”

His attempts to soften the youth’s heating spirit were in vain. In fact, it served as a catalyst as the man increased his pace toward his direction.

Okay, you are making me do this, man.

Felix crouched his torso forward a little as he began gathering more magical energy to his limbs. By now, three seconds was enough for his arms and legs to become as strong as a strictly trained soldier. And his limbs were already half-full with mana. Then he kicked up from the ground, utilizing his legs as propellers to make use of the impact to the fullest, and crashed with full force of his powered small feminine body.

Despite having a brawny frame, the young man flew away for more than ten feet radius and rolled backward on the dry leaves covered ground. Regaining his bearing a little while sprawling, the Meri-boy looked at Felix with wide and pain displaying eyes. Felix didn’t stop there though. Before the young man fully got himself together, he swiftly shortened the small distance. Protecting his face with his forearms in boxing style, he swept his foot from below as the merchant’s son was rising on his legs.

Mana fueled limb easily brought down the young man from his full height to the ground with a pleasant sounded thud. Felix immediately prepared his stance to the next strike, and his other leg flew to the merchant boy’s unprotected abdomen.

The impact wasn’t very enjoyable to Felix as well as the young man himself from the looks of it. Since the soft part was hit, it didn’t feel right to kick such a spot. This made him grimace a little with apologetic expression. But when the youth started throwing up after not being able to endure the hard strike, Felix grimaced further, this time from disgust. He gave the merchant boy an extra kick to the shinbone. This should prevent Felix from being chased by this pervert.

This somehow bore a satisfactory effect in Felix’s mind. Seeing the man being beaten down who was preparing to violate his female body felt good. Exceptionally good.

This time, Felix didn’t take steps quickly to get away. He didn’t care to the pitiful youth’s state and empowered his legs with mana agan. This was the first time running with strengthened limbs. It felt like he was equipped with springs under the soles of his feet. He was bouncing from the leaf-mixed-twigs covered ground at significantly more height than any average human when running.

Felix adjusted the way his running posture took, tilting his body slightly forward, and put strength on his legs so they would push him only ahead. Then he bolted straight on his sprinting path. The speed, to his estimation, exceeded any fastest human on Earth who had ever lived. Objects around him, protruding branches of trees, shrubs, leaves, all appeared in linear view as he was riding a bike instead of running on his two feet.

A few minutes later, he slowed down and stopped when he was sure no sign of people was nearby. His body was a little sweaty, and this made him feel how lack of clothing he currently had as the chill of late autumn started disturbing his delicate skin. He quickly took off all pieces of clothes on his teen female body, packing them into his old looking sturdy bag. And started changing into his wildest form.

There really were no humans in the vicinity. The enhanced senses of his barghest form informed him by its high scent detecting and hearing faculties.

Felix then bit his only luggage with his monster fangs and darted onward to experience the real feeling of sprint at the much higher speed among creatures. With mana-empowered legs, that should give him a whole new sensation, he believed.

It was exhilarating to say the least. Now all nearby objects seemed linear and some of them he passed the closest appeared in blur. The excessive weight in his mouth was a little bothersome, though he didn’t want to reduce his speed, and ran and ran.

His mind was extra energized from what he was experiencing. An urge appeared to go look for a prey and try his hunting expertise. With mana surging in his muscles, it mustn’t be as miserable failure as the previous time he chased a pair of deer.

But Felix suppressed this urge and headed toward an area which appeared to be almost devoid of trees. This place would do for his first trial of flight. He stopped his sprint.

Putting the luggage on a tree’s trunk, Felix stood on the edge of the clearing, facing to the center of the barren space of the woods. It would serve him as an airport runway. How high he could rise up he wasn’t sure, but being safe was definitely a good idea.

He directly changed into his flying form, replacing his furless hard pelt into a feathered body and his front legs to a couple of wings, which totally extended over four meters when spread. As usual, his transformation turned not quite perfect. The size of his hawk form was as big as the largest eagle in existence. Maybe even bigger. No matter how carefully he siphoned his magical energy from the mana source, he still ended up in a small penguin sized shape. The first time he changed, he was very excited to obtain a new form so he didn’t pay much attention how he was drawing mana. It was in an adult penguin size whose height reached almost a meter.

Felix slowly started fluttering his wings. Keeping this motion repetitive, he marched forward, bending his body in an angle it wouldn’t disrupt his balance. He accelerated his wings’ flapping, walking quicker in the hope of rising more easily. Maybe he didn’t have to run to take a flight, but it made him more confident at his flying chance.

The flow of wind under his wings was like a caress to his new limbs. He tried to adapt to the gentle stream of air as he slowed the movement of his wings. Finally, he kicked up from the ground, imagining, and sensingthe air that it could assist him as an invisible ladder to rise him from the earth’s surface. It did help him. The first moment of his flight was clear because his taloned legs only combed through thin air when he waved them.

He was flying. Although his body was merely a meter above the ground at most, he was flying for the first time not relying on any aircraft.

It was not a flawless flight. Felix unexpectedly remembered the first swimming instructions from his father in his childhood, when he struggled to swim through the still water on a pool. It was just like that time. The difference was constitution of air was far lighter than that of the water.

In a few minutes, Felix had familiarized to the movement pattern of flying as he made a ring from his flying path. He kept hovering over the clearing, not moving up from the height level of the surrounding trees. Going above this altitude felt a bit too much for now. Maybe it was a mental barrier he had to overcome within time, as he did with his limitation about overly harming a human life by killing the woman who tried to enslave him.

Recalling how naïve he had been and the weakness of his current condition, Felix decided to broaden his boundaries. He chose a greater elevation point in the atmosphere where the tree’s peak branches couldn’t reach and compelled his wing to flap swifter.

In a matter of seconds, he was far beyond the height he had ever been before without a propping structure. He was barely managing to not flail his wings chaotically. His mind and body began pleading him to reduce the altitude and go back to the place where he started.

Felix’s intention was to make several areal circles around the clearing before landing. The hawk eyes augmented his vision to the level he could make out each leaf of shrubberies on the ground below. The whole view was as if it was being recorded in a high-grade camera where he could adjust his focus effortlessly.

The most exciting sensation he was experiencing was the wind current under his wings; the air being sliced by his feathers, and through doing this being in control of his areal pathway. It was thrilling.

Having made around a dozen loops above the level of trees, he finally descended to his initial point of flight. By this time, his mind had become stable with the altitude. He was sure he could conquer much higher altitudes given a few days’ time.

However, Felix’s goal was not just to learn flying by coming to this forest. He had some preys to catch, new transformation forms to acquire. His fun experiments had only begun.

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