Chapter 16: Chapter 16. A new town

Felix was soaring over the Great Forest as a hawk that could be seen normal from a long distance, clutching a dangling bag in his legs, which was almost empty of food. He was being careful not to pierce it with his sharp talons.

Modifying this form to a proper shape had taken a few more days of effort than the time he had spent to get used to this bird body. Flying was now not a challenge anymore, as his current altitude was several kilometers above the leafy surface of the woods below, though he still didn’t dare surpass the altitude where the clouds were floating.

It had been twelve days since he left the first town he had been in this magical world. During this period, he experienced multiple occasions enough to say he had become full of animal life.

The profits were the transformation skills in his repertoire that had been expanded; three more creature forms were ready to be deployed. The first two he had mastered were other species from flying creatures. A pigeon transformation he could have never imagined would be this useful. He would have been traveling in that form if it weren’t for its small physique. Additionally, there was an owl transformation, much handy to flying at night. The last one was for his self-defense; a largest specimen from the monkey species, a gorilla.

At the beginning, Felix wanted to have the pigeon form for reconnaissance purposes. Visiting a town or a city without knowing could be dangerous, therefore, scouting in an unsuspectable form was his best way of doing it. How could he know that the creature, which was mostly ignored, had very acute senses. Its hearing was considerably better than his barghest form. And pigeon eyes did not lag behind that much than his hawk eyes. Most importantly, he discovered a direction finding sense in this small bird’s form. It was as if he always knew where he was and where to go to reach a desired location.

The owl transformation opened the opportunity of moving in darkness. Night vision made this quite simple. Additionally, his hearing in this form was like another way of seeing, which was even better than his pigeon form’s. It was as if his whole head was made for hearing sounds in his owl transformation.

The gorilla form he could now change was immensely useful for traveling in forest zones. The far superior agile limbs than his any human forms assisted him to clang and climb on trees rather effortlessly. His powerful arms could crash bones easily if he were to fight. He had to go deeper into the forest area in order to find the mighty creatures who could threaten most monsters. When changed into a gorilla first, he was the biggest among its kind. He decided not to adjust much this shortcoming of his ability in this form. It must show its uses one day.

Felix didn’t earn or get familiarized to these forms that easily, though. His owl transformation’s eyeballs didn’t rotate in their socks, forcing him to move his bird head whenever he wanted to see around. Moreover, its excessively numbered eyelids bothered him for a long time to get used to. His pigeon transformation wasn’t perfect whatsoever at first as his serpent one. It looked like an oversized fat hen when he changed into it even after several dozens of practices.

He had acquired his gorilla transformation after going through some vexing games that he participated with monkey offsprings. There was even a situation he came very close to contesting against a male gorilla over a territory.

What was more time consuming adjustment was to get used to the temperature of winter. Without clothing, managing with only his fur and feathers was a challenge. Thankfully, Gorilla and barghest skins were thick enough to protect himself against the merciless weather. But the issue was in the bird forms. Despite their fast working organisms in high-pressured blood flows, he felt cold and had to get accustomed to the winter atmosphere.

Felix was currently sailing through the cold air above the border of the ocean, which was named Denez on the map in his possession. Although its shores could be hardly seen from the long distance he was flying, the salty breath he was taking had been informing him the closeness of the vast water pool for a long while. The altitude was rather high, as he didn’t wish to be seen from the ground carrying a sack. His keen eyes kept watchful for any movements below.

Hunting was a pleasant and quite refreshing experience he had recently started developing as a hobby. He had tried his all forms’ hunting techniques. Staying patient and pacing sneakily behind a prey, until you were in a close enough range to catch it without depending on mana, searching for a favorable path to the prey to approach, diving from the air instantly to stun a hunting target had becoming a habit for Felix lately.

Testing his proficiencies of his speeds from time to time was another activity Felix had found quite entertaining. It was, in fact, addictive. His running speed in his barghest form was almost perfect; he had mastered it quickly. Flying swiftly among the woods was a risky and even dangerous sport. Though his super actively pumping heart persisted him to experiment some complex movements at least through the top parts of trees. His next desire was to try flying above clouds and performing aerial maneuvers. That should be fun.

As he was traveling through the wind under his wings to his aimed location, a city named Chindon, Felix decided to level off from his height in order to take a break from his airline. His keen hawk eyes had long found a manmade barricade that he was well familiar from his previous visit to the Kartan Town. It appeared all the walls defending an urban area had been built in a gigantic fashion in this world.

The town was built atop a hill that gave it a view describing as unbreachable. Past the town walls, rows of houses stood in neat order, constructed from stone, growing in number as far as the center of the overall residences where what looked like government or religious constructions stood tallest, ending with timber made cheaper dwellings at the rear of the whole fortification. Felix would prefer to call it a smaller city instead, since the population seemed far greater than the Kartan Town contained. The south-west part of the fortification, which was the nearest side to the shores of the ocean Denes, accommodated hundreds of scattered households outside of the huge walls. The map informed Felix the town was named Bening.

He chose a gully below. Not detecting any movement at the vicinity, Felix slowly descended, drifting down diagonally as he stopped flapping his wings. The resting type of flying was somewhat pleasing to his avian limbs.

The most suitable appearance was the woodcutter character in Felix’s human changes this time. A young woman wandering outside might not be wise in most cases. Besides, he was getting tired of attracting polite attention that he could not respond in an even manner, afraid of hinting an unnecessary meaning. Other personas possessed higher risks of being recognized by other people. Old bones would cause an inconvenience, but it would be only needed until he settled in a hotel. Being in a wild was showing its signs through his smell and dirty outfits he had been wearing for too long than he liked.

Before transforming, Felix moved up to observe the town gates more thoroughly. The entrance was quiet. Only some carts were being stopped to pass an inspection that didn’t appear overly strict. That was perfect.

Felix changed into an old man and put on his male outfit. Although they weren’t fit to an elderly, the coat he wore would hide his style of clothing. This was the advantage of the cold season.

Having done with his preparations, Felix set out to get acquainted with the civilization closely, now by himself. On the fields near the road leading to the gates, a few shepherds were watching and guiding their flocks in woolen coats and matching hats. This side of the town was considerably passive compared to the other side as he saw the whole situation while flying. The common specialty of the citizens must be fishing rather than farming or herding.

After around twenty minutes of walking, Felix reached the loosely secured gates and passed leisurely as he had been dweller of this town for years. 

Grinding noises of carriages and shouts of sellers who found a convenient place for business were heard as he strolled by the thick entrance walkway to the inner town. The atmosphere of this area was noticeably lighter than the one in the Kartan Town. Metal goods from farming tools to battle weapons were spread in front of salespeople, which a few of them were beckoning Felix to come over and look, the lax of standing guards who were chatting instead of keeping an eye on the entrance were all making the place livelier.

Felix moved on to the main street before him, where town constructions began with food shops, bakeries, smithies and apothecaries, and continued with ordinary residences clearly owned by lower class citizens. Still, the houses were built by good crafting hands in Eastern mixed European style with stone and timber skillfully, their glass windows reflecting partially cloudy sky and occasionally the peeking sun. Few houses were covered with tiles on the top.

As Felix strolled on the bricked pavement on the side of the road, he went closer and closer to the center part of the town. The street was occupied mainly with inns and shops of various artisanships, there were even a couple of brothels along the road. 

Upon nearing the center area, more official buildings began to come into view. It seemed this Town’s chief had located the military base not inside his own residence unlike lord Kartan. A long and tall made metal palisade was put to keep out unwanted citizens around even taller defensive walls far further from the railed fence. The inner barriers reached more than half a dozen meters, reminding people who would want to approach them must be strong climbers or mana possessing magic users to risk a peek over them.

Around the facility, farther away from the central road, there were several exquisitely built mansions; households probably belonged to the wealthy merchants, or even the nobility if they resided in this town. 

A tall construction was built upon multiple rows of eaves was the most eye-catching structure in the whole area. It was a single building surrounded with low built walls. Probably a temple built for this country’s religion, since the large golden metal image of the rising sun atop the entrance was indicating the symbol of this nation's belief. Some people, mostly the elderly, were coming and going of the building’s inner yard, which was beautified with loads of decorative plants.

The passed head prostitute had provided the knowledge about the people's religious customs and its significance in the country. She had said the government didn't rely too much on temples on making major decisions and establishing laws. But seeing the structure's size and decor, Felix suspected the information might not be really accurate.

Apart from the temple, the second most outstanding construction was, of course, the town lord's residence. It was like a small castle, multiple elegant buildings were surrounding a single biggest structure in the center. The only reason it was not the most prominent was probably because of its height. 

Felix started searching for a decent accommodation after walking around the town well enough. Overly elegant hotels were not for his status or for his tastes, and the cheap lodgings were too uncomfortable to spend a night in. He needed a normal hotel in every aspect. Fortunately, that didn’t take long to find a suitable place.

Felix occupied a room whose conditions satisfied his needs perfectly, for a hundred and twenty mings. Locking the room after entering, he immediately transformed into his original self. The room wasn’t prepared to any guests in advance, a shortcoming of a middle class hotel. Felix handled the heating problem of the room and the cold water in the bathtub. After the water and the room atmosphere were in a satisfying degree, he promptly took a hot bath. This made his freshness craving body content.

After feeling all clean, Felix relaxed his body, tired from the long journey on a soft bed, fully naked. This state was becoming somehow natural. He had to buy a new set of clothes, though. Washing the old ones sounded too tiring right now. Most likely, there weren’t washing machines in this world. However, there was a more important question to resolve…

What to do now?

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The goal regarding to have multiple transformations had been acquired. He was free, not known to any powerful force to be taken advantage of as Tsilonee tried to do. He had his changing power which he currently no idea what to do with. Grabbing others by changing into their familiar people was not an option. He neither liked nor wanted this type of activity. Finding a trainer at mana control was an obvious option. But what after that?

Felix had always moved with goals in mind back on Earth. The future paths were calculated and depended on his success at performing what he had to do for reaching them as everyone did. Should he try to find a means to go back to his old world? There was no evidence of it being impossible, but he didn’t possess any knowledge related to inter-dimensional teleportation magic, and he didn’t have a clue if there was anyone who did.

The Chindon city he had been hearing a lot, which was supposed to be one of the three largest cities in the Dawn Empire along with its capital called Teresan, was his main direction now. There was the third most popular city close to the shores of Denes Ocean, but Felix was already feeling distasteful of the saltish scent in the town’s air. The third biggest city was out of question.

So the plan was to head to Chindon and become an apprentice to a local swordsman or someone skilled with inner mana usage, not revealing his ability at that, additionally.

Felix took a tired sigh, imagining the hard work waiting ahead of him. Having a particularly useful ability was fine, but the weight of how and when to use it, especially without alerting the officials of the high authority was a huge piece of trouble.

Having determined his future actions, Felix concluded to give a rest to his body and mind for now. First, there was him empty stomach he hadn’t taken care of yet. Downstairs of the inn was exactly intended for this purpose, luckily. This day would be dedicated purely for his relaxation, he decided. Bad thing there wasn’t internet or at least TV in this world. Maybe granting a visit to one of the brothels he encountered on his way here wasn’t a bad idea. He would choose what to do the next day after he was fully recovered from his journey.

The hotel room was quiet and warm. Its occupant, Felix, lay buck naked under the soft, thick sheet on bed, asleep. The sunrise was still afar, but the sign of it approaching was visible at the outside through a pair of windows in the room.

Despite being fast asleep, Felix felt a presence in his apartment somehow. It was a male figure from the sound of his breathing. The stranger gripped something tightly, and a sound of a blade being unsheathed echoed in the room, along with the advancing steps toward where Felix lay. The blade was fully out of its scabbard by the time he stood tall upon Felix’s sleeping body.

The intruder raised the weapon high. It was clearly to strike Felix when he was asleep.

Felix bolted upright. Strongly wishing to get away from the assault, he kicked away the bedsheet on his body and stumbled down from his small sized bed. But there was no one except himself in the room. He carefully checked the other side of the bed. Still, no one. Then he went to the door, ensuring it was locked.

Shuddering and being coated in cold sweat, Felix started taking huge gulps of air through his throat, trying to calm his panickingly drumming heart. This was just an imagination. An imagination came into existence from the fear of a possibility, that someone could be seeking him out of revenge.

The fate of Seron was unknown to him. The swordsman was a bloody persistent guy. From the way he carried himself, he wouldn’t go back from his objectives easily. But Felix had a transformation power. No one should be able to track him down. No one should be capable of recognizing him in a different appearance. Right?

He should have kept his barghest transformation while asleep. It had been helping him to overcome any kind of insecurities sealed up inside.

Felix got back onto his bed, taking deep breaths and trying to convince himself he was just overly worried of something that had no way of happening. After pacifying his mind, he lay still. Sleep wouldn’t come, he figured, so giving his brain a rest could at least replace the slumber.

Soon, the morning came. Sunbeams pierced through the window panels from the partially pulled blind. Felix felt tired of lying still and got up to have a breakfast on the ground floor of the inn after some light bath. That should refresh his mind.

The meals of the restaurant were mostly made with fish, the other types being more expensive or lacking taste. Although his wallet was not in a condition to be concerned of, Felix chose to be economic.

Now he was fully awake among a little crowded place, he contemplated his dream, or his imagination. There was no way Seron would track him down so fast. From what he had heard from the rumors in Kartan Town, the swordsman must be imprisoned along with other personnel of the brothel. The rumors also said the madam of the brothel was assassinated by an unknown employer who was the main culprit of the whole riot. But that person had got away by getting rid of the crucial suspect, madam Tsilonee.

Felix didn’t want to ponder over the matter too much and decided to think about his current goals. The bag in his possession was good for long travels. However, for strolling streets with a spare outfit if he had to unexpectedly change form, he needed a smaller and more convenient bag, or a backpack to be more precise.

Felix went up back to his room and packed his old bag with only a female outfit he had. His Original appearance must be kept hidden, he had decided. Being a shapeshifter had risks and he didn’t want an unexpected encounter with the people of Earth if there was one. Wandering the market in an old body was inconvenient. No matter how risky of his young woman persona was by being recognized by Seron, who was certainly in the prison of the Kartan Town or maybe even hopefully dead, he didn’t worry too much.

He left the inn in his old appearance and changed human forms in a deserted valley he found, in a cold weather. Though being young was still the best. Why not just enjoy the youth while it lasted? Besides, being in more attention felt kind of delightful, now he thought about it.

The location of the market was on the west side of the town, not far from the center area. Finding it by asking from passer-byes didn’t bear any issue. There storeowners who practically pulled him in their shops, claiming it was a sin to let a young and such a beautiful woman walk in improper clothes. Fortunately, the salespeople were not consisted of only males. A woman came to his aid by assisting Felix to choose a couple of outfits; one for outing and the other for special occasions. A woman having a single attire was incorrect, she explained, and sold her piece of goods simultaneously.

Felix changed his garment to the newly bought one; a long dress, furred from the inside, all navy color without adornments. Above the waist, it was an ordinary dress with long and loose sleeves. A sky blue, warm and well-made jacket was worn with it. Below the hip, it turned into a long skirt that didn’t bring inconvenience while walking. It even had underdress layer, to keep the legs warmer. He wore it with a newly bought coat.

His previous outfit didn’t contain such properties. It was a knee reaching blouse and a shirt, which was worn over male pants. The woman of this country rarely wore trouser-like garments. He feared of catching cold if he put on only the skirt without anything inside but the undergarment.

Nevertheless, now he was walking in the warm and finely made clothes, he understood the women’s attire wasn’t just for show to attract male attention. It had its own uses. Easily taking steps without the hindrance of pants gave the sense of freedom to the limbs. Cold didn’t bother that much as he had expected either.

Now was the time to purchase a backpack and some male clothes. However, a hand took a rough grab on his arm when he was trying to choose a direction. Turning, he saw someone he didn’t recognize. There wasn’t a chance he would, anyway. Still, he tried to remember; old habits.

“You! You are the girl in the convoy!” a twenty something skinny young man said, eyes wide.

Felix’s heart made a whooshing movement from the realization of the person holding his feminine arm. But before he could unshackle himself from the grip, the youth turned and shouted to a direction.

“Boss, this is the girl who beat you in the forest!”

The so-called ‘boss’ turned out to be the Meri-boy, the son of that Merchant; Lipin must have been his name. He looked at his subordinate, with disappointed and anger mixed gaze, but when his eyes landed on Felix and the realization kicked, the only anger remained.

“Don’t let her go,” he barked to his companion and rushed to where they stood.

Not good. Should take some serious action.

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