Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Grounded

I walked carefully down the steps, being mindful of where I placed my feet on each step. It was surprisingly easy to walk without making any noise, thanks in part to my tail. It helped me keep balance while shifting my weight from one foot to the other, and would allow me to more easily change where I would step or even hop across small sections. I suppose being a cat did have its perks. One of which was my sight.

I couldn't make out any colors, but everything else was very clear for me. I could navigate the room without light, which clearly the intruders could not do judging by the nearby torchlight. I followed them through the shadows, tailing them closely. There were three robed people, all of them yielding short swords. They were searching for something.

The room itself was full of crates and shelves, it looked like a storage room. I didn't see anything special that warranted secrecy and warnings. If there was anything around, it would be deeper inside. And I wasn't about to let those people find whatever it was. I did have some follow-up questions to ask my superiors, however.

"Are you sure it's down here?" One of the figures asked in a low, raspy voice. "This is just simple storage. I doubt there's even a single staff."

"Quiet." Another figure, the shortest one, reprimanded him. "No talking during missions, unless necessary. Plus, the intel is good."

Only one of them was carrying the torch, walking in the middle of the trio. I walked around some shelves and waited behind crates until two of them had passed me. I grabbed the one lagging behind and placed my hand over his mouth. With my other hand I pressed the short sword against his neck, quietly shushing him. He seemed to get the message, and was clearly terrified. I found some rope around and tied the man's hands to some heavy equipment and gagged him with cloth. It wasn't sturdy, but it would buy me enough time.

"Hey, Delta. Why don't you-" The figure with the torch turned around to look back to his friend and finally noticed he was gone. "What? God damn it, there's someone here with us."

"Impossible." The shortest figure once again spoke. "I knocked out the only guard upstairs and restored the barrier."

"Well then where the fuck is Delta?!" 

As they argued I made my way around them. I got dangerously close to the torchlight, barely avoiding their line of sight. I crawled behind boxes with a lot of ease and found myself right next to the leading person. The other one was still looking back, and I took the opportunity. I lunged at shortest hooded figure and knocked them to the ground, getting them out of the light. Before I could immobilise them, however, I saw a flash of blue light and felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. There was an ice shard stuck in my ribs that the figure then kicked deeper, throwing me off of them.

I hid as swiftly as I could, though even with my brand new reflexes and balance it was still difficult to be stealthy after being stabbed in the ribs. The culprit for that was running away after grabbing a box from the ground.

"Got it! Finish her off and meet me at the rendezvous."

Without a word the masked individual started to walk towards me in the darkness. I knew I couldn't fight back in that state, so I looked around for solutions. Thankfully the shelves I was hiding behind weren't exactly sturdy, so with a strong kick to its base I knocked out one of its supports. All of its contents slid and rolled down onto my attacker, breaking his mask and taking him out of the fight.

I got up and carefully moved to the exit. That's when I realised the words "Level Up" at the corner of my vision. At least something good came out of this, I suppose. I said the words out loud and once again the stats showed up. 

Naomi - Initiate Guard

STR - 9

WIS - 4

CHA - 5

DEX - 7

MAGIC PROWESS - 15

Current Perks - Intimidating, Silent,

Level - 2

Silent - "Stealth comes naturally to you, you can move through the shadows quickly and quietly with ease."

There was nothing there about the night vision, so I just assumed it was due to my cat characteristics. Felt satisfying to see those numbers get higher, but unfortunately there wasn't much time to celebrate. I was just outside the door when I see Robin rushing down the hall with her weapons drawn. She held me before I could fall to the ground and helped me sit down against the wall.

"I told you not to go in there." She sternly said, still on guard. "What happened here?"

"Attackers." It was hard to speak, but at least I could breathe. "They took something. I got two of them, one ran out."

"God damn it. Alright, the other guards should be here any moment now to take care of whoever is still down there. As for you, I'll get you patched up and then you'll stay in your home until the queen decides what to do."

Once the reinforcements arrived and I got to drink a healing potion, Robin took me back to Fate's place and told me to stay put. Fate was clearly shaken up as she hugged me, the panic in her voice almost tangible.

"Thank Lumalight, you're back. I heard the guards running and got so worried."

"I'm alright, got healed up already. Might be in a bit of a bad spot with Robin now, though. And the queen."

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I explained to her what happened, and she looked even more concerned. This was the first attack against the kingdom in a long time, and if we were lucky they would just be some thieves from outside the walls. She promised to tell me about some of the kingdom's history another time. I didn't have time to reply before a similar pain hit my body once again.

I dropped down to one knee, clutching my fists. I could feel my chest pressing against the armor and stretching the flexible material. A wave of heat went through my entire body, and I felt my figure change again. My entire body shape changed, but this time I could feel a more radical difference on my face. It got rounder, my skin got softer, each feature looking more delicate. I felt my hair brush against my shoulders. Once it was done I got up with Fate's assistance and looked at myself in the mirror with the same hesitation as before.

I looked like a feminine and strong woman, with an hourglass body shape, long hair and strong arms and legs. My tail swayed from side to side as I studied my new appearance. My whiskers twitched lightly and I got closer, not entirely believing that the person I saw in the mirror was me.

"I'm sorry, I'm sure we'll find a-" Fate started to say while holding my arm.

"I look... Pretty." It was like something had clicked for me, I couldn't stop staring into my own eyes and examining my new looks. My heart was pounding but somehow I felt quite relaxed. "I don't understand. I'm not supposed to..."

I felt shivers across my whole body. I turned around to Fate and then back at me. I was beginning to understand what she said about the subconscious desires that the potion brings out. If that's how that worked, then... Clearly it was doing something right.

"So... You like it?" The alchemist looked at me with hope in her eyes.

"I... Kinda. I don't know. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to... explore these things, right?"

"Yeah!" Her voice cracked in excitement as she replied to me. She cleared her throat. "I mean, yeah! I'd love to help with that! We can get some dresses, makeup, try out hairstyles... All that good stuff!"

"I mean, I guess I have to wait here until the queen wants to talk, so... Why not?" I felt a little nervous. Somehow fighting three people and nearly being stabbed in the lungs was less scary than exploring my identity.

"And you can show me how to play that tabletop game!"

"I'll try to come up with something. I'm just a little anxious after what happened down there. And what will happen with the queen."

"I'm sure it'll be ok." Her voice got lower and softer, and she gave me a very light hug. "She's a kind leader, I'm sure she'll forgive you. Now here, let's get some cute stuff for you."

I followed her to her room and she started to grab tons of clothes, lipsticks, eyeliners and a lot more. I sat on the bed, unsure of what to do and what to take. She made a big pile of clothes next to me.

"Now we just have to pick a style and start trying things out!"

"Well, something feminine I guess." I replied, not finding any other words.

"Naomi, everything here is feminine. And heck, you can make anything feminine if you just make a few adjustments. Find something you think is pretty in the pile of clothes and I'll do the rest."

I looked through the pile and saw a lot of interesting things. There were many different styles, and a lot of it looked like a "medieval version" of modern clothes. What caught my eyes the most was a long, black skirt with a belt. It looked pretty practical, and I couldn't deny it also looked cute. It would go down to just under my knees.

"Oh, that one? That could work, I have some ideas... Let me try this."

She very quickly sifted through the pile, separating a white shirt with bell sleeves and adorned with frills. She told me to get dressed and turned her back to me. I went as fast as possible to try and avoid another situation like what had happened in the morning.

"I'm ready." I said, blushing as she looked at me.

"Gosh! That looks great! You look gorgeous already, now let me add some nice little touches with some makeup."

For a few minutes she did my makeup. It looked like she was painting the most important canvas of her life, and she would take things slowly. From the lipstick to the eyeliner, she did everything meticulously and with care. Eventually she stepped back and looked at me, evaluating what she had done. Her face lit up.

"Perfect! Take a look in the mirror and tell me what you think!"

I walked back to the other room and looked at myself again. I looked absolutely gorgeous, and I couldn't help but audibly gasp. My mind raced searching for excuses as to why that was, trying to avoid the real solution. I opened my mouth, prepared to lie to Fate and say I still didn't want to look feminine, that I was a man and hated all that was happening. But I stopped myself before even starting, and decided to once again just go with it and let myself enjoy the changes.

"Fate..."

"Yeah?" She worriedly asked me.

"I... I think I really am a woman." I let out a sigh of relief after saying those words. "Can we... try some more styles?"

Fate ran back to the room and excitedly went through her wardrobe, making the pile of clothes even bigger. I looked at myself in the mirror one more time, feeling peace with the changes. Hopefully Robin and the queen would take a while, I wanted this moment to last.

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