The Bounty Hunter

Chapter 12: A New Magic

August 18th, 2088

Its been nearly 2 months since the Prime Minister bounty and since then Ive been spending the time lazily in the other world.  The money I got from that bounty was the most I ever received for one job, 50 gold coins (400,000 dollars).  That was more than enough to justify a vacation.  I only work for the money and I only spend money on supplies, magic materials and bribing the city guard to protect Kiras neighborhood.  

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The rest of it is saved up to give to Kira when she becomes an adult.  I want to make sure she has enough to live a comfortable life without worry.  I wont be around forever; I plan to never return here after I make sure Kira is set.  As of now the plan is to wait until she finds a suitable mate so she wont be alone after I leave.  I wont accept anyone though, my little sister is special after all and only someone special is worthy of her. 

Would I be considered a sis-con?  Most likely.  Anyways, I have enjoyed these days of peace and quiet.  Surprisingly, in addition to spending time with Kira I have also been spending time with Veronica.  Before we parted ways after arriving back from Malkith, she shyly asked me if she could see me again.  Well, to the unobservant onlooker, Veronica simply said in an icy tone This mission showed me I need practice.  Come back and train with me later.  But as fellow ice royalty, I could read between the lines. 

I saw her ears were quivering, which meant she was anxious about my response.  An elfs ears, just like a beast-kins tail, always signal their honest emotions.  The strange thing Ive noticed though, is that no one else in this world seems to have realized that.  I responded with a simple Ok and although her expression was unchanged, I saw her ears perk up.  This meant she was excited.  And so I started visiting her regularly.  We would spar or go hunting monsters.  Sometimes we would simply pass the time quietly sitting together. 

This was done in secret, since the Fell household would definitely disapprove.  For some reason I cant explain, I just felt content being with her.  I know I probably should cut off my ties with her since it will definitely lead to something troublesome, but I cant help it.  I know very well what its like to have the emptiness that she had when we first met, and now that I see her eyes so lively I cant just abandon her.  Not to mention that its refreshing to spend time with someone else like me.  I felt no pressure to maintain a conversation nor deal with overly-emotional nonsense. 

Back home things were also going well, my parents both managed to get extended time off for once and so we went on vacation to the US.  My parents are often gone due to their work, but they are the overly doting type when they are around so I have never felt neglected.  I also spent time with Reiji, going to events and just hanging out. 

Currently, I am at one of my safe-houses in Obsidia experimenting with a new type of magic.  Specifically, I am trying to shapeshift.  It would be incredibly useful and would also allow me to normally walk around the city when I am with Kira.  I have already mastered transformation magic, which temporarily and instantly alters your form for as long as you supply mana, but it is too inefficient to use for long periods of time. 

Shapeshifting, on the other hand, would allow me to make permanent magical alterations to my body which would then require me to shapeshift again to revert back to normal.  Its not suitable for combat, but its perfect for long-term transformations.  Up until now I have had no luck due to lack of mana, but I decided to try something new.  I was trying to shapeshift by imagining my DNA being altered to the DNA of the target species, but that approach might be too mana costly because I dont know what the target species DNA is like. 

Thus, I have a small sample of fur given to me by Kira.  I held it in my hand to use as a catalyst and once again focused on shapeshifting.  The fur started to shimmer as my mana passed through it and I felt a strange sensation envelop me.  Its difficult to put into words the feeling of have your anatomy rearrange itself.  After a very uncomfortable 5 minutes, I finished my change and looked into the mirror I had set up beforehand. 

I no longer had my human ears and instead there were two brown cat ears tipped with black on the top of my head and a matching tail that managed to poke out from my pants.  It felt weird suddenly gaining extra appendages.  My eyes had cat-like slits and I could clearly see in the dimly lit room as if it were bright daylight.  My body felt lighter, more flexible and I noticed my nails had become much more claw-like.  My balance had changed slightly due to the tail and I could tell that I would need some time to fully adjust to this new form.

Afterwards, I left for the 9 Lives Trading Outpost to join them for dinner while still shapeshifted as a cat-kin.  It was the first time I didnt have to cover my ears in years and it was a truly refreshing experience.  I entered the dining room where Kira and Grandma Kuma were waiting.  They both saw me and were shocked.  Sorry I was late, I was trying out a new spell.  What do you think? I smiled mischievously as I saw their reactions. 

Grandma Kuma was the first to recover Thats rather impressive, but the explanation will have to wait until after dinner.  I nodded and sat down, although I had to avoid Kiras attempts to play with my tail the entire time I was there.  Eventually I had to leave and I was told that they would be gone for a few days on a trading expedition to a nearby town.  I waved good-bye to them and saw Kira smiling happily.  Those feelings of guilt that have plagued me for years have finally started to fade and I was actually starting to have positive thoughts about the future.  But of course this rotten world always finds a way to screw things up.