Katherine's emerald eyes gleamed in the darkness of the final tunnel leading to the surface of Shandria. Her massive form seemed to melt into the shadows, halfway sunk into the deep.

  "I still think this is a terrible idea," she growled, her tail lashing behind her. "Going up there, right into their territory… into sunlight where I can't help.”

  “Awww, so you do care about me, bestie,” I grinned at her.

  The Stollwurm huffed at me.

  "Relax. It'll be fine," I checked my fake fox ears. "We have Shash."

  The Assassin materialized beside us, silent as always.

  "Keep your tags on at all times," Katherine demanded. "If anything happens, if you sense even a hint of trouble..."

  "We'll call you immediately," I promised. "Io said that we should be fine."

  "Io also said that you're basically a walking catastrophe," Katherine pointed out. "And that something terrible is going to happen to Shandria due to your actions."

  "Details, details," I waved dismissively. "How do I look?"

  "Like a knock-off fox," Katherine growled.

  "Perfect," I grinned. "Ladies? Are you ready?"

  Two heart-stoppingly cute human girls stepped into view.

  Vespera cut an imposing figure in a Victorian-style black dress, the layered fabric falling in elegant waves around her tall frame. Her pale face was dusted with dark freckles, and her sharp gray-yellow eyes held their usual mischievous glint with sparks of naughtiness. Black lipstick and black hat with black flowers pinned to it completed her gothic lolita ensemble.

  Beside her, Cinder wore a flowing blue summer dress that seemed to catch every hint of light. Brilliant-red hair cascaded down her shoulders in gentle waves. Her soul-searching, big, ocean-blue eyes - now set in a human face - were still just as captivating as ever, the kind you could drown in if you stared too long. Rainbow-colored flowers were pinned to her hair.

  "Why is Ci a redhead?" I asked.

  "Because redheads have more fun," Vespera cackled.

  "Really?" I squinted at the humanized Thunderbird. She was somewhat shorter now. I had no idea how that worked, but chose not to question it.

  "Nah," she waved an elegant, pale hand at me. "It's 'cus she wouldn't stop blushing with her hair. Hard to see red on vibrant as-F-red."

  "Ah," I said. "This I gotta see. Wanna make out?"

  Cinder blushed red across her entire face, her hair becoming the tiniest bit more vibrant.

  I laughed.

  "Don't mind if I do!" Vespera took my comment as an invitation and grabbed me by the collar, yanking me towards her face.

  Intellectually, I knew Vespera had a beak–her face should terminate in a sharp, avian point. But right now, somehow, her holofractal-magic reshaped human form pressed soft lips against mine, warm and decidedly non-beaky. The disconnect was jarring–my brain knew this was Vespera, but the sensory input was completely human.

  Her kiss was electric, literally so. Tiny, barely discernible sparks danced between us, making my skin tingle. Her fingers, usually taloned and covered in magisteel, were now soft human hands pressing against my face.

  "Mmm," she purred in her voice without the usual beak clicks. "How's THIS for making out?"

  "How is your beak not poking a hole in my face?" I asked.

  "You're kissing the side of my face like normal," she shrugged. "Ci's wings are just tricking us into feeling something else entirely. Wicked, ye?"

  I nodded.

  "H-hey!" Cinder sputtered, turning an even more brilliant shade of red looking like a human tomato. "Stop that! We're supposed to be...."

  "Supposed to be having fun on our date," Vespera grinned, licking her lips.

  Then she leaned towards me again and licked my face, a decidedly non-human action.

  "Ugh!" I wiped my face dramatically. "Birb germs! Why?"

  "Shush. Those are pretend-HUMAN germs now!" she cackled, her Victorian dress swirling around her as she spun. "Had to know what it was like to taste you with a human tongue."

  “And?”

  “And more licks are required,” Vespera grinned.

  "STOP THAT!" Cinder hissed, grabbing both of us. "We're supposed to be acting like proper ladies and a servant! You can't just... just... lick people in public!"

  "But we're not in public yet," Vespera pouted with an adorably human expression. "We're still in a dark tunnel."

  "How am I supposed to maintain this... this human form if you keep distracting me?!" The humanized Quetzi hissed.

  "Not distracting," Vespera grabbed Cinder's cheeks with her hands, tiny sparks flashing. "Optimizing!"

  The brilliant red blush on Cinder's cheeks lessened.

  "Are you doing this or not?" Katherine's voice growled from the shadows. "Because if you're just going to make out and lick each other like hornknobs, I can knock you out and lug you back to the crystal tower."

  "Shhh," Vee waved her off. "Just adjusting some final parameters. She's blushing like the setting sun over here, humans don't blush this hard."

  Katherine rolled her diamond-slitted eyes. "You three are going to get yourselves killed."

  "Nah," I grinned, checking my foxkin servant outfit - a crisp white shirt, dark vest, extradimensional backpack and tailored pants. "We're going to have a lovely date. Right, ladies?"

  “Uh-huh,” Vee shoved me into Cinder and grabbed both of us, closing her eyes and humming to herself.

  I stumbled slightly and then noticed that something felt... different. My balance had shifted, and there was a peculiar weight behind me that hadn't been there before.

  "What the..." I reached back and felt something soft. A tail. I had an actual tail. "What?!"

  "Gave you a tail," she commented. "Spiced up your appearance just the tiniest bit too. Made you more handsome, dashing, foxy and smelly."

  "Smelly?!" I yelped, suddenly very aware of enhanced senses flooding my system. The view was sharper, the tunnel less dark. Sounds were much clearer. My dark nose twitched, picking up scents I'd never noticed before - Katherine's reptilian musk, the damp stone of the tunnel, even minute traces of electricity from Vee's sparks.

  "Gave you some foxy senses," Vee explained cheerfully. "Nothing major. Go on, wag the tail."

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  I swished said tail experimentally, marveling at how natural it felt. Like it had always been there. "This is... handy. I can smell everything and see way better in the dark!"

  "Yep," Vee grinned, her human fingers tracing the new tail. “Ci, does he smell like a fox now?"

  Cinder leaned in, her redhead tilting slightly. Her pink nose twitched. "Ugh. No idea. I can't smell shit as a human."

  "You just need stronger smells to experience," Vee commented.

  “Hold up,” I said. “Did you just give me improved sight AND smell? How in the Abyss does this work? Ci's wings don’t actually change me physically, right?”

  “Yeh,” she nodded. “Physically you’re still a human. Cinder is the one smelling stuff, while I’m sensing stuff with electricity. Your brain is basically receiving these bits of our Omnid senses beamed directly into your human head from her Quetzi heart. It's just Charmchain magic, except instead of feeling like you're in love with her, you're smelling absolutely everything Ci can smell as a Quetzi.”

  “Damn,” I whistled. “There’s a lot of room here for further improvement. My improvement, that is. Would I become five times as aware of everything, if our entire delving team was entwined via our Quetzi?”

  “Hmmm,” Vespera considered it. “It’ll take me some time tweaking Ci but I think I can manage it. What’s happening here is an incredibly complex illusion and mental manipulation and I only managed to optimize the control over her feathers so well because of the incredible tower you've made for me.”

  “Glad to be of service,” I curtsied.

  “Right then,” she said. “Reckon we're good to go now.”

  "Shash, what do you recommend for breakfast nearby?" I asked.

  "Lord David's Forged Brew has excellent coffee," Shash answered. "They're offering grand opening discounts now. Lady Astra might be there too. One of my men saw her this morning when he stopped by for a free coffee.”

  “Lady Astra,” I contemplated. “Is that the girl whom Emerald punched through the heart?”

  “Yes,” Shash said.

  “I see,” I said thoughtfully. “Is she actually the… Shandrian, you know who?”

  “Shandria hasn't had a Sovereign for nineteen years, M'Lord,” Shash shook his head. “In truth, many of the Shadow-touched claim to be the true inheritor of the throne of Shandria. Cedez Astra is an odd creature, that one. A capable Shadowmancer.”

  I nodded.

  “I've met a few like her in Undertown,” Shash added. “Incredibly dangerous folk, not to be trifled with. She is an excellent information broker though and could introduce you to a multitude of useful contacts, if she takes a liking to you. Some say that a single handshake from her could change your life.”

  “Did she give anyone from our crew a handshake?” I wondered.

  “Alas,” Shash shrugged. “She found our Guild uninteresting. From what I saw, she's recently taken a human Lordling under her Shadow-wings, so I reckon she does have an appreciation of pure humans.”

  “Very well,” I nodded. “That does sound intriguing. Take us to the Forged Brew. Are you going to disguise yourself as well or stay invisible?”

  The Assassin nodded. With a snap of his fingers, and a twinkle of his Kitlix, his dark patchy outfit and face rearranged itself to look like that of a heavily armored, beardly bodyguard with a deep scar running down his right eye.

  “Impressive. What is your skill?" I asked.

  "Illusionist," he answered. “Limited to myself. Can't alter other people like your Lady.”

  We bid Kat goodbye and began walking up the stone stairwell up to Shandria. Green, worried eyes stared at us from the darkness.

  In a few minutes we emerged into brilliant daylight and took the side street into the central marketplace.

  The market bustled with activity - merchants hawking goods from colorful tents and shops, magical artifacts glinting in sunlight, exotic spices filling the air with complex aromas and Kitlix glittering everywhere.

  My magic-enhanced senses sent my brain into overdrive.

  Vespera, in her gothic Victorian ensemble, moved with predatory grace through the crowd like a dark shark, silver-gold eyes examining everything. Cinder stayed by my side, holding onto my elbow.

  As we left the bustling market, the cobblestone streets gradually gave way to a verdant green field that rose gently uphill toward the Lighthouse Smithy in the distance. Soft grass swayed in a morning breeze, dotted with tiny purple, blue and white wildflowers that seemed to dance with each step.

  As the city’s rooftops gave way to a wide field and the view of the sky, my mind stuttered to a halt and I nearly stumbled over my feet. I’ve seen postcards of Arx before, but seeing it live was truly incredible. There was no horizon here. The ground simply went up, up and up revealing mountains, lakes, rivers and a patchwork of endless oceans and continents.

  Then as I tilted my head directly up my heart stopped. A black hole loomed in the center of it all. A sun-like star loomed at the edge of the black hole, circling it.

  “Daaaaaaamn,” I let out.

  “Ah!” Vespera slowed down to wrap herself around my waist. “Seeing Nihilim for the first time is something else, yah?”

  I nodded, captivated by the mind-bogglingly view of the vast megastructure.

  For a couple of minutes we just stood there and stared up, absorbed in the view of what seemed like an infinite world made up from a patchwork of worlds. From what I read online the interior of Arx was incalculably massive, much bigger than a Dyson sphere.

  “Shash,” I asked. “Who built Arx?”

  “Alas, I do not know the answer to your query, M’Lord,” the Assassin replied. “Some Archmagi speculate that it was the work of the Elder Gods.”

  I nodded, finally looking back down.

  We resumed our walk with me casting occasional glances upward, getting lost in the majesty of Arx.

  Each blade of grass below me released a subtle earthy fragrance, the wildflowers had their own delicate perfume, and the wind carried hints of distant spices and cooking fires. The tail Vespera had gifted me swished automatically as I breathed in the morning gust of wind coming from the massive, cloud-filled chasm below the cliffside at the edge of Shandria. According to Shash, the chasm was made by an explosion ages ago when Leviathan Nightingale bounced an enemy god-tier spell away from the city.

  Cinder walked beside me with a slightly awkward rigidity to her. I squeezed her elbow with a reassuring glance and she relaxed into me, smiling ever so slightly. Somehow she looked like a big-eyed-angel even without her wings. I pawed at the space where her wing should have been and felt nothing but air there. Charmchain magic was definitely mentally screwy to an insane degree, likely making my brain think that my arm wasn’t in the position that it was in or something.

  Up close, the Forged Brew appeared as a rather charming establishment, an ancient, grime-covered lighthouse tower looming over the meadow turned into an outside sitting area. Wrought iron chairs were arranged around small round wooden tables, each topped with a tiny glass vase holding fresh wildflowers.

  The sun overhead circling the black hole refracted in the clouds, lighting up the terrain directly from above and also from all sides. I understood why Kat hated it up here. The air was warm and crisp. It was too sunny and the colors around us stark and vibrant featuring barely any shadows as a million sundogs and rainbows danced across each cloud above us.

  An owlkin maid approached our table, her feathered face a study in professional composure. Her black and white fluffy cafe maid uniform featured intricate embroidery along the collar and cuffs. Large yellow eyes blinked at us, shifting between each member of our group with careful assessment.

  "Good morning," she said with a small bow. "I’m maid Hyrei! Welcome to the Forged Brew!"

  She handed us menus burned into simple wooden boards. A cute logo of a dragon wrapped around a lighthouse and holding a blacksmith's hammer was burned into the back of the menu.

  "Our specials today include Sunrise Blend coffee, imported directly from the high-altitude cultivation zones," Hyrei explained. "We also have freshly baked Snailcake pastries that pair exceptionally well with our morning brews. For breakfast, we offer freshly-slain Thundersnarg steak with Wyvern bacon and eggs."

  As Hyrei explained the menu, I scanned the seating area with my enhanced senses. The rich aroma of coffee mingled with the scent of freshly baked pastries, but beneath that, a tapestry of individual scents told stories of each patron.

  A group of three white and green robed healers sat nearby smelling of herbs–two men and one antlered girl, each accompanied by black and sparkling green Kitlix Vitalix.

  Directly to their left, a curious trio caught my attention. A ginger man in his early thirties in a basic gray robe sat flanked by two companions–a dark fox and a dragoness–both ladies wearing matching dark leather outfits adorned with blue gemstone studs. Each of them had a Kitlix sitting on them. A dark slender one on the fox, a wide-eyed rainbow-one sitting on the dragoness' red flocks between her horns and chonky, dark green one inhabiting the man's ginger, messy mane.

  The man suddenly noticed that I was staring at his group. He glanced my way.

  When our eyes met, something shifted. Not just in the physical space around us, but deep inside me. A strange resonance, like a half-remembered melody from a dream long forgotten.

  The man's eyes–as blue as the sky–seemed to recognize something in me. For a millisecond, the bustling outdoor cafe faded. The chasm beyond the cafe's wrought-iron seats disappeared. There was just... us.

  A fleeting sensation washed over me. Not quite a memory, more like an impression.

  Midwestern America. Endless fields of yellow wheat. Farmhouses. An apple orchard. A city like Chicago but without any Omnids. Office. Monitor screens.

  Then he blinked. I blinked.

  The moment shattered.

  The ginger man frowned and looked away as the dark foxgirl pawed at him, chattering away. I wondered what sort of magic that was.

  "Ceddy, how bout a song for your patrons?" The twenty-some-year old Healer asked jovially.

  "Sure." The dark fox stood up.

  She glanced at our group, sharp blue eyes settling on me and not leaving my face. Her grin became predatory, addressed to me alone.

  Cedez. This had to be her. The Sovereign of Shandria. She somehow knew that I didn't belong to her Kingdom, wasn't one of her subjects.

  I inhaled deep. Unlike the other Arxkin, she didn't smell like anything at all, as if she was just an empty space, nothingness inside of a leather dress.

  Contrary to Shash's words, I felt that this fox was the local kingpin, the real power here that could make or break me, all of my senses screaming for me to run.