That was how we spent the next few days traveling west to the next town.

The evening before we got to the town we had a more difficult conversation as a group.

"So I am going to need to stay hidden and outside of town I feel… it's for everyone's safety I feel." I said to the group.

"Then I will stay with you." Iser said.

"Would that raise suspicions?" I asked

"If we get noticed and questions from the Seekers than we just tell them that Iser has taken the loss of a friend a loved one very hard." Orlo said.

"I mean it could make sense but can't they tell when people are lying?" I asked.

"Crap…" Orlo said.

"Same idea but work on the wording. I don't like any of us being alone at the moment." Root said.

"Well whatever is said just be careful in there." I said.

"That brings us to another point, communication…" he said, then pulled out the hub band and passed it to me.

"It's valuable for sure but it seemed to be targeted for our group. Maybe it's the world's way of providing more methods to assist… I really don't know though." He said.

"If you are willing to bind to it and work with Iser to understand how it works. If we can talk across miles well then…" he continued.

I placed it on my wrist and soul bound the item. The band constricted a bit more and fully encircled my wrist. I then had an awareness of all the other bands which was a bit odd at first. I then sort of concentrate on all of the bands.

"This is your captain speaking, we are currently just verifying that the PA system works and will be taking off in the next few minutes." I said.

"O no… why did we let her bind to it. I could hear her in my head." Turnip said.

That made Orlo jump and everyone else grone except for Iser.

"Ok that was a mistake… and it's too late now…" Root said.

"I mean technically it isn't but it does mean we need to kill her." Lluvia said sarcastically.

"I mean I already survived being stabbed through the heart, I'm thinking decapitation might be the only method by this point." I said somewhat less sarcastically.

"Wait, you are really being serious about that statement aren't you." Turnip said agast. "Don't fucking talk like that… any of you." She said anger directed at myself and Lluvia.

"I mean the problems I would actually face are a drop of blood pressure and oxygen starvation. Assuming I have enough time to prepare and enough focus and mana I should be able to survive most things." I said.

That took everyone aback except for Root.

"She's right… Anyone with a healing skill can be particularly hard to kill if they have time to prepare or recover… that level of control over your own body does have some advantages." Root said.

"That leads me to something I would like to try… does anyone have any minor scars they would like removed? I know I can affect other objects and such and am wondering if I can really heal others." I asked.

"That… fuck it… yeah I have a scar on my left abdomen you know the one." Lluvia said.

I got up from Iser's lap and went over to take a look at the scar Lluvia had mentioned.

Applying my own mana took far more effort than I had expected but I eventually located the spot magically as well. Then just like reshaping a stone I reshaped the skin to smooth it out and give it the properties of the skin next to it.

It took me several minutes to do and most of my mana but it worked. Smooth skin where once a nasty scar existed.

"Alright I can do cosmetic surgery for very cheap and safe…" I said, a bit worn out.

"Feels like my skin and it doesn't pull like it used to. I think it worked " Lluvia said.

"I've certainly got a much better understanding. Then the first few times I tried it." I said.

"Wait, so do you think you can make my boobs bigger?" Lluvia asked

"I… yes…" I said.

"Can you make mine smaller?" Turnip asked.

"Yes…" I said.

"Ok everyone make a list and we can talk in private. Also I would like to practice on minor things like small scars and such first. I don't want to fuck up major changes." I said.

"That's… actually a very good point…" Turnip said.

"Wait, can you fix areas with loss of feeling or function?" Root asked.

"Nerve damage? I think so." I said.

"I think about it when I went full Kobolt I think it even changed my brain in some ways. Oh that's very weird to think about." I said.

"I liked the changes, you were still you but a Kobolt version of you." Iser said.

"Well based on what we were doing at the time I have no doubt you would enjoy it." I said.

I felt his warm snout trace the back of my neck down to just under my dress from the neck line.

I shivered in pleasure at the contact and felt my nipples go hard in response.

"Fuck… how do I get that ability… you sound like you've been having all the fun." Lluvia said.

"You could always aim for seduction, I've known a few Buns to get that and all have said how much fun that one was." Turnip said.

"Is that all that's on your mind? Sex?" Orlo asked.

"No, there's other stuff as well, like food and drink and exploration. You know anything where you can enjoy yourself." Lluvia said.

"Well I don't know about you guys but I am ready for bed." I said and stretched.

I could tell Iser was about to follow.

"Iser can I have a word with you in private if you don't mind?" Root asked him.

I hoped nobody noticed my own hesitation but I continued my way over to the test.

Using my very odd hearing I was able to track the two of them as they stepped away from the camp a bit.

"So I wanted to see how you were holding up." Root asked Iser after a moment.

I knew I shouldn't be listening to this and I shove have turned it out but an insecure part of me could not.

"I am doing well, why do you asked?" Iser asked Root.

"Nicole has seemed to take a real liking to you and I wanted to ensure you were doing ok…" Root said.

"I like her and she seems to have feelings for me. I thank you for your concern but I am a bit confused as to why." Iser asked.

"She seems to be a girl who really doesn't know what she wants out of life." Root said.

"Ah if you are concerned about how I might react to being broken up with you do not need to be. We are both adults and can work things out. I do thank you for your concern however." Iser said.

"Do you love her?" Root asked.

"I certainly love the idea of her, I have also developed very strong feelings for her as well." He said.

It was not quite the answer I was hoping for but it was an answer that was so Iser as well.

After several more minutes he eventually came into the tent as well.

I let out a soft groan of displeasure at the cool night air. He then crawled under the pile of blankets to find me without anything on.

"I have to apologize about something first…" I told him.

"And that is?" He asked.

"I overheard the conversation between you and Root… I let my insecurities get the better of me and I regret it…" I said.

"Ah… that was indeed rude to do." He said a small bit of reproach in his voice.

"Yes… I hope it doesn't negatively affect your opinion of me too much." I said.

There was a pause.

"You and I, like everyone else here, are living breathing creatures. We are all capable of making mistakes. You have had enough integrity to at least tell me about it, too many would not." He said.

He then pulled me into his very warm embrace.

"I love the idea of you as well, and I have also developed very strong feelings for you." I told him as I snuggled closer into him. The hum he let loose I could feel throughout my entire body.

The next morning myself and Iser would split from the rest of the group. We would walk our way around the village, avoiding any potential contact.

"We will go in, get an idea of any news, maybe keep an eye on the Seekers if we see them and gather more previsions. We will also spend the night at the Inn to avoid any undue attention." Root said.

"If you encounter the Seekers please don't engage, I don't want to see anyone else hurt over this… at least not yet." I asked.

"Right, that reminds me as well… if anyone asks, Iser was staying back with Nicole for a while and would be joining us later." Root said.

"As a heads up I will try to use the communication Band to attempt to content you in the town. The planned time will be about Noon. If they act anything like cellphone… or well walkie talkies actually then that will be insanely valuable. Also I did spend some time studying them and even the bands can talk to each other over a range of about 500 feet. To go further that's why the hub is needed." I said

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"I don't know, I still think we could have gotten a lot more if we had sold it to a merchant company." Orlo said.

"Oh wait, how do you send messages to one another with the bands." Lluvia asked.

"Oh right, so think of your message in your head or you can whisper it to your band and you focus on a particular band or individual. Unfortunately you won't know if you were in range or not unless they respond back. When similar technology was first developed an acknowledgement would be sent by the receiver of the messages. We can work on it as we get used to it." I said.

With that both groups split up and Iser and I began our walk.

As part of my practice I started changing my entire self to Kobolt for the time being. I could now keep it up for several hours as long as I wasn't doing anything too active. I also liked being able to wrap my tail around Iser's, it was kind of like holding hands if we also hadn't been doing that as well.

Noon came around and I attempted to send the first long range message to Turnip the person least likely to be doing anything normally.

"Turnip come in, can you hear me?" I asked.

"How do I send a message…. Yes I can hear you…. Then I just think of the person to receive it she said…" I heard Turnips voice in my head.

"Try this instead, think of the hub or myself first. Then just talk in your head." I said.

"Like this?" I heard.

"Yep, how has the town been so far?" I asked.

"Not bad, no eyes on the Seekers yet but we heard that a group had just passed through yesterday." She said.

"Sounds like they don't want to stick around." I said.

"Nope, that was the impression we got as well. How's the walk by the way? Are you two able to keep from making out every 5 feet." She teased.

"You know just for that I might hot you the entire night." I said with amusement.

"What is hot mic?" She asked, knowing full well it was not going to be any fun for her.

"I leave the connection open so you can hear everything that happens.* I said.

"That sounds gross." She said.

"As someone that has had that done to them I 100% agree. The walk has been nice and we are just enjoying each other's company." I said.

I did have her test reaching out to me as the hub first to see if she could communicate that way and it worked just as expected.

We then decided we would contact each other again around sunset.

Iser and I found a nice spot to set up our tent next to a stream. Unfortunately I had to drop my Kobalt form as I had burned through most of my mana throughout the day. It would take long for it to come back but the days were getting colder and Kobolts just seemed to run warmer.

Iser did show me some tricks on how to guard a campsite if you are by yourself. It was mostly in the form of alert spells that would go off if something bigger than a designated size passed through the area. We each had our own variations based on the primary type of mana we used.

After that we enjoyed some travel rations which would have gone better if either of us knew how to hunt.

I contacted Root at Sunset and determined everything was well for them, then Iser and I just spent the time enjoying eachothers company when we told stories about each other's cultures.

This happened to be the first time I had spent a significant portion of time in my Kobalt form while asleep. Dreams with a Kobolt's neurology are far more primal and memorable. Or that just could have been due to stories and cultural differences I had learned about. It was hard to tell.

"Nicole, you may want to finally wake up. I could use some help cleaning up the minor wounds." Iser said.

I stretched in response and I quickly noticed my mouth tasted a bit funny.

"Time to wake up." Iser said again.

"But I'm warm and comfy and strangely satisfied… also a strange taste in my mouth… did we do something last night that I'm forgetting?" I asked as I turned to Iser.

It took me a second to process but it looked like he had a fight with some animal and sort of lost.

"In a manner yes." He said.

"Oh my god what happened, and why does it look like you lost a fight to a wild animal." I asked with concern.

"That's because I did lose a fight to a wild Nicole." He said in an amused tone of voice.

That made me pause.

"Wait did I do that? Oh my god let me heal you." I said and immediately started to evaluate the wounds.

"We should add to your lists of should avoid sleeping as full Kobolt for now. You developed an appetite while you slept." Iser said.

"Holy fucking shit I didn't did I?" I asked in a panic.

"No no, I managed to calm you now via other methods. Once satisfied you became far more docile and affectionate. This is honestly not uncommon between new mating pairs." He said reassuringly.

"Now if you can help me with the spots on my back that I can’t reach, I would like to go back to sleep for a few hours." He added.

I did so by wiping off the blood and using my shaping ability to close some of the bigger spots.

I then gave myself just scales, while he truly didn't care what form I took subconsciously he still preferred scales.

I cuddled back up to him and he fell asleep immediately, I followed suit only a few minutes after him.

We woke up some hours later in the late morning. I still felt some of that contentment I had from earlier, it helped that we were still sort of tangled up together.

"You two love birds done in there." We heard a familiar voice say.

"Lluvia is that you?" I called out.

"No it's the other Elf who you adventure with." She said sarcastically.

"We only adventure with one Elf unless we count you." Iser said, directing that last part at me.

"Iser that was sarcasm." I told him, then I got up and put some warmer clothes on.

"How did you find us?" I asked.

"You gave everyone the tools." She said, indicating the amulets.

"Oh right… so what's up, anything new in town?" I asked, Iser stepping out of the tent next.

"Nope nothing, same place we had been at just over a month ago. I just brought some extra fresh supplies for the two of you." She said.

She then hesitated for a moment as if she wanted to say something else.

"So umm Nicole may I talk to you in private?" she asked.

"Sure" I said and followed Lluvia to the stream's edge.

"So are you still interested in continuing anything between the two of us?" She asked.

"Ah umm, I'm honestly not quite sure…" I said nervously and slowly.

"Really? Is he that good?" She asked with a coy smile.

"It's more than just physical enjoyment for me." I said reluctantly.

"Wait so you were really being serious about all the emotional stuff?" She asked.

"Yes? Why wouldn't I be?" I asked.

"I mean you're young you can get out there and explore." She said.

"I'm not that young." I said with a dry chuckle.

"Most humans live to 120 and if you keep adventuring you might live to 150 or even 200." She said.

"Wait, what do you mean? Years? Seasons?" I asked confused.

"Years" she said, just as confused as me.

"Wait Humans I know can give to over 100 but age really wrecks havoc on your body. Honestly I think is like 70 to 80 years was the average?" I said.

"Yeah but you had no magic it slows your aging and gives you additional strength. Then there is resilience." She said.

"Wait I could live to 200!?" I asked in shock.

"I've heard of a few humans and some even claim 250. That's assuming you don't change your race to something longer living which I have also heard some do." She said.

I stood there in a shocked pause.

"You ok? You seem a bit shocked." She said.

"I didn't realize… I could do so much." I said.

"Yes you could." She replied.

"Sorry to get you sidetracked… I wanted to talk about you and Me." She said.

"Alright." I said.

"Do you still want to be with me? I'll admit you and Iser make a cute couple and he is my friend." She asked.

"I… wait what? I'm confused about what you're asking if me." I said.

"You seem 100% focused on Iser. I was just unsure if you still had any interest in continuing our thing which admittedly was only physical." She said.

"The physical has been enjoyable… but I prefer having both." I said.

"I mean you seem to be getting both from Iser, he's had puppy dog eyes since he first met you. But I guess you're not interested in continuing ours as well?" She said.

"Wait, how common are polyamory relationships on dirt?" I asked.

"It is cultural but it is common enough that many at least try it to my understanding. Is that not the case where you are from?" she asked.

"It exists but I wasn't aware of it being very big. I've always been monogamous myself, never been super comfortable with the idea… I am sorry that I didn't talk to you about this though." I said.

"Wow…you do seem really uncomfortable with this… I'm honestly sorry I brought it up." She said reassuringly and hugged me.

"You might want to talk to Iser about this then as well. I have no idea what his preferences are… ugg damn cultural differences." She said with mild frustration.

"We are still friends right?" I asked a bit confused.

"Hmm? Yeah why wouldn't we be." She asked, genuinely confused.

We spent a few more minutes just talking about random stuff before we came back to the tent. Iser as it turns out, he felt it was a good time to go back to sleep. Lluvia took that chance to head back to town.

I crawled back in bed and cuddled up to Iser who was nice and warm after being out in the cold.

"Is everything ok between you and Lluvia?" He asked several minutes later being woken up again.

"Yeah… she wanted to talk to me about well… the relationship she and I had been in." I said.

"Did she break up with you?" He asked.

"Umm… not the question I was expecting… well after Lluvia's question maybe I should have…" I said a bit confusingly.

"Hmm?" He seemed more confused than me right now.

"I sort of broke up with her I guess…" I said.

"Why would you do that?" He asked.

"Because I'm uncomfortable being in polyamorous relationships. It's not super common where I am from… or well maybe it was and I was too dense to notice." I said.

"Ah… so you prefer only one partner at a time." He said.

"Umm yes… and that partner has only me at that time." I said

"Ah so that would mean I would not be seeing anyone myself." He said.

"I mean yes… at least it would be a requirement if you and I still want this." I said.

"So I prefer only one partner at a time as well which is good for your requirement. However I am less concerned about who else my partner may be with." He said.

"That is a relief and a far more pragmatic approach on your part… I guess I am not all that interested in sharing." I said.

"That is an understandable viewpoint. I will admit I think part of my own reasoning is that so many males take multiple females in Kobolt culture. The ones that let themselves fall into that animalistic nature... We are not animals I'm frustrated when others continue to act like it." He said with real heat in his voice.

"I'm guessing that is due to prejudice towards your race?" I asked.

"Yes…" he sighed.

"Hey I have a really weird question about Kobalt biology. Do Kobalt lay eggs?" I asked.

"Yes females ovulate once a year and lay an egg that can take approximately 9 months to hatch. This is somewhat similar for humans?" He asked.

"The growth period sure but women are monthly." I said.

"I can tell from your scent you have been in that ovulation stage which was part of the reason why you were so demanding last night." He said.

"I… wait what!?" I nearly screamed.

That took him aback.

"You will most likely be laying an unfertilized egg in about 2 weeks." He said

"I… am actually very very confused. How!?" I asked in somewhat of a panic.

"You've never had a period as a female human before?" He asked.

"Iser don't you remember I told you I was born male and had myself surgically altered… and now magically altered…" I said slowing down and coming to a realization. I also realized just now that the headaches and weakness I was getting from missing my hormone medication was gone.

"Ah I forgot you told me that before… I will say you smelled sort of female then but now you really smell like a female." He said.

"Well… that changes a few things… great that means I can get pregnant… I don't want to be a Mom yet." I said in a panic.

"You should talk with the other females of the group. They are aware of teas that help avoid that. I believe they would work for Kobolt anatomy as well." He said.

"I first need to understand how I am able to do this at all!? The biology of it makes no sense." I said.

"But you just stated it. You have been magically altered. Also isn't your shaping ability a form of healing?" He asked.

"I mean sure I guess? I know it's not just cosmetic. I think I'm just having trouble processing that I can get pregnant… I mean I was hoping to fix some of this with my ability… Also I can switch back and forth between ‘forms’ . What the hell does that mean!?" I said, still very confused.

I pressed into him even more now for comfort and he happily pulled me deeper into his embrace.