I was woken up by Root the next morning as he wanted to check on my arm.

"So any stiffness or swelling?" He asked.

I examined my shoulder and it was a little swollen and stiff but it seemed to recover quite a bit overnight.

"Not too bad on either." I said.

"Alright if you can avoid using the shoulder then we can probably remove the sling tonight." He said.

I got dressed and made my way back to the camp fire. The tail end of breakfast was still over the embers so it was at least quite hot, if a bit bland. After eating I worked on cleaning what I could with one arm then helped Lluvia pack up our part of camp.

"So while we can outrun potential news from the 'rumor mill' will we need to?" I asked, as we began our continued hike.

"Unsure but I'm hoping the last town was just being prudent monitoring the group. They didn't give off a confrontational air." Root said.

"Alright other than keeping a low profile anything else I should consider doing? I can obviously change my appearance quite a bit." I said.

"Nothing that I can really think of unless you can turn back time." Root said.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" I asked.

"Ummm…. How do I put this… umm…" he started to say but was getting hung up on something.

"He's saying you look older… and I hate to say it but he has a point there's a disconnect between your age and experience." Turnip said.

"... Ok I mean if I could turn back time I would. Like how old would someone like me be?" I asked.

"Hmm well it's not uncommon to replace your original class. Which might not happen until your mid teens. At your level late teens would not be unexpected." Turnip said.

"Ah well I'll start thinking of possible excuses." I said.

I spent several minutes going over different ideas in my head. If I was honest about being a Riftwalker that might work but no doubt it would create more trouble in other ways as well.

I unfortunately didn't know enough about Dirt culture to blend in or come up with a convincing lie… Not that I was very good about that last part anyway. If I could go unseen Lluvia that would help, or maybe I could somehow make myself so bland everyone would just ignore. I unfortunately didn't really have a way to hide in the shadows like Lluvia did nor could I change my appearance… Except I could… particularly if I thought of this skill like the spell Alter Self from DnD.

Then I concentrated on making my body appear 15 years younger. I was able to do it in parts to avoid a massive mana drop. Hair was first which made my scalp itch. Then focused on my eyes, then face, then eventually skin. In total it took me over four or five hours to do as we walked but the changes were not immediately obvious. Last thing I tried to do was focus on all my internal organs because you know why not. If you're going to have the body of an 18 year old again, make it more than skin deep. It unfortunately didn't take, however based on the feeling I got back it was more about how much mana it was going to cost… which was a lot.

I took a step back from full revitalization to just my hearing to see if I could get something smaller to work. Which it did, I felt a kind of vertigo for a moment then the damn tinnitus I had for years subsided. I also then tried my throat and vocal cords to see if I could give myself a more natural sounding 18 year old.

Looking down at myself I now had the appearance of a well proportioned young woman. An ample chest, narrow waist, wide hips, and long legs. It was amazing what I could do when I could mess with my own bones. I even removed all my body hair because fuck that stuff. I hoped I still looked like me just younger… any maybe even more feminine.

"How's this?" I asked.

Lluvia literally tripped over herself in shock.

"How the fuck did you?" Root asked in astonishment, he might have started drooling a little.

"I will add that this is only in my appearance, I don't think I have actually caused myself to be younger… biologically speaking" I said.

"Ok… I was kind of envious before but now? You know how many people would give up everything for what you just did?" Turnip asked.

"A lot I suspect." I said, now a bit worried, I really didn't consider how everyone might react.

"Wait, is the transformation permanent?" Iser asked?

"Umm no, it's not burning through Mana but it is currently drastically reducing my ability to regenerate. At this rate it would take me the better part of a day to max it out." I said.

"Alright I feel a tiny bit less annoyed." Turnip said heatedly.

"Shit was this what you used to look like when you were younger?" Lluvia asked after a moment.

"Oh umm no, this is what I wish I looked like when I was younger." I said in reply.

"Thank fuck… if you had said yes to that I would have left." Turnip said.

"Jealous much?" Lluvia quipped back.

"I… I don't know… Yes?... I mean who wouldn't want to go back to their late teens or early twenties." Turnip said.

"I… fuck your right…" Lluvia said with a sigh.

"Iser are there skills that have permanent effects?" I asked

"Sometimes yes but more often they are skills that involve healing and repair." They said.

"Wait… does anyone here have any healing spells?" I asked.

"I do but it's little more than a diagnosis and stabilizing ability. I have others but no available skill slots right now." Root said

"Umm is there any indicator that a spell can be used for healing?" I asked.

"Generally you can sense fine detail in the target, particularly about their anatomy…" he said then trailed off.

"I mean… maybe?" I asked.

"Wait what do…. Oh" Turnip said in surprise.

"I can alter myself… What about others? My skill doesn't indicate I can't." I said excitedly.

"Early healing spells eat up massive amounts of mana but it could be worth a shot." Root said.

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"Hey everyone… if this works I just became the ultimate cosmetic surgeon to ever exist. So who's first?" I asked with a massive smile on my face.

After a minute of everyone looking around I got the distinct impression no one wanted to be the ginny pig.

"Alright let me try something else first. I have yet to try to make any changes to me permanent. One thing I can potentially do is heal my hearing… I was too close to stuff that was too loud… not a good combo." I said.

"Healing and enchantment are very complex topics. You shouldn't attempt to experiment with..." Root was in the process of saying.

I focused inward again and found the spot that was my hearing. I could still feel the layer of magic fixing my hearing. I added more mana and tried to think 'permanent' fix. It took my remaining mana from 67 to 6 points. I then felt another pop and an extreme case of vertigo, I then turned to the side and threw up.

"Fuck… what did she do now..." Root said as he rushed to my side, he then concentrated on me and I could feel a foreign mana in my body. I instinctively tried to resist but was effortlessly pushed aside.

"Nicole please don't resist, it will only make this more difficult." Root said.

Lluvia appeared next to me like magic, but this felt less like magic and more like being drunk but in a very bad way.

"Here, let's rinse your mouth out girl." She told me and pressed a wine skin to my mouth. I took a small pull and swished it around my mouth then spit it out between us. Then took another sip to help clear my throat.

"Nicole, you need to tell me what you did." I heard from Root right next to me on my other side.

"I… I fed mana into the ability that was in place in my ear… like almost all of it while thinking permanent. I think I fucked with my inner ear by accident and triggered some sort of vertigo response." I said a bit haltingly.

"Ok… You fucked up and could have permanently damaged or destroyed your hearing." Root said.

"So I guess I didn't make the changes permanent?" I asked.

Root concentrated for several minutes while I sat there.

"Oh no… you did… I think but you kind of put a permanent enchantment on your hearing. Exactly what that means I don't know." Root said.

"That doesn't sound so bad." I said.

"Honestly, you got very stupid lucky, and it was focused on such a specific area." Root said.

"I've seen and heard this kind of thing go horribly wrong with young casters. Some kid wants to make a candle that never goes out. The problem is when that fire spreads, sometimes the new flames also don't go out." Root said.

"Ah yeah ok almost like magical cancer." I said.

"What you did was very specific but we should continue to monitor it, and don't be surprised about side effects… what those are I have no idea." He said.

"If this kind of thing can happen, have healers been able to fix it in the past?" I asked.

"Maybe but it takes lots of effort and is a case by case basis." Root said, then Iser started nodding.

"Yes I have read about curses that may have originally began as enchantments and healths that had gone wrong." They then added.

"Haha… fuck me I cursed myself. Alright let's try round two then." I said.

"No your fucking not… you are a child with her first fireball spell right now and you just scorched the barn. Only dumb luck saved you." Root said annoyed.

"I've got her… and no I'm not going to distract her with that either… as much as I enjoy it as well…" Lluvia said with the last part being under her breath.

"Iser, do you have any books on magical theory we can force her to read?" Lluvia asked.

"Yes but I would be at least a little concerned that she might try to experiment with the added information." Iser said

"Best we have for the moment I think…" Llvia replied at this point helping me up and finding a spot to set up camp early.

As we set up camp I discovered that it fixed my hearing and even improved it a good bit. The downside was the random bouts of vertigo and nausea.

"I want to reach in and pull apart what I did to my ears… that was so stupid of me." I said as I was going through an Advanced magic book that Iser had lent me.

"Isn't that sort of how you got into this mess in the first place?" Lluvia reprimanded.

"No?" I tried to say innocently, I was told by Root to not use anymore of that Skill for the time being…

"You're used to being able to just run off and doing things aren't you?" She asked.

"Maybe… my tendency to get in trouble after something dumb is quite high… you would think I would have learned by now. Like this one time my brother and I tried to make an electromagnet but we didn't understand the difference between AC vs DC. Lots of sparks and exploded wire." I said.

"Hmmm I figured that's a big difference?" She asked.

"Oh umm yes umm can't make an electromagnet with AC only DC. Using AC makes the wire explode." I said.

"How old here you at the time?" She asked.

"I don't know like 11 maybe? And I was that kind of child that liked to play with fire. Which now that I think about it, how often do kids here like playing with fire?" I asked.

"There's always at least one pyromaniac… if they keep the urge under control they tend to be fire mages." She said.

"Hehe well I'm at least not the only person who got a class that fit there personally. Which reminds me maybe I should spend some of this time on my Tinkering skill." I said.

"Do you ever turn off? The only times I've seen you have been well…" Lluvia said with a blush.

"Umm not really, I can try to internalize my thoughts more if you would like. I know I can get annoying when fixated." I said.

"I… no it's not annoying, I personally find it endearing even after you injured yourself you are still going at it. I've known too many people that would have just given up in fear." She said.

I laid my head in her lap as she was currently reading her own borrowed book back pressed up against a tree while she kept an eye on me. It was a nice day out and our group decided to take a bit of a break from all of our walking after my incident.

As I laid my head down I could hear her heartbeat with my 'improved' ears. One of her hands found the top of my head and started to stroke my hair absently. She then finished up the page she was on then sent the book down to look at me. When she did I could hear her heartbeat quicken as she continued to stroke my head and just look.

"I find you are very good at pulling off an adorable and eager expression and I love seeing it. It seems so you." She said.

We just enjoyed each other's company for several minutes while I lay with my head on her lap. It was a very comfortable spot for sure, and even with my head not pressed up against her chest I could still hear her heartbeat. I found it very relaxing and almost familiar like a very long forgotten half formed memory.

"What's that expression?" She asked me.

"Just trying to figure out why something seems so familiar." I said.

"Oh and what's that?" She asked.

"Your heart beat is very relaxing and reassuring." I said cuddling a bit more.

"You can hear my heart beating now?" She asked with a bit of surprise.

"Yup, whatever I did exactly I guess not only 'heals' any damage but heightened my hearing as well." I said.

"That's amazing! And a little creepy now that I think about it…" she said.

"Let's stick with Amazing and impossible. I should be deaf or more precisely overwhelmed by all the sounds around me. For instance when you are talking to someone in a crowded room your ears still pick up all of the sounds. Your mind filters out only what matters to you at the moment." I said.

"That makes sense, I've been in places where it was so loud you could not even think. I remember one dungeon in particular that had something like that." Lluvia said.

"Alright new idea, Root said nothing about trying to use the Shape Alteration skill on other things." I said.

"Really? You get me all relaxed and enjoying the discussion and now you want to play mad wizard?" Lluvia asked.

"I umm…. Well I'm curious… and it bugs me that I don't understand… and this world gives me a subtle sense of always being on Adderall all the time well unless I completely drain my mana." I said.

"What's 'add-er-all'? You know what nevermind…" she said then grabbed my head in both of her hands and pressed a kiss on my lips.

"If you don't calm down and just live in the moment for an evening then maybe I will need to find someone else… for my own sanity if nothing else. Do you understand?" She then told me.

"Umm, am I allowed to say no?" I asked.

"No" she said with a small smile.

"Then yup I understand." I said then kissed her back, I then took several deep breaths to try and distract my racing thoughts.

We spent the rest of that evening just enjoying eachothers company, not really talking or doing anything of consequence. Just wanting to be around one another.