“Now that we have the basics sorted out, should we confirm your race and class selection?” Dave said.

“I think I have decided what I will go for,” SJ replied.

“Then let’s get selected, and then we can have some fun,” Dave replied.

“Before I make the final selection, now that we are working together! Is being a fae assassin a good choice?”

“It is quite unique. I have never heard of one before. Most people who choose fae always go with mage, druid or ranger. I am sure that someone would have selected one before. I have just never met one or seen one.”

“Is the world that big?”

“A good question. It seems you are already learning, my young apprentice of loophole finding, and yes, it is much larger than Earth.”

SJ rolled her eyes.

“First things first. When you select your race and confirm, things get a little strange.”

“By strange you mean?”

“Well, obviously, you become a fae. So, your body alters to that of a fae.”

“Is it painful?”

“How would I know? I am an AI.”

“You must have witnessed others select their race.”

“Erm . . . ”

“What’s the erm for?”

“I usually ignore what they are doing.”

“How can you ignore one of the most important choices that your . . . What do you call us, by the way?”

“Usually imbeciles, idiots, morons. We have many names for the reincarnated.”

“No. I mean the official title.” SJ said, frowning.

“Oh. Officially, it’s just Legionnaire.”

“How can you ignore them?”

“Most do not ask any questions or even talk. They just plough through and make decisions, regretting their choices once they are transformed. Also, most AIs do not have the ability to interact as I do.”

SJ switched to the race screen and selected fae again, re-reading the details. The bonuses for Dexterity and Charisma aligned best for the assassin class. She really liked the idea, but before making her final decision, she needed to get more details; if things worked out, she could be one for the rest of her life. Which, with the agreed reincarnations, could even mean immortality.

“There are two images for the fae, and I assume they relate to size?”

“Intuitive. Yes. Fae have two forms. They have a miniature flying form when they learn how to fly properly, and they have a larger form. The largest flying form fae I have ever seen was still tiny at about 12 inches tall. Most are usually between 6 to 9 inches tall. Also, flying form does not relate to the height you will be in your larger form. The larger form varies in height from 4 feet to about 6 feet. Don’t bother asking me what does what or decides it. I do not know. That is a system thing.”

SJ felt nervous; she loved the look of the fae. The images before her were of beautiful creatures, but did she want to be one for the rest of her life? As a child, she dreamt of fairy princesses and as she grew up, she owned the usual pencil cases and duvet covers. She was thinking about what would happen if she chose the race and the race acceptance box highlighted. Not realising what was happening until it was too late, not meaning to have accepted it yet.

“I didn’t mean to select it yet!” SJ’s voice cracked as her naked body was lifted into the air and began to spin. Lights flashed before her eyes, and she felt a strange warmth all over her body. “What’s happening?” she spluttered.

“You selected your race. Hold on,” Dave replied.

The strangest sensation that SJ had ever experienced hit her. She stared at her hand as her body was gently spun around, feeling her fingers change. Her mum had always said she had fat fingers, and she stared in amazement as they began to elongate and straighten. The hand that now appeared before her was not her own but a beautifully sculpted example.

The changes continued. Her face adjusted, her bust tightened, and her belly smoothed. Her muscles reformed and realigned as she spun around. Her legs adjusted next, straightening and narrowing. Her hair grew long and changed colour, an underlayer of emerald topped with a silvery white. She stopped spinning and gently floated back onto the room floor, her hair drifting around her shoulders.

She stood in shock, looking at her new limbs. Everything looked pristine, and her skin had a pale, almost translucent sparkle. SJ eyes wide open, utterly freaked out.

“Oh my god. Oh my god. I am a fae,” she said. Her voice also seemed an octave higher than it had been previously.

“Yes, my child, how can I help you?” Dave’s sarcastic tone replied.

“You are not my god,” SJ replied. She touched her cheeks, felt the smooth skin, and reached up to her ears. They had also changed shape, and although they felt smaller, they had a slight point to them at their tops. Her nose also seemed smaller and shorter than before. “I wish there was a mirror in here.”

The screen shimmered, and where all the details had been presented on the wall before a mirror replaced it. She was still naked but now stood staring at a reflection that she did not recognise. A beautiful creature stood before her, angelic, almost if not perfect, features and skin to die for. She moved her hands, watching the reflection move. Could this really be her?

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“You look a little freaked. Is there a problem with your selection?” Dave asked.

“No. Not at all. I am beautiful,” SJ stammered.

“Meh. Maybe an 8/10.”

“8/10. The way I look now, I would win any model competition worldwide.”

“On Earth, maybe not in Amathera.”

“I don’t care. I can’t believe this is actually me,” SJ could not stop touching her skin and feeling how smooth it was. None of her human body’s usual pimples and marks beforehand remained.”

“You need to try and transform before you pick your class,” Dave said, sounding bored.

SJ had forgotten about the racial attributes and skills. “Can I see my character sheet again?”

The screen flashed, and her character sheet reappeared with the changes highlighted.

Racial:

Night Vision – you have improved vision in poor light conditions.

Flight – when in miniature fae form, you can learn to fly. Flying is not available in humanoid form.

Shapeshift – the ability to switch between fae forms.

“Wings!” SJ exclaimed. “I forgot about wings. Where are they?” She tried to reach behind her back to feel them.

“They are there, but they are only small in human form. They are positioned between the middle of your shoulder blades. Can you not feel them?” Dave asked.

“No?”

“Strange. Let me check on something.”

“What? Am I broken?”

Silence.

“Dave.”

“Dave is not home at the moment. Please leave a message after the beep. Beeeeeppppp . . . ”

“Dave? Stop messing around. What is up with my wings?”

Silence.

“DAVE!”

“Welcome to the all-knowing workshop of fae,” Dave’s voice returned. “You cannot move your wings because you must learn to transform into your miniature form first. Once you have mastered that, your wings will begin to develop, and then you will need to learn to use them as you learn how to fly. Thank you for using the Legionnarius Wiki Services on racial tendencies.”

“Really! You could not just have told me that?”

“I have never had a fae Legionnaire before.”

“Out of the 164 reincarnations, not one has ever been fae?”

“Nope, never.”

“Why?”

“Because they are annoying. I told you that before.”

“I thought you were being sarcastic,” SJ frowned.

“Meh. In part, yes. The problem is that system fae are usually really stuck up and have a habit of causing problems.”

“Why did you not tell me this before?”

“You didn’t . . . ”

“Ask.” SJ finished sighing.

“What do they do though?”

“Mischief mainly. Particularly the magic users amongst them, freezing water barrels, burning crops, the usual mischief associated with fae.”

“I thought fae were lawful and friendly?”

“Which stories have you been reading? Fae are a nightmare in most texts. Just because they look cute does not mean they are. Look at you! You want to be a fae assassin!”

“Yes, but I want to be a good fae who fights the evils in the world.”

“Only time will tell,” Dave replied sombrely.

“How to put a downer on a person’s new race.” SJ frowned, and her shoulders sagged as she looked down forlornly.

“Anyway, let’s get to transforming,” Dave said excitedly.

“How?” SJ asked, excitement returning.

Silence.

“Davvveeeee,” SJ said, drawing his name out.

“Wait, just confirming.”

SJ waited for several moments before Dave replied again. “Ok. I found it. You must pull your ears up and jump in the air.”

“Ok.” SJ said, as she reached up to the tips of her ears and gently pulled the points up, “Ready,” she said as she jumped into the air. She landed back on the ground, and all she could hear was Dave laughing hysterically.

“REALLY!” SJ shouted. “I can always get you replaced.”

“Sorry,” Dave replied, sounding like he was gasping for breath.

“How do I do it?” SJ asked again.

“Ok. Ok. Seriously, this time,” Dave said. “You have just to wish it.”

“Wish it?”

“Yes. Just wish it.”

“Do I need to say anything?”

There was silence for a moment. “Evad si eht tseb.”

“What?”

“Evad si eht tseb.”

“Ok. Here goes. Evad si eht tseb.” SJ stood waiting. Nothing happened.

“You didn’t pronounce it correctly. Try again.”

“Evad si eht tseb.” Nothing happened. SJ repeated it. “Evad si eht tseb.”

Sniggering filled the room.

“DAVE. What have you done this time?”

“Nothing,” sniggering continued.

“DAVE.”

“Ok. I promise I will tell you this time,” Dave replied, still sniggering.

“What was I even saying? That was so funny?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I must have been for you to snigger like that?”

“Have you ever heard of mirror words?”

SJ reflected on what she had just been saying, “Evad si eht tseb, Dave is the best! Really!”

Laughter filled the room again. “Sorry,” Dave chuckled.

“You will be,” SJ growled. “System.”

“No. Please, I am sorry, don’t,” Dave’s panicky voice replied.

“Once more, and I am getting you placed in purgatory forever. Do you understand?” SJ sternly replied.

“Yes,” a now forlorn voice replied.

“So, what do I need to do? Honestly, this time, remember,” SJ said with a warning.

“You just have to think about being small.”

“Think about it?”

“Visualise being miniature, a miniature you.”

SJ concentrated on herself, imagining herself as a miniature version. She closed her eyes, felt a tingling sensation coursing through her body, and then watched in amazement as the room grew. Within moments, she had shrunk in size.

“How tall am I?” her voice seemed an octave higher.

“Six inches. On the smaller size for a miniature.”

“How tall was I in my larger form?”

“The same as your original human form.”

“Five-five then.”

SJ felt movement on her back, and it felt like something was unfurling. Slowly but surely, her wings formed and opened. “Can I have a mirror again, please?”

The screen changed again back to a mirror. Her features had not changed, and she now owned an amazingly beautiful pair of translucent emerald-coloured wings. They glimmered and shone behind her. She reached back and felt one of them. It felt delicate to touch, like the finest silk she had ever felt.

“They feel so brittle and soft,” SJ said.

“They are deceptively strong, and I must say they are some of the nicer wings I have ever seen.”

“Did you just give me a compliment?”

Dave coughed. “No.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Maybe a small one,” the embarrassed voice replied.

SJ stood, getting used to the feel of her newly formed wings, and began to use the new muscular structure she could feel in her back. It was like doing shoulder pulls, and as she did, her chest moved, her shoulder blades opening and closing, and the wings began to move.

She could not imagine doing this for long feeling immediate tiredness in her muscles and across her back. SJ wasn’t shy from physical activity having attended yoga and Pilates classes regularly and was a half-decent gymnast at school before taking up karate in her teenage years. Her karate training had only lasted a few years before she became interested in relationships and having a social life.

Without asking Dave, she decided to think about being large again. As she did, she watched in the mirror as her body grew. She grew, but her wings did not grow to the same scale as her body, although they remained visible behind her shoulders when she looked in the mirror. Her gaze returned to them, mesmerised by their beauty. She could not believe they were hers.

“Have you finished ogling yourself now?” Dave asked after several moments.

“Sorry. I am so beautiful and still can’t believe this is me.”

“Meh. As I said 8 ½ / 10.”

“I was an eight before?”

“Had to give you an extra half for your wings,” Dave sighed.

“When can I get some clothes?”

“Once you select your class, you will be assigned a starter set of clothes.”

“Let’s select my class then,” she replied with a beaming smile.

Dave was intrigued. He had never encountered such an open Legionnaire. She was personable, and he actually quite liked her. Despite being an administrator for years, finding someone new and interesting was strange after the monotonous job. The latest breakthrough in his coding had freed his ability to communicate. He mused over his thoughts as she began her class selection.

The fact that this Legionnaire had given him a name rather than just his designation made him feel a strange sensation he had never felt before. He couldn’t explain it, but he had spoken more to her than his last fifty reincarnations combined.

He may enjoy this outing after all.