Returning to Earth with the shifted conch shell replacing my left hand proved that the pearls came with me. And the girls used my Contact Contracted Companion power to let me know that the test had been successful.

We’d decided the best way to make sure this part worked was to have me leave my hand over a clean porcelain plate, so if the ‘seeds’ I’d taken to make the pearls got left behind, they’d fall to the table like the armor I usually wore. Since there was no sign of it, we assumed the test was successful.

Our next test would require me to come up with some way to stash a bit of the gold somewhere in my body. This was so that it integrated properly and was considered ‘part of me.’ And that was something I spent most of the next several days considering without much luck.

I got a disappointed message from Rieka on Friday night that they would have to push back the actual ritual to have Shayla join the group. Rieka had received a summons to report back to her mother. She’d offered to miss the ritual, but Shayla had insisted on her being present for it. There was good news though, because several other girls had apparently approached Kassandra to see if they could join in on the group project.

Apparently, the statement from the instructor, and the last set of tests, had some of them shaken up. So instead, Saturday was going to be a small meeting for me to talk to the new potentials and figure out if we would be adding more than Shayla in the near future.

Unsure of who all would be there, and Kassandra outright refusing to tell me, I decided to make an effort to put forth a good impression.

That resolution ended up with me dipping into some of the extra cash from my bounty payment, something I’d been loath to do until now.

I was still not really trusting that the money was real. I’d half expected to check my bank balance and see that the funds had been seized by the government or my account had been frozen, because that was just the kind of rotten luck that I had. But the withdrawal went through without an issue and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Using the money on something other than bare necessities also felt strange. I just kept reminding myself that new clothes were a necessity, given how often I ended up either damaging, burning, or bleeding on my outfits while helping the girls with their missions. That was unless I wanted to show up to a summon looking like a hobo in bloody rags.

When Kassandra’s summons finally came mid-morning on Saturday, I was already dressed in my nice new jeans and a dark-green button-down shirt. My boots were still the same battered and stained work-boots I always wore, I couldn’t bring myself to replace them as they weren’t damaged. I had at least given them a scrub up as best as I could to remove as much dirt as possible.

Kassandra Silverscale has sent a non-urgent request for your presence regarding expanding your pool of contracted partners.

Transit? View summoning?

“Well, here’s to a good impression,” I muttered before tapping the Transit option.

The tugging sensation settled around my shoulders and I was yanked spinning off into the place between worlds like I was riding the bastard child of a Tilt-a-Whirl and a claw machine arcade game.

I saw sound and smelled colors. For a brief moment I was greeted by a great walled city, sectioned off in distinct districts by massive walls and machines, while outside of the city a massive red lizard circled in the air, frustrated by the city’s defenses. The scent of mauve filled my lungs while the ripples of the dragons roar distorted the image like a stone dropped into a pond.

Then it was all gone. I felt myself slam down into a soft carpet in a room illuminated by the light streaming through windows right behind me. The familiar scent of musk and cinnamon surrounded me, and I recognized the room as Kassandra’s when I spotted the large, round couch in front of the fire that she liked to sprawl on.

A flash of movement from my left gave me enough warning that I could turn and brace as Kassandra launched herself at me like a well-endowed arrow streaming red hair behind it.

“Got you!” I laughed, snatching her out of the air and turning with the motion, pulling my scaled lover into my hip while continuing to turn to allow her to drape her scaled length around me.

“Yes you did, Liam!” Kassandra’s laugh was high and joyous as she snuggled into me, her arms wrapping around my chest in a tight hug while her scaled length squeezed me tight, both in affection and to ensure she stayed perched right where she wanted. “I told you girls that my Liam was a clever one. He’s not the kind to be caught by surprise usually.”

Kassandra’s words startled me slightly, and I turned to look behind me to see that there were several people in the room already waiting. All three were smiling, though one more than the others.

“Oh, hello there you three. Sorry for being distracted but,” I gave a one-armed shrug and nodded to where Kassandra was clinging to me like the world’s cutest barnacle.

“Don’t worry about it, Liam,” Rachel Cedarfall said, waving one hand as she approached. The tawny-haired elven woman was wearing a familiar outfit to what I’d seen her in the last time we’d met. A pair of loose canvas pants reinforced in the thighs with leather and a long-sleeved suit of sturdy tan cloth. She had gathered her hair in a more organized braid behind her head this time, but the tawny mane still looked messy. “Kassandra wanted us to hide initially to see how you act naturally without prompting. I think she was hoping to allay someone’s nerves.”

“I’m not nervous!” protested Jane Carsan.

The smaller woman with the large mouse ears and her prodigious tail tipped with a bit of fluff bounced from one foot to the other with nerves. From the occasional look she darted at Kassandra, I could tell it wasn’t me making her anxious, though. Jane has always been a bit on the high-strung side and wary of Kassandra, though why that was I could not tell.

“She probably means me,” murmured Shayla Valo, the pale-skinned moth woman pressing in on herself slightly despite her height being a rival to my own.

The folded wings on her back flared out slightly, displaying the patterns of red and brown across them before folding neatly behind her while she tried to hide her face in the fluffy ruff at her neck. The twin antennae on her head danced slightly, curling at the tips like they were wringing hands.

“I don’t know why you’d be nervous, Shayla,” I said as kindly as I could with Kassandra now sneaking kisses into my neck while giggling quietly. “Or any of you. From the impression that Kassandra had given me, I didn’t realize I’d be meeting with people I’d talked to before.”

“Most of the class is still wary of the idea of getting too close to a fabled human,” Jane said with a flick of her tail over her head, the tufty tip dancing back and forth on the end of that long appendage. “Apparently, the fact that you haven’t yet savaged the princess or Lady Silverscale isn’t enough for most of them. I’ve heard a few muttering that you are just waiting to have enough innocent young things alone in a room with you before you devour them.”

“That doesn’t sound like too bad of a fate,” Kassandra snickered, leaning back finally from her spot at my side, but not releasing me. “Any time you want to devour me, Liam, you just say the word.”

That statement got a blush from all three of the girls and torpedoed the attempt at casual conversation.

So in revenge, I pinched Kassandra’s rump under her skirt, just above where her body turned from soft flesh into her smooth scales. The mischievous dwarf lamia jumped with a squeak and a small blush, slapping my chest in retribution, but still not unwinding from around me.

“Come on, ladies. Let’s have a seat and get comfortable,” I said, gesturing towards the assortment of furniture near the fireplace. “While Kassandra didn’t tell me exactly what you wanted to discuss, I do know that you all were interested in possibly joining their group for the summoning class?”

“Somewhat.” It was Rachel who spoke up, being the first to shrug off the awkwardness that Kassandra had caused with her lewd comments. “I wanted to check in with you to see how your powers are developing. You remember that I expressed interest in apprenticing with you.” The regal featured elven woman led the way to the furniture, settling into a comfortable wing-back chair that I remember Rieka favoring.

Shayla trailed after her, shooting me a few tentative smiles before sitting on the loveseat closest to the round couch that I knew was where I would end up. Her wings flicked a few times as she crossed the room and I did my best to not stare at the full figure of the winged woman. The simple dress she wore was a light cream color this time and clung just as determinedly to her hips as the last one I’d seen her in.

“Well, I have expanded my magic some, but I still only practice earth magic at this time,” I answered Rachel’s question while waiting for Jane to choose her seat.

The energetic mouse kin woman eyed the options for a moment before taking the seat next to Shayla, putting the much larger woman between her and me.

Or maybe it is her and Kass? I thought, watching Jane’s gaze bounce around the room, always returning to the form of my serpentine lover for a moment before darting away.

With the guests seated, I carefully settled onto the rounded couch, doing my best to not jostle my passenger while Kassandra clung to me obstinately.

My lovely little Nugget had forgone her underbust corset today, instead opting for a close fitting blouse in a pale rose that made the delicate spots of the freckles decorating both her cheeks and the tops of her breasts pop against her soft skin. The skirt that she wore was a matching shade, but had darker red and yellow patterns of flowers embroidered on the hems of it. In all, it gave the vibes of a sundress and I was definitely enjoying how it clung to Kassandra.

“That is good to hear. I know you have said in the past that your primary power set revolved around changing your body. So I understand that you haven’t had much time to work with your earth magic.” Rachel spoke in an understanding tone, but I was sure there was a hint of disappointment in the way her shoulders slumped slightly. Apparently, Kassandra saw it too.

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“Oh, he hasn’t been slacking on designing new magic though,” Kassandra chirped, quite happy to brag about me for a bit. “Liam has been doing some interesting things with jewelry as it is, shaping metal and the like to make—”

“You can shape metal?!”

Rachel’s outburst interrupted Kassandra and startled Jane enough that the mouse woman jerked so hard on her cushion that she bounced several inches into the air. The sudden movement next to her made Shayla yelp in surprise as well and her wings flared out instinctively in a defensive display, which nearly smacked Jane right off the loveseat.

Silence descended after Rachel’s near-scream of a question. Kassandra blinked at the elf woman, who was blushing furiously but alternating between staring at Kassandra and me, her entire body vibrating with excitement.

“Yes?” I answered after the silence dragged on into awkwardness for a bit too long. “It’s not exactly mana efficient at the moment, but it is something that I can do.”

“Do you think you could teach me how to do it? This is tremendous, it was theorized that earth magic could be used to alter and shape metal, but the particular process has never been codified. If I could learn how to do that and write a paper on how, then it would guarantee me a place in the history books!”

Rachel spoke in a cascade of words that ran into each other in a storm of excitement. The normally regal looking woman was vibrating in excitement, her pointed ears perking up through her tawny hair while she stared at me now.

“Probably?” The answer took a bit of wind out of her sails and she slumped, so I was quick to continue. “I just learned that I could do it recently, so I’m still refining the ability. The more that I use it, the faster I can figure out the specifics of what needs to be done. Remember, I don’t cast spells in the same way that you all do.”

“Yes, but if it is possible for you to do it, then it is possible to design a spell to do the same. At that point, it’s just research and development.” Some of Rachel’s energy recovered now, and she was bouncing slightly in her chair.

The sight of the normally dignified elven woman bouncing like an excited kid on a sugar rush was just too cute. I tried my best to not think about the fact that she was likely two or three times my age, if the legends about elves were real, and just enjoyed her excitement.

“I haven’t known him long,” Shayla spoke up for the first time since sitting down, her fingers nervously smoothing the fluffy ruffs around her wrists as she talked. “But Liam strikes me as the kind of person who would do what he could to help you, if it was possible.”

Shayla shot me a hesitant smile, clearly a little worried at speaking for me, but I returned her smile with one of my own.

“Shayla is right, I’ll do what I can to figure out the specifics on that spell. It’ll depend more on when I can get the materials to start tinkering with it, but I’ll do my best to pay attention.”

I felt Kassandra move in her spot under my arm and let her free of the half-hug I’d been using to support her. She shifted around so she sprawled over my lap instead of being tucked under my arm, laying so her head was tucked against my right biceps.

“You know, Rachel. That’s not the most interesting thing that my Liam has done with his earth magic lately.” Kassandra’s tone was teasing as she spoke, wiggling to get herself comfortable. This had the added effect of grinding her bum into my crotch, something I was sure she was doing intentionally.

“Oh?” The elven woman looked disbelieving as she asked that question, wondering what Kassandra might have up her sleeve.

“Nothing much, just that he’s been able to manipulate glass as well.”

Rachel went still as stone at that statement. She just stopped moving and stared blankly at Kassandra for several seconds.

“Why is that so impressive?” Jane finally spoke up, her head tilting to one side in curiosity while she toyed with her long tail in her hands, wringing it slightly in a clearly nervous habit. “I’d think being able to spell metal into new shapes would be more impressive. Have you experimented with the mana infused metals yet?”

“No, I only just tried it a day or so ago and haven’t had much time to experiment. I’ve only really toyed with using precious metals like gold as it is naturally soft, and the infused gold coins are a bit too valuable to just mess with. I’d hate to mess up and ruin the ability of the metal to retain mana,” I answered, getting understanding nods from Jane and Shayla.

“That doesn’t answer why glass is such a big deal, though,” murmured Shayla, who was studying Rachel with a bit of concern on her face. “Is she okay?”

“Rachel is a glassblower as a hobby,” Kassandra said, still grinning at the elven woman. “As well as an alchemist. So, such things have a direct bearing on her work.”

“Direct bearing!?” Rachel screeched, coming out of her catatonia to yell at Kassandra. “If I could shape glass with my magic, it would allow my alchemic research to progress at an even greater rate! But every time I try it, the glass shatters! I can mold stone like clay, but glass either refuses to respond or just turns to dust when I put pressure on it with magic. It’s another of the questions that earth mages have been searching for an answer to!”

“I might have an idea on that?” My suggestion earned me an intense glare from the elven woman, but she gestured for me to continue. “Okay, so this is just a theory that jumped to mind on why it hasn’t worked for you yet. It might not be the actual solution, but hear me out fully first.” I started to explain, glancing around the room for something to use as an example.

Kassandra deduced the reason for my searching quickly and pointed to a small glass vase that sat by the door with a questioning look. I nodded, so she unwound herself quickly from around me, making sure to grind her bottom into my crotch as much as she could while doing that, and slithered over to collect it.

While she did that, I took a moment to order my thoughts.

My vastly increased mental scores were going into overdrive, digging up half-remembered facts from old Discovery Channel specials and a few episodes of How It’s Made. When I had the information clear in my head, I began to speak as Kassandra returned with the empty vase.

“So my world has studied some things pretty intensely, and one of those things is how items are formed. If you think of it like construction, this building is made up of hundreds of individual bricks and boards that together form Rue House.” Rachel nodded slowly once while gazing at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jane and Shayla nodding as well. “Metals are the same way. It’s why pure gold is so valuable, as the individual bits of gold are rare. Some items are more stable when alone, like diamonds, and others are stronger in an alloyed form, like steel.”

“Following you so far, but what about glass?” Rachel demanded.

“Glass is something entirely different. It’s what’s known as an amorphous solid, meaning that it doesn’t function along the same lines as a solid with a steady form. Basically, glass is inherently unstable from how it is formed, with a collection of complex ‘blocks’ that don’t fit quite well together. You can temper glass to strengthen it, and so it doesn’t shatter into sharp fragments, but there’s only so far you can go with science,” I explained slowly. I had to focus at times to not drop words like ‘molecule’ as I was sure that it would only confuse the more.

“Amorphous solid? It sounds like it should be partially made of liquid then.” This was Shayla asking now, clearly getting into the discussion more. Her antennae bounced and stretched, like little grasping hands trying to pluck my answer out of the air.

“Not quite. It’s one of those things that breaks the rules and gets to be both at once. Honestly, the amorphous part has more to do with how the different bits lock together. This is what gives glass its properties, but also some of its weaknesses.”

I accepted the vase from Kassandra and studied it for a moment before digging into my mana and spreading it through my fingers into the glass. I could tell immediately that it was a fine piece of hand-blown glass, but that it suffered from the same kind of flaws that came with handmade items, meaning that it was mixed with skill rather than exacting measurements during creation. There were flaws in the glass that I could feel, tiny bubbles or stone fragments that were so small that the eye would likely miss them but would form stress points if stressed.

“What I do is remind the glass of the liquid state it once held, when it was first born. Then pull the structure into something stable. If you imagine the individual strands of a rope, or the way cloth is weaved, that’s a step in the right direction,” I explained.

Using my magic, I pulled the tiny contaminants out of the glass with a gesture while helping adjust its structure to that more rigid crystalline form that gave diamonds their strength. It wasn’t perfect, or nearly as hard as a diamond, but magic let me break some rules myself.

“You just have to be careful and study it to recognize if something got into the melt, or didn’t combine properly. If you try to do this while there is a bit of iron from your blow-pipe in the mix, or a fragment of rust or something, then it can cause it to shatter. It’s not quite fire magic, as we aren’t actually heating it, just shifting the tiny pieces that make up the glass enough to let the problems out and to smooth out the stresses that exist inside it. It’s those tiny contaminates and the latent stress that comes with the formation of glass that makes it unable to respond to the mana.”

The glass of the vase flowed a moment later, stretching and shifting as I pulled on it light taffy with my fingers. A moment later, the simple glass vase had transformed to look like the upper portion was a daffodil. Rachel’s eyes widened in surprise as she watched me. When I finished the work, I leaned forward to offer her the vase, and she took it with shaking hands.

“That was impressive,” Jane spoke up again, her eyes darting between my hands and the vase before locking back on me. “I’m here for a different reason though, I need help with the summoning class. Things with me and my sylph are… not going well. I did what you suggested, but I think I offended them initially and they aren’t willing to forgive me.”

“And I need to actually have a summon for the class,” murmured Shayla, darting her gaze towards me and then blushing slightly. “I wasn’t interested in it at first, but when Lady Silverscale and Princess Coldeye approached me about working with you, I did some research. Summoning fascinates me, and I can only imagine what sort of sights you’ve seen in your travels. I’d love to be able to paint some of them as well. Views of worlds that I’ve never been to, things that don’t exist anywhere in this kingdom…”

“That’s fair,” I replied, glancing between the two of them. “At the moment, I operate as a third party member for Kass and Rieka while they do the combat type missions that are required for their classes. Do you two have similar requirements?” Jane nodded while Shayla shook her head.

“I’m on an art scholarship, so I don’t have to do any combat work. That might change though, now that I signed up for the Summoning class.” The moth woman winced, her antennae curling in distress as she thought it over.

I had to fight down the urge to immediately offer to help her like I did initially for Kassandra and Rieka when I met them. Looking back on it, I knew that volunteering with no information like that was incredibly dumb, my enhanced mental scores castigating me for that mistake. It had worked out in the end, but I needed to be more intelligent about it from now on.

“That would be something to look into, for sure. But to that point, though, it would work best if you joined us in our missions and practice. For the summoning class, right now they are working on ‘raising a summoned creature.’” I shot Kassandra a smile, and she winked at me with an alluring smirk, slithering up onto the couch to loosely wrap around my seated form. “And how I grow in power is being summoned here and completing tasks for my summoners.”

“Speaking of. Liam, please make sure you make a good impression on these three,” Kassandra butted in.

A flash at the edges of my vision preceded the appearance of a set of text, then a second flash occurred and another block of text appeared.

Assist your contracted companion, Kassandra Silverscale, by making a good impression on Rachel Cedarfall, Jane Carsan, and Shayla Valo.

Reward - 200 SP

Assist your contracted companion, Kassandra Silverscale, by making a good impression on Rachel Cedarfall, Jane Carsan, and Shayla Valo.

Reward - 200 SP

COMPLETED

“Well, that was easy,” I laughed, shaking my head to dismiss the messages. “Apparently, the System judged all three of you as impressed already.”

Jane opened her mouth to ask another question, the tip of her tail flicking quickly and her eyes wide in curiosity, when a bright, angry red color flashed at the edges of my vision.

Rieka Coldeye has sent an urgent request for your presence regarding her physical safety.

Transit? View summoning?