To be the sovereign of an empty city was sad. That is what Dahlia decided when she arose from her meditative state. There was no one to boss around except her subordinates; the buildings were primarily ruins, and the dimensional shift wiped out the illusory network of spells that once covered Aelwyth Morghaine.

It wasn’t all bad, though. Thornheart Manor, now named Witherbloom Manor, had an opulent master bedroom that Dahlia had taken as her own. While she wasn’t exactly sure of the time differential between Vesperis Morghaine and Nantes—master thaumaturgist and master cosmologist were two very different skill sets—Dahlia estimated the time flow difference to be twice that of Nantes. A few days of rest, recuperation, and taking it easy would only cost them a day in Nantes.

This proved to be an ideal opportunity for Dahlia to shore up the Ebon Chorus and to read the Volume of Ruling Presence. In between reading sessions that were surprisingly intriguing, Dahlia summoned the Ebon Chorus one at a time to try and make her companions stronger.

First, she summoned Mr. Disapoofer. The Warp Wolf was a fantastic companion and ally, but when it came to combat, his low level put a damper on his ability to participate. This weakness had formed a kernel of envy within Warp Wolf, and Dahlia wanted to nip it in the bud before it became a personality defect. Telepathic and sapient, it wasn’t as if she could throw him a bone to keep him happy.

“You want to be stronger, right, boy?” Dahlia asked Mr. Disapoofer.

“Ruff!” I want to be the strongest Warp Wolf ever!

“That’s the spirit!” Dahlia ruffled the fur of his head, careful not to poke one of the wolf’s six eyes.

Then she plunged spectral extensions of her hands inside of Mr. Disapoofer.

First, Dahlia needed to empower her familiar. She burned two level one spells to level Mr. Disapoofer to level two—she wanted to test the basic usages of her Soul Shaping powers on her familiar before she went for something more significant. Yet they worked the same on Mr. Disapoofer as on any of the Ebon Chorus.

With that out of the way, she expended a third-level spell slot and crafted the power as it flowed into Mr. Disapoofer. Warp Wolves were famous for their ability to teleport and jitter around. Ancient ones were supposedly a nightmare to fight, and Dahlia wanted her Warp Wolf to be the most nightmarish of them all.

A name bubbled up through the chaos of Dahlia’s thoughts, and she latched onto it happily.

You have added a trait to Mr. Disapoofer.

Warden of Elsewhere (Rank 1)

“Where his eyes linger, so too does his path unfold.”

Mr. Disapoofer is no ordinary fey wolf—he is a guardian of the unseen ways, a prowler of the spaces-between, a specter that does not merely move but shifts with freedom throughout the Elsewhere. His many eyes are more than mere sight; they are anchors to other places, doors to infinite possibilities waiting to be realized.

Rank 1: Many-Eyed Anchors—Mr. Disapoofer can project his eyes onto surfaces, objects, or even into the air. These spectral eyes act as spatial markers, allowing him to warp between them at will.

“Ruff!” My eyes! My eyes! Oh, they appear on walls now. This is weird. Mr. Disapoofer barked sharply before he settled on an uncertain, low rumble in the back of his throat.

“You wanted to be stronger; I’m making you stronger. Be a good boy; I can fit another trait into your soul. If you squirm too much, your tail might fall off,” Dahlia warned with a giggle.

The Warp Wolf understood the sarcastic nature of his mistress’s remark, thanks to telepathy. It was a dark reminder to Dahlia that Mr. Disapoofer had been more intelligent than her upon his summoning, and even after vastly increasing her wisdom, the wolf still matched her.

“Arf!” I want to be as powerful as Xeras! Mr. Disapoofer begged.

Dahlia burned her other level-three spell slot and found she could work a little more, so she also expended a second-level slot. Xeras was a creature of strength and intellect, and Mr. Disapoofer was a creature of speed and treachery. Power came from playing to one's strengths.

You have added a trait to Mr. Disapoofer.

The Pale Trickster (Rank 2)

“A fleeting whisper, a flickering shadow—where he treads, mischief follows.”

Discontent with being an ordinary Fey wolf, Mr. Disapoofer has embraced the art of illusion and misdirection and become a walking paradox, an enigma of motion and deception, an unseen hand guiding Dahlia’s opponents toward trickery and ruin.

Rank 1: Ghost Step—Mr. Disapoofer makes no noise when he walks, and ghostly images constantly obfuscate his trajectory. Walls, ceilings, and even the air are traversed with silent steps.

Rank 2: Unseeing Eye—If Mr. Disapoofer closes an eye while a creature looks into it, he may steal their vision, afflicting them with temporary blindness. This lasts for only a few seconds but provides potent disorientation. The effect is magnified if multiple of Mr. Disapoofer’s eyes are closed simultaneously. Repeatedly falling for this trick results in opponents seeing afterimages of Mr. Disapoofer where he isn’t, causing paranoia and hesitation.

“Ruff! Ruff!” I feel lighter.

“I bet you do! Run on the ceiling!” Dahlia demanded once she reviewed the trait she had created for Mr. Disapoofer.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Not hesitating, Mr. Disapoofer ran up the wall and across the ceiling. The constant flood of afterimages and lack of sound made the scene feel eerie, as if a wolf walking upside down on a ceiling wasn’t some taboo.

Dahlia took a deep breath and used Arcane Reclamation to restore one of her third-level spell slots. Beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, and she felt like she’d been flying full speed for hours. While Soul Shaping did not appear to take much time, it used immense quantities of magic.

Dahlia burned the restored spot to increase Mr. Disapoofer even more, then turned her gaze to examine the results.

Mr. Disapoofer

Warp Wolf (Evolved)

Level: 4.5

Medium Fey

Strength

13

Intelligence

8

Dexterity

18

Wisdom

14

Constitution

13

Charisma

10

Damage Resistances

Psychic

Immunities

Frightened, Charmed

Senses

Dark Vision, 80ft from projected eyes.

Languages

Telepathy 60ft, Understands common and Sylvan

Traits

Flicker Movement

Warp Wolves ignore hazardous terrain and opportunity attacks and possess Teleport (40ft) as a movement type.

The Pale Trickster (2)

1. Silent movement & ceiling, wall, and air walking.

2. Blind creatures who look into his eyes when he closes them.

Warden of Elsewhere (1)

1. Project eyes to act as spatial anchors from which he can teleport.

Actions

Elsewhere Snare

Mr. Disapoofer’s projected eyes can swallow an enemy into the Elsewhere and spit it right back out, interrupting its movement and temporarily reducing its speed to almost zero.

Eye-Bite

Mr. Disapoofer’s ravenous hunger manifests as a psychic bite from one of his projected eyes. Range: 60 ft.

Warp Dodge (Reaction)

When an attacker, the Warp Wolf, can see targets it or its rider with an attack, it can use its reaction to teleport 15 feet away to an unoccupied spot.

Equipment

Collar of Phantasmal Prowl

Extraordinary Item, Very Rare

Glamour Ward: Minor illusions swirl constantly around the wearer, a constant bonus to defense.

Phantasmal Prowl (1/day): Become wreathed in illusions once per day, gain either invisibility or bonus to evasion.

Sylvan Shroud (1/day): You and any allied creatures within 30 ft gain an immense bonus to stealth and leave no traces behind.

“Wow, Mr. Disapoofer, you’re like a new wolf!”

“Arf!” I feel like a new wolf! Watch this!

Even though the wolf dropped to the floor and pushed his big, wet nose against Dahlia’s tiny hand, disconcertingly, the six glaring eyes of the Warp Wolf vanished from his face. Across the room, spectral eyes materialized—floating in the air, as part of a painting, blinking down at Dahlia from the ceiling. Even though Dahlia had crafted this power for the wolf, watching it in action made it more real.

“That’s so cool!” Dahlia gushed and petted his snout.

“Arf!” I’m the coolest! “Arrooooooooooooo!” The Wolf howled out his joy at becoming more powerful and valuable to his master, and his howl seemed to echo within the realm of Vesperis Morghaine as if the dead city also celebrated with the wolf.

Dahlia smiled indulgently at the wolf and then considered what she had learned about Soul Shaping. On the surface, the idea seemed simple—pour magic into the soul, and it grows. Yet her experiments with Mr. Disapoofer and earlier with Ruth told her that this was not that simple.

It took four first-level spells to nudge a level 1 creature to level 2. Second-level spells, meanwhile, were much more potent, enough to push Mr. Disapoofer to 2.5 from 2 in one cast. Third-level spells followed suit and gave Mr. Disapoofer nearly a whole level—initially. A modifier seemed to enter play the moment the targets level exceeded the level of the spell.

Despite the increase in intelligence, math had never been one of Dahlia’s strong suits. That’s why she learned to harness magic with the force of her charisma, not her intellect. Still, there seemed to be rules in play to empower souls through Soul Shaping, and she needed to learn what those rules were. Spell slots were a precious resource, and if she wanted to keep the Ebon Chorus relevant to her struggles, she absolutely needed to be efficient with each spell she cast.

Thanks to the information provided by Thoth, or Nantes, or whatever it was that showed her information about her minions, she’d be able to narrow down those rules through trial and error, as long as she kept meticulous notes. Fairies were, after all, renowned for keeping meticulously thorough notes.

Dahlia wanted to sob.

“Arrf!” I’m going to go catch us dinner! Mr. Disapoofer flashed out of the room, possibly out of the manor. Now that he could run on walls, ceilings, or even the air itself, it probably didn’t matter how he vanished from the room, and he’d be safe enough.

Still, Dahlia sighed and spoke into his mind.

“There’s barely any game to catch. I suppose I could alter the barriers around Vesperis Morghaine to allow minor Shadow critters inside, so you have something to hunt.”

Dahlia considered what might bring more life to the new city. Did she even want life in it? It was hers now. Sharing it with others seemed unnecessary, but she did like creature comforts and freshly baked pastries. Some Riverwatch folk would make for decent enough candidates to move here. With the true names of Zorah, Amelia, and Adeleine, those three would be unable to resist aggressive suggestions. Maybe she could even find a hidden enclave of Fey on Nantes to offer shelter in return for their service.

The black Wisp that floated around Dahlia’s hat chittered, whispers of knowledge passing between the master and Servant.

“I see, I see,” Dahlia murmured.

Quest: Find the Hidden Fey of Nantes

Reward: ?????

“Don’t rush me,” Dahlia rebuffed the voice of Nantes.

“I’m not returning to Nantes until I’ve gotten all of the Ebon Chorus up to level 3, at least.” Dahlia scolded Nantes, or Thoth, or whoever it was.

“How will we get back?” Xeras asked. The Gloamknight stepped from the corner, where he’d been still as a statue for the last few hours.

“I learned two new abilities. Call Withered Fairy Ring, and Return to Fairy Ring. We left a withered fairy ring behind when the spell was completed.” Dahlia explained. She also shared with Xeras the feel of a tether to the ghostly fairy ring that lingered amid the Bramblewood.

The Gloamknight nodded, then stepped back against the wall. Silent once more. Dahlia stuck her tongue out and blew raspberries at him.

Did Xeras chortle, or was it her imagination?