“Yes. Now. Eat, eat up.” She gestured at the fruit. “It has been a long, long time since a guest has walked away from my dwelling. I can’t risk being discovered. But if this,” she indicated the box, its contents still hidden, “is any indication, you have somehow earned a modicum of trust from Cahl. I will extend the same trust to you. The tea contains a powerful toxin derived from a flower I cultivated. I will not go into detail, but you should eat the strawberries. Now. They are infused with the antitoxin.”

  I grabbed a few strawberries and began eating them. They were juicy and sweet, with a hint of bitterness that somehow contrasted the bitterness of the tea.

  I felt my stomach cramp up for a few seconds of excruciating pain, before the cramping subsided. Henrietta saw my cringe and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “A few seconds later and the process would have started. It is a long and painful process... very useful for getting information from would-be spies, bounty hunters, and other unsavory types. No need to concern yourself further on the matter; the antitoxin has done its job.”

  She stood, removing the platter from the table and walking it over to a counter. She returned to her chair and removed a small silver key from the box I had delivered.

  “Please follow me. I would advise against touching anything.”

  She led me through a glass door and into a greenhouse filled with carefully cultivated plants of various sizes, shapes, and colors.

  “There are several plants in here that can cause discomfort from just a touch. We don’t have time for a botany lesson, so just avoid touching anything. Right this way, please.”

  We made our way through the greenhouse, and out another glass door on the far end. We stepped into a carefully manicured lawn with several branching paths of caved stone.

  A waist-high fence of woven ivy separated the lawn from the cliff and ocean below. I followed Henrietta to a small shed. She gestured to a bench that appeared to have been grown out of living wood.

  “Please have a seat—it will only take a moment.” She glanced up and I followed her gaze, barely catching a streak of white.

  “That kitsiho has been flying circles around my home since your arrival. Did you do something to anger it?”

  “I saved it from a giant spider,” I said. “I don’t think I angered it, but it bit me.”

  She turned, reaching for my hand and looking closely at the small white stars.

  “Oh my, kitsiho-marked? This hasn’t happened in… half a century? I don't know. It is exceedingly rare. The process can take time, and doesn’t always take. Just be patient. If it happens, it happens.”

  “If what happens?” I asked, confused by everything she had just said.

  “It doesn’t matter. And if it does, you’ll know soon enough. I’ll be right back.”

  She opened the door to the shed. I saw a massive room, far larger than the shed itself, lined with a variety of chests, for a brief moment before she stepped through and closed the door.

  I scanned the skies while I waited, but didn’t catch another glimpse of the kitsiho.

  Henrietta returned a few minutes later, holding a meticulously folded bundle of cloth. It was tied in place with a bit of golden twine that looked much finer than the fabric itself. A wooden box slightly larger than my fist sat atop the bundled cloth. She handed both over to me.

  “Alright, the box contains the object Cahl has kept here for a long time. This,” she ran her fingers along the fabric with a sad smile, “belonged to someone else. They will not be coming to retrieve it. Since you helped me with my small spider problem to the south, and saved a fabled kitsiho while you were at it, it is a gift. Thank you for balancing the scales that so many others tip in the wrong direction.”

  I examined the box, which had a simple description. Cahl’s Package. The bundle of cloth was another story. I examined it next, and got a full description.

  Cloak of the Four Winds.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Legendary Scaling Back Equipment. Requires attunement. +1 Dexterity, +1 Constitution, +1 Endurance. This is a scaling item, gaining strength as the wearer grows in level.

  Unique Skill: Breezestride. Required level: 5. For five seconds the user and anything willfully touched by the user weighing up to 1.5x the user’s weight, becomes the wind, granting incorporeal status, an increased movement speed, and flight. Ten-hour cool down. Cost: 5 mana.

  I stared at the cloak in wonder. Sure, five seconds wasn’t very long, but with this cloak I would be able to fly! And the fact that it would grow in strength with me, and provided defensive stats, was amazing. What an incredible gift.

  “I… thank you so much for this.” I said, looking up to Henrietta. Her sad gaze drifted from the cloak to me.

  “Put it to good use, and the thanks will be mine. Something stirs. I fear we stand at the precipice of great change. And the gift is not without its burdens.” She gestured at the golden thread binding the cloak and I noticed that it could also be inspected.

  Golden Silk of Binding.

  Legendary. Prevents use of items it contains until conditions are set. Item bound by this cord is sealed from use until a condition has been set and met. Immune to all types of damage, but does not extend immunity to bound items. Uses: 4 of 5 remaining. Currently bound, with no condition set.

  Henrietta laid a finger on the thread and spoke.

  “Conditional binding; released once Cahl has broken free from echoes of the past and truly accepted a mentee.” The golden thread pulsed with a yellow light twice. A gentle glimmer of energy remained within the cord, barely more than a flicker that raced along the thread.

  “While I believe you have great potential and will put this cloak to good use, the final decision on who inherits it should go to Cahl.” She smiled. “I’m sure you will succeed where all others have failed. You are the first to be sent here — the first visitor I have had in far too long.”

  I bowed my head, placing the cloak in my inventory. “Thank you, again.”

  We made our way back through her home, where she brewed us delicious tea, this time toxin-free. I asked her about Cahl, and the look of sadness returned. She deflected the question, telling me it was for Cahl’s telling, should he decide, and instead turned the conversation toward Moswynd.

  She had once held a friendly relationship with the villagers, but they had stopped visiting her a generation ago. Her casual use of generations and decades made me think she was much older than she looked, but I didn’t broach that topic. She seemed lonely, and I was happy to engage in friendly small-talk.

  The conversation was easy, and continued as long as the tea remained, which was not long enough. Henrietta stood, placing a hand at the base of her back and stretching.

  “Alright, it is time you were on your way. You are welcome to visit me any time. It has been nice, having a pleasant visitor like yourself.”

  I stood, bowing my head once again. “Thank you, it has been a pleasure. I wish I had brought a gift for my visit.”

  “The conversation and company are gift enough. Thank you.”

  She smiled as she led me out of her home, imparting one last bit of advice. “Go back south, following the coast as you did on the way up. Do not go north. I settled here long ago, in part, to keep something deadly at bay. It resides in a cavern along the cliff’s edge just north of here. I would not want a promising young life such as yours to be cut short. There is an enchantment along the western forest around my home and you will become lost, but eventually find yourself further west and away from here. South is your quickest, safest route back to the city.”

  Henrietta chanted and touched my forehead. I felt a warmth spread from the contact.

  “This will protect you from the magical barrier surrounding my home. You will not fall unconscious as you did the first time. Safe travels.”

  Henrietta’s Blessing applied! Permanent buff. Grants immunity to the aura of catatonia that lies along the edge of her domain.

  “Thanks again for hosting me,” I said as I turned to leave. “It was nice! I will come back, some day. And bring gifts!”

  She smiled and waved before turning and entering the cottage, closing the door gently.

  I was out of the deepest parts of the forest and entering the grasslands when I heard a bleating, crying sound in the distance. I crept around the edge of a large tree and saw a small sheep beastkin sitting on a large stone and crying. It’s back was to me, a halo of fluffy white wool swaying in the gentle breeze.

  I looked around, but didn’t see anyone else. What was it about kids getting lost in this game? It seemed like a recurring feature.

  A memory flashed in my mind. Cataryn’s eyes going from my ears to my face. The comfort she found in my human features. I didn’t have a sheep beastkin form, but I had something close.

  I glanced around once again, ensuring no one was within sight before bending down and untying my shoes, stowing them away in my inventory. Then I transformed.

  My shape shifted, elongating, growing, depleting all of my available mana. I grew about a foot taller, my legs shifted upwards, my feet stretching and hardening into hooves at the tips. Coarse gray-black fur covered my body, and two horns sprouted from my forehead.

  It hurt, but the pain was fleeting.

  Transform has leveled up! (6/50)

  My vision shifted, losing specific sharp details but widening my perspective into a more panoramic view. I blinked a few times as I adjusted to the shape of the world with my new eyes.

  I stepped around the tree, leaves crunching under my cloven hooves, and called out to the crying sheep.