You, Ace, and Xoc enter the guildhall and thread your way through the various other adventurers as you make your way to the counter. You ring the bell and wait patiently.

"Come on, where are you Zelket?" You ask no one in particular. You lean over the counter enough to look behind it. "Well, he's not there."

"He might be busy," Ace offered.

Xoc looks around, "I feel rather out of place here. Everyone seems to be staring."

"Yes, well, it's not every day we see an arachnathorpe. Therphossa is the only monster species able to evolve into your current form, and they're fairly rare in and of themselves," Ace explains. "Just shrug it off and ignore them. Once you've proven yourself, they'll accept you."

Xoc sighs, "And what if I don't want to be an adventurer?"

"What other skills do you have?" You ask.

"Well, I can spin and weave my own thread."

Ace nods, "You could go see about taking a job with the tailor. Silk is always in high demand. It's a rare commodity. As I said, Spider monsters rarely are intelligent enough to become humanoid. Until now, the best way to gather silk has been to hunt spiders in the wild."

Xoc taps his chin, "Yes, I suppose I could... They pay well?"

The demoness grins, "Indeed he does. Even if he's not willing to hire you, he'd be willing to pay for silk sheets. Head out the door, take a left, and then a right at the first street. You'll see it."

Xoctir nods and turns to follow her directions, leaving the two of you alone.

You watch him leave before turning to Ace, "I thought you said people here didn't like you for being a demon. I haven't seen anyone show any hostility towards you in the few weeks I've been with you."

Ace shrugs, "I just said that most people don't like demons. I'm pretty well known in this town, and they all know that I don't mean any harm."

Another large, half-naked adventurer walks up, "So Ace, when you planning on settling down like a good girl? I need a sexy housewife."

She flashes him a smile, but you can see the metaphorical venom as she replies, "As soon as you learn to bathe, Ulthrik. But I suppose that might be too much to ask of a berserker like you."

He turns red and looks about ready to explode when you step in the way, "Step away man. We don't mean any trouble."

His eyes focus on you, "So you're the type she likes?" He jams a finger into your chest and you can smell the stench oozing from him. "Listen 'ere, she's gone be my bit-"

His words are cut short as you morph and slide your way around him, before planting your boots on his back and knocking him to the floor. Your arm morphs into a blade as you hold it to his neck, "You don't want to finish that sentence..." You warn.

Ulthrik groans. "G-Get off me!" 

You step aside, allowing him to stand again but keeping your sword-arm at the ready.

He stands up and glares at you, "Fuckin' monsters. Try that again, see where it gets you!"

You smirk at him as your arm changes from a blade to a proboscis, "I don't make it a habit to eat humans, but if I'm a monster... I can make an exception..." You flash a glare showing the threat just as clearly as your words.

He scoffs and storms off. Ace places her hand on your arm and you quickly change back to normal, "It's alright. He's always been like that."

"Still..." You say as you pull her close, "I won't let anyone touch you. Not without your consent."

She smiles and leans against you, "Thank you, Y/N."

You look at the other adventurers and sigh, "Alright, well, it seems Zelket is busy. What should we do?"

She grins up, "Are you still against the idea of joining? I've got something that'll get someone out here."

You look at her, "Do what you must. I just want to get out and do our next quest."

Ace smirks and tilts her head back, "I'VE GOT A NEW RECRUIT!!"

A moment later Zelket and a handful of others rush out of the back before a short, slender woman with cat ears walks around the group, glares at them, and they all scamper off back to where they had come from. She walks up as a tail swishes behind her.

"Ace. This is the recruit in question?"

Ace nods, "This is Y/N. They're a changeling."

The catgirl looks you up and down, "Yes, I can see that... What can you do?"

"Well, I can shapeshift. I can change my body into various things, but I can't create matter from nothing. I need to know how it feels to reproduce it. I have spider silk, which can be used as ropes, or woven into clothing or other materials. I can learn new skills and gain stats by devouring my prey. I've also got basic fire and ice magic."

She nods, "We'll see momentarily. Ace, you vouch for Y/N?"

Ace smiles, "I wouldn't have announced it if I didn't, guildmaster."

Your jaw drops, "This little girl is the guildmaster?!"

Ace covers her mouth with a gasp, "Don't say that!"

The catgirl grins, amused, "I'll let it go this time. Yes, I'm the guildmaster. My name is Basil. I'm a nekojin. I may look small, but in truth, I'm nearing thirty. My species doesn't usually get very big."

You tilt your head so she continues, "We normally work in jobs that require small bodies - those that require going into tight, cramped spaces. As adventurers, we usually rely on speed and small size to avoid being hit. Thieves, ninjas, and monks. But enough about that."

She pulls a small tag from under the table, "I just need a drop of blood. Or... whatever it is your species has. Place it on the tag and you're in."

You do as directed, holding a finger over the tag and allowing a drop of the black fluid to fall on the leather-looking tag. Information etches into it.

[Name: Y/N / Species: Changeling (Yaksha) / Job class: Carnivore / Level: 8 / Notable skills: Spider Silk, Fire and Ice magic, Devour / Rank: S]

Basil's mouth drops as she stares in awe, "RANK S?! AT LEVEL 8?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!" She harsh whispers

Ace skips the counter to look, "Holy... Y/N YOU'RE FUCKIN' BADASS!!"

You blush and smile as you scratch the back of your head, "Is... that rare? Could it be because of my species?"

Basil looks up at you, "Tell me... Do you have a system...?"

You look around to make sure no one else is looking when you nod.

Basil grabs your hand and pulls you into a back room with Ace right behind you.

"Alright. I'll keep this brief. You're a monster. I don't mean that as an insult. You're literally a humanoid, intelligent monster. You having a system is unheard of. But having one automatically raises your rank by one. But still, a level 8 being a rank A in and of themselves? That's pretty rare. Then again, changelings are among the weakest monsters. The fact that you leveled enough to gain sentience is no small feat either. There's... so much unknown about your situation. Y/N, promise me you'll be careful. Don't take stupid risks."

Ace looks over at you and nudges you with her elbow, "See? I told you. Don't take stupid risks."

You glance back, "Hey, that was one time. And it worked, didn't it?"

Basil waves her hand, "Hey, talking here. What stupid risk?"

You briefly explain the situation with Xoc and his former mate on your previous quest.

Basil sighs, "Yeah, shit like that. Don't do that again. Y/N, you may not understand this, but you're a whole new step - something that's never been seen before. I'll be upfront. I want to study you - with your permission of course. I'll allow you to continue with Ace, but I ask that you report everything directly to me or Zelket. I'll catch him up on all this. But no matter how small something may seem, this could potentially lead to a discovery that saves lives. As I said, it's unheard of. You don't have to report daily. Whenever you stop in to turn in a quest, I'll speak with you privately."

You sigh, "Fine, Basil. You got a quest we can take?"

Basil leans back in her chair and taps her chin, "Actually... I've got the perfect one. There's a girl down the way - the carpenter's daughter. She's looking for a rare material. It's normally a quest I'd assign to someone much more powerful, but... Well, you've told me what you can do. I'll have you go speak to her to get the details."

You and Ace bow to her before turning on your heels and leaving. As Ace guides you through the streets, she keeps looking up at you.

"What?"

"What what?"

"You keep looking at me."

"Well, yeah... You're amazing. Every day I find myself more attached."

You scoff, "You're not required to stay with me. According to Basil, this quest will be rather tough."

Ace nods, "Yes, but it's your first quest officially. I'm here to ensure you can handle it."

"I'm stronger than you."

"True. Well, regardless, You can't get rid of me that easily. We're here. Come on, let's head in."

The two of you enter a large, well-lit workshop, with various tools and half-finished furniture scattered around. You take in the sights and smells of the room.

Ace stands to the side, "Go ahead. It's your quest. I'm just along for the ride. Prove that you have what it takes."

You take a deep breath and step further into the shop, looking around. You find a young woman bent over a carpenter's bench, planing a board, "Excuse me."

She finishes a stroke and looks up at you, removing her goggles, "Oh, hello. I didn't hear anyone come in. I'm afraid we're not open at the moment. My dad is currently down at the lumber yard, picking up new materials."

You nod, "We're not customers. You placed a request with the guild. We were told to come here for the details."

Her eyes light up, "YES! Oh my goodness, it's so good you came!" She rushes over to you, "Alright, so what I'm looking for is the wood of a netterling. This is important - It cannot be a netter. The baby's wood is far more pliable but just as strong."

You tilt your head, "Netterling wood?"

She nods, "Yes. The adults are made of hard, rigid wood, but the babies are far more malleable. That's what I need. I have a design in mind, and the baby's wood will allow it to bend in ways that the adult wood won't."

You nod, "Alright. We can certainly do that. Where might I find some?"

She crosses her arms and taps her chin, "Hmm... I'd say to the north there should be some."

You bow briefly to her, "We'll return. Farewell until then."

As you turn to leave, she calls out to you, "My name is Anya, by the way. If I'm not here, don't let my dad know. Please?"

You agree and lead Ace out, before heading for the town's northern gate.

As you walk, you address your system, "System, Give me all the info you have on netters and netterlings."

You smile, "Thanks, System. I'll be careful."

"Hey, I was just wondering something," Ace says, "Does your system have a name?"

You glance over at her, "System? You got a name?"

You chuckle, "Her name is Aurora."

Ace nods, "Alright, well, it's nice to meet you, Aurora. In a sort of roundabout way. Can she hear me or not?"

You shrug when a screen pops up:

"She can kind of hear you. Like, through my ears."

Ace turned her head, "That's... weird. If she senses the world through you, do you think she felt it when we...?"

You groan, "No. I forgot to include nerves in the dick. I didn't feel it, so neither did she. She did feel when Xoctir and I fucked though. She's raving about his cock."

Ace giggles, "I kinda wish I had gotten to feel it. But I'm content with just yours. That's all I need anymore. Speaking of..."

"Yes, when we finish this job, we can fuck again."

"And you'll remember the nerves this time? I want you to feel it just as much as me."

You groan, "YES! I'll remember the damned nerves this time. Why do you both insist on constantly bringing that up?!"

Ace giggles as System pops up a screen to laugh.