Daso grunted as he dangled by his feet from the metal bars that was his walker. Being an egg harvester in the Valucia swamps was a dangerous job for a number of reasons. For one, there's the matter of the highly corrosive nature of the water, due mainly in part to the equally highly aggressive bacteria living in the murky silt on the bottom. Then of course there were the creatures that live in the swamps themselves. Anything that manages to adapt in such a toxic environment is not going to be friendly. Like for instance the Razoreels, the deadliest of all life found in the swamps, and whose eggs Daso was trying to collect.

 

　
Daso froze as he saw a ripple in the green tinted water, holding his breath as he waited. After a few minutes with nothing happening, Daso inhaled, immediately regretting doing so without pulling his breathing mask back up from where it had slipped. He hacked and coughed for a few moments as he readjusted the straps. The masks were essential for dealing with the third reason why being an egg harvester was such a dangerous job. The air above the swamps was tainted with a, thankfully, low-hanging yellowish haze. Repeatedly breathing the stuff in over long periods of time can lead to more than a few serious health issues. The vast majority of people from Daso's nearby hometown of Ruhk don't live past their fifties for this reason.

 

　
That's not gonna happen to me though, Daso thought as he reached down with his net in one hand, and the pouch for storing the eggs at the ready with the other.

 

　
Just this one last haul, and then I can finally get outta Ruhk. He concentrated on this thought as he steeled himself. The moment that he disturbs the nest, the mother Razoreel will be alerted.

 

　
Daso gritted his teeth, and plunged his net beneath the surface right above the shimmering nest, pulling up several small glowing yellow jelly-like orbs, rapidly depositing them into the pouch. He repeated this process again and again another five times, with the pouch growing steadily heavier with each scoop. Just as he was reaching down for his seventh scoop, that's when a yellow and blue striped head shot forward out from the water, snapping at Daso's hand. He quickly pulled it back just as the razor sharp teeth of the eel bit down on the handle of his net, snapping clean through the wood in one go.

 

　
"And that should do it," Daso said aloud as he quickly secured the pouch into his satchel on his back, before slipping his arms into the proper leather straps. Gripping the bars that would allow him to maneuver the large metal legs of the rig, with his feet still locked into position on the rear legs, he started to make his way back to town. The mother eel, outraged, raked her bladed head, from which their name derived, against the metal legs, Scratching them, yes, but thankfully not cutting through. Eventually she gave up and swam back to the nest to guard the rest of her eggs, and Daso smiled to himself as he saw the muddy land that was the outskirts of Ruhk come into view.

 

　
Once Daso was back on semi-dry land, he wasted no time in detaching himself from the walking apparatus and storing it in one of the many Swamp Walker storage lockers at the nearby boathouse, practically ripping the breathing mask off in his excited haste. He took a deep breath and smiled. While the air of the town itself was not the healthiest to breathe in, it certainly wasn't nearly as harmful as the haze directly over the swamp was. He made his way past the various lean-tos that made up the majority of Ruhk's poorer residences, carrying his pouch straight to his house.

 

　
The term "house" may be a giving the small wooden shack too much credit, yet it was still one of the nicer places to live in all of Ruhk, and that's also taking into consideration the mayor's house. Daso was grinning after he unlatched the front door, being sure to relock it behind him, before he dumped the contents of his pouch out onto his improvised scale, which he had expertly built after getting ahold of one of the many blacksmithing and Thaumaturgy books he currently had in his collection. He watched as the little needle on it started to climb steadily, his grin growing even wider as he realized that not only did he reach his goal, but instead he had shot past it. Now, he had enough for everything he would need for his journey, as well as enough for a new shop and the supplies to fully stock it, and he would have some left over. He poured the eggs back into the pouch, and exited his house with a spring in his step.

 

　
He knew that old Feltcha, the trader that paid the best for the eggs, was going to try and cheat him out of shelt when he weighed it with his own rigged scale, as usual. And, just like with every other pouchful he had brought to him, Daso was going to get his proper compensation. Not only was Daso's physical stature more than incentive enough for most to not try and steal from him, thanks to the many years of tough living in Ruhk, along side with his moonlighting as a blacksmith, as well as him being tall enough to practically dwarf just about anybody he met; Daso will gently remind Feltcha that he could simply let everyone else in town know about the rigged scale.

 

　
As he approached the ramshackle structure that was Feltcha's home/store, he saw the sneering face of the balding old elf wave to a cart that was making its way out of town, being pulled along by a pair of mechanical horses, both appearing to be crafted from some very cheap and shoddy copper parts. Indeed, as they passed by Daso, he noticed that one of the hooves had come off, but said nothing as Feltcha bent down and snatched it up and pocketed it, quicker than most people's eyes could follow. The elf wheezed as he smiled smugly to himself, before he noticed Daso strolling up to him, causing his smile to turn into an ugly grimace.

 

　
"Well hello there Daso. I see that you've got another full pouch of what I can assume is your latest haul of Razoreel eggs. So naturally you come along to extort a sick and nearly destitute old man out of his hard earned shelt," Feltcha said, hacking for a few seconds before coughing up something green and unpleasant and spitting it out on the partial cobble-stone road.

 

　
"Oh please, between the fact that you'll still be getting a fair share and between this sale and all of the other folks in town that you've been cheating and will continue to cheat out of their money; you'll be just fine. Now I already weighed this myself, so are we going to have a problem today?"

 

　
Feltcha looked up defiantly, before turning away and coughing. "Fine, as usual you win," And with that the two went inside. Daso exited shortly after, his pouch now jingling with the many cubes of shelt he was able to sell the eggs for. He pulled one out to admire it in the slightly red-tinged sunlight. It was a small cube, almost as big as the tip of his thumb of his well-callused hand. It was silvery in color, with the markings of the insignias of the six nations that made up the majority of the world of Teschaz. Daso smirked as he saw the insignia of Pharanx, the capitol of Nastre, and soon to be the place where he'll be opening his new shop.

 

　
While Feltcha was a trader, and while Daso could pretty much guarantee not to get hustled by him, the old elf was severely lacking in anything that wasn't breaking down, worn out, rotten, or otherwise garbage. So instead, Daso went around Ruhk and purchased all of the supplies he would need for his trip. The most expensive item out of them all was the mechanical cart. Overall, its body was in good condition, if not a little worn, and the engine was blown, but it was actually only a small matter for Daso to get it up and running again.

 

　
After loading up his supplies, his few meager possessions from his home, and especially his small library; Daso sold off his walker apparatus, as well as his house. He didn't get much for either, but he had planned for that when he was first setting up his goal for funds to make his dream come true. Giving the town that he had been abandoned in when he was a baby, and subsequently lived in for the last twenty years, a final wave, Daso started up the engine of his new cart and began his trek towards Pharanx, taking the first step to turning his dream of becoming a world-renowned Thaumaturgist a reality. He was traveling down the road, it steadily becoming more and more well maintained the further away from Ruhk he got, when he soon looked to see that the sun was directly in the center of the sky. Daso smiled at how clean the air smelled so far from the swamp, and how blue the sky was without any of the smog from the toxic land directly over him anymore. Looking back to the road as his cart chugged along, he slowed to a stop when he saw a familiar looking cart with a pair of copper mechanical horses in front by the side of the road. It appeared as though both horses had burst into flames as the driver of the cart was screaming while he put the flames out with a bucket of water.

 

　
The sudden movement of the car made her twist and scream all around her cage. The cage wasn't even the appropriate size for her, as she struggled to even fit inside the metal box. With her tail curled around her body, wearing nothing but a brown torn shirt, she was handcuffed from her legs, hands and neck making her look as if she was curled up, giving more space for the rest of the caravan. Her small ears twitched, as the rest of the animals and creatures inside the large vehicle moved all around. The driver hit a somewhat large boulder making all the animals inside react violently. She however stayed in place as the little box kept her without doing anything. "Get out of there!" The driver said picking up the cage and tossing it to the ground, making her squeal in pain as her whole body received a pounding.

 

　
Daso frowned hard when he saw this. Despite being curled up into nearly a ball by her shackles, he recognized an Oshel when he saw one. At their tallest, they stood at around five feet even. They looked every bit like anthropomorphic otters, complete with tails. They are a favorite choice for slaves by the barbarian clans in the Ruptured Lands, far to the east. Daso dismounted and walked right up to the man who threw what was clearly a young one in a cage on the ground, the sounds of frightened and hurt animal cries coming from the back of his cart. The one thing that Daso hated more than anything else in life, was bullies.

 

　
"Ah, thank the gods you showed up when you did young man. Would you mind giving me and my stock a rid-" the short and pudgy, yet well-dressed man didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as Daso slammed his fist right into the his throat. He went down, making a gurgling sound. Just as Daso slowly started to check on the Oshel girl in the cage, the fires of the mechanical horses finally sputtered out.

 

　
"Hello there," he said gently. "Try to stay calm. I'm going to set you free. I promise that I'm not going to hurt you," Daso said, showing her a kind smile before reaching for the latches.

 

　
Terrified, the girl began to shake and to try to get away from the man. Her eyes opened wide as she stared back at the man who had now killed her previous captor. Her whole body shook, as Daso bent over, searching for a way to release her from the cage. She swallowed her saliva, as her ears flicked left and right. Her toes bent, trying to force off the chains and run away. Living her life as a slave, she had suffered a lot from her previous owners, as they used her to please their torturing desires and several other barbaric acts. She closes her eyes, afraid of what Daso would do to her, tears rolling down her cheeks, prepared for any sudden attack or aggression towards her.

 

　
Noticing the small girl's fear, Daso gently started stroking her head, humming softly to her as he finally found the latch release. "I promise, your suffering is over," he said, again smiling gently to her as he released her latches, pulling out a fresh handkerchief and gently dabbing her wet cheeks.

 

　
She felt the sudden release of the pressure in her hands and legs, and immediately, she began to move her wrists and hands. Her ears flicked one more time, as her tail pushed her cage away from her. She struggled to stand up, and looked up towards Daso, intimidated by him. She took a step back as she began to play with her hands nervously. "T-Thanks..." she whispered while looking at the ground.

 

　
"It was not a problem at all. Do you have a name?"

 

　
She shakes her head, her hair moving all around as she covers her mouth in embarrassment. She looks at the man who was her previous owner and the large caravan filled with creatures and rare objects. "I don't have one..."

 

　
"Oh... I see..." Daso said. He reached into his satchel at his side and slowly pulled out some jerky. He smiled gently at the girl once more as he slowly put one piece into his mouth, chewing and swallowing, to show her that it was safe, before gently offering her some.

 

　
"I'm going to see about letting all of those poor caged creatures free. If you want, when I'm done, you can come with me to Pharanx. Maybe there we could find a way to get you back in touch with your family?" Daso smiled gently as he set the pouch of jerky in front of her, before getting up to free the animals.

 

　
She wanted to run away and search for some help. However she knew that most likely she would be sold to another rich man, and that she wasn't going to have another chance such as this. Her stomach growled at the scent of the jerky. She licked her lips before diving on and chomping down on the pieces of the tasty dried meat. She followed Daso, her bare feet barely making any sound as her long tail dragged on the ground.

 

　
"Um... I don't think that would be much of a help... my parents are most likely slaves of some kind of mob boss... assuming of course that what I heard... about them being dead... wasn’t true..." her voice sounded a little scratchy to Daso, who quickly concluded that she probably wasn’t given many opportunities to speak.

 

　
Daso stopped and turned around to the young Oshel. Kneeling down, he gently pulled her into a hug. "Well... I know what it's like to not have any parents... how about this, once these animals are all taken care of, you and I figure something out together, okay?"

 

　
She nods, her ears twitching as she awkwardly stands there stiff, not used to this type of treatment before. Afterwards she looks around, afraid of what is going to happen to her and the rest of the animals. She watches as Daso pulls out a little oval-shaped thing that looked a little like a slightly cracked hand mirror, with little bits of tape holding it together. Daso fiddled with some of the wires of his cobbled-together communicator, noting their location at a nearby mile-marker on the side of the road. The little Oshel stands there, playing with her hands while staring at the ground, waiting for something to do.

 

　
Daso sighed as the makeshift battery died on his sightphone. It was a simple matter for him to tap into the local ranger signal and leave an anonymous message about the cart with the mistreated animals aboard. But it had taken him months to gather all of the ingredients he would need for it's power source.

 

　
Oh well, he thought as he placed the device back into his satchel, I suppose that calling for help in an emergency and having them arrive in time was a bit of a pipe dream this far away from the city.

 

　
Daso gave the mechanical horses a once over, to see if there was a threat of them possibly catching fire again. Since everything flammable inside them had already burned to a crisp, there was no danger of that happening. He turned back to the Oshel girl, and smiled again, trying to come across as reassuring.

 

　
"Well, help is definitely on the way, as we should be, if we want to make it to the city by sunset. That is, if you would like to come with me to Pharanx?"

 

　
"Y-You are going to the big city?" She said nervous walking towards Daso. Standing barely a third his height, with her fur somewhat dirty due to it’s lack of proper care, wearing little more than tattered rags. She turns away from Daso, staring at the swamp and at the low lands of the country through the still sickly-looking trees. She most likely would end up trapped with another merchant, perhaps given to a noble to lick his feet and do what he pleases. "C-Can really I go?"

 

　
Daso, still smiling, reaches down and gently ruffles her curly head hair. "Of course. Once we're in the city proper, you won't have to worry about being forced into bondage of any kind. Slavery is VERY illegal in the kingdom. Admittedly, it's not as heavily enforced out here as it should be, but still, that's probably why he," he gestured to the dead merchant with his thumb, "wanted you to remain hidden, at least before he apparently lost his temper. Don't worry. From what I've seen and read, there's some organizations for freed Oshel like yourself, in place to help them find lives for themselves." Daso said with as much confidence as he could muster. He normally preferred to speak as little as possible with a person, yet he knew that this girl was in desperate need of help, as well as some kindness. "So, what do you say miss?"

 

　
She blushed at the word miss, the way he said it made her feel like a small and helpless child, but she bit back a sarcastic remark, as she had learned to do in the past. Her tail happily wags as she nods and follows behind Daso. "Are you perhaps a noble checking on his lands in the outskirts?" She asked looking up at Daso while her whiskers tingled.

 

　
Daso ruffled her hair once more, before bending down and gingerly picking her up, setting her on the seat up in the front of the cart, next to his own. Daso climbed in and started up the engine again.

 

　
"Nope. Actually, I'm now officially a former Razoreel Egg harvester from Ruhk. Today was my last day, as I finally have scrounged together enough shelt to make my dream come true!" Daso said as he shifted the cart into the proper gear, it chugging along at a brisk yet safe pace.

 

 

"I'm going to become the most famous Thaumaturgist is all the land!" he said, smiling brightly as he said the words aloud for the very first time, only now having it dawn upon him that it was indeed coming true.

 

　
She stood up and quickly scrambled to the back of the cart. She sat down on a box behind him, not knowing any kind of manners. She ended up sitting hunched over, leaning forward, saying nothing at first, just staring at the road ahead.

 

 

　
"What is a thauma... tagurtist?" She said not, unsure of how to properly pronounce it. Her tail curled up around her lap, while her whiskers flickered and her ears tingled from the air hitting her face.

 

　
Daso smiled. "A Thaumaturgist is like a cross between a sorcerer, an engineer, an alchemist, and a blacksmith. Making little enchanted gadgets to large mechanical and magical constructs."

 

 

　
A little metal box with a red button on top started buzzing, right beneath Daso's feet. He frowned and pulled the cart to a full stop. "We got trouble."

 

　
She didn't notice the vehicle stopping, however the buzzing of the little box caught her attention. Her tail wagged, as she crawled and sat next to Daso.

 

　
"What's wrong?" she asked softly, still scared of Daso and of what was happening.

 

　
Daso was about to suggest that she hide in a nearby crate, when five men appeared. They were each best described as disheveled in appearance, their clothes all little more than tatters. One, with an eye patch, strode forward, pulling out a long sword, pointing it right at Daso.

 

 

"Alright. Just dump everything on your cart right here, leave the Oshel, and you won't be harm-OMPHG!!!" As the apparent leader was talking, Daso discreetly used his left foot to push down on the button of the small box that had buzzed earlier. There was but a single click, and the side of the box had popped open, revealing a miniature air cannon. It had fired a single ball of compressed air that when it had struck the unaware bandit in the chest, exploded on impact, sending him flying right into one of his men, standing right behind him. Daso took advantage of the momentary confusion to grab ahold of his large forge hammer, and leapt off the cart, swinging at the nearest outlaw.

 

　
The little Oshel jumped away, and hid behind a crate. Her eyes widened as she looked at Daso sending a man through the air with one of his machines. Her heart began to beat quicker, as she ducked down, before hearing another sound behind her.

 

　
"Got ya kid!" A man said, grabbing her by the neck and pulling her off the cart. His grip was so tight, that she couldn't catch her breath as she scrabbled at his hand, desperately trying get him to release her. The young Oshel girl's ears folded as she stared at the knife in his hands. She didn't think twice before she kicked the man as hard as she can in his crotch. He went down, but his grip did not loosen. Instead, he roughly began to drag her away from the cart in harsh jerks.

 

　
Daso smashes his hammer into the chest of another one of the would-be robbers, when he hears a struggle coming from the cart. A sixth bandit had appeared and was dragging the Oshel girl with him, brandishing a knife. Daso gave chase, but as he dragged her into the underbrush, he lost sight of them completely. He looked around for a moment, until he heard the sounds of struggle coming from his left, and Daso investigated. It took a second to figure out what he was looking at, which just so happened to be the entrance to a cave. An optical illusion with the shadows and the rock face where the cave entrance was almost perfectly camouflaged.

 

 

He made his way inside, suddenly seeing a strange site. The inside was larger than he was expecting, with a strange bluish-green glow appearing to come from the walls themselves. The opening of the cave immediately led right to an edge, overlooking a magnificent fountain, with various carvings of women adorning it, water raining down from a large statue of a woman in a flowing dress in the center, her arms folded over her chest, her face bearing a smirk. There appeared to have been a second fountain, this one covered in carvings of men, but a partial cave-in had reduced most of it to rubble, leaving it bone dry.

 

　
Daso didn't have time to appreciate the strange site, however, as he then spotted the bandit, struggling to force the Oshel girl into a cage on a spot along the ledge where there appeared to be a larger chamber. Daso ran forward, bellowing in rage, and slammed his hammer into the man's side, breaking several of his ribs in the process. The bandit slammed into a wall, either dead or unconscious.

 

　
"Did he hurt you?" he asked softly as he bent down to tend to the girl. He was about to reach out and hug her, when there was a creaking sound, and the stone floor gave way directly beneath him. Daso was plunged into the fountain, which now seemed to be much deeper than he had first suspected. As the surprised Daso swam to the surface, he felt a sudden tingling sensation all over his body. What's more, as he swam, something seemed wrong with his clothes. They became much more.....baggy, as he broke the surface, and made his way to a nearby ladder made of stone, carved right into the rock on the cave itself, climbing back up to the ledge.

 

　
The Oshel coughed loudly, as the man's hand finally stopped choking her. It took some time to regain her bearings, as the world around her seemed dark and black with a strange blue-green glow. Her tail curled up, before turning towards the sound of collapsing stone besides her.

 

　
"Miss, are you okay?"

 

　
Daso is confused at how high pitched his voice sounds right now, yet he knew that they didn't have time, more bandits might be on their way.
　

 

"We have to go."

 

　
At first, the Oshel girl stared at him curiously, but then hurried over. "I-Is that really you, uhm, Mister?" she asked nervously, her eyes darting to the fountain.

 

　
"It sure is. But, like I said, we should probably get going. If we hurry, we might just be able to make it to Pharanx before the city gates close for the night!"

 

　
The Oshel girl nodded to the woman now standing before her. The clothes of the man who had rescued her not once, but twice now, hung off the woman's much smaller and more slender frame. Where Daso's hair was shoulder length and brown, this woman's hair was raven black, and was long enough to reach the small of her back. Daso's tanned, callused, and scarred skin was now much lighter, and fairer. But it was the same green eyes looking down at her, twinkling with kindness, that convinced her. The two made their way back to the cart, Daso wondering about why his boots felt so weird, to find that it was completely untouched.

 

　
As they approached, Daso couldn't help but notice the chrome siding, mostly grimy as everything from Ruhk usually was. However, apparently in the scuffle with the Oshel girl, somehow part of the grime had been scraped away, allowing Daso good look at his new self.

 

　
"... Oh boy..." he said, dejectedly. "That explains why my boots don't fit right... and why my clothes feel pretty loose." Despite knowing of the short window of time that they had, Daso had to check. A quick feeling of his chest confirmed the presence of breasts. And further inspection further down confirmed the reality of his new female anatomy. Daso collected himself, by way of bottling up his emotions for the time being, and climbed aboard, setting the large hammer down by the driver's seat, and gently pulled the Oshel girl up to sit next to him. A pull of a lever, and the cart resumed its brisk pace.

 

　
Daso said nothing as he drove, trying to keep back his emotions like he usually did. Whether it was being angry or sad, for the most part, he was good at hiding it. Now, however, he was having a harder time than usual.

 

　
Dumbasses, making their hideaway in a godsdamn cave with a godsdamn enchanted pool! And not even bother to try and fix it up! Sorry ass, stupid sons of whor- Daso stopped this train of thought and took a deep breath. Can't allow myself to get worked up over this. I can deal with it after I get us settled in Pharanx. 

 

 

By the time they made it to the gates, just as the sun was beginning to set, he was practically fuming, and the Oshel girl had scooted back away from him/her out of fear of what might happen. Seeing this, Daso smiled again to her, to try and show her that everything is alright.

 

　
"So... have you thought of a name for yourself?" Daso asked, his eye twitching a little at the sound of his new girly voice once more.

 

　
"Oh, uh... n-no, I haven't," the girl said, looking down. She had been lost in her own thoughts, trying to figure out what she was going to do next.

 

　
"Hmm... well, you need a name... how about Soaria?"

 

　
"Huh? Soaria? What's that?"

 

　
"It's a type of flower that you can find in the swamps. They are very pretty, and can thrive even in some of the most toxic environments. What do you think?"

 

　
"... Uhm... o-o-okay... Soaria..." Soaria said, smiling a little as she tested the name herself. Daso smiled and reached over to ruffle Soaria's hair, noticing only a faint flinch.

 

　
Daso faced forward as the guards let the cart in front of them through, and started making their way forward, stopping at the guard's request so that they may check for contraband with a floating spherical scanner.

 

　
"What about you?" came the quiet voice of Soaria.

 

　
"Huh?"

 

　
"... Well... don't you need a new name too?"

 

　
"Heh, oh no. I'm sure I'll find a way to reverse this transformation and return to my normal form in no time," Daso said confidently.

 

　
"Oh... you're pretty... as a girl..." Soaria said, flinching when Daso turned to look at her. The guards, satisfied that the cart wasn't bringing in any drugs, motioned for them to enter. The giant green metal doors of the front gate slowly closed, making a resounding thud. Shortly after closing, thousands of symbols began to light up, glowing a soft blue, all over the inside of the doors, each switching places with their neighboring symbols over and over again in a pattern that Daso could follow. Soaria and Daso both stared for a few minutes, enjoying the beauty of it, before one of the guards told them to move along. He was dressed in a red uniform, with gold trim on the lapels, and carrying a rifle of some kind strapped across his back.

 

　
The city of Pharanx was a bustling metropolis. Everywhere there were crowds of all kinds of people, surging in one direction or another, heading off to attend to the business of their own daily lives. In the street, all kinds of different carts were traveling up and down. Soaria was already overwhelmed.

 

　
"Alright, now, from what I've read, I think that I know the way to the nearest Oshel Crisis Help center!" Daso said as he turned the cart left down an avenue lined with various restaurants.

 

　
　

Two Hours Later...

 

　

　
Daso finally pulled the cart to a stop in front of his ultimate destination. It turns out that the books and journals he had read on Pharanx were all a little out of date, and he had ended up getting lost a few times on the way to New Life, the headquarters of the organization to help the freed Oshel. Soaria had seemed even more nervous at the prospect of leaving Daso's cart. A smiling older and matronly Oshel woman had calmly convinced the girl that she was safe, and assured Daso that she would be looked after, before asking him if he was homeless.

 

　
Probably because my clothes don't fit me anymore... none of them do. Daso sighed as he reflected back on saying goodbye to Soaria, after assuring the older Oshel that he did indeed have a home. Soaria had waved to him, before she was led inside.

 

　
They'll be able to help her, he thought to himself as he killed the engine. He was currently parked in front of what was soon to be his new shop. he looked around in the twilight, taking in the cobblestone street, the smell of the bakery across the street, and the many other businesses that made up this block. Despite the glowmoss street lamps along the sidewalks, he couldn't make out what the other surrounding businesses were. Not that that was a problem for Daso. He strode up to the front door and gave a knock, certain that when he was finally open for business, he would be able to make his new shop stand out. He heard a shuffling sound as someone walked to the door.

 

　
"I'm afraid that we're out of business, you may wish to try Lucani's down the street. Thank you," A female voice called out.

 

　
"Actually, I'm Daso! The one who responded to your listing?"

 

　
There was a minute of silence, and then the door to the shop flew open. Standing before him was an older woman, perhaps somewhere in her sixties. She was wearing a brightly colored flower print dress. Her brown hair, with some streaks of gray, was done up in a tight bun. She smiled as she looked Daso up and down.

 

　
"Oh! So sorry! Not all of our usual clients were made aware of our going out of business. Also you are a tad later than I thought that you were going to be."

 

　
"Sorry about that, I got held up by some bandits on the road to town."

 

　
"Bandits! Oh my goodness! Are you alright?! A young lady like yourself shouldn't be traveling alone in such a dangerous land!"

 

　
Daso wasn't expecting to be admonished like that, but decided to just brush it off, a little miffed at being referred to as a young lady. "So....you listed that you were looking to sell for seven thousand shelt?"

 

　
"Oh yes! I am Ms. Zalcha, and the shop is being sold as is." Daso nodded as he pulled out the pouch with the seven thousand shelt already separated. Ms. Zalcha held up her right hand, on which was a red jeweled ring.

 

　
"That's a very nice Tallyring," Daso said as he watched the woman wave her ring hand around the satchel. After a few seconds of muttering, she smiled at Daso.

 

　
"Thank you dearie. It's not everyday that such a pretty young lady knows what a Tallyring is. Except of course for the ones who I personally caught trying to short me," she laughed while Daso just smiled, wanting to hurry this transaction up.

 

　
"Alright then, here's the deed," she said after signing a few papers on a clipboard, before passing it to Daso, along with a pen. Daso signed his name on the proper line.

 

　
"Congratulations sweetie! You are now the proud owner of your own boutique!"

 

　
Boutique?

 

　
"Good luck," Ms. Zalcha said as she bent down and picked up a suitcase, grunting a little as she carried it to the street to hail a cab. Daso stood there confused, after how quickly the older woman had pressed the keys to the shop into his hand.

 

　
"Okay then," he said as he watched her climb inside a bright green cab, which sped off into the night. Daso just shrugged as he walked out to his cart and started to grab crates and boxes from the back. A few late night passersby stopped and stared in wonder at how much he, in his much smaller form, was still able to carry with ease, including his forge hammer, which was massive in his now slender hands. In no time at all, the cart was emptied, and all of Daso's belongings were now inside the front door. Closing it, Daso flipped one of the light switches, and a great chandelier above lit up. Each of the crystals that it was made up of shone bright with an almost ethereal light as Daso looked around.

 

　
I see... this was a women's boutique... he sighed to himself as he saw all of the racks with the many different types of dresses on them.

 

　
Maybe I'll be able to find something that can fit me... and isn't a dress...