After eyeing the encampment one more time, Valor then turned to face Maya and Sophia. "The place might actually be empty, but I have a feeling that people will be coming back soon."

Maya nodded. "In that case, just leave it to me; I'll bring Maple and fly in as a wind elemental, take the branch, and get out."

"Sounds like a plan." Sophia said.

"If we're lucky, they might still have two here. But even one branch is a good start." Valor said.

Sophia then began to move behind another set of bushes. "You two should go without me for this one, this armor isn't made for quick getaways."

"Sure, I guess you'll be staying around here?" Maya said.

"Yeah, if you find trouble just come back to me."

"I'll try to find a place to hide closer to the encampment then, just in case." Valor said.

"Perfect."

The Shapestealer knelt down to put Maple down on the ground. The fox then sat down and eyed her curiously.

Maya jumped to the air and transformed into her wind elemental form. She then hovered lower and knelt down, extending a hand towards Maple. Without saying a word, the fox seemed to understand her intent and quickly ran up her arm before resting on her shoulder.

After exchanging a glance with both Sophia and Valor, Maya took off to the air. As she flew above the Black Talon camp, she saw that there was nobody there.

She quickly hovered down and landed in the middle of the encampment. The place was spread out in a haphazard sprawl: defined more by necessity than any plan. Worn equipment littered the area and tarnished weapons were placed next to battered shields.

The tents nearby were made out of black fabric. Many had holes patched with whatever materials were at hand.

"Maple, could you take me to where the branch is exactly?" Maya asked.

The fox let out a bark and climbed down from her shoulder. Maple then ran deeper into one of the tents and stopped right in front of a wooden chest that was protected with an iron lock.

Maya followed Maple inside the tent, approached the locked chest and then reverted back to her human form. She pulled out her dagger and was just about to try and tinker with it when Maple began barking repeatedly.

She quickly turned her head back and saw that nobody was still in the camp. Maya then turned to the fox and asked. "Is something wrong?"

Maple moved her head as if to point towards something that was under the chest. She tapped the ground nearby repeatedly too as if to emphasize the point.

Curious, Maya began to push aside the chest. Luckily, it wasn't too heavy, and she soon saw a glowing rune etched onto the underneath it.

The moment she touched the rune, the following notifications appeared:

[Storage rune activated]

[Please provide a password either verbally or by etching it onto a surface near this rune]

"Shit." Maya muttered.

But as she said those words, more notifications manifested:

[Incorrect password detected]

[You have two more attempts]

Figuring that she was out of luck for now, Maya pulled the chest back to cover the storage rune. The notifications vanished as well, and she prepared to leave.

But just as she was about to get out of the tent, she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Though she reflexively wanted to run away at first, Maya stopped herself as the footsteps came to a halt suddenly.

Then, she heard two people begin to speak.

"I'm telling you man, some of us got hit by one of them damn bicorns out of the blue."

"Seriously? That's your excuse for not meeting the quota?"

Both voices sounded masculine. However, the man who seemed mad about the quota had a voice that was noticeably deeper and more authoritative.

"Ya gotta give me and my Party some more time. We need more time to recuperate; for fuck's sake, Ray nearly drank all of our potions!"

"Not sure how that's supposed to be my problem."

"Please, I'm begging you. Just one more week, that's all I'm asking for here."

"No can do. Besides, where's the rest of your Party now anyway?"

"Th-they're tryin' to fill the quota as we speak."

"Oh? Since you and your men are so hard working. I'm sure you can get things done in three days, right?"

"Three days? That's impossi-"

"If you don't have the elves I need in three days, I'll just have to tell Xenon about the unfortunate news."

"Okay, okay. We'll get it done in three days."

"Good."

Maya heard footsteps again, but this time, the sound slowly faded away until she couldn't hear anything at all. But what she did hear next was a loud sigh followed by a frustrated swear. Then, the footsteps began to draw closer to the tent she was in.

Realizing the potential danger, Maya quickly gestured to Maple and pointed at her hood. Seeing this, Maple scurried up Maya's body and used her small paws to find purchase on her clothes. With a small leap, the fox disappeared into her cloak before poking her head out just slightly from the opening of her hood.

The Shapestealer then used [Metal Coat]. Her right hand shimmered for a brief moment before it was encased in a layer of iron.

As the flap of the tent was abruptly pushed aside, a man stepped in. His gaze had barely swept past Maya when she swung her iron-coated hand in a swift arc: targeting the side of the man's head. The impact caused the man to fall to the ground with a soft thud.

After checking again to make sure that nobody was still in the camp. Maya stole some rope from before transforming into her wind elemental form and carried the unconscious man away. She spotted Valor who was hiding out behind a tree near the camp and flew towards him.

The beastman's eyes seemed to widen as she approached. "Whoa, what happened?"

"I knocked him out."

"Yeah, I can see that much."

"Enough talk for now, help me bring him further away; I'll get Sophia."

***

Maya, Sophia, and Valor stood in front of a tree to which they had securely tied the unconscious man. They made sure to find a place that was a good distance away from the camp just in case.

The three had discussed a plan beforehand as to what they wanted to do during the interrogation. Now was the time to see if it would actually work.

Sophia, with a determined look in her eyes, turned to Maya and Valor. "Ready?"

"Let me try this first." Maya glanced at the unconscious man and used [Copycat]. But she soon saw:

[Target invalid: knowledge threshold not met]

"Well, figured as much."

"So, are you okay with me starting?"

Maya nodded. "Yep."

"And Valor?" Sophia asked.

The beastman simply shrugged. "Go for it."

Sophia extended her hand towards the man's forehead and used [Heal]. A soft, greenish light began to emanate from her palm, wrapping around the man's head in a gentle embrace.

As the healing light enveloped him, the man's eyelids fluttered before slowly opening. Confusion marred his face as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. The realization of his predicament dawned on him quickly, and he began to struggle against his bindings.

Valor couldn't help but chuckle at the man's vain attempts to free himself. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

The man's eyes snapped to Valor. And the instant he saw the beastman: anger flashed across his face. "You bastard! You're the one who stole the booze the other day!"

Valor's response was another chuckle. "Yeah, that was my bad."

Maya coughed, to draw the man's fleeting attention away from the beastman. "Eyes up here."

The moment the man saw Maya, he let out a snicker. "Really? You think you're scary?"

With a sigh, Maya tapped her cloak a few times. Maple peeked out from the opening of her hood and climbed onto her shoulder.

The Shapestealer then pointed directly at the man. "Maple, bite his nose."

The fox scurried down from Maya's arm and hopped onto the man's head. Then, the fox bit down on the man's nose, its sharp teeth easily breaking the skin and drawing blood.

The man winced in pain and shut his eyes as he let out a cry of agony.

Maya then said, "Good Maple, that's enough." At her command, the fox released its grip on the man's nose and positioned itself to sit atop his head: looking quite pleased with its work.

Following that, Sophia unsheathed her sword and pointed the tip close to the man's neck. "We just want a few things from you."

Still reeling from pain, the man began breathing heavily. He turned his head slightly towards the Paladin. "What do ya want from me?"

Sophia glanced at Maya, prompting her to state their demand. "Tell us the password for the storage rune in your camp."

In response, the man spat onto the ground beside him and glared at the Shapestealer with clear disdain. "I ain't telling none of you anything."

As Sophia retracted her sword, Valor knelt down to the man's level and offered a genuine looking smile. "Vince my man, I really suggest you work with us here. I know that you're not in good standing with the Black Talons either, so why work so hard to stick up for them?"

Vince sighed deeply. He shook his head and said, "I got no reason to trust any of you either. Least working with the Black Talons might get me out of this floor eventually."

Valor pressed on, "Come on, you really think that the Black Talons are going to let someone like you leave anytime soon?"

"No, but it's the best shot I got," Vince replied.

Sophia interjected sharply, "You're staying in this floor forever if you don't tell us the password."

"I may be a good for nothin' swordsman, but I still got pride damn it!" Vince yelled out.

"Hey bud, you're not useless alright? You're better than that." Valor said.

Vince let out a bitter chuckle. "I only know the basics and got no unique skills or abilities: I might as well be deadweight most of the time."

Upon hearing this, Maya's eyes widened, and a wide smirk tugged at her lips. Vince noticed her reaction and asked, "What's so funny?"

Maya shrugged, her smirk still in place. "Nothing, just wanted to thank you." She then fixed her gaze on Vince once more before activating [Copycat].

[Target Identified: Vince Baker]

[Knowledge threshold sufficient]

[Displaying Status]

Level: 10

Physique: 6

Dexterity: 4

Magic: 0

Unique Skills: None

[Would you like to override your current Tier 1 transformation: Wind Elemental, with a new Tier 1 transformation: Vince Baker? Yes/No]

Sophia eyed the notifications that appeared before Maya with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "Huh, this is new."

Maya glanced at the Paladin briefly. "Haven't tried to override a form since the first floor, but I think now's a good time."

Meanwhile, Vince began to thrash around in his bindings. "What the hell is going on?"

Valor shrugged and looked at the swordsman. "I'm as lost as you on this one."

"Alright, let's see if this works the way I think it will." Maya said.

The Shapestealer checked the notifications again and selected [Yes]. Soon, a bright light enveloped Maya as more notifications appeared.

[Override approved]

[Initiating transformation]

A bright light suddenly enveloped Maya, drawing the attention of Sophia, Valor, and even Vince, despite his precarious situation. The Shapestealer's body and face shifted, with her features rearranging themselves to mirror those of Vince.

Maya took on not only Vince's physical appearance but also his armor, replicating every detail perfectly. The only noticeable difference between the two was Maya's nose, which remained intact and free of any injury.

[Copycat successful]

[Tier 1 form unlocked: Vince Baker]

[Updating status]

Level: 12

Physique: 7

Dexterity: 5

Magic: 0

Unique Skills: None