Shifter - Infinite Transformation-Chapter 20: My Stalker

The Hnolls didn’t have much useful equipment other than their pouches. Even those weren’t all that large. At least the pouches weren’t damaged.

Next up were the belts. The Hnolls didn’t care all too much about clothing, but they wore torn pants and used belts to attach their weapons. Most were damaged, but one of the five belts was still usable.

Attaching the pouches as well as one of the blades to the belt, placing the blade into the loop rather than a scabbard, I transformed. With Shift active, my weapons would usually drop to the ground, but neither the pouches nor the blade attached to the belt thudded to the forest floor. Instead, they melted into my new form as a Greyskin Borillar.

That was good enough for me, although proper scabbards for my blades would have been even better. Or a way to attach the crystallized javelin to my back. Then they would stay with me whenever I shifted.

Transforming into the weakest Hnoll, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the belt stayed with me. The pouches were a little annoying as they dangled around, but keeping the blades on me in humanoid form was good. Essential even. Otherwise, I would have had to shift back into human form whenever I planned to use the sheathed blades before transforming again to fight.

After another minute of testing, it was time to leave.

...

Finding the Hnoll settlement turned out to be more difficult than expected. For one, there wasn’t a single Hnoll group as I passed through the forest. Most of the morning was wasted searching for something that didn’t want to be found.

Then there were the monsters that blocked my path. They probably didn’t even notice me as they kept to themselves, but I nearly pissed myself when I saw them. Their presence was fear-inducing, which was a bad sign for all those too stupid to see death flags waving before their faces. I certainly didn’t want to start a fight I couldn’t win.

That was where the massive detours around the monstrosities began. Hours passed, and the second sun reached its zenith. By that time, I had no idea how to return to my tree. But not all was bad. I found a river...or was it a raging stream?

Liquid blue, glimmering as if enchanted by the forest’s magic itself, flowed through it like a gigantic serpent. It radiated a sense of utter calmness and peace. Not even the monsters approaching the stream seemed to care about me, or each other, as they emerged from the forest to quench their thirst.

Only then did I notice how many inhabitants the forest had. There were dozens of monsters–some predatory, others herbivores–heading toward the water at this very moment. Neither group attacked, draining the tension from my body. As I stepped closer to the stream’s edge, I felt as though I no longer had to worry about anything. It was magical, yet it didn’t feel wrong.

If anything, sharing the stream’s water with the forest’s monsters felt right. Perfectly balanced. The stream offered the very substance all creatures needed.

No longer tense or apprehensive, I rushed to the stream, cupped my hands, and lowered them into the water. It was surprisingly cold. So much so that I reeled back and fell onto my butt. Glancing around, I was glad nobody paid me any attention. The monsters were busy drinking from the stream. They weren’t bothered by the icy water, so I shouldn’t be either.

After the first hesitant sip, I filled my cupped hands to the brim. There was no stopping it, and I drank until my thirst was finally quenched. After filling the waterskin to the brim, I looked around but couldn’t find a good spot to store the pouches of meat. My stomach growled, telling me everything I needed to know; one of the meat pouches wouldn’t make it through the day.

With a stable water supply nearby and enough meat to last me a while, I followed the stream north. There had to be a spot with fewer monsters. A place where I could hide any leftover meat.

But that could wait until after lunch.

***

An open area with no one around seemed like the perfect spot to start a campfire. The stream was nearby, and the trees offered enough dead branches and fallen leaves to get a fire going. There was even a fallen tree trunk to sit on.

This time, I took better care setting up the campfire and created a boundary using stones from the stream. It still wasn’t perfect, but it was good enough for a proper fire. The sparking flower set a few leaves ablaze, and shortly after, a healthy flame came to life.

Next up was the meat. There was no seasoning, and I didn’t know the forest’s plants well enough to tell poisonous from edible. So, I cut the meat into several smaller chunks and skewered them onto a stick. I rammed the stick’s base into the ground at just the right angle, keeping the meat close to the flame without letting it burn.

Shortly after, the musk returned–or maybe it had returned earlier and I hadn’t noticed. But now I did. It mingled with the heavenly smell of barbecued meat. Then I heard a sniff and felt a stir. The musk grew stronger.

My stalker had returned. And it was closer than before.

Ignoring my racing heart and the instincts screaming at me to run, I finished cooking the first skewer and placed it to the side.

"You can take some if you’d like," I said, surprised by how steady my voice sounded. "I hope you don’t mind the fire. I’ll extinguish it as soon as I’m done."

Weirdly enough, I wasn’t worried about my safety. Not even a trace of fear lingered within me.

At first, nothing happened. The meat sizzled as fat dripped into the fire, filling the clearing with sound. Then there was a flash. Something blurred past me. Hair? A body? It was hard to tell–it all happened too fast.

One moment, the skewer was beside me. The next, it was gone.

All I heard in response was a moan, followed by noises of excitement.

"Does it taste good?" I couldn’t help but ask, my lips curling upward.

"So yummy~!" a voice answered, followed by a sharp gasp.

I froze. I hadn’t expected a response in the common tongue.

Nor had I expected my stalker to be a woman.