The notification minimized itself and the time-shift ended. The man took another step forward. Something rotten squelched under his foot. He didn’t seem to notice, and I didn’t dare tear my eyes from his to see what it was. It smelled foul.

  “Hang on a second,” I fumbled. “I’m— I’m not a baby-snatcher!”

  His eyes flashed in anger, as if the very act of my speaking enraged him. He lunged forward, stabbing at my throat. I stepped back, my foot plunging into that same filthy puddle I had spawned in. I slipped, falling backwards. The knife missed my face by a fraction of an inch as I fell.

  I smelled the musty odor of the man as he fell upon me. A haptic sensation rushed through me when we made contact. A notification appeared and minimized before I could read it.

  He swiped with the knife, slicing into my right upper arm. A line of fire ignited along the wound. Scarlet stained my ragged shirt. I thrashed in a mindless panic, shoving him to the side and rolling away.

  I backed into the wooden wall. He stood, crouching slightly, holding the bloody dagger in one hand. He held his other hand out, ready to latch onto me.

  “Talk again and I’ll cut that tongue out before gutting you, baby-snatcher.” The man said and spat at the ground between my feet.

  I slid along the wall away from him, both of my hands pressed behind me against the wall. I felt something as I moved. A wooden handle, half-rotten.

  The man lunged again and I gripped the handle behind me, swinging it up and around. The makeshift staff smacked against the hand that held the knife with a sickening crack. The blade spiraled into a pile of trash as the man cried out, cradling his hand.

  I moved without thinking, bringing the broken wooden staff down on the top of his head. It broke with the impact, a foot-long piece remaining in my hand.

  The man looked dazed, his eyes disoriented and unfocused. He mumbled something unintelligible. My arm stung and I remembered the knife. I dropped the broken handle and hurried to the pile of garbage, shifting through refuse until I found it.

  I looked up in time to see the man, who had regained some of his senses, snarl and step towards me. One hand hung at an odd angle, the wrist obviously broken. His other hand wrapped around my throat.

  “Just die, changeling scum,” he spat into my face as his grip tightened. He gasped when I plunged the knife into his chest.

  I’ll never forget that gasp. Such a small, sharp thing, accompanied by a brief look of surprise.

  He collapsed against me, forcing me back into the wall of the alley. Warm blood gushed from his chest and over my hands and soaked into my shirt before he fell to the floor, unmoving, the knife still planted in his chest.

  Quest Complete! Evade capture! You did it, killer! He won’t be telling anyone anything ever again. Access your inventory to receive rewards for successful quest completion.

  You have been awarded 1 Copper Armor Chest, 1 Copper Adventurer’s Chest, Copper coins x10, and 1,000 Experience Points!

  -DING-

  Welcome to level 2! Class selection is required for stat distribution. All available status upgrades will be held until class selection is complete.

  My injured arm screamed in pain as I finished reading the information. The level notification was accompanied by a sound much like a bell being rung.

  I opened my inventory and a menu appeared, showing a rudimentary list of my belongings, which were currently a set of tattered clothing that included pants and a shirt—which had small E’s indicating they were my equipped attire—the ten Copper coins I had just received, and the two different copper chests.

  I noticed a gently flashing notification to the side of my HUD and remembered the sensation I had felt when first making contact with the man. I selected it.

  Human form (basic) obtained through passive racial ability Absorb Essence.

  Absorb Essence. Skill. As a Changeling, you are able to obtain “DNA Memory” through direct contact with other races, storing their genetic structure. This can be used to alter your own body’s physical structure to that of any race you have physically touched.

  New Skill Unlocked! Transform. Assimilate your DNA with essence obtained from your database of stored forms. Initiate transformation with cognitive intent.

  Current forms: (2) Changeling, Human (Basic).

  I glanced around but didn't see anyone at either end of the long alley. If this is what I was going to have to deal with as a Changeling, better to assume the form of a human. I focused on transforming and a flood of sensations washed away the pain in my arm.

  Agony, unlike anything I had ever felt, exploded from every nerve. I felt my bones growing denser and heavier, shortening. Muscles tore, shifting and reforming, gaining bulk.

  Shadows darkened as my vision worsened. I fell to my knees and dry-heaved as I became a human. My clothing fell off in tatters, the already degraded outfit unable to withstand the shift in my overall size.

  The pain vanished as swiftly as it had arrived, leaving behind only an echo of memory and the gash on my right arm. The wound seemed larger on my new human arm, but still leaked enough blood that I was beginning to feel light-headed from the blood loss.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  I looked down at my hands, no longer sickly pale. I had slightly tan skin and regular nails. I looked in the dirty puddle of water and saw my regular face reflected back.

  The system had recreated my exact features, down to the scar just below my left eye from a childhood accident. It was unsettling, but the pain in my arm reminded me that there were more pressing matters.

  I tied a makeshift bandage around the wound with the remnants of my old pants, which quickly became saturated, but seemed to stem the flow for the moment.

  I pulled the Copper Armor Chest out of my inventory. A small chest made of dark wood and lined with copper trim materialized in my hand. It was roughly a foot wide and two-thirds of a foot high, and opened on its own before flashing away, leaving a small pile of cloth in my arms.

  The pile included a basic cloth outfit made up of an off-white tunic, a pair of tan pants, an undergarment, and a pair of shoes that were nothing more than strips of fabric affixed to soles. I used the unsoiled remnants of my old clothes to wipe as much of the blood off as possible before getting dressed.

  The clothing all fit me perfectly, and after affixing the shoes with a series of looping knots that wrapped around my ankle, I pulled the other chest from my inventory; the Copper Adventurer’s Chest. It was of similar design and size, but where the Armor Chest had a copper emblem depicting a helmet, this emblem showed a burning torch crossed with a potion vial and a pile of rope.

  It opened and the objects contained within were transported to my inventory. I received Minor Healing Potion x5, Simple Self-Lighting Torch x5, Copper Coins x10.

  I pulled one of the healing potions out of my inventory and inspected it.

  Minor Healing Potion. Mends small wounds. Can stop bleeding, treat minor bacterial infections, and hasten recovery for broken bones and viral infections. Can be applied topically but should be ingested for greater effect. Can be equipped in the Quick Slot space and ingested without consumption from this menu.

  I identified the Quick Slot area and sent the healing potion there before selecting it. An odd sensation of warmth filled my stomach and the aching of my arm subsided.

  I removed the bloody bandage and saw the flesh had closed, and no evidence of the cut remained. I breathed a sigh of relief, approaching the corpse of the man.

  He lay face-down in an expanding puddle of blood. I knelt over him and a notification appeared.

  Loot corpse?

  I selected yes and a small menu appeared, similar to my own inventory screen. I saw the man’s clothes, listed as torn leather vest, moldy tunic, patchwork pants, and old boots. There was also the dagger, listed as Curved knife, Copper Coins x5, and a Worn note. I took everything but the moldy tunic. The objects vanished from his person as I looted them. I pulled out the note and inspected it.

  Worn note. This aged note has faded over the years and depicts a family of stick figures drawn by a child. A small girl stands between a man and a woman, holding their hands. Hearts float between the figures. The word ‘Family’ is scrawled across the top and a small note across the bottom reads, “Be safe daddy! Luv you.”

  I felt sick. A notification appeared.

  New Quest!

  Return the note to the deceased man’s daughter. Years have passed since this drawing was gifted to the dead man at your feet. Innocence has been lost, but not forgotten. Return this note to the artist. Reward: Starmetal Familial Closure Chest. Gold Coins x50. Increased faction reputation with Bornholdt Keep.

  Starmetal? I didn’t know what to make of that, but the confusion was washed away by a deep feeling of guilt as I deposited the drawing into my inventory.

  “I am so sorry,” I whispered to the corpse. The remorseful feelings surprised me. Despite the attack and obvious intent to murder me, I felt bad for this man.

  Careful not to get blood on my new attire, I turned him over and pulled his body against the wall so he wouldn’t be laying in a puddle of his own congealing blood.

  I opened the Map menu and saw the alley, in simple, line-drawn detail. The map extended as far as I could see from my spot in the alley — in both directions — but beyond that was blank. Far in the distance, well beyond my perception, was a blip that pulsed. I selected it and a notification appeared.

  Quest Indicator. Quest: Locate the Adventurer’s Guild. Inquire about the requirements to join and fulfill those requirements to obtain membership.

  The blip was to the North. I turned that direction and began walking. The map shrank to a small portion of my field of view and filled in with details as I made my way out of the alley.

  The alley opened into a main thoroughfare for the town which was bustling with morning foot traffic. An assortment of races, mostly composed of elves, but with a smattering of dwarves, humans, and beastkin, walked along the cobblestone street in either direction.

  The cobbled road was lined with vendor stalls, and merchants called out, offering a variety of produce.

  I merged with the flow of pedestrians and walked towards the quest indicator on the map. After ten minutes of weaving through small crowds, I saw a familiar sign. The three interwoven arches that had symbolized racial randomization in the character creation screen.

  I confirmed with the map that it was the location of the Adventurer’s Guild, and made my way through the set of massive iron double doors, which were much easier to open than would be expected from their composition. After so many unexpected changes since logging in, I was thankful to have spawned in near an Adventurers Guild, as we had been informed before being connected to the full immersion tanks.

  The Adventurer’s Guild was a large building. The lobby consisted of a circular room, with hallways that lead to my right and left. Directly ahead, towards the back of the room, was a desk manned by a bored-looking elven man. Large boards with a variety of posted parchments stood on either end of the desk, and an elegant door stood closed behind the elf.

  I glanced down the hall to my right and saw part of a dining area. A few small groups of people sat eating and drinking, laughing and conversing. The hall to the left led to a workshop area with what appeared to be a variety of crafting stations, though from this angle I couldn’t make out much more than that.

  I approached the man behind the counter, who looked up from a book with a smile that shifted into a sneer as he glanced up and down at me.

  “The Adventurer’s Guild is for members only. Requests should be sent through the proper channels. It’s the next building over, green door.”

  I smiled, extending my hand. “Hi, I’m looking to sign up as an adventurer. Nice to meet you.”

  He looked at my extended hand for a moment, lifted his head slightly, and pointedly did not shake it. “Hm, and who is your sponsor?”

  I pulled the Chit of Admittance from my inventory. “I don’t have a sponsor, but I have this.”

  He snatched the token from my hand, examining it closely. “Where did you get this? No matter, stay here.”

  He opened the door behind the desk, and stepped through. I saw another hallway for a brief moment before he closed the door.

  I waited for several uneventful minutes until he returned.

  “Right this way. The Guild Master will see you. Don’t. Touch. Anything.” He clipped off each word with scathing finality as he stepped back and motioned for me to follow him deeper into the guild hall.

  Veil has 26 Chapters, ending just under 90k words. I am planning Book Two to be 100k-120k words. I am still undecided on if this story will end with three or four books, I will probably know by the end of Book Two.