Zeph Malston: The Aether Mage

Zeph was watching Bernard draw an image in the air. The old mage recorded Rin's little scouting mission and was using it to create a rough map of the camp. It was obvious that his grandpa was used to this sort of thing. "That's pretty good, do you think you can teach met to do that?" the young lord asked.

"No problem. We'll work on it when we have the time," Bernard replied while he was highlighting the area where the beasts were kept. He started rubbing his chin. "If only we could view it from the sky."

"Rin can fly if you want," Zeph said.

"No, they might notice her using wind magic. A flying fox is sure to get some attention."

"Hmmm," Zeph rubbed his chin, mimicking Bernard. "What if I turn into a bird and take a picture of the camp from up above it. Oh, I can even stay up there when you guys raid it to provide support. You know, call out where the enemies are and stuff."

Bernard was a little hesitant. "Are you sure? These are people fighting, not beasts or monsters. The things you'll see… It won't be pleasant."

A cool breeze blew past them, and the sounds of insects could be heard. Zeph stood in thought for a minute while Bernard and Alex watched the boy, now fox-man came to a decision. "I think it's something I'll need to get used to. Better to do it as an observer now than try to cope with it mid-battle in the future." Zeph watched his grandpa and Alex nod.

"What kind of bird do you plan on changing into?" Alex asked. "I would recommend an owl. They have excellent vision at night."

"What about an owl?" Eli asked as he appeared behind Zeph. He saw Zeph's tail shoot straight up and go bushy. It was difficult not to laugh. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"No problem. We were just talking about me turning into an owl to provide support from the air and get a good look at the camp," Zeph said. "Now I just got to practice. I've never really tried to turn into an animal before."

"Really? I figured that would be one of the first things you'd try to shapeshift into," Eli said surprised.

"Well, shapeshifting is disorienting and I needed to get used to turning into inanimate objects while still keeping my senses. Turning into a shifter was easy because it was so close to human. I didn't try changing into an animal because I would rather work on my spellcasting and magic power."

"Then you better work change into an owl now so that you can get used to the form before we raid the camp tonight," Bernard told the boy while he was getting ready to call the valir and inform them of the cultists.

"Yeah, I'll get right on it." Zeph took a few steps back and created a pool of liquid Aether in the air.

"I thought you were going to shapeshift?" Elis said.

"Never done it before and I've never met a real owl. I'm going to craft a body first and then possess it like I do with the Mini-Me." Zeph told them as the Aether started forming the rough outline of a bird.

"How long do you think it will take you to make a suitable owl and get used to the body?" Bernard asked.

"Not sure, but we have a few hours don't we?" Zeph was focusing on making feathers.

"Then wait a bit and we will go back to our fishing site. It's better than being out here in the open. We'll also work on a plan." Bernard told the group.

"That sounds like a good idea," Zeph said as he picked up the rough looking figure and started to follow his grandfather back to the secluded lake. "Boy, this night took a weird turn. We should probably call the girls and let them know what's going on."

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Ashley was watching Bianca go through Semara's closet tossing clothes out onto the bed. She wasn't sure why she followed them to the wolf-girl's room but had to admit that it was mildly amusing. Bianca practically dragged the poor silver-haired woman to her room and everyone else followed. The corners of her lips raised into a slight smile as she watched the two shifters argue over what clothes Semara should wear.

Semara's room was more feminine than Ashley thought it would be. It had a soft and gentle color scheme and there were various figurines and flowers out on display. There was even a little wolf cub plushy by her pillows on the bed. There was even a faint wisp of roses in the air. Bianca was busy digging through Semara's closet. She had already tossed a bunch of clothes on the bed and separated them into two piles, the "hot" pile, and the "not" pile.

"I can work with this," Bianca said as she was looking at one of Semara's dress shirts. "Just got to get rid of a few buttons and…Boom. Goodbye business-casual, hello business-s.e.xy." Then she tossed the shirt onto the "hot" pile.

"Hey! I liked that shirt." Semara w.h.i.n.ed. "And I don't want to dress business-s.e.xy or whatever you call it."

"Now we just have to adjust your skirts and make them a little shorter," Bianca grinned mischievously. She was only ninety, maybe eighty, percent kidding. It began as a simple way to tease Semara and pass the time, but it was becoming so much more fun.

"No, you don't." Semara grabbed her dress skirt out of Bianca's hand. "Besides, I thought you hated skirts."

"That's cuz I don't want to give anyone a free show if and when I fight." Bianca shrugged. "I also don't like the empty breezy feeling I get when I wear them."

"Whatever! You're not adjusting any more of my clothes. Now I have to take some of my favorite blouses and get the top buttons sown back on." Semara was about to start nagging at her friend more but was stopped when Bianca held out a finger to shush her. "Don't you shush me."

"I'm getting a call. It's Mr. Malston, so be quiet."

Ashley watched as a picture of Lord Malston appeared in the air in front of Bianca. Feeling that it was improper to eavesdrop, she got up to leave the room. Keva put her hand on the girl's shoulder and told her she didn't have to go and led her back to sit on Semara's bed. Then the elder started going through the piles of clothes and straightening out so they wouldn't wrinkle.

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"It seems that young Miss Avery has decided to finally leave her room," Bernard said to Alex as he ended the call with Bianca. He told her that they would be late tonight and may not even be back until tomorrow. However, he left out the part about raiding the camp of a bunch of demon worshippers and magical beasts. No need to make the girl worried.

"That's good. Knowing Bianca, she will be able to lift the young lady's spirits," Alex nodded.

They were back at the lake now and Eli decided to start fishing again. He told Alex and Bernard about the barrier around the camp while they were walking back. As they suspected, it would be able to detect and harm any outside magical signatures above a certain level that weren't registered to the spell formation. It was a good thing Rin's temporary body didn't have much magic in it.

Speaking of the little fox, she caught up to them while they were walking back to the lake and turned back into a kitten. She was currently watching Zeph craft his owl body. There was a sparkle of interest and mischief in the little thing's eyes and she would reach her paw towards the construct once in a while to smack it. Zeph kept scolding the familiar to make her stop. It was hard because Rin really wanted to play with the weird looking bird thing.

"How's it coming along son?" Bernard asked as he sat back down in his moss cushioned chair and cast a fishing line back into the lake. If they had to wait on reinforcements, then he might as well relax while he could.

"I'm not sure. What do you guys think?" Zeph said as he presented his 'owl' to them. It was a grey feathered creature with two yellow eyes above a short beak.

"It looks like someone hit it with a shovel and the poor bird never recovered," Eli deadpanned.

"Surely you know that isn't what an owl is supposed to look like," Alex said.

Zeph sighed. "I know, but I was hoping you could help me while I make it and give me some advice while I shape it.

"Why don't you bring up a picture of an owl using your pendant?" Eli asked as he got up and started inspecting the 'bird' thing.

Zeph's palm met his forehead in a loud slap. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Because your grandfather's behavior is starting rub off on you," Alex chuckled.

Bernard stopped just before taking a drink, his bottle near his chin. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You get so absorbed in an idea that you don't consider simple things and sometimes make things more complicated than they should be," Alex told the old man.

"That's not true," Bernard took his delayed drink. After taking a few gulps, he said, "Not entirely."

"Remember that time when you were young and tried to make a mosquito seeking fire spell instead of using the bug repelling enchantment?"

Bernard crossed his arms in indignation, "Skeeter seeker was an impressive accomplishment for a child, and it kept me from getting bug bites."

Alex brought a finger to his chin. "Then there was the time you tried to make instant bacon."

"That's a brilliant idea and you know it."

"Bacon is already easy to cook, and time magic is almost impossible."

"Still a good idea." Bernard was very confident in the idea. In fact, he may just bring it up at the next project development meeting at the labs.

"You were seven, and didn't even know time magic," the old dwarf chided.

"Riiight," Zeph said, drawing out his voice. "I'm just gonna get back to making an owl now."