This was the first time shifting into my Downside form felt like getting back on a bicycle. No blockage, no big effort. I thought about Marms and my friends getting hurt by this Shelv guy, wanted to protect them, and then I shifted. My body changed to something taller, stronger, more bestial. I felt claws grow, a tail, just like the other times. In spite of my size changing, I still felt light, and a weird cold feeling like air on a brisk day in spring.

I also felt a sawblade churning in my soul, a chained up beast finally freed. It wanted to crush this bookshelf jackass, and I wanted that too. I wasn't sure if that other feeling was me, or if it was some other thing inside me, like the will of the devil serum I drank lingered. The latter was terrifying to even begin to think about, so I just tried to think of it as letting instinct take over, instinct saying it wanted to beat this dude up.

"Fascinating," Shelv said. "I didn't think you had this kind of strength. I've battled so many weaklings. Of all the ones like you I've fought since becoming a servant of Reed, in the before ages long ago—"

I punched as hard as I could, my fist frosting over as I swung. The impact sounded like a cannonball made of ice. Shelv froze, glowing eyes blinking.

"I...wh..." He attempted to say something, but the books on his shelf armor started dropping one by one, turning into Elka ooze. After the books fell, parts of his armor and the body within started to collapse too, like a shelf made without putting any nails in. I felt a little bad sending this void monster back to the Elka goop he came from, but not that bad.

Maybe he can reform himself and not be such a dorky loser. Or he could just go back to wherever Elka goes, that works too.

With that squared away, I had to figure out what to do next.

I could shift back to my normal self, but...

The wall of ice was still around me. Marms, Aira, and Syval knew about my other form, but nobody else could, right? Roux especially. But what could I do? I maybe should have thought about this more before I shifted, but Marms looked so...I felt like she really wanted me to, and I couldn't deny her. The ice wall started to crack. I could only keep them up so long even being stronger in Downside form.

OK, I'm thinking...I just stay like this, hope Marms comes up with a good excuse if any of the others see me, find Reed, squash him into goop too, then find some place private to shift back.

The walls crumbled, and I noticed immediately that Aira and Syval were gone. Maybe they went on ahead to stop Reed. At least I would have to hope three people would keep a story they came up with on the spot straight. But I still needed Marms to help out, because Elisa, Chumbler, and Z.O.K. couldn't ignore the hulking monster thing in front of them.

"What the hell is that...?" Elisa said. "Are you a boy? Because if you are, you're hot!"

Should I even dignify that with a response? If I shake my head, she'll know I can understand her. Do I not want that? What do I even want?

I didn't know what the hell I was doing, so I glanced at Marmalade.

"Ohhhhh crap, where'd Kalei go, too?" Marmalade said, sounding decently enough like she wasn't lying. "Damn, I think I saw her fall through a portal."

"Tokickaman grabbed Aira and flew off," Chumbler said, whistling. "If someone hadn't distracted me I could have gotten his autograph to add to the shirts."

"What, like have him sign each one?" Z.O.K. asked. 

"No, like get a little graphic of a cool signature to add to the corner or something," Chumbler said.

"And you started it, you wouldn't let me use my powers." Z.O.K. said.

"Well, whatever," Chumbler said. "What are we doing about the giant ice wolf monster? We killing that, too?"

"No!" Marmalade said. "I...let's figure out what the deal is with her—with, uh. With the monster. First. Before we, make any rash..." She trailed off.

"Allow me to handle this," Roux said.

Roux peeked their head out from under the computer tables. "I saw the whole thing, so I can surmise exactly what happened."

If Roux found out...

Roux had their hands clasped behind their back as they approached me. I tried to look...natural? Casual? I didn't have enough information to go on for how to react so I pretty much just stood there looking stupid.

"Shelf guy shows up, we do battle..." Roux said.

I do battle, I thought. You just hid somewhere.

"Koridia goes in, ice wall goes up!" Roux said. "Tokickaman and Aira fly away, which is super weird, but I think somewhat unrelated. Then the ice wall goes down, shelf guy is void ooze, and there's a giant, wolfish, muscular beast with ice chunks and weird bits on it. There can only be one answer for this."

I shut my eyes. They totally have it figured out. How the hell am I gonna explain this?

"It's blatantly obvious..." Roux said. "That the Koridia we saw wasn't her at all."

"Ohhh, wow," Chumbler said. "That makes sense!"

"I-it does?" Marmalade said. "Er, I mean. Dang! The Kalei with us was just an illusion..."

Roux looked me up and down. "Perhaps someone cast a glamour on this beast. Hiding in plain sight this whole time! It was obvious because Koridia would never listen to any of my ideas, so it had to be...whatever this is."

"Well, I think the important thing is that this one is friendly," Marmalade said.

"Source?" Roux asked.

"I...I mean...look at her!" Marmalade said. "She beat Shelv, so."

"Oh," Elisa suddenly looked sad. "You're not a boy?"

I shook my head, then scoffed as I realized I did.

"You understand us, eh?" Roux said. "Perhaps you are friendly..."

"Yeah, but they're not a boy," Elisa said. "So boring..."

Roux pointed at me. "Beast whose foulness level is yet to be determined! Will you obey me and lead us out off our latest inane hellhole? Basically, we need you to smash a stick figure come to life."

I glanced back to the projector screen, which no longer had any feed on it. I nodded.

"Excellent!" Roux said. "I dub thee...Roux Jr. Carry us to Reed so we can destroy him! Or do you have a saddle, perhaps? We could ride on your fuzzy back!"

I didn't let them ride on my back, but I for some reason agreed to carry them all in my arms as we left the library. As long as Roux thought I was some random beast and not me, I was willing to deal with this.