Well it only took me two years plus some odd months, but I've finally gone and finished this darned story of mine. I originally had a whole story-line set up for Kit, but now I'll just be happy that I've set him up with a shop somewhere in the town. Mostly I kept going with this because of obligations to people I included in the story and plugging some minor plot holes to wrap stuff up. And also for the philosophy discussion with a tree near the end. That Laracin has been a tragic figure far too long and half so I thought I'd put some food for thought in. Anyway, on with the plot! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It took most of the day to get to Metamor by walking, but I figured I needed the extra time and flying always got me strange looks anyway. Getting the extra practice with walking made it an even easier choice, but in the end the sun was starting to set when I walked up in front of the main gate, guarded by a half spider of a type I was unfamiliar with on the right and a rather burly looking man on the left. “Please state your name and purpose in the keep.” stated the guard on the right when I reached the gate. I stopped and replied, “Kit Calico, I’m here for a research trip.” The woman looked at me and frowned. “I asked who you are, not what. I don’t know how you got that way and it’s not my business to care.” I winced slightly, and didn’t even have to look down to realize my pelt had gotten all mixed up again. “No, I mean... that’s just...” I sighed and decided to start over. “Kit Calico IS my name. I don’t know how I ended up like this either, but I’ve been here before and I won’t cause trouble so you can just let me in.” I grinned hopefully, a gesture which probably didn’t translate well. Depending on how perverse this guy was, this could take a long time. The guard looked at me somewhat suspiciously, but reluctantly replied, “All right then, I suppose you can go in then. Just don’t get into any trouble, I’ve my eyes on you...” As she trailed off six more eyes sprouted on her forehead “…all eight of them,” she finished and I shuddered slightly while the other guard chuckled lightly. Only in Metamor could people do stuff like that and I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it. Seemingly satisfied, the half spider then gestured into the gateway with one of her arms for me to go through while continuing to stare at me in that unnerving manner. Relieved at the brevity of the delay, and also somewhat disturbed by his demonstration, I hastened into the city. As I made my way through the town towards the castle, I reflected a little on my situation. My usual habit when visiting Metamor was to find an inn near the castle for a few days while I did research in the library and whatever other activities I came for. However now that I was a more permanent resident, I would want a more permanent home and I didn’t know how to go about securing one yet. Normally I’d just wing it, but I was a little off balance from suddenly becoming a fox kit and it was affecting me a bit more than I liked. Despite it having been a day since I transformed, I was still having trouble thinking straight anyway. If I could get some time away from distractions to sort things out I’d be much better off, but I wasn’t likely to find that in the keep with all the people around and though I enjoyed solitude in the wilderness, there’s a limit to everything and after my trip to the northlands I wasn’t eager to spend more time out there. Therefore, the closest to solitude I was likely to find was doing research in the library. There was an unspoken rule that people in the library with an open book get left alone, but that would only keep my mind occupied and distracted with my research instead of dealing with the real problem, my transformation and my feelings about it. Nonetheless, even a delaying tactic was better than nothing and so when I entered the keep I started searching for the library. From previous experience I knew that this keep was stranger than most and the path I took to the library last time I was here probably didn’t even exist anymore, so I picked a direction and set off at a leisurely pace. Sure enough, I shortly came to a door that matched my memory of the library and opened it. However when I entered, it was not the usual endless array of books that greeted me, but rather a smallish room with a bit of furniture inside. Hanging from the ceiling in front of me was a note that read, ‘Christopher Calico, You’ve had a long day and in fact, a long week. You can research later, but for now you should take some time to stop, rest, and figure things out. I know you usually stay in an inn, but your stay this time is likely to be a bit longer. As such, you’ll have this room to live in until you find a more permanent solution. Don’t take too long though, as I’ll need the bed back soon. Signed, A Friend’ I looked up from the note with a smile and a bit of a chuckle, glancing at the ceiling. “Thank you, I’m sure it’ll be perfect,” I said to seemingly no one in particular, crumpling the note up and putting it in a pocket. Only in Metamor did the castle itself give you a room to stay free of charge. I looked around the room briefly and it did seem rather spartan. There was a desk on one side, and a doorway on the other leading to an empty room that I could use for experimenting. On the far side of the room however was a bed. It was a very lavish bed that seemed fit for a noble rather than a traveling mage who got by on selling magical charms. Nonetheless, I definitely wasn’t going to complain about it. This would probably be the most comfortable bed I would sleep on in my life and I would miss it when I found a more permanent lodging. As such it was a real pity that I only made it halfway across the room before collapsing asleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (Tuesday) I woke up the next morning groggy and fuzzy headed. I tried to open my eyes and nothing happened. I tried again but I was still blind, so I started casting a spell for light scribing the symbols in the air, but everything felt off and wrong. By now I was completely awake and able to remember the events of the previous day, but after a moments consideration I realized this was something different. If it was just the curse from yesterday my arms should be longer and I should be able to stand... everything felt wrong and when I tried to talk, I was abruptly stopped by the sound of my own high pitched and mewling voice. I forced myself to calm down and think things through. Thankfully I could still hear and now that I thought about it, I could feel on the air that my clothes were in a crumpled pile next to me and I was in the shape of a newborn fox. Animal morphs were supposed to be able to change into the animal they were blended with and as a baby fox it would make sense that I was also blind. Since I was about 14, or perhaps closer to 13 as a ‘human’ I should have been a young adolescent fox too, but I guess I had gotten younger over night as well as fuzzier (actually less fuzzy, since I was smaller and therefore had less fur). I could only assume I had changed because I had been so tired after the stress and magical exertion of the past week since as far as I knew, most keepers didn’t change shape while they slept. With that mystery solved, I next had to figure out how to get back to normal. Thinking back, I could remember a conversation I had with the librarian the last time I was here. He had mentioned that changing form was mostly a matter of focusing on the destination so I threw my thoughts back to yesterday and the way it had felt, trying to find my way back to that form. After a breath or two of disorientation and vertigo, I successfully opened my eyes and found myself lying on the ground. It seems that I had shrunk out of my clothes last night and my pelt was yet another pattern. I was starting to suspect it would always shift around for the rest of my life, but the part that surprised me was that my muzzle was longer and thinner than before, resembling that of a swift fox more than the fennec it had before. With a sigh I realized my entire shape was likely going to be subject to random and constant changes. I consoled myself with the fact that it was slower and not as glaringly obvious as my fur color but it still stung on top of everything else. Putting my clothes back on, I grimaced as they kept trying to slide off again. I now knew what the first thing I was going to do today was. So I quickly looked around my room to ascertain everything was in place, and left to seek out a seamstress in town. Because my clothes were literally falling off, I suspected I would make it out of the keep rather quickly, but instead I found myself wandering in circles. It didn’t take me long to notice that I kept passing the same person, one of the message couriers, several times. Actually to be completely truthful, I didn’t notice at all until she pointed it out. I was walking down a corridor trying to find a turnoff, or at least a window to escape from when a voice from behind me said, “You again? This must be the sixth time I’ve passed you while delivering these messages.” I started and looked back at scaled lady. “Where did you come from? There was no one behind me just a moment ago...” She laughed. “I get that a lot. I just turned off that... that’s funny, it’s gone. Oh well, you get used to that around here. Why don’t you walk with me to my next delivery? I’ve got a delivery for a seamstress and you look like you could use her help.” She said, looking pointedly at my clothes. I think I blushed, but I’m not sure. At any rate, a bunch of my fur turned red, which got a funny look, but thankfully no question. “Yeah...” I muttered. “Just changed yesterday into a fox AND a child.” The lady nodded understandingly. “Oooo.... double whammy. I myself got hit with two too.” She laughed at her wordplay a moment before continuing. “I used to be male, but was in the wrong place at the wrong time. In the end, I have a choice, be male, human, or neither, not that it makes much difference... a snake is a snake whether male or female.” She grimaced and then looked at me again as we started walking seeming to consider something. “You can probably do it too you know. Just be warned... the more human you get....” she trailed off, as the scales on her skin started to fade and other things started to become more apparent, before continuing, “... the more your other curse will show itself.” She finished as my fur abruptly turned an even darker shade of red. She laughed, reverting to her normal scaly self, “And vice versa. You know, you’re pretty cute when you get all embarrassed about stuff. Anyway, here’s the gate. Go down two streets and turn right, her shop is the one with a sign with a yarn ball on it. Give this to the seamstress if you will and be sure to mention the whole changing size and shape so she can make your clothes right.” She said, handing an envelope to me. “Well I’ve got to go, more deliveries, but maybe I’ll see you around. My name’s Quiz, and I’m sure you can find me easily enough.” She started off towards a hallway that hadn’t been there a moment ago. “My name’s Kit!” I called after her, only hoping she could still hear me. I sighed as the collar of my shirt fell off my shoulder again and I pulled it back up, setting off down the street. Hopefully, the seamstress would know how to make clothes that would fit no matter what size I was, because otherwise this was going to get very annoying. I realized as the sun beat down from overhead that I had either been wandering in the keep longer than I had thought or that I had overslept. Days up this far north could get short in the winter so I would probably have to hurry before anything closed. I quickly found the sign with a yarn ball on it and the door beneath it read ‘Seamstress Elaine’ so I guess I was finally in the right place. Relieved, I opened the door in time to see a quill fly over my head and out into the street, thrown by a rather surprised looking porcupine. “Maybe I shouldn’t put my target on the door...” she said, looking embarrassed. “It’s a good thing you’re short or I might have hit you.” Not sure what to say, I closed the door and saw a badly drawn picture of a lutin impaled by at least twenty of her quills. “It’s good practice for when I get sent on patrol every once in a while.” she explained, standing up to look at me. “But enough of that, I take it from that sadly oversized shirt that you’ve just recently changed and need new clothes?” she asked, inspecting my clothing critically. “Can’t say you had much of a fashion sense though.” I shook my head. “It’s not for fashion, it’s for traveling. I do a lot of that. Did anyway, not sure if I still can.” Elaine drew back to get a better look at me. “Huh. And here I thought you were just a youngster who got the animal curse. That makes things a bit more complicated then, doesn’t it?” I nodded, “A courier named Quiz said that I can probably be a completely human child or a completely adult fox. She said you would need to know that. Oh, and she gave me this to give to you.” I said, handing her the envelope I held. The seamstress lit up, taking the envelope and opening it. “Is this... it is! Oh I’ve been wanting to try this recipe.” She smiled brightly and put it on the table. “But she was right. I made Quiz’s clothes too, and there’s indeed a trick to it so the clothes fit whether she’s about as thin as the snake she is, or... well... larger we’ll say. The clothes need to be made right for the spell to hold.” She picked up a particularly long quill with marks for measurement on it. “Ok, now I’m assuming this is your largest practical form? No one wants to be falling out of their clothes if they can help it.” She waited for my nod before continuing. “Then this is the only form I’ll need to measure. After that, the modifications are in the spell. I should probably let it get a bit larger for odd cases... If you really can make yourself older you might be a bit bigger before you start shrinking into a fox...” she trailed off, making measurements and scratching notes onto a piece of paper with another, smaller quill. I was starting to see a pattern, and was pretty sure her needles were quills too. It made me wonder if she ever ran out and I snorted in amusement as I thought, ‘Only in Metamor.’ With a rueful shake of my head “Done,” she said, straightening up. “I should have one set of clothes that will fit you no matter what that you can pick up tomorrow. Unless you’re all the way in your animal form, in which case they’ll snap to full size so you can get out of them easily. Or if you want I can make them ‘disappear’ instead, but that will be harder and cost more. I’ll make more later, but in the meantime, I’ve got extra pre-made clothes that should fit you at various sizes. I can modify the pants to fit digitigrade legs and a tail when you have them and still be normal when you don’t, but that’s also extra.” I looked down at my current pants which didn’t bend with my legs right and had no tail hole, so was riding a bit low. Then I considered my funds which were by no means meager due to a lifetime of thrifty habits and replied, “I think I’ll pay the extra... it sounds like it will be worth it.” Elaine nodded and said, “That will be two gold suns then, one for the all purpose set which will be ready to pick up tomorrow, and one for the bundle of clothes with modifications.” I nodded, and pulled the coins out of my room which was somewhere in the midlands and handed them over. The seamstress took them, and went into the back room where she rummaged around and did some work for about ten minutes before coming out with three sets of clothing. She handed me the largest first which I gratefully put on in a side room, and the other two folded up in a pile with the pair I had just taken off which I sent back to my wardrobe in my room. I thanked her and left with my much better fitting and far more comfortable clothes. I did some wandering around before heading back to the keep, if I was going to be staying here very long I’d need somewhere to live and I’d also want to familiarize myself with the neighborhood a little. As I walked I noticed quite a few empty run down houses that either hadn’t been repaired yet or just no one lived in anymore. It was a little saddening, seeing the evidence of the battle that had ravaged this place almost a year ago but I suppose it wouldn’t be too hard to find a place to live. I didn’t see anything particularly appealing though, so I gave up as the sun began to set, and I returned to the keep. Having acquired new clothes and moved in to this temporary room, I wanted to look into what Quiz had said with some evening experimentation. It sounded intriguing and a useful trick for maybe passing off as normal. So I locked the door and went into my workroom for additional privacy. I figured that I had it so I may as well use it after all. If Quiz was right, I’d get younger when I tried this and since my current set of clothes wouldn’t change with me anymore than accommodating a tail and odd leg shape I just took them off and left them in the corner. I paused, fingering the pendant around my neck. My mother had given it to me when I was young and told me to never take it off. She never told me why, but I’m pretty sure it’s a good luck charm of some sort based on what little I know about it. I have since used it as the focus of many of my spells including one that constantly leeches off my magic in small amounts and stores it for later use in large spells. However I didn’t think anything too bad could happen if I took it off and if I was going to experiment objectively I didn’t want it interfering, so I took it off too. The first thing I tried was making myself fully and completely human. My fur disappeared with my tail, and my face tingled as it shrank and reformed to how it used to be so long ago. All the while my body was changing, it was also shrinking rapidly until I found myself completely human and about one and a half feet tall. I stumbled and tripped, not quite strong enough to stand anymore when thrown off balance. Guessing, I’d have to say I was about two years old, hardly useful, but completely human. Carefully standing up again, I tried aging myself by a year while still keeping myself human. As I got slightly move steady on my feet, it seemed like I had succeeded until I felt my ears twitch. Narrowing my eyes in concentration, I willed them back into human form and felt myself abruptly shrink, causing me to lose my balance again. I frowned and out of curiosity, tried making my ears fox-like, but aside from that, nothing happened. Then I aged myself by a year again and this time nothing new changed. I then tried a two year jump and felt my tail suddenly grow out. The next try brought out fur and a fourth changed the way I stood, almost knocking me down again. It must have been a rather comical sight, with all the abrupt surges of change from location to location as I tried to keep them under control in vain. After quite some time and much more experimenting, I figured out that I seemed to work on what I could only call a point scale. Fox ears were worth one year and my tail was worth two. Growing fur and general small things that went with it like my skin was another year as was altering my hands. My legs in general gave me up to three years depending on how much I changed them, and my head could get five if I lost color vision and speech, three if I didn’t. Overall I could make myself thirteen without losing functionality as a human and up to sixteen with only minor disadvantages. From the age of thirteen, I could get another two years by changing my hands fully into paws. After this there were a few other things that would be incredibly impractical to deal with as a human, but would make up the rest of the changes to fox and the remaining years, such as digestion, size, bone structure, etc. So in the end, it seems that I can make myself a completely human toddler, a completely adult fox, or anywhere in between. Judging from how I woke up this morning it wasn’t a line scale so much as a triangular one, allowing me any mix of youth and fox so long as I retained at least one. Well it worked for me I guess, I couldn’t be completely human without being too young to do much, although being five with just the tail and ears did hold some potential use. Overall though, it seemed best to stick with where I had started, a thirteen year old fox morph, as everything else I had hit just seemed completely pointless. However, in the course of my experimenting I hadn’t returned to my full age or even beyond sixteen out of caution born of a thought about the upper age side of the scale. When I had gotten younger, I had also lost some of my capacity for magic. I was noticeably weaker than before the curse. I’d say I was maybe half as powerful before my teenage years as after it if I was judging what I could feel correctly and memories from my past supported it. So if I aged myself, would I get that magic back? There would be a bit of a juggle to be old enough but still maintain enough functionality to cast spells, but not all powerful spells required spoken chants or hand gestures. Furthermore, even as a full fox I would still be able to cast runic magic and many basic spells that came intuitively to me, assuming I could use magic at all. For spells that did need such gestures or tools, I was sure I’d be able to work out some form that would be practical enough for what I’d need. However, if need be, I could always cast it as I was now and instantly change into a fox to support it, but it all depended on whether I would retain the use of magic as a fox. I had tried transformation magic before, and while my magic always carried over, my ability to use it for anything other than maintaining previously cast, simple charms or changing back into a human had not. However, since the curse was not my own spell, it was quite possible that I might be able to after all, and the only way to know would be to test it out. On the other hand, this idea sounded risky and I didn’t want to risk it without my good luck pendant. In my previous experiments with transformation, the pendant would always change with me, but I’d feel better with it on anyway. So I placed the pendant around my next, took a breath, and made myself shrink and change all to way into a fox, making sure to age as I did so. As I approached my target, I suddenly felt what seemed to be a ripple in the air, and it felt as if a dam holding back my magic had suddenly broken. Power flooded into me and I couldn’t control it all. It was too much, as if not only the magic I should have had as an adult, but the magic I should have had as an adult for the entire time I wasn’t had pooled and was now pouring into me all at once! Completely unprepared for this surge, I felt exhilarated and in pain all at once. I knew I had to get rid of the excess, but didn’t have enough time or focus to write out runes or to cast a proper spell to use it. Meanwhile the surge was still pouring through me, getting worse by the moment and all I could think of was getting rid of it fast. I had to use a quicker, simpler spell and pour the excess energy into it. I grabbed for one from my memory at random and shoved as much energy as I could into it. The world around me grew brighter, blinding me and I felt myself thrown backwards into the wall. !DSPAM:4ddd36f1268131804284693!