<div dir="ltr">My latest masterpiece, I already know Lurkingwolf hates it *chuckle* what about the rest of you chaps? Cedric was bandaged and laying on a small cot in Yariv’s house counting down the days until he could return to Cornflower, in a new body. He cursed that horrible woman who raised Claire to become a pikeswoman and come to worship the false god of war. It was enough to bring his blood to a boil, though in his boredom he began thinking that maybe he shouldn’t be mad at his sister. Afterall, she still meant well and overall acted like a good person. Even bringing him baskets of fruit and meat that apparently she cooked. Cedric didn’t touch the fruit not being big on fruits or veggies, but he found it exotic that they had such strange fruits he had never seen before. Most curious was this yellow thing called a banana that was shaped more like half of a bow, or dare he say it, a lewd part of male, as opposed to being roundish like any fruit he had ever seen. Though that wasn’t even the weird part of it, the strangest thing was this pineapple. The pine part was right on as it resembled a pine cone, yet how it was meant to be eaten or if it even was supposed to be anything more than decoration he had no idea. Claire brought far more meat than fruit knowing Cedric hated fruit, but she thought it was good to have it on standby as per his agreement with Yariv he would take the curse and there was a fair chance he could become a herbivore. Something the legendary meat eater gagged at as he felt it would be less insulting to become a finer, younger, and more shapely maiden than Yariv was. Hell it would be less insulting if he got that and age regression to the point of being a five year old. Was that even possible? A cold sweat began to run down Cedric’s forehead as he realized the worst part of that fate would be if Claire really was the same girl she was back when the two were kids, and outside of religion, species, and prowess with a pike than she would never be allow him to live it down. “Oh God Yariv what the hell have you done to me?” he asked himself before grabbing one of the breakfast sausages that Claire had brought him this morning. That was pretty much Cedric’s day for the two he had been here. Eating meats and thinking about what body he would soon be wearing and for the rest of his life. Even if he was in good enough of a shape to make a break for it and avoid unpleasantries, the insult to his honor for refusing to hold up his end of the bet would be horrendous. Even if it was with a woman warrior. Things finally changed from this norm when some kind of man-cheetah showed up at the door and asked to speak with him. “Hey there buddy, I see you had a bit of an accident.. a friend of mine had one like that involving the sharp end of a Lutin’s spear.” The cheetah said, the cheetah was simply dressed and with satchel of letters and packages on his back. “I see, and how did that turn out?” Cedric asked trying to make conversation as he had been quite bored without entertainment. He could read, but not very well. He had some books to read, a few gems from the Writer’s Guild though he found the writing too fanciful and the language too refined for him to understand it past the first few chapters of a fairy tale called “The Elk In The Sky.” it seemed interesting, but far too esoteric for his tastes to bother with the trouble of asking Yariv’s wife to read it to him. “Well he made a quick recovery, not in time to save him from the curse though. Our infirmary is never speedy enough for that. It’s almost like some divine force causes normal humans to just become accident or injury prone upon entering the cursed lands, like it’s TRYING to find some excuse for them to stay here.” The cheetah said, contemplating this for a few seconds before dismissing the thought. Cedric nodded pretending to listen to the ramblings, but what he wanted to know was what happened to this friend of the cheetah’s. “What became of him?” “Ah he’s just one of the best damn lumberjacks we’ve got here in Metamor, I mean he’s a beaver now, so go figure.” The cheetah laughed to himself, Cedric deciding to laugh with to be polite. “Anyway, my name’s Stealth, one of the couriers, and you’ve got a letter from the Duke himself! Well aren’t we moving up in the world? Hehe” “It must be about the Transblade. Did he appraise it and decide a fair price?” Cedric asked, this was a spot of good news. At least potentially, this could end in the downfall or salvation of Cornflower. “We don’t have much of say in the matter, the blade is useless to us, so we’ll take what we can get. But I am giving up my adulthood, manhood, or humanity for th…” “Wow wow there chief. I’m just the messenger. I don’t know what a Transblade is or what business you have with the Duke. That’s between you and him, you can give me a letter for him or you can go to the Keep and discuss it with him directly. I am not a Hassan nor married to one.” Stealth the cheetah clarified. “We keen on that? Yeah you look like a sharp one. Shall I read you his letter or do you want to do the honor yourself?” “Can you read this to me?” Cedric asked as he handed the scroll back to the cheetah. “I can read, but not very well.” “Alrighty then.” Stealth said with a birdlike chirp, something cheetahs could do which caused Cedric to jump as he didn’t know they could. “Ahem.. Dear Cedric Bariclauph of Cornflower. I have had my strongest and most skilled of mages appraise this Transblade as you call it and they find that although the relic is no more than eight years old the magic used to create it is reminiscent of an ancient foul magick long thought extinct. So ancient that we’re actually having trouble deciphering where it came from or the identity of one that could even have such power. As such we will pay you a huge fee for the blade and continue to study it until we deem it safe. As this is a rare, one of a kind artifact with such danger surrounding it. It is in your best interest and ours that you mention the weapon to as few parties as possible. Stealth one of our most trusted couriers.” Stealth chirped again and laughed gaily. “Hey that’s me, oh you lovable ol’ stallion, you’re not so bad yourself!” he chuckled a bit before continuing. “As such we feel him most fitting to deliver this, a large satchel for you filled with enough crowns to feed a small army the most extravagant of meals and feasts for a decade. 5,000 Gold Coins. This is a very generous offer. Though it’s more compensation. Despite the risk of unpleasantries with Cornflower that came with this decision it is impossible for us to give it back to you. If the magicks are indeed as we have appraised it we have put ourselves in enough danger taking it off your hands. To allow you to carry it back to Cornflower could potentially end in disaster.” “By Eli’s good graces…”Cedric blinked not following any of that as all that was said was blanked out of his mind when he heard 5,000 Crowns. “...Stealth… Where’s the money?” “I left it with Yariv… That junk was heavy. Though I’m glad I didn’t open it. Yeesh, if anyone knew how expensive my load was I’d have been targeted. I mean crime doesn’t happen often in Metamor. We’re well united in that everyone hates us for being abominations under the gods thing, but no rest for the wicked ya know.” Stealth said before stretching his arms and hearing his bones crack. “Whelp I’ve got places to be, letters to give out, dames to pester. I’ll just leave the Duke’s words with you and be on my merry way.” The cheetah bowed and, as he said, was on his merry way. “The mission is nearly done… if I can get the money back to Cornflower I can make Lord Aereolon proud.” Cedric said as he laid back, his side still hurting to much to walk around. Yariv’s dagger had gotten more of itself into him than he imagined it had during the duel. “IF, you can get it back.” Spoke the soft, yet fearful toned voice of Sir Yariv who had entered while Cedric closed his eyes. “...Cedric I overheard everything. My father wasn’t a lord when I saw him last, but I do know he isn’t a greedy old man. If he thought he had something as dangerous as whatever this Transblade is he would have his old wizard friend destroy it. Yet here he is selling it to the highest bidder, and one like Metamor which is believed by the south to be corrupted by sin and daemons. What’s going on?” “I came because my Lord Frelick Aereolon, your father, owns a small town far south. One that has been struggling in trade and has had to borrow funds from a town called Mugal which owns a series of mines called the Mugal Caverns, giving them riches and size far greater than most and they’ve just been buying up land…” Cedric said rubbing his temples as his voice became more dire. “The strange thing is though the caverns have proven fertile with wealthful deposits of magical rocks, no miner has ever left. Just the carts full of near-mythical substances such as mythril, pyrock, machinium, you name it. Any magical mineral, those carts come back with it. Each time they buy a new land that land’s people become new miners, yet, though more continue to go in. Not a one has ever returned, their Duke has refused to comment upon it.” “I haven’t seen a pyrock since that blasphemous fool Altera kept goldfish, idiot thought that they were made of real gold! I spit upon his shallow grave.” Yariv shuddered, repulsed at the memory of the foul lord whom he once served. “They’re quite rare, for them to continuously mine the stuff… No no Cedric, I must come with you when you depart. This matter requires proper investigation.” Yariv stood up and walked to a mirror that she had requested to her husband be put in the room for Cedric to see his body as it changed to the will of the curse. “....As does well… My father, he hasn’t seen me in forever and I’m sure he wishes to know what the curse has done to me. I prayed he never find out. Now that I am with a messanger of his I am realizing how selfish this prayer was.” Yariv turned back to Cedric with big emotion filled eyes. “He is my father and he has right to know what has become of his… daughter..” “I… I understand, though if you like you can pose as a messenger and tell him that you became a mighty lion?” Cedric offered, though dishonorable to lie this seemed like one circumstance where the rule could be broken. “No, he needs to know the truth and we have to leave the SECOND the curse has you. Though I don’t look it for the curse has given me eternal beauty and thus kept me young, I am actually quite old. If I’m old than you know that he has been of an age destined for expiration for longer than I’ve had a woman’s form. He is too close to Death’s door for me to delay.” Yariv said looking towards a nearby mirror closing her eyes and opening them again as if to expect to see a man’s visage when his eyes opened again, but of course he did not. “What’s it like?” Cedric asked, having a curiosity that was as natural as it was improper for polite conversation. “Womanhood?” Yariv asked for clarification, but began to speak again realizing there was not much else for Cedric to be talking about. “Well, quite frankly, it’s different. I know that’s plain as day, but you don’t realize how so. I’m a creature of wiles and beauty. I now embody the mystery that has eluded male-kind from you to your father, and his fathers before him.” “Are you bragging? Are you saying you’ve come to enjoy it?” Cedric asked, he swore this sounded of a boast. “That only happens in smut. Surely you’ve read a dozen tales to the tune of this. Either some shy virgin of a young man or a boastful braggart who fancies himself masculinity incarnate gets seduced from a mischievous woman mage who dresses our new former male up all like a proper woman. Taunting him throughout the night with stories of how much of a stud he used to be and how he now carries the visage of the most ladylike of cheap whores, then she is trained to find a mate and is thusly seduced into full compliance with her fate. I can name at least twenty tales like that, but the truth is nothing like this perverse fantasy. No instead, I find myself no longer a man nor part of the world from where they reside.” Yariv said laying down, no longer bearing to look at the mirror. “It would have been better had I been a beast. A beast is still something from man’s world. A woman is someone that a man meets when he ventures to the bridge between worlds out of natural curiosity, when he and she step out of their own. Neither of them are ever meant to cross that bridge into each other’s worlds. It is not what Eli intended. I however have been pushed violently across that bridge and been blocked off from ever seeing it again…. This is my true curse. Do you understand Cedric?” A long winded explanation, but one Cedric nodded at in agreement. He had thoughts that he felt forbidden that perhaps a woman who once knew masculinity could answer. “There is… but one reason I would want womanhood, though it isn’t a strong one.” “...Do you feel the other world is your true home? I once fought alongside a knight who confessed that he felt that way. Now she proudly calls herself Dame Seranima... never saw that one smile before that.” Yariv commented. “No… Not that. The world of men is where I belong, but well.. I think I fit in a little too well…” Cedric swallowed his tongue, what he was about to tell Yariv was something he never told anyone for fear of the rejection, not even his sister knew of this. “What do you mean?” Yariv pondered what it would mean to fit in too well. Could such a problem exist? “I have read a few books, I’m not the most literate person though I can read some Galendish, though nothing too fancy. I have noted descriptions of young men courting women, letting those maidens become synonymous with their own hearts. The feelings described are definitely real and experienced by those whose hands or paws as a few I’ve read come from here. Yet I do not feel these feelings about women. I cannot name a single one that has made my heart blossom in such a way.” Cedric said recounting his complete apathy about the female sex. “I feel women have their place and all, I just, don’t see one having a place alongside me.” “And this is why you disapprove so heavily of the idea of a woman warrior?” Yariv asked recalling how difficult it was for Cedric the previous night to even maintain the illusion of respect for herself and Claire. “Not at all, I’ve just been raised with Eli’s word and he has different plans for women is all. No no, what I’m getting it is. Well..” Cedric froze up and scratched the back of his head nervously. “I feel… these feelings I mentioned… but about men. I often feel as though I want to share a meal or a walk during a beautiful night with a man. Though I don’t feel as though I belong in the woman’s world and I….” The young blonde warrior noted the look on Yariv’s face and wisely decided to cease speaking further. “I think there is not a soul in Metamor Keep or even all of Galendor ready to ponder such thoughts Cedric Bariclauph, I suggest you continue to keep this to yourself.” Yariv said backing away from Cedric slowly and leaving the room saying only these parting words. “We leave in a week, you will be ready.” Cedric nodded in agreement. “Of course, Cornflower cannot wait.” and with that he went back to rest, trying to get his mind off the disappointment he would surely feel when the news came and he was not selected for a body that at least tried to match his mind. It wasn’t for a few days that the warrior was able to stand up and actually walk around he seemed to be healed entirely and yet also in incredible stress. “YARIV!” He screamed looking at the lower half of his body and seeing something that nearly made him faint. Kilometers away at Metamor Keep, Claire was walking around with her Pike at her side, there was rarely any need for it but Metamor encouraged people to carry arms wherever possible, it didn’t matter if you were a woman, a child, a chicken, a deer, a tree, a muffin. If you were a citizen of Metamor, you needed to be on guard incase of anything. “I am glad your brother’s getting the curse, but do I really have to come with you to check on him?” Asked Jack, Claire’s red cardinal husband “He could use the moral support from someone who the curse has hindered.” Claire said to her husband as they walked together through the gorgeous flowers of the royal garden. “I think he might have calmed down a bit anyway since he’s becoming one of us.” “I suppose so…” Jack sighed, looking at his wings that had robbed him of his hands. “Well… there isn’t really a time like the present I suppose.” He said, stroking the back of Claire’s head as the two waited during their walk watching Laracin the Tree be tended to by Dan the gardener and a rare insect member of the keep being a grasshopper. As bad as Jack had it, he always felt sorry for Laracin and hoped for his sake more than anyone else’s that a cure was found for the curse, though many had given up on it ever coming to light for anyone except perhaps maybe when today’s infants have beards themselves. “Do you think any of us will ever be human again?” Claire asked, as if reading Jack’s mind. “I still hold out hope for it. It just feels temporary to me, polymorph spells didn’t start with Nasoj after all.” Jack responded after thinking for a bit. “I’ve pretty much accepted that it’s here to stay myself.” Claire said, kissing Jack on his beak and smiling at him “To be quite to the point, I think I like you better as a bird, you’ve just got an air of handsomeness about you while still being kind of adorable. The only downside is that we… can’t have kids.” “Mhm, and you Claire are more beautiful as a ferret instead of a woman. I think the crow’s feet and stretch marks would have shown if the fur wasn’t there.” Jack teased his spouse, earning a prod from the blunt end of the pike. A few minutes later Xhyz, the apprentice to Pascal appeared in the garden in a cute green dress that showed her midriff in a diamond shape, stopping at her belly button. Though the red panda was normally male she had sometimes made the use of a gender swapping formula as part of what she called a religious experience. “Hey there Pascal wanted me to deliver this to you. It’s really powerful and should help in your travel.” Xhyz said handing a vial of a yellow liquid to Claire. “It’s for Jack, but you can hold it better.” “Oh, the strength potion.” Claire said looking it over. “Right?” “That’s the one..” Xhyz chirped and hummed to herself. “Alright then.” Claire acknowledged, pouring the formula into Jack’s open mouth and hoping it worked who gave what he good of a thumbs up as it had a bit of a flavor like lemon cake as it rejuvenated him and his muscles to beyond their normal capabilities. Said muscles began to swell giving Jack quite the physique. “STOP RIGHT THERE!” Yelled a voice from afar as two of knights approached Xhyz with spears drawn. “I wouldn’t drink that!” Spoke the voice of one of the two women threatening Xhyz with sharpness. “This one’s under arrest for the murder of Pascal Q. Porcupine! She could easily have poisoned it!” Jack spat out what he hadn’t yet drunk of the potion, although it didn’t seem to do much good as he had swallowed most of it. “Oh no…” “WHAT!?!?!” Xhyz exclaimed, shocked at the accusation and the information.. “But I would never hurt my mistress, I just spoke to her… she can’t be… no.. This is a joke!” The red panda fell to her knees and started to cry. “Likely story, but you were the last person seen coming out of the Alchemist’s Lab and her dying words were ‘Xhyz’. So it looks like you’re coming with us.” The knight said taking Xhyz by the arm with the aid of her partner to be judged before the Duke. Claire and Jack decided to follow them to the throne room which Kyia took them to in a heartbeat, both worried that Xhyz may have done something foul to Jack if this was true. Once there a lengthy trial began as a mage on standby checked Jack for poison. After what felt like an hour of legal jargon, he said, she said, and people still in shock over Pascal’s death. A weasel stood forth giving his closing thoughts “To recap, Pascal and Xhyz were working on a potion of strength for Jack Itamar Flameheart, Prime Minister Malisa’s assistant when screams were heard from Ms. Pascal. The guard on duty Dame Edwina went to investigate and saw the porcupine melting into a puddle of goo and Xhyz had just left the whole. On top of this, Pascal’s last words were ‘Beware.. Xhyz… is loose..’ It is believed that she was melted by some kind of acidic potion being tossed in her direction. Xhyz here claims that he didn’t know about this until charged with the crime.” The weasel in a very expensive clothes said, giving a sharp accusing look to Xhyz. “But… surely it can’t be me… It has to have been the other me! The guard said Mistress pronounced it Zicks! I know someone with that pronunciation.” Xhyz cried out in anguish and defense. “He’s a redskinned man like I used to be, and if he’s loose that’s not good!” Duke Thomas thought long and hard about this before turning to his aide Thallberg. “Thallberg, Xhyz is the only red skinned human to come to Metamor, correct? There are no guests or citizens fitting that description?” “Mmm...No sire, Xhyz’ Fan Shoar complexion was quite noteworthy, a second one like him would have been gossiped to Hell and back.” The gator snarled looking over a scroll of recent goings on in the Keep. “He’s good at hiding, but he’s real.” Xhyz pleaded. “We must find him before he kills again.” “A desperate plea, Xhyz is lying, probably to get some kind of promotion to head alchemist. If he got us singing along to his Other Xhyz story he could demand anything..” Thallberg snapped. “Xhyz would have heard Pascal’s scream and gone back to investigate if he WASN’T guilty.” “..But I didn’t hear her… I swear.” Xhyz’s ears went downward in distress. The Duke nodded in agreement. “Pascal was a dear friend of Metamor and her death is tragic, I see no evidence that suggests Xhyz was anything but guilty. If he was at the end of the hall his enhanced hearing would have picked it up. If there are no objections, I hereby sentence Xhyz to public hanging.” The regal stallion looked around the room and found nothing but dead silence, broken only by screams demanding he be killed from a few people in the audience. “Then by the power invested in me, I order this execution to be carried ou…” “I have one!” Entered Malisa, Prime Minister and Princess of the Court. “I came as fast as I could when I heard what happened. Pascal’s a dear friend of mine as well, she’s been helping me lately… and although her death is heartbreaking, I highly doubt Xhyz was responsible.” “Alright my daughter, what are your objections?” The Duke asked, the court now in a stir talking amongst themselves as they debated. “Jon had mentioned seeing a redskinned man not dissimilar to Xhyz before his curse at Sargosa’s Birthday party, a girl who reported her aunt dying after some strange characters showed up at her house. One of them this red skinned man. This man was spotted again by him, myself, and Jenn during mine and Jenn’s outing where I pledged my abstinence.” Malisa testified, making herself heard throughout the throne room. “I believe this murder, and the murder of Sargosa’s aunt, Vercetti are related. Before any judgment is passed, I think we should question Regorez who I believe to be linked to the only lead we have on this man.” “...I see… The prisoner we found in Hawl’s Cell.” Dame Seranima who was present for the trial as she was a dear friend of Pascal’s. “He’s booked at an Inn until we know more about what his connection to Hawl is… I’ll go get him if it’s okay with the Duke.” to which the stallion nodded in agreement, pondering where this could be going. Malisa nodded in approval. “Thank you Sera., in the meantime, I would like to hear Xhyz speak as to if he has any knowledge of what a Flesinoir is… If that’s alright with you father.” “Under threat of perjury if I lie and say I don’t know, then I refuse to testify on the grounds that it would present a danger to the Keep.” Xhyz said before Thomas had a chance to respond to Malisa’s quest. “Xhyz do you realize how incriminating that sounds?” Duke Thomas asked, his curiosity now more piqued than ever. “Yes, but I know what I am doing!” Xhyz stated for the record. After a few minutes of people demanding Xhyz speak and debating amongst themselves, Claire finally looked towards Jack to saying something. “Wow… I knew Hawl was trouble but..all this?” she said with great distress and bewilderment in her voice as what started as a walk in the garden turned into the biggest courtroom drama of the year. Jack however refused to comment on what Claire said, and the two remained silent until Regorez was brought in. The black cloaked mage of the flesinoir now under the curse and having the form of a child no older than five, taking a stand before the Duke he kneeled. “Name and occupation.” Duke Thomas said as a formality. “Regorez, Flesinoir Mage.” The child spoke, hearing gasps from the crowd. “I see, can you speak on what a Flesinoir is and what relation you have to Hawl?” Duke Thomas asked, trying to remain as professional sounding as possible despite being a little bit afraid that this could possibly be yet another problem like Marzac was. “Well, there isn’t much to say that I can.” Regorez said, pacing himself as he gathered his thoughts. “I’m from a cult that worships the flesh and magic that can be used to mend it and reshape it. Metamor Keep has not been a place of interest to us simply because we saw the curse as having too little reward for too much risk due to our desire to keep secret and the unpredictably and irreversibility of the curse.” He looked up at the Duke hoping this would cover it, but he was asked to proceed much to his panic. After looking around the courtroom, he decided he had no choice. “Hawl was a project of ours, along with his father Flynn. We wanted to create a perfect being that could take any form it wished. When his father was found rather difficult to work with due to him having two of the curses of Metamor upon him, we opted to use his son for it instead. Flynn later helped us craft a powerful weapon known as the Transblade. We have kept our eyes on Hawl lo these 8 years to make sure he stayed within our grasp until we were ready to.. uh.. reveal ourselves.” “...The Transblade was made by Hawl’s father?!?!” Duke Thomas asked quite taken aback. “Does Hawl know this?” “No he doesn’t, we kept him in the dark about his heritage and the cult.. We just didn’t feel.. He was ready..” Regorez stated, swallowing and looking around nervously as if expecting someone to be listening in he did not want to be. Fear and sweat were highly evident on the child’s face. “I followed him to Metamor to ensure he would leave it, but he locked me in your prison and left without me. Now I have the curse, an honor truly as we value transformation.” “I see…. are there any citizenship records of a Flynn Enroygall?” Duke Thomas asked, something about Regorez’s story sounded off and thought that it was worth trying to find what that could be. “Mmm… I’ll check with Fox Cutter.” Thallberg said, and left towards the library. “Before he continues, I’d just like to say one thing!.” Stepped forward a female hawk morph from the crowd. “I find this subject quite interesting and request that I am given the transblade and full amnesty under the grounds that I…” The hawk slowly changed to the tiger that Dame Seranima tried to arrest in Glen Avery. “Have the right to claim the weapon as a family heirloom!” “OH GO FORNICATE WITH A PILE OF COMPOST!” Screamed Claire at the top of her lungs. “Request denied!” Duke Thomas yelled gesturing his guards to surround Hawl. “The artifact is far too powerful to be given away to someone we don’t trust.” “But it is my only link to my father! I know NOTHING about my past you arrogant cursed little...” Hawl roared, turning into a dragoness and breathing fire in the Duke’s direction only to be held down by two knights. “Was that a threat Enroygall!?!!” Duke Thomas asked, getting off of his throne with his own blade in hand, normally it was only for ceremonial purposes, though it was sharp enough to defend himself and rather on the enchanted side. Holding it to Hawl’s neck he looked ready to spill the dragoness’ organs onto the floor. “You’re on thin ice as it is.” Hawl looked at the knights and then at the horse and began having flashbacks to the Mugal Tavern mess that got him sent to Metamor in the first place. “No your majesty...I was merely emphasising a point… Otherwise the flames would have touched you.” “Good.” Duke Thomas sheathed his blade and walked back to his throne. “Hawl, you are really trying my patience. A little more understanding about why you’re here will be needed before I can decide what to do with you. Though if it weren’t for your ties to the Flesinoir I would be tempted to remove you from this plane of existence myself! Please keep that in mind before you toss a single ember of your flame towards my presence!” He said before pointing Jack out of the crowd. “You are still under the effects of the strength potion, carry Cedric here from Lorland! We will need to hear more from him.” Understandably Thomas was quite irate, Hawl had been nothing but stuck up and rude, coming in after breaking out of his prison, framing Regorez for his crimes and forcing him under the influence of the curses. The act of putting someone from an unknown cult not only risked an international incident which the Duke didn’t need, but the fact that Hawl’s first words after seeing Thomas again were used to make demands and then threw fire at his face when those demands weren’t met. “Alright, but, if I may be so bold as to suggest this, your Majesty. I would make sure the Transblade is here when I get back. I’m guessing ownership of that item is going to be a controversial subject.” Said the red cardinal before he took off. The potion was originally intended for him to carry Claire swiftly to Lorland to visit Cedric, and now it seems it would be used to carry Cedric straight to Keeptown. As if right on cue, Thalberg returned with the Transblade in his scaley hands, holding a citizenship record in the hand that didn’t hold the mystical blade. “It would appear that Flynn Enroygall was a musician and warrior, one of the only female soldiers we had before the curse the only other one of the top of my head I can think of being Lindsey the Lumberjack back when he was female. Flynn was noteworthy as well for having the third and second curses rendering him a male cheetah, though we weren’t able to have him stick around long enough to find out why he didn’t end up like Quiz. Regardless Flynn was assumed dead after leaving Metamor Keep to find himself, and never following up via letter or on his promise to return. It would appear we now know why. Though it doesn’t explain how he had fathered Hawl in that time who is clearly an adult and should be a child if it’s only been eight years.” Hawl used the strength of her dragon form to push back the knights pinning her down and her wings to dash towards the Transblade which she took from Thalberg, resulting in more knights surrounding her. “Just let me hold it, it was made by my father. I never knew him growing up outside of a very faint memory of him carrying me to Cornflower as a baby.” “Eight years ago…” Regorez added to Hawl’s testimony. “He shapeshifted into an adult and forgot, not remembering that he was a child, an infant really.” “That’s news to me.” Hawl said looking at herself in awe as she went to her base form, her for real base form as an eight year old boy. “I don’t feel like a child though… I’ve spent so much time as an adult, heck I’m not even a virgin. I’m eight and without my innocence! I’ve beat a record set by a maiden of Pallowtry.” Claire buried her face in her paw after hearing this reference as she originally came from Pallowtry. Hawl looked back up at the knights around him. “Let me hold the Transblade for a bit, or I will become a much larger dragoness, not a morph this time!” “Again no, and that was a threat, a threat against a royal. If you want to die, I’d keep talking!” One of the woman guards said, stomping her metal boot onto Hawl’s stomach. Even though he had the form of an eight year old boy, she knew enough adults who wore child bodies to justify her attack. “While what we’ve learned is interesting, we need to remember the original subject and ask how does it prove a second Xhyz? Unless Hawl was disguised as Xhyz around the Alchemist’s Labratory and the real Xhyz was further along to not hear the screams I don’t see too much of a connection. Though this means Hawl killed Pascal, given that he seems to have no regard for my life or his own as he keeps making threats upon my person….” Duke Thomas started breathing heavier as he looked back at Hawl, though given that he was a confused manchild he was starting to grow some kind of leniency towards him, but not too much. The whole adorable child appearance he had now didn’t really have much meaning to Thomas who had seen battlefields where child mages and kids with metal weapons tore asunder Lutins and Humans alike flaying their blood and exploding their body parts with high level arcane spells. Everyone shot Hawl a tormented and poisonous look at this accusation, only for Xhyz of all people to object. “Wrong! Hawl and the other Xhyz, Zyhx, are two different people. Hawl is not the murderer…. nor do I think his threats are valid. I think Hawl’s just an innocent bystander who doesn’t really have a clue what’s going on right now. Hell, I don’t think Hawl’s ever had a clue about anything to be really honest.” “How sure of this are you?” Regorez asked, breathing a sigh of relief. “It was definitely Hawl, he’s very immature. Likely did it for fun. Let me take him back to the Flesinoir so I can punish him properly.” “Nice try!” Xhyz barked at Regorez. “Hawl’s childish and perverted, but not a killer!” “You do realize how objecting to Hawl can be seen as you not wanting to admit guilt, yet not wanting to blame Hawl either.” The weasel prosecutor said to Xhyz. “Actually… this does have a basis in reality.” Spoke Edwina, the one who found Pascal and the Xhyz walking down the hall. “The Xhyz I saw was male, while this one is female. How long DOES a gender swap potion take to effect? Surely not so short that it could happen during a walk.” Hawl nodded confirming Edwina’s idea. “I escaped Glen Avery in Hawk form and snuck around the Alchemist’s Tower as Xhyz, male as I saw him during my trial, but I had no reason to kill Pascal. I’ve met her once and she seemed like a nice person, not sure why she had six breasts and was made out of a weird substance I’ve heard is called latex, but still, a nice person.” Everyone looked to the entrance as the doors flew open, Cedric and Jack returning with Yariv and a female face Hawl recognized not far behind them. “That potion really worked, I could carry two people!” Jack cheered, flexing for Claire who ran up to him smiling. “Another of the knights seemed to have followed me in though, I hope that’s okay…” Indeed standing behind him was a woman with white hair in armor that seemed to have been recently, hastily, and heavily modified. Duke Thomas smiled at the speedy flight. “A testament to Pascal’s greatness, the vial from the potion will be kept in a memorial of her.” The horse nodded before calling Cedric forth. “Name and occupation for both of you.” “Cedric Bariclapugh, Warrior, Mercanery, and Aspiring Knight”” Cedric bowed before the great black stallion. “Jack has filled me on the details of what happened. I can pick up the rest as I go or you can explain them.” “Sir Yariv Aerelon, Knight, Former Bodyguard of Altera Loriod.” Yariv also bowed, refusing to curtsy in her female sex. “I have no idea how much help I can be in this situation.” “Cedric, you traveled with Hawl through a journey in a cart up to Metamor. How would you rate his character? Do you think he could kill someone?” Duke Thomas asked, looking him over noticing his cursed features. Cedric’s leg muscles seem much more well developed, atop that his hips were a little wider to accommodate his noticeably larger rear. It was too early to say for sure, but it seemed like a sure sign of womanhood. “Hawl is an idiot, a charlatan, and a trickster! Capable of damn near anything!” Cedric decreed, recounting his unpleasantries with him. “He has attempted to seduce me with feminine wiles and he robbed me of the Transblade.” The mercenary calmed down and looked towards whom he assumed was Hawl from the spears pointed at him. “But he is not a killer, in fact he made me vomit up some poisoned radishes when it would have been easier for him to let me die and get away with the Transblade.” “I concur!” spoke a second of the two women who came in with Cedric and Jack. “Sorry for not introducing myself, Leo The Lanceless, Knight, Captain Of The Guard in Mugal, and Treasure Hunter. I came to make sure Hawl was still here and not welching on his exile to this place. It doesn’t surprise me however that he’s a suspect for murder. He’s an idiot prone to getting himself in trouble, but, not a killer” “...Ahh.. I remember you, you’re the treasure hunter who caused problems for Dame Seranima, Pascal, and Xhyz during their trip to restock on herbs. The one who pestered our quarantine guard with idiotic questions. It seems the curse took you just as it is taking Cedric.” Thomas noted, shaking his head. “You attacked one of my knights and both of my alchemists. Not only that but you endangered many by refusing to leave when you came to our borders during the plague. You’re not exactly someone we’re happy to see.” The white haired lady knight Leo nodded in return, looking herself over. “If it’s any consolation, the curse has pretty much ruined my life entirely, so I’m not too pleased to see you freaks either.” “So it has, so it has. No he didn’t break the curse by the way, so, freak, your life is still ruined I’m afraid.” Duke Thomas seemed to smile at Leo as he sat in his throne. The horse thought hard to himself before reaching a new question. “We have ruled out Xhyz and Hawl, as such Xhyz’s claim of a second Xhyz must be true. However I still need to hear on the Flesinoir. Leo, has there been any unusual interest in Hawl or about Hawl.” “Occasionally people in black cloaks ask about him, and other than him being able to change sex, gender, age, what he’s made at of, and his size at the drop of a hat... no nothing unusual.” Leo admitted pondering back to her days of dealing with and cleaning up Hawl’s nonsense. The trial continued well into night fall with a dinner catered to everyone at trial, no one wanting to stop for a recess due to how entertaining this was getting. Eventually it was put on hold as it approached a truly late hour, many falling asleep in the throne room. Duke Thomas had to call it quits there. “Alright, what we have determined, is there is a second person named Zyhx which is similar to Xhyz in pronunciation. Hawl’s the experiment of a cult, Flynn is a blacksmith of some kind, and not much elsel.. As such. Xhyz and Hawl are cleared of all charges, related to murder, and… well it seems I’m going to give Hawl a full pardon and ask that he return to Mugal with you.” “BULLSHIT!” Leo screamed. “He isn’t our problem, he’s yours. You deal with him! You said you exiled him here? You can’t exile someone to a specific location, that’s not how that works. We don’t want him here and from how it sounds it doesn’t seem like he’d ever have come here had you not dumped him on our doorstep!” Thomas yelled back at Leo before regaining his composure, this trial taking a lot out of him. “There are a few more loose ends, as much as I’d like to dismiss them and get to bed there are a few loose ends I’d like to tie up, such as who poisoned Cedric. Whether or not we can trust the Flesinoir, if the Flesinoir intends any ill will towards the Keep, and why Pascal was attacked. Regorez, if there’s anything else you know. Please speak.” Regorez looked around the room and finally to the ground in guilty silence, it was finally Cedric who said something. “Regorez gave me the turnips and tied Hawl to a tree. As such I find him untrustworthy.” Thomas’ gaze turned to Regorez as he snorted out in a equine manner. “I can’t trust anyone from Mugal it seems… Sorry Cedric, but he attacked you outside of Metamor Keep and I don’t want to risk a situation with these Flesinoir. I can’t charge him.” “That’s understandable your Highness.” Cedric was incredibly calm about this. The trial was over, and everyone else in a timely manner. Cedric, Yariv, Leo, Jack, Regorez, and Claire huddled together right outside. “Alright, we will head there tonight! No delaying.” Yariv said “I’ll stay here and look after Malisa as usual, but I’ll be with you in spirit.” Jack responded. “Does Claire have to come? There might be combat and…” Cedric was in the middle of saying. “Nevermind… I… I don’t think I can restrict Claire’s right to come…” he said in a huff, looking down at himself. “Why’s that? Future Little Brother.” Claire asked with a snicker, having heard that Cedric is under the curse. “Or are you my Big Sister” “Oh this will be good.” Yariv snickered. Cedric stepped into a lantern lit to help people see at night and turned his back to Claire. “Focus on my posterior and thighs, wide and round like a woman’s, my legs have been getting more muscled too… I will join you in womanhood… I don’t know if I will give up being a warrior or not, but…” “...I’m sorry.” Claire said, she wanted to laugh but her voice became somber. “I hold out hope that you’ll be cheered up soon, maybe you’ll still find yourself with a body that you enjoy… I have a really good feeling about it at least.” Jack was about to laugh, but took a cue from Claire and decided to just leave and help Malisa get ready for the night so he didn’t risk laughing. “I am doomed to a life of body dysphoria as Leo and Yariv are…” Cedric groaned. “Don’t lie to me... Claire.” Leo breathed a sigh of relief. “Right now I don’t care, I am not just a cursed woman, but a blessed one. I’m also free of Hawl, I don’t know where he is and I’m not going to ask EVERYONE in Metamor Keep if they happen to be him. Where ever he is, he isn’t my problem.” The crew aside from Jack rented a traveling merchant’s cart being pulled by two traveling salesman horses in their feral form who had been heading for Mugal anyway. The two merchants were being driven by a young teenage woman, wearing charms to let them speak in that state as Cedric and crew stayed in the merchant cart it was pulling. “You’re lucky you ran into us, from that trial and Enroygall family business we decided an ambassador to help open a trade route would be very profitable. Mugal’s got a lot of magic rocks ya know.” “I’m sure it has nothing to do with shirking on your promise to my father.” The young woman said to the horses pulling her merchant cart. “Oh sure we’ll look after the boy well during our barter route, he’ll make a fine apprentice. Oh Metamor Keep on our barter route? Naw don’t worry the curse won’t hit us, we’ll make a real man of the boy.” The horses stopped for a second and looked at each other, then back at her. “..Well if someone didn’t lose the map!” “Oh, still blaming me for that?” The young woman laughed. “It wouldn’t have done us any good if I hadn’t. Fred here was the one who forgot to secure the horses. Besides, you talked about getting a hot girl to help shovel your crap.” “You’re not… upset about becoming a woman?” Cedric asked over hearing this conversation. “No, my dad had four sons, three of them entered trades and failed miserably at them. Now that he has a daughter we might not have to be poor anymore. The dowry for a maiden as fetching as me has got to be a lot. And by some irony it’s the one daughter of all of us who has yet to fail at her craft.” She smiled at Cedric. “Please, call me Melody. It was a nickname from my failed profession as a Bard, people claimed my voice was too girlish to be taken seriously.” “I see… Melody.. and you don’t mind you’ll be in a woman’s role forever?” Cedric asked, feverishly. “Why should I? I’m a merchant.” Melody responded, with laughter. “Besides, I’m the only one who can peddle our wares now that they’re horses. So now my cut shall be more than fair. Unless you equine twins have any objection.” Theodore, one of the two blonde furred stallions looked at the other, Fred. “She’s got us there... “ The party stepped to rest for the morning, setting up shop for travelers as they ate. Claire having cooked some of the less valuable of their meats and saved vegetables for her and the horses. Though Cedric wasn‘t much in the mood for eating, instead he watched Melody hoping to emulate her style of happy-go-luckiness about the change as she drew in a crowd. “Step right up, step right up, we have wonders from here to there.” The red head said waving Fred’s old cane at her cart, with Claire’s feral form on her shoulder disguised as a pet. The cart was one that was empty when it carried people and yet full of their wares when it didn’t due to an enchantment upon it. “Jewels, Weapons, Potions, Food, Why our prices are so reasonable it’d make a horse talk. Right Fred?” “I don’t believe your deals are that good.” The horse said as a joke for the crowd of passersby, many coming from a nearby settlement out for a walk. “No way, no how!” The crowd Melody had attracted clapped at this though one naysayer asked. “Wait, those aren’t… you’ve been to Metamor Keep haven’t you? You’re bringing the curse upon us!” “You do me too much honor.” Melody giggled girlishly. “You make a this ventriloquest feel like she knows what she’s doing. No need to fret, just a poor parlor trick. A child could do it.” she said swaying about in a feminine twirl as she nudged Theodore. “Right Teddy?” “Just part of the show folks!” Theodore said laughing hesitantly. “Now let’s get down to business! I’ve got a tonic will make your hair grow, the end all, be all cure for baldness! With some other possible side effects too.” Melody grinned, looking over the crowd which had Yariv in a dress standing with those gathered around, immediately she pointed at her and laughed heartily. “Miss, I’ve never seen you before correct?” The brown haired Yariv walked up and nodded, her hair cut short. “Yes, my husband just hasn’t looked the same at me since a Warlock cursed my hair to fall out..” She felt conflicted about this as it felt dishonest, but she had to pay the fare somehow. Cedric rolled his eyes, he couldn’t believe a knight would aid in such a con. Melody waved her fingers through Yariv’s hair and made a few disapproving noises. “Tsk tsk tsk, well luckily for you, my Tonic not only restores hair growth, but it can have a few other benefits as well.” she laughed handing Yariv a bottle who drank deeply.“Wow, it even tastes good, but how long do I have to wait? Three days? A week? a month?” Yariv asked, playing dumb, he knew full well that it was nothing but water with sugar added, and a blue food dye to make it look like a potion. “Try instantly!” Melody cheered, as Yariv began shifting into her fully cursed form, becoming not only very long haired, but incredibly well built, far more than any woman in a perverse sexual fantasy of a curious adolescent would have. “Oh my, it works better than I expected. I can’t believe how hot it’s made me! Does it work on men too? My husband’s been a little worse for wear himself.” Yariv giggled uncharacterisitcally girlishly as she helped sell Meldoy’s act. “Of course it does, why would I only cater to one sex?” Melody asked rhetorically, as she looked towards the crowd blowing a kiss. “Who else is ready to experience beauty and handsomeness in a bottle? No need to go on a pilgrimage to Velena, just drink up!” A random man in the crowd stepped forward and dropped two gold pieces in Melody’s hand, well than more what she was selling it for. “I think this guy over here needs it.” The man said handing it to a weighty man behind him. “Mighty kindly of you.” He said, drinking up. “Oh I can feel it already I…” and in seconds he was now much easier on the eyes, mostly because he had now a slender waist and long hair, and a bosom, wide hips, and new private parts. “...WHAT IN BLAZES!?!?!” much to the surprise of him and everyone else, even Melody and crew. “I should have been more specific about HOW it works on men hehehe..” Melody scratched the back of her head “EVERYONE GET IN THE CART!” she screeched before jumping in with the rest of her transport and taking off like a bat out of hell. “I don’t get it, you said it was fake!” Yariv accused Melody of some form of witchcraft. “Which makes me wonder why you went along with the scam.” Claire asked, tilting her head. “That’s not like you.” “I had to pay for this ride somehow…” Yariv admitted. “I’m going to join him soon, I’m going to be stuck with a body I hate… forever..” Cedric commented, looking back at the angry mob. Regorez folded his arms in disgust at Cedric’s lament. “Hey I’d rather be a woman than a kid!” “I have faith brother, your body will be a good one. I just know it.” Claire repeated, rubbing Cedric’s back. They traveled onward, making less frequent stops as Melody and the horses tried to figure out why the sugar water did what it was supposed to, but not getting anywhere close to an answer. A few days of travel with Cedric’s hair getting longer and his rear becoming more shapely he contemplated killing himself, looking at this sword to do so. “...I… I can’t live a woman’s life…” he said to himself, before looking at Claire and breathing in. “No… I can’t….. She would never forgive me…” still Cedric kept the the blade close just in case, remembering Claire’s optimism, yet at once how Leo and Yariv hated being women. He could not find anything redeemable about Melody’s optimism, she was feminine and powerful yes, but still the deterioration into a woman’s role over the days frightened the warrior to the bone. Afterall, she was a merchant, one who gained coin from the crafting of falsehoods, not a soldier, one who gains honor from the crafting of victories! Though it was something that would pay off, once he got to Mugal the next day when Cedric was awoken by Claire. “WAKE UP Big Sister, the change is complete!” Claire screamed at Cedric shaking him awake, Yariv and Leo looked over him as well. “..Oh… no no.. I… wait… my voice is… manly!” Cedric moruned and then cheered. “Manlier than before, and my manhood feels… bigger not smaller…” He began to stand and noticed he felt bigger somehow. much stronger and faster, but with his face feeling funny. “I don’t understand.” “Well lucky you!” Leo screamed and then exited the caravan bitterly jealous that what happened to Cedric didn’t happen to her. “Indeed, you dodged an arrow there Sir Cedric.” Yariv smiled at the young man. “What’s happened to me?” Cedric asked looking himself over, noticing his white fur, his hooves, and his tail. “...I’m not a woman, I’m a horse, my lower body did that because it was mimicking that trait in horses.. I… I’ve never been more happy.” He cheered. “Claire, you were right… I.. I don’t hate this body!” The new stallion said flexing his newly expanded muscles. “Your confidence came just in time, we’re in Mugal. Dad, Leo, and Regorez are already in the town. I’ll give you some privacy to enjoy your new self. But first…” Claire hugged Cedric as tight as she could. “Know that you’re my big brother bestfriend forever. See I told you you’d be fine. I prayed every single night we traveled for this.” “And you wished for this? Even after how I’ve treated you…” Cedric seemed confused. Why would his sister have wished him well after he disrespected her family so? It just didn’t make sense, it would have done so if she were spiteful and had wanted him to be a woman, but here. No, his sister wished him well and part of him felt that maybe that’s what made him a horse. “You weren’t a keeper yet, now that you are, you’ll see what you did wrong.” Claire smiled, leaving the cart as Cedric tried to walk on hooves. “Me a stallion! This is perfectly befitting a knight!” Cedric laughed, looking for some clothes that fit his new frame. “Perhaps I could learn to charge myself into battle?” He said to himself looking through the caravan supplies until he found armor the more properly fit him that he’d pay Melody and her stallions for after he got in contact with them again as they were off peddling their wares in Mugal. The cart parked somewhere safe and out of the way where no one would find it, though still close enough to Mugal to let it be known that it was owned by someone. Beyond that Cedric would lock it when he left. Once he did he left with Claire and Yariv to settle Mugal’s debts. “Citizens of Mugal! We wish to speak with your Duke!” Yariv yelled as soon as Cedric came out and met with his fellow travelers outside of Castle Mugal, trying to look regal as he nearly tripped on his hooves. “About Cornflower and the Transblade!” The Duke, a fat man, with way too many jewels drapped around him came out of his castle and took the Metamor crew somewhere private with his son Klaus beside him. Smiling and waiting to talk with them once they were out of earshot.“So you’re back from Metamor as my spies told me you or at least one of you were going there as Ambassadors of Cornflower. Most interesting.” The Duke looked towards Leo and said her name “Leo The Lanceless… Now” “Of course” Leo smirked, smacking Yariv in the face with a metal gauntlet and taking the Transblade. The Duke’s raspy voice laughed as Leo’s betrayed the caravan. “My plans involve you not paying off Mugal’s debt, and with the Flesinoir ensuring both Hawl and the Transblade came back, I knew I would get the Transblade AND the money. Yet, once you are all killed I will just claim you never came back.” Yariv, Claire, and Cedric all drew weapons as Regorez merely walked to the side of the Duke of Mugal. “Then we’ll just strike you dead!” Cedric yelled loudly. “I don’t think we will…” Claire said raising her ear. “Why is that sister?” Cedric asked turning his head towards Claire’s direction and looking upon her for only a moment before he dropped his sword and shield to plug up his nostrils with both hooves as he smelt a stench that smelled of dung, mud, bugs, and decaying corpses that just assaulted his nose. Cedric knew as he smelled those things before. “GOOD GOD! BY ELI’S BEARD WHAT IS THAT FOUL STENCH!?!?!” “...I smell it too… God, I know you nobles stink of perfume… but… Loriod didn’t even wear anything that strong..” Yariv commented, before thinking for a bit. “Actually no… It’s not perfurme it’s.. I haven’t smelled anything this rancidly repugnant since I came out of retirement for the Winter Assault.” At once the familial trio all turned around and to the horror they found themselves aghast at a sight that had to be seen to believe, and the only reason it was believed was that fear like that could not be faked. Hearing it in a Tavern it would be laughed off as superstitious nonsense, but to gaze upon it was almost more than the three warriors could take. Dressed in tattered rags where the rotting carcasses of three people who seemed to have been dead for some time, there was still flesh on the bones, though not much, there was tons of exposed meat and skull discolored with blood long since dried. The most horrifying thing was that these corpses, were standing and holding weapons. “Kill me… Please… Kill me.” one of them said as he readied an axe. “I’m… sorry..” Cedric, Claire, and Yariv could not comprehend this horrible sight. “How is, how is such a monster even possible.” Yariv asked, almost too afraid “A creation of Count Cloptis’.” Regorez snickered, rubbing his hands together giddily. “This is what happened to the enemies of his that opposed his will. They still live, but they are kept alive as their flesh is slowly devoured. Their actions aren’t their own. They can scream in agony and beg for death, they can’t see or hear you, their ears and eyes have been consumed by the bugs controlling them! I haven’t seen them in action in years.” “Who is this Count Cloptis and how has he such horrifying power?” Yariv cried out, still shocked by the sight she saw. “I’ll explain later.” Cedric said, keeping his large equine eyes on his opponents waiting for them to strike. “Am I about to kill again? Eli forgive me!” Screamed a pain voice of one these walking dead. “Execute the Cursed Ones” The Duke of Mugal said without a thought. Leo and Regorez looked towards the Duke with worry prompting him to clarify his request. “Execute the Horse, the Ferret, and the woman who fights by their side.” The three walking decaying horrors descended upon Cedric, Yariv, and Claire. One with a small battleaxe, one with two fistdaggers, and the final with a large scythe. To their surprise these abominations were amazing fighters and had the three warriors immediately on the defensive. Klaus looked at his father, and back to the caravan. “This isn’t right and you know it. No one deserves to die at the hands of those things… The bugs inside of them will just reproduce and overtake the Keepers… We shouldn’t condemn anyone to that fate” “Quiet boy, the Flesinoir have done more for both you and me than you can imagine, if you don’t shut up I will send YOU into those mines.” The Duke warned his son, the look in his eyes said that he absolutely would not back down from placing his own offspring onto such a fate if he was angered. This Duke was not blowing smoke. “Or do you not like the power and increased lifespan that you possess.” “I knew you were up to no good.” Cedric declared throwing up his shielded arm to block the scythe, wincing as sparks flew while a loud scraping noise went across his shield. “I knew this from the mines, I never expected you were this bad… when these corpses are freed from their horrible existence, you will be submitted before Eli’s judgement and I already have a good feeling about the verdict!” Klaus looked towards his father with disgust and stepped forward to speak. “Their weapons are enchanted, if you do not go onto the offensive and kill them quickly you will suffer a fate worse than death.” “Got ya!” Claire said in response to the prince, doing a flip backwards, narrowly avoiding the battle axe and tossing her pike threw the chest of one of the skull-headed warriors. “Struck through the heart, and I’m to blame! I give war, a good name!” she cheered as she hit her target. Turning around to face the Duke she glared at him. “You think you’ve won ferret?” The Duke asked “I know I have! I’m a Metamor Keeper! We’ve dealt with Nasoj’s trolls, lutins, humans, and other beasties for years. You flesinoir types are just a flash in the pan!” Claire screamed. “When my father and my brother are done with their opponents you three sons and daughter of whores shall perish by our paw, hand, and hoof!” Claire stomped as she brandished her claws. “WHY WAIT! I’M GOING TO MESS YOU UP NOW!” Claire was met with laughter from all parties except for Prince Klaus who merely became incredibly worried. “What’s so funny?” The ferret asked her bravado down. “Is there something on m…” “CLAIRE GET DOWN!” Cedric yelled, the ferret doing so as an axe swept over her head. “Damn! I love a good decapitation. Another reason to despise you Cedric Bariclauph!” Leo said clenching her fist as she recalled when she had the Transblade, she didn’t know what came over her when she had the weapon but the fact that she could have so much power added to her own and be felled by this simpleton who had the gall to refuse to fight her based on what the curse had forced onto her was so humilating. She was further humilated by looknig upon Cedric’s form and seeing his appearance became far more masculine, a body truly worthy of a Captain of Knights. It was given to him while all Leo got was beauty that made her fiance leave her, it just wasn’t fair. Leo hoped to see Cedric’s blood watering the flowers before too long, dying alongside this family of his. “I’ll remember that comment!” Cedric shot Leo a quick evil eye before slashing at his opponent. Taking Klaus’ go offensive advise mostly because he had no plans of his own and his shield had become useless actually getting cut in half by his opponent’s scythe, it was definitely enchanted. He tried to swipe towards the screaming decaying warrior’s neck managing, making an incision, things were going in the right direction until a crunching sound was given off and the blade began to rust, breaking apart and giving away to dust. “Oh bollocks, I forgot to mention that…” Klaus said biting his hand. “It looks like you hit one of the bugs keeping the thing alive which… has highly corrosive blood… a defensive mechanisms…” “Highly corrosive seems to be an understatement.”Cedric threw back the handle as it was useless as a weapon, hoping to hit Leo with it though sadly he did not. Cedric and Claire were both left on the defensive. Dodging more than anything. “Can we touch them or… is that… not recommended?” Claire asked Klaus, taking advantage of her ferret agility. “As long as you don’t get the bugs on you, though what I’d recommend at this point is their weakness, which is the destruction of their… mmmmphh…” Klaus was in the middle of talking when the child Regorez had tackled Klaus and covered his mouth with his hand. “SHUT UP! If you keep helping them we won’t get to watch them die!” Regorez snapped. Leo was aghast at this sight, quickly kicking Regorez in the face with a steel boot. “GET OFF OF MY PRINCE!” She screamed, kneeling over to check Klaus for wounds. “Are you alright sire? This DISGUSTING child should watch his tone, even if I do agree with him and humbly ask that you consider honoring his his…” Leo stopped to think about choosing her words better. “Rashly worded request.” “I’m fine, I think you did more to him than he to me… He is but a manling… well.. he is now I mean.” Klaus said, looking over to Regorez’s bleeding face. “You harlot, you broke my nose!” Regorez screamed, holding his nose, his voice sounding rather silly as a result of Leo’s attack. Claire had continued dodging, looking over to her adopted father’s opponent, the one swinging the fist daggers. Continuing to narrowly avoid the battle axe and loses a few strands of fur from close calls that warned her she’d really need to keep her focus in this instance. Watching the arm of the one attacking with fist daggers she waited until there were no bugs crawling on said arm before gripping and attempting to dislocate it. Claire had to attempt this multiple times as she saw bugs crawling towards her and she dared not let a single one touch her. After three tries failing the fourth is what proved to be the charm. The creature screamed loudly and violently upon the success of Claire’s attack. “OH GOD! Please.. please… the skull… Go for the skull…” It pleaded as it got kicked in the stomach by Yariv who took this advantage to get a few free hits in, concluding by driving her shield right into the being’s skull making an crack that was exploited by the sword of Yariv. “Th… Thank you.” It said as it felt the sword hit its brain, the corpse fell over the bugs scattering from it in various directions. Yariv began running around hoping to crush as many of them as she could so they’d hurt no one. Claire nodded, and grabbed the enchanted fistdaggers that had been discarded. Giving a few practice swipe with it she jumped upon her pike using it as leverage for a second jump stabbing both of the daggers into the decaying skull of the undead being. “Two down, Cedric, you’ve got the last one, just go for its skull. Me and Dad are going to go after the bu…..” The ferret woman was in the middle of saying before one of the black bugs that seemed to be a strange mix of Rhino Bettle and Scarab Beetle in appearance crawled right into Claire’s mouth one that she hadn’t noticed crawling around her back. “Oh this going to be good.. Now you Cedric get to lose a loved one! Kill her, it’s the best thing for her at this point!” Leo gloated as the bug crawled down Claire’s throat. Cedric glared in Leo’s direction again, this was all the warning he gave abandoning the fight to beat the woman savagely, giving blow after blow in the face. He didn’t care what he said about fighting women anymore, his rage was all that was fueling him at at this point. “YOU THINK THAT’S FUNNY!?! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY YEARS I WENT WITHOUT MY SISTER!” Cedric screamed into Leo’s face who was too busy getting repeatially punched to respond, the maiden had actually lost a few teeth as Klaus was getting close for a rescue, but backed off when he noticed the dead warrior walking towards Cedric and had no desire to accidentally get infested by one of its bugs. Cedric picked up Leo’s head and slammed down against the ground knocking her out before doing an awkward handstand to allow his hoof access to the skull of the creature attacking from behind, telling of its approach by its foul scent. This knocked off said skull, which was crushed underneath Cedric’s hoof, now covered in skull and brain, now that he cared. “Duke Phlomore, Prince Klaus, Regorez… You are all going to die!” he said narrowing his brow at them. Yariv looked at the situation and at Claire who began to seem quite feverish, the Duke looking towards the ferret with some interest. “I don’t feel so good… There’s… there’s gotta be something we can do.” she said. Thinknig out of desperation Yariv punched Claire in the stomach with all of her might, forcing her to vomit out the bug which Yariv proceeded to stomp on. Claire fell over feeling dizzy, but no longer in danger from the bugs. Her hubsnad’s pike was now ruined from the corrosive blood and where it had broken in half from her jumping on it, but she grabbed the feather of her darling bird and put it behind her ear as she looked for the strength to get up. “...That was unpleasant… but… I think we won.” “My my, how… stimulating. I’m glad you saved her. I think I could learn to love Claire. Cedric smiled, glad his sister was safe, but this didn’t calm his rage as he picked up the axe from one of the dead warriors before turning to face Regorez, Klaus, and Phlomore once again. “Her safety changes nothing, beg for your lives. You won’t get them.” “How cute, you think I can be felled by you idiots?.” The Duke laughed looking over his many fanciful rings. “Do you know why I have this weight?” He asked, rubbing his bulbous gut as his face slowly became more and more deformed. “The Flesinoir, has blessed me with this…” He said, revealing himself as a mutated frog-like entity looking sickly, with welts, visible noxious gasses flowing out of his rear end as he unapologetically passed noxious gas, his back and face loaded with sores and blemishes, and his bloated stomach covered in a rash which he scratched. The creature’s eyes were swollen and yellow with pus dripping of them, his hands were gross yellowish claws, he had a tongue for a tail he had a tentacle, and finally the tongue in his mouth was long and purple, appeared swollen too. Regorez looked up at the Duke with admiration. “I hadn’t seen your true form yes, You’re beautiful!” “Mmhmhm.. I know!” Said the creatures licking his lips and scratching his rash, parts of it breaking out in hives and bleeding. “I have been upgraded as we all shall be… Gods in our own way. I myself have become a Plague Bearer, I suffer all diseases at one time without dying. At first I thought the flesinoir had placed a horrible curse upon me but now I realize how beautiful I am. So full of disease, plague, and rot. Bloated with rashes, welts, warts, swellings, visible veins, aches, growths, and some of my skin has rotted off. I am in constant pain and illness and yet it’s wonderful, so full of life, life that wants to share itself I’ve grown to love it.” The Duke farted loudly leaving behind a cloud of death that killed the flowers around them. All of the Metamor Warriors covered their noses, Cedric was the first to attack but the creature’s breathe knocked him out with it’s horrible stench, his new equine nose. Next up was Claire who tried poking the Duke’s belly with her daggers, only to have it pop with blood, puss, lard, and bile spreading out. Covering her and Yariv who became encased in it paralyzed as the Duke’s wound healed instantly. “Hehehe, I’m unperishable. Regorez take them to the mines to be experimented on.” “Father… you know if you give into your Flesinoir side too much you’ll lose your humanity right? There’s still a way you can control it...” Klaus said, looking over the human suit his father took over. “Now that I have the Transblade and Hawl’s around here somewhere. I don’t quite need my humanity son. The time will come soon when all people are mutated into perfection.” The Duke said, scratching his rash and licking the mucus his blubbish body gave off. “Hawl has to be, I just remembered.. It slipped my mind, but I was cursed to be unable to leave Metamor until he did. Malakai did that! Oh God where is Malakai?” Regorez looked around. “If he’s still in Metamor he must be like me and Leo.” “It’s not important..” Phlomore said. “We just need Hawl, Klaus… See if he snuck aboard their caravan. I’d only assume he’d try to be re-united with dear ol’ dad if he was coming back in this direction. You’re a skilled mage, surely you can sense him or something.” “Of course father… I’m sensing something just from the outskirts of town… That unnatural power of his is very easy to spot when you know what you’re looking for.” Klaus said, heading off in that direction. “Oh right… and Leo probably wants her teeth back…” he paused, turning around and throwing a blue field of energy over Leo who woke up and screamed as her teeth regrew in seconds. “Wait… can you fix my nose?” Regorez asked. “It REALLY hurts.” “...Yes, but I won’t.” Prince Klaus said and with that he was off in the direction of Hawl. Klaus didn’t expect it to take very long as though Hawl loved to change his appearance often it was very rare that he was a good enough of an actor for his bodily changes to be of much use to him as a disguise. Upon wandering the forest outside of Mugal for around thirty minutes he came across an unusual site. A black widow spider that appeared to be snoring on a tree branch, one that had no web. “How peculiar, I thought it was just the distance, but the power is faint even now… either he’s been through more forms in one hour than he’s been through in his entire 8 years or someone really fought him when he tried to change them… Five hundred times the normal difficulty, but what could have had….” Klaus thought to himself. “Of course the curse... I guess he can’t cure it.“ The Prince of Mugal swallowed as he tried to heal Hawl of his wounds having to bring himself to near exhaustion just to do so as Hawl seemed heavily, heavily drained of his power. He had to push himself to his very limits to do this without taking on his own flesinoir side. The spider yawned stretching out its eight legs as it got up. “God, I thought I’d be out for a week.” it spoke in the seductive tone that Hawl always used when he made himself female. The awkward one Klaus was familiar with where he, or right now she, tried to give it a seductive flair, but found herself talking far too fast for it to be effective. “Klaus… Yeah, umm, listen, I can explain why I’m not in Metamor.. Just don’t squash me bro.” she said. “Bro?” Klaus asked before shaking his head. “Oh you and your nonsense words, listen it took a lot of my Flesinoir magic to restore you.. anymore and I would have lost my humanity completely… if I hadn’t I think you’d have been in hibernation for a month…” Hawl jumped off her tree branch and shifted into a manticore, growling at Klaus. “You knew this was going on!?!?! The whole time!?! So did Leo? What about Evan?!?!” Hawl asked frantically. “Hawl, I thought I could control it….” Klaus said slowly. “When the Flesinoir appeared me and dad thought we could keep them in line, but it’s been getting worse. Heck that’s why I bought your stupid I can cure the curse story. Whether you executed or gone, you needed to get… Leo’s always been more loyal to my dad than me. I think she only tried to help me keep you in Metamor because she assumed I knew something she didn’t. I don’t think she realizes I was having doubts about this plan.” “Why do they need me?” Hawl asked easing up on Klaus a little. “To summon Azatoth, their God. The further you are away from here, the safer everyone is. Honestly.” Klaus sighed, walking away from Hawl. “Let’s just go to Metamor and forgot about this… Metamor has a powerful magical nexus, if anywhere can keep you from the Fleisnoir, it’s them.” “I can’t go back to Metamor, I don’t think it’s allowed.. besides… I need that Transblade. It’s the only link to my father that I have. I don’t have any family, but if you or that weapon can help me find him… I realize I probably don’t deserve it, but, please.. Help me get that and I’ll go as far as Yamato if you want me to.” Hawl had such determination in his eyes, Klaus had never seen him this serious, or serious at all. “Yes…” Klaus responded, looking to the side. ”Okay I’ll help you…. but first we must rest.. Your power is nearly at its very limits, you use them too much more and they’ll be burnt out permanently.. and if I exert myself more my mutations will become visible, and it’s been getting harder to make it go away..… at least from what I’ve seen. I think the actual Flesinoir the CULTIST not the SPECIES know how. And do try to be.. somewhat subtle. I don’t have a completely unabridged list of who's a cultist, who is a flesinoir mutate, who is both and who is neither… Maybe we should stay in the forest.” “Mutate.. So whatever you really are… Not every Flesinoir’s going to be that...” Hawl said connecting the pieces. “I knew it was coming....” Klaus said sighing, his body beginning to deteriorate and fall off leaving behind a grey furred somewhat feminine shaped creature with a big head, literal sapphires for eyes, an angler fish light on his forehead and bat wings on his back…. I worry I’ve been becoming more like dad… This form is starting to feel better to me too… Don’t like, but I’m a Queen Cavener. I make Caveners and caves…” Klaus notice Hawl was giving him THAT look and groaned “Yes I’m technically female, though this form doesn’t really have traditional gender..., and no you cannot call me Princess K or I will smack you.” His voice in this form had somewhat of a mystical quality to it, like a soft echo. “I don’t care I just want to stop the Flesinoir.” Hawl said petting Klaus’ furred head. “They say only a Sondeckis can, well guess what I am!” The manticore shifted his clothing to blue robes with a yellow belt. The clothing itself was enchanted to change, a gift from Hawl’s father, the only thing he had of his. “Give me a break…” Klaus said rubbing his head, technically he was a she, but due to being a creature of the Flesinoir gender didn’t really mean anything to him as he didn’t really have one in the same way humans did. “Alright, tonight we’ll camp out.. I’ll go meditate and try to revert to my human form we’re going to put our plan into action for now, we rest, they’d be expecting an immediate counter attack! Rest they did, waiting for the perfect moment to strike at the Flesinoir. </div>