Vekla POV
As Curator starts putting mana into me and my body starts changing, it doesn't take long to for a deep aching pain to set in. While manageable, it's quite unpleasant, especially in conjunction with feeling ones body shift, distort and change into something it wasn't. Thankfully, the process is quick, even if it causes a sort of existential dread in the back of my mind. One isn't supposed to experience their bones shifting, moving and writhing under their skin to the right places after all.
Once all is said and done with the change brought about by this, not at all what I expected, dungeon, the first thing that's clear is the lack of aches and pain from my age. Lifting my hands to look at them they are...notably different, and it's easy to tell that my arms are now a good bit longer than they were. Gone are the long claws at the tips of those thick digits, instead replaced by shorter claws at the ends of longer, nimbler fingers. Looking down myself further, it's also clear that while I still seem to be the same height, it's not entirely in my core body area as my legs too, are longer, and my barrel shorter. These legs too, ending in three digits like my hands, but while slightly more like what I had before, there's still that change of less claw, more digit.
Taking a few tentative steps to turn about it's easy to see my tail, and thankfully that's barely changed. My new proportions do mean it's almost laughable how easy it is to keep off the ground, but still long, still behind me. Then comes the time to examine my head and face as I can. Using those new hands to feel and examine it, it's like some one has replaced my face with another from what I can remember. A rounder snout with a much more rounded nose, impossibly small scales compared to what I had almost fine enough that if weren't felt by these new hand, it'd be safe to think there were none at all. From a distance it'd likely be as though I were a furless, scale-less beast of some sort.
Sliding those hands slightly further back to trace over my eyes and cheeks, these to have changed a fair bit. Not nearly as far to the sides of my head, and much bigger. That would explain why I can still see around me roughly the same, but also why everything that is focused on is so much more clear. Sliding those hands over my scalp, it's easy to tell not only the shape of my snout and face was changed, but my entire skull is more rounded, more spherical, then I pause, feeling the horns sprouting out to flank the 'crown' of my skull.
"I'm....I'm not of the same people as my clan any more....am I?"
Curator POV
Watching Vekla examine himself, I'm about as surprised as he is. I guess knowledge being a force of change was much more apt than anticipated. His mana heart is stable with a clear pair of rings wrapping around it, my own core having lost just the one. Perhaps we cores store more mana in ourselves, or maybe it's something else. Whelp, perfect for my magical research fellah to handle. That said, looking over him as a whole more properly, it's kind of funny.
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It's hard not to reminisce of those old pocket monster games where x would evolve into y. Honestly, I'm half expecting to hear a voice s...
>System Message Received<
>*Congratulations: You're skink tribal has evolved into....a desert kobold!*<
As this pops up to dominate my vision, that fan fair jingle sounds throughout my mind. Well, that was certainly unexpected.
>Unexpected, but properly fitting with some of the jokes you've made to these folks, no? That said, keep up the good work candidate. You might have been late to the party compared to some of the others, but you're already making good progress, just take care not to push to hard to fast, lest you outgrow what you can support.<
-Wait, so, is this like a game or something, what with that system message received bit?-
>Hardly, you have however crossed a minimum threshold to get some information. That being, there are 3 years, 11 months, and 4 days until the first Calamity. Spend your time wisely. Oh, and little friendly word of advice as you don't have many resources at the moment, be mindful of those who live to the south.<
With that the kind of...info box I guess, disappears from my vision. If I think hard on what they meant by calamity though, I get get a nifty little calendar clock thing that's counting down the time, so that's handy. And that...word of advice is...bothersome. We'll have to see what they meant, but only AFTER, things are more established and set up here.
"I'm....I'm not of the same people as my clan any more....am I?"
Snapping out of my thoughts and the implications on...whatever I just spoke with, my attention is drawn back to Vekla. Brave little guy, his world's literally been flipped upside down by this point. No point in hiding the truth or sugar coating it. Focusing and spending the mana to cause a basin to raise in front of myself, it would be quickly filled with that pure clean water. That combined with how the light is shining in at the moment, it should work like a bit of a mirror.
'No, you are not. Take a look into the waters here, it should reflect your visage and let you properly see yourself now. From what I can tell you are no longer a skink tribal, but the first of my desert kobolds. Other's of your clan will likely be uplifted as well, and, in time, you will be nurtured from a small clan to a full tribe if I have any say in the matter.'
Babe POV
Curator has put so much mana and effort into Vekla, yet they still question him so? Even when they have the joy of knowing their purpose, and have already been given so much. Why could I not have been given such instead, one who is so much more worthy than this...kobold.
Curator POV
Oh, wow, calm down Babe, your turn is soon, but I wanted it to be more special, but maaaan that seething jealousy is real. Lets...nip this in the bud right quick.
'Babe, your time will come tonight, don't you worry none. I wanted you to be more rested so it's less like a dream for ya, and you do seem more nocturnal than diurnal than Vekla here.'
Vekla POV
Taking a few steps forward and peering into the basin, I'm shocked to look myself in the face for the first time in my life. I look nothing like my clan mates anymore, from the larger eyes, no longer small and beady but larger that same deep blue of the core, and a black part in the middle that moves with where I look. My new horns also share this deep blue but my scales retained that nice, ochre color. Even if they are so fine I can't make them out without leaning in close.
While examining myself, a sharp feeling trails up my spine. That shame sharp feeling when one is being stalked by a predator like a greater sand-runners or a fire-hawk. Looking around, then up, it's almost palpable the holes Babe is drilling into me with her eyes, quickly turning away, I'm about to apologize for any impropriety before Curator speaks.
'Babe, your time will come tonight, don't you worry none. I wanted you to be more rested so it's less like a dream for ya, and you do seem more nocturnal than diurnal than Vekla here.'