Congratulations your reward is death

Kato woke up some time later with a splitting headache, his mornings hadn’t gone his way for a while now, not since the evil cult camp, he kind of missed it. At least he’d avoided the pokes this time, that was a big step in the right direction. With a short groan Kato rolled over and got ready to meet the day.

“///???////???”

Kato heard the familiar titterings of the evil little monsters. ‘NO!’ he had jinxed it; he was actually going to get poked.

‘Why, why did I think it was a good idea to be grateful not to be attacked in the morning’ Kato scrunched his eyes closed, ‘maybe it’s a bad dream and they’ll go away soon.’

It was a thought born of desperation, and yet the pokes never came.

Kato groaned again this time much louder as he propped himself up on his hands, ‘man I really need a drink’ it felt as though he had swallowed sand.

He finally worked up the courage to brace the day, a somehow more formidable threat than the giant venom spewing lizard. His eyes opened and he saw, “paradise?” Kato breathed the word out.

He was laying on a gentle cloth mat, in the middle of a miniature village. Presumably the secret hidey hole of the pokers. The houses were around four foot tall and nearly mirrored the domiciles in the posher quarters of Old Redusk.

Golden straw thick and meticulously layered, adorned the tiny four-foot structures. It was a far cry from the grime coated buildings Kato had come to expect. The thatched roofs glimmered in the sunlight, not a speck of dust to be seen.

The houses had polished dark wooden doors that slightly arched at the top, they had been implanted into soft cobblestone walls, that were clear of wandering plants. They had two small glass windows at the front with a slight blue tint. The pokers were apparently far more industrious than Kato had given them credit for.

Their homes had been laid out in neat, orderly rows with smooth cobblestone paths weaving around them.

A clear stream cut through the centre of the village, bounded by polished rocks and well-kept lawns.

Kato inhaled deeply. The air was sweet with the scent of wildflowers and freshly cut grass, it was unsurprising considering where he was, but his lips twitched up, nonetheless.

Kato could have lain there for hours in the warm embrace of the sun, letting the wind gently tousle his hair as he listened to the gentle babbling of the stream and the general sounds of a village, but it was not to be. The leader of the pokers had apparently noticed that he was a bit too content and couldn’t resist harassing him.

Before they got the chance, Kato sprang up, brushing himself down of the fibres that had stuck to him during the night.

“Morning” Kato smiled at the fellow, hoping to disarm him with kindness before it had a time to strike.

It tittered back in response, ‘right the language barrier thing’ Kato was at a loss, ‘how does one normally behave in these scenarios?’

Kato reached out with his hand, a twisted expression halfway between a smile and a grimace painted on his face.

The poker just looked at him confused.

“Never mind, no handshakes for you, you don’t deserve it” Kato muttered under his breath.

A glass vial hung delicately clasped in the leader’s hands, the silvery blue liquid inside forming vortexes before dispersing and reforming. Kato stared at the vial, he had never seen anything like it, the way the liquid moved, it was as if it was alive.

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“///??////??”

‘Oh right’ he was in the middle of a conversation; Kato regarded the leader again hoping it would forgive his social faux pas.

The poker offered him a nervous grin and thrust the vial forward.

“For me?” Kato regarded the vial again; it was smaller than his pinkie. “Um thanks”, Kato scratched the back of his neck, ‘I am really thirsty’ he took the glass decanter and brought it up to his lips. The leader suddenly moved towards him, alarmed. The first drops of the silvery blue liquid hit his barren tongue.

It went down smooth, immediately soothing Kato’s parched throat. “That was great” he stated wiping his lips. “Could I have some more?” Kato asked. The poker looked at him with wide eyes, trembling and tittering in a way that sounded more like random noises than a real effort to talk.

“It’s ok you don’t have to give me any more” Kato stated, abashed, he hadn’t meant to make his host uncomfortable, it was just… he was so thirsty.

The leader began shrieking, ‘this is why I have trouble making friends’ Kato sighed, ‘who could’ve known in poker custom, you couldn’t ask for a drink you had to wait.’

More pokers began rushing over, ‘didn’t expect the way I would go was from being lynched due to social incompetence, but you know could have been worse.’ Kato tensed, resting on the balls of his feet, he unhooked his knife and waited for the pokers to make their move.

The crowd of pokers ahead of him just grew, the numbers swelling from ten to thirty in seconds. Their tittering was now barely distinct, it was just high pitch shrieks and wails as the creatures gathered around him.

Kato’s breathing slowed, his eyes lost focus and his heart was loudly thumping in his ears but the once rapid beating had slowed to a ponderous thud once every few seconds. Each beat reverberating through his body. ‘What did you do to me’ Kato groaned, his knife fell from his hand, and he swayed, grogged.

Kato stumbled backwards and a poker rushed up to him, “get away from me” he slurred, his right arm flailing protectively ahead of him.

‘Have to get away… knew they were evil’ even Kato’s thoughts had slowed as well. He gritted his teeth and staggered away from the crowd. The leader was desperately carving some drawing into the ground whilst others mimed at him, but Kato ignored them all, the last time he’d listened to the leader he’d nearly died.

Kato, so focused on the crowd, didn’t notice the stream behind him. He stepped on one of the polished rocks and went down head over heels. Kato lay in the stream, face down slowly choking.

That was when the pain came, his body convulsed, violent spasms threatening to tear the very limbs from his body.

Steam rose around him as he thrashed in the darkness of the water, his teeth felt like they were being ripped out of his jaw. His muscles expanded and contracted at frightening speeds, with each movement threatening his skin to burst.

Strange visions began flickering at the edge of Kato’s vision he was back at the arena, fighting monster after monster as the crowd jeered at him. Was this hell. The minutes bled into hours as Kato retreated into his head, desperately attempting to wait out the pain. He wasn’t sure what was worse this or small talk, it had to be close.

After some time, the pain stopped. There was no sudden cheering, flashing lights or loud explosions. One minute it was there, the next it was not.

He lay there for a moment gasping, his body trembling uncontrollably. Slowly, he pushed himself up.

“////???///” The pokers continued tittering somewhere in his peripherals, but Kato paid them no mind. He stared at his arm and flexed it was definitely larger and more than that it felt balanced? His control before now felt laughable, his movements just felt that more fluid.

He looked down, the stream it was gone, a dry barren landscape now carved through the village the water gone without a trace, ‘did I do that’ he looked at it for a moment, mouth agape.

He stood there just breathing, feeling out the extent of his body’s transformation.

After a minute or so of indulging his vanity, flexing and unflexing, water began to trickle against his legs, first just small rivulets but soon the stream returned to its former grandeur.

Finally, Kato looked over to the pokers. ‘Do I owe them an apology?’ This was not the time to be petty, a grievance here could expand into much more, it was better to just put the whole thing to rest.

Kato sighed, reluctant. He walked over to the leader and firmly clasped its hand shaking it, not giving it the opportunity to feign confusion once again. “I will consider us even, just this once” Kato stared into its eyes, holding its gaze for a moment.

Relief washed over the leader’s face, as it made a tiny but firm nod.

Kato released the leader’s hand, letting it drop.

This was now the second time Kato had nearly died due to these creatures, third if you counted the kidnapping. “I should go” Kato mimed him leaving and the leader nodded slowly, accepting his decision.

Kato began to walk, after a short moment he paused and looked down, it was the drawing the leader had done, it was him but larger, muscles bulging out and with fierce determination in his eyes. Kato looked back to see the pokers, but they were gone.