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Snickering to himself, Grian into his underwater starter base. That was a good one. Who knew an AFK Mumbo Jumbo was so prankable. And who knows. Maybe that name tag and book will start something…
He grabs his watten bottle and takes a swig then gets to work in the shipwreck.
After a while something seem to change, while he’s pushing some chests around he groans. “Well that was a head rush.” Stumbling, he sits on the bed. Shucking his armor off he takes a deep breath.
Sharp tinkling laughter fills the air. Grian looks around, searching for the source. Nothing is there. Grabbing his water he takes another drink, “waters supposed to fix this kind of stuff isn’t it?”
Wrinkling his nose at the taste he splutters. It tastes all chalky. Almost like someone poured a potion into his water.
Fumbling for his communicator he manages to hit the panic button before everything goes black.
______
As he awakes he notices something’s wrong. His hearing… it’s, different. Someone’s footsteps echo down the hall. His ears move to follow the sound.
Shooting upright he grabs his ears. “Why are they furry!”
“Woah,” Xisuma rushes into the room, “Calm down, it’ll be ok.”
“What happened, why are my ears like this?” Grian demands as he scrambled to his feet at glare up at the admin.
“It was the convex.” Xisuma sighs, “I didn’t know they would show you again.”
“ConVex? Like Concorp?”
Xisuma nods.
“And you’re ok with them running around putting potions in people’s drinks.”
“It’s possession.” Xisuma explains, “They are compelled to put the heads on then-” He gestures vaguely.
“Yeah, I got none of that.”
“We have to prank people.” Cub sighs as he and Scar walk in, “It hurts if we don’t.”
Grian stays quiet as they explain the Convex and why they prank, “ok so what did you do to me.”
Scar grins, “It’s a spirit animal potion. Turns you into whatever animal fits you best.”
“We don’t know what you are.”
“Great.”
“If you drink the entire potion it’ll go faster.” Xisuma sighs, “I can’t turn you back until later you’ve drunk most of it.”
Grian sighs. Scar pushes the bottle into his hands taking a sip he shudders.
“Little bit more then you can take a break.”
Slowly Grian nods and takes a drink.
This time the change is instant. Materializing out of nothing a tail forms. It’s a few feet long and ends with a tuft of fur on his tail.
It twitches and Grian jumps. Biting his lip in the process. Scar hands him an ice cube.
“Fanks.” Grian mumbles as he inspects his teeth. They’ve sharpened significantly. And gone from human to animal. Large fangs in both sides of his mouth. Built for ripping and tearing meat.
“So definitely a carnivore.” Cub murmurs.
Grian takes the bottle again and looks at Xisuma, he nods.
Drinking some more he freezes as pins and needles race around his body. Handing the bottle off he seemingly disappears. Leaving a pile of clothes behind.
“Grian!” X jumps to his feet shooting Cub and Scar a panicked look.
“X!” Grian yelps from where he’s stuck under his sweater.
“Oh dear.
Once Grian’s been freed and his clothing shrunk down with some magic he glared up at Cub and Scar, “What am I going to be.”
Scar shrugs, “It’s not a mouse, the tail’s wrong. Still not sure what you could be.”
“Great.” Grian mumbles as he looks at the small claws growing from his nail bed. “Wait. X, do I still need to drink the entire potion?”
“There’s only a little left…” Xisuma looks at the potion then down at Grian standing on the counter. Putting the bottle next to him shows the problem, Grian’s only about five inches tall. The potion comes up to about his knees.
“We can reduce it.” Cub nods.
“Do we have a cup small enough.?” Scar murmurs.
“Shirking spell on a vex cup?”
“That’ll work.” Scar grins.
Even reduced it is a lot.
Picking up a cup Grian prepares himself then takes a drink.
His eyes change, turning black and beady. When he’s done drinking something has clearly changed.
“Grian?”
He looks up and chitters. Dashing back and forth across the desk. Fangs peek over his lips as he snarls.
“Grian, hey buddy,” Scar reaches down, “Can you drink this for me?”
Jolting back to a more human mindset he looks up, “If I turn fully with this, don’t lose me.”
“We won’t…”
Grian nods and picks the refilled cup up.
As he drinks fur spreads across his body, his thumbs disappear, head changes shape, whiskers grow and he’s forced into all four. Clothes melt into fur.
“Oh he’s a weasel.”
Standing on his hind legs Grian chitters.
Darting off the table he jumps to the floor and huddles under the bed. Something squeaks at him. Bearing his fangs he growls.
A mouse steps towards him. Grian backs away and runs. The mouse chases him.
Scampering up Scar’s pant leg he climbs on his hat, chattering at the mage he huffs.
“Sorry,” Scar grins as he reaches up to pull Grian off his hat, “I guess Jellie dragged a mouse in here.”
Paws pad down the hall. Jellie mews and pokes her head inside the room.
“Jellie, get the mouse.” Scar laughs as the cat walks in.
Jellie mews and stalks closer to the bed. A moment later Jellie’s eyes flash blue and the mouse is pulled from under the bed.
“Good girl. Now put it outside.”
With her mouse locked securely in her jaws Jellie nods and wander outside.
With the cat and mouse gone, Grian starts trying to wiggle out of Scar’s hold.
“Woah,” Cub creates a bubble around Grian to hold him, “We don’t want to lose you.”
Turning to look at Xisuma, Grian hisses and puts his paws on the side of the bubble pushing it towards Xisuma.
“Cub?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you make him a hamster ball?”
Cub just grins, “Hey X how’s the fix coming?”
“I’ll have it in… did you give him milk?”
“No…”
“We forgot about that…” Scar laughs rubbing the back of his head.
“Try that first, then if it doesn’t work. Come to me, I’ll have the fix ready.”
“Ok, I will do that.” Cub nods. “Come on Grian.”
Picking his head up Grian trots after him.
_____
“Ugh,” Grian shudders, “I never want to do that again.”
Xisuma frowns as he looks over the code, “Bad news. You might have to.”
“What!”
“Yeah, the potion is stuck in your system. Too much time passed between the first dose and the next ones.” Xisuma sighs as he closes the admin screens.
A puff of smoke later and Grian’s gone. The only trace of him a streak of brown fur.
Something down the hall jingles.
“Caught him.” Cub calls as he walks back in with a brightly colored Jester hat in his hands. “Did it not work?”
“Potion glitch,” Xisuma explains, “Is that?”
The hat poofs into smoke, “No clue what your talking about.”
“You're the Jingler.”
Cub laughs, “Maybe, or is it the Vex…”
________
It takes a while but eventually Grian is able to control the shape shifting. He also found a use for it. Hiding in the wagon to see if Zedaph was really buying and reselling his quartz.
The blond hermit does walk up after a few hours. As he opens the chest, Grian scampers into his back. Clinging onto the soft cardigan without Zedaph knowing.
All the quartz is purchased.
Zedaph turns.
And walks directly into Shorts Warts And Quartz.
Grian turns back to human, bringing Zedaph down to the floor with him, “You sir have been banned for life.”