The princess decided to be quiet for the time being, considering we'd just suffered quite a nasty defeat against a ninja so keen to get away. One by one we started to shift back to normal, with Robert going from some tiny iguana back into a Kobold. Backstabs didn't seem to recover as quickly though, and oddly enough I didn't. I just kept walking on all fours with the rest of the party, but I couldn't help feeling that transformation bomb may have worked too well. I mean, it left a bit of ringing from how violently the smoke appeared from one little ball, and I could feel a bunch of things in my mouth that probably shouldn't be there.
Shortly before we met some wild wolves however, I ended up getting back into my normal form, albeit painfully. This was very odd considering that no one else seemed to struggle with their own returns, but me... well, I felt like I wasn't actually becoming a Kobold. Shockingly, I was correct. I stayed behind so that I could actually try to think straight, leaning against the dark and cold walls of the cave, but I could feel something like sticks shredding the back of my head. I started to feel weaker and weaker, while also having extra understanding of... things. My whole freakin' body didn't feel like it belonged to me, more foreign than being a damn Kobold, or whatever I was shifting into at this point. To my horror, I went from a gryphon to a... Drake.
Let me tell you some history: it was a Drake that got my family into gambling. It was a Drake that began collaborating with humans and ensured we didn't just wipe them out with dragons. And it was a Drake that started a war with Kobold a long time ago. Now, I had shifted into something that would probably earn me a target, even if my own dislike of them was expressed. I retained my clothes, weapons (including an old sword from a guard), and other equipment. I felt taller but weaker, and my breathing shallow. I wondered how my party members would react to me, all fussy and proclaiming myself to be Miles as some sort of freak show. I REALLY want to stick a knife in that ninja now for doing this to me. I mean, this world is so damn dangerous that my adventure involves me turning into a Kobold. I really wished for this to be temporary, but the as each minute passed, I knew this wouldn't be the case.
I heard loud struggles and the sounds of a growling canine further on in the cave, echoing from where my team-mates entered. Either we were fighting again, or someone wasn't exactly their normal self. I supported myself away from the wall of the cave, trying to breathe normally while also walking one step at a time, as if I was a toddler again. I really did not feel alright, but of course I had a bunch of team members who needed me further down the cave, feeling the tips of my new horns running from side of my head, as well as my new draconian mouth while I kept walking down the path to my party.