Toby shook out from under the stun of such a question after a long silence, Hoglah kept her eyes focused intently, but allowed him time to process her request. Eventually he choked out and answer. “W-what about blood? I’m not your kin.” Hoglah simply chuckled and replied. “All Moblins are my children, once you change you’ll be no different!” She gave him a snout kiss to the forehead which left an enormous make up mark and seemed to break a dam of tears behind Toby’s eyes.
He cried hysterically for a long time, cradled in Hoglah’s arms before he regained himself. “Y-you are…well, you aren’t kind in the traditional sense, but you are fair and I’ve never felt fair before. Kind has been f-faked to me a lot before, but not fair…” Toby tried to collect himself but fell into another crying fit. When he could speak again, he tried to answer. “I do want to be a part of what you are doing, but I barely know myself. Can there be room for me to be a Moblin and still myself? At least while I figure things out?” Hoglah furrowed her brows as she thought about this, usually she hit everyone with her abilities at full blast, gave them a basic idea of what she wanted them to be and let their desires fill in most of the blanks. This was the secret to how she transformed people so completely and willingly. This was a horse of a very different color. Toby was willing, but scared of himself and with a fragile mind. After some pondering, she spoke.
“I can try Toby, but you’ll be the first I try this kind of reduced transformation with, do you accept my trying here? You can wait and still be prince of the Moblins you know.” Now it was Toby’s turn to think, if he didn’t become a Moblin that might put this woman who he really was starting to think of as his mother in a difficult position with the other Moblins and plus….he was curious! These beings were strong, he’d never been strong in his life and he wanted it…e-eventually. A little touch for him now would be good! He spoke in a steady voice. He would never stutter again.
“No Momma, I’m ready to be your son and the prince of Moblins. I am already behind on the job!”
“That’s mah boy!” Hoglah said with an oink and snorted blowing a very small amount of yellow gas at him through her snout. Toby stood in the cloud breathing steadily and without gagging. Hoglah was thoroughly impressed, especially as the cloud began to change colors. It became a golden color and and with a snort Toby’s nose began to pull up into a pig snout and his hair began to rapidly lighten, his freckles dying a golden color as well. A small curly tail poked from the top of his slightly larger than average behind as he gained weight, reaching the size of a healthy 14 year old. His nose and lips colored in golden with Moblin make up. A green eyeliner and shadow came into being as well. His nails natural polish gold. And that was it.
Toby looked at his hands and smiled before saying with a look that melted even Hoglah’s stone heart. “Thanks momma! I feel like me!” She gave him another huge kiss on the cheek. “Welcome home my boy!”
As Toby played with his cute tail and marveled at his new looks in a foyer mirror the quaking grew louder and Hoglah knew the time was close at hand. She put a hand on Toby’s shoulder and invested the burden on her mind on him, and as one does with their child, hope. “Toby, I’m going to be leaving with the vast majority of my forces. I’m leaving you here Toby. I have no idea how to run anything worth a damn. This town is yours Toby. I’m heading to the coast, my wife needs me. I am not turning my back on you, I’m leaving Volen as your personal protector. He might very well be my strongest compatriot, but you matter that much to me. I’d leave Grenida too, but I need her cooking skills to feed my forces. We are in a bottleneck with a time crunch and a resource deficit. Essentially, we are powerful, but a single carrier pigeon could kill us all right now. If the Church knows what is happening they will attack us on two sides. Your job is to secure this area, prevent the church from entering the province until we’ve routed out all of their forces toward the sea and can successfully declare this land is ours. Then we can mount an offensive. I don’t know politics, diplomacy or commerce, but I can do war. You have access to much of my transformative abilities as the prince of Moblins and you’ll likely mature faster now. Having you on my side drastically increases my chances of winning. I’d prepared to lose this land to the church, but you change everything. Seize this town, build your own force, learn a weapon, build us food production and industry, anything to help us stand against the Church’s might. If they overwhelm you don’t worry, just slowing them down was enough. Volen has orders to save you if everything goes south. If you can make this work Toby, we’ll establish a new nation! I will need to learn so much from you.” Hoglah’s eyes go uncharacteristically gentle. “Am I putting too much on you my boy?” With a true smirk Toby's tiny hand pats the gigantic porcine woman’s side. “Not at all Mom, I have big plans!”
