A bandit passed by his fellows on the lookout.

For the past day and night the gang was searching for William, a traitor, who ruined their Boss’ blood-earned cash.

Their short rest was ruined, and now everybody was frantic.

While the lieutenants were kicking the grunts around, and everyone was still in hurry, he went to the storage.

A piece of ham and a cup of ale would lift anyone’s spirits. But he planned further: while everyone is still busy, he will get drunk. Nobody even checked up on that place, and if he’s lucky, he might even snatch a transformation elixir.

It was sought after for many reasons, one of which is its amazing ability to change one’s appearance. But that’s not the only reason: one may even change their entire life because of it.

The bandit entered the storage.

The entire place was looking like it was raided by a rival gang, but the ale was still there.

He also noticed the elixir vials, held in the hands of a dead woman.

He picked up one of them, and looked at it.

One bottle will transform you for 24 hours.

If you consume a second bottle within one month – the form you transformed into will be the same forever.

And should you drink a third one within half of a year, even stranger things may occur… Just like with the Boss…

Because the elixir is so hard to obtain, nobody even thought about getting rid of the side effects. They are both the curse, and the blessing.

And now he held an equivalent of three bottles in his hands.

‘Sssss’

The bandit looked away from the vials, and saw it…

Black, with long tail and sharp talons… Its long head looked at him from behind a crate…

“Damned rats…!” He grit his teeth, and showed a fist at the pests that hurried to hide after being spotted.

One of the torches has burnt out, so the pests no longer ‘feared’ moving in the open.

The bandit approached the torch, and lit it from a candle.

When he turned around, he saw something behind a barrel of ale.

“What in the Avern is that…?”

He saw the body of sought-after William, but the corpse was not the thing that attracted his attention.

It was a weird black something that sat on the body.

When he approached, the spikes on the thing’s back moved, and a tail moved away from a plate on the creature’s neck.

The bandit was paralyzed with horror, as it turned its ‘head’.

‘Hissssss’

It stood up, and looked at him. From above.

“He…! he…! HIIIIIIIII!!!”

‘HRAAAA!’ Then it swung its arm, and its skinny black hand cut the bandit, splattering blood everywhere.

---

For me, this stockpile was a blessing in disguise.

No matter how much I had ate, it was not enough. The rats, the rocks, the leftover meals. I did not feel sated.

I was too small and too weak, or so I thought.

One murder, and I started realizing: I am not just a tiny creature. I am the freaking perfect organism.

And now that I had an abundance of food, I started eating.

Several times I had to hide, as people came and left the storage room. During one of such visits they threw something inside.

It was a woman.

My eyesight was much better than usually, so I was able to see her.

[‘This is one is as good as dead…’]

I don’t know what has gotten into me, but my instincts were telling me to focus on the eating, instead of trying to help her.

But the woman was not giving up on living.

[‘What are you even trying to do?’] I tried saying.

I was wary of her, but instead of fearing a monster like myself, she was gently smiling and saying something. Then, she picked up some vials from a shelf, and even though she was paling and bleeding, she was trying to make me drink the contents.

I cautiously took a vial, and the woman beckoned me to drink. I took a sip but nothing happened.

She looked crestfallen, and continued giving me the vials.

I drank until I felt something hot inside of me. Together with my eyesight returning to normal, the woman fell and died.

‘Hisss Hrrr’ [‘Poor thing… Humans are the worst kind of monsters…’]

I continued stuffing myself with all the food I was finding.

When I was filled to the brim, I prepared to shed.

---

The cycle repeated for numerous times, until I heard the door open.

‘Creak’

I was sitting somewhere, and digesting my meal. There was no reason for me to move, since whoever it is, they will go away soon.

As they did many times before.

From the sound of the words I understood that it was a man.

And I was yet to see any ‘good’ men in the tunnels.

When he approached, and said something in shock, he signed himself a death sentence.

I grew up a lot. I got stronger. And I had a good reason for a test drive of my new form.

I stood up, and cut down the shrieking excuse of a human being with my claws.

Then, I exited the storage room.