Everyone had changed during their short break. While Haze waited to speak, Cutlery looked about for Roddy, Koper, and Flavor the blue demon girl. Roddy was near the front of the group looking serious and not talking. His muscles had shrunk slightly. The more remarkable change was that no chest hair was spilling out of his shirt anymore. You could hardly tell he had any while he wore a shirt! Which, Cutlery thought, was how it should be.
Kopei contrasted against the other healers with her dark skin so she was easy to find. Her hair had shot out to her waist. She kept putting it back behind her ear instead of just putting it up. Otherwise, she was the same.
Flavor's blue skin also stood out. Her horns shortened slightly and pointed straight up now. They had to be at least four inches long. Quite big. Her chest was normal but her waist was somewhat... orbital now. Hopefully the next day it might calm down. She seemed embarrassed by it, she kept tugging her pants up and then back down as she fought to hide her butt and mid-thighs at the same time with all too little clothing.
Everyone else had changed as well. Many who had extreme features seemed to have mellowed out while others had burst outward. Many of the ladder types were embarrassed or extremely prideful about it. The last of the group arrived. Goliath leading the late group. They were seven feet tall. Despite that, they lowered their head and glanced around quickly when they saw Haze's expression. No one's personality quite fits their body yet.
"Well everyone, good job with the rats. I heard the disgusting pit of a place hit a little harder mentally on some of you." Haze said. He lingered on the words. Flavor shifted nervously. "But you completed the job and even left the reward. While we didn't like cleaning up rats, extra wine is worth it. Good job. Your mind is also going to be trained here, not just your body. Which I see are still fluctuating. That should only last up to three more days. Most of you should be near your stable forms. It is perfectly normal. Ask your seniors for help with anything that may come up." Haze stopped and smiled. Everyone relaxed. Some giggling went around as people poked fun at the changes. The haze cleared his throat,
"I came out here to say something important before you eat. In the future gross environments, wounds, and more will happen more often than you like. So I give this order now, learn to deal with it. However, you must. I drink Suxing, others train it out in the gyms, and others have more private methods. Ask your seniors for help. They have learned to deal with it and grow stronger. You will too. All right!? Go eat some food you all need it, your bodies look insane." Haze said. The group decompressed and chuckled.
He flung open the doors. The tables were already set with a small feast. A battle broke loose. Cutlery smiled. Quests and hard shit were gonna be the norm? She was all in. Maybe she would stay a little longer. Though Haze still seemed like an asshole who didn't care what he put them through. Warm bread would help for now.
-
The group turbo-blasted the food. The golden goo or whatever was doing wonders for their physiology. After their meal Haze rolled out a wooden board and showed them a long list of activities and times. It was only halfway through it that Cutlery realized he was explaining their daily schedule. It was that packed. Morning to night. Training, reading, lifting, magic basics, weapons, armor, eating, and more filled the day. For once Haze told them what was happening ahead of schedule. Everyone groaned from their food and imminent suffering.
Haze stuck to his word and got them to work. The next morning they were woken up at dawn, ate, and were directed around the floors in groups. Haze split the muscle heads and dorks. Cutlery waved goodbye to Rega who was in a food coma. Cutleries group was taken to the gym she had nearly been felt up in. The rest of the group hadn't been before.
Despite the skin-crawling memories, having a bunch of rapidly changing yet familiar faces around helped. Haze was with their group. Many of the thirds, as they had come to be called by Haze, were here to help. The group was further split into the thin slippery people like Cutlery, and the wide-wall people like Roddy. Roddy's group immediately started getting screamed at. They fell to the ground. Many of them did so with gusto and joy, insane. They proceeded to then do the most energy-consuming movements Cutlery had ever seen.
Cutlery's group was handed equipment like daggers, small swords, lock picks, and slings and brought to the various rooms in the gym. They put all the equipment on. This took several small pouches and bags to contain each device and weapon. and were run through the course. Cutlery remembered back hitting her limbs on the windowsills. Now she was covered in equipment. The number of coaching given made everything a blur. By lunchtime, it felt like she had just walked in from breakfast.
They guzzled more, then did it again. They ate, then got written lessons! Cutlery at first almost barfed at the fact that they sat her at a desk and started to teach her writing without asking her if she was allergic. It was difficult, but manageable What truly made it worth it was watching the others. Roddy refused to sit down when he first saw the classroom. Several of the women who had just fought men twice their size for hours on end had to be dragged back into the room screaming. After ten minutes of the soldiers manhandling them, they were all sitting. The 'thirds' as Haze still called them made quick work of the rebels.
The space looked like a classroom of the world's strongest scholars. Cutlery couldn't help but enjoy watching huge wide biceps constantly shifting on tiny armrests. Truly it was planets colliding. It was like fireworks from the Jewels of Eriar ships that came to port.
So she survived the classroom. When she finally stumbled into her bedroom, Rega was in there looking like a vampire had drained her.
"They made me do something called a push-up, where you just, push...up, over and over." She said faintly.
"They made me write the first letter of the standard alphabet, over and over." She said back. She was mentally tired. Rega was physically drained. They looked at each other and gave faint smiles of exhaustion. After a labored conversation while they changed and got comfy they learned a few things. Rega's group had spent almost all of the day in the classroom. Some kids had gone to a target range, learned to meditate, and did other odd things.
"It's supposed to help our magic." She explained. After dinner, the dorks had been made to do physical training. Cutlery explained they had done the opposite. Training their bodies all day, then minds at the end.
"School, we're just in school," Rega said. Cutlery nearly cried at that. Haze knew what activities drained them of energy right before bed though. Cutleries mind was mud, and Rega's body was slosh. They both fainted after talking for only two minutes.
-
Time passed. Somewhere around the second week of training, they were told that they had the afternoon off. Cutlery was pretty sure no one had thought a coherent sentence in those weeks until now. The youths had become training machines. They ate, slept, and moved on Haze's command.
Now they would be free for a few hours and it discombobulated all of them. What would they do? Train more? Talk? They had all been around each other nonstop for almost three weeks now, what was there to talk about? Then it hit Cutlery. She was trying to escape! She had completely forgotten!
Standing from her seat she grabbed the last of her food in her fist and ran off.
"What the? Cutlery! Don't grab your foo..." Rega yelled after her. She ran off. Planting her face on the nearest window, she drank in the idea of freedom. She didn't have to train every day. That was optional. Listening was optional.
She needed to remember that. She was a person from the streets who stole, was small, and fought for life. She was not a warrior goddess who endured military education day in and day out. She breathed in and only tasted the tower's stale air. No rancid scents mixed with spice.
She looked about for what she could do to cause trouble. Perhaps she should reel it in. A snow-white statue caught her attention. Goliath stood at a nearby window. They also looked out. Cutlery followed their gaze. Tilted up, Goliath looked upon the distant Dawn Mountains. The huge endless peaks were always covered in snow. Clouds passed below their peaks.
Cutlery walked to Goliath and asked,
"What is your name goliath?" Cutlery said with a chipper tone. She tried to mimic Rega's natural social ways.
"Taudairy." Taudairy the goliath said. Cutlery chewed on that.
"Like tall milk?" She said back. She couldn't help it, mimicking Rega sapped her of life. Tadairy looked at her.
"Wha..." Taudairy said.
"I'll just call you Tall, unless you prefer Dairy?" Cutlery asked. Taudairy thought for several stretching seconds.
"Tall is, pretty yes," Tall said. Wait, had she asked a question? Cutlery wasn't sure.
"Yes, very pretty, is that good?" Cutlery asked. Tall thought. They nodded. "Are you? Like a chick?" Cutlery asked. She wasn't sure how to ask that at the ripe age of six.
"I am baby yes. Now I am a baby with large essence." Tall said. They padded their arms and legs. They were bulging with muscle.
"Very true." Cutlery said. Rega head peaked out of the dining hall and found them. She jogged over smiling at Tall.
"Heya Dairy!" Rega said. Cutlery snorted.
"I and the other girls were gonna go hang out in the public area, and get to know each other, do you want to join?" Rega asked Tall. Rega had called her Dairy. Cutlery was gonna stick with her choice.
"Yes, I will observe women's ways," Tall said thoughtfully. Rega leaned into Cutlery.
"Goliaths don't have two genders, just one, I'm trying to make them into a woman while we can get them on our side," Rega said with a smirk. Cutlery wasn't sure what that meant. It was better than not having Tall with them. Whatever the alternative may be. Then Rega grabbed Cutlery and started to pull at her.
"You too shorty!" Rega said to Cutlery. She leaned over her to emphasize it. Despite this Cutlery didn't budge to Rega's small muscles. Then a new shadow loomed over them both. Cutlery was launched into the air and landed with a huff on the hard-packed ground. Wait no, that was wrong.
Cutlery was bobbing up and down on the shoulder of Tall. She could reach the ceiling if she wanted to! Wow. Tall laughed and Rega giggled.
"Got her!" Rega said. Girls time it was, Cutlery sighed.
