Part 9

The next room was extremely narrow. It was basically a glorified hallway. In the middle of the room were two glass squares. One square was on the ceiling while the other was on the floor. There was a glowing blue mist suspended between them. It completely obscured the area beyond it. There was a short inscription on the wall.

Twinkle read it off instantly, in his squeaky voice, as the party neared, "Liars beware."

Eadric grinned. He would never be able to read that [b]barbaric[/b] language! Eadric also knew his companions well: they would never accept Twinkle as part of their group so long as he could translate [i]elvish[/i]!

Ox shrugged his shoulders at Twinkle's words and stepped into the engulfing mist without hesitation.

The party waited with bated breath until they heard Ox's deep voice from the other side, "All good, gentlemen, come on over."

Gus and Twinkle cautiously stepped through the mist one after the other. Eadric took a deep breath and confidently followed his companions.

The heavy mist was chilly against Eadric's skin. He blindly shuffled his way to the other side and emerged among his companions. Eadric gasped and immediately turned away with embarrassment. His oversized armor was gone! He was butt naked!

Ox gasped, "Eadric! By the gods, look at you!"

Eadric felt his cheeks blazing red. The only thing left on his body was his executioners mask. His long, unmistakable ears stuck out around it. He was also holding a curved, elven dagger. [i]Blightsteel[/i] had transformed!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nZlsKH7UQNm-MBAvGn65cInvhaveersY/view?usp=drive_link

"You're an elf!" Gus gasped.

Eadric looked down at himself. It was the first time he'd actually seen himself since this ordeal began. He knew he'd diminished a bit, but this was beyond even his most pessimistic estimation! His body had become thin, wiry and hairless. He stood around 5"8. His shoulders were narrow and his entire upper body lacked musculature. His pecs were rather puffy and soft, but Eadric didn't think much of it at the moment.

"Who the hell are you?" Ox asked exasperated.

Twinkle cleared his throat then spoke, his squeaky voice betrayed his increasingly robust, masculine features, "Here, Eadric, I looted some clothing off the undead."

Twinkle procured a few garments and handed them to Eadric. Eadric grimaced, Twinkle was handing him an ELVEN DRESS!

He protested, "I'm neither a woman, nor an elf! I [b]WON'T[/b] wear this!"

"Could've fooled me with those knife ears." Ox spat.

Eadric felt immediately self conscious of his ridiculous, pointed ears. He wanted to reach up and cover them, but he didn't want to give Ox the satisfaction.

Twinkle sighed, "I'm sorry, Eadric, but you saw it yourself; only the females had clothing on up there. It's either this or one of the skimpier outfits I managed to pilfer. Of course, you could always walk around naked if you prefer."

Eadric grumbled and glanced down at the dress in his hands. He didn't want to walk around naked in a place like this. Additionally, he was incredibly embarrassed with his weakened body. He needed something to cover himself!

With frustrated apprehension, Eadric stepped into the dress, pulled up a pair of tights and strapped on leather boots. He was surprised to find his big feet could fit in boots that were once worn by a female corpse. He clasped the thin, elvish blade to his hip. He was angry about his sword being transformed, but at least it was easier to carry and fight with. Eadric was still convinced his body would return to normal when it was all said and done, why would his prized sword be any different?

The dress was forest green and left his thin, hairless arms exposed. It covered down to Eadric's knees. The boots were shiny, black leather and the tights were black.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17VKRE3s2NyKB1feoyGQku8kJd0_gdz3I/view?usp=drive_link

Eadric had to admit that the outfit was far more comfortable than his ill-fitting armor, but he felt embarrassed and vulnerable nonetheless. He was now the smallest person in the party and without his heavy armor to cover himself everybody could see it. Eadric was happy to continue hiding behind his mask, at least the mist had left him that small bit of solace.

With his little dagger; tiny, hairless body; pointy ears and green dress, Eadric was feeling like more than just the odd man out- he felt like he didn't fit in with the party at all.

Ox stood next to Eadric and towered over him as he bellowed, "You look like an elvish bitch! I can't follow you any further. I'm taking over from here."

Eadric looked up- [b]way up[/b]- into Ox's eyes and wanted desperately to argue back. He wanted to grab Ox by his neck and teach him a lesson!

But...Eadric knew he was no longer capable of doing that. He knew the fur clad warrior was right; until he got his body back, he was in no shape to lead anybody.

"Okay." Eadric muttered while breaking the stare.

Ox shook his head solemnly, "T, give Eadric back his pack. It's not your responsibility to carry his burden anymore."

Twinkle removed one of the heavy packs and secured it around Eadric's shoulders. Eadric's legs nearly buckled under the weight but he held on. Eadric stared at the ground. He had no words. He just had to get to the end of this dungeon and- and everything would be set right!

Gus, who had been quiet for some time, turned towards the staircase and stated, "Lets press on. We need to find a place to rest up."

The party made for the steps and descended. Eadric followed behind, struggling with the pack.