Raven King Lore Event

The transformation hurt. Kuro’s arms and legs began to ache, then they burst into searing pain. He fell to the floor of compacted dirt. His vision blurred as he scraped his nails into the soil. Feathers along his limbs began to fall out as scales burst forth in their place. The grey feathers along his front fell away only to be replaced by strong scales resembling plating. Finally, his face split open revealing his dark tongue and flesh within. The process took almost an hour to complete, and Kuro was reluctant to move once it was over. Stumbling, he forced himself to his feet using a nearby stool. The first thing he noticed was that his horns hit the ceiling now. Looking down at his arms and legs, he saw the fresh scaling that was just as hard as the scaling on his front. The crest sat safely in the center of his collarbone area, a brilliant white against his dark feathering. Once he’s regained his balance, he wobbled over to the mirror on the far side of the shop. There, he could see his whole body. The feathers on his neck had grown immensely and he would have to be careful with them around the forge. He tested his new jaw, noticing that he had no teeth. Kuro secretly hoped that he wouldn’t have to eat solid foods from now on. He heard thumping at the door, stirring him from his thoughts. When he opened it, he wasn’t surprised to see his Nektahusk right in the frame. Such a needy creature sometimes, Kuro thought. He gave it a pat on its shoulder where there was no slime, comforting it. “You must have been scared by my changing, huh?” The creature snorted in agreement, though the slime stopped most of the sound from escaping and instead created a small bubble that popped. Kuro considered his next move as he continued to pet his Nektahusk. He should leave to help his king in the fight, but should he bring his pet along? After a few moments of internal deliberation, Kuro finally decided that he would indeed bring his companion. They had been together for some time now and the thought of something happening to them concerned Kuro greatly. The travel to the Raven army wasn’t long by any means, and they were situated in rather quickly into their own barracks. Kuro was a bit upset that his Nektahusk would have to remain in the stables for the time being, but he understood that it would be safer for all the animals to be together where they could be monitored properly. Once he finished unpacking what little he had brought, Kuro went out to search for someone to find him something to do. The guards mentioned the possible positions he could assume while here in the Raven’s army, and so that’s how Kuro became a perimeter guard. He wore a belt with a sword as he walked next to his companion. They were sent to keep watch on the forest’s edge to make sure no messengers were trying to sabotage their mission. Kuro found a small alcove in a cliffside where he could watch the main road from above. The two fit in the hole, but just barely, and Kuro had to struggle to get comfortable around his slimy companion. It was around noon, and Kuro had brought refreshments with them if needed, so he planned on staying here as long as he could. The sunlight angled inwards to the cave, not good for hiding, but great for feasting on the sun’s rays. He felt his body becoming heavy with sleep, but he fought the urge. The hours ticked away with nothing more than a deer or a boar passing below. Kuro found that although he was doing a service for the king, it was one boring task. His companion snoozed next to him, its dark bones stretched out, taking more room than he preferred. He let it be and focused on a new task: learning to drink with his mouth. The water he had brought along was cold to the touch still, and it chilled his tongue as he poured some into his mouth. His first attempt in swallowing ended up in a coughing fit that woke the Nektahusk. It grunted in disapproval and resituated itself so that it had its back to the entrance and curled into a ball. Kuro gave it another attempt, this tie with less liquid, and was successful. It was a very strange feeling consuming anything this way and it would take some time to adjust. The sunlight was now beginning to fade, and the camp was becoming lit with firelight. Kuro decided that it was time to head back and stretched his wings before gliding to the ground below. His companion took a little longer to join him, but they were soon on their way back to the wall that surrounded the camp. They were let in with ease, giving them an opportunity to look around the camp before turning in for the night. Kuro passed by the Raven King’s tent, stopping briefly to peer inside. It was empty. he turned to leave, crashing into a tall figure as he did so. Stepping back and apologizing, it was to his horror when he saw it was the King himself. He bowed low, expecting some kind of punishment, but instead, a hand was placed on his shoulder. “I’m glad to see you’ve joined us. If you would like, I have a tent for smiths on the north side of the camp.” The hand squeezed tighter as the Raven King leaned in, “next time, be more aware of your surroundings. I may not be as forgiving as I have been today.” Kuro gulped and nodded. The hand on his shoulder finally released him as the Raven King stepped past him into his tent followed by an assortment of armor-clad soldiers. With the tent flap closed, Kuro scurried off to grab his things. Leaving his Nektahusk in the stables once more, he headed to the smith’s tent where he was greeted by two others. It was more spacious here and he was grateful the other two Aphex seemed to keep to themselves. Tomorrow, Kuro would double down on his work and make the best weapons he could.