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His spell struck the shields of the Wraith King and Queen finally shattering that formidable barrier with a soundless implosion.

The King finished his counter spell a second later. Kyrie being the sudden focus of the casting had just enough time to bring his staff up to take the brunt of the charge. His staff, a battle tested and potent weapon in its own right flashed with a blinding inner light and shattered at the impact. Kyrie had managed to save himself from the affect of the spell but at the cost of his weapon. Fortunately with the Queen's shield now rendered useless Sir Newell was able to rush to the attack. Ross too began sending arrows at the Wraith King. Posset started up a new shouted prayer as Kyrie reeled back still half blinded from the destruction of his staff.

The Queen moved to intercept Newell and even boldly took Ross's ineffective arrows. Still working in concert the Queen's move allowed the King to begin another spell unhindered. Posset's chant was having an affect but it was far from damaging. It appeared as though an unseen and unfelt wind was blasting through the room, but it was only the two wraith that felt the force of the priestess' efforts.

Kyrie, suddenly feeling at a massive disadvantage without his staff stepped up next to Newell. His hands and arms still aching from the concussive shattering of his staff the mage drew his enchanting dagger. "Go for the King. We must disrupt that spell."

The moment Sir Newell sidestepped to attack The King, Kyrie thrust his dagger at the Queen. Even though his attack struck home at the center of the Wraith Queen his thrust met all the resistance of gossamer. Despite the seeming lack of a physical target his weapon caused the Queen to focus once again on the mage, if just for the moment. Her backhanded swing hit Kyrie a glancing blow on the shoulder.

Grimacing at the sudden freezing pain of the Queen's strike Kyrie noticed Carrol had reached a point almost directly behind the King. Their thief still needed a few more precious seconds before she would be ready to strike. Ross had abandoned his bow and stepped up to engage the Queen while Sir Newell occupied the King; preventing him from what would likely be a devastating casting. They all knew how close they were to victory, or defeat. They were now few in number and against a foe that was testing their very limits. Everything now depended on taking both opponents together.

Taking a precious moment to check the door he saw the continuous chant of the priestess was keeping the undead from entering. Devon had turned at that development and was racing across to them but it would be another few seconds. The underground lair of the Wraith Queen and King was expansive.

Turning and stepping back to the melee Kyrie saw The Queen had managed to again cut off Newell. Engaging both the knight and scout allowed the Wraith King to focus on another casting. Fortunately Carroll was now in a position to surprise the King. She took one last quick step and launched herself at the back of the undead King. The same moment Kyrie stepped close and thrust his dagger at The King's chest. Feeling the same lack of substantive resistance Kyrie continued his thrust. The stroke would have gutted a normal adversary but the Wrath King was no normal opponent. Even Carrol's surprise attack was not enough to end the King's evil existence. In fact it looked was though the thief were taking the worst of it from contact with the wraith.

Screaming in pain Carrol fell from the back of The King. In obvious agony she dropped to the floor and wrapped her arms against her chest. Kyrie understood how much pain she was in. He too felt the creeping massive sense of soul crushing cold that emanated from the evil being. Forcing himself to make another thrust he missed but forced the King to back away a half step. Devon appeared at his side in that moment with a swing that buried his sword deep in the King's chest. Even as Devon pulled his sword free they both could see The King reeling back in fear for the first time.

"Help the others." Was the paladin's order to Kyrie as he pressed his advantage.

Turning to the Queen Kyrie saw only Sir Newell was left and he looked to be barely able to lift his sword arm. The Queen, close to vanquishing her enemies was bringing her staff up in preparation for a blow to finish Newell. Jumping to intercept the blow and bringing his arms up Kyrie was just able to grasp the staff in time to prevent the blow from landing.

The pain and freezing cold was reduced by the lack of direct contact but still had a profound affect. Gritting his teeth in an effort to keep his hold on the staff Kyrie was all but pulled off his feet as The Queen tried to wrest it from his grip. Thrown off balance by her first pull Kyrie was thrown about like an oversized rag doll. He barely heard Devon's shout of triumph. He did however see Sir Newell's blade make the cut that separated The Queen's head from her body. Still completely off balance for being thrown about by the wraith Kyrie's momentum sent him falling to the side. Managing to maintain his grip Kyrie also became the victor of the battle for possession of the powerful staff.

Still recovering from the affect of his battle with The Queen, Kyrie stared at the staff he now held. A former possession of The Wraith Queen he reminded himself. The pain and cold he had felt as a result of the Queen's influence was already fading. Indeed, Kyrie felt a sense of warmth beginning in the fingers that grasped the staff. The sensation drew his attention. Focusing his talent on the staff he instantly understood that the staff had at once accepted him as its new master. He had heard that only the most powerful of enchanted items possessed what could even be vaguely considered a mind of their own. Kyrie stared at his new acquisition wondering if his new staff could truly be that powerful. He was unexpectedly feeling a physical reaction in his loins at the prospect of gaining such a powerful staff.

With his own smile of victory Kyrie looked to the rest of his party. His eyes instead fell on the wall at his right. There, a clean silhouette inside a huge scorch mark on the wall was the only sign that is apprentice had ever existed. That and the huge losses the party had suffered couldn't even suppress the glow of victory he felt. Looking elsewhere he saw that even the typically stoic Sir Newell seemed almost overcome with enthusiasm.

Stooping down to reach for the severed head of the Queen, Newell plucked the simple looking crown from her brow. Standing once again he took the golden loop in both hands.

A shouted "No." from Posset wasn't enough to dissuade Sir Newell before he bent and crumpled the crown in both hands.

Kyrie felt his head swim for an instant before everything went black.

He came back to his senses still in darkness. Everything felt wrong. Struggling to right himself it felt as though his limbs moved in odd unsettling ways. Seconds of struggling with whatever had been draped over him caused him to come up with an incredible theory of what was happening. Shaking his head at the thought he felt even more strangeness. Finally discovering how to escape from under the heavy fabric covering him Kyrie started grumbling. There was no doubt that it had been the actions of Sir Newell that had released a curse.

Breaking into an opening in the fabric Kyrie saw that his assumption was correct. He stood from the neck opening of his own robe and looked around the throne room. Seeing the room apparently emory it was clear that the curse had affected them all. Fortunately the undead that had treated to enter the room and overwhelm the campaign were also not in evidence. Seeing no immediate threat Kyrie looked to examine himself.

He estimated from his new perspective he was roughly six inches tall. Worse than that he was no longer fully human. His naked chest was covered in a thick covering of cream colored fur. He stared a few extra seconds at his newly furry chest. His newly thick muscular chest. He actually had to lean a bit forward to get a look at his nethers. Still standing as he would have when human Kyrie guessed he was now half human and half animal as well as only six inches tall. It had to have been a powerful curse to make such radical changes. From there he took a moment to inventory the changes to bis body.

A thickly muscled chest was just the beginning. His male hood had gained equally as his chest. While he was covered in a furry sheath, just as a fox would have been, his male hood stood was clearly larger than it had been. He now sported a member that reached up just shy of where his bellybutton was once in evidence. Smirking to himself he could see he was now far larger recumbent and embedded in his new sheath than his former human erection had been. He wondered what manner of curse would make such pleasant improvements over his previous body.

Looking elsewhere his saw his arms too had grown thick with muscle, as had his legs. He brought his hands up and turning them back and forth he saw that while largely unchanged they were now covered in almost coal black fur. That same fur grew longer as it swept up his forearms and turned a deep red just before his elbows. His fingers were tipped in sharp claws as were his toes. His black furred feet were much the same with his heel planted firmly on the floor. The toes were changed drastically, each had grown to be as large as his big toe had been. Still five toed the end of his foot now spread out to cover twice the area it had before.

Reaching up to the top of his head only confirmed his guess. Canine ears and muzzle met his fingers. Turning his upper body he saw a large tail swept the air behind himself. If it weren't for being only six inches taller he'd have almost appreciated the changes. There were worse curses that could have befallen him and his party. Kyrie smiled at the thought that he was now far more muscular than most of the campaign's fighters had been. Wondering how Sir Newel had fared caused him to look around the room searching for the others.

Seemingly at a greater distance than the few feet that separated them he saw Sir Newell. Also under the affects of the curse he'd released, Newell was perhaps five inches tall. From the fur pattern his naked form displayed he was now in the body of a half human weasel. Kyrie guessed he must have taken the full force of the curse. At five inches he looked even smaller in the body than he had been. His limbs were almost stick thin and worse yet for him it only took one small paw to cover his nether. Newell's male hood looked to have shrunken to preadolescent size.

Smirking to himself at the plight of the knight Kyrie looked for the rest of the party. Posset was the first to catch his eye. The female had become a half armadillo. He smiled in appreciation. Still feminine she now looked as strong and tough as she had shown her character to be. The now obvious yet natural seeming armor plating granted by her new halfbreed status completed the tough formidable look. She would now have even less difficulty defending herself.

Carrol was a different story. Still staring at herself in shock she had turned half raccoon. Once lithe and graceful she was having trouble accepting the sight of her now large belly. She kept staring and poking at her expansive midriff. Looking for Devon, Kyrie guessed the half lizard flexing one arm while feeling the thick muscle was the paladin. He too had gained muscle, only now he looked massive in comparison to his previous stature. Looking for their nature lover he saw a half wolf walking toward him with a smile on his muzzle.

Ross was clearly dealing well with the results of the curse. He guessed the druid was even more pleased with being half wolf than Kyrie was with his half fox status, even if it was only until they could break the curse. Kyrie thought at even six inches tall there was little any of them could do to defend themselves against even the weakest dungeon dweller. That thought caused him to finally act.

Stepping carefully over his now vastly oversized robe Kyrie made his way to the discarded staff. The half wolf met him at the staff. Ross stood at the other side while Kyrie crouched and grasped the staff with both hands. His new staff was the comparative size of a tree and proved to be even more powerful than he'd hoped. It had accepted him in that first instant. Concentrating equally on the staff and the magic of the curse Kyrie focused on the essentials.

His talent combined with the power of the staff informed him the curse was still settling on them, and would be for several days to come. In magically probing over The King's curse he saw that even though he had the power, he would be unable to remove it while he also remained under the curse.

Standing he gave Ross the results of his search. The druid redundantly asked "Can you undo the curse?"

"Not while under its power myself. It's still unstable, for the moment. I'd more than likely trigger a reinitiating of the original spell. We'd end up in a worse state than we are now."

"Then we'd best gather ourselves and make haste." Ross replied as he half turned to watch the rest of the party come to grips with their situation.

Kyrie took the opportunity to examine the half wolf before him. A head shorter than Kyrie he was not quite as thin as Newell but looked fit. While smaller and thinner than the mage Ross still looked as though he could still take care of himself. He still had the air of quiet confidence only now he had even more of an animal essence to his bearing than before.

Posset joined them on Kyrie's robes stepping carefully. Kyrie noted she was being careful due to her foot claws tending to catch in the fabric of his robe. As Posset stopped and glanced back at Newell and Devon she said "I could attempt to break this curse we're under but I fear I may make matters worse than they are. I believe our best course of action is to get to sunlight. I am certain that the purity of sunlight will break this curse. As it stands it becomes more unlikely to be able to undo the affects forced upon us the longer we stay in these forms."

She stopped to stare at Ross. That male was openly looking the female over. Kyrie had taken a more subtle look at the now naked priestess. Trained as he was to rely on memory he had only taken in the female with a quick glance. The image of her unclothed body was tucked away and preserved forever in his memory. The wolf however continued to gather in and appreciate the view much to the dislike of the object of his attention.

Stroking the fur under his chin Kyrie replied "I estimate we have two days before the curse would be near unbreakable."

The priestess nodded. "I also feel that the more we acclimate to these forms the faster the curse sets in."

"Um, what does that mean?" Ross asked.

Kyrie stoped smoothing the fur of his chin and looked at his hands. He had only started the gesture with the fur of his chin by habit. The activity had been similar to stroking his beard when thinking had been. Once he'd started the pleasant feeling had caused him to comb his claws through the soft fur of his chin The strokes had slowly traveling further down his neck from the pleasant feel. Still looking at his fur covered hands Kyrie answered. "So then, the more we come to like this form the deeper the curse roots into our souls."

Looking up at the druid and seeing his still confused expression he expounded further. "It means the more we tend to like our new but hopefully temporary bodies the more likely it is we'll be stuck in them."

"Oh." Devon said softly. With a wry grin he added "It wouldn't be so bad if not for our size."

Posset snorted at the comment. "Yes, thats the subtle way curses tend to warp the attitudes of those they are cast on. We should gather everyone and make our way out of this place as quickly as we can manage."

Minutes later everyone left in the party had been informed of the nature of their situation.

With a self congratulatory smile Devon observed "It should be easy to retrace our way in. Remember how we laid waste to the King and Queen's minions?"

Kyrie held his tongue as he always tended to after the paladin spoke. He could see the others were equally tightlipped, or tight muzzled he thought irreverently. They endured a further delay to scrounge through their own belongings for some impromptu weapons. Very few things were suitable to their new size. Devon, to everyone's surprise was able to not only lift, but handle Kyrie's enchanting dagger as if it were a two handed sword. Carrol, Newell and Ross were left with a few of the raccoon's lock pick tools to use as blunted blades. Kyrie and Posset were was left without weapons. He carried a length of thread from his darning kit as improvised rope, as did Carrol and Posset. It was impractical to attempt to carry any of their former tools of the trade.

Kyrie gave the scorch mark that served as his apprentice's final resting place one last look before setting out. As they reached the still open doors to the throne room their spirits lifted. All the undead that had threatened to overwhelm them lay lifeless once again. It was obvious whatever spell that had animated them had failed upon the demise of the Wraith King and Queen.

They picked their route through the loose bones carefully. Each of them still wary of the menacing skeletons, they avoided even touching the inert bones by unspoken agreement. Through the field of bones they once again had a clear field of vision. Kyrie sighed at the prospect. Everything seemed huge and disconcerting. So much wider than when they'd entered, the entrance hall to the throne room felt even more menacing in its sheer size than before.

Almost as large as the throne room they began the crossing in their usual formation. With Devon in the lead Kyrie considered again why the King and Queen had their mock throne room three levels underground. Sure, they were undead creatures but it seemed so stereotypical to place their personal lair so deep underground. His thoughts about the wraiths ended as Devon came to a halt with his fist in the air.

They all readied themselves as the paladin slowly crouched, assuming a defensive stance. Kyrie too could see movement in the shadows from his place in the center of the formation. The chamber was still lit by torches placed at intervals along the walls. They were set far apart and cast wide shadows in the far reached. They all watched warily as the creature they faced shambled foreword into the light.

Kyrie felt his body relax, if only slightly. The thing was a simple rat, only now it looked to them the size of a horse. Posset softly said "We should leave it alone and attempt to go around."

Seeing the look on Devon's face, Kyrie knew that was not what was about to happen. A second later the paladin shouted his battle cry and sprinted foreword. Sir Newell was a half step behind brandishing what Carrol had called the rake from her lock pick tools. The raccoon, as usual crouched low and sought to sidestep into the shadows. Ross, while not one to charge into the fray as the two fighters jogged after them slowly anyway.

"Damn fools." was all Posset said as she uncharacteristically followed Carroll. Kyrie, after a moment's thought followed suit. Stealth was now their only ally.

As Kyrie and Posset followed Carrol they watched the battle with something more than simple curiosity. To their surprise the rat retreated with a frightened chitter. The raccoon also slowed to watch with interest. Faster than the diminutive lizard and weasel the large rat slunk back to the shadows. Devon, as always stopped and as he took a knee set Kyrie's dagger point on the ground in front of him and with both hands on the pommel and head bowed started giving thanks to the god he prayed to. Newell satisfied himself with verbally taunting the oversized rat still lingering in the shadows.

"We should keep going without them." Carrol whispered.

Looking at the raccoon Kyrie followed her gaze. She was watching the furtive movement in the shadows. Large forms were on the move. After a moment of watching Kyrie saw they were more rats. He also realized his vision had changed with his form. He could see their skulking forms even in the deeper shadows. He wondered how well Carrol saw with her raccoon eyes. Dozens looked to be converging on the location of the single vanquished rodent. Looking back at the others he saw Ross strolling back toward them while Newell and Devon were preoccupied with celebrating their victory.

"All right, lead the way." Kyrie said. Normally he'd have sought some way to back up the two overly aggressive fighters but things had changed.

"Make for the stairs fast as you can." Posset said, seemingly voting with Carrol and Kyrie with the comment.

A hissed "This way." was the raccoon's answer before setting out toward the near wall. She led them to a column and rounded it giving them some cover from the gathering horde of vermin. She stopped with her back against the base of the column and watched with a smile as Kyrie and Posset copied her. A moment later they were joined by Ross. The wolf casually stopped next to Posset and smiled.

The druid had always seemed at home in the dark. Now with his wolf form he seemed even more suited to loping through the shadows. His mouth hung open a second in a purely wolf mannerism before he asked "What's the plan?"

Carrol frowned but replied "We wait here until those two create a distraction."

As if on cue the fighters roared a challenge. Kyrie guessed they'd seen the gathering of rats. Carrol turned and raced in the direction of the stairs without hesitation. The three others were off after her only a second behind. Together they raced along the opposite sides of the columns. Kyrie spared a few glances at the two fighters.

Standing back to back they fought off the rats. He could barely see where they fought. The rats were so much larger than the paladin and knight he could only catch a brief sight of them. Kyrie continued catching glances at them until they were too far back to safely continue watching. He needed to watch his footing and where Carrol was leading them.

He guessed that had Devon and Sir Newel been properly armed they might have been able to contend with such a larger foe. He'd seen them accomplish such feats before. Now, he thought they were sure to be overwhelmed in no time.

Carrol reached the last column rounding the large base ran for the stairs. Following closely Kyrie, Posset and Ross following closely were relieved to see the way ahead was clear, at least for the moment. Reaching the first step brought home just how much smaller they had become. None of them stood tall enough to reach the top of the step unaided. Kyrie and Ross quickly joined hands to give Carrol a base to stand upon and lifted the raccoon up. Once she had scrambled atop the step Posset was next. Ross then helped Kyrie up the step. Together Kyrie and Posset reached down to lift the wolf up to join them.

As they gained the second step in the same manner Kyrie kept glancing back. The fight with the rats continued. He was surprised at their compatriots. Fools they might seem at times but he had seldom seen better fighters. It pained him to leave them behind, but in their current situation they could ill afford the reckless behaviors that they always seemed to not only espouse but literally jump into. Pausing on the fifth step Kyrie looked back to see the center of the battle had drifted behind one of the columns.

At the switchback of the stairs he took one last look but could see neither Devon or Newell. The battle continued but the lizard and weasel were still out of sight. The four of them continued up the stairs finally reaching the next level. They took a moment to rest before starting up the next set of stairs. With a sigh Kyrie continued the efforts of climbing the stairs.

The effort of climbing the stairs, unlike when he'd been human was actually exhilarating to some degree. Had he still been human he'd have been near exhaustion after this much activity. His new half fox body seemed to yearn for strenuous activity. Had he been trained as a fighter as Newel and Devon he just might understand their over eagerness to go into battle. As a mage Kyrie thought this new body's strength and endurance could be equally beneficial.

He shook his head. Kyrie scolded himself, it was best not get too familiar with this body.

It was with mutual relief that they gained the first sub level. The four of them moved to the side of the landing for a few minutes rest. They had climbed too far to still hear the sounds of battle. Kyrie had no doubt Newel and Devon were now dead. He felt little of their loss. He'd only first met them at the start of the campaign.

The Duke of these lands had commissioned them to extinguish the threat of the Wraith King and Queen. The combined arguments of the rest of the party had barely reigned in their impulsive nature. Typical for their titles they had been prime examples of jump first, think later. Still, the campaign would not have succeeded without them and their fallen comrades. Scratching at an ear Kyrie thought over everyone they lost.

He watched a cockroach the comparative size of a large turtle scamper across the stone floor. It took him a moment to realize the torches on the walls were burning low. With none of the wraith's servants left, things like relighting torches were no longer happening. They'd have to hurry before they were left in complete darkness. His thoughts returned to the beginning of this campaign.

Starting at twenty five strong they were now down to four. From the first engagement it had been a constant fight. He'd previously heard of only a few of those that had fought by his side. The Duke had gathered the best of every discipline from far and wide for this mission. He had taken great pride in his apprentice. He had shown a potential for greatness with his ability to stand his own ground, until he was blasting into a scorched outline. He had little doubt the loss of so many talented and accomplished people would be felt for years to come.

With a barely suppressed smile he realized his cut of the commission would now be large enough to set him up for life. He also now had claim to the powerful staff laying in the throne room below. He was ready to move on when Ross stood. Climbing to his own feet Kyrie held out an arm to aid Posset up. She was finding it a bit more difficult with her extensively scaled limbs than before.

Together they walked toward the entrance to the hallway. They had to travel more than twelve hundred yards to reach the next set of stairs. Between them lay a dozen rooms they would have to pass through. They had discovered on the way in that there had been extensive changes made to the first subterranean level. The purpose of the remodel was made obvious with every room.

The center hallway had been blocked and a new passage rerouted through every room on this level. Every room had been rebuilt with defense in mind. No doubt directed by the Wraith King and Queen. Forced to take a zig zag route they'd had to take every room by force. It had been a tough fight to reach where they now rested. The party had lost more than a dozen on the first level. With hope and a little luck the level would still be clear from their first passage through.

The first room they entered was indeed still unoccupied, except for their two fallen companions. With a shiver Kyrie turned away from the bodies. While empty now, there was ample evidence that there had been visitors. Little was left of what had been Renaldo and Berrett. The knight and ranger were now nothing but bones and scraps of tattered clothing. The sight put all four of them on edge. It had been less than a full day since they had died. Kyrie hoped it had been the rats, and that they were now all occupied below.

Quickly moving through the room they cautiously entered the next. This one was once again filled with cobwebs. Before spiders would have been considered a simple nuisance. They'd killed a dozen giant spiders without taking any losses in this room. Even then the giant variety had been a mild threat. Now even their newly hatched offspring were now an even greater threat to the shrunken adventurers. Looking through the webs Kyrie could see hundreds of comparatively huge spiders weaving. Each had to be three inches across, and they were only a day old. Fortunately for them, the spiders were all busy repairing the damage to the webbing the party's passage had caused.

The much smaller party moved through the room with relative ease. The three or four inches closest to the floor were still somewhat clear. They simply had to duck and crouch under the masses of fresh webbing. Pausing at the doorway to the next room they surveyed the next obstacle before them. The trap Carrol had found and set off harmlessly had yet to be reset. The metal spikes littered the floor everywhere. Since each spike was two foot long they were still useless to them as weapons. Crossing to the next door was easy. Ten rooms to go until the stairs up to the outside and breaking the curse. Hopefully.

On first sight of the room Kyrie sighed. The piles of bodies remained untouched. Lizardmen, more than two dozen had defended this room to the last. Kyrie had no doubt their leader was in here somewhere. These were the last hold outs on the outer defense of the lair. It was with a sense of relief that they started crossing the now vast room.

It had been a purely physical fight up to this point. It had been on the lower levels that he and his fellow mages and priests had earned their pay. It had been the fighters that had gotten them through the battle above ground and this first level. Passing through the next room saw more of the same. Lizardmen, all dead. It wasn't until the third room from the stairs that the number of dead fell below ten. Kyrie remembered this was where Barrantes fell.

He'd liked the priest. It had been an unlucky break that had put a spear through his throat. He'd taken a moment to boast about how easy the fight was becoming. Turning his head to make the comment he'd become the very definition of irony the moment he turned his head back. While unfortunate for Barrantes his death had steeled everyone's resolve. His body was still propped up in the corner.

The next two rooms were similarly empty but for bodies. Perhaps grown a bit complacent Carrol had led them into the next room when they all froze at movement on the side of the room. One of the lizardmen were not dead. It lifted an arm up to rub across its eyes. It moved slow, clearly barely recovered from its terrible injuries. Carrol slowly crouched low to hide behind another lizardman corpse. Kyrie and Posset did the same while watching the massive lizardman warily. Should it discover them the lizardman could crush them underfoot almost effortlessly.

Crouching low behind their cover they listened to the low hissing and groans off the lizardman. Kyrie copied Carrol when she rose just enough to watch what the creature was doing. It tried to rise to its feet unsuccessfully. Once it dropped back to the floor it lay back and slowly lost consciousness. They waited a few more minutes before moving on.

They had come across nothing more until the second to last room. As one they paused in surprise and crouched low a second after seeing movement inside. Five kobold were searching the room. Even though they stood less than three feet tall they may as well have been giants to the four left in the party. Picking over the dead lizardmen the five looters were collecting anything they thought interesting. They were obviously taking advantage of the situation.

Kyrie's thoughts turned to everything they'd left below. There was no way he'd allow these filthy kobold to touch what was now rightfully his staff. There was all the other once personal possessions of the rest of the party as well. That sword Devon wielded was another item Kyrie had in mind. It was clearly a powerfully enchanted weapon. He would like nothing better than to acquire that as well as much of the other stuff now up for grabs. First though he had to break the curse.

"There's only five of them." Ross whispered.

"They might as well be twenty."

"Look." Carrol said while pointing.

It took a second for Kyrie to notice what she'd seen. On the right and down at the floor one of the stones that made up the wall had been pushed out. The passage beyond was in darkness but it was clear the kobold had gained entry to the room through the hidden passage.

Ross speculated "Could we scare them away by making enough noise? They might think the entire party were coming back toward the surface."

Posset turned to stare at him. "How can we possibly make that much noise at this size?"

"We have a better chance to sneak through while they're preoccupied." Kyrie said.

Ross asked "Why not just wait them out?"

"Time is not on our side. We need to escape this place as soon as possible." Posset replied.

Kyrie looked at Carrol. "What do you think of our chances of sneaking past?"

With a smirk she answered "Our current forms improve our odds. I say we take that chance." She paused to watch the five kobold plundering the dead. "If they do spot us we're close enough to make a run for the stairs."

"What?" Ross hissed in whisper. How can we out climb those kobold. Remember how much effort it took to get to this level?"

"No. You forget, those stairs are littered with bodies too. As gruesome as it sounds we're going to have to climb over them anyway." Posset replied to his question.

"I say we go." Kyrie said.

"I agree." Posset added.

Carrol smiled and nodded. It wouldn't matter what Ross voted. She turned and crouched low as she moved forward. As she set out Kyrie copied her staying right behind the thief. He could barely hear Posset following behind. Her natural armor had become a vast improvement when it came to moving quietly. He could only assume Ross was staying with them. They were halfway across the room when Carrol hunkered down behind a lizard man corpse. Even Kyrie could see there was a space of several feet where they would have no cover.

The half raccoon watched over the top of the lizard man's body. She ducked back down for a second to turn to the party and whisper. "Be ready to go and stay right behind me." She resumed her watch of the kobold.

Half a minute later she was sprinting across the gap to the next body. Kyrie, right on her tail almost tripped over her as she suddenly slid the last foot of the way. Slamming onto the lizardman body Kyrie bounced off and landed on Carrol. Posset slid into them a split second later. They all, as if on unspoken agreement stayed tangled together as they were and listened. After a few seconds of no sound of alarm from the kobold Carol pushed at Kyrie to get him to move off her. Standing and looking they saw that Ross had stayed behind.

He was still hiding behind the last corpse and watching the kobold from around the side of the lizardman's feet. They watched as he continued to hesitate. He was watching the five comparatively giant kobold and occasionally looking to their position across the open space.

"He's going to fuck things up." Carrol predicted.

"He knows what he needs to do. We should continue." Posset said.

Kyrie kept silent. He knew neither female had liked the druid. Posset had had a particular dislike for him. Kyrie had always thought her dislike caused by the priestess possibly seeing him as a rival, or worse a heretic. She'd begrudgingly held her attitude in check for the sake of the party's success.

Kyrie followed Carol as she moved on. Posset was once again behind him but now taking the rear position. They had made their way to just steps from the door when they heard the alarmed bark of one of the kobold. Looking back Kyrie could see all five cautiously closing on the small form of Ross. The druid was backing away just as cautiously while looking for any possibility of a surprise exit.

Kyrie shuddered at the sight. Ross, at only five inches tall was dominated by five kobold who each stood more than ten times taller. The tiny humanoid wolf didn't stand a chance against such a larger foe, and he was now surrounded by five of them. Carrol and Posset passed into the next room while Kyrie paused at the threshold to watch for just a moment longer. Looking ahead to check their progress he could see the last door between him and the stairs toward the surface. The room was empty except for more bodies. Carol and Posset had taken the distraction that Ross had caused and were racing straight for the door. He turned back to watch.

All five kobold now couched low to taunt Ross. As they started poking at the tiny wolf Ross fought back. To Kyrie's eyes he was clearly readying a casting. He waited a moment longer to see whether his suspicion of the affects of the curse were to be confirmed. As he expected Ross cast a spell at the kobold.

The effects of his casting were accompanied by what he interpreted as laughter from the kobold. Ross, having finished his spell went from half wolf to full wolf in seconds. The backlash left him an eight inch long wolf. As he stood in the circle of his captors clearly confused the laughter continued. Kyrie turned and followed the other two survivors as best he could without any further hesitation.

He saw they were already through the door and out of sight. As he raced to catch up his thoughts centered on what the two female might do should they manage to break the curse before him. The spectacle of five overwhelmingly huge kobold toy with Ross had certainly given him reason to question the wisdom of delaying to watch. As he reached the door into what remained of the original hallway he saw they had not waited. Already halfway up the stairs Carrol and Posset were racing toward the ground level landing.

Wasting no further time Kyrie began his own climb. He remembered the furious fight it took just to gain access through these stairs. Then they'd had more than a dozen fighters. By the time they'd fought their way to the bottom landing four had fallen. He was at the halfway point when he heard the barking and chittering of kobold voices growing louder behind him. He had no doubt they had either finished with Ross or had captured him for more play later and were exploring for more like him.

There was little choice. Kyrie remained out in the open in his bid for speed. Climbing over the bodies was the only way for him to gain the last set of stairs on his own. Should he hide he'd be stuck in the stairwell while the kobold could take their time searching for him. Having seen how thorough they searched for loot he would more than likely be found.

There was the chance that Posset and Carol would be outside soon. They would be drawn back to collect their belongings the same as Kyrie. There were things left below they would also have a great interest in taking for themselves. The question became; how would they treat him in his diminished status. Sure, kobolds were enemies but the two ahead of him were barely acquaintances. They'd never met before joining the campaign to clear the Duke's lands from the Wraith King and Queen. He'd rather not count on the good nature of mere acquaintances when it came to his life.

Exerting every ounce of his half fox body's greater strength and endurance he clambered over the final step and made the landing. Certain he was at least for the moment out of sight of anything at the bottom of the steps he continued as fast as his legs could carry him. He was encouraged by the daylight filtering in from the high windows. He rounded another pile of bodies to see the thief and priest had stopped at the outer door.

As he joined them they glanced back at him. From their looks he guessed he would have had nothing to fear from them should they have continued. It was relief that they had shown at his arrival rather than the disappointment he'd have seen should they have entertained thoughts of betrayal. Then again once he saw the courtyard he saw why they were relieved to have another of the party rejoin them.

"Aw, fuck." Kyrie muttered.

"Aye, we're fucked." Carrol agreed still looking at the chaos of the courtyard.

The Duke's personal guard had been employed to help in the fight through the acres surrounding the Keep. Once the gates had been blasted open with mage-fire they had stayed back to hold the fields outside the walls. Three days they were to remain, any longer and they were to consider the adventurers to have failed. It was still well within the three days time but it was obvious none of the troops had entered the keep.

Crows and ravens were still picking at the bodies strewn all over the wide courtyard. Kyrie also saw a lone coyote who had managed to gain entry despite the assumed lingering presence of troops just outside the wall. It would be deathly dangerous for any of them to wander out into the courtyard at their current size. The one thing they had in their favor was the sight of sunlight still falling on the upper battlements.

Carrol asked "Should we try to make our way inside the tower to reach sunlight?"

Kyrie shook his head even though neither female were looking back at him. "No, judging by how low the sun seems to be that would take too long. I'd say we have but an hour before the sun falls below the trees that surround this Keep."

"I agree. We must get out there, and soon." Posset said pointing toward the blasted gates of the Keep.

Kyrie followed her gesture. He looked past the gates to the fields beyond. Sunlight streamed across the trampled grass. There was also no sign of the Duke's troops.

Posset continued. "Speed. I suggest we make our way around the inner perimeter of the courtyard to the gate. From there we can make our way into the light."

Kyrie added "And hopefully free of this curse." by way of agreeing with her plan.

Carrol nodded and took a deep breath as if in preparation. Seconds later they were off. She had chosen to head to the left, away from the sunlight topped wall. As Kyrie followed he smiled at the choice. The shadows on this side of the courtyard were deeper. They would have just a bit more cover in the shade than the brighter side of the yard. This was a clever thief.

Their movement was noticed. Crows and ravens both stirred from their feast and flew over them. A quarter of the way to the gate and it was clear the birds were overflying them from curiosity. As disgusting as the thought was Kyrie hoped they would remain satisfied with the pickings from the courtyard. They could and would fight off any attacks from the birds but he wondered how much that struggle would cost. They continued toward the gate at their best speed while staying together.

With just feet to go from reaching the gate they came to one of the doors leading elsewhere into the Keep. Carrol had started across the space of the open portal with barely a glance. Keeping right behind her Kyrie saw a blur of movement as he crossed into the open space. He dove to the ground reflexively.

Posset managed to avoid colliding with him but was also forced to dive to the ground in the middle of the open doorway. Getting back to their feet they faced the creature that had surged out of the open portal. The cat had quickly turned and was facing them clearly ready to pounce the moment they made a move. Even tensed in a crouch and ready to attack the feline was taller at the shoulder than Kyrie.

Out of the corner of an eye that he dare not move from the cat Kyrie saw that Carrol had also stopped. The raccoon reached to the ground and quickly worked to make an improvised sling with a rock inside. After three swings to gain speed she slung the rock at the cat. Kyrie saw that she had released the improvised sling as it trailed the rack. Her throw hit the cat's head just under the left eye. Even though less than the size of a pea the stone caused the feline to back away with a new wariness.

The cat's attention shifted to the new threat and back to the tiny fox and armadillo. They could all hear the rising growl from the comparative beast. Likely more than half feral by its appearance the cat was a likely veteran of the fight. Kyrie also considered any animal that would reside in the Keep while the wraith controlled the place likely attuned to the unnatural power of the evil undead. It figured their final challenge would be a cat, only now it was the comparative size of a dragon.

Kyrie started sidestepping toward Carrol watching the cat warily. For her part the thief brought another quickly assembled sling up to speed over her head. Seeing the raccoon's success Kyrie and Posset picked stones from the ground as they moved. With Carrol spinning the sling overhead they shuffled closer to the gate. Kyrie worked quickly to fashion a faux sling with a stone and the string he had kept with him through their journey. As Posset and Kyrie copied the tiny raccoon and whirled a sling overhead they could see uncertainty in the cat.

Soon enough it started to back away. Once they rejoined the thief she dropped her sling to her side with an almost grunted sigh of relief. They moved toward the gate as one. With the cat backing further away in response to the added threat they were able to move quicker. They reached the inner part of the gate with the cat still prowling for an opening but at a greater distance. They made the turn into the space between the blasted gate halves. They were just ten feet from where the sun shone on the grassy field outside the walls. They were forced to stay backed against the wall when the cat followed them out the gate.

Tantalizingly close to the sunlight they would be forced to make their way around the wall to the sunlit side. Between backing from the cat and taking his turn at swinging his makeshift sling Kyrie looked out at the fields surrounding the keep. It was easy to search the open spaces even at their diminutive height. The ground at the walls was at a higher level than the surrounding meadow. It was clear the Duke's forces had left soon after the campaign had entered the dungeon. Not a sign of the expected signs of encampment were to be seen.

Ten feet from the corner of the wall and into sunlight Kyrie saw the cat sit on its haunches. It still watched them but had clearly lost interest. Still cautious and with at least one of them constantly swinging something overhead they made the corner. Finally making the turn Kyrie and his two companions stopped and looked up at the sun. He could feel the warmth of the sun even through the fur that now covered his body. Taking a deep breath he concentrated on the curse.

He could feel it with his talent. The power of the curse was burning away as if melting from the warmth of the sunlight. The first tantalizing sensation of his body changing came to him causing him to shiver. The feeling was similar to the first time stretching after waking. He could sense every part of his body lengthening. Looking to the others they too were growing as was he. Smiling he looked at Posset. "I never really doubted you but I'm so glad you were right."

She smiled back in return. He knew it was the thrill of the moment. She was usually much more reserved, almost to the point of being severe.

After a few more seconds Kyrie frowned. Yes, they were growing, but their bodies were not returning to their human form. Carrol and Posset also looked disappointed after a few more seconds. For his part Kyrie wasn't deeply upset. It was true he had begun to like his fox body. It had much more endurance than his human body had. He'd have never been able to keep such a pace as he had in their race to the surface. He would never have been capable of the exertions he had put into their survival over the past hours. If fact the more he watched his transformation the more he liked what he was seeing.

The curse had been forged with the intent to change him into a half animal. Fortunately the staff he'd been holding had already started bonding with him. He had no doubt that was the reason he had been left taller than most of the others after the curse was unleashed. Devon's sword, known to be a powerfully enchanted weapon could have done the same for him. Once again Kyrie was seeing the benefits of having held the staff at such a crucial moment. His muscles were again growing larger and stronger as he reigned height.

As Kyrie watched he was even more pleased to see he was gaining height faster than the priestess and thief. With one last glance at the cat he was soon able to dismiss the animal as a threat. Having grown to two feet high Kyrie stepped away from the wall of the keep and turned to fully face the sun. With his arms out and chin up he eagerly accepted the changes.

Still focusing his talent on the withering curse he knew the truth of his supposition. The staff had done more than protect him. As if anticipating the breaking of the curse it had also lain the foundations for the beneficial changes he was now seeing. As the power and affects of the curse slipped from his body a new power took up residence. He understood through his talent the power of the staff was effectively replacing the curse with its own influence.

He could feel new strength enter him. He heard and felt the presence of his two companions join him. Looking to them he saw he was gaining height faster still. At perhaps three feet tall he had already grown to four inches taller than either female. With an inner magical eye on the curse he knew it was not giving in easily.

From the expression on Posset's face he knew she felt it as well.

Meeting his eye she said "It's straining, the curse, its building to make one final attempt to remake us into animals. Soon we'll know."

"Know?" Carrol asked.

Kyrie answered for the priestess. "Know whether we'll return to human form or be stuck as we are."

Even as he felt the curse strain against its unbinding Kyrie knew his mind. If he had a choice he would stay as he was. He would miss many things about being human. He'd be seen as cursed despite it having been broken. He also knew life would be forever different, even for an accomplished mage, but he was certain he could make it work. The boosted strength and endurance of this half fox body he had displayed and enjoyed was simply too alluring. He actually wanted to remain half fox. There was also the larger size of his male hood. He was certainly looking foreword to that experience.

He could sense it as his growth slowed. The curse on him was nearly at the breaking point.

"Oh, I can feel something." Carrol said.

"That's the curse, it's at its limits." Posset explained.

Kyrie felt his breath run short of his body's own will. Every muscle tensed. His half fox body hunched over of its own accord. Kyrie desperately willed himself to keep from shitting himself from his body's straining. He felt the curse finally slip from him with a spasm that ran through his body. It was over.

Blinking he looked at his final form. He would for the rest of his life be in the body of a half humanoid but very muscular fox. He looked at Carrol and Posset. He saw that he was now growing rapidly.

Both females were still straining against their own part of the curse. He'd already gained a foot of height over them both. With them preoccupied Kyrie took the moment to look at his maleness. He did his best to suppress the smile that wanted to show on his muzzle. He continued growing larger, watching as first Posset snapped from her curse driven hunched over posture.

She too remained as a half armadillo and started growing toward her former height faster. Posset barely spared a glance at the growing fox at her side before turning to Carrol. Quickly laying her clawed hands on the back of the hunched over half raccoon she started chanting. Carrol had her hands on the side of her head and was shivering from the internal strain that had built to breaking. With a gasp from the raccoon they all knew her curse had also broken.

She slowly stood straight looking at her half paws. Both of her companions watched was she went through a dexterity check with her changed fingers. Finished she looked at Posset and with a shrug said "I can live with it."

Kyrie nodded, He could not only live with the result, he was beyond pleased. It was admittedly easy for him as he now stood a foot and a half taller than either female. His body had gained even more muscle with the breaking of the curse. He no doubt had gained even more endurance and had grown comparatively stronger than just moments before. Were he given the choice over again he'd not change his situation.

Still suppressing the smile that wanted to display his mood he said "Lets go back and get our gear."

End Of Part One