“Do you think your father would be annoyed?” Morgan asked Issa.

“About what?” She stretched out, pushing her pillow back and turning to face him.

“That I’ve been sleeping in your room with you in his house for the last week?” He yawned and stretched, enjoying the tingles that spread through his tight muscles after a long night’s sleep.

“Annoyed? No. Dismayed? Horrified? Yes!” She laughed, crawling over to him, holding his chin in her hands, and kissing him. Then she scurried out of bed and yanked the curtains back, letting in the bright morning light. “Today’s the day! Yorn will be here any time now.”

“Ugh, yep,” Morgan grunted, sitting up on the side of the bed. He started pulling on his pants while Issa moved around the room, tidying up. Yorn had taken about twice as long as he’d expected to make the potion, but the missives he sent them over the last few days had insisted it would be worth it. “I haven’t seen anything like this!” one message had said, elaborating that the Threen Sun Rose petals had been the “most potent ingredient he’d ever distilled.”

“Are you nervous?” Issa asked.

“About what? Taking the potion? I’ve advanced my race before, and it’s never been a bad thing.”

“I don’t mean that it will be bad, but if it’s as potent as Yorn hopes, you’ll pass into improved. No one from your race has done that yet. What do you think might happen?”

“Alright, I know what you're doing. No, I don’t think I’ll grow a tail!” Morgan laughed and pulled on his boots.

“Can you help me with my buttons, please?” He stood and held up his shirt. Issa helped him on with it and buttoned the front for him.

“I’m not really joking around, though. I’m curious. Some Ardeni with improved races start to access hidden bloodlines and develop things like markings on their skin, harder claws, and even longer leg bones and extra tendons that allow them to leap really far. Did you know that some Shadeni even sprout wings when they reach advanced racial status? I mean real wings that allow them to fly, not like little fluttery Ghelli wings.”

“Really? So there’s a chance you’ll get longer legs eventually?" Morgan grinned and bent to kiss her, but she pushed him away.

“Jokester! I’m serious! What if your people grow a creepy third eye or something?” She backed away, hiding a grin, and Morgan chased after her. She turned and ran, squealing, through the house. He caught up to her in the kitchen and, after extracting payment in kisses, helped her make breakfast. They were finishing up when a knock sounded on the door, and Issa opened it to find Yorn waiting outside, a wooden box in his hands.

“As promised!” He said, holding out the box, which Issa took. Then he reached into his vest and produced the little recipe book. “On my honor, I only copied three additional recipes.” Morgan leaned around Issa and took the book.

“Thanks, Yorn! I hope they serve you well,” he said, slipping the book into his storage ring.

“Are you, ahem, are you going to drink it right away?” He glanced from Issa to Morgan, eyes hopeful. Morgan knew what he wanted, to see how the potion worked, but he didn’t like the idea of Yorn watching him as he lay helpless, undergoing the “metamorphosis” he’d been promised.

“Well, to be honest, we’re not exactly sure. We’ve got some talking and planning to do. If we use it soon, I’ll be sure to let you know what it’s like and how it worked, okay?”

“Oh, yes, I suppose that’s as much as I should expect. I’ll look forward to hearing from you,” Yorn said, starting to turn.

“Thank you, Yorn! I’ll tell my father how kind and helpful you were!” Issa reached out to him but stopped short of grabbing his shoulder.

“Thank you, Miss Issa. Good luck, Morgan.” With that, the little man wandered down the path to the road and was gone.

“You didn’t want him watching you go through it, did you?” Issa asked, turning to Morgan. “So you are nervous!” She held the smooth wooden box out to him. Morgan sighed and took the box.

“Yes, I’m fucking nervous.” He chuckled and turned back into the house while Issa closed the door.

“Alright, big baby. Don’t worry; I’ve only heard good things about racial evolutions. Let’s go out to the back garden. There’s a nice, sunny patch of grass you can lie down on.” She led Morgan through the house and out through a sunroom into a lovely fenced-in garden. Morgan saw the little lawn she’d meant right away, and he sat down on the soft blue grass, holding the box in his lap. Issa sat down in front of him in the same pose she used for cultivating. They’d spent a lot of time over the last week cultivating; he’d even leveled his Core in the process.

The box had a seam where the lid could be slid off, so he did so, revealing a slender amber-colored bottle nestled in some fluffy, dry hay. Morgan lifted out the bottle and set the box aside. “You know, we both earned this. Just because I’m missing an arm doesn’t mean I have to drink this.”

“Ugh! Not this again! You took the beating. Your skill won the fight; you drink the reward. I got plenty out of that dungeon!” Issa huffed in exasperation.

“Alright, alright.” Morgan picked up the little card in the box and read aloud the note Yorn had written in lovely, looping calligraphy, “Once the cork is removed, be sure to imbibe within one minute.” He glanced at Issa, and she nodded reassuringly. He held the bottle out toward her, “Will you pull the cork for me?” She reached out and ran her thumbnail around the wax seal, then gently pried the cork loose. Morgan tilted the bottle to his lips and poured the contents into his mouth, swallowing several gulps. It wasn’t thick like he’d thought it would be; it was more like drinking a soda and tasted almost like grapes. When he’d drained the whole bottle, he set it down then looked at Issa, about to ask when something would happen, and then his vision exploded like a solar flare had gone off right in front of him.

Unlike in the past, when Morgan had experienced visions of flying or soaring in space, he was utterly insensate this time. One moment the world was exploding in his eyes, and then he was opening his eyes, groggily groaning and reaching up to rub his face. “God, that shit hit me like a Mack truck.” The lighting was different than when he’d drunk the potion, and when he moved his hand to look around, he realized he was indoors. Grunting, he pushed himself up on his elbows, and that’s when it hit him—his left arm was back. As he scooted up, he found that he was in a bed. Looking around groggily, he recognized Issa’s room. He’d been out for a while, then, and she’d moved him in here.

The light coming in between the curtains was dim, so it was early evening or morning, but Issa wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Sitting up, leaning against the headboard, Morgan held up his new left hand and squeezed it into a fist. It felt good. Frowning, he held both his hands out in front of him and wiggled his fingers. They were long and elegant, finer than he remembered them, yet strong. He inspected his arms, noting their lack of scars and the wiry muscles under the smooth skin. Well, his skin was nicer, and his limbs a little longer, but he was still human, right? He yanked the covers off and looked down at his body. Nothing alarming confronted him other than that he was completely nude. A surge of panic hit him when he realized even his storage ring was missing, but then he calmed when he saw it on the nightstand beside the bed.

Morgan stood, slipped his ring on his finger, and looked around, seeing his clothes folded neatly on the chest at the foot of the bed. He let out his breath, and that’s when he realized he’d been holding it since he’d first noticed his new arm. His heart wasn’t even racing. He took another deep breath, then felt on his wrist for his pulse. It took him a long while to find it because his heart rate was very slow, something like ten beats a minute. “This’ll give Doctor Kerns something to talk about.” He paused for a moment and looked at his status sheet:

Status

Name:

Morgan Hall

Race:

Human - Improved 2

Class:

Vortex Duelist - Epic

Level:

28

Core:

Vortex Class - Base 8

Energy Affinity:

9.2, Void 9.2

Energy:

5003/5003

Strength:

65

Vitality:

60

Dexterity:

56 (76)

Agility:

109

Intelligence:

132

Will:

113

Points Available:

0

Titles & Feats:

Human Champion, First Hollow Guard, Ardeni Friend, Mark of Loyalty, Yovashi Bane, Legacy of the Azure Paladin, First Vortex Duelist

Skills:

System Language Integration - Not Upgradeable, Animal Taming - Basic, Stealthy Maneuvers - Basic, Melee Weapon Mastery - Basic, Fighting Crane Style - Basic, Sword Mastery - Improved, Vortex Core Cultivation Drill - Basic Backstab - Basic, Energy Drain - Advanced, Circle of Combat - Improved, Guard Ally - Basic, Hollow Charge - Improved, Azure Burst - Basic, Azure Sight - Basic, Vortex Lance - Basic

It looked like the potion had given him five ranks to his racial stat which seemed pretty incredible. He bent to pick up his clothes and get dressed and was so happy to have two hands again that he almost teared up. He’d tried to keep a brave face about his injury, but it really had been a considerable adjustment. As he tied his boots, he felt a twinge of guilt, thinking of the countless people on Earth who had similar or worse injuries with no chance of a recovery like he’d just made. He shook his head—that wasn’t his fault.

He’d noticed that when he put on his clothes, they’d had to adjust themselves to his frame again. He wasn’t much taller, but he’d become leaner, his limbs longer, and his torso more v-shaped. People might mistake him for an Olympic swimmer if he were on Earth. He opened the door and listened, and he swore he could hear the wind rustling the flowers outside and the clicking, scratching sound of a small animal moving on the roof, but he didn’t hear Issa.

As he walked into the hallway, he caught the scent of cooked pork and eggs, but when he walked into the kitchen, the stove was cold, and the pan on top of it had been scraped clean. Still, he picked it up and smelled the old meal like it was sitting on a plate in front of him. “So my senses are stronger now, too, huh?” He set the pan down, walked to the front door, and stepped into the cool evening air.

When he was out on the front porch, he listened to the sounds in the night, and, after a moment, he caught the sound of a familiar voice chatting happily and another female voice responding. They talked about food, and Issa told the other person how she liked to make travel packets of her favorite recipes. The voices were getting louder, so Morgan sat down on the stoop and waited. Soon he could hear their feet scraping on the loose gravel, and then he saw her coming up the path, her bright yellow eyes luminous in the twilight. She paused for a second, staring into the shadows where he sat, and then she broke into a run. “Morgan!” He stood and caught her, and she charged into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and he hugged her back.

“Good to see you too!” He said, chuckling at the ferocity of her hug.

“About time you woke up, you oaf! You’ve been sleeping for over a week!”