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Sand. Leather. Bones. Chain. Details that stuck out as his fists thundered with his training. Each strike set to be faster, harder, more intense. His body couldn't be pushed much harder, he could already feel his muscles pulverized to tenderness, his bones straining under the pressure. Yet, he hadn't smashed through the sack. He hadn't broken through his goal yet. Every blow Diocles landed as he swung with rippling muscle, sent sand pouring from the bag's old wounds with a chorus rivaling thunder. It was to the point that an observer could barely tell when one punch ended and the next began. This all ended of course when Diocles stopped his assault without warning, leaving only the sound of his labored breathing and the sound of the chains settling to an echo in the room. Sweat dripped from his brow as he headed for the wash stalls to clean up his stink.

As he exited his abode, he was greeted by the twisted face of the old woman he leased it from, not many things gave him shivers....except for that woman's impossible face. It looked as if her face had been caught in a wagon wheel, except her bones and skin just bent with it and stayed that way. He'd never seen a 45 degree angled nose until her, and she was always angry at him. Well, he was loud, but she had to be angry because of her unfortunate appearance as well. To make matters far worse, she was a shaman. The Grand Shaman in fact of the entire Ekki nation. Diocles never had a taste for magic, but he knew the terror and destruction a shaman could raise, let alone the most powerful shaman known.

"You done mutilating my eardrums?" She wheezed as she waggled one of her oddly shaped fingers at him like some knobbly wand. Diocles could only sigh at her musings and nod. "Yes Elder, sorry it took so long. I'll be going for endurance training next."

The next look she gave him bordered on disgust as she looked him over and drew out her leather-bound grimoire. Diocles grimaced and held out his arms spread eagle as she began flipping through the pages. As routine as his training, was the routine of the woman giving him the daily enchantment to keep him safe on his journey. She might not have liked him that much, but Alma was obligated to keep him safe as he was a vital part of the community's defense. His skill in physical combat was on par with a Reaper, gifted didn't even begin to cover it. Slowly, the woman's voice rung out her enchanting words as she weaved her magic, disrupting his train of thought. His fatigue was lifted from him and the bruises and strained muscles of his body were mended. Diocles always smiled at this part, Alma was an old crone with a terrible temper, but she knew her stuff. As soon as the condition of his health was taken care of, he felt a moment of searing pain as she laced his back with wards against fatal wounds and spells. He was great in physical combat and defense, inept in the magical anything.

With a grimace as her spells settled, he stretched himself out to keep limber as he bowed to Alma. "Thank you for your protection Elder, I'll be back in good time. Call if you need me." She frowned and shut her book with a resulting cloud of dust as she nodded to the departing ruffian.

Beginning his jog out the east gate began his scan of the scenery around him. While the path itself had been safe as of late, the goblins had a long history of pranking those who entered these plains. The elder of course had given him a modicum of protection to guard against a wide range of their more lethal tricks, but she couldn't guard him against everything so he had to be vigilant of them. Despite the urgency to look for oddities that would hint at trouble, he always had to enjoy the view of the black sands rolling across the plains.

The black sands shifted with the seasons as they remained cradled in the bowl of land between the Rus'hal mountains and his village, changing color as the temperature changed. Within a few months, summer would be upon them and the sands would shift to a glowing golden in color. Checking the path at a glance, he let his eyes wander back across the shifting hills, the rhythm of breath and footfall fading to an afterthought. They were his favorite when they were black, it resembled a sea of rich oil. Before his very eyes he spotted a small bout cresting over a hill in the distance before disappearing across the other side.

His breath caught in his lungs as he brought himself to full halt, kicking a sheet of black up at his sudden skid. Deep exhale that burned as he brought up his fists as he became fully alert. He could hear the cackle from where he saw the "boat". His hairs stood on end as he shot himself back from where he was as the path before him tinted crimson with the binding glyphs set in secret. Rolling into a sprint he aimed for ekki lands. Goblins in force. He heard the fizz behind him as a fuse was lit and a screech as the goblin hurled it at him....to no use. His sprinting had long since outpaced a goblin's best throwing arm and today was no different.

A crash to his right heralded the arrival of the sand skiff he'd noted earlier, fully crewed by cheering and screeching goblins. He had expected they would make some eventually if they hadn't already....but it was something he couldn't outpace. If the goblins hadn't been so busy shaking everything they had to the cheers of the other skiff occupants, they might have caught him. As it was, they wasted the opportunity, he threw himself at the skiff as fists thundered upon it. Splintering the timber as he laid waste to their craft within a moment. They screeched, he punched, and as quickly as they'd appeared their vessel was ruined. A hiss of a fuse heralded a smile as Diocles again sprinted off, still too fast for a goblin to throw a bomb after him.

He was within seconds of entering the gate when his ears picked up on another hiss, a quick look cast over his shoulder confirmed that there was no goblins...but there was the definite sound of a fuse. Glancing at the area around him, he was caught off guard to a sudden crack and pain spearing across his lower back. Tucking into a roll as he fell from the force of the adhesive charge that they stuck to his back he recovered without any damage. His vision was blurred by the sigils of the old woman absorbing the harmful force of the bomb. Still, adrenaline once more coursed through him as his back felt as if it was aflame after the sudden shock of having something explode on it. He lifted himself to his feet as the nausea set in from a near death experience. His body felt aflame as he stumbled into the village. A few ekki tribesman were at the gate as he entered, obviously having heard the explosion and gathered here, he simply gave them a few waves as the heat increased oddly as his breathing became more labored.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

His head was swimming as he sat up from the bed. He hadn't even remembered falling asleep, must have passed out from shock after entering town. The elder was probably...*SMACK!*

Pain arched sent his eyes cross as something struck him atop the head. Fingers darting to cover his head bumped into.....his hands forgot about the pain as they explored the long ears atop his head as he sighed. He could hear her frustration next to him as he left one hand to explore his ears, and another to test the short muzzle he sported.

"I don't understand how an idiot like you hasn't died or ended up as something worse yet!" Berated the elder.

He sighed as he came to the grinding realization his body had been transformed....again. This time it was something he couldn't recognize by touch so he had to discern what he was by sight. This was his 5th time in his life this had happened to him. It just seemed to be his luck this would happen to him. The shaman lady was easily able to change him back to a human......she just had to think he'd learned his lesson. His heart fell as he noticed the fluffy tear-drop tail on his naked form as he sighed.

"I'm a bunny." He confirmed aloud.

She just hmmphed in confirmation of his stunning revelation. She didn't care, by her expression she could fix him with a moment, after all, goblin magic was pretty infantile in comparison. Still, as he stood on wobbly floppy feet, she had to smile just a tiny bit. He was frowning as he gave himself a further look over with a grimace, this was going to be a pain to say the least. Floppy ears, different leg musculature, muzzle, buck teeth, and a tail. All of these were a nuisance he'd have to adjust to while keeping his regular training schedule. He'd at least be down the rest of the day just adjusting to the body. Standing up he did a bit of stretching while braced on his bed to get moving.

Surprised, he didn't see the hug coming from the old woman, but suddenly he was hugged as she chuckled. "Bunnies are adorable." Great. She was enjoying this.