Obstacles of Morphing

[Jullian]

"Testing yourself. Just test out the morph. I set up a lot of different type of obstacles. Maybe a bit later we'll establish an order or something and time you maybe. But right now I just want you to get used to moving as a bug. Get used to your abilities. Then we'll take it from there."

Watching Dustin move through the course for a bit of a distance away wasn't that bad. If he just had to watch a bug crawl around he'd probably be creeped out or bored. But watching the small green bug climb over obstacles that looked like a first grader's science experiment was oddly entertaining.

[Dustin]

<<Okay, well, I guess I'll just keep going then.>> Dustin had to admit, the obstacle course was pretty interesting. Even from his perspective. The climbing parts weren't the greatest, since he could literally walk across a ceiling, but the rest of it was really fun.

Dustin climbed to the top of a sort of tower. There was a sort of tight rope leading out from it. Dustin thought it would be difficult to walk on something so narrow, but it turns out it was pretty easy. He figured it was a lot like a blade of grass, although he did have to hang upside-down no matter how hard he tried.

When he god bored of the string, he sprung off from it at a million miles per hour and stopped himself with his bare hands as he passed the edge of a cardboard ring. He grabbed hold and spun around a few times until the ring slowed down. Apparently it was suspended in the air by something.

He leapt off again, this time landing on a wall of what seemed to be packaging peanuts. He would have been thankful for the soft landing, except styrofoam and granite were pretty much equally as solid at this size. Dustin started to climb, but then he stopped. One of his feet was stuck in something.

<<Umm, Jullian? I don't think all of your glue is dry.>> He tried to move again, but walking was hard now with an extra sticky foot.

[Jullian]

"Sorry Dustin," Jullian said, edging a little closer and trying to look to see what the grasshopper had gotten caught in. "Do you want a rescue?" He didn't want Dustin to demorph in the middle of the course. His human body would crush it to pieces. Which, unfortunately, would mean Jullian would have to go in and get him out.

He began shrinking into his monkey morph just in case it were necessary. The morph had much more nimble fingers than his human did and would have an easier time navigating the course without breaking it. Besides, it was designed to pick up bugs. He would just have to make sure it didn't eat Dustin.

[Dustin]

<<I think I'll be okay. Probably. I don't know. Lets find out.>> Dustin launched himself yet again. His foot caught and he turned slightly in the air, but otherwise went straight. When he landed his foot caught harder than expected and extra strain was put on it, but it was otherwise just fine. Still, it would be annoying to continue like this.

<<I think I could manage, but it's going to be really annoying. I think I may take you up on that rescue offer. I think I might have been starting to slow down anyway. It's kinda chilly. I don't suppose you have any bug coco, do you?>> Dustin tried to climb to a spot where he would be easier to grab as he talked.

[Jullian]

<<Alright then,>> Jullian said, scampering towards the cricket. His monkey morph was not afraid of lunch, uh, the grasshopper at all. It was harder to stop his monkey from exploring each and every little toy on the ground than to head towards the bug. It wanted to play with everything.

Jullian stepped lightly around the obstacles before stopping near Dustin. <<I'm gonna pick you up now, don't jump,>> he said before picking up the grasshopper. He did notice that one leg stuck a bit. He scampered back through the course and deposited Dustin in a clear area on the floor. <<Alright grasshopper, it is up to you now.>>

[Dustin]

<<Thanks for the lift. You might want to close your eyes for this.>> Dustin concentrated on his human self, and instantly he began to grow.

And grow.

And grow!

He swelled up like a water balloon someone forgot they had hooked up to the garden hose. Except he never popped.

Soon he was the size of a poodle and still mostly grasshopper. He wanted to try jumping now, but unfortunately gravity was keeping him mostly in place. He probably would have shattered like a ceramic vase if he had fallen now anyhow.

Next his butt sucked inward as his abdomen shriveled away, and part of his exoskeleton morphed into an actual spine.

As his skin smoothed over or turned into fabric, Dustin stood up and brushed himself off. The last change was his eyes again, thankfully.

"Well that was fun... You want to take a turn now? You know, while I "rest.""

[Jullian]

<<No thanks,>> Jullian said from his place across the room. He'd scampered away pretty quickly when Dustin had begun to morph. His monkey was happy to eat a grasshopper but it wanted nothing to do with a giant bug thing. And Jullian hadn't minded giving it it's head on that one. He'd let the monkey run all the way to the other side of the room before reining it in.

<<This course is all your's,>> he said with a large monkey smile. When monkey's smiled it was mostly an expression of aggression but that didn't mean Jullian couldn't manipulate the monkey's natural expressions for his own benefit. He clapped his hands too before sticking a finger inside his ear and curling his tail around himself. <<Besides, it would be a good test of your endurance. Morph again when you're ready.>>

[Dustin]

"Fine, fine. I didn't know this was an endurance lesson today too, but whatever. I'm still game, I guess"

Dustin inhaled deeply, the exhaled slowly. He closed his eyes to concentrate on the small, hairless, cold-blooded creature who's DNA was in his veins. And the changes began.

Shrinking was the first thing he noticed, even with his eyes closed. And the hair being sucked into his body followed shortly after. There was a grinding sound as his bones compacted and rearranged. His arms and legs were becoming increasingly tiny.

Then Dustin opened his eyes. And just in time to see scaly patches appear on his skin too. Dustin stuck out his forked tongue and winked at Jullian just as he fell forward onto his stomach, having no legs to support him any more.

[Jullian]

Jullian watched Dustin's morph with interest while his monkey grew more and more uncomfortable. It began to ring it's tail in anxious hands while Jullian paid attention to Dustin's morph.

He's expected Dustin to return to bug morph and had been prepared to suffer through it but he was morphing into his snake instead and the amount of control inherent in sticking out his tongue was impressive.

<<You have a talent for this you know,>> Jullian said as Dustin completed the morph and curled up on the floor. <<Though not sure how you'll go through the course like that.>>

[Dustin]

<<Really? You think I have talent? Hmm.>> Dustin couldn't see how, but then again he didn't have as much experience with the morphing technology as Jullian either. So maybe Dustin really did have some ind of talent. Or maybe Jullian was just saying nice things. Either way, Dustin would take the compliment. He was just glad that Jullian wasn't too mad that he didn't morph bug, like what today's lesson was supposed to be about.

Dustin slithered his way into the obstacle course, avoiding the actual obstacles. He felt like a giant snake in downtown Tokyo, just raring to cause some spontaneous demolition. But he resisted the urge. His snake mind wasn't really in the mood anyway. It was too cold to bother with doing anything that took too much energy.

<<Man, cold blood and air conditioning don't really mix too well. If it wasn't so cold, you might have to worry about magaserpent destroying the village.>> He was going to leave it at that, but then figured he better not. <<Kidding, kidding. I wouldn't actually destroy your... project. Although it sure would be fun.>>

[Jullian]

<<I'm sure,>> Jullian said dryly as he jumped up onto a desk. His monkey did not like the snake and it was becoming a bit of a hassle to fight its instinct to climb. He landed easily on the desk above him and went back to wringing his tail.

<<So how did you like the bug morph?>> Jullian asked, honestly curious. Bug morphs were still a big unknown to him and that had been the point of this class. <<Do you feel capable of getting the other recruits ready for it?>>

[Dustin]

<<The bug morph? I don't know.>> Dustin had to think about it for a minute. He wasn't sure if he liked it or not. On the one hand, it was totally creepy and unnatural. But on the other, it had rocket legs. It was a complicated question to answer, but Dustin felt Jullian deserved a thorough response since he didn't so much as reprimand Dustin after he went snake.

<<I guess, hmm. I guess I didn't really like the bug morph. It is too small and helpless, and its senses are too hard to make sense of. And it is really creepy to be something so different from your own body. This snake's body is bad enough.>>

<<However, there were some cool things, too. Like blasting off of the ground. Oh, and wall climbing was pretty neat. I imagine flying wouldn't be so bad either, but grasshopper wings aren't so great.>>

<<So, I think the downs outnumber the ups. But there are definitely some ups. I guess I could try and get the other recruits ready for this, but in all honesty, I don't see any real way to be completely ready.>>

[Jullian]

<<Hmm,>> was all Jullian said in response at first. He had an entire lecture on why bug morphs were important. He'd written it out and everything. There were slides to be projected along with it and various real life examples to demonstrate his points. It was the one lecture he'd put the most work into. He just kept working on it and working on it, always feeling it needed to be improved before he actually gave it.

Which was his way of avoiding the topic. Which was not very responsible of him. The bug morphs were honestly important. There were too many instances when they needed to spy on someone or sneak into a place through a vent or some other such thing, where a bug morph was essential, to ignore them. Seiya was right to ask all the recruits to pick one out. And yet, how did you make becoming a bug fun?

Jullian had done his best with this course. He figured someone would find enjoyment out of it. But maybe there was no fun side to being a bug. It was just one of those things that you had to get through and deal with. No one ever promised the war would be glamorous.

<<Well I'd appreciate if you spoke to them all the same. Even just letting them know that morphing a bug isn't the end of the world would surely help some of them,>> he said, thinking of Simplicity.

[Dustin]

A thought occurred to Dustin. Something he felt slightly stupid for overlooking. <<Jullian, when you say speak to them, do you mean like out in the hallway or the mess hall if it comes up in conversation? Or is it more like you want me to seek them out and specifically talk to them about it? Or do you want me to talk to them in class?>>

Talking to them in passing would be Dustin's preferred method, but he doubted that is what Jullian had in mind. It seemed more like he was leaning toward the classroom thing. Granted, their class was pretty small, but Dustin did not like public speaking. His palms would always get sweaty and he would start fidgeting. Not that he wouldn't do it if asked, but he at least wanted to be prepared.

[Jullian]

Jullian gave the question some thought. He had figured it would mostly be informal but he also wanted to make sure that all the recruits heard from Dustin before they're own bug morph classes. Jullian had never yet held a class with all of them there. He'd maybe paired them up once in a while and one time Adrian had joined a lesson he'd conducted with Dustin because Adrian had missed his own. But Jullian much preferred individual study and teaching as long as class size allowed him to do that.

<<Do you think you'll be able to speak to all of them informally before their next classes?>> Jullian asked, walking over to the edge of the desk and watching the snake move through the obstacle course. <<I can give you a list of the schedule so you know when you'd have to talk to them by. If not, we can set up a lecture and you can speak to them all at once. That might be easier but it depends on the other's teacher's schedule.>>