Goram had immediately returned to his workshop as soon as physically possible, unable to recall anything of Lord Nixus' party. It was all a haze, a blur that could not be focused. Had he drank too much that night? No, he was never a drinker, and he doubted the esteemed Lord's party would change that. Something must have happened to him, but he couldn't recall it. It wasn't till the next day that things began to clear. As he awoke from his sturdy and oversized bed, descending the stairs down into the workshop, in the back of his mind was this strange feeling, as if something else was inside his body...

And it wanted out.

As he worked the forge most of the morning, hammering away at the various metal components for a certain Lord's kitchen furnace, the strange feeling continued to surge, getting stronger and stronger. Eventually, he realised would never be able to work efficiently in his condition, and so he closed up the shop and headed back upstairs. Heading in to the bathroom, he swung the door closed behind him, only to hear a deafening crash; turning around quickly, his face dropped in horror as he saw the shattered remains of his bathroom door out into the hallway. "I don't know my own strength, apparently."

Waving it off dismissively, he turned back towards the sink across the room, the mirror propped up on the wall above it. Wandering over, he turned on the tap, lowering his head and collecting a decent amount of water in his hands before splashing it quickly into his face. He felt slightly calmed, though he could still sense the nagging desire to change in the back of his mind, like a calming breeze brushing against the back of his skull.

When he lifted his head, he shouted in shock and horror as his face had suddenly changed. Where he once had skin, his neck and cheeks were slowly becoming a dark brown, brittle bark. Lifting his hand up to his face, he touched where his skin had been, but he was surprised to find that it felt more like he was touching a tree's trunk. "What is happening to me...?"

As if in answer, the rest of his body slowly began to change, his arms and hands slowly going from skin to bark; as he backed away from the mirror, his hands started to slowly grow in size, and his fingers fused together into solid cylindrical tree trunks. But worst of all, though the sight was terrifying, he couldn't help but realise... he was enjoying this transformation, as if like a drug that he couldn't stop. Continuing to fumble backwards, he tripped on the broken remains of his door, falling to the floor with a roaring crash, and then black.

[center]*****[/center]

Waking up a few days later, Goram found himself covered in bits of broken wooden door, his hands slightly bloodied, with various splinters sticking out of his arms. Slowly clambering to his feet, he heard himself growl in pain as he felt the splinters shift. Eventually making his way back into the bathroom, he began the slow process of cleaning himself up, removing the splinters and cleaning out the blood. It was at this moment that Goram remembered what had happened, that night at Nixus' estate.

Realising what he had become, Goram took a deep breath in and out, feeling the urge to change creeping back to him as he exited the bathroom. Opening a cupboard along the hallway, he took a ragged broom and began sweeping the bits of door left on the floor into a neat and easy to clean pile, trying to take his mind off of what was going on.

And then, the ringing, different from before. [i]Lord Nixus[/i]. Goram was being summoned, he knew it. He tried to resist, as he did the commanding desire to change, but this was stronger, deeper. Finally, unable to resist the call, Goram released a heavy, deep sigh, dropping the broom to the floor and moving to his room. Changing into a clean set of clothes, he descended the stairs back into the workshop, grabbing the sign and placing out front indicating that he was closed until further notice. Once all that was done, he set off back to Lord Nixus' estate.

[center]*****[/center]

Descending down into the dungeons of the estate, Goram wondered curiously what was in store for him down in the darkness. His gentle mind was unable to sense the true danger of heeding the Lord's call, so he seemed less frightened than he should probably have been. As he made his way into the dungeons, he spied someone from afar, a woman. Slowly but surely, he approached the young maiden, looking around to see if anyone else was around, particularly Lord Nixus. "Hello there," he called to the stranger, his voice deep and heavy, in stark contrast to his gentle words. He continued to approach her, giving a light wave in greeting before asking, "You got the call too then?"