The sun baked the prairie, blue cloudless sky spanned the heavens overhead. Endless, heat filled blue from the distant mountains to the south to the heat shimmer of grassland in all other directions. The grass was long and seer, green turning to brown as summer progressed. Whenever a breeze did play across the land it felt like it had come straight from the inside of an oven. The ice capped peaks of the mountain mocked the plains, there was nothing cool down here.

Dust carried in the baking breeze blew into Karl’s face. Shading his eyes and grateful for the bandana wrapped around his muzzle he crouched and waited for it to pass. Dust was everywhere it seemed, sifting through his thick fur. Caught beneath his leather armour and staining his legs brown from knees to sandal bound paws. The studded leather kilt that covered his lower half was the worst for being in this weather. Clinging to his waist the heavy belt holding it in place pinched whilst offering no protection from grime and dust blowing straight up to cover his legs and everything in dirt.

If he'd been allowed to wear trousers he could have avoided that. But no, a warrior wore the kilt and the leather armour that left his arms bare. He hated it, hated being here, he didn't want to be a warrior. Wriggling his toes the gnoll lowered his spear to the ground and scrubbed a hand through his scruffy unkempt ponytail.

It was too hot, the prairie was empty for miles. There would he no threat to the village in this weather. But here he was, sweating under bulky, uncomfortable leather armour and covered in dirt and grime. Sighing heavily Karl picked up his spear and resumed his slow, solo trudge forwards. He was to patrol the perimeter of their lands until sunset when another warrior would relieve him. He’d be congratulated for being a filthy, dust smeared mess to show his dedication to keeping the camp safe. He’d be cuffed and shoulder slapped and barked at in approval for wasting the whole day circling the summer baked prairie.

Trudging forward steadily he continued his patrol. Tall grassest swept against his legs adding their pollen to his fur. Each stepped kicked up a small cloud of dust that settled over his sandals and feet. He felt filthy, disgusting and like a savage… anyone who saw him wouldn’t think he could think and talk let alone read and perform minor magical feats. Of course he got told off for reading, for wanting to learn things. He was a gnoll, he was male, he was not shaman so… here he was, panting like a dumb beast from the heat and patrolling.

Stepping out from the long grass Karl looked around, empty grass and stepped forwards onto a patch of sun baked soil. At least he thought it was baked, his sandal went squish and sank into soft, warm mud. Caught in mid step his other foot swung forwards and squelched into the muck as he stumbled. Yanking firmly with his left leg to try and pull the first foot that had got stuck free he felt the sandal tug and squelch. The leather stuck to the bottom of his foot, mud squelched around it and then suddenly slurped free jerking him off balance. Quickly bringing his foot back down to avoid falling over his leg sank halfway to the knee leaving him stooped and off balance.

“Fuck,” Karl barked irritably as he struggled to pull his leg free. Shifting his weight onto his right foot he tried to pull free but all that did was slowly sink his right leg deeper into the mud! Muck squelched over his toes with a wet gloop and then up his ankles as his foot sank. Mud smeared up his furry legs, a warm, claggy layer that slicked down his rough fur.

Barking and growling the gnoll twisted from side to side, desperately trying to pull his legs free, to wade back to solid ground. He couldn’t really make any progress, the mud was so thick the best he managed was to create a hole around his legs. He was however now facing back the way he had come though his feet were still sinking. His waist would be under the surface in a couple of minutes if he didn’t act fast. Desperately throwing himself forward he tried to reach the solid ground! He had only taken two steps yet his hands squelched into the mud and with a yelp Karl tried to arrest his plunge as he sank up to the elbows.

Mud oozed around his thighs as he bent his knees and tried to pull his arms free. The muck was unbelievably sticky however. It clung to his fur, oozed over his limbs and slowly but surely the gnoll sank lower. It oozed over his heavy leather kilt and continued to pull him down into its warm, sticky embrace.

Throwing his head back Karl yelled for help. Someone had to hear him… this couldn't be how he died, it just couldn't. He was a scholar, an educated, smart gnoll not just another brainless warrior to die alone on patrol! With tears wetting his muzzle Karl struggled against the mud but it had a hold of him now. He was slowly sinking, arms settling lower, mud oozing up his chest, sliding beneath his armour. Shaking his head, gasping and hiccuping in an attemtp to stop his sobs Karl threw back his head and yelled for help again.

“You’re making a lot of noise gnoll,” Karl felt a surge of relief at the voice and twisted his head toward them. It was a kobold, copper scaled with green spots wearing a quilted vest and long black kilt.

“Help me please, can you find something to pull me out with?”

“Why should I?” Karl gaped at the tiny lizard as she denied him, “What’s in it for me? After all I've only got to wait a few more minutes and I get a gnoll corpse.”

Struggling back and forth Karl barked at the kobold and strained to pull free of the muck, “You can't just leave me here to drown!”

“Of course I can,” the lizard said crouching down on the edge of the pool, “I don't owe you anything. You're wasting valuable time, if you want rescuing give me some incentive.”

“Like what!” Karl wailed, “I’m a gnoll, I don't have anything of value!” the tears were back as were the hiccups as mud oozed up his body, “I’m not even allowed to read at home, it's all big gruff fighting gnoll or nothing!”

Shaking her head the kobold kicked a rock into the pool. It sank slowly right in front of Karl’s nose. Her smile was teasing as she watched the sinking gnoll, “You have something I want, I already told you that.”

Twisting his head Karl stared at her then opened his eyes wide as he remembered what she said, “You want my body! But… I can't sell you that I need it!”

“Of course you can, swear allegiance to my Clan as a slave, I'll keep your body and you inside it as a slave. Or drown and I get your body regardless.”

Karl stared at her for a moment, this kobold was being serious, he couldn’t just… could he? Frowning he looked at the tiny copper scaled lizard. It was hard to tell really but he was quite sure it was a female, kobolds were hard to tell apart sometimes. Shifting in the mud which squelched against his body Karl frowned at her.

“Would I get to learn stuff?”

“We might let you learn somethings, but you would be a slave first and foremost. We’d put that big strong body of yours to good use on stuff.”

“I’m not that big,” Karl muttered as he struggled to keep his head up, “Ok, ok I agree, it’s got to be better than being forced to be a warrior for my tribe! HALP!” he was sliding through the mud a bit faster now his shoulders had sunk. Tilting his head back he struggled to keep his muzzle above the surface but it closed over him with a wet, slimy gloop.

For a second he continued to sink, mud was oozing through his fur thickly. She was going to let him drown, she’d just been toying with him! Then there was a faint rushing sound, his inner ears roiled dizzily and he landed with a muddy splat on the ground in front of the kobold.

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!” he whined piteously, not caring how much of a big dumb gnoll he sounded like right now, “Thank you mistress, thank you…”

“Good name,” She murmured with a gri, “You’ll be using that name a lot. Now put this on,” the object she was offering was a small piece of purple crystal with a chain hanging from it and some sort of three armed, spiral symbol dangling from it.

Karl took the tiny piece of crystal and turned it around in his thick muddy claws, “Uhm, how do I put it on?”

Sighing the copper kobold shook her head, “You are a dumb thing, it clips onto your ear, around the edge of the earlobe, don’t make me have to touch you. You’re filthy right now.”

Karl’s ears flicked back at being called dumb and he fumbled to hook the clip around his ear, “I’m sorry… I don’t want to be dumb ok! I hate being dumb…” he yelped suddenly as the clip burnt against his ear lobe. It was searing itself to his flesh and then there was a sharp stab of pain as the piece of metal attached to the chain dug itself into his ear-lobe!

Clutching his ear Karl squeaked as suddenly the mud covering exploded into dust. It poofed out from his fur and fell to the ground all around him. It also took all his clothing with it, leather armour, kilt, helmet all of it dissolved, crashing to the ground as a wave of dust.

That wasn’t the only change… staring at his wrists Karl watched as the line of purple crystal that had encircled each wrist spread down toward his elbows. It stopped after about two inches and grew thicker, forming a pair of seamless manacles. His legs were also being treated to a similar treatment, a line of purple crystal was spreading out across each leg. Loops and lines of crystal wrapped themselves about his ankles then spread down across his feet. A pair of manacles that then formed a set of living, flexible crystal sandals. They encompassed the top of his foot in open-toed straps and formed a slick, comfortable sole for him to stand up in.

The most alarming thing however was what had happened to his groin. He hadn’t noticed it at first with magical crystal crawling over his body and all. But his groin was now a smooth, flat expanse of thick fuzz, there was nothing there. Squeaking in alarm he grabbed at where his jewels should have been and found nothing at all!

“There, good slave,” Touye teased, “Don’t need you wandering around feeling all embarrassed about having everything on display.

Karl’s mouth worked, “But… but… mrrrfffff”

He yelped as his arms were suddenly pulled together behind his back. He could feel a chain running between his manacles, holding his hands tightly against his back. He struggled a bit but there was no slack. Chains also now ran from the manacles around his ankle… sandals, forcing him to hobble along slowly.

“There,” Touye said with a smirk, “Let’s get you home, the chief will want to make your new slavery permanent.” humming quietly the copper kobold moved off and Karl was forced to hobble along after her. His sandals were moving on their own taking him with them! This wasn’t quite how he envisioned escaping life as a tribal warrior but… it was better than drowning in a pool of mud!