Nika
This was part of an art trade that I did with Recurrent, involving a backstory for her character Nika. This was an interesting one for me to write since world-building isn't exactly my forte, but I still think it came out pretty well. Hope you enjoy it!
"Nika! Pay attention, please! Class is in session!"
"Hmm? Oh... sorry." Nika sighed, sinking back into her chair. It was time for class once again, and Nika was bored out of her mind. More endless classes about stuff she wasn't interested, ranging from writing to math to crafting to... honestly, she couldn't even remember most of the other ones. The courses involving magic were the only ones she showed even remote interest in... and even those were often too mundane to be enjoyable. Most of the spells they learned in Spellcasting were just basic evocations that she could cast with her eyes closed. Alchemy was even worse: she was good at it and found the concept interesting, but most of the practical applications were far too rudimentary to hold her interests. All she wanted was something more enriching, more complicated. Was that too much to ask?
"NIKA! For the last time, pay attention!" Weirily, Nika gazed back up at her spellcasting teacher. "You'd better not be falling asleep on me again!" said the teacher, angrily glaring down at her student. "Have you even been listening to a word I've said?"
"Yes, Miss Dillon," said Nika with another sigh. "I've been listening."
"Really?" replied Miss Dillon, clearly not believing her. "Then perhaps you'd like to explain to the class the proper technique for summoning a fireball with a diameter of seven inches?"
Nika nodded. "Hold your hands together and use your index finger to trace the symbol for fire into your palm. Like this." She cupped her hands together, her right hand on top of her left, and quickly traced a symbol into her left palm. "Then, raise your hands about nine inches apart-" She spread her hands apart, magical energy tingling through her fingers. "And say 'Accendat flammam manus!'" Immediately, a sphere of flames burst forth around Nika's hands, leaving just an inch of space between each of them. "Just like that!"
"Oh! Um... thank you for the demonstration," said Miss Dillon, clearly taken aback. "I really only needed an explanation, but... I'm glad to see that you're paying attention after all."
"It also helps if you think of something warm," said Nika, bringing her hands back together. As she did, the fireball got smaller and smaller, disappearing as soon as her hands touched. "Makes the flame more powerful."
"Yes, of course. Thank you." Miss Dillon shook her head before addressing the rest of the class. "Alright, everyone! Our next topic will be on the chilling properties of ice! Now, if you'll remember..."
As the teacher droned on, Nika looked back down at her desk. She honestly hadn't been paying attention at all; everything she'd done she'd learned from studying on her own time, and not from Miss Dillon's useless lectures. The same went for just about everything she'd learned in that class: once she realized that she wasn't going to be getting anywhere listening to this teacher drone on and on about these subjects, she'd simply decided to learn them by herself. She'd borrowed a bunch of books from the local library and pretty much gone to town, learning and studying as much as she could. She'd even begun some experiments of her own, basing what she'd learned on some personal interests of hers and combining them to create something more... unique.
Slowly, she closed her eyes. That's what she was after: something unique. She wanted to impact the world, do something that nobody before her had done. And she especially wanted to do it with magic. The more she studied, the more she understood: the potential was there. It was within her. She had the potential to do something great with herself... if only the people around her would let her.
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School was over. Shaking her head, Nika stepped outside the small school building into the dusty streets. Surrounding her were her classmates, going off in their own little groups to whatever spots they always hung out in. But Nika didn't join them. She'd learned a long time ago that most of her classmates didn't really want anything to do with her. They'd avoid her, ignore her, and essentially do whatever they could to avoid interacting with her. Even when she tried to talk to them, they'd often make some kind of excuse about having other things to do and get away as soon as they could. But... why? Why didn't they ever want to be near her? Were they intimidated? Did they think she was too boring? Sure, she was intelligent and took learning seriously, but she was capable of having fun too!
She chuckled, shaking her head sadly. Deep down, she knew exactly why nobody wanted to be seen near her: her obsession with magic. It was a useful skill, to be sure, but it generally wasn't something that humans should be dabbling with; at least, that's what the residents of her town seemed to think. There was too much risk, they would say! Too much of a chance that something could go horribly wrong! If that happened, she could end up dead... or worse! Better to leave it to other races who were more equipped to handle that sort of thing... like elves, for instance. Supposedly they were far better at thinking on their feet than humans were, so they would be able to react better if a spell went badly. The same could be said about many of the anthro races that inhabited the world as well: animals that stood on two legs and were similar to humans in both build and mental capacities. In many cases, their connections to the natural world made them strongly equipped for magical duties as well, since they could 'tap into the natural elements better' or something like that. Humans, on the other hand, were better off focusing on less risky endeavors: things like crafting, inventing, research, that sort of thing. Again, magic was complicated and risky, so it was important to develop methods of living that were simpler and safer. That's what Nika was raised to believe, and she was sure that most, if not all of the humans around her believe it as well.
The whole deal with non-magical living... it wasn't like there was anything particularly wrong with it, but it had its drawbacks for sure. Yes, magic was complicated, but once you got the hang of it, it was incredibly rewarding. Even something as simple as a fire spell could be useful: you could have warmth, cook food, and craft weapons and objects far more easily than you could without it. And you wouldn't have to go through the effort of using fire or steel to get it done, either. It wasn't just fire, either: magic could be used for healing, protection, and even crafting, and that was just through spellcasting! Alchemy and potion making, had also thoroughly captured Nika's interests, and those benefits ranged from curing illnesses to increasing strength to even something as simple as calming the mind or improving mental fortitude. Yet because they also involved magic or magical ingredients, they too were considered too dangerous for humans to get involved with. And since almost all the other residents of the town believed this, Nika's interest in magic was seen as unnatural, even dangerous. Magical accidents could harm everyone in the caster's vicinity after all, not just the caster. That's why none of her magical classes never advanced past the absolute basics. And why Nika was such a pariah among other humans.
Her hands behind her back, Nika continued walking down the dirt road that led through her village. As she walked, she heard shouting and music coming from just down the road, with a crowd of people gathered ahead. Of course... the Bazaar. This was a daily tradition held by her village. Each day, merchants from around the countryside would gather in the center of the village, looking to sell their wares and make new business connections with other people. And yes, that included nonhuman races. As she got closer, Nika noticed that the music was coming from a blue jay anthro, strumming a lute with its wings and tapping its talons on the ground. Walking past the bard, Nika marveled at all the business surrounding her: humans selling weapons and tools, kobolds selling traps and managing money, and of course, elves and anthros selling spellbooks and potions. At least humans could buy potions without any stigmat; it was only the act of making them that was frowned upon. Still, Nika couldn't help but feel a bit envious as she looked upon the magical sellers. If only she hadn't been born a human... then she'd be free to create and sell magic as much as she pleased, without any kind of judgement from her community!
"Hey! You there, miss! Could you grab that bottle, please? The one by your feet!"
Turning her head towards the voice, Nika noticed a racoon anthro behind a booth, pointing at her. "Yes, you! The human girl in the blue vest! Grab that bottle and bring it to me, please!" Nika looked down where he was pointing, seeing a small glass bottle containing a green liquid. Tentatively, she picked it up and brought it over to where the racoon was, placing it on the booth. "Thank you so much!" said the racoon, grinning through its sharp teeth. "Sorry for my clumsiness, by the way. These bottles tend to get away from me far more often than I'd like to admit.
Nika chuckled. "It's not a big deal," she said, looking over the rest of the racoon's wares. He was clearly a potion seller, and it looked like most of his potions focused on stealth enchantments, from camouflage to invisibility to even appearance changing. "Quite a stand you have..." she said, picking up the appearance changing potion. "I've always been interested in making stuff like this."
"Ha! Rare to see a human having any interest in magics!" laughed the racoon. "My dad used to make these too, you know. Apparently he used to be a thief of some renown... until he met my mother and had me, of course. He decided to settle down after that... taught me a thing or two about potion making, too. So now I can making an honest living selling them to others."
"So that they can be thieves too?" inquired Nika.
"Hey, I can't control what my patrons do!" laughed the racoon. He held out his paw. "The name's Winston, by the way."
"Nika," said Nika, shaking his paw. "You know, I'd love it if my parents could teach me about magic. Heck, I'd be happy if they even supported my interest in magic, but..."
"You're parents don't want you doing magic?" Winston frowned. "Why not?"
"They think it's too dangerous," sighed Nika. "They tried to get me to stop at first, but... well, let's just say they eventually gave up. We don't talk to each other much anymore" She thought back to the fight she'd had with them years ago... how angry she'd gotten when they tried to get rid of all her magic books and equipment behind her back. "It's not just them, though," she added. "It seems like pretty much nobody in this town wants to be around me because of my interests. I get that they're trying to protect themselves, and maybe they think they're trying to protect me, too. But is it really as dangerous as they think it is? I mean, I've studied this stuff a lot and I know what I'm doing! Even if something did go wrong, I'm sure I could find a way to fix it!"
Winston shrugged. "To be honest, I think people who say that kind of stuff blow it way out of proportion," he said. "It's pretty safe overall. I mean, yeah, accidents do happen occasionally, but those times are few and far between. I'd understand if it were only a few people who felt that way, but an entire community?" He shook his head. "I'll never understand human culture."
Nika laughed. "You know something? I honestly feel the same way most of the time." She turned her attention back to the potions. "I think what I need is to just get out of this place. I don't want to live in a community that thinks it can dictate what I can and can't do with myself. I want to live somewhere by myself, where I can be free to work on my ideas without anyone judging me. I want to escape from this community... and from humanity in general." She looked down at herself. "I'd escape from my own humanity too if I could, but..."
"Escape from your own humanity?" The racoon laughed again. "Well, I think that'd be a bit more difficult than just leaving the village. Shame there's no such thing as full transformation spells or potions or anything like that. I'm sure there'd be quite a few people who'd benefit from being placed in a different body, even if only for a little bit..."
"Yeah..." Nika's thoughts trailed off, her eyes resting on the appearance changing potion. Something was starting to formulate in her mind: something she'd never given any thought to in the past. "Um, Winston?" she said, grabbing the potion. "Do you think I could buy this potion from you?"
"Of course!" said Winston. "Though I should probably mention that that potion only changes things at the bare minimum level, like hair and facial structure. If you're looking to use it for transformational purposes, you may be disappointed."
"I know. I just want to study it." As Nika got out her coin purse, she practically felt her mind spin with pure energy. If transformation at this level was possible, there had to be a way to do more with it. There had to be! And if she could figure out how to get to the level of species transformation...
"There you are!" said Winston, taking her gold and handing the bottle to her. "Enjoy!" But Nika barely heard him: she was already rushing home, her heart pounding in her chest as fast as it could. There was a way... there had to be! And if she could figure it out, then that was her ticket to get away from this community. Away from her humanity, even! She just needed to figure out what that way was, and everything would be fine...
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The sunlight creeping in through the window of the creaky old hut found its way onto Nika's eyelids, forcing them open. She sat up quickly, still feeling her heart pounding in her chest. How fitting that she'd be dreaming about that moment from all those years ago... the moment she'd had her epiphany about transformation potions. Her "Eureka" moment, as it was. Rubbing her eyes, she turned her attention towards the glass vial on her table, filled with a light red liquid. There it was... the experiment she'd been working on since before she even came to this place. From the moment that potion seller put the idea of transformation potions in her head, it was practically all she could ever think about. Every day when she got home from school, she would study the potion she bought from him, pouring through spellbooks and research articles in hopes of discovering a way to make this dream of hers a reality. And when she wasn't doing that, she was working jobs all around town to get the money to pay for more ingredients and books. And of course, saving up to buy this place: this small hut in the middle of the woods. She'd gotten it for what she considered to be a bargain; the seller probably figured nobody would pay much for it due to its decrepitness and location. But for Nika, it was perfect: the rustic nature appealed to her, and the isolation was exactly what she wanted after living in that village for so long.
Now... it was finally going to happen. The moment she'd been dreaming of for so many years was upon her at last. Only one thing remained to do before it was perfect. She grabbed a stick from next her her bed that she'd been using as a makeshift wand and walked over to the table, holding it above the vial. "Acinaces... Dente... Ningues... Pardus!" she cried. Immediately, the liquid began glowing, turning a light purple color. Seeing this only made Nika's heart pound even faster. This was it. The complete potion, right in front of her! She grabbed it and lifted it to her face, her hands shaking as she did. Half a decade of work, right there in that tube. Fighting with her parents, being ignored by her classmates, making all of that money... everything she'd done was about to pay off. She took a deep breath, before tilting her head back and pouring the potion into her mouth. She swallowed it in one gulp, nearly dropping the vial as she suddenly bent over, breathing heavily. The anticipation was killing her, as were her own self doubts. What if the potion didn't work? What if it turned her into some kind of horrid abomination... or worse, what if it killed her? No... she took deep breaths, calming herself down as she stood upright again. She had to trust herself... after all, she'd done everything she could to make the potion perfect. It had to work. It had to!
She closed her eyes, waiting for the first sign of change to come. She'd thought long and hard about what kind of creature she wanted to become: something elegant yet deadly, whimsical yet noble. But most importantly... something unique. If she was going to create something completely special, she wanted to be something completely special as well... something that would keep her from being stereotyped like she was as a human. If her goal was to break boundaries, she could start with her own species by becoming something that was unlike anything anyone had seen before. Something that would let her stand out and-
Suddenly, Nika doubled over, dropping the vial to the ground and wincing in pain. She cried out, dropping to her knees as she clutched her stomach. She could feel it churning, her head throbbing as she closed her eyes in pain. Had it... not worked? Was she about to die? The pain in her head was intensifying as she felt it push against the inside of her face, almost like it was pushing it out. Wait, pushing it out? Her hand shot up to her face as she felt it stretch forward, her nose shrinking and becoming flat. Immediately, she opened her mouth and stuck her fingers inside, feeling her upper canines grow far larger and heavier than the rest of her teeth. She could hardly believe it. It was working!
She brought her hand in front of her face, smiling as she watched it change. Her fingers started thickening, plumping up as white and lavender fur spread across her hand. Pads suddenly appeared, covering her palms and making them thick and rough, and sharp white claws suddenly grew out to replace her fingernails. She quickly glanced over at her other hand, turning it over and watching the same exact changes occur with it. Her eyes glanced down towards her right arm just in time for her to notice the same white fur spreading across it, thick and luxurious. Tentatively, she reached her left hand over and rubbed it against her arm, chuckling as the pads rubbed against the fur. It felt like a soft blanket was covering it, keeping her warm and protecting her.
Her attention was diverted as she felt the fur spread up her arms, covering her all over her body. "Wow..." she breathed, feeling underneath her clothes with her hand-paw. Everything felt soft and warm, just like she'd imagined it would. Yet it didn't feel hot; more like it was providing just the right amount of comfort given the mild temperature outside. She smiled and closed her eyes as she felt the fur spread up her neck and to her head, covering her feline face entirely. Her ears suddenly twitched, causing her to open her eyes and reach up to feel them. Her claws brushed against them just in time to feel them reach the top of her head, rounding and growing fur as they settled into place. A jolt ran through her head as she felt her upper canine teeth grow once again, now at the point that they were pushing against her lower lip.
But another, much stronger jolt in her spine nearly made her jump. She suddenly felt it start to grow longer, like it was trying to extend itself out of her body. Which could only mean one thing, naturally. She began chuckling once again, feeling a brand-new appendage grow out the hole she had cut in the back of her pants specifically for this. Longer and longer it grew until it rivaled the length of even her legs, waving behind her excitedly. She immediately reached behind her and grabbed it, once again feeling her own thick fur run against her pads and claws. It was truly hers... she could feel how rough her pads were against it, and even poking a claw into it was enough to cause a small amount of pain. Not that she cared, of course. She had a tail! A real, actual tail! It was just more proof that she was inching further and further away from humanity, and she loved it!
Her heart suddenly jumped as she felt the fur traveling down her legs, moving closer and closer to her feet. She quickly sat down, being careful not to sit on her tail, and watched as her feet became covered in the same white fur that covered her hands. She felt them twitch and watched them grow longer, her toes seeming to fuse together as her toenails sprouted into long, sharp claws. She curled her toes and slowly positioned the bottom of her foot against the ground, feeling the odd sensation of her pads and claws pressing into the wooden floor. Positioning her other foot, she slowly lifted herself up onto them, finding it slightly difficult to balance on her new paws at first. But once she got it down, she started walking, admiring the fluidity of her movements. It was strange: she'd never noticed just how awkward all her movements had been as a human, but compared to the grace of her feline form... well, she would probably have trouble re-adjusting to her human form if she were to switch back. Not that she'd want to, of course.
As she paced across the floor, she suddenly happened to glance in the mirror, catching sight of her face. Immediately she stopped in her tracks, sharply inhaling. Her face was... unlike anything she had ever seen on another creature in her life. Her fur was a mix between white and lavender, with a pattern of spots dotted across her forehead. Her eyes were a brilliant gold, and her pupils had narrowed into slits. Her ears were large and round, sticking up from the top of her head and twitching as she moved them. And her teeth! Her two upper canines had stretched past her chin at this point, almost reaching all the way down to her chest. They almost looked like tusks, but Nika knew what they really were: her saber teeth.
Yes. That's what she was, after all: a saber-toothed snow leopard. A completely unique species, unlike anything she'd ever seen before. That's exactly what she wanted, of course: no more would she be stereotyped or forced down a path she didn't agree with, like she was as a human. Being something completely unique allowed her to create her own avenue and do whatever she wanted, without anyone ever telling her she couldn't based on her species. After all, people couldn't create stereotypes about something they'd never seen, right? Her path, too, would be completely unique: a field of her invention, one that nobody else had ever gone into. A field that would hopefully help others break out of similar destructive stereotypes and paths that they didn't care for.
She turned her attention towards the vial that had held the potion she drank. She realized that she could smell its residue in it, and was even able to discern some of the ingredients she had used in it. Already, this body was having its benefits; her improved sense of smell would undoubtedly assist her in finding more ingredients. And she was going to need a lot of them, too, if she was going to make more of these potions. Yes... she was going to have to make many, many more of them if she wanted this business of hers to take off. After all, she figured, she couldn't be the only person out there who was frustrated with her lot in life. There had to have been others out there... other people who wanted a chance at something more, something better than what their own species could provide them. Maybe they were stereotyped like she was, maybe they felt they had better means to do something in a different body, or maybe they just wanted to experience something from an entirely different perspective. Who knew? All Nika knew was that she now possessed the ability to give those people what they wanted. She could even make some more money doing so!
She set the vial back down on the counter, grinning through her saber teeth. Again, gathering more ingredients to be used was the first step, but that wouldn't be a big deal thanks to her improved senses and agility. Hell, she could even stay out past dark to collect them thanks to her night vision! She opened up her front door and stepped outside, feeling her paws press into the dirt below. A gentle breeze blew through her fur, making feel warm and comfortable. She already felt perfectly comfortable in her new body, as if she had inhabited it her whole life. This truly was exactly what she wanted. She gave a sigh of contentment before stepping out into the forest to begin her search for ingredients. She'd managed to change herself... now it was time for the rest of the world to change with her.