The ground trembled beneath me as Bob's body began to glow, the golden light pouring out of him as if he were about to crack open. The orb in my chest pulsed erratically now, feeding off the energy of the transformation. It was as if it knew this was right—that I had made a choice, and it was amplifying that choice with every ounce of its strange power.
Bob's screams rang out, loud and raw, echoing off the cavern walls. I flinched, my ears flattening against my head as the sound drilled into me. His small goblin body contorted unnaturally, limbs twisting and muscles bulging under the glow, his bones creaking as though being reforged.
"Bob!"
I shouted, half out of reflex. I had no idea if he could even hear me through whatever primal metamorphosis this was.
