Ming vs the Cockroach Clan (TF Moment)

[Draco Dei]

You will probably note that this is incredibly cliche... either that, or it WOULD be if I knew which cliches to hit. This is intentional so as to add to the humor value. TF stands for transformation. TF Moments are simply a story snippet built around a transformation. I have written several, but this is the most suited to this board's theme.


Ming's normally delightful pigtails were streaked with soot from the burning of the martial arts monastery as she stumbled towards the emergency rendezvous of her clan. She HATED being dirty in any way, but the situation was, of course, much too dire to find a stream to bath in. As she entered the cave Grand-Master Lung said: "I see we have a late-comer. Your survival shows great skill young one, you are to be congratulated. Are you injured?"
"Not really Sensei, a bath and new footwear will be all the attention my scrapes shall require."
"Then go to the back and tend to yourself, while the rest of us plan our retaking of our training grounds."
"If I might humbly beg a moment first, I have brought something that may aid those of greater power than I in defeating the dishonorable Cockroach clan." She reached into the sack slung at her back, and pulled out a box, the intricate enamal barely visible through the cobwebs that clung to it.
She approached Lung and knelt, holding out her precious cargo. Lung reached out, but his hand seemed to encounter resistance as it neared the box.
"How came you by this?"
"When the alarm was sounded I made my way towards the storage area of the items of great Ki, so I might try to bring them to someone worthy to wield them and keep them from the evil Cockroach clan. The battle was fierce and I took what I thought to be the path of wisdom when the combat reached the vault doors just before I could get there, hiding until I could escape. But by then the doors were broken open and I thought it could not hurt to see if some small trinket had been left behind before I made my own escape."
"This box contains one of the belts of power, that grant mastery over a particular combat style to one whose Ki is in tune with that particular path, and also transforming them into the form that that style is based on. If you have the power to be able to touch this box, then your Ki is strong indeed."
Focusing his will to overcome the resistance Lung took the box. He wiped the dust and cobwebs away to reveal a pattern of feline faces inscribed into the hundreds of coats of enamel that were over the wood. A look of dawning comprehension crossed his face. He gravelly returned the box to Ming. Sorrow and humor seemed to war in his eyes,as he said, "Go, and clean yourself. Prepare yourself, not as for battle, but as for wooing the heart of a boy, take anything you need from the emergency stores, silks, perfumes, whatever strikes your fancy, then don this belt... you may very well end up leading our assault to regain the monastery."
Confused, Ming did as she was instructed, taking a long bath, combing her hair and putting it up with the finest hair-pins, and making other preparations. Then she reverently opened the box.
"Tiger style?", she thought as she saw the belt, "that makes sense I guess... I am still but a very beginner, but that IS my strongest fighting style... for what it is worth... but that doesn't look like any Tiger motif I have ever seen... in any case... to pause for thought is a virtue, but hesitation is not."
She knotted the fighting belt around the waist of the embroidered silk gi she had selected. But was surprised when the room seemed to grow around her... she thought that she would grow when the belt transformed her, not shrink... She watched her finger-tips wrap around the top of her painted nails, even as they extended into claws (but still painted, in fact the designs grew even more intricate). Then she giggled cutely, a sweet, melodious sound... she couldn't help it, her fur growing in tickled so much!
She tested her new claws on the back of the hair-brush she had used, and found them to be quite sharp... "A little small though...", then it occurred to her to check her fur since it might need combing too... She needed a stool to look at her face in the mirror since she was now only as tall as the length of Grand-Master Lung's arm. She noticed two things. The first was that her markings didn't seem to be that of a normal tiger. The second was that not one hair was out of place.
Returning to the meeting chamber she bowed saying, "I have done as you have asked, although I suspect the Ki of this belt may be having a joke with me, since I do not feel very filled with the essence of the tiger. I thought the belt of the Tiger made one grow a little, not shrink..."
"Nor should you...", said Lung, donning his belt of the Dragon.
He swam through the air to a point above and in front of Ming, then snaked his neck down to look her in the eyes.
"Young Ming, beautiful Ming. You have not had the years of experience to be worthy to wear a belt of the Tiger. Yet your pure spirit and beauty, both inner and outer, your compassion tempered with growing fire DOES make you worthy to wear THAT belt. For that is the belt of the Domestic Kitten! With it your enemies shall be so entranced with your cuteness and so convinced of your harmlessness that they shall allow you to approach them and may even seek you out to rub between your ears, thus giving your razor claws the opportunity to find their throat."

[Draco Dei]

Did I mention I appreciate constructive criticism?
In a pinch I will even settle for "I like it." or "Too wierd for my tastes." or "While I very much enjoy your writing, you really should consider a drug treatment program.".

P.S. I am not on drugs.

[Draco Dei]

Actually I imagined the cockroach clan as being mostly human, just like our heroes. It is only with the belts that I have transformations happening. Cockroach is just their clan title, just like many of the clans in the roleplaying game "Legend of the Five Rings": Dragon, Rabbit, Unicorn (used to be Kirin until they all left for a few centuries to go see the world or something...), Crab, Mantis, etc etc. Really though, it was probably more subliminaly inspired by TMNT's "Foot Clan" and picking something even more rediculously derisive for the badguys to call themselves than that.

As for the nature of the transformation, it is mostly physical, but with instinctive ability to "act cute" as a bonus skill brought with the transformation (plus how to walk on digitigrade feet and assorted other basics).

[Draco Dei]

Actually as I reread I notice that it probably grants a wide range of athletic and martial arts skills (or perhaps skillz...).