Disclaimer: I don't own Saga Frontier or any elements of it. This story is pure fiction based on the characters and world of Saga Frontier. Saga is owned by Square-Enix.

Chapter 1: Fur

Blue grimaced as the sharp blade of the red-haired enemy cut through his feeble armor. The wound was bleeding freely now, having missed his heart by mere inches. Blue cursed himself for not thinking of finding a training partner or two before plunging straight into the depths of the perilous Koorong sewers. Or at least buying some tougher armor. He quickly moved to the side after taking the blow, and the sword-wielding woman stumbled forward. He dealt a swift kick to the head, attaining the satisfying result of her falling head-over-heels. Blue took the opportunity to cast one of his powerful Realm magic spells which he had been perfecting for years. There was a brief flash, and the enemy was gone.

Blue frantically looked around as more fiends, roaring and screeching at him, emerged from the concealed darkness. Behind him, around the corner, was the ladder that was his only way out of the sewer. About 40 yards away, he guessed. He started to make a mad dash for it, the monsters hot on his trail. Something in his brain clicked. What the hell was he doing? He wasn't about to ignore the Gate spell he had also spent such a long time practicing. He attempted to connect with the part of his mind that controlled his spell casting, while still staying a step or two ahead of his murderous pursuers. Concentrating hard, he felt a burn at the tips of his fingers. Raising his right hand, he held his index and middle finger closely together, before making a swift circular motion in front of him. The fairly stable gate made a high-pitched humming noise. Blue concentrated hard on the spot he wanted to teleport to...he felt himself slowly blending into the region…

All the air was knocked out of his lungs as Blue felt something dig into his back. The pain was mind-numbing. The gate shut abruptly, and Blue thudded to the cold, neon-lit concrete street of Koorong. Then all was black.

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"What…is it?"

"I don't know…I've never seen anything like it before…"

Blue heard the voices as if they were far off, echoes of a passing dream. Slowly he opened his eyes and was met with a cascade of bright blue and yellow lights. Squinting, he used his paw to push himself off the street….wait, paw?

Blue stared in shock at his hands. No, they weren't hands. They were furry paws complete with long, razor-sharp claws. Panicking, he stumbled his way up and stared at himself in the mirror of a nearby shop, using the counter for support. He was still wearing the same clothes and had the same familiar ponytail which he had worn for several years. There was one difference. His face was adorned with thick, brown fur, with black-and-eyes to match. His jaw fell agape, revealing long fangs. Around him, the people began to slowly shuffle away from the scene, their sense of curiosity satisfied. One man murmured, "Looks like one of Dr. Nusakan's operations gone wrong."

"Wait!" Blue called after him, in a now-raspy voice. He attempted to run after him, but fell flat on his face. The man started to walk back toward him cautiously, keeping his distance. Pushing himself up, Blue attempted to brush the gravel of his face, only to make a long cut above his eye with one of his claws. He cursed and spat. The nearby man shook his head.

"What the hell happened to you, kid?"

"I…don't know. I was using one of my magic spells to teleport out of the sewers, but something ran into my back, and the next thing I knew, I was lying here, looking like an overgrown rat."

The man inclined his eyebrow. "That's real strange. I'd see Dr. Nusakan on the lower level of the backstreet if I were you. He knows a lot about this kind of stuff."

"Thank you. May I ask your name?"

"It's Fuse. Listen, you're lucky you're in Koorong. Not everyone likes monsters, even friendly ones." Blue took a good look at him. He had shoulder-length blonde hair and had a gun holstered to his side. He looked familiar. Blue had met him somewhere before, he was sure of it…"

"What're you gaping at? The sooner you get to the doctor, the better."

"Right. Sorry." The two took off in opposite directions, Blue down the stairs and back into the Koorong backstreet, and Fuse toward the port. Apparently he had just been gating out.