Xerchen stood there in a daze, his hand still clasped around Grey's, but for once that placid expression of his had completely disappeared. He didn't understand what was happening to him, and honestly, neither did Grey at first, because the reaction coming from the Mechanical Jaw Spirit was far stronger than he expected.
Xerchen wasn't even half gnome, technically speaking, he was only a quarter, but apparently that was more than enough for whatever lingered in his blood to answer the call.
The change started from there. Something deep in Xerchen's body began to purify itself, the faint traces of gnome blood that had been buried beneath two generations of dilution suddenly sharpening until Grey could almost feel them humming through their clasped hands.
