Curse of the Warhawks: A Lost World (Preview - First Contact)

Rhodri is a warrior from tribe that lives deep underground, thought to be the last humans alive after the dragons burned their empire to ash. When a dark curse set on them by a dragon-tyrant from long ago begins to slowly kill them, the warrior is sent to the surface world, along with a mysterious artifact that he's told will "disguise" him from the creatures above. After putting it on, his body is twisted beyond comprehension, skin melting, bones snapping, warping until he is a perfect replica of one of the creatures that still live on the surface; the "Lost World". After experiencing a painfully slow, traumatizing transformation that caused such agony he was left motionless for hours afterwards, the changed warrior marches on. He feels unnatural emotions and thoughts that don't belong to him. Along the way, he meets one of the "monsters" he's disguised as, and possibly his only hope to make his way in this strange new world.

Can he find the dragon and break his tribe's curse before his mind is consumed by the artifact?

(This is a chapter from a book that is in progress. This will be an adventure featuring a protagonist whose human mind is not compatible with his new alien body and senses, causing him to eventually hallucinate and deteriorate as he desperately tries to find the dragon before he's lost forever. Along that is a colorful cast of creatures, misunderstanding, growth, and big reveals as Rhodri realizes this world is far from what he thought it would be.)