Page 21 of Self Studies

“Derek, this is the only clothing I own,” I explained, leaning toward the pile I’d made on the table. “I’m about to get really big. Get yourself and your friends over to the wall.”

Derek’s eyes flew wide, and he quickly gathered my clothing into his arms.

With a flicker, the potion absorbed all the magic it needed. I pulled the cup out of the alchemist's fingers and quickly chugged it so I could get this over with. Although it didn’t taste good, I’d drank a lot worse.

The magic hit my gut a moment later. My core tingled as it rekindled the lust from my uncompleted transfer. As the potion radiated through my body, my skin turned dry and itchy.

Alchemist Blickenstaff pulled herself the rest of the way out of her mage-trance. One of the skinny woman’s eyebrows arched to see me completely naked before her face twisted with realization.

I closed my eyes and shivered as the uncomfortable itching changed to a soft caress. Damon told me things like this were painful to most, but magic always felt a little too good. Heat pulsed between my legs as the potion began to stretch my body.

How my master had known to put a size restrictor on me the first time we did this, I’d never know, but he had. Now unrestricted, my magic sang. The potion pushed past my barrier and drew upon my magical essence. Pleasure mixed with physical pain and magic transformed my human body.

Slowly at first, then gaining speed, I began to grow.

Students screamed. My new form pushed tables away from me, spilling their contents. Glass shattered as beakers crashed to the ground. My tail grew and coiled uncomfortably in the chilled pantry. I tried to keep my limbs folded under me, but one of my back legs pressed against a wall. With a booming crunch, it cracked the thick stone and pushed into the classroom next door.

An inhuman snort came out of my new nose. Blocked by the walls and ceiling, my long neck curved around, so my head rested on my back. The light reflected off my crystal scales, blanketing the room in rainbows. My massive crystal dragon now lay in the middle of the room.

Despite the sheer size of the dragon, I felt so small inside of it. My scales visibly trembled under the scrutiny of my peers.

According to Damon, dragons were extremely rare. They represented courage and creativity, though they tended to be egocentric and greedy. I couldn’t even apply the negative aspects of my inner beast to myself. I am – or I was – an extension of Damon. Who was I now?

My dragon stomach rumbled and shook the room. I grimaced and tried to look around. I could only see the back half with my neck pinned in place. Although fear filled some students’ faces, their emotions ran the gamut from wonder to open greed.

I took a deep breath, and air whistled through my dragon snout. The base elements for the potion hadn’t been very fresh. I was stuck like this for ten minutes, maybe less.

“Is everyone all right?” Alchemist Blickenstaff’s voice called out. “If you’re uninjured, make your way to the front and out of the room. If you see someone injured, please stay with them and call attention to yourself.”

Students started shuffling. A few reached out and touched my scales as they passed. One older kid even tried to pry one off. I thrashed and bit at him, though I couldn’t even get close.

“She’s see-through, Alrick,” Alchemist Blickenstaff yelled. “You try and take one of her scales again, and you can be the fourth casualty of the semester.”

The young man stopped and joined the rest of the class, moving out of my line of sight. A few bumps and bruises covered my fellow students. Guilt ate at me as one passed, being held up by a friend, but the room cleared.

“Derek, I instructed everyone to leave the room.” Alchemist Blickenstaff’s shrill voice said from the front.

“I’m holding her clothing for her transformation back,” Derek said.

A fat dragon tear I didn’t know I could make fell out of my eye. Derek was a stranger. A kid I’d just met. And yet, here he was, standing up for me. I tried to speak, but my dragon mouth couldn’t form words. My weird, growling, hissing noises could mean anything, so I stopped trying.

“I’ll take them; it’s too dangerous for students to be in the room.” I recognized Professor Garnet’s voice, though I hadn’t heard him enter the room. “Bernadette, go figure out what you’re doing with the rest of your students and find a team to clean up and fix your room.”

“She destroyed my room,” Alchemist Blickenstaff snarled. “She should fix it.”

“She warned you,” Derek added, his voice gaining confidence with Professor Garnet’s backing. “She even pointed out that there was no size limiter on it, and you threatened to fail all of us if she didn’t drink it!”

“That’s enough, Derek,” Professor Garnet said. “Go join your peers in the hall.”

Distinct footsteps left the room.

“Keith, what are you doing here? Is that Aphrodite?” Advisor Crowe’s voice joined the others.

“It is.” Professor Garnet’s tone took on an edge of steel.

“We have a student with a beast of a dragon? Why did this not come up in her tests?” A new woman’s alto voice asked.

“She wasn’t tested.” Professor Garnet accented each word. “What paperwork she has isn’t even processed.”

---