Sauntering over to one of her neatly organized workbenches, Luci retrieved a long, thin dropper from a row of instruments on display. Delicately, she unfastened the cork from the potion vial and inserted the dropper, being careful to extract only a single drop from the already meager amount present in the container.
Despite my clear personal investment in this project, I must endeavor to remain scientific at all times, she reminded herself. First is to determine if this really does what Rizzik said it would do. There would be no point in continuing otherwise if it were not so. I should be able to detect the alleged effects even from the smallest possible dose.
Raising the dropper over her head, she gave it a light squeeze and allowed its contents to slip into her mouth and down her throat. Immediately, she shifted over to her writing stand where quill, ink, and parchment were already prepared. Unfortunately, what happened in the next few seconds made her quickly forget all about taking notes.
A strange warmth began spreading all throughout her body, ironically causing her to shudder slightly. The highlight in her hair suddenly shifted into a radiant pink, nearly mirroring the hue of the potion itself. The warmth continued to expand until she realized the fabric in her clothing was being stretched, and it was actually her body itself that was expanding. Section by section, she felt flesh pressing against garment. Each of her limbs thickened, imprinting their new tone against the cloth that was suddenly straining to cover them, then they lengthened and exposed several inches of skin at the wrists and ankles. Her torso followed suit as back and shoulders widened. Then, as a slow, soft moan inadvertently escaped her lips, she felt the lace in her vest she had fastened moments before get pulled loose again as her chest inched outward, putting her cleavage on full display once again. What had been an exhale cycled to a sharp gasp as she felt her undergarments tighten against her inflating hips and buttocks. All this time, but lost in the flood of other sensations, was the subconscious feeling of slowly rising to her tiptoes, except it continued for substantially longer.
As subtle as it had all began, it came to an end. For the next few seconds, Luci stood in shock, her entire body tensed from the new, extraordinary experience it had just been a part of. Then, as reality finally set in, she began darting her hands all over her body in an almost frantic disbelief.
“What…what in the Lost Realm just happened!?” she sputtered aloud. Hurrying back over to the mirror above the basin, she gasped again at the sight.
Gone was the plain woman from moments before, and in its place stood a beauty that, until now, had only existed in the songs of bards. Every detail she had put into enhancing her appearance before was not simply restored, but transcended. Her face, though devoid of makeup, now shone a natural radiance, as the colors of her cheeks and lips had increased in vibrance. Her skin had smoothed to an almost porcelain consistency and her hair had not only lengthened just past her shoulders, but thickened into a cascading black waterfall. Even her highlight had been enhanced, though now shimmered gold to match the surprise in her wide, sparkling eyes. Her gaze traveled downward to the rest of her body, and while she had made efforts to wear clothing that accentuated her form, her new form could not be concealed even if her clothing had tried. Every curve had been increased, and almost as though to compensate, her build had increased as well, almost to the point that she would look more normal in armor than a skirt and blouse. The vest that had once propped up her bust was now an afterthought, as they now overflowed from the top her blouse and protruded proudly in all their buxom glory. Based on how the mirror framed her reflection, her height had clearly increased, now to a shade over 6 feet. Finally, her lower body completed her now-undeniable hourglass figure, which she couldn’t help but rotate in front of the mirror to catch every angle.
“This…is amazing!” Luci breathed, breaking into a wide grin. “I look…and feel…absolutely spectacular! All because of a single drop from this…” she trailed off as an unmistakable truth settled upon her, darkening her face for the first time since her transformation.
“A single drop…and it did all this?” she repeated now with contempt, unaware she was now voicing every thought aloud and of the highlight in her hair now shifting to a deep green. “How could Rizzik—that airheaded amateur in that backwater town—manage to concoct something this potent and powerful!?” Approaching the workbench where the remaining potion still rested in a vial on a rack, she glowered at the glowing liquid which almost seemed to taunt her from behind the glass, irritating her enough to make her completely forget the brief urge to gulp down the rest of it.
“I can’t…I refuse to believe he has attained such a high level of skill! But even if it is only a fluke for him, it will only be a stepping stone for me!” Rushing over to a nearby bookshelf, she scooped up all the tomes she could carry and plopped them onto her desk. “I will create a potion that will leave this in the dust, and it will make me the most renowned alchemist in all the kingdom—no, in all Amonar!”
Luci’s smile returned as a new energy invigorated her senses. “Now…let’s get started, shall we?”