Lian shrugged. “It’s a deal. I guess.” She cringed on the inside. She hoped she didn’t choose poorly.
Before she knew it, the reptilian vendor plopped a kebab on a plate and placed it in front of her. He stepped back, all giddy-like as his arms shook in front of him. Lian looked down at the lizardman, who stood about six feet tall, then at the plate before her. She picked up the kebab and held it on her palm. It was larger when she was human, and now it was as wide as her hand.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” he asked urgently. “Go on, eat it.”
Her stomach growled. She put the kebab in her mouth and pulled the stick out, placing it back on the plate. She chewed on the meat for a few seconds before swallowing it. It tasted juicy and nice, though. “Okay. It’s done,” she said. “Now can we talk about what the hell is—Ack!” Everything felt odd again as she leaned on the stand with both of her hands, her legs trembling beneath her.
“Wait ‘till it passes,” the vendor commented before stepping back. “Everybody, you might want to stay back for a bit!” he bellowed out.
Anyone within earshot turned to the scene. By the looks of it, they heeded his word and stepped away as the next stage of Lian’s transformation commenced.
Her snout elongated even further. What started as something of a somewhat long bump became long enough for her to notice a spike growing on the top of her nose with both of her eyes. The ridges on her back and tail became spikes like the ones next to it.
Her neck stretched further away from the rest of her body while her torso and back expanded in all directions, forcing her to hunch forward. Her arms and legs grew not only in length but also in girth, adding in even more muscle to her already massive body. Her wings became larger to accommodate her increasing size. Amazingly, the stand she leaned on was still intact as the vendor looked on with glee.
She put her hand up and saw that her palm became padded as well as it had elongated. The same was for her feet when she lifted them. Looking behind her informed her that her tail grew longer and thicker, the tip now razor-sharp.
Lian kept on growing. Eight feet. Nine feet. Ten. Eleven. Already, was taller than the poles planted all over the streets.
Finally, she stood on her hind legs, looked up to the sky, and let out a mighty roar, which echoed in the night. A wave of fire had escaped her maws, startling many of the residents below. Some looked up in awe, the meat vendor especially, and even a few of them pulled out their smartphones.
With that, Lian the full-fledged dragon fell on all fours. The landing sent a shockwave that traveled across the block, knocking over everything in its wake. Tables, stalls, and even people were pushed off their left and right.
Lian looked at herself once more. She was more than thirty feet long, maybe even forty or more. Her tail was even longer and twice as thick as before. The scales all over her body was darker and thicker, especially along her limbs, her thick neck, and tail. Short of an anti-materiel rifle, she doubted anything wouldn’t pierce her body. Her muscles were even more ripped, far more fitting for a mythological creature than a human.
Her heart sank in her chest when she realized that, barring some miracle, her humanity was gone. And she would have to eat a lot to not let herself starve. On the other hand, she was a creature to be feared and awed.
She looked down at the reptilian vendor, who was a lot smaller now compared to her.
“There you go!” the vendor exclaimed. He roared with laughter. “People are gonna be talking about this for a long time!”