Zoe wasn't sure about a lot of things... exactly what she signed up for with that succubus illusion, whether or not her new pre-fix up or degraded her class, and where she exactly was right now. She was sleeping on a couch with a pillow and sheets over her, but her body felt strange...Right... She got up from having slept on her side confused since she usually slept on her back before remembering she now had a reptilian tail and wings. The Succubus body was weird but semi-familiar and at least mostly humanoid. She supposed a Draco was also humanoid in a sense, but it was VERY different. The feeling of scales, the whole tail thing which she could feel and move on it's own, the wings... How did Draco's fly anyway? She tried flapping her wings experimentally but they weren't providing anywhere near enough "Having fun Zoe?" Solrss asked. Zoe blushed as she finally saw Solrss at the side of the room sipping from a cup of something "Wasn't sure I trusted leaving you in an unlocked room like that, so I brought you to my dorm. We're currently in the Draco Dorm area." A look of confusion from Zoe's face begged him to clarify "A lot of us Dracos like to stick together in a sense. It's not a strictly Draco area, but it's mostly Dracos sleeping here and has some facilities to help train Draco specific things like flying or breathing... and no flying isn't as simple as just flapping our wings."
"How does it work then?" Zoe asked hoping to maybe try that [Instructions understood] skill
"Our bodies are somewhat magic in a sense. Our wings have special channels that make channeling mana to them easier, and we tend to instinctually know something akin to a spell. We lift our wings up, channel mana into them, and then slam them all down unleashing magic to give us height."
Zoe nodded "so mage Dracos are good flyers then..."
"No really." Solrss said and then a look from Zoe had him explain "Since flying uses our mana a Draco mage will try not to fly much. They're better than most citizens since they are better tuned to their mana, but a mage also needs that mana for other things. The better flyers are... well flyers. Dracos that tend to have a good instinct for flying and practice since they're kids... Anyways why am I explaining so much why don't you turn yourself back into a human?"
"It hurts too much... I wanna learn [numbness] or something first..." Zoe muttered as Solrss nodded
"I suppose that makes sense... that bound spell did look painful."
"How do you know it's a bound spell?"
"[Change Species], it's a spell that a lot of mages are taught of as one that is not worth learning. The spell isn't that mana intensive, but it's so complex that you may as well learn 6 other spells of a similar caliber. It's usually gained as a bound spell by some magical spies and some wizards."
"It's that notorious?"
Solrss gave Zoe a pat on the shoulder and said "Don't be glum. You've got a spell that a certain type of clientele would pay good gold for the use of, and an oligopoly since so many wizards can't be bothered to learn it... and you've lucked out with that wizard robe of yours. It seems to tailor itself to the person else your wings and tail may have gotten crushed." Zoe hadn't even thought of that.
"So is there a place I could practice flying? I think I'd like to give it a try?" Zoe asked
*Thud* went Zoe's face in the sand again. "Keep it up, your getting farther." Solrss tried cheering, and for all that sand could go course and rough this sand was nice and soft... and it's surface tension was higher than water. Turns out [Instruction understood] didn't actually mean she could just follow up on those instructions. Solrss had told her she was doing FAR better than most just trying to learn how to fly, but so far she had just been able to launch and plummet into the sand while trying to figure out how to glide. Dracos may have some innate instinct, but she had human instincts and her new appendages weren't working the way she thought they should've.
Solrss walked over to give Zoe a claw up when an illusionary voice said "Ah Zoe, already trying to spread your wings aren't you?"
Solrss just gave a wide eye as he said "Professor Loveheart?"
The succubus gave the draco [puzzler] a wink and said "Yes yes... for someone who like puzzles I'd have thought one of you would've found the illusion classes, but no she did and impressed me for someone of her caliber." Solrss felt a sinking feeling in his chest as one of the biggest professors in the academy just said he wasn't worthy.
Zoe, a.k.a. miss I can't read between the lines, said "Did you come to set up a class or something? I'm trying to find a spell to dull my sense of pain"
"Not to worry Zoe, I've got plenty of spells that can make pain feel like utter bliss." Loveheart said
"So do you have a spell that just makes me feel no pain from my body rapidly gaining and losing features and appendages?"
Solrss nearly smirked at Loveheart's expression as she said "Yes..." and that was all Zoe needed as they confirmed details and where they'd be meeting... In Zoe's bedroom to see how much Zoe knew and whether or not they could get a proper lock on her door. Then Loveheart's illusion disappeared
Solrss sighed and said "I guess that's why you were a succubus then..." Zoe nodded as Solrss said "...well... I had hoped the [Puzzlers] would find the illusion classes... Do you think you'd call yourself a puzzler?"
Zoe held out a hand as a puzzle materialized "My original class was a [Puzzle Enchanter] I haven't enchanted many puzzles, but I think you know my answer... I think..."
Solrss took a look at what seemed to be a piece of paper with a bunch of random numbers in 9 3x3 grids "What is this?"
"...A number puzzle... I think your supposed to put in the numbers from 1-9 so no number is the same within the smaller boxes, in the same column, or in the same row..." Zoe said. They took a break from flying lessons to do the relatively simple puzzle, and at the end the puzzle fizzled away and in it's place a single silver coin appeared. Solrss looked confused. "[Puzzle: A Day a Challenge] and [Success: minor reward guaranteed]... So each day I get a small challenge and by completing it I get... something."
Solrss shook his head "Sounds like a synergy that's going to get better with levels... Best I got is [Intuit code] and [code replication]... helps a bit in creating a puzzle or two easily, or copying some magical texts... not the best skills for a [Wizard] though."
Zoe smiled a bit "But good to speak to someone in code with. I could write you letters in code, you could get an idea what I was saying and then could write back in the same code."
Solrss sighed "I suppose some generals would like me to be around the mail room then, but I had hoped I'd become a mage with the [puzzler] aiding in figuring out spells not... Just being some hobby."
"we all need our hobbies, they're one of the things worth living our lives. Finding joy in. Don't demean yourself, I like you and I think there are good things about you." Solrss looked at the ceiling for a second as Zoe said "I think changing into a Draco was subconscious I should've turned back to human, but... I think I kinda wanted something like this when leveling. When I got it... I kinda wanted to surprise you in a good way... Our scales match, and I think... subconsciously I kinda wanted to be like you. The head of a puzzle club, I was just always a little too nervous to try to start one."
"You can barely feed yourself, why do you think you could run a group of anything?" Solrss saw Zoe pouting in the way Dracos did and felt she was a little cute, but also upset Solrss pet Zoe down her scaly head and neck and said "I think I'll probably be some generalist [Wizard] maybe combine it with my [puzzler] class if things work out. If you need help you know how to get in touch with me, but I'm not sure how much more you'll need with both Avram and Loveheart looking after you."
Zoe quickly gave a hug and didn't try to pull away... Her Draco body's instincts about scale to scale contact was... odd, but not unenjoyable as she said "I Like you Solrss... I'm not sure how... Like brother or sister, like a lover... I'm not sure. I'd still like to stay in contact if the lessons get a little more intense."
Solrss hugged back as he said "Alright, let me know if you need someone to bring you a meal if all Loveheart feeds you are illusions."
Zoe felt drained as she went back to her own room. Solrss was a good Draco, but... Zoe dispelled a spell she had learned the first day from her spellbook [Hide Emotions]. A simple spell that was only marginally good. She didn't emote THAT much and [Hide emotions] really only worked on one emotion at a time... She only really needed one emotion at a time though. Embarrassment, Lust, Love.... Love... such a weird word with so many connotations. In a sense she loved her 6 year old niece and it wasn't pedophilia despite... no that's more lust, but some may call it love... Being in the body of the same species didn't help... Was this just some crush on someone with a similar interest, but then... He'd walked into her room and saw her breasts... her ENLARGED breasts... then he helped her out picking her new clothes... spent so much time feeding her and doing those flying lessons... She slightly screamed into her pillow before going into her spellbook to learn spells while dozing off... She then realized she had picked up her pervert spellbook... and yet couldn't put it down... There was this masturbation spell that she could learn for occasions like this...
It took too long for her to go to sleep, her mind racing a bit too much. Then came the time where she was rendered mostly unconscious and
Class Obtained: [Lover]
...Zoe could feel what the class meant as the words echo'd in her mind. Was it too soon? but it was also a connection on both sides and... Solrss didn't seem like he was rejecting it... Hesitation in the moment but Zoe really didn't want to cut off that potential connection. It was one of the few times outside her family she had felt a connection to someone.
[Lover] level up: 4
Skill obtained: [Emotional Empathy]
...Her heart skipped a beat... She had really accepted it... Solrss had really accepted it... If she hadn't already been technically asleep there would be now way she could've drifted off now.