As Mary eagerly ate, Mercedes contemplated what had to be done. Mary would be no good to them in this
hodgepodge state. Of no value with interfering magicks muddying up the works.
"Clarissa, join me please," Mercedes said as she laid her hands on Mary's back. Clarissa cautiously stepped
over and laid her hands on Mary's back as well.
"What are we doing?" Clarissa asked, frowning slightly.
"We have to dispell the pollutants in Mary's system, push them out into the aether. It's a task no one of us
could complete alone," a soft glow began to radiate from Mercedes's palms as she spoke, and Clarissa nodded
her head, adding her energies to Mercedes's efforts.
Moments went by, then minutes. The effort was taxing, straining, and before too long, sweat poured down the
heads of both women as they tried in vain to separate out the extras in Mary's system. Eventually, they had
to give up, before they did damage to themselves.
"I... I don't understand," Clarissa gasped. "Why... why didn't it work?"
"It didn't work," a new voice came from behind them, "because Mary's inherent magicks are too strong."
Mary's pig brain registered this newcomer - she was tall, thin, and dressed in exorbitantly radiant robes.
Long dark hair fell in smooth, silky waves down her shoulders. Mary's eyes went wide. Even she could tell
that this woman was almost supernaturally beautiful.
"Milady Cassandra," Mercedes gasped, bowing slightly. "I don't understand."
"Allow me," Cassandra said as she stepped forward, touching Mary on the nose with a gentle fingertip. "I
sensed a strong magic here, stronger than any of the rest of us. Stronger than myself, even. I did not think
it would take this form, though."
"You mean Mary...?" Clarissa spoke with wide-eyed surprise.
"Mary's obtained a level of magic I've never seen before. I shall synchronize myself with it and... oh,"
Cassandra stiffened with a sharp gasp, and a light washed over her form. She began to expand, ever so slowly,
but noticeably. Her thin form filled out, pushing open the front of her robe and revealing her torso as it
grew. Her face began to change shape, growing a snout, ears elongating and flopping over slightly. Her
fingers and toes became hooflike, her mass continued to expand.
"Oh... my..." Mercedes whispered in awe. Their leader, their high-priestess, had taken on the attributes of
the beast they revered.
"Glorious," Cassandra remarked as she looked over herself. "I can feel my power increasing... yes. Mary.
You are to spend the evening in the temple with me. We shall enjoy the pleasures of this form, eat, drink,
and all the rest that entail... and then tomorrow... we begin your training."