A month and a half had passed since we came back from my sudden visit to the hospital. Marias' ad for an in-house doctor on the farm had largely yet to be answered. There were a few candidates, but none were willing to uproot their lives and move to a farm. As per Maria's advice, I kept from drinking any more dragon milk in case of another episode. Devora, on her part, said she’d teach me how to make use of magic. The Dragoness said everyone can use the four base elements in magic: earth, water, fire, and air. She said one has to visualize what each element in my hand would look like, and it would form in time. I had to spend a week trying before I could conjure a small flame. How I managed to conjure it properly was to think of a lighter flame and thought of my fingers as flint and strikers.

Moving into Maria's room was a much quicker process since I didn't have that much stuff to carry. Waking up next to (or, in some cases, between) her every morning has made the mornings more enjoyable. We haven’t… actually had sex yet, but oral is something we do a lot. I may have made her cum in the shower that one time, but we’re both still inexperienced with it. We’re taking it one step at a time, like any relationship. I still use the attic space, but it's mainly for planning where the tours will go. Speaking of which, few people have been visiting to take the tours since it's been getting warmer. I've been helping with random tasks across the farm to keep busy. Unfortunately, Maria said we can't spend all day together since it'd be unfair to most of the other employees. 

Today, I volunteered to help clear the path Maria mentioned. Maria had bought massive plots of land, which ended at a coastline. Turns out that when you have a hoard of dragons, negotiating property expansions is a breeze. This was one of the rare days I needed extra strength, so I had set my height around 14 feet. Besides me, there was a mixed group of dwarves, elves, Holstaurs, and Euridice. She mainly was there to make sure we didn't make too broad of a path through her home or to injure any sleeping dryads. Nyx had been right about how large she'd gotten, too. She went from a bit of chub when I first met her to a proper BBW. The dwarves would chop down the trees, the holstaurs and I would put them into carts, and the elves would use earth magic to uproot the stumps. I'd say I was helping, but the holstaurs were far more adept than I was for this kind of work.

When we decided to call break, I shrank back down to my standard size and joined the others for lunch. One of the dwarves was staring at my watch as I ate. He was a stout, broad-shouldered man with a neatly trimmed dark beard. After a gulp from his drink he asked, “Lad, is that the Galvanized Size Watch yer wearing there?” “Yeah,” I replied,  “the reviews said it was the oldest and most trusted one on the market. Better than the Insta-Sizer Watch at least”. The dwarf guffawed heartily, slapping his knee. “Ah lad, me father would be beaming to hear ya say that. He was one of the people who first developed GSW along with an elf and another human”, he said. “So wait, your father was Harvick Metalbelt? One of the founders of shrinking technologies?” I asked him. He stood proudly from his seat, jutting out his hand. “Dimitri Metalbelt. I'm one of the equipment managers for yer farm. Ya don't really see much o’ me around the normal-ish parts of the farm,” he said.

I shook his hand, amazed that someone on our farm was related to someone so revolutionary. “I've always wanted to ask, how come trying to grow back with one method of growth can cause physical problems if you were shrunk with another?” I asked him. Dimitri's mouth opened for a moment, then closed. “Ah, me father told me a bit of how it worked, but that was… 4 decades ago,” Dimitri admitted. “I can explain that if you're ok with me butting in,” another voice chimed behind me. A female blond-haired elf walked up from her group and sat with us. “Lura Varen,” she said, shaking our hands, ”I'm a good friend of Martin's, and I've studied the theory between scientific and magical shrinkage methods for school,” Lura said, sitting down. I took a bite of the food Maria packed for me, then said, “Oh yeah, Martin's mentioned you a few times. It's nice to put a face to the name finally. So what do you about the complications?”

Lura clapped her hands and pulled them back, colored smoke appearing between them. “Now, as you know, there are three ways for a living to change size. Technological, magical, and alchemical methods”, Lura said, emphasizing the point by forming a wizard's hat, an atom, and a flask. She had the three symbols into a circle with a hat on top and the flask and atom on the bottom two-thirds. “Magic can change someone who uses technology; technology can change alchemical size changes, and alchemy can change magical alterations. With one exception, you can't go in reverse. Magical and technological energies don't mix if you're trying to grow someone who shrunk from magic with technology. And because of some of the ingredients in the drafts, your body may grow or shrink oddly. There's still a risk of that happening, even in the normal order,” Lura finished.

I absorbed as much of the information as possible, but some of the concepts still needed clarification. “From the look on your face, you probably don't fully grasp it,” Lura said. She was dead on, so I nodded, which made her chuckle. “It's ok. That was a lot of info I just dumped on you. Plus, it was only the basics; if we wanted to delve deeper into the subject, that'd take years of study,” she said. “Yeah, definitely a lot to take in all at once. I have two more questions I'd like to ask you both if that's alright,” I asked. They said ask away, so I said, “Where did the name for the type of energy that the shrinking technologies your father helped come up with come from? And I've read somewhere that dwarves and elves used to not get along. Is that true?” Dimitri raised his hand to answer “Ah, me father would crack up every time someone asked that. See, the human scientist ‘came up’ with the name. Truth be told, he altered the name from an old… Ah, what do ya call it?”

Dimitri was trying to find the right words for whatever he was describing. “Trashy fanfic?” Lura said. “Aye, that!” allowing him to continue. “It was about some made-up school that taught youngsters with powers in– Japan, was it? Anyways, the human got the name Micronized and Macronized radiation from there and didn't tell me father until a decade later, “Dimitri admitted. “As for that old myth, “Lura interjected, “Back in our world, there's still ongoing conflicts between elves and dwarves, though mostly the older generations continue that. In your world, though, nearly all elves and dwarves are considered young, so all the old grudges never made sense to us. We ‘youngsters’ get along just fine”, she explained. The break bell rang, signaling it was time to return to work. I grew back to my working size and rejoined the larger group.

We continued our path, working through the forest until we arrived at a perfectly circular clearing. Some of the holstaurs and elves said something felt off about it. So what did we naturally do? I went to explore it with Dimitri and Euridice. “What do you think has them so spooked?” I asked as we approached the middle. “I don’ know, lad. Say, uh, what was yer name again, miss dryad? Was there anything ya remember about this particular, ah circle thingy?” Dimitri said. Euridice said nothing as she stood staring at the center. “I think, a century or two ago, something happened here. Hmm…” Euridice muttered. She kicked at the ground, looking for something. “If there's nothing of importance, then I'll go and te–AH!” I began to say before tripping on something. The corner of some manufactured wooden thing was jutting out of the ground.

“Are you alright, human?” Euridice asked indifferently as she summoned roots from the ground to pick me up. I guess being 14 ft tall doesn't prevent me from being clumsy. “Ya seemed ta have stumbled upon something, lad. Should we dig it up? Could be some old raiders left before things re-civilized”, Dimitri commented. I looked to Euridice, who said, “You and the dwarf can dig it out yourself if you're so interested in treasure; I will save my power. Dimitri and I quickly grabbed some shovels from where the group was staying and returned, sinking them into the dirt. It didn't take us long before we had fully unearthed a coffin. “I don' think we dug up a grave, lad,” Dimitri said grimly. There was a chest beneath it, but our attention was on the coffin for the moment.

The coffin had an old-world language phrase written on top of it, along with various old-world religious symbols. A weak tapping and a faint woman's voice rang from within the wooden box. “Please, please open the lid… I'm so thirsty…,” the voice said. Dimitri trod over to a locker on one side of the coffin. “Hmm, coffins sealed with magic. Only the caster or their descendants can unlock this with their blood,” he grumbled. I knelt to look, taking the lock in my hand. “Are you sure we can't just–  OW, my thumb!” I shouted. “Ya seem ta be accident prone today, lad,” Dimitri said. Before I could retort, the lock had glowing red lines along it, then began to disintegrate. “Human, I think you just opened Pandora's box,” said Euridice.

The coffin's lock faded away, the lid flying open. The feminine figure with wiry red hair was withered and wrapped in chains. A faded old black dress with yellowed frills on the sleeves dawned the bound person. “Please… I won't turn you… just need some blood…” she chittered. We looked at each other, Euridice quickly growing some shade for the body within the coffin. Something about her made me want to help her. “I don't think we should help it. The old rumors say vampires can be unpredictable sometimes,” Euridice said, eying the body. “Ya know those old rumors were never based on any facts, lass,” Dimitri argued. “Dimitri's right; we can't just leave her there based on old stories,” I said, agreeing with him. “If you two want to turn into mindless drones, be my guest,” she said, turning away. 

Dimitri and I looked at each other, knowing what our next decision had to be. “Well lad, I've always been a wee bit squeamish when it comes ta blood, so good luck,” he said, walking off. I sighed and knelt beside the coffin, asking, “Um, how do I… bleed myself to help you?”. She didn't respond but extended a clawed nail. I took it as a sign and dragged one side of my left hand across it. My hand trembled as I brought it to the withered lips. I pressed my bleeding appendage against her lips, feeling her suck on my hand. Her skin immediately began to restore itself, her hair's color brightening. The withered, wrinkled skin soon was a pale, smooth surface. She let out a contented sigh as she drank her fill. If I wasn't already grown, I might've been in trouble with how much she was drinking. True to her word, there were no fang marks when I retracted my hand.

“Ah, that was so refreshing after a long confinement. I'm Victoria Thorn. To whom am I to thank for replenishing me?” Veronica asked. I propped her up on the coffin's edge, answering, “Uh, my name is James. Don't know if I have a last name.” She cleared her throat, and I offered her my hand just in case. “Oh no, thank you. It's kind of you to offer, but what you gave me will suffice. Are you a Giantkin by chance? You certainly look young enough to be one,” Victoria asked. “Nope, just a human. Although my increased size is due to a technological marvel”, I told her. I tapped a button on my watch and shrank back back down. “Incredible!” she shouted as she watched me shrink. “Did you invent this perchance?” Victoria asked. “Also, no, this was made, according to current records, 200 years ago,” I answered. 

“I see, and what year is it, if I may ask?” Victoria said. “2542. Give or take a few decades,” I told her. She paused, seemingly lost in thought. “Hmm, it seems I have been locked away for roughly over 400 years. That would explain why you aren't suffering from radiation poisoning. If you unlocked my coffin, that must mean you have a hunter in your ancestry”, she muttered. I shrugged and said, “I wouldn't know. I was raised in an orphanage. They didn't even bother giving me a last name.” Victoria seemed to struggle against her chains as she listened. I brought my bloodied hand to the chains, running the side against it. What little wet blood was wiped onto the chains activated the magic within, causing the binding to dissolve. Victoria gawked in disbelief and attempted to stand. Her legs wobbled, and she fell, catching herself on me.

“Oh dear, my body hasn't quite recovered as much as I thought. What to do, what to do?” she said. “Look, we aren't that far from the farm I work on; how about I bring ya there, and we can get you sorted out?” I suggested. Victoria looked into the hole we dug her out of, then back to me. “If you could have someone grab my belongings, then I find the prospect quite agreeable,” she said. “Sure thing. Let me get someone over to help”, I told her. I waved for some of the group to come over. Lura and Dimitri walked over, staying in the sunlight. “So lad, who's ya new friend?” he asked. I helped Victoria up as she introduced herself, “Hello, I’m Victoria Thorn. Nice to meet you both.” Lura eyed her up while Dimitri stuck out a shaky hand still in the sunlight. She shook it gently, pulling back her hand before it could burn in the light.

The pair standing in the sunlight looked past us into the hole in the ground. “So what did you call us over for James? Obviously, it isn’t for feeding your new friend,” Lura asked. “I promised Victoria here that I would bring her to the farm and help her get her things sorted,” I told her. Dimitri was scratching his beard, looking like he was trying to recall something. “Hmm, yer last name is Thorn, aye lass? Would ya happen to be one of the Thorn sisters?” he asked. She said correct, and Dimitri snapped his fingers. “I knew it! Lad, do ya know who this is? Her an’ her sister were responsible fer bringing back yer world medical technologies and techniques. Me father told tales about them,” Dimitri explained. “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of them. So what did you need us for?” Lura said. “We need to grab the chest that was underneath her coffin and bring it with us. Wait, did you want us to take the coffin too?” I said.

“No, just the chest. It has all my belongings,” Victoria said. “I can handle the chest. The lass will need shade, though,” Dimitri commented, reaching down into the hole. The chest came out of the pit, crusted with dirt. “Ok, now all we need is an umbrella,” Lura said, crouching beside her coffin. She felt around the walls until she grabbed something. “Ah ha, luckily whoever buried you here was dumb enough to leave your parasol. Sloppy work on their part,” she said, handing it to Victoria. “Indeed, the ones who trapped me were not the brightest group I met in the old wastelands,” Victoria said, opening it. She hooked her arm around mine, and I led the way.

An Hour and a Half Later:

While it took us much longer to make the path, returning to the house took less time. We had to stop periodically to let Victoria catch her breath. Every time I offered her another drink of blood, she refused, even if I were to grow to accommodate the loss. Dimitri asked an endless stream of questions about the early days of her travels. Apparently, she and her sister help bring back not only medical knowledge but also knowledge of weapons, transportation, and infrastructure. There was one question she had. “How is it that this land is fertile again? Based on Vanessa's estimates, it would take another half millennia for the ground to sustain life”, Victoria said as we exited the forest. A familiar voice sounded behind us, saying, “It's because of us dragons that this world is flourishing.”

We turned our heads to see Devora standing behind us. “James, who is this you're escorting to the house?” she asked sharply. “This is Victoria. We found her coffin along our path, and we're helping her get back on her feet,” I answered. She walked up to Victoria, crouching down and gently grasping her chin with her thumb and finger. I saw a flash of small magic circles form in front of her eyes before she stood back up again. “This one is safe; you may bring her in the house. If Maria says anything, have her call me”, Devora said, turning towards the dens. “Lass, what did Miss Devora do to ya?” Dimitri asked. “She looked into my mind to see if I was an enemy. This Devora left a message in my head saying to ask Maria about the in-house physician job?” Victoria told us.

We wouldn't have to wait long as Maria was waiting for us on the porch. “Hon, who's that you’re bringing with you?” Maria asked. “Victoria, vampire doctor. Can’t walk that well from being trapped in a coffin for a few centuries. Victoria, this is Maria. She runs the farm and is my girlfriend,” I quickly said, setting her on one of the seats on the porch. “Ah, I see; nice to meet you, Maria. I was told to ask about an in-house doctor position by a dragon?” Victoria said, putting out her hand. Maria shook it, saying, “Yeah, I think I know who you're talking about. We've been needing one for a while now. I originally wanted one to check on this guy whenever he had dragon milk, but the more I think about it, it'd be easier to have a doctor on the farm if something happens,” she admitted. 

“Well, if you'll have me, I'd love to do medical work again. And having a Holstaur girlfriend would explain the exquisite flavor of your blood”, Victoria said. I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks as I blushed. I turned to Maria, and she was as red as I was. She cleared her throat and said, “Yes, well, for now, you'll need a place to sleep until we can set up a proper workstation. You can use the attic until we can make more permanent housing.” With that, Maria opened the front door and entered the house. “I think I may have said something that embarrassed her,” Victoria mused. I excused myself from the group and went inside after Maria.

Maria was sitting on one of the couches, waiting for me. I intended to sit beside her, but she pulled me onto her lap. I leaned into her as she played with my hair. Finally, she said, “You know you have an odd way of solving my problems for me, sir.” I wanted to argue against her theory, but this has happened twice so far. “Evidently, I do,” I said back. We sat there for a while, Maria holding me to her like a kid would a stuffed animal. Eventually, I asked her, “Do you want to head to our room and just chill?” Maria said yes, hoisting me up and walking to the bedroom. Once inside, she shuffled onto the bed, still clutching me. I flipped over and hugged her as we lazed away for the rest of the day.