As soon as she removed the sword from the pedestal, Mari knew something was wrong. She felt a jolt of magical energy that shot through her body like electricity.

"Damn it" she said to no one, she had long since left her party behind. They would’ve only held her back and taken dragon’s share of the loot. Besides for a dungeon called the Tomb of the Last Dragon the delve and been relatively simple with hardly any traps or monsters to be seen.

The hand grasping the sword began to tingle as though it had a fallen asleep and she felt her skin crawl as her mind began to think of the worst curses she heard of. Visions of spears that melt flesh and shields that petrify danced in her head. She could feel her arm begin to burn and swell. Daring a look, she found that her arm was taking on a reddish hue and beneath her skin she could see new muscles bulging.

“Oh shit,” she muttered, realisation blossoming in her mind. “Dragons wouldn’t just let their kind die out.”

As if figuring out her predicament hastened it, the changes began to increase in intensity and speed. The burning sensation in her arm began to spread across her body. Her muscles pulsed, tensing then relaxing as they expanded outward. Her lower body cramped up as she could feel magic gathering at the base of her spine. She could feel her stomach clench in anticipation of what was to come. She bit her lip as the pain intensified. Her leggings burst as the muscles engorged and claws shot through her shoes though she hardly noticed. Her ears contorted themselves as pressure indicated a snout pushing out from her face but the sensation building in her gut was overwhelming. Then, finally, there was the sound of underwear tearing as a tail stretched out from her base.

The force knocked her to all-fours as she gasped with the relief of release and then again after her gasp had produced a small burst of flame. The rest of her clothing began to tear as the room began to shrink. She wasn’t the tallest the person to begin with but she estimated she had gained an extra or foot or three. Her shoulder blades tensed up then released as wings flew out form her now exposed back.

The pain of the changes faded away to a dull ache as she was left examine what had become of her. She was a dragon now, sort of. She still had many of her mammalian features but she also covered in thick leathery skin and scales. She swung her new tail as she began ponder what to do about her new situation when she was startled by the sound of something of heavy clattering to the ground. She turned around and was startled to see her party that she had left behind staring out her, mouths agape. Suddenly aware of her nakedness she attempted to cover herself as best she could.

“Oh hey guys, check out this cool sword I found.”