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Out to Lunch

She smiled. "Thanks, Cedric." Internally, she pumped a fist with success. "Lead the way to the next class. Why are you taking first year classes though?"

He nodded, and started walking. "Because you need to have the basics, to learn how to use magic, and how to control it, and then to use the specific kind of magic you want."

"Right right." Daisy tucked her schedule away. "But you're second year."

He nodded. "Some classes are available every year, so you can get them if you miss one. Some classes are only available at specific times. So it can be hard to get some things." He lifted his shoulders. "I took what I could, last year, and this year, different mandatories are open. So here we go."

Daisy nodded. "I see. So, you're taking classes you missed, rather than classes you're not good enough to pass."

He blushed, his ears folding back. "I haven't just failed any classes, no."

She laughed softly, and put a hand on his arm. "That's a good thing, then. Don't feel bad." She squeezed. "You're a good guy."

His blush remained, but his ears perked up again. "This way. We've got a little longer to go." He led her down a path, and around a corner. They found the room and walked inside. "You can sit next to me. That will be fine." He picked a spot and pointed to a free chair next to him. "You're a big larger than most of the class. Are you comfortable?"

She thought to say no. "I'm alright." She fit her large rump down and wriggled into place. "Just fine."

Cedric gave her a worried look, but he sat down. "If you get too uncomfortable, you can ask the professor for a different seat." The teacher was a female deer, tall and thin, with a pair of glasses perched on her nose. "Just don't push it, okay?"

The teacher bowed to the class. "Such energetic faces today. Today, we're going over mutagens and magic. On this world, mutagens can be used to create magic items. But most often, they are being applied to people, sometimes willingly, and sometimes not. For purposes of this class, we will be focusing on how magic interacts with them, and how your magic may change if you are exposed to a mutagen." She looked around the room. "Does anyone have any questions before we begin?"

Daisy perked an ear. "I have one." The teacher glanced at her. Daisy continued. "I've already been hit with a mutagen." She gestured over her form. "I guess maybe two? Will that get in the way of my magic?"

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The teacher shook her head. "No, not at all, unless they are actively interfering with the use of mana. What kind of mutagen did you receive?"

"

Daisy colored as she slipped from her desk to stand fully, looming over the rest of the class. "For one, I became a brood mouse. For another, I lactate." Her blush grew worse as she explained that. "I was told my magic energy is high, and I can feed it to those around me."

The teacher nodded. "Ah. So that's why you're a little, ah, large. You can sit down, please." She waited until Daisy had taken her seat again before she continued. "Mutagens like that are very common. Not always with those specific results." She gave a gentle laugh. "Mutagens that increase, or decrease, the size, sensitivity, production, or other parameters of the genitals are common, perhaps overly so. They can lessen one's magic pool if too much energy is required to sustain those changes. Or, as in your case, they can increase it. Mutagens that make you taller are also common, but I can't say if that was caused by a specific mutagen outside of becoming what you are now."

She turned to the rest of the class. "The lesson here is to not overly extend your body if you wish to be a mage. As much as you may fancy yourself with massive various parts, there is a price, and that price is first mana, but your health can be hurt as well, if you push too far."

Daisy thought about that. "Should I try to undo what's happened to me, so I can do more magic?"

The teacher stared at Daisy. "No, Miss, don't you dare." She flashed a smile. "I was told of the study you are involved in. You would make her very sad if you managed to undo either of those mutagens. Besides, you're a fine example. I can use you to illustrate the point." The teacher looked at the class. "Any further questions, anyone?"

The students were silent. One of the other students, a female badger, raised her paw. "What about us animal folk? Are we at a disadvantage versus humans?"

"Ah, that's an interesting one." The teacher pushed up her glasses. "Humans are a bit of a puzzle. Their magic is weaker and they have a smaller mana pool, but they are far easier to modify with magic." She clapped her hands together. "Which means, your least favorite answer, but it's complicated. You lose some, and gain some, when you go from human to animal folk." She directs at herself. "As you can see, I am one, and I can use magic quite adeptly."

The teacher turned and began to draw on the chalkboard as she spoke. "But the mutagen does more than that. Humans can get stronger by the use of mutagens, in ways we animal folk can't." She turned an ear back towards the class. "Of course, too much and it drains their mana, and eventually their health. But the potential is still there." She started drawing lines on the board. "So, again, you lose some, and you gain some. It's not a choice you should take lightly. You can become a monster, or even die, if the mutagen is too strong."

She turned back to Daisy. "Like our mouse friend. She is lucky to have survived. Such a dramatic change might have killed her outright, but she was lucky, or durable, or both, and we get to benefit from her experience." She looked back to the rest of the class. "Any more questions?"

Cedric raised a paw, and she nodded at him. "You mentioned some mutagens increase your mana. Why don't we use those?"