Snake Oil: Chapter 2

Summary: Magical run off from an elixir production plant curses a young woman, and changes her life forever. Her partner stops everything to support her in her time of need.

[Story Listing]

[First Chapter]

Snake Oil

Chapter 2

Elle staggered through the front door, the combined weight of two overburdened backpacks proving to be more of a nuisance than a pain. She peered her head into Myra's room cautiously. 

"Myra? Are you awake?" Elle asked, her voice just above a whisper. Myra's body lay the same as before, barely moving an inch. Her heavy chest rose and fell with each breath.

"Yeah. I'm up. Good morning." Myra muttered with a weak smile, her hands folded atop her lap. She tilted her head back to look over to her friend, her bright blue eyes shining through.

Elle took a seat next to her, placing a hand on her forehead. She grimaced, recoiling her hand. "Sh-sheesh, you're burning up. Some fever, huh?"

"Fever? I, I don't really... feel like I'm burning." Myra blinked. "I-I was really out of it ten minutes ago, but... n-now I'm way more relaxed. Maybe I'm stabling out a bit!"

"Well... thank god for that." Elle sighed. At least Myra was in higher spirits. 

The two of them sat in silence together. Myra absentmindedly rubbed at the mark near her navel. She looked down, frowning to herself.

"So this is... it's the Devil's Signature, isn't it?" Myra studied it, her expression growing increasingly dour.

"Yeah. Bunch of people've been getting it. It's cuz of those bastards at Colveil Solutions." Elle glanced to the side. "What the hell do they put in the water to make this happen to people...?"

"They... they make elixirs, right? From magical sources... you think there's a cure? For this?" Myra uttered, a pang of hope caught in her throat.

"...I dunno. They say they've been dumping all the runoff from their production plant into the lake. People drink that stuff." Elle clenched her hand into a fist. "How can a bunch of egghead graduates think this was okay? Do they think we're idiots?? That we wouldn't find out what they were doing this crap!?"

"Elle, please..." Myra winced. Her friend was raising her voice, and it was proving to be overwhelming to her. 

"Ah- ...s-sorry. You... you're the one who has to put up with all this." Elle turned to her friend with a forlorn look.

"Elle, I'm... I'm just glad you're here. Feels like my insides are being twisted inside out down here, but..." Myra grimaced slightly, shifting slightly, but her smile didn't waver. 

Elle stared down towards her friend, her mouth flattening. She couldn't imagine what Myra was going through. 

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. We're gonna ride this out together, so take it easy." Elle nodded, taking Myra's hand in her own with a smile, squeezing tight. Myra was speechless, stifling a gasp.

"...Elle..." Myra muttered, stunned.

"C'mon, you need to eat something. I snagged some apples on the way over." Elle reached down into one of the backpacks, pulling a pair of glossy red apples. She handed one over to her friend. 

"Aww, my favourite! You're the best!~" Myra laughed, turning it in her hands, before taking a big juicy bite. Elle watched from the sidelines, grinning at the sight of her friend filling her cheeks like a chipmunk. 

"...How're your legs? Can you walk?" Elle tilted her head to look them over. She remembered Myra falling over herself on the way here, and she hoped that her friend was making any sort of recovery.

"N, no, I... they're super numb. It's starting to worry me, like..." Myra's dreary eyes lowered to her digits. "Am I gonna need a wheelchair? Or are they just, like... in a super coma??"

"..."

Elle wasn't sure what to make of it. Her eyes drifted to the arcanic mark etched into Myra's belly. 

"I dunno, Myra. I could, uh... try to give them a massage." Elle rubbed the back of her neck. "Try to encourage blood flow to the extremities a bit."

Her eyes lowered to Myra's shapely legs. They looked like they were getting enough blood flow. No loss of colour... the same cream-coloured texture they always were. If anything, they looked smoother than usual. 

Myra's eyes lit up. "Oh! That... that sounds nice. Just what the doctor ordered, haha..." She made her best attempt to disguise her embarrassed expression. "Thanks, Elle."

"It's nothing. Least I can do." She rubbed her hands together, scooting to the foot of the bed to get a better look. "I'll be gentle, promise, so just sit back and try to relax." 

Rubbing her palms together, Elle took one of Myra's feet in her hands, gently squeezing in rhythmic motions. Her fingers slid up and down the arch of her foot, down to her toes and back up again.

"...?"

One of Elle's eyebrows perked up. Myra's foot felt... strange, in her hands. She expected to encounter the familiar sound of cracking joints, the rigidity of bone, but... her food seemed to surrender too readily to the gentle pressure applied. 

Elle paused. She could feel her friend's pulse through the skin. There was blood, there was warmth that only came with the familiar touch of her friend's skin. It was strange, then, that the limb she held in her hands simply squished and reformed. 

"You can start when you're ready!" Myra called to Elle from across the bed. 

"I...I did." Elle muttered to herself. Two of her fingers rubbed Myra's big toe.

Suddenly, Elle felt something hard drop into the palm of her hand. She glanced down...

"Ah-!"

Elle stifled a yelp, recoiling her hand. She leaned her head to closely examine the strange object...

It was curved, flat, and painted a stark, pretty shade of red. It was... unmistakable one of Myra's toenails. And somehow, the entire thing had unlodged from her foot. No blood, no mess... seemingly painlessly, if Myra's quiet demeanour was any indication.

Upon close examination, there were other, smaller nails along with it, scattered along the foot of the bed. Elle cautiously raised Myra's foot aloft to examine it closely. 

"...Myra..." Elle muttered. She had a bad feeling about this...

"W-wow, Elle! I-I dunno what you're doing down there, but it must be working!" Myra piped in cheerily.

"...Wait, what? I, I thought you said your legs were feeling numb." Elle wondered with a tilt of her head. 

"Yeah! I don't feel any of it." Myra laughed, before her mouth stretched into a yawn. "But it must be doing something. Otherwise, I wouldn't... feel so... tired..."

Myra's exhaustion washed over her quickly, and before long, her head slumped to the side. Elle raised her head, letting Myra's extended foot fall to the sheets as she clamoured over.

"Myra? Myra!" Elle took her friend's head, trying to look her in the eyes. Myra barely stirred; she was out like a light. 

"...Damn it." Elle muttered to herself. She kneeled beside Myra for a while. She cleared Myra's messy bangs, placing a hand on her forehead. She was still burning up.

...Elle's hand unexpectedly brushed against one of Myra's ears. She paused, taking a second look. Her mouth flattened. Why were her ears so pointed? It was subtle, but she could've sworn something was off.

...Maybe they were always like that. She couldn't put a finger on it, and put it in the back of her mind. Her friend's fever was a bigger concern.

Elle quietly resolved to remain by Myra's side until the fever went away. She hurried to the bathroom to prepare some cool towers for her forehead.

While Elle prepared the towels, the mark on Myra's stomach began to glow more intensely.

"Nn..."

Myra groaned in her sleep, arching her back. Underneath her skin, more changes were underway. One of her hands grabbed towards her crotch, almost as if to scratch an itch..

---

After the tire swing, Elle felt strange. She was exhausted from all the laughing and screaming, and from the sheer thrill of it all, but she also felt a bubbling excitement. Like she was ready for more adventure. It wasn't at all what she expected.

The two girls sat next to each other, watching the gentle river that cut through the center of town. The two nestled down in the grass that sloped towards the currents below. Both girls had a popsicle in their hand; they needed to take a load off, and Myra recommended a stop at the local ice creamery for a cold treat. 

Elle had taken a bite from the top of her popsicle, and peered inside. On the outside, it was purple, grape-flavoured. But there were little rings within, the layers wrapping around each other. There was lime, orange, cherry... a whole rainbow.

"Whoa..." Elle muttered to herself. She glanced aside. "That's so cool."

"Yeah! Mr. Munster came up with this! He calls it the Bottle Rocket. It's really good, right??" Myra glanced over. 

"Yeah! Thanks for pointing it out. I could have this every day!" She took another lick. "...Ah, but it's a lot of sugar, isn't it..."

"Ah, don't feel bad! It's a special occasion. You only get introduced to everyone once in your life, right??" Myra smirked, taking another bite. 

"...I guess you have a point." Elle smirked, taking another bite. 

The two girls enjoyed their popsicles, enjoying each other's company. The weather was perfect for a lazy day outside. A warm day, with nary a cloud in the sky. 

"Hey, Elle. Why'd you and your folks come out here anyway?" Myra turned to her with an inviting smile.

"Ah, well... they're doing important work at the new Colveil plant, so we had to move." Elle rubbed her shoulder.

"H-holy cow, really??" Myra's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "What do they do!? Do they mix things together! And then you get new stuff that's way cooler! I think that's how it works, that's what they talked about in chemistry class..." Myra scratched her nose, bumping her glasses.

"Heheh. I-I dunno, they don't really talk to me about adult stuff." Elle looked down at her popsicle. 

"Ohhh man, they probably get access to the Big Lixa secret formula too. You're so luckyyy..." Myra whined, kicking her foot in exaggerated indignation.

"Mm. I dunno, I..." Elle sighed, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm still new here, and I... don't really know anyone here yet. I-I wanna write to my old friends in Bernkastel, but..."

Elle trailed off, staring at her popsicle stick. A pang of nostalgia washed over her. "...S-sorry, Myra, I-"

"Aw... it's okay, Elle. I get it. I guess this place can be a bit, ah, overwhelming." Myra smiled, scooching over closer to Elle.

"But hey! Look on the bright side! Everyone here's super friendly. You'll fit in just fine!" Myra beamed wider, in her best attempt to encourage Elle.

"...I-I don't really get it though. You... you're trying really hard, for me, and..." Elle looked aside, unable to look Myra in the eye. 

"Well, yeah! I wanna know more about you. And give you a hand. That's what Harmony folk do, we look out for each other." Myra nodded affirmatively. "And we're friends, right? That's what friends do too!~"

"...Friends?" Elle looked over, her eyes widening. 

"Yeah!! Why not? ...Actually, let's go and tie it with a bow. One sec here..." Myra fished around in her pocket, her eyebrows furrowing. 

"...Tie it with a... wh-what?" Elle blinked, leaning over to see what Myra was up to. 

"...Got it! Da da da daaaaa!~"

Myra hummed a fanfare, holding out a woven strap of woven yard. It was made with so many colourful, intersection threads, forming a rainbow pattern. 

"Wooow! ...What is it?" Elle wondered.

"It's a friendship bracelet! Hold out your wrist." Myra beamed.

Elle's eyes widened, and found herself jerking her arm forward awkwardly for the strangely personal gesture. Myra popped her entire popsicle stick in her mouth for a bit, freeing her hands to handle the bracelet. She watched silently as Myra quietly hummed to herself, tying the knot.

"There! Now we match! See??" Myra flashed her own wrist. "I made two of them in arts and crafts class, but no one wanted to be my friend..."

"...Aw, Myra, this is..." Elle smiled, a tear building in the corner of her eye. "I love it."

"Yeah! Now everyone'll know we're friends, and they'll be like 'oh man, what cool bracelets they got, I wanna be their friend too!'" Myra giggled. 

"That's definitely what they're gonna say." Elle nodded, looking at Myra's handiwork closer. "...I'll treasure it. Thank you, so much."

"Aw, it's okay! I like spending time with you, Elle!" 

Myra leaned against Elle's side with a good-natured laugh, waving her popsicle stick back and forth...

"Yipe!"

...But a large chunk of the outermost grape layer broke off, and splattered onto Myra's lap. She looked down, her mouth agape.

"Aw, a-are you alright?" Elle wondered with a frown. Myra looked momentarily devastated.

"...Ah... well. It's still good!" 

Myra reached down, popping the whole purple chunk in her mouth. She turned to Elle with a wide grin. "Mm!~"

Elle laughed, "I guess we should finish these off before they melt." She wasted no time on her share.

Elle cherished that bracelet for years, and it was never far from her sight. She was thankful to have Myra in her life.

---

Elle was thankful that Myra was getting a bit of rest now. Even with the odd stir, her eyes didn't open. She looked almost peaceful.

Elle returned to trying to cool Myra off however she could. She opened a window, spread the dampened towels across her body, and made sure to cover up Myra, including around her chest and crotch. She figure Myra would appreciate her best attempts at preserving her modesty. 

Elle massage Myra with the towels wherever she could, squeezing at points to try and spread the cool water around. 

Myra's heavy breathing, and the rising and falling of her chest, indicated that she was still hanging in there. The fever was even starting to ebb away. Maybe she was starting to recover.

"Nn..."

Myra groaned, shifting slightly under Elle's touch as Elle brushed a small handtowel near her belly. Elle smirked to herself. Maybe she was ticklish there.

"Shh..." Elle whispered. "Sleeeep." 

Myra settled back to sleep without any fuss. Elle paused her movements, looking over her. Elle often got lost in how pretty Myra was. She looked rather frumpy as a kid, but she had really grown into her own. The gentle curves of her hips and chest were so inviting and comfortable. Elle had spent many a night just relaxing beside her. Holding her close. Resting her head on her chest...

She stared at Myra's face, her mouth slack as she snored quietly. Elle cupped Myra's cheek in her hand to get a better look, before brushing her hair back. 

"Nn... Elle..." 

"!? Myra?" Elle flinched, pulling back her hand. Myra was always such a deep sleeper... had she woken her up?

"...G... gotta go..." Myra muttered.

"'Go'? Go where? I don't-"

"Bathroom. Gotta... I gotta go." Myra's eyes fluttered open. "Help me."

Elle stared. Her cheeks flushed a bit, glancing aside. "You... you need me to carry you, right?"

"Yeah. Legs are... they feel funny." Myra shifted, rising to an upright seated position, looking down at the towels. "...Ah. Good thinking."

Elle stood up, pacing over to Myra's side. "Y-your fever's getting a little better. You sure you want me in the bathroom with you...?"

"You already saw me naked, Elle. How can you say you love a girl if you won't watch her poop?" Myra smiled with a cheeky grin.

"! That's-" Elle was blushing furiously, her eyes darting to the side. "Myra! That's gross!"

"Pfft, hehehe... I needed a good laugh, thanks." Myra placed a hand on the towel covering her stomach. "You don't have to watch, just... just make sure I get to the bathroom. I don't wanna fall and break my neck."

"...Yeah. Of course." Elle nodded. "Gimme your arm."

Elle kneeled down, taking Myra's arm and slumping it around her shoulder. With a grunt, the two girls rose from the bed, with Myra's feet dragging along the floor. 

"Hup... hoo, you're heavy..." Elle grunted as she winced.

"Big boned. It's a glandular condition." Myra muttered. 

"..." Elle wondered how Myra could've gotten so much heavier in the time she spent resting, but decided investigating the mystery of Myra's heavyset body was not a priority right now. 

Slowly, the two of them headed towards the bathroom, situated towards the back of the room. It had a bath and shower, a sink, and most importantly, a working toilet. Elle hauled Myra over, gently lowering her down. 

"Theeere you go. Just let me know when you've done your business, okay?"

"Sure thing. Wasn't gonna make you watch anyway, it'd scar you for life.~" Myra leaned forward to peck Elle on the cheek, before lowering her hands to her towel.

"R-right. I'll be outside." Elle muttered bashfully, cutting her retreat. 

Just outside, Elle was met with the sight of the towels left behind. She figured it'd be a good time just to collect those, and find fresh towels. 

She strolled over, making a pile of dirty laundry for later...

"Ah! E-Elle! ELLE!"

...But just as she got started, Elle was already being called for by Myra. And it sounded urgent. She was almost shouting. 

"Oh God-"

Dropping everything, Elle rushed to Myra's aid, swinging over the door to the bathroom. 

Myra was where Elle had left her, but her hands were clenched on the towel wrapped around her waist. She was shaking, her face drained of colour.

Elle stared for a moment. She didn't fall, but... why did Myra have such a sullen look on her face..

"...Myra? What's wrong?" Elle took a cautious step forward

"...M-my... I was removing my towel, and I saw my... my..." 

Myra's hands trembled even more. Her eyes lowered with trepidation, and, swallowing back her horror, she slowly lifted one of the tower's flaps.

"...AH!"

Elle staggered back, catching herself on the doorframe, before squinting her eyes to look closer. There was a lot to take in.

The first thing Elle noticed was how Myra's thighs had begun to weave together, pushing together and combined into a single mass. Her legs looked smaller and pathetic in comparison, only splitting off into distinct limbs just at the knees. Myra's legs used to be her most shapely feature, and now... it almost seemed like they were being smushed together, pushing Myra's panties further down her legs.

But the most startling discovery was the long, three inch long slit that emerged where Myra's thighs were merged into one. Unmistakably Myra's own creamy skin, it widened with every frantic breath Myra took, revealing a pair of slick pink walls within. Elle wasn't sure what she was looking at. 

"...Myra... wh-what's-"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Myra screamed. "I-I touched it, but it... it's so sensitive, and I... nn!"

Myra hunched over, folding the towel back over her exposed slit. Her eyes winced, glancing towards the toilet bowl.

Her lower body trembled. Myra squeezed her eyes tight and, holding onto the rim of the bowl, pivoted herself to face the bowl.

"Myra!? What're you-"

"DON'T LOOK AT ME!" Myra cried, resting herself in a strange position. Her stomach hovered over the bowl...

Myra's feet were sliding along the floor. Elle caught that, and, fearing that Myra was about to fall, hurried to her side to catch her from behind. 

"I-I got you!" Elle called out, pressing her body behind Myra's. Elle closed her eyes, trying her best to respect Myra's privacy.

"...Ah-!"

Myra gasped quietly. All Elle picked up on was the telltale sounds of Myra... relieving herself. She dared not watch, even if she recognized the steady sound echoing in the bathroom a million times over.

As Myra relaxed, the towel she was wearing slumped to the floor. Elle snuck a look.

"...!"

She had to stifle another gasp. She couldn't believe what she was seeing... it was even more unbelievable than anything else yet.

"...Elle... wh-what is this? I... I shouldn't be able to do that from-"

"Myra... d-do you feel where my hands are?"

A terrible silence hovered between the two. Myra's mouth opened and closed. 

"...Yes. They're on my waist." Myra answered, dread in her voice.

"I.. I'm going to lower my hands. A-and then you'll know."

Elle let her palms slide along Myra's lower backside. They curved over her waist, further down...

...And it was then Myra realized. 

"...! What the he-"

Myra shook Elle off, twisting her back to look down her own back side. Her skin was unmistakably her's, but... she knew something was missing.

Her behind was gone entirely. While her hips retained its shape, her ass was entirely flattened. She patted around desperately to find something. But she was met with a boney, flat backside. 

"WH-WHAT!? Where is it!?" Myra sputtered frantically. "Why don't I have an- GRGH!"

Once more, the arcane mark near Myra's navel began to glow ominously, and the two girls toppled to the bathroom floor. Myra's entire body began to quiver and shake. She tried to cover her face, hunching over in her best attempt to curl up into a ball. 

Elle rose her head, trying to get her bearings. Myra was squirming and writhing on the floor, her breath shaky and panicky. 

"MYRA! Is it happening again!?" Elle called out.

"It, it hurts!" Myra groaned, clutching her gut. In the corner of her eye, Elle saw movement. She lowered her head to look. 

Whatever remained of Myra's legs were coiling together, intertwining closer and closer until they were unrecognizable. The coils of creamy skin melted together, and flattened out. The sickening snapping of bone elicited a pained shout from Myra as she contorted her back, as the flattened bag of skin that previously comprised her feet began to fill up. She felt her tailbone expanding into infinity, felt her body being rolled out, flattened, and stretched like dough.

"What... what's happening to me..." Myra sobbed. Elle's look of utter disbelief dissipated immediately hearing her friend's strained voice, the pain that filled her entire being. 

Ellie scrambled to Myra's other side, holding her head close to her chest. She could feel her head bobbing, shaking with each sob. Elle had to hold back her own tears, in her best attempt to be strong for Myra. 

"Myra... I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Elle closed her eyes tightly, brushing Myra's long, messy hair, as her lower half continued to morph and change.

By this point, her legs were lost entirely, replaced with what could only be described as an enormous tail. It grew in length, expanding at the width and tapering to a point. This went on for what felt like hours; Mira's breathing was haggard and exhausted. 

The tail - still of Myra's own soft skin - coiled and writhed anxiously in the cramped bathroom, before poking out into the bedroom. And still it grew.

Eventually, the tail's growth ceased. With one tired gasp for air, Myra buried her head in Elle's lap. She didn't see the insane length of how much she had grown in the last hour..

Elle remained deathly silently, a hand stroking Myra's hair. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. This was the only comfort she could offer her friend.

Those bastards did this to her. They can't... they aren't going to get away with this.

She held Myra close, waiting for her to wake up. She could feel her heartbeat, the comforting warmth of her body. 

Elle squeezed Myra. She wasn't going to let her go. 

---

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