The man froze for a moment at Ruger's words.
Ruger had not been so vague out of any concern for secrecy. After all, his abilities did not lie in the modifications practiced by bloodline Wizards, nor was he truly a bloodline Wizard himself. He simply had no clear direction yet and wanted to see more, broaden his knowledge, and give the matter more thought.
After mentioning bloodlines and Dragonkind, Ruger remained leaning back in his chair, deep in thought.
Suddenly, a strange aura stirred.
Ruger raised his head and glanced calmly at the man.
The young apprentice who had been receiving him so formally moments earlier now had a dark red face. Two curved horns the length of a thumb had sprouted from his head, and his lips stretched into a grin. He looked every inch a demon.
Scrrrape-
His lengthening nails left scratches of varying lengths on the chair's armrests.
Ruger stayed seated and raised an eyebrow at him.
Some scratches on the chair were fresh, others old. They clearly had not all been made at once, and just as clearly showed that this was not the first time this had happened.
Gripping the armrests with both hands, the man closed his eyes, tipped his head back, and let out a long breath.
"Do you need help?"
Ruger spoke softly.
"Phew. I'm all right. It's been a long time since this happened," the man said, feeling the top of his head. "I'm terribly sorry. Some nasty, bored fellow wanted to play a trick on me. I could control it perfectly well. I've been in good shape lately, so it must have been that fellow playing tricks..."
As the young man spoke, the little curved horns on his head had already retracted.
Looking at Ruger, he suddenly paused and changed