"Well, if you'll just sign here, we'll bring your luggage to your assigned room, give you the key, and the preparation phase begins tomorrow!" Elia nodded, and perused the document once more. As an alchemist, she knew that her profession was responsible, and... She blinked. And put her finger down on the paper with an incredulous look.
"Er... What is
this
clause, exactly?" The secretary clearly knew what clause she was talking about, because she grinned.
"First time at the Bake Off?" Elia nodded. She'd only been an accredited alchemist for a few years now, so this... This was new. And worrying. "Well, the Bake Off is a
very
competitive event, and, since we couldn't actually
afford
enough tasters" She leaned forward and whispered into her hand "Or even get enough tasters to
agree
to a dangerous assignment like testing alchemical cookies in a profession, that, let's be real here, has more than its fair share of drama..." She shrugged "...We covered our asses by adding this clause, where, if you do enter, you agree and consent to the possibility of transformations, mind control, the possibility of being hit with an uncontrollable lust that leads to being gangbanged, permanent submissive or dominant behaviour, and any or all possible effects of alchemical baked goods that may or may not be present in your assigned dish for the day." She winked, as Elia's eyes widened with each item on the list "This is also why other contestants are the judges, and their baked goods are assigned randomly. Less chance for inter-alchemist rivalries to play out. Not
none
... Just less." Elia's eyes were like saucers now. "So... Still wanna take part?"
Elia gulped. The Bake Off was, for the winners, a big boost to their reputation. But she now realised why she hadn't heard much about the
losers
. She took a deep breath. "How... How long do I have to think about this?" The secretary nodded understandingly, and thought for a moment.
"Weeeeelll... About fifteen minutes. Registrations close at the seventh toll of the bell, and my time sense is usually spot on there. Better make it ten, just to play it sa-" Elia picked up the quill and scribbled her name. The secretary's eyes widened a little. "That quick, huh?" Elia nodded, unable to speak, and bright red. Inwardly, she was cursing her impulsiveness, but... She
really
needed that boost. She was living in the middle of nowhere, and, unless custom could be brought in from afar, she wasn't going to be doing more than humdrum business. Besides... If it let her go hog wild, then she could get even
more
reputation along the way. The secretary nodded at her, and she nodded back. "Good luck!"
She smiled, warmly "Thank you. I think I'll need it!"
First Round (40 remain)
Elia sweated, and it wasn't just from seeing the other contestants. They'd been given an hour, no more, no less, to prepare their concoction, put it into some kind of baked good, somehow, and present it, and that... That was a
tight
timeline. Nobody would be
disqualified
for not completing, but they would be marked down for having to take extra time, delaying the entertainment.
And the crowd. She knew there would be a crowd, but this wasn't so much a crowd as a
throng
, a great heaving mass of people, cheering and crowing and making all sorts of hullabaloo. The elven alchemists, with their sharper hearing, had been wincing the whole time, even with earplugs, and Elia had to admit, it had been painfully distracting to her as well. She was, however, smiling at the fact the table was her height, as were the other contestants, taller or shorter. As a halfling, she wasn't particularly used to that, and she appreciated the consideration.
Still
, she thought to herself,
39 other contestants. And no guarantee that more than 6 will be ruled out.
She'd made sure to read the rules in her room the previous night. 6 of the contestants would be sent home in each round, with any others due to... mishaps, judged on whether they were drastic enough to merit that. In the final round, only the three highest scoring would take home their prize. Although, if it was a particularly vicious contest... She stowed that thought away, determined to look on the bright side.
The announcer, an Orcish bard dressed in a puffy blue and yellow striped shirt, raised his hand, and the crowd silenced. "Friends, the contestants have created their delicious confections, but, before the entertainment of the testing begins, and our judges" he gestured to a stand nearby, where five elder alchemists sat "Will judge, not just the reactions of our tasters through telepathy, but the alchemical effects of the concoctions..." The judges tipped their heads, and Elia could see more than one face in the contestant line sweating "...We're going to have some words from noted Alchemist, sexologist, friend to monsterfolk and humanoid alike, Alchemist Shira!" The crowd went wild, and Elia groaned. She'd heard of Shira, and her constant grandstanding, and she was not looking forward to this.
Alchemist Shira stepped up to the podium, a matronly human woman, with half moon spectacles, a billowing skirt, a striped vest, and auburn curls straining under a bright headscarf, smiled benignly at the crowd. "I'll keep this short, darlings, but it's
so
lovely to see you all here today, to see the best and brightest upcoming alchemists in the realm do their stuff, not just in terms of potions, but in cookery too, a skill I value
most
highly! Why, they all look
so
delicious, but..." she wagged her finger with a wry grin "As you know, darlings, it's not all fun and games for our contestants, as elimination is as good as disqualification, and I know some of our contestants have the
filthiest
minds!" She giggled, and the crowd roared with laughter. "Each contestant is assigned one of the other's dishes randomly, as distributed by our judges, and, before we close, I'd like to tell you all that not only will I be watching, and writing
aaaall
the details in the Sentria Weekly this year, I'll be available for consultation in the evenings too, for those lovely darlings who want to" The crowd were clearly fans, for a shout of "ASK ALCHEMIST SHIRA" went up to her cupped ear, and she clapped her hands delightedly. "Yes, darlings, yes! Now, without further ado, let the tasting
begin
!"
Each contestant looked to their dish, steeling themselves. Elia did the same, but it only took a few deep breaths to calm herself. The first round, generally speaking, was the tame one. An appetiser, of sorts. Her own dish was a plate of chocolate cookies. Unassuming. Delicious smelling. Freshly baked. No clues. Taking another deep breath, she picked one up, eyeing the other contestants as she did. Some had already started, and one was tearing in with gusto. She nibbled, and...
This was good
. The dough was crisp, the chocolate dark and luscious. She took a bigger bite, and nodded in approval. Regardless of the effect, this was evidently from someone who knew their stuff! Before she could help herself, she'd eaten the whole thing, and had another to her mouth.
Wow, I cou- wha?
Feeling a wetness in her chest, she looked down...And clasped her arms to her chest in shock.
My nipples! My nipples are leaking milk!
Blushing, feeling that dampness intensify, dribbling down her breasts and her shirt, she gasped. Would she be like this forever? Would she have to work around this? But, after a few moments, it stopped, and she took a deep breath.
Okay, fine
.
I got off light, and... Well, there's no harm in eating the whole plate.
A loud, drawn out moan to her left caught her attention mid nibble. One of the dwarven contestants had thrown off their clothes, almost ripping them in their haste, had climbed up on their table, and was masturbating fiercely. "Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Yes! Yes! Watch me! Watch me, you bastards! Watch meeeeee!" Two of the other contestants caught her as she fell off the table, still fingering herself and trying to turn toward the crowd. They laid her on the ground, but it was a good ten minutes before she cried out her final orgasm, and fell limp to the floor, breathing deeply as she fitfully slumbered. The judges conferred amongst themselves, and nodded. The eldest, a bearded orc, stood up.
"Contestant Allison Mournberg has not been given a permanent effect, and so remains in the contest. We have conferred, and contestants Leal Stormborn, Jen'a Kurnak, Murgo Brightwater, Autumn Willow, Marek Abdal, and Joseph Armstrong have not scored highly enough to continue the competition. We thank them for their contributions, and the contestant sign-up fee has been refunded." The six, two orcs, one human, and three elves, sighed, and trudged back to the inn, presumably to pack up. She was pleased to note that one of the orcs still had slick, blue-green skin, and she smiled a little as she noted her own potion was still in effect. If she'd judged it right, it should only last until tonight, but, worst case scenario, it would be tomorrow afternoon. And, through the glum look, he
was
licking his lips, so she was reasonably sure he was okay with losing. He would have to make a note of their name, and send them some of her brownies
without
the active ingredient. It was only fair to, and she hoped they would enjoy them.
Third Round (21 remain)
Elia was sweating profusely as she stared at the almond cake in front of her. The last round had been... Well, there had been some pretty drastic disqualifications this past round. Two of them were permanent, but not...
Bad
. Lief Arronson had been turned into a highland cowgirl, and had chosen to stay at the inn for a little longer. She'd talked with her afterward, and she honestly seemed like she was pleased with the result. "Ah, the disqualification's a bugger, yes. But I
feel
okay, I've got my faculties, and" She remembered her grin as she'd hefted her breasts with a grin, and referring to them as "lovely puppies", and she chuckled. She'd changed her name to Leah, and everyone clapped her on the back, bought her a drink in congratulations. Elia didn't think she'd be turning back anytime soon, if ever. Pea (no last name), a human from the far south jungles, had pulled their dick out and started masturbating, but their disqualification came from the pink, sticky goo that oozed out of their dick as they came.
Bubblegum cum
...
Wonder how it tastes?
Still, those were the lucky ones. One of the contestants eyes had glazed, before looking around, smiling at the crowd, and tentatively walked toward them, eyeing them lewdly. The judges had clearly caught on before she did, muttered "Bimbo potion" under their breath as they passed Elia, and gently ushered her away, as she blew kisses toward members of the crowd. Another's breasts had grown to a massive size, ripping their shirt. Which was a feat, considering they were a man. They were flushed as they were escorted off, and it would be of little consolation to either that the potion bakers had been disqualified by low scores.
But the worst had to have been the giantess potion. That one almost caused a riot, not least because the giantess had turned around and
demanded
to know who had given her the indignity. She, at least, had been given an antidote straight away. Not everyone was. After all, bimbo potion was quite recognisable by its scent, and as to the submissive potion... Well, everyone knew who brewed that one, as the goblin in question was proudly holding her new pet's collar, a drooling, devoted elven boytoy.
She grimaced as she looked at her own plate. Lifting it up and taking a careful sniff, she nodded to herself. Like the last two times, scent revealed nothing. This was, usually, a good sign. Last round, well... She was grateful it was temporary. It wasn't a
lust
potion, but it
was
... Well, she didn't know what it actually was, but she remember the feel of tentacles, full of eggs, pushing inside her pussy, her ass, her mouth, and her breasts being sucked, and feeling that even with her mouth closed, and her clothes firmly on. It was disconcerting, but worst of all, she'd felt like this was
right
