Human Anatomy 101
by
Mo
"Greetings, students," Rhiezek beamed at the dozen or so amorphous mists assembled before him. They wavered in and out of substance and he could see the stone walls of the cave through them. "I'm pleased to see so many of you here today."
"An-ksee tull maghda newm, Tigna Rhiezek," came the polite response in a wave of telepathy. Caller, the lone human in the room and the youngest at twenty, frowned and shifted beside Rhiezek, sensing the telepathy but unable to understand it. Rhiezek shook his head gently at the misty forms.
"No, students," he said, "We will be proceeding in the Common Language, which you mastered in the previous decade, for the benefit of my apprentice here, Caller. He has graciously offered to assist me in the introduction to this class - he will," Rhiezek continued, hearing his companion snort derisively and roll his eyes, "because he remembers that he needs me to support and approve his thesis project if he ever wants to move on to the Third Tier of Magic in this century." He smiled at the human, who again rolled his eyes but did not otherwise comment.
After a moment's hesitation, in which the misty students briefly nudged each other in amusement, the chorus came again, this time in Common: "Pleasant greetings, Tigna-set Caller."
"Pleasant greetings, drakes of the learning," Caller muttered.
Rhiezek clasped his shoulder and stood up. To all appearances he was human like Caller, and handsome as well, though this detail was wasted on his apprentice. But the mage instructor was in reality a dragon like his students, ancient at nearly eight thousand years old, and only took this form to keep from intimidating the human too badly. He needn't have bothered: not only was Rhiezek in his human form still seven feet tall, built solid like a mountain and could probably snap his apprentice's spine in half; but also Caller just didn't seem to intimidate easily.
He began the lecture. "As you are no doubt aware, you are nearly to the point in your training when you may take on a human apprentice of your own - and you are probably planning to do so, else you would not be here. Before your training is done, you will hear much on the challenges and rewards of keeping a human with you. Most of the biggest challenges, of course, you will find out on your own after you're stuck with your human and can't ethically get rid of it anymore." The young dragons shimmered with amusement while Caller looked annoyed.
Rhiezek's human's bad temper was the stuff of legends. It was said that, apparently unbothered by his much smaller size, he had stood up to and cussed out the mighty Warlord Bevkanil and hadn't backed down even when the huge and ancient dragon's eyes had turned black shot with red, a serious danger sign. Each year the Council Meeting spent at least a few minutes grumbling about the need for discipline in a certain young human. He had managed to overcome his instinctive terror and realize something very important: the dragons couldn't hurt him. Well sure, they could, but the damage would necessarily be grave, perhaps fatal. And he was careful to make sure that none of his transgressions crossed the line, so the mighty dragons could only look on helplessly as the strutting young man... bullied them! He got cuffed once or twice, as gently as possible, but even after being knocked to the floor, Caller only picked himself up and sent a withering look at the offending dragon - nice job, cheater. Good thing you're twenty times bigger than me, eh? Don't want a fair fight? The only one he seemed to fear - or at least respect - was Rhiezek himself. Caller's master had found some way to terrorize the terrorizer...and everyone else was dying to know how.
"The absolute first and most important thing for you to understand is that you, the dragons, will have total power over your humans. Later, the power will even out a bit, as your human improves his technique. But at first, your power over the human will be complete. And you must, you MUST understand this. It is too easy for us to injure or kill our human companions, or to resort to physical strength to bully or punish them. I myself was tempted, many times," he said gravely. Surprised, the students glanced again at Caller, who was kicking restlessly at the stony floor, looking unimpressed.
"There are other ways to get through to your human. Always remember that they're fragile little things, and their tiny frames can't take the punishment you can dish out," Rhiezek voice was teasing now, and Caller looked embarrassed and angry and unconsciously stood up taller. "You need to know their limits, and that means you must know their bodies very well - form and function.
"And so we come to the point of this class, our Intro to Human Anatomy. I hope that by the end of this week you will know enough about the human body that you can finish your Shapeshifting spell, and won't have to keep to your mist form all the time. So! Let's begin! Caller, please disrobe."
Caller sighed resignedly and began to undo the sash around his waist.
Reluctantly the young man removed his robe, shirt, boots, socks, pants and undergarments. He stood naked before them, clearly unhappy about it. His skin was paler than Rhiezek's; his body was quite lean and muscular for a human - very helpful in teaching Anatomy. Caller obviously did not spend his entire day locked up with dusty books. His face seemed caught in a look of perpetual annoyance; all this in combination with clear gray eyes and that thick black hair had left many lady humans pining after him.
"As you can see, humans cover themselves with many layers of clothing. We'll go over specific types of clothing later, but there are three main reasons they wear them. Any guesses?"
"Protection from the elements," suggested one of the misty forms.
"Yes, good, Lanyik. Although with discipline and training humans can adapt to many extremes of weather, their skin is soft and thin, unlike our scaly armor. Discomfort or even injury can be the result of leaving their homes without the proper clothing. Next?"
There was a moment's hesitation. "Perhaps...an indication of one's place in society?" guessed another.
"...Close enough. Yes, though usually one's place in society dictates the clothing one wears, not the other way around. I was thinking more along the lines of decoration...frequently, humans use their clothes to make a statement about where their interests lie. And the last reason? Nobody? Well. You probably wouldn't have guessed this..."
Rhiezek stepped nearer to Caller and gently placed one hand on his bare stomach, the other over his buttocks. The human gasped and jerked away, striking at the dragon's hands. Blushing furiously, Caller whirled around and began to stomp towards the exit, only to be caught by the arm. Rhiezek smiled at the astonished misty dragon students.
"It's a kind of modesty. Humans don't seem to be very comfortable with their own bodies, particularly when their clothes are off. Dragons are far more at ease with their bodies and, were I to touch one of you in this manner, without any threatening or sexual gestures, you probably wouldn't mind. Probably wouldn't even notice. With humans, each instance of nakedness seems to be a Moment - not casual or relaxed."
"You said this lesson would not be hands-on," Caller hissed through gritted teeth.
"I lied. Third Tier," he reminded his apprentice, who seethed. "Now, to continue - this is an area where you can do serious damage. You can humiliate them and shatter their egos very effectively by playing with their nakedness. Try not to do it too often; they will get used to it and their responsiveness will wear off." He guided his captive human back to the group. "Females, please step back and allow your male peers a closer look. They will need to imitate this eventually."
Several misty forms obediently eased back, while the rest moved forward.
Rhiezek knelt, holding Caller firmly by the waist with one arm. "See this appendage here?" he asked, pointing directly at Caller's penis. The human's face burned red.
"Yes, Tigna."
"This is his penis. It's the main organ of reproduction, and ultimately the way you can tell the difference between a male and female human. I know it's hard for most of you to tell right now, but humans are sexually dimorphic. This is the most obvious difference. Reproductive education comes later in this class - lucky for you, Caller, you might learn something - "
"Bastard! I already - "
"...But I want you to at least know the look and feel of it now, for shapeshifting purposes. Nendeest, please come here and form a hand. Solid. Don't worry about how it looks; it only needs to be a hand."
The one called Nendeest concentrated a moment and formed a hand out of his amorphous body - the fingers were far too long and there were too many of them. Caller flinched. Rhiezek smiled. "Perfect. Now, please take hold of his penis and the sac-like organ behind it, the testicles. VERY gently. Class, these two organs that Nendeest holds in his hand represent, at the same time and without contradiction, euphoric joy and agonizing pain for our friend Caller. Sex is a very intense experience for humans, far more than for us. I'm told that climax is a wonderful sensation that words cannot describe. However, if Nendeest were to tighten his grip suddenly - but please don't, Nendeest - Caller would be writhing on the ground in anguish, probably weeping. Would you please describe anything you are feeling right now, Nendeest."
"I can feel his pulse, very easily. It's...warm, and very soft."
"Yes, a very important artery runs through the groin, and you can feel the blood pumping there. I will tell you, though, that it is not always soft like that...there are a lot of very...alert nerve endings in this small area. My apologies, Caller, I only meant small relative to the rest of your body. Class, let me assure you on Caller's behalf that he is well-equipped for any sexual encounters he may have. One of these days. If he ever meets a girl." This earned Rhiezek a dark glare from his apprentice.
"We'll give our friend's battered ego a break for a moment and move on to a different part of the body. Thank you, Nendeest. Make sure you all are paying attention, because you will certainly need to know this for a quiz..."
"We'll start at the top. This is his hair - it warms and protects his scalp. It's quite pleasant and soft - I make him spend time grooming it every day. These are his ears, they are external, unlike ours - his eyes function like ours - his nose and mouth are flat on his face, with no snout. His teeth are small and flat and his jaws aren't strong enough even to bite through a rope - although he's tried."
This was said significantly, and Caller responded with a deeply suspicious look. Rhiezek smiled and gripped the human's chin, tilting his head to bare his throat.
"His neck is extremely vulnerable - same as us, it connects his brain with literally every vital organ in his body. Unlike us, it has no protection to speak of. As a weak compensation for this, the skin on his neck is quite...sensitive. No touch (possibly from a threat) will be missed." As he spoke, he drew a long finger over the skin, from collarbone to just behind his jaw. Caller shivered and jerked away.
Rhiezek caught his apprentice by the wrist and yanked it up, overhead, stretching his arm out. There was a brief, halted movement from the other arm - Caller summoning his will to keep from covering his armpit. He stood with gritted teeth and clenched fists.
"His arms are long and mobile. He uses his arms and hands to accomplish nearly everything - telekinesis is still a long way off for his race, without severe training. So if I can manage to trap his hands, as I'm doing now, I've essentially rendered him helpless." This time he placed all of his free fingers on Caller's skin, just above the elbow, and dragged them down along his upper arm. Immediate twitching ensued. "He has far more elaborate musculature here than we do - he uses his arms for a great deal of work. They connect to his torso - here...." His fingers began flicking at the soft skin of his armpit - kept shaved, at Rhiezek's orders. Caller emitted an unmanly high-pitched squeak and jumped away.
"Cut it out!" he exploded, ripping his arm away and rubbing his armpit. "God damn it, Rhiezek, I swear you're starting to piss me off!"
The dragon shook his head indulgently and spread his hands. "Caller. Will you please calm down? We aren't your enemies! My students are only here to learn!"
"Yeah? What the fuck are you trying to teach them, exactly?" Caller gazed longingly at the door before turning his glare to his master.
"How best to care for you. Relax, Caller. I endorse and teach kindness and benevolence. We're not here just to make you suffer."
"Wouldn't put it past you," Caller muttered.
"Caller is demonstrating an innate distrust of creatures more powerful than he," Rhiezek explained. He knelt, closer to Caller's level. "You'll have to get past it yourselves, somehow. Now, I hope I've assured you somewhat, Caller, because I'd like to move on. This... is his torso. These two... spots... here - please stop squirming, Caller - are his nipples. Utterly useless in males; my female students will need to focus on modified versions of these later on. Rib cage, the ribs are clearly visible up and down his sides (Caller. Please stand still.)... this, here, is not a flaw or blemish - it's actually a permanent scar, called the navel or belly button. All humans have them. The details will be covered in Early Human Development. The abdomen in general is the softest part of the human body, extremely vulnerable. So frequently a defensive tactic is to - " here he quickly darted his finger into the aforementioned navel and wiggled it around; Caller yelled and slapped his hand away, bending over to protect his belly. Rhiezek grinned. "- is to hunch over like that, shielding it from attack. Turn around please, Caller. Yes, I mean right now.
"This is his back. The spine is the same as ours, only again, unprotected and vulnerable. Down here we find the buttocks... his 'ass,' as he would call it. Essentially just the place where his back ends and his legs start, but also a source of sexual stimulation for many humans, and he just hates it when I grab it like this, don'tcha, Caller?" The young man was indeed getting angry again.
"How about you just teach the damn class and quit fucking around?"
"Caller. Really. You're making a spectacle of yourself again. Just calm down! You can see the demonstration's almost over! We already covered his genitals, so... these are his legs. Obviously much stronger and more muscular than his other limbs, because they are solely responsible for locomotion. I'm going to cast a levitation spell, so you can see them better."
Caller drifted into the air.
He twisted around, trying to keep his master in sight and tensed when the dragon mage turned his attention to Caller's legs. Once again, Rhiezek placed his fingers - this time all ten - on Caller's thigh and began dragging them down, using his fingernails this time. Caller yelped and jerked, but couldn't pull away this time as he was floating several feet in the air. He swore and closed his eyes and appeared to be repeating the words "Third Tier" to himself over and over.
"...his knees bend backwards from ours... the area behind the knees is quite soft... these are his calves...will you please stop moving around, Caller? I'm trying to teach a class here!... and these are his feet. More surface area on the soles than ours, as he stands on them virtually all the time." Rhiezek gripped the toes, pulling them back gently. "His toes here help him balance... there's an interesting game humans play, called 'little piggies...' What now, Caller? You think I should show them later? Very well, I suppose we'll have to end this lecture soon... although the skin here is thicker than most places on his body, in order to absorb 100% of the impact of locomotion, it's still quite sensitive. Probably more than anywhere else... watch."
Apparently from nowhere he produced a feather and held it out of Caller's sight. "You can all see this, correct? Very soft and light...were you to touch it you would barely register the sensation of it. But observe..." Still immobilizing the human's toes, he dragged the feather very slowly from the heel, along the curve of the sole, and up along the base of the toes. Caller's trapped leg shuddered violently and his entire body jolted. A shriek erupted from him.
"Y-you bastard! You fucker! You set me up! Gaaaaheeeheeha, you said, you bastard, you s-stop it! KEE-hee-hee STOP IT YOU FUCKER!!!"
Rhiezek released his foot and lowered him to the ground. "Mystified?" he asked his class. Caller shoved himself violently away from his mentor and stormed over to his clothes. "It's one of the many bizarre and endearing phenomena of the humans. I suppose that's the end of lecture, that's all there is to show as far as basic body structure is concerned. We can go into depth later, with the slides and models. Hey, wait! We're not done yet!"
Everyone froze. The dragon students had already shifted back to their true forms - scaled winged giants, about twenty feet long from snout to tail who were preparing to take their leave. Caller had begun to collect his clothes, and he slowly turned to stare at his master.
Rhiezek grinned. "Let's get started on Lab."
by
Mo
Human Anatomy 101
Go to Human Anatomy 102
Rough Time Combo
01feb07