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The Tyrant’s Heart

Sneak Peek

There is something to be said that there’s no honor amongst thieves. No matter how much you trust your comrades, you’re both vying for the best loot in your excursions, and the people you deal with are less than savory. Having a trustworthy fence is almost as rare as goddess tears, and the goddess’s tears ran dry for this world eons ago. That being said, Caleb and Julian had that childhood bond that helped them navigate the typical pitfalls most of their…let’s say “collogues” fell for. Sure, Julian was a bit reckless, but Caleb’s level head was able to keep his black panther friend from crossing the line into something that would get them both killed. Julian would be the stealthier of the two, working in the shadows while Caleb researched the leads that Julian came to him with. The two had become quite adept at sifting the truth from gossip, and they needed to be with how crowded their profession was getting.

Famine and war had torn the country to pieces, multiple city states and lords rose as new countries and kings as the infrastructure of the old world crumbled. The crown had lost all meaning in the way of stability, now the monarchy was a gasping wretch in its death throws, looking for any way to cling to a golden age that was quickly slipping through its fingers. Bad for the masses, but great for the black market. Typically guarded tombs were now easy pickings, wanted posters and bounties from the crown meant nothing if the coffers to pay them were famously empty, and criminals of any standing could waltz the royal road with little more than a pebble in their shoe, let alone the crown guard giving them any resistance.

Yes, the beautiful rotting corpse of the kingdom was on display for the scavengers of society to pick clean, and every day more of that carcass was exposed. It did make it more difficult to negotiate with fences with how much business they had on their hands, but that also meant every king wannabe and bleeding heart republic wanted a slice of the former kingdom’s treasures. And how would these diplomats-to-be keep their hands clean and prevent all-out war amongst these scrambling monarchies? Why, by employing thieves and brigands to work in the shadows of course.

Plenty of rewards for ancient artefacts and legendary weapons filled the black market’s postings. Desperate green despots trying to find a magical edge that would help win them supremacy once all the crowns and heads were done rolling. The problem with advertising in the black market though, was that anyone with the means to read was also given a tip as to where to look for said items and treasuries. These new rulers had no idea how to truly navigate the detestable ins and outs of the black market, and it showed with how so many of the bounties and rewards were left unanswered, or how many of the temples and shrines that were depicted in their listings were ransacked long before a willing mercenary was willing to pick up the job for scraps.

That’s where being an arcane trickster came in handy. Julian was able to use his illusion magic to sneak in and view postings before they went public, getting the drop on most finds before they went to market. With Caleb’s scrying abilities as a sorcerer they were quickly able to compile lists of active catches. They weren’t the first crew to go diving in the Tomb of the Ancient Kings, but they were the first to make it out alive, picking what they could off of corpses along the way. Luckily for them, the big beast that was bound in the deepest part of the tomb had been slain, the previous adventurer succumbing to their injuries and leaving the big payday behind with their bodies as they met the goddess’s embrace.

Caleb and Julian made it back to the inn, their valuables hidden well enough on their person.

“You sure you got this?” Caleb asked Julian, the sabertooth tiger hunching over.

“You’re seriously going to ask me that? Sheesh! Yee of little faith,” the black panther chuckled before snapping his fingers, his illusion magic tarnishing up their leather armor and leaving various stains of blood on their clothes. “Watch and learn.”

The two entered the inn, the place built into the hillside, the stone flooring giving way to wooden paneling. The main room was just starting to fill up with adventurers, men of questionable means all gathering to drink their worries away and eat a hot meal. Julian hobbled forward, a fake limp making the twisted angle of his boot look more believable.

“Please,” Julian gasped as he stumbled up to the counter, making sure to be seen, but not make a scene. “Please, can you let us stay the night?”

The burly badger behind the bar lifted a brow.

“No money, no vacancy. Get out if you’re just going to bleed on my floor. I’m sure the gutter could use a corpse or two.”

“Please, we don’t have any gold left over,” Julian pleaded in hushed tones. Just loud enough for people to hear if they truly wished to. “We lost everything trying to raid that damned tomb.”

“You and half the people who clamber through my door,” the badger grunted, leaning in with his good eye, the other a milky white. “We going to have a problem?”

“I…” Julian bit his lower lip and huffed. “I don’t have money, but…I have this…” Julian pulled a golden ring form his pocket. It was a simple band that he had polished on their way back from the tomb, making it glint in the dancing fire light.

“Julian,” Caleb put his hand on the Panther’s shoulder, but the panther winced, sucking in his breath in fake pain. Julian was a master at deceit. “You can’t, that was your wife’s.”

“Well she’s dead, what do you care,” Julian spat his line out perfectly, the pain in his voice believable. “What can this get us? Can it get us a couple of rooms? Maybe a meal?”

Julian was laying the desperation on thick. He wanted the inn keeper to believe he had them by the short and curlies. The badger picked up the ring and brought it to his good eye. He rubbed the stubble on his chin before a sly grin broke his lips.

“It’s enough to get you a single room and maybe a pint of stew,” the badger let the gold gleam in his good eye. “But first, let me make sure it’s good.”

“Good?” Julian asked. “What do you mean good? It’s my dead wife’s ring.”

“Yeah, and I got the left nut of the king in me back pocket,” the badger lifted the ring up to his mouth and bit on it, testing the metal, and a rune etched onto his fang glowed. It was dispelling magic to remove any illusions. When he pulled the ring back it was the same as it was before. He simply gave a little nod. “Fine, one night’s stay and one meal for the both o’ you lad’s to share. Sound like a deal?”

Julian grit his teeth. Anyone with eyes could tell that ring was valuable and could easily fetch a week’s worth of time at the inn, but that was the point. Why would successful tomb raiders settle for a lowball price when they could afford to go elsewhere?

“Julian,” Caleb came forward, concern in his voice. He was getting to be a better liar these days.

“Fine,” Julian grunted. “Where’s the room?”

“Upstairs, second on the left. Feel free to draw yourself a bath and lick your wounds. Be out by high noon or I’ll kick you out myself.” The badger snagged an old iron key from beneath the bar and handed it to Caleb. “Don’t expect any special treatment. This ain’t no infirmary.”

“We get it,” Caleb growled before turning to Julian. “Come on Julian, let me help you.”

“I can do it—AH blast it all!” Julian stumbled, his leg bent at an odd angle as he put his weight on his other leg. “Fuck me.”

“Julian!” Caleb quickly got under his friend and held him up. “Come on, one step at a time.”

The two made their way up the stairs, their shame on display for all to see as they hobbled up to the next floor. As soon as they were in their room and the door closed, Julian walked forward normally, the blood and stains vanishing from their armor.

“Fuck, nice performance if I do say so myself,” Julian chuckled, pulling a couple pouches from beneath his cloak and a dinner roll he had stolen from someone’s plate as they made their way by.

“No one will think twice about the two idiots who got themselves beaten to shit in the old tomb,” Caleb smirked. “We can at least rest here for tonight while you mourn the loss of your wife.”

“That old bitch!” Julian chuckled. “She was as good a lay as she was real.”

“Oh really?” Caleb smirked as he pulled out his own hidden pouches. “I heard you were as good in the sack as she was.”

“Fuck you,” Julian rolled his golden cat eyes as he started to pull his armor off. It was basic leathers to keep him protected and stealthy. He threw his cape down and got down to nothing but his trousers and undershirt. “Fuck, it feels nice to finally get that shit off. God, it rubs me the wrong way sometimes. First thing we’re going to get is some new damn armor.”

Caleb had left most of his robes on, removing his cowl and boots to get relaxed. He was going to be assessing the finds they got so he wanted the extra wards in case anything was cursed. He had dumped out his pouches, various rings, bracelets and baubles magnitudes more valuable than the ring they just pawned off clattered to the floor. Julian threw some wood into the fire place and lit it up with a fire bolt, the room being illuminated by more than just the dying light of dusk.

“Okay, I’ll get to work on what I got here, you let me know if you feel anything odd,” Caleb said as he picked up a ring, his fingers tingling with magic and assessing if it was cursed. The way magic resonated with certain objects made it easy to tell if they were cursed or not. All metals and jewels reacted to magic with a unique hum, while curses clunked against the vibrations, trying to hold their magical alignment and rebuking any other magic around them. So far he wasn’t running into any odd resonance or cursed objects. That meant that the metals and gems were legitimate and they weren’t cursed. I guess it made sense, why would you curse them when the former crown used to keep tombs so heavily guarded?

“The big item the lord wanted was the Tyrant’s Heart, right? You find it yet?” Julian asked as he sorted through his piles on the bed.

“Not yet,” Caleb answered as he inspected a sapphire bracelet. “The Tyrant’s Heart is supposed to be a specific gem, but it was set into new jewelry from royal to royal. Apparently it had been enchanted several times to change color to match the specific noble’s tastes. There’s no telling exactly what piece it could be.”

“Sure,” Julian slipped a ring on to see how it looked on his finger, marveling at the emerald in the dancing fire light. “How would we know if we found the right one again?”

“Well, it’s magical in nature, and it’s got a skill syphon ability, so something that’s seated in power? Alchemically that could be a triangle, or I guess a sun and moon?”

“Uh hu,” Julian came over to Caleb, putting his hand on the sabertooth’s shoulder and inspecting the small horde of treasure. “What do you got over here?”

“So far I haven’t been able to find anything that matches any description, but at least nothing’s…cursed…” Caleb felt a sudden wave of weakness roll over him. “I…I thought I didn’t find anything…at least…did I just trigger a curse?”

Caleb blinked as he felt his robes shifting on him, bunching up in strange places and curling up towards his wrists. He shook his head and thought maybe it was an illusion, but no, his robes were getting larger…wait…no…he was getting smaller!

A deep and lusty growl rolled through Julian.

“Winner, winner, Turkarian dinner!” Julian smiled, his fingers flexing on Caleb’s shoulder, a light crimson glow emanating from his claws.

“What the fuck!” Caleb slapped the hand away, his body already quite diminished. For a sorcerer, Caleb was quite the bulky guy, just above six feet, but now he looked like your typical wizard. Scrawny with his robes fluttering around him loosely. Hell, he looked like he was a young adult that hadn’t fully grown into his father’s clothes!

The sabertooth spun around to see that Julian’s entire body had a ruby glow. He was wearing dozens of pieces he had absconded from the tomb. Gold, silver, and gems of every color flashed on his fingers, hung form his neck and ears, even a broken tiara rested upon his brow. Despite the amount of jewels he was wearing, one stood out. It was a ruby pendant on his neck, a crimson sphere held inside a golden cradle making it look like an upturned eye. It glowed with the same aura that encompassed Julian, his body shuddering, his form flexing as he grew, getting larger and larger, his body expanding. Julian used to be a few inches shorter than the sabertooth, but now he was nearly half a foot taller than him. The panther inched upwards, the rings on his fingers shifting and falling off as he grew, the golden bands on his wrists and biceps moving away from one another to allow the muscle and definition to emerge from them. Thick cords of power lashed onto the panther’s neck, that gem riding up to rest in the crook of his collar bone, his pecs pushing out his shirt and causing it to ride up and expose his midriff.

“What the hell Julian!” Caleb’s voice was higher than before, clearly any mass he lost was finding purchase on Julian’s frame.

“Rein in your horses, Caleb,” Julian chuckled, bouncing his pecs, his voice deeper and more commanding. “It was the quickest way to find the damn thing. Besides, you can’t argue with the fact that I look amazing with all this size on me.”

Julian emphasized his point by doing a double bicep pose, the rings on his fingers clinking as the powerful peaks of power shifted the golden bands on his arms.

“But…” Caleb felt a deep betrayal in his bones. He agreed this probably saved them several hours, if not days searching for the correct piece, but it was also the most reckless.

“Don’t start your winching now,” Julian rolled his eyes. “I’ll let you use the gem too. I just wanted to make sure it worked first.”

“Seriously! Why didn’t you let me just assess them! What if the damn thing only works once?” Caleb huffed.

“Well, one easy way to find out,” Julian licked his chops and gripped Caleb by his shirt and lifted him off the ground.

“What? No! Stop—” Caleb was suddenly silenced as Julian slapped his free hand over his muzzle.

“Quiet you little runt,” Julian growled. “You want the whole tavern to hear you downstairs…oh…oh fuuuuuck that feels good.”

Julian rumbled, his body glowing red as Caleb’s form started to dwindle. Little pulse after pulse ran from Caleb into Julian, the panther’s muscles flexing, audibly crunching before flexing larger, his bones cracking wetly and expanding. Julian’s foot paws rolled across the floor, each toe getting thicker and stronger, his pecs rounding out further, his nipples pointing down as they expanded, a powerful vein rand down each bicep, splitting the peaks as he inched upward, his powerful mass getting larger. Julian was looking less like an arcane trickster and more of an off duty barbarian with how that mass piled onto him.

And Caleb felt every one of those pulses pulling from deep inside him, making him weaker, smaller, and less significant by the second. Just when he felt like he had nothing left to give, Julian let him go. Caleb fell to the floor, grunting in pain, his voice much higher than before.

“Fuck, why did you drop me like that?” Caleb’s voice was thin and light, almost like it was just on the side after puberty and was just settling into a more adult tone. Even with his voice as it was, the cowlicks on the crown of his head barely crested four feet.

“Shit, didn’t realize how, Mff! How big I was. I didn’t think I was, oh fuck, dropping you from so…mmmm! High up…shit this feels so fucking good.” Julian groaned, his jaw getting thicker as powerful saber teeth emerged from his maw, his golden eyes glowing a demonic crimson before settling into his new form. “Fuck, I feel like a fucking god!”

Despite the boiling annoyance in his heart, Caleb couldn’t help but feel his dick twitch in his now oversized trousers. The sabertooth black panther stood proudly, his clothes straining and stitches popping to accommodate his mass and size. That’s when Caleb noticed Julian’s sabertooth fangs emerging from his lusty snarl. Caleb licked his upper row of teeth only to come up two sabertooth blades short. It was like he was some young twink who hadn’t grown into his bite yet.

“Well fuck me, if I’m not a fucking sexy beast,” Julian flexed his biceps, a singular gold bracelet cracking in half and falling to the floor as he did so. “I ain’t going to have any problem pulling some serious tail anymore, now am I? Then again, I never had a problem sewing my wild oats.” Julian emphasized his statement by keeping one arm flexed and gripping his package with his augmented hand.

And what a package it was.

That hefty sack looked like a duo of plums and a thick sausage, the straining of that fabric showing the barbs on that soft panther cock. Julian was sex on legs and he knew it, but that was also all of Caleb’s sex appeal helping elevate him to that level of hot. The toxic mix of jealousy and burning need to fall to his knees and serve were roiling in the diminished sabertooth’s gut.

“You going to say anything, Shrimp?” Julian rumbled out a lusty chuckle. “Cat got your tongue?”

“I…” Fear synched Caleb’s throat, it sucked the moisture from his maw, his grievances died on his tongue as soon as he looked into Julian’s eyes. At first the sabertooth thought this was one of Julian’s bad pranks, that there was a playful element to all this where Julian would give his size back. That maybe the black panther was just giving him the business. But, those golden orbs were now filled with a lusty power, a corruption that soured the usual happy go lucky panther’s expression into something far more sinister and condescending. What he said was a dare, a challenge for Caleb to demand his size back, to try and assert any type of control over the beastly man before him. Caleb could feel his resolve withering, his confidence and self-worth had shriveled up with his size. He wanted to say something, tell Julian to quit fucking around and demand he give back what he took, but something deep in his bones told him to bow down, to shrink away, to grovel and beg for forgiveness for being so weak. Julian was in charge, he was the Alpha in the room, he was the leader of the pride now…

In the end, Caleb looked away, fighting back the tears that stung his eyes.

“Quit being such a little bitch about it,” Julian smirked sitting on the bed, the mattress and frame groaning from his weight. “It’s not like you won’t get your turn with it.”

A sudden shadow played across Julian’s muzzle, a sneer at the thought of sharing the power casted a dark gleam over his expression, but he quickly hid it with a soft smile.

“I just wanted to have my turn first,” Julian smirked, licking his lips. “Better I test it out than our sorcerer who could dispel any curses, right? Not any different than any other jobs, huh? ‘Julian go disarm that trap.’ ‘Julian, cover me while I cast.’ ‘Julian, you go ahead and do all the heavy lifting while I safely use spells from behind.’ Well, if I’m going to be the one in the front, why don’t we lead from the front,” Julian lifted his foot paw and used his powerful toes to force Caleb to look him in the eyes. “Now, why don’t you go downstairs and fetch yourself a meal. I’m sure with that cute little ass and those kitten eyes, you could rope in a serious haul.”

Caleb knew Julian long enough to know when he was lying, but this was something else. It was like he didn’t feel the need to be convincing, that Caleb would just believe what he said was the absolute truth. Something was wrong. Julian was using him, sure, but Julian wouldn’t ever betray and hurt him like this, not in a permanent way. Caleb knew something was wrong, but didn’t know if it was because one of the other pieces were cursed, if the Tyrant’s Heart itself was twisting him, or if Julian was just giving into a lust for power. Either way, the situation didn’t bode well. Without the proper wards, a curse could spread, and if it was the magic itself changing Julian, Caleb didn’t have the resources to combat a barbarian in close quarters, and if it was just Julian, then there was no telling how far his friend would go. This wouldn’t be the first time he high jacked an artifact for personal gain, but it he usually let him in on it.

Regardless, he needed to get that pendent.

“What are you waiting for?” Julian cocked a brow, a red glow circling his golden eyes like some golden disk eclipsing a crimson star. “Go.”

Julian growled out that last word and pushed with his toes. The sudden movement smacked Caleb’s throat and forced him to fall backwards. The sabertooth mewled in pain, an embarrassing blush creeping across Caleb’s muzzle as he stood up and dusted his clothes off.

“Don’t keep me waiting,” Julian growled lustfully, his eyes glaring at the diminished kitten.

“I’ll be…back…” Caleb fought to say anything as he synched his clothes up, his drawstrings puling his clothes up and into place.

“Be quick about it,” Julian gave a demanding growl, his voice hungry as he licked his new sabertooth fangs.

Caleb couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. Suddenly that deathly grip on his heart was gone. He felt like he could breathe. Was Julian exuding some sort of aura or illusion magic? If he was, the sabertooth didn’t notice. Either way, he needed to come up with a plan to get the tyrant’s heart back. He was still the one with the proper fence for the rest of their find, so he had that over Julian at least. Sure, power was nice, but power didn’t keep your belly full or your desire for wine and sex satiated. No, he knew Julian’s vices well enough. If he had any money he could get a drink for him and maybe slip him some sleeping potion, but the aforementioned problem of not having the gold to do so threw that plan out the window. He could cast sleep, but their injuries were fake. Julian would need to be weakened in order for that to work.

Caleb bit his thumb claw as he went down into the tavern, the world so much larger than it was before. His lower stature made everything so disorientating, but Julian wasn’t wrong about one thing. He was a cute little piece of ass. Caleb could already see several people eyeing him from around the tavern. People who thought they could force themselves on him looked to be licking their chops already, but Caleb knew better than to let them take advantage. He needed someone who thought they could handle him, but still be large enough a meal to satisfy Julian’s needs.

“Hey there little one,” a deep rumbling voice said from beside him.

Caleb blinked, he was so lost in thought trying to pick the right guy that he didn’t even notice his approach. He turned to see a massive, furry set of abdominals. Thick grizzly fur covered a barreled chest and mounting biceps. The brown bear stood there, his arms crossed as he grinned down at the little kitten that didn’t even reach his nips.

He would do.

“Hi,” Caleb’s voice cracked before he shook his head. He didn’t know how to flirt coyly, but he’d have to give it a shot. “I um…hello.”

“You know, it ain’t safe for a cute little thing like yourself to be all alone in a place like this,” the grizzly rumbled, a cocky grin on his muzzle. “You know, if you want, I can be your protection.”

“I don’t have any money,” Caleb chuckled, putting his hands up.

“You wouldn’t pay me in money,” the grizzly rumbled, leaning forward, his barbarian greaves straining on his powerful legs, his massive ax on his back glinting in the lowlight. “You got a room upstairs, don’t ya?”

“I…um…I do,” Caleb pushed his claws together. This was going way too easy. Surely this guy intended to do nefarious things to a small, naïve adventurer. If he played the part though, this would be a very easy way to fulfill the first part of his plan. Then again, this guy was gigantic! What if Julian got too big and Caleb couldn’t fight him off no matter how hard he tried? Not to mention he hadn’t come up with a real plan just yet.

“Then how about this,” The bear put his meaty paw on Caleb’s shoulder. “You let me have your bed, and you can rest assured no one is going to give you any trouble with me in the room.”

“Oh,” Caleb smiled, maybe he wasn’t as dirty as he thought.

“Then again, that bed would be awfully lonely without a nice piece of ass keeping me warm,” the grizzly smacked the tiger’s tight buns, making him give a little yip.

“Oh my,” Caleb’s eyes were wide. Guess he was just a dirty jerk looking to fuck some stupid adventure out of house and home. Either way, it worked for him. Still though, he didn’t know exactly how he would regain control of the situation.

Then again, this guy was very large. The time it would take for Julian to take all that size might give him just enough time to think of a plan.

“I…sure,” Caleb put on his best sexy eyes, his back arching, his tail wagging. “I think we can, um, figure something out.”

“Grrr fuck yeah we can,” the grizzly growled lustfully. “Come on. Let me show you just how well a barbarian can rut.”

Caleb didn’t even need to walk up the stairs, the grizzly gripped him by his scruff and started hauling him up like he was a sack of potatoes slung over his shoulder. Instantly, his instinct was to go rigid and let himself be carried. It was mortifying! Julian would die a thousand deaths for this! But first he needed to save the dumbass from himself.

“Which one’s yours?” He grunted.

“The second on the left,” Caleb answered, a twinge of fear rolling up his spine. He knew that Julian wouldn’t let this guy harm him, but it was the situation itself that made him uneasy. He didn’t feel like he was so much playing a part as much as the part was being forced upon him.

The bear grunted, snorting to say he understood and kicked the door open before tossing Caleb into the room.

“Take your fucking clothes off, kitten! I’m going to show you the best night of your fucking life.” He swaggered into the room, dipping down beneath the doorway to fit in, but as soon as he was, Julian slammed the door. He was stealthing in the corner, a serious feat considering how large the panther loomed.

“What the fuck?” The grizzly spun around only for Julian to pounce. The panther’s eyes were glowing red already as he gave a deep snarl, knocking the bear to the floor and pinning him.

“Give it to me! More!” Julian’s eyes were wild like a beast’s, his maw dripping with drool as he hissed before breathing in. Red energy curled off the grizzly and into Julian’s maw. It twinkled and coiled up into his obsidian fur wherever he touched the bear as well, but he looked to be consuming his size one hissing gulp at a time.

It was hard to tell because they were fighting, but Caleb thought that Julian was larger to begin with. They were both considerably tall, but Julian seemed to have a couple inches on him, just not as much bulk.

But that was quickly changing.

The grizzly tried to shout, but his voice was lost in that hissing suck, curling up into the glowing red mist that wafted off him. His crazy muscles softened while Julian’s bulk flexed, his veins pushing to the top and pulsing with red energy. Pulse by gulping pulse ran through Julian, each maw full sending a rippling wave over his body, causing it to crunch and expand, wetly grinding muscle flexing before fighting with the rest of his mass for space on his expanding frame.

“Submit to me,” Julian snarled, his eyes glowing, powerful rays digging into the grizzly’s own eyes and staining them red. His chocolate brown eyes tried to close, but the light almost forced him to keep them open. “You’re mine now you fucking bitch. Submit to your fucking King.”

The grizzly gave a bear grunt. It was weak and trailed off into a little whimper and moan. He relaxed and Julian took advantage, pinning him beneath him and gulping down more size.

“Yes!” Julian snarled between pulses. “Yes, you’re mine!”

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