FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Surge of Power Written by Leo_Todrius Anonymous Commission

Steely gray clouds filled the sky, spilling ever forward, rumbling with the discontent of the heavens themselves. Not a shred of blue had been seen in two days... and yet not a drop of rain had fallen either. It was a terrible omen, an omen that great darkness loomed on the horizon, though that wasn't entirely new. Bandits and thieves roamed the woods and the roads, criminals brought goblin weed over the borders to corrupt the youth and the king had been able to do nothing from his palace on high. In the midst of it all was a young man, Uriah.

Uriah was eighteen, a young man out on his own for the first time. He was from a small village, had a modest upbringing and was quite modest. His brown hair was short, his skin fair and his body lithe. The tunic he wore was made of tan and cream colored cloth, clean and modest but far from extravagant. He worked at the market as an errand boy, but the errands had yet to give Uriah any of the muscles he desired. What it gave him was an opportunity to see life for what it was, from all its folly to its potential gains. Uriah realized his middle class upbringing had been the only thing to open his eyes to the condition of the world. The poor worked so hard to survive that they didn't see past the next opportunity, and the rich were so zealous in guarding what they had that they couldn't see what was just beyond their estate walls. Uriah, however, saw the threats and the need for something more.

Inspired by tales of vigilantes in the elf lands and in the border towns, Uriah had tried to stand up to the thieves. His attempts had usually resulted in a chorus of laughter from the bandits who considered Uriah too slight to use as a door stop, let alone take seriously as a threat. The few times he had managed to get them to take him seriously, he'd been so badly beaten that it took months to fully recover. His hand moved to his ribs gently in memory of his last bout with the Red Road Robbers... but the problem still existed. Uriah knew evil triumphed when good men refused to do anything, but when he tried to do anything, he was stopped short of any progress.

The hardest part about his ineffectiveness was that Uriah felt invisible, not just to everyone in the town, but to the one person he cared most about. His eyes glanced over to the bakery, looking through the windows. Inside a young woman with flowing blond hair and an ample body worked on the afternoon's breads, kneading the dough, working it out before putting it into the various pans and tins. Uriah sighed with delight, just thinking of Elise. She was the baker's daughter, a skilled cook and a woman of consenting age. Her father didn't want her to marry too far below her station, and while Uriah came from an acceptable family, he really was sort of a no one. Uriah knew Elise deserved more, a someone at the very least.

Uriah pushed the cart of apples along from the wagon over to the stall, his brown eyes surveying those that had come to the market. There were a few beggars, a few of the less fortunate, but for the most part it was mostly nobles, men and elves of high standing. They were people that could afford to make a difference if they were so motivated, but that motivation wouldn't come until they had lost everything. It was insufferable, it was devastating, it was infuriating - so much so that Uriah was caught off guard as someone slammed into him from the side.

Both Uriah and the robed figure toppled, but without Uriah to stabilize it, the cart of apples started to tip as well, rocking forward. Uriah landed in the dirt and coughed, but the robed figure held out a hand. The hand was masculine, though the fingernails were black and long like claws. The apples that tumbled out of the cart stopped mid-air, floating on their own for a moment before slipping back into the cart. Uriah's eyes widened, focusing on the apples in awe. The robed figure stood up and set the cart right before he turned, offering his hand to Uriah. Uriah took the hand and was pulled to his feet, feeling the claws press against the underside of his wrist. Once upright, Uriah blushed a bit.

"Thanks for saving the apples." Uriah said softly. The figure reached up and pulled his hood back, revealing a young man with blood red hair and green eyes. His ears were pointed and he had a slight red goatee hanging down from his chin.

"It's the least I could do; I just got so excited I didn't watch where I was going." The man apologized.

"And where were you going with... powers like that? Are you a mage?" Uriah whispered gently.

"I guess I am now, I hadn't thought if it like that... But I'm headed back home. I came from Aldengray to get powers to fight the ogres that threaten our borders." The robed man said.

"You came... here to get powers?" Uriah asked in shock. The robed figure nodded.

"Yes, you don't know of Caym? The great mountain mystic?" The robed figure smirked. Uriah grimaced a bit. The other man sobered, "He's an ancient being, a guardian of the oldest magics... But I can't stay any longer; I was already in a hurry. Good day to you." The robed man said, starting to move off.

"Good luck to you!" Uriah called after him, watching the robed figure run down the road, pulling his hood back up over his head. Uriah watched him go for a moment before he took hold of his cart and moved it back along the road, his brain processing everything he had just witnessed and the deeper meaning. He'd heard of the cave of the mountain mystic once before, on an old map... a map that predated the discovery that the ancient being was actually a demon that had crawled up from the netherworld to live in his cave... Uriah had never thought to go see him as he was a demon, but for centuries people had visited the caves before his true nature was discovered, and as far as Uriah knew, they all turned out alright.

Uriah began to debate his options, realizing for the first time in his life that he had an option, a path. He was too thin and frail to stop the bandits on his own, but with a power like that of the robed man, he could stop arrows or throw bandits around... He'd have the strength he needed through magic. All he had to do was to willingly go to a demon... and make a deal. Uriah swallowed gently, bringing the cart to the stall, moving to prop it up against the table before pulling the apples out.

Over head the clouds rumbled once more, flashing bright pink as lightning danced through them. A soft patter sounded as the dirt road started to collect the first falling rain, the smell of petrichor releasing into the air. Uriah knew it would be bad for business, but there was only so much he could do. He set up the apples, peering out every so often at the road becoming muddy, the trees beyond, and the horizon that held the cave of Caym...

****

Rain came down in thick sheets, funneled around the mouth of the cave to drop down like bars barricading the path, but Uriah ducked under the water, entering unhindered. It had been an hour's walk from the village, an hour of debating with his inner demons, an hour to come to the firm resolution that he wouldn't turn back, he would do whatever it took to save his lands and win the favor of Elise. What had surprised Uriah the most was how well groomed the path to the cave was. Everyone in his village had forsaken the area as being lost to a demon, but it was incredibly inviting. The path was even and smooth, the berry bushes well groomed. It seemed rather cozy, but then again Uriah figured that was the demon's plan.

He ventured in further, expecting the cave to darken, but instead it got brighter. Veins of glowing rock ran through the cave walls, casting out a dull red glow, lighting the way. In the distance he could hear what sounded like the cascade of waves on a shore, but they were nowhere near the ocean. It was a strange and eerie place to be, but Uriah's mind was made up. The world was in need of a hero, regardless of where that hero got his powers. Uriah continued deeper into the cave, hesitant but stalwart.

Of the many caves Uriah had been to in his life, this was the cleanest. There was no water seepage, no rotten plant roots, no animal droppings. The stone was carved out, the ground was even for the most part... in fact, it looked so well maintained that it almost looked like it had been designed. The glowing red rocks had increased in number until even strips ran along the cave, leading into a vast chamber up ahead. Uriah hesitated at the mouth of the chamber before he stepped in, looking around.

The room was huge and diverse. The walkway he was on hugged the right wall, making a half circle around the rest of the cave at large. Off to the left were bubbling hot springs on a lower level with a plateau between the water line and the walkway. Portions of stone were carved out around the cave at all levels to create what were most likely seats and beds, furniture built into the cave itself... but perhaps most interestingly of all was a stone display case inside of which a hundred glass miniatures rested, each made out of a foggy white glass depicting a human animal hybrid of some sort.

A spicy, savory smell wafted into the air, the scent coming from a large cauldron bubbling away. When Uriah turned to find the source of the smell, he not only saw the cauldron but the chef as well. Caym was very large to say the least, standing around seven and a half feet tall with almost five feet wide shoulders. Rich robes draped his frame, cascading down from his shoulders in shades of silver that complimented his slate gray skin. His ears were pointed and obsidian black hair flowed down the back of his head in a loose mane. A short black beard framed his mouth, his lower lip jutting forward to allow two tusks to rise up, each tusk carved with runic symbols. Uriah gazed at the creature in wonder. He was certainly not human, but Uriah could see how it took the ancestors some time to determine that he was in fact a demon. He looked neutral compared to the demons of legend.

"Oh Uriah, is it really anything more than terminology?" The being asked without looking. Uriah froze in place, his body stiffening. The demon turned, gold eyes looking the human over, "What they call me, demon, it is just a name. You are more than a market clerk, are you not?" Caym asked.

"How do you know me, so much about me?" Uriah whispered. Caym continued to stir his brew.

"No one can enter these caves unless I choose it, and I do not let strangers in. The logical conclusion is to know everything about those that enter." Caym explained calmly. Uriah hesitated.

"And what do you know about me?" Uriah asked. The demon chuckled again, lifting his stirring spoon to sip at his creation before he stirred some more.

"That your heart is heavy with the burden of justice, that you see so much that needs changed in this world but crave a way to do it... and that your heart belongs to a beautiful woman." Caym replied. Uriah grimaced a bit before he paused.

"I met someone that came to get your help today; he had red hair and claws..." Uriah said gently.

"Ah, yes, Ryder." Caym said, looking off into the distance, "He has just entered into battle with the Ogres, not realizing that they have allied with the Trolls as well, but he shall be victorious." Caym replied.

"You can know all that from here?" Uriah asked gently.

"Did you know that most prophets are blind?" Caym asked, "So blessed to see the future, they cannot see the present. There are no shortcuts in life, there are only exchanges. I cannot leave this cave, but in exchange I can see everything that happens out side of it." Caym explained. Uriah looked at the demon with a tinge of pity for a moment.

"So you do not try to escape?" Uriah asked. Caym chuckled, sampling his potion once more, adding a drop from a white vial. The liquid began to bubble.

"At best escape would leave me mortal, blind to all and without any powers to protect myself. At worst, it would kill me. I am not yet tired enough of this life to attempt such things." Caym replied.

"So why do you give people powers?" Uriah asked. Caym had to give the human credit, he was inquisitive, cautious.

"Like you, I see the world around me and wish I could make it different. I have the power, but not the means... so I give the powers to others to do what I cannot. Though, I must admit, part of it is selfish. I often hope that those I help will visit me, to talk to me in person." Caym said.

"I can see how that would be hard for those like Ryder that came such a way, but... I live close, I could converse with you." Uriah said gently. Caym slowly smiled.

"So, you would consider taking on the mantle of such powers?" Caym asked.

"Yes, if I knew a little more about it." Uriah admitted, blushing. Caym used his stirring spoon to ladle the potion into a stone goblet, then a second before he swiped his hand and the fire below went out. He carried the drinks over to a stone bench and sat down. Uriah moved over to sit next to the demon, accepting the drink soon offered to him.

"To everything there is a cost, there are no shortcuts... In this case, to be come superhuman, you must become more than human. The powers I can give you will come in surges, a burst when you need it most, but you will retain more each time... but each time you use it, you will be less as you were." Caym said, lifting his goblet to sip at the drink. Uriah looked up at the demon that dwarfed him in size.

"Less as I am? You mean like Ryder's claws?" Uriah asked.

"For everyone it is a bit different, but everyone has achieved great change. Even this valley used to be a rancid bog, but now it is fertile farmlands thanks to one brave human. Now so many live here." Caym said.

"Are the powers different for each person too?" Uriah asked. Caym shrugged.

"Yes and no. You have access to a vast variety of powers, but each person seems to develop their own unique style." Caym replied. Uriah contemplated the gravity of it all, lifting the goblet to sip at it. The liquid burst across his tongue with the most unusual combinations of flavors, like meat and sweet and grease and spice, like masculinity and a feast all rolled into one. Uriah shuddered gently, feeling it coat his throat like silk before he licked his lips, taking a deep breath. He was certain he was going to go through with it.

"What must I do?" Uriah asked, looking up at the demon. Once more Caym chuckled.

"You already have... I knew you would say yes since you entered my caves." Caym said. Uriah blushed gently before he nodded, looking at the goblet in his hand. He tipped it back and drank down more, gulping at it, taking it in deep. It warmed him from the inside out, his body feeling stronger and healthier all the while. Caym watched him drink, impressed and delighted by the human, though he knew the best was yet to come.

****

Uriah moved down the road back toward town, relieved that the rain had abated and that the clouds had cleared, revealing some of the sunset light. He felt a little strange about it all. Caym had been so personable; the exchange had been so easy. While feeling satisfied, Uriah didn't feel very different... but Caym had said that the power would come in surges and it would cost him. That alone presented a conflict. Uriah wanted to see just what he could do, but using it without a good reason would sacrifice part of himself for no reason. It was absurd and Uriah would never be so foolish. Still, the curiosity remained.

The young man continued along the road, his mind drifting from his fate to Elise and what wonders she might be doing right then, but Uriah's thoughts were disrupted as he heard the faintest of sounds, a bow string being pulled. Uriah turned just in time to see an arrow come arching out at him. He reached up and grabbed the arrow as it sailed toward his heart, his fingers latching onto the bolt. As his fingers stopped the arrow, a shudder of power moved through his arm, the muscles bulging slowly, the skin tightening. The cotton weave of his tunic began to turn into leather hide slowly, the material changing up the length of his arm.

Another arrow was loosed, then another. Uriah grabbed the second and dodged the third, his eyes narrowing in on where they had come from. He turned the arrow he had caught in his left hand and then summoned all his strength to throw it back. Just as if he had left it off a bow himself, the arrow shot back with just as much velocity, landing with a dull thunk. The branches shuddered before a bandit dressed in red and tan toppled forward, a Red Road Robber. There was a soft murmur in the bushes before the robbers started to scatter. Uriah was left in the middle of it all shocked at what he had just done, feeling terrified and exhilarated.

Uriah's arms continued to expand, his biceps and triceps pushing out. His ears had stretched into points and his eyes shifted from brown to a faint gold. Even his chest expanded a bit, his pectorals rounding out. His body had changed to fit the situation at hand, he had stopped his own death, but Uriah wanted more than that. The archer had been but one of many, and if the robbers got away, they would inform others. Uriah had to bring them to justice. He turned and started to run, picking up his pace. He lunged into the underbrush and started moving after those that had hunted him. His nostrils flared and his nose widened a bit.

Each impact of his feet on the ground caused his legs to bulge with more muscle, his feet to throb and expand. Uriah's chest rose and fell more with each breath, his ribs thickening and widening before pushing apart, his chest expanding to make more room for the air he needed to run as fast. The clothing he wore continued to change as well, the cotton continuing to turn into leather. The tan portions of this tunic turned dark brown and the white faded to a creamy caramel colored doe skin. With a mere fabric change, his tunic looked more dangerous and it kept the berry vines at bay as they smacked into Uriah's chest.

Uriah continued through the brush, using sharpened senses to hone in on those that attacked him. He spotted one Robber and pushed off, arching through the air to land behind him. He grabbed him by the scruff of the collar and hurtled him at the nearest tree. Uriah had no idea how, but his body summoned all the strength it needed to toss him easily. The robber slammed into the trunk before falling to the ground. Uriah turned, focusing on his next target. He chased after him quickly, using his enhanced hearing and smell, panting eagerly as he moved. Uriah couldn't believe how good it felt to be making a difference. He still felt terrible that he had killed a man, but the man was a murderer. More than that, he was making a difference himself, it felt great.

Uriah continued to track down his prey, feeling a surge of pleasure rip through his body. He felt so powerful, so amazing, so superhuman. His nipples went erect, dragging up and down across the leather tunic covering his chest as his groin hardened. For the first time in his life he had gotten aroused by something other than Elise, and he was aroused by himself. Uriah turned, spotting the third robber. He could hear he was the last. He had to stop him, to keep others from finding out yet. He wanted to take the bandits by surprise. He charged, pushing through the brush, his hand reaching out for the robber, though the robber was fast.

The gap narrowed, Uriah closed in on his target, their speeds almost matched. Uriah stretched his hand out for the robber, needing just a bit more length. As he stretched, his fingernails turned brown and then black, growing out slowly. The nails thickened and curved, forming claws. Portions of his fingertips and palms expanded as well, forming slight paw pads, but beyond all the anatomical changes, his arm had grown just enough. Uriah closed his fingers, the claws digging into the collar of the thief. Uriah came to a stop and the thief was knocked off his feet, falling back at Uriah before crumpling on the ground. He grunted and moaned, rolling over before he looked up at the man towering above him.

"Please, mercy..." The thief whispered, moving to kneel before Uriah, "I'll do anything..." he whispered, slowly leaning in, nuzzling his face against Uriah's groin. Uriah gasped in shock at the bearded man's candor, even more at the pleasure that such pressure brought, but he was disgusted by the idea. Uriah brought his changed hand down, clubbing the man over the head. The thief went limp to the ground. Uriah shuddered softly before he looked around, realizing the threat had passed. Now all he had to do was turn the men into the king anonymously so they could be jailed... Thankfully he had larger muscles to accommodate the heavy burden.

****

The door to the bakery opened and Uriah moved in. It was bolder than he had been in some time, but he felt more confident than ever. Leather gloves covered his altered hands, though they looked a bit loose with his claws. His leather tunic was tight over his muscles and his brown hair hung down over the points of his ears. Other than being stronger, he had been able to hide his changes rather easily. Looking at the counter, Uriah took in the sights of all the cakes and pastries before selecting one as sweet and radiant as Elise. He looked up just as she emerged.

"Good morning Elise." Uriah said happily. The woman looked up, her hazel eyes taking in Uriah before she gasped softly.

"My, Uriah, working at the market is truly suiting you." Elise said.

"What can I say; it has made a new man out of me. I have a long day today though, errands outside of town... Would you be kind enough to wrap up five sun rolls for me?" Uriah asked with a grin.

"I'd love to." Elise grinned, moving to get the pastries and some wrapping parchment, "And that will be two silver." She added after a moment. Uriah hesitated. He had only a few copper pieces. Uriah reached into his pocket and pulled out the metal discs, though as he examined them, their bronzy color shimmered, lightening into gold. Uriah murmured softly in pleasure at feeling the power flow through his veins before he put a gold piece down on the counter.

"Keep the difference." Uriah said. Elise murmured in awe at Uriah's sudden affluence, having no idea just how sudden it was. Uriah eyed Elise over, thinking more unsavory things than he ever had before, but he knew he had a job to do. He accepted the parchment of pastries and bowed his head, "A good day to you Miss Elise." Uriah said, moving to the door.

"And a good day to you!" she called after him, watching him go with a glint of affection in her eyes.

****

The mid day sun was high in the sky, radiating down its heat and light. Far below, Uriah sat against a tree with crumbs on his chest and stomach, licking his fingers as he finished off the last sun roll. The sweet glaze, the thick fruit filling, it'd been too impossible to resist. He'd intended to ration himself through the day but he'd gluttonously ate them all. He wanted to feel ashamed, but he was too busy feeling delighted about the flood of taste. Still, he had come to the great forest and earned the wrath of his boss at the market for a good reason. While the red robbers were nomadic by nature, they did have favored strike points in the kingdom, specific roads and bridges. Uriah had always suspected their base would be in the middle of all the points, but he'd never been able to get close enough to find any clues... at least before.

Uriah had spent the morning working deeper into the forest, evading four patrols. Based on their movements, Uriah was almost certain that the robbers had a perimeter with two lines of defense, set up so anything the first ring missed would be caught by the second ring. It was incredibly precise and rather impressive, but it was nothing for someone as great as he was. Uriah slowly raised to his feet, the crumbs falling down the slope of his chest before he started moving through the brush again.

The young vigilante felt more confident and assured about himself than he had ever been. At last he finally felt like himself. It was ironic that to be himself he had been forced to take on paws, but none of the other changes had been that bad. Uriah continued to advance, lowering down to the ground a bit more as he noticed movement ahead through the trees. He could hear their footsteps; irregular, alinear. They weren't going anywhere in particular, merely walking around. It wasn't a patrol, it was something more.

Ahead of Uriah was a small red robber camp. Tents and lean-tos had been set up for shelter, a small stream provided water to them. The camp was fairly large with two entire tents devoted to the sharpening of weapons ranging from axes to swords to maces. Arrows were built, bows treated for ware, even cross bows were primed and ready. In the middle of everything, a large table held a map of the kingdom. Some of the robbers stood around it, contemplating their next plan of attack.

Uriah gazed on from a distance, his gold eyes changing to give him better vision. He sniffed a bit more, his nostrils turning black and growing a bit moist. He was about to make his move when he spotted something different, something that didn't belong. One of the patrol teams moved into the camp, escorting a man in his forties. The man was one of the gate guards for the southern walls, but he wasn't being escorted like a prisoner, he was being escorted like a guest. His blue and green garb was unsullied, his face unconcerned.

The man made his way to the center table where the robber in charge of the camp turned and addressed him. Uriah, even with his enhanced senses, had a difficult time making out what was going on from so far away... at least until a bag of gold changed hands and the guard started to point to the map, explaining things. Uriah's back arched as anger welled up inside of him. This was far worse than he thought; far more lives were at stake. Uriah slowly moved to crouch, stretching his legs before he suddenly bolted forward, moving through the brush.

The first two bandits had been thrown without a sound, arching through the air before landing in heaps. The others started looking around where they had landed in confusion, giving Uriah time to advance that much further. He grabbed one confused guard by his shirt, his claws tearing through the fabric. Uriah felt his entire body tingle as strength suffused him, a burst of power filling his body. The formerly mild mannered young man began brandishing the bandit like a club, smacking him into other robbers. Each slash of the bandit caused Uriah to grow more. His arms bulged and his shirt stretched to fit, his chest pushed out, even his back hunched over with muscles. His neck widened and his forehead thickened, adrenaline coursing through Uriah's body.

Screams and shouts had started to alert the rest of the camp to the goings on, causing them to soon spot the massive muscled behemoth in their midst. Arrows shot out but Uriah either dodged them or they hit the meat shield he was carrying. Uriah stumbled around, bearing his teeth as he worked out his next plan of attack. His gloves tore apart, his paws emerging, his claws glistening in the light. Uriah spotted one of the weapons tents and threw his meat shield at it, sending the beams collapsing, trapping the men inside and making it harder for anyone else to arm themselves.

More whistles shot out as arrows were loosed. Uriah easily avoided them, but across the camp, some of the bandits readied a more sophisticated weapon. The double bolted crossbow was loaded, primed and fired. A thick wire shot out with weighted arrows at the end, wrapping around Uriah's torso at high speed, pinning his arms to his body. Others soon caught the drift and did the same. Uriah grunted as he was bound, the wires wrapping around his body, locking him up tight. He struggled and stumbled before even his legs were bound. Archers prepared to give the immobilized target a killing blow.

"Wait!" The senior bandit called out, holding up his hand. He started to approach Uriah while the guard quivered and shook, ducked behind the map table. The leader advanced slowly, looking Uriah up and down, "I'd like to know what has brought our guest to our midst before we kill him." The leader called out. Uriah panted gently. He'd had small surges so far, but this was going to take some doing, something more than physical prowess... though he'd need that too.

"Red Robbers, I am here to stop you." Uriah said. The camp leader chuckled, reaching up to run his hand over his smooth shaved head.

"You are? You and what battalion?" the leader asked.

"I need no battalion." Uriah grunted before he summoned all the power inside him he could muster. His chest and arms started to expand dramatically, muscle bulging out and developing new muscles on top of it. His back hunched more; his ribs pushed apart, his spine stretched. The wires groaned and warped before one frayed and snapped, then another. The leader stopped where he was, his eyes widening in shock. Uriah grunted and moaned, but this change was costing him a lot more than just a few cosmetic features.

The bandits watched in terror and shock as Uriah's boots burst, but rather than feet emerging, they were brown, furry thick paws. Black claws stuck out of each toe and the paws spread out as wide as a normal man's back. Uriah's pants shifted, the leather turning from light brown to black, but the tunic shirt came apart beneath the lines, tearing and shredding across the changing torso. Uriah grunted hard as his chest was exposed, the flesh toughening up before a soft downy layer of fuzz began to grow out across his chest and stomach. Much like his original tunic, his chest fur was a creamy tannish white, but as the fur spread out to his shoulders, it became darker and mottled between different shades of brown in splotches.

One of the archers was too terrified to hold back. His arrow was loosed and sailed right for Uriah, but as it approached it burst into flames and didn't reach him. More opened fire but the arrows burst like fireworks. Uriah grunted sharply as his face began to warp, his mouth pushing forward, his nose stretching out as well. His pointed ears migrated up to the top of his head and more patches of ruddy fur pushed out across his body. The hair on his arms and legs turned into the same mottled brown fur, but the hair on his head almost became bristly as a crest of black fur grew along the middle of his scalp like a Mohawk or the lower part of an animal's mane.

The leader backed up further in shock as Uriah's fur crossed his expanding muzzle and head, his hands and his backside. Uriah was top heavy with all his muscle, but his expanding muzzle filled with sharp fangs and his eyebrow ridges pushed out. The leader had seen one such beast before when he was very young, a Gnoll, a hyena man. The leader trembled gently before he turned, signaling for his fellow men to retreat. Uriah saw them starting to turn, knowing that was unacceptable. They would not be allowed to retreat. He gave one last flex and the last of the binds snapped, his body released. Uriah fell forward onto his hand paws and rushed through the camp before lunging at a man, thrusting him down to the ground before slashing at others. Uriah moved around at breakneck speeds, his eyes flashing.

With a wave of his hands, trees started to topple and fall, collapsing around the camp. Uriah started circling them up, leading them back toward the center before he pounced and slashed at them. Bodies collapsed, tents were crushed, robbers were cornered. The corrupt guard turned to leave, uncertain which direction to go, hesitant and concerned. He wandered forward, looking around, meeting eyes with Uriah briefly. Uriah used his new muzzle to grab onto the man by any extremity he could and toss him, though the crunch of fangs against flesh felt delectable.

The guard went rolling and slumped to a stop, as did almost every robber. Fires crackled openly as tents caught fire and the camp was torn asunder. Leaves fell from trees disturbed by the ruckus, other trees having collapsed. Uriah rose up onto his hind paws, looking around, his eyes glittering with power and prowess. He shuddered, feeling it rip through him. For the first time since his charge, Uriah was left to catch his breath, to recover, to consider. He panted softly, his black moist hyena nose taking the air in and out, his tongue hanging out of his mouth... and then Uriah realized just how wrong that was.

Ever so slowly, he looked down at his body, at the furry body he had gained. A tan underbelly, splotched fur, a rough hide. He was an animal, a beast, a super... human. He realized just how wrong that was, how far he'd changed already. In a mere day he'd become a beast... but a beast to end other beasts. Uriah started to reach out and explore his body with his paws, feeling the fur, feeling his huge muscles. He had to be almost four times his original body size. Uriah murmured softly in wonder and shock, wondering if he had pushed it too far. If he had been more careful, if he had tried another approach to it all... maybe it would have been different, maybe he hadn't needed to kill so many people.

A snapping twig broke Uriah out of his thoughts. He looked up to see the leader holding a strange, rune covered device... a magical weapon. The weapon was aimed for Uriah's head and the bandit was depressing some sort of trigger. Uriah held up his hands and made a snapping motion. The leader's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed dead... and that act of killing the robber with a single thought hit Uriah like a tsunami.

Uriah shuddered sharply, feeling the powers boil in him like they were in a cauldron. Uriah grunted sharply as a second, thicker layer of black fur began pushing out across his chest, taking on the pattern of human body hair but somehow above his fur. The forest of black stood out on his chest but it crept down his stomach as well before pushing under the waistband of his pants, pants that soon split, falling to the ground. What was revealed below was a swiftly changing pelvis. His ass cheeks were covered by furry flesh but his groin still looked mostly human, though that changed swiftly.

The gnoll's balls dropped and fur grew out over them as flesh oozed out around his manhood, enveloping it in a furry cocoon. The sheath engorged and grew longer and thicker, taking up a sizeable shape before the end parted, a gush of fluids leaking out before a much larger, slicker cock began extending into the open air, throbbing in time with Uriah's heart. The veins throbbed, his body pulsed. He grunted sharply before he tipped his head back and howled at the sky above.

****

The door to Uriah's humble hut opened as he moved in, ducking down under rafters as he shut the door behind him, moving slowly through the halls. He had found a potato sack cloth to turn into a tunic; though his balls hung so low they almost stuck out past it. He made his way to the bathroom and stepped in, picking up the small piece of mirror on the counter. Uriah felt amazing and ashamed all at the same time. He lifted the mirror and looked at what had been his modest human face, now a beastly muzzle.

He reached up, rubbing the black fluff on his tan colored chin, then the thick sideburns that stuck out past his cheek fur. It was like he had body hair even with fur, manly and beefy, complimenting his thick muscles. He lifted one arm and let out a sweat soaked forest of the bristly black hair in his pit before he checked his other arm to find the same. He sighed softly and set the mirror down, moving back to his bedroom before he slumped onto the bed, his legs sticking off more than half way. The bed groaned under his weight as he gazed upwards.

Uriah reminded himself that it had all been for a purpose, a higher calling. He was the hero of the lands. With one day's work he had stopped an invasion of the kingdom... and the kingdom should have been praising him. He did what none of them had the guts to do, what they didn't even deserve. Left to their own devices, they would have been conquered and it would have served them right, but thanks to him they were safe. As far as Uriah felt, they owed him a little something... The bandits hadn't even begged for their lives like the first had. Uriah moaned, imagining himself back there with that robber nuzzling his groin... He couldn't believe how stupid he had been to turn down such an opportunity.

The gnoll reached down, brushing his loin cloth out of the way, wrapping his hand around his shaft where it stuck out of his sheath. His leathery paw pads stroked it off as he worked up and down, thrusting his meat through his hands. His pointed ears flattened and a look of contentment crossed his long, black leathery lips. He panted sharply as he worked his meat, feeling as if he was finally getting the sort of reward he deserved for his hard work, although... it wasn't quite as grand as it could have been. Still, that was an easy fix for an individual with as much power as he had.

No longer thinking of the price or consequence, Uriah reached to start stroking his balls with one of his hands. The sack shuddered and started to swell as the magic was used to make his balls bigger, and because he was using his powers, more of his humanity started to slip away. Uriah's muscled body began to soften in places, but he was not growing smaller. If anything, he started to grow faster. The muscle of his pectorals was covered over with a layer of fat, his chest rounding out and sagging, his nipples spreading wider. Layers of fat swept over his stomach too, engulfing the tight muscles before bulging out slowly into a belly. Between the massive mounds of muscle that made up his arms, more fat swelled in there as well.

Uriah's body was growing in two ways, taking him from a giant muscle bound monster to a giant obese monster, but his package was swelling in every way as well. His balls swelled to the size of peaches, then grapefruit, cantaloupe, then larger still. The organs became more sophisticated and enchanted by demonic power to give Uriah the kind of pleasure he wanted - unending pleasure. With his balls approaching the size of small watermelons, his second hand moved to join the first on his shaft, squeezing and stroking it up and down.

The gnoll grunted sharply as his cock surged out longer in his hands, growing wider and longer, as firm as a tree trunk and almost as big. Uriah poured the magic into his rod, addicted to the pleasure and the rush and even that tugging feeling in his head. He didn't realize that pleasure was his humanity draining away, but even that felt good. His leathery lips shifted as a pair of tusks pushed out near the front of his muzzle, then a smaller pair just a bit back. His animal nose snorted, his ears twitched and his bed lurched before it collapsed. Uriah dropped down two feet as the bed hit the floor, but still he jacked off, feeling his cock expand, pushing to a foot long, then a foot and a half, then two. His rod was enormous, but more than that it started to leak a steady stream of precum, the thick syrup running down his shaft to pour over his sheath. It was a flow that would never stop.

Uriah got so invested in his pleasure that he started to sweat, the spicy scent soaking his thick body fur, strongest in his pits. The smell was both savory and rancid, making it seem as if Uriah hadn't bathed in some time. In the quest for selfish physical gratification, Uriah had given up enough of himself to become an obese slob, but one that was very pleased with how he felt. He double fisted his shaft, working the drooling log of pleasure, panting hard as he felt it drizzle all over his chest fur, thick strings of clear soaking the bushy black hair spread across his lighter ran fur. Uriah panted and grunted more with every second, tensing his ass hole before releasing, trying to think of anything to increase his pleasure, but then he started to think how sexy he was, how lucky the kingdom was to have him.

Uriah replayed his conquest of the camp and how magnificent he had been, how the kingdom deserved to give him something better for his troubles, that they had been morbidly foolish to ignore him for so long. They all had... Especially when he had so much to offer. Uriah moaned, tipping his head back with a howl, working his cock mightily before everything came together and his eternal leaking pre became thick spurts of white cum, arching high and raining down onto him, soaking into his sweat drenched fur. Uriah basked in it, his body throbbing for several minutes until his seed had been drained at last.

As his flow slowed back into the drooling pre and Uriah went limp on the collapsed bed, a new sensation filled him, one emanating from deep inside his now enormous gut. His stomach rumbled in protest for being as empty as it was. Uriah realized how long it had been since he last ate, and how five sun rolls hadn't been enough. One massive paw came down, then the other. Uriah forced himself to his feet and ducked down, squeezing through the hallways and archways of his home like a dog in a gopher hole. He all but broke his front door as he pushed it open and moved up the street, his heavy feet rumbling across the ground at night. He sniffed at the air and slowly licked his lips, smelling the scents of a late night batch of bread.

Uriah made his way through the township, moving over to the bakery. He turned the knob until the lock broke and pushed in anyway, stumbling into the store. He looked at the display before growling, reaching out to pick up a small cake. He brought it to his lips and chowed down, his fangs munching through it, frosting getting all over his lips. Gulping down the first, he soon moved onto a second and even a third. As Uriah ate, there was a scuffling from the back before Elise burst out, gasping before shrieking in fear at the sight of a huge Gnoll in her bakery. Uriah turned, looking at the woman, though he looked almost as puzzled as she did. Uriah knew this was the woman he had liked for so very long, but now she seemed so very ugly, so frail and slight, so hairless, so unattractive. She wouldn't last a second with him, not even a fraction as long as the bandits had. He needed someone stronger, someone more attractive. Uriah's love for Elise rotted away and left only one remaining need.

"Bring me more food woman." Uriah grunted, stuffing his face with more. She shrieked and grabbed a cooking pan and moved to hit him with it. The metal hit his blubbery fur but it just sent his flesh wobbling. Uriah grunted and held up his hand, using his magic to shove her back into the kitchen. Even that slight use of magic took its toll of Uriah, rotting away more of his mentality. He moved through the bakery, cleaning the shelves of anything edible, filling his bloated, huge stomach before he let out a belch and moved back toward the door. He stepped out and stretched back to full height, the moonlight washing over him. The evening wind blew through his fur and Uriah was almost content, almost... save for one thing. He reached down to stroke at his cock gently, wondering who to invest his emotions in, who to try and dominate. Elise as pathetic, the bandits weren't strong enough. He needed someone of heartier stock.

Uriah had begun the long walk home before he heard something in the distance, the sound of large feet pressing into the ground. Uriah turned only to see a hulking figurer move up the road. The beast man was mostly fox with blood red and white fur, a long human shaped shaft wobbling before him above furry red balls. Black claws extended from all his paws. Ryder looked around in a mild panic, trying to get back to Caym before it was too late. He trudged along, barely even aware of Uriah, trying not to encounter anything that would make him use his powers. Ryder was focused and dedicated, everything that Uriah had once been but was no more.

The gnoll strode forward, leaving a trail of pre that spewed from his enormous shaft. He picked up the pace, looking at Ruder. Very little of what had made Uriah human was left. His memories of the bandits were nothing more than conquests, Elise was pathetic, the humans unworthy... and Uriah felt entitled. For his grace he deserved something good to fuck and Ryder was the best candidate so far. He strode toward the fox with single minded purpose and as Ryder tried to pass, Uriah grabbed a fist full of red fur and shoved Ryder toward the round.

The fox grunted and scrambled to get back up but Uriah was already trying to mount him, sliding his shaft up and down in Ryder's furry ass cheeks. Ryder lifted a hand and blasted Uriah back with a blast of telekinesis. Uriah arched up through the air before hitting the ground, but Ryder moaned sharply as the head of his shaft pushed out longer, tapering to a point as the res t of the shaft turned red, already covered in slime from his sheath. Ryder moaned, one paw moving to stroke it as it changed, though he resumed his path back toward the cave. Uriah reached out with one huge paw, then the other. He forced himself upright, his belly oozing over his lap. He grunted sharply before he held out his hand and suddenly tugged with his magic.

"No!" Ryder moaned as he fell onto his stomach and was dragged backward, rolling onto his back, looking up at Uriah. Uriah began to drool uncontrollably, his mind festering more with the tainted magic, his body swelling even larger.

"You my fuck thing..." Uriah panted, declaring his dominance. Ryder dug his claws into the ground, trying to stop himself, but the gnoll was so strong. He had to change tactics. Ryder closed his mind and focused on Uriah.

"Remember who you were, remember where you came from." Ryder whispered into Uriah's mind. The gnoll twitched, grunting and growling, but in his mind his former self started to take shape... The young, meek young man with shaggy brown hair and a clean tunic. In the vision the former Ryder was there too, just as meek of a young man with red hair and pale skin. The memory of Ryder moved up to rest his hands on the former Uriah, "You were a good man with a noble purpose..." Ryder whispered, but the image of the man Uriah had been faded as a shadow crossed over Ryder's mentality. The newest conception of Uriah grabbed him in his own mind and engulfed him in hair and fur. Ryder opened his eyes with a look of shock before his muzzle was stuffed with Gnoll cock.

Uriah gabbed onto Ryder's head and held it in place as his hips forced forwards and back. Uriah fucked the fox's maw eagerly even as others came to watch in the streets. People gasped and whispered, others began to pray. Uriah could have cared lest. They weren't worthy of his time or notice. All that mattered was self satisfaction. Ryder struggled, using his magic to knock Uriah back again, though as a string of cum connected his muzzle to Uriah's cock, Ryder couldn't remember what he was doing at the moment, especially as his belly bulged out, fat beneath that white fur.

Uriah rose to his feet and charged forward again, grabbing hold of Ryder's skull in his paw, focusing all his magic into the fox's head. Ryder moaned, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as Uriah overwrote him. Uriah poured a copy of all his lust and green and vanity into Ryder, overwriting him. The fox started to drool openly, his cocks spurting out cum and his body sweating and fattening, but Uriah was changing too. His human shaped cock warped, growing slick and red and tapering to a point, the base bulging like split melons into his first knot.

When Uriah finally let Ryder's head go, the fox whimpered and panted wantonly, moving onto all fours, lifting his ass up into the air for his master. Uriah grinned in satisfaction, moving to grab onto the hips of his newest pet. Uriah started to rub his cock all over Ryder's ass before he plunged deep inside, feeling the fox's ass clench around his. Ryder bucked and moaned, his mind devolving further into an animal of instinct. The light on his chest shimmered as a metal ring appeared between his belly and his nipples before four black leather straps stretched out over his shoulders and around his ribs, connecting to another ring on his back. A thick leather collar shimmered into existence on the fox's neck as well... and then a long leather strap appeared, connected to it, coalescing into real matter, looped around Uriah's hand.

Uriah took a hold of his fuck pet's leash, giving it a firm tug, letting his pet know who was in charge. He continued to fuck Ryder hard, riding him like a bucking bronco. Uriah slipped in deeper and deeper, his thick balls slapping against his partner's. The two made love in the open, their bodies practically glowing with magic. Ryder was docile, horny, mindless and thick. Uriah was obese, barbaric, horny and gluttonous. The two together were an act of an abomination, the power corrupting them absolutely. Uriah worked deeper and deeper, loving the feel of the thick, huge, soft fox tail against his belly.

The rutting went on for several minutes, but slowly Uriah's grunts became more present, dominant, intense. He howled and bucked, slamming into Ryder's prostate before his claws dug into the fox's flanks, he trust in deeper and then let out an echoing howl. Uriah's huge cock began to pump copious amounts of sperm into Ryder's ass, the quivering cock forcing the fox over the edge before he howled as well, letting out his flood of seed all over the ground. The two basked in their orgasms for all the world to see... until, at last, the flow finally stopped. Having done what he wanted to, Uriah had no compassion or sentimentality. He pulled his rod out of the fox and began walking along the road, giving the leash a tug. Ryder grunted as his leash was pulled but he quickly got back up onto all fours, his huge belly almost dragging along the dirt road as he trotted after his new master, happy to keep Uriah happy.

The townsfolk watched in shock as the two beasts left town, leaving a trail of sexual juices in their wake. They stood in the moonlight in shock and confusion, but many screamed as someone came running up from another direction. The messenger was out of breath, drenched in sweat. He looked up at all the gathered townsfolk in confusion, not having seen the monsters that drew them out. When he had reclaimed his breath, he finally spoke.

"The bandits, their numbers have been crushed!" He panted sharply, "A lone vigilante, a man dressed in white and tan..."

"Uriah?" Elise whispered, still shaking from her earlier encounter.

"The king's inquisitors got the prisoners to speak, said he had a way of magic about him... Then he went after the bandit leaders." The spokesman said.

"But where would he have gotten magic?" An elder asked.

"Only one place around here... That poor soul." Another murmured. Elise looked at them before her brows fell, realizing slowly what must have happened.

****

Caym moved around his cave, getting everything ready. He ladled up a thick broth and put it into a wide, flat bowl and set it down on the cave floor before he poured two more chalices with it. The gray skinned demon looked a bit different than when Uriah had visited him. His muscles were larger, his spine was longer. He'd grown a bit from Uriah's efforts. Caym smiled even before he heard Uriah and Ryder advancing. The huge Gnoll stepped into the cave with Ryder on his leash, though the leather strap dissolved into nothing, freeing the fox. The red and white beast trotted over and plunged his muzzle into the bowl, lapping up the broth while he started to hump the floor, smearing his juices all around.

Uriah sniffed the air, not sure why he had come, barely able to remember anything. Caym moved over to Uriah and reached out, running a clawed hand all over the gnoll. He caressed Uriah's man tit, his nipple, his thick belly. He stroked his fur and then his pubic fur sticking out through the under layer. The demon circled the massive beast before he leaned up, licking along Uriah's jaw. Uriah moaned sharply in bliss, his cock quivering, spraying out thicker pre all the while. Caym chuckled softly before he stroked Uriah's chest fur, the hand working deeper and deeper into it, then almost into Uriah's chest itself.

When Caym's hand emerged, he was holding a small glass gnoll sculpture that glowed with a bit of light. The demon carried it over to set on his shelf with all the others, and as the base touched the stone surface, Uriah's change was complete. His shoulders slumped, his tongue lolled out and he looked to Caym, awaiting his next orders. Caym moved to sit down on the bench, moving his hand. His cloaks shimmered and parted, revealing a thick, gray shaft. He gave it a stroke as he sat before gesturing to Uriah. Uriah eagerly sprung forward, dropping to his knees, moving his muzzle around the shaft. He sucked and slurped, moaning happily, one paw moving to work himself off. Uriah was an incredibly selfish beast now, but he the one thing he remembered was who had made him what he was. Uriah was happy to please Caym, and Caym was happy to have him. The demon tipped his mug back, sipping on his foul potion, basking in the pleasure of a hyena mouth around his shaft, looking over to the fat hairy fox he had to play with too. Sure he liked to have conversations from time to time, but slovenly pets were far better in every way. Caym knew that he was going to have the time of his afterlife with those two.