{ "submission_id": "2653147", "keywords": [ { "keyword_id": "642306", "keyword_name": "03-madieval-magic", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1" }, { "keyword_id": "6364", "keyword_name": "anatomically", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "866" }, { "keyword_id": "243", "keyword_name": "belly", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "32169" }, { "keyword_id": "695", "keyword_name": "bulge", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "31645" }, { "keyword_id": "57", "keyword_name": "bunny", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "113914" }, { "keyword_id": "3271", "keyword_name": "casual", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "2225" }, { "keyword_id": "9630", "keyword_name": "correct", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "895" }, { "keyword_id": "79", "keyword_name": "cum", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "196958" }, { "keyword_id": "3514", "keyword_name": "doe", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "4403" }, { "keyword_id": "21", "keyword_name": "dragon", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "151839" }, { "keyword_id": "2193", "keyword_name": "fantasy", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "27533" }, { "keyword_id": "123", "keyword_name": "female", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1105434" }, { "keyword_id": "3790", "keyword_name": "growth", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "10305" }, { "keyword_id": "188", "keyword_name": "hybrid", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "70814" }, { "keyword_id": "1386", "keyword_name": "hyper", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "46602" }, { "keyword_id": "240", "keyword_name": "inflation", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "16333" }, { "keyword_id": "229", "keyword_name": "knot", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "53633" }, { "keyword_id": "13601", "keyword_name": "knotted", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "4724" }, { "keyword_id": "11690", "keyword_name": "lore", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "724" }, { "keyword_id": "3372", "keyword_name": "macro", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "23373" }, { "keyword_id": "191", "keyword_name": "magic", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "25924" }, { "keyword_id": "165", "keyword_name": "male", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1215579" }, { "keyword_id": "12000", "keyword_name": "mess", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "4410" }, { "keyword_id": "1151", "keyword_name": "messy", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "17755" }, { "keyword_id": "413", "keyword_name": "muscle", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "30166" }, { "keyword_id": "25668", "keyword_name": "potions", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "425" }, { "keyword_id": "27879", "keyword_name": "quickie", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "266" }, { "keyword_id": "18445", "keyword_name": "size-difference", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1699" }, { "keyword_id": "3496", "keyword_name": "sizeplay", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "4651" }, { "keyword_id": "948", "keyword_name": "story", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "14313" }, { "keyword_id": "3191", "keyword_name": "symbiote", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "825" }, { "keyword_id": "77", "keyword_name": "vaginal", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "53359" } ], "hidden": "f", "scraps": "f", "favorite": "f", "favorites_count": "2", "create_datetime": "2022-02-18 22:01:08.592622+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "18 Feb 2022 23:01 CET", "last_file_update_datetime": "2022-02-18 21:59:45.281399+00", "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "18 Feb 2022 22:59 CET", "username": "runa216", "user_id": "68743", "user_icon_file_name": "66174_runa216_runagryphsquishy.gif", "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/66/66174_runa216_runagryphsquishy.gif", "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/66/66174_runa216_runagryphsquishy.gif", "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/66/66174_runa216_runagryphsquishy.gif", "file_name": "3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2.png", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2.png", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2.png", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2.jpg", "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2_noncustom.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2_noncustom.jpg", "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "93", "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120", "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "155", "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200", "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "232", "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300", "files": [ { "file_id": "3922351", "file_name": "3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2.png", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2.png", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2.png", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2.jpg", "mimetype": "image/png", "submission_id": "2653147", "user_id": "68743", "submission_file_order": "0", "full_size_x": "850", "full_size_y": "1100", "screen_size_x": "850", "screen_size_y": "1100", "preview_size_x": "232", "preview_size_y": "300", "initial_file_md5": "e4014f9f7501ba2960b0f84a74f2d74e", "full_file_md5": "5d7dc6bbacadf3882189385cffd4018c", "large_file_md5": "5d7dc6bbacadf3882189385cffd4018c", "small_file_md5": "328b281b0d7f71882741c159e300b7f8", "thumbnail_md5": "f89ba33848fd7bceb9cc25a0c119c703", "deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2022-02-18 21:59:45.281399+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "18 Feb 2022 22:59 CET", "thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2_noncustom.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/3922/3922351_runa216_kaiju-dragon-reborn-ch2_noncustom.jpg", "thumb_medium_noncustom_x": "93", "thumb_medium_noncustom_y": "120", "thumb_large_noncustom_x": "155", "thumb_large_noncustom_y": "200", "thumb_huge_noncustom_x": "232", "thumb_huge_noncustom_y": "300" } ], "pools": [], "description": "Art - :iconpieu-a-taupe: (I think) \nWriting/Fidget - :iconRuna216:\nLethias - :iconLethias:\nFoxifly/Foxra - :iconfoxra:\n\nChapter 1: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/45766848/\nChapter 2: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46024127/\nChapter 3: \n\nAfter seeing the growth he exhibited, Lethias and Fidget head out east to the camp outside the capitol. There, he learns a bit more about his place in the world and the ties he has to the past. \n\n=====--=--=====\n\nAct I\n\n\tLethias held the axe over his head, muscles flexing and eyes trained on his target. He needed to be precise, he needed to ensure precision. If not, well, he had no desire to extend the suffering. With one heavy blow, he brought down the axe with all his might, its blade lodging itself deep into the tree stump, splatters of red marking the ground around it. The job was complete. His task accomplished. He grabbed the two sides of the sapwood he'd split in half and put them in the wheelbarrow, readying them for the incense fireplace. His partner liked how sapwood – a tree that seemed to bleed an aromatic red fluid – smelled, and while Lethias didn't care much for incense, he cared enough about his partner to get it for them, anyway. \n\n\tAnd this world needed some serenity. Lethias didn't like how things were going. His time spent in the woods of Yelfrit had been marred with the threat of war as the five tribes of the nation all struggled to overthrow the capital, Caiden. No war had begun, but what little he got from the news and the town crier spoke of a conflict on the verge of implosion. \n\n\tEach of the five tribes had their own specialty, and thus each one felt its contributions to the nation were paramount. The Farmers of Imarillo felt their agricultural contributions made them the most vital to the food supply. The Merchants of Lauterre held the most coin and ensured the nation's prosperity. The Warriors of Phlaumoth felt their defense of the nation's borders was paramount to the safety of the land. The Hunters of Kuwan countered the Farmers of Imarillo, assuming the meat they supplied more important than the vegetables and wheat. While the mages of Igmandril contested that their scholarly knowledge elevated the nation beyond all else. \n\n\tNaturally, the solution to this silly war in the making was simple. Work together, not against one another. Every part of that equation was similarly important and paramount to the nation's continued prosperity and survival. Yelfrit was best with warriors and scholars and merchants and food providers, working in unison and building each other up instead of tearing each other down. And the capital city, home to Empress Yelena and Emperor Sanfrit, was under constant scrutiny for allegedly not balancing the support to the five tribes. It was a mess. A silly, foolish mess. One Lethias had no interest in. \n\n\tSo he chopped wood, brewed tea, and helped out where he could while doing his best to avoid all that. He and his partner established a home beyond the reaches of any well-worn trail, specifically to ensure that only those they trusted could find them. They did try at one point to buy a homestead in or around town, but the fighting made that difficult. Both too expensive and too dangerous to consider. \n\n\tLife was peaceful on his homestead, a cabin buried deep in the woods with a small garden and plenty of storage for food and shelter. Daily, he would fantasize about all the ways he would or could put a stop to the impending war. Most often, he looked to a local legend for inspiration. The story of the Kaiju that saved the world, most notably a Foxra, a dragon, and a gryphon. According to the tales there were others, but the story of those three inspired Lethias the most. \n\n\tAs the tale went, on the island region of Arrenthen, three forces came together to protect the world from a potentially catastrophic event. Nobody knows exactly what it was that they needed to combat, but that if they hadn't come together, the world as they knew it would have been destroyed. Reduced to ash and rubble. The three of them, once enemies and rivals, came together in the world's time of need to compliment each other's skills and abilities to stave off the catastropy. \n\n\tTheir cooperation was a key part in the roles they played, but the fact that each of them were the size of a mountain helped. Lethias liked that part of the story a lot. The gryphon, the dragon, and the Foxra were all massive creatures, each one standing tall above the villages they protected, taking the brunt of the catastrophe on their back. He liked to imagine himself in that role, talons to the sky and wings spread to protect those he loved. Of course, in the legends, the dragon of the story had red scales, same as him. So of course it was easy for him to fantasize about gaining the mass needed to do what was needed. But alas, of course that was just mythology. A legend from the past. \n\n\tThe world may have been magical with much left to learn, but such a thing isn't really possible. Not at that level, anyway. He'd heard tales of the Mages of Igmandril had found a way to emulate that growth, but it was very subtle. A few inches at best, maybe some bulging muscles that lasted an hour. \n\n\tProgress is progress, but that doesn't mean it can't be a little disappointing to not have more. \n\n\tStill, this led Lethias to a life of serenity and solitude most of the time. But it also meant that he liked to spend time in town as well, helping out those who needed it. His fascination with growth and muscles and fitness meant he had learned how to use his hands to heal. Not with magic, at least not fully, but with pressure and force. He could use his fingers to knead out any soreness or cramp, to restore flexibility and grant a limber jaunt to anyone he graced. He made a point of helping the construction workers and the blacksmiths and farmers and everyone else who used their bodies for hard physical labor. He didn't do those jobs, but his presence ensured that those who did could do so free of pain or stiffness. His very existence ensured that most everyone else in town enjoyed their work. Or, at the least, was pain free in doing so.\n\n\tThis gave Lethias a serene existence. His partner would do much of the cooking and home farming and gardening, while Lethias would do the work in town, healing others. Both were quite thick and powerful, and they both had plenty to contribute, complimenting each other perfectly. For example, Lethias could bake well, while his husband could cook like a professional chef. Lethias did a lot of the woodwork and masonry around the house, while Minnigan did the hard labour tilling the fields and tending the gardens. Complimentary to one another. Supplementary. Where one had a weakness, the other picked up the slack. \n\n\tOf course, this sort of tale couldn't simply end there, with two lovers happily living their lives free of conflict. No, as Lethias was cutting that sapwood and tossing it into a wheelbarrow to be collected and burned by his husband, the sound of something rustling in the bushes nearby caught his attention. It could have been a wild animal, since they were pretty deep in the woods and far away from any trail, but it was considerably more agitated than that. He gripped his axe, just in case. \n\n\tBut then, after a few seconds of disturbance, two bushes parted to reveal a rather petite but spritely lass. A hybrid of deer and bunny, more commonly referred to as a jackalope. She had thick antlers with bits of jewellery dangling off each tip, a tree sigil tattooed on the inside of her right eat, bright blue highlights on the tip of her hair, and a steely, gray-blue fur color with stark white on the front and deer-like splotches on her hindquarters, as well as a thick bushy mane. She had a cute little bunny tail and a pair of stumpy, tiny wings that could never allow her to fly and were clearly residual appendages, nothing more. She wore a short skirt and tank top with a satchel hanging over her one hip. \n\n\tHer presence agitated Lethias. He didn't recognize this lass, and he and his partner both made it very clear that they didn't want anyone on their homestead that wasn't specifically invited. She was trespassing, and while Lethias was not a violent person he was prepared for some conflict. \n\n\tHe gripped the axe with one hand and let his hang by his side. He didn't want to give the impression he was looking for a fight. “Hello!” He called out, hoping for her to introduce herself. \n\n\tShe waved back, weirdly bubbly for someone who was on private land without permission. “Hey! Lethias! How are you?” She continued to wave as she hopped over a fallen log and jogged towards him, hip satchel bouncing with every leap and step. As she got closer it was clear just how tiny she actually was. At most, the tips of her ears and antlers would have only reached his belly. \n\n\tLethias was a bit surprised by this, taken aback by her brash nature and chirpy demeanour. Moreso, he was a bit cautious that she knew his name and called him out without hesitation. He gripped the axe handle, but then relaxed a bit, realizing pretty quickly that his gut-reaction was a bit overblown and that she clearly wasn't here to start a fight. Even if she was, she was tiny. Lethias was not keen on someone invading his space, but he wasn't going to instigate a fight even if his eyes were now scanning the treeline to see if there were any others around for whatever reason. \n\n\tThese were uncertain times. It was natural for him to be cautious. He had no reason for anyone to want to harm him, but bandits roamed these woods frequently. She didn't seem like a bandit, and it made no sense for a bandit to call him by name, but maybe she was just a really good bandit. Unsure, he remained stoic as she approached, waiting for her to continue. \n\n\t“Sorry, sorry!” She chirped at him, voice cute and bubbly. She extended her hand once she was close enough. “Name's Fidget, and am I ever glad to see you!” \n\n\tHe took her hand, allowing her to wrap every digit around a single finger of his. They shook, and she stepped back with her hands on her hips, looking up at the much taller dragon. He didn't know what to say. “Care to elaborate? How did you find me?” \n\n\t“Oh, right. Right. Sorry, I'm just sort of a messenger in a manner of speaking.” She took in a deep breath; it was clear she'd put in a lot of work getting to Lethias's homestead. Then, as she exhaled, she produced two scrolls and offered them to Lethias. They were both sealed by wax, the symbol of the Emperor and Empress on them. “You're being drafted! You and that bear husband of yours, both!” \n\n\tLethias gave her a cold stare and refused to take them. “No we're not. We have no interest in your silly war.” He explained. “And if you did enough work to find me here, you should also have done enough research to know that I'm not a fighter, I'm a healer.” \n\n\tShe went back and forth, thinking to herself before answering. “And why does that remove you from the eligibility pool? An army needs healers, you know.” She motioned her elbow towards him, winking knowingly. “And who better than to get the soldiers in tip top shape than an expert muscle guy? You know, just grind in there, massage the jitters away. Relieve that stress and all that.” \n\n\t“Indeed, but I'm still not interested. I'd like to politely request you leave, now.” \n\n\tFidget looked like she was compiling her thoughts again. “Okay, so normally you wouldn't actually have a say in the matter. You know, the Empress and Emperor are not exactly known for compromise. If you were anyone else, I'd be telling you 'too bad', tossing you the draft scrolls, and then leaving. But if you were anyone else, they wouldn't need to hire someone like me to find you. And if you weren't so important, then I guess I just wouldn't be here, now would I?” She leaned in, hands on her hips. “But here I am! And here you are. Do you know how hard it was to find this place?” \n\n\t“Yes. That's the point. Clearly not hard enough, though.” In spite of his gruff exterior, Lethias was curious about her declarations that he was 'important' and how he wasn't just like anyone else. However, he was wily and quick-witted, he knew better than to speak first and put them on the defence.\n\n\tShe tapped her hoof, little bunny tail wagging back and forth quickly. “Yeah, pretty rough. Really had to take some risks. Took me a while, too. Do you know that none of your friends in town would give up the goods? Anyone I asked about you just said they either didn't know you or wouldn't tell me where ya live. Good stuff. You've got good friends. Had to do all the work on my own. Not even a couple of jade coins could loosen their lips.” \n\n\tLethias was surprised by this. Jade coins were extremely valuable, but the loyalty of his friends was apparently even more so. \n\n\t“Couldn't help but reward them for their kindness. Gave them the jade, anyway. Not a lot of folks would ever earn that kinda respect. The legends about you must be true, then.” \n\n\t“What legends? I'm just a dragon out here with my husband. Doing my own thing. There's no legend to me. That's one of the reasons I came out here, to get away from that sort of thing. Or do you not understand that. I know you seem to think you know me, but I'm not who you're looking for.” His breathing was quickening a bit. Something didn't feel right. He didn't want to accuse her or get angry, but he was definitely on guard, now. \n\n\tFidget just rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Alright, so our scholars have done some research from afar, and we think you are somehow linked to the Kaiju Dragon. We believe that there's more to you than you think.” She leaned back against a rock, legs crossed and wings fluttering behind her. She wasn't in any way hesitant or unsure. So either she was deluded or justified. \n\n\tLethias just crossed his arms over his chest, puffing out his pectoral muscles while keeping the axe gripped under his arm. “You think you can just come here, pretend I'm some ancestor or something and think that will make me change my mind? Everyone looks up to the kaiju in that story. Everyone has macro dreams of being a hero. I'm not special.” \n\n\t“Oh, but you are!” Fidget countered. “We know you're not supposed to give it all away early. You know, tease and dish out little bits of info as you go to keep you curious but not satisfied, but based on what I've been told and what the Emperor and Empress believe, there's good reason to think that you are an ancestor of the dragon. Now, obviously you're not going to believe that. They're myths, right? Well, maybe not? And considering I'm here as a messenger to the Empress and Emperor, do you really think they'd send me – or anyone – to you on a whim? Do you think they'd build a great city like Caiden and protect it from the five tribes for decades if they were a little off in the head?” She pointed to herself and rolled her eyes, bobbing her head like she was a little loopy. \n\n\tLethias didn't speak. He knew she had a point but still wasn't convinced. Deep down inside, he wished she was true but saw no proof of that being the case. Just some weirdo chasing fantasies. \n\n\tShe sensed his hesitation and continued. “They told me to be all mysterious. Ooooo! You know, get your interest and beg for your attention. But no. I don't get the impression that will work with you. I respect my marks too much. You're a smart guy. You're a good guy first and foremost. You do your research, you weigh the options. I get it, but yeah, it seems a bit daft, don't it? Crazy. Loony. And it is, but think about it. Think real hard. If they're right, what does that mean? If they are correct and you're an ancestor of the great Kaiju Dragon, protector of Arrenthen alongside the Gryphon and Foxra, then what does that mean for you. The capitol's only a few days trek away. Less if you fly – which I don't recommend, they're on high alert for aerial attacks – so why don't you come with, see what's up, and make your decision from there? What could it hurt?” \n\n\t“I don't feel right leaving my husband. They're not going to agree no matter what you say, and-”\n\n\t“Yeah, we know, that's why The Empress and Emperor are drafting them, too. Wouldn't dare bring one without the other. They did their research.” \n\n\t“No, I mean even if I do agree to go with you, they won't ever come with. They hate war as much as I do. Maybe more? We never really discussed it. It's not a good idea. I really don't think you should continue pursuing this. It's a waste of your time. If I'm permitted to decline, then I decline. I'm sorry, I'm just not interested.” Lethias respectfully nodded to her and wedged the axe in the stump, once again folding his arms over his chest, telling her that he has spoken and that's that. \n\n\tFidget nodded. “Yeah, we sort of assumed. Tell ya what. Here, I got something for you.” She reached into her satchel and pulled out a single vial of potion. “This right here? Yeah, I think you'll like it. Growth potion. A key element to the royal court's battle plans. But a failed potion so far. The idea is to put it into soldiers, to make them twice their size or more. But any time it's tried, there's either no reaction or such a pitiful reaction it's not worth continuing. The alchemists of the royal court theorize that, if you are who they say you are, that it will trigger your innate abilities, and it will work. Of course that's just a theory, but you're a smart guy. Why not try it out?” She tossed it to him. \n\n\tInstinctively, Lethias snatched the vial of potion out of the air. He considered letting it fall onto the ground but he really didn't like the idea of cleaning up the glass shards and wasting potion. “I don't believe you.” He said, then gingerly placed the vial upside down on the stump, not touching it. He wasn't going to mess around, not with some spy for the Empress or something. Not a risk he was willing to take under the best of circumstances. \n\n\t“No? Okay. Fine. That's fair. Okay, here's something that'll blow your mind.” She reached into her satchel and grabbed a second potion, same colour as the first. She reached over and gingerly placed it next to the one she gave Lethias, also upside down. “I'll drink one, you drink one, we'll see what happens. The choice is yours. To grow or not to grow? I think we know how you'll go.” \n\n\tAdmittedly, Lethias was impressed. If she was bluffing, she was very good. And, since he did in fact want this to be real, he was willing to at the very least take a chance. She didn't appear to be messing with him or tricking him, so even if she was wrong he got the impression she at least believed what she was saying. With this in mind, he grabbed both of the vials, stabbed his claws into each cork toppers, then twisted them out. He offered her one, which she took, and they downed the potions together, gagging a bit as the slimy concoction trailed down his throat. “See? Nothing.” \n\n\t“You're not familiar with potions, are you Lethias?” She teased as she took her empty potion vial and put it in her satchel, returning to the rock. “Give it a minute. I'll stick around, if you don't mind. Worst case scenario, nothing happens and this experiment is over. Best case, well, you'll see.” \n\n\t“I do mind but I don't think that matters to you, does it?” He slipped the cork back in the vial and tossed it back. The two halves of him were warring inside. One really just wanted her to go away, while the other half really wanted her to be right. Both sides still didn't want any part of the war.\n\n\tShe caught it and put it back in the satchel with hers before grinning at Lethias, a smug smirk revealing her one full fang and second, broken fang. “Oh, it does matter. It matters a lot what you think, I just also think you might be pleasantly surprised and thank me.” She cocked her head to the side, gaze shifting downward to eye his crotch. He wasn't wearing any clothes. Why would he? “I look forward to your vigorous apology.” \n\n\t“Honeyed words, but not enough to sway me. Better than you have tried and failed.” Lethias grabbed another piece of the sapwood and put it on the stump next to the axe. He grabbed the axe handle and went to swing, only to graze the end of the sap wood and the stump, nearly hitting his own ankle in the process. This was strange to him, as he'd gained plenty of experience and never missed. He shook this off and grabbed the wood again, this time delicately placing it with his claws, bent over to make sure it was balanced. Once again, he went to raise the axe only to have a bit of trouble holding it above his head. His shoulders felt cumbersome, like they were stopping him from holding his hands up.\n\n\tBefore he could bring down the second swing, he stopped and took a deep breath. In his peripherals he saw the bulging, rounded curves of his pectoral muscles teasing the bottom edge of his vision. He was already a fairly well-defined dragon, but the eyes adjust to redundancy and normally that sort of thing is removed, internally. It's the reason people can see over their snouts or beaks without constantly being reminded of their snout or beak. Curious, he went to look down only to find trouble lowering his chin, a bulge of tissue obstructing him. \n\n\t“Told ya.” Fidget giggled at him. She lifted her skirt, flipping it onto her belly. Underneath her skirt he could see her lady bits plump and ready. “You just lemme know when you wanna apologize.” \n\n\tLethias dropped the axe, letting it fall blade-first onto the stump. He was confused. He felt odd, but not in a bad way. He tried clenching his fist and playing with his fingers, but felt a bit of resistance as he tried to move his body. Curious, he brought his forearm up to get a look and noticed that the scales were gently undulating, bits of it swelling in waves as more and more of it did the same. While he was in good shape, well-toned and strong, his forearm was getting bulgy. Less like a worker and more like a bodybuilder. He could see the individual contours of the muscles and sinew under his scales as he flexed. Moreso, he could actually see the difference when he curled each finger independantly. \n\n\tThis was not what he expected, but he was indeed an intelligent dragon and was able to link things and figure it out. He missed the wood because he was, in fact, growing. When he looked down, struggling to glance over his bulging chest, he could literally see his feet widening, the flesh pushing the dirt to the side to make room for his growing mass. He curled his toe claws, digging furrows into the ground that loosened up the dirt even more, allowing the edges of his talons to part more of it. \n\n\tHe stumbled back a bit, not panicked but a little overwhelmed. His hands were growing, his digits were extending, every muscle on his body was swelling and stretching out to accommodate. None of it was happening in unison. For a moment, his one arm was swelling to twice the size of the other, knuckles almost dragging to the ground before his legs began to grow and counter balance those proportions. His tail thickened in waves, alternating the ventral and dorsal scales as it went. His other arm bulked up, his chest swelled, his abs swelled to form a perfectly defined guy, but then his belly grew again to maintain his power-lifter physique only to once again have his abs poke through. \n\n\tBut most importantly, his sheath swelled as well, his balls inflating one after the other, the fleshy orbs inside pressing out against his scrotal scales. Given that there were few muscles and no bone in there, they went from normal sized to hyper the quickest before the rest of him caught up. For a brief moment, mid-way through his expansion, his spheres were hanging so low they literally dangled two and fro between his knees, so big and temporarily hyper sensitive that he had to widen his stance like a horseback rider. This just made balance even more awkward until the rest of him caught up.\n\n\tPrior to this he was a solid two meters tall. Head and shoulders above most folks and easily twice as tall as Fidget. But as his bones stretched and his muscles grew to accommodate, he found he was almost as tall as the shorter trees lining his homestead. It was hard to decipher for sure, but if he had to guess he'd say he was twice as tall, and according to the square cube laws, eight times his normal mass. His arms, especially his biceps, were thicker than his legs used to be. His legs, especially his upper thighs with those gloriously well-defined quads, was thicker around than his waist used to be. \n\n\tAnd the more he grew, the more his body needed to self-adjust. His outer scales would grow first, becoming loose on his muscles for a bit until the muscles swelled underneath, tightening his scales until everything found its equilibrium. The inconsistency meant that, as the potion took effect, parts of him were lopsided or stretched taut before the rest caught up. \n\n\tAfter about five minutes of having to find his footing, use his tail for balance, and keeping himself from falling over due to the swelling and bulging of each individual part of him, he stopped. At about twice his prior height, but with all the same proportions as before, he was now in fact quite a bit larger than before. \n\n\tHe surveyed his hands in front of his face, focusing on his scales and the yellow of his palms. The distance between that and the ground beneath him was so much that the ground – and fidget – looked blurry to him. The focus in his eyes meant that he had to actively swap between looking at the fine detail of his forearm plats and the pile of wood at his feet. The pile that looked more like twigs than actual logs, now. It was amazing what a growth of only double his height would do. \n\n\tAnd of course, the more he got a look at his body and the more he tapped and rubbed his scales to make sure this was all real, the more he lost himself to arousal. Fidget was correct in glancing at his groin as he took the potion, because the advent of his body doing this to him discombobulated him enough that he didn't even think to be modest. His cock emerged from his sheath slit and his balls had fully swollen and dropped, ready for action. What once was hyper-sized and daring to drag upon the ground due to size was now just properly portions and soft and tender. \n\n\t“Okay then.” He said to himself as he patted his body. Only everything seemed like it was going a bit slower, his motions muted and sluggish. His voice a lower, deeper tone with volume that reverberated off the surrounding trees. His vocalizations were so deep and resonant that it scared a tree full of birds nearby. “Sorry!” He called out, still a bit stunned by the sound his voice made. \n\n\tFidget hopped up off her rock and snapped up at him, her motions seeming to be a bit more hyperactive. The size difference mattered. Her voice was pitched up and a bit squirrely, but he could make out what she said. “Believe me now? I told you, we both took the same potion and look at me. Only grew a bit. You, on the other hand, look at you!” She motioned towards all of him. \n\n\tHe did just that, glancing down at himself and moving each limb and digit one at a time, testing himself. “Yes, look at me. Witness me!” He then flexed, striking a pose with his arms up and tail out behind him, deliberately flexing both arms and both legs. It was only then that he realized that the one part of him that wasn't matching the rest of him was his wings. That was okay, there was no way he'd fly anyway, they were mostly for decoration. \n\n\tOf course, in spite of his mind racing and getting lost on all the kinky things he could do like this, he couldn't help but actually think back and ponder about what she'd said. About the Kaiju Dragon and what it meant for him. An inspiration for most of his life, now a personal motivator. He felt like nothing could conquer him! And while he still wasn't entirely certain of his heritage or lineage, he was certain that he had the power! The size! The mass! He had it all! \n\n\tBut Fidget still had business to tend to. She grabbed a rock and threw it at him, hitting him on the belly. He flexed so that it bounced off him, merely a pepple to him! Puny girl!\n\n\t“Hey! Okay, so do we agree here? Clearly there's something about you, right? If nothing else, this is worth exploring more? It doesn't necessarily mean you are who we say you are, but it does help our case. And in that point, do you agree to come with us?” \n\n\tLethias got out of his pose and grinned at her, his muscles so swollen he struggled to get down in a squatting position. With the aid of his tail, he was able to find the balance, but even squatting down as far as he could go and leaning forward to match her, she was still only just barely at his face height. And, of course, those low-hanging balls of his came to rest on the dirt next to the stump. “No.” He said, gently poking her on the shoulder, even that being enough force to nearly knock her back onto her rock. He didn't mean to do that, so he apologized, eyes wide as he cradled her rump and kept her up. \n\n\t“No? Just no? Not even a maybe?” She countered, while seductively removing her skirt and tossing her satchel to the side. Her rump was sitting right on Lethias's palm, her plump lips now leaking arousal onto his scales. He may have been large and she may not have grown much at all, but he could still feel the moisture. “Anything I could do to entice you?”\n\n\tHis eyes narrowed and he paused to think about that. His member had fully emerged from his slit, steamy and soaked in natural lubricant in the wake of his expansion. Yet, despite his nearly feral lust in this moment, his compassion took over. He shook his head, even while gently slipping a fingertip between her rump cheeks to rub her from behind. “Sorry. I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to be involved in your conflict, and I don't want to hurt you.”\n\n\tShe wrapped both hands around his thumb and pulled it up so that she could nibble on his claw. “That's the thing. You can't. We both took the same potion but they have slightly different effects. For you, well you saw what happened. For me, it gave me the malleability needed for my mass to grow, but didn't give me the mass to fill it.” She nibbled his thumb again, then made it slide past her breasts, down her belly, and between her legs. “So you could fill me and my body would adjust.” \n\n\tHe couldn't help but give an idle rub of her plump lips, fingers wrapped around her waist to hold her there as his thumb curled between her thighs. “Are you sure? I don't want to risk it.” He lied. He wanted it. In that moment it took all his self-control to not take her up on her offer without assessing the situation first. She consented, he wanted it, it only made sense. But no, his compassion was too great. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. She may have invaded his homestead without permission, but she also made this dream of his come true. In his mind, she was positive. \n\n\tBut she wasn't swayed. “Yeah. I'm sure. I work with potions all the time, I deliver them. I help test them. Ever since doing this job, it's been my thing. I've tried this potion out before.” She glanced down to focus on his member, still throbbing and drooling fluids into the dirt below, just missing the pile of sapwood. “I could take that. Maybe not the knot? I guess we'll have to see, won't we?” She then slipped out of his grip and ducked down between his legs, cradling his balls with each hand, each one looking like a blitzball or football, while nuzzling his cock tip. \n\n\tLethias wasn't entirely sure how to react. “Are you always this free-spirited?” He asked, feigning caution while also leaning back on his tail with his knees spread as wide as they could go, ensuring she had full access to him. \n\n\tShe brought both her hands up to gently stroke his member, starting at the knot and working her way down the veiny shaft towards the spade-shaped tip. His head alone was as big as her entire hand from heel to fingertip. The cock's total length including knot easily longer than her entire forearm and considerably thicker. “Not always, but some clients want to try out the potions and I'm always down for some chemically assisted fun.” She then gave the underside of his tip a gentle lick. \n\n\t“And you're sure you'll be fine?” Lethias asked a third time, his voice still as deep as ever. \n\n\tFidget didn't answer, at least not vocally. She simply stepped backward, hands cradling his cock as she found her way to the stump. She tossed the log and axe to the side, and guided him right onto her belly. She kept her knees up and her cute little rabbit tail wagging rapidly as she started grinding up into him, his fluids soaking her belly and chest. His member, from knot to tip, was enough to get to right between her breasts. Something she enjoyed as she used them to stroke either sides of his head. \n\n\tLethias wasn't completely convinced. That difference in size was quite serious, but the lust that came from his bulging muscles and sheer size helped guide him. Like her, he didn't speak, but the moment he felt her flesh and fur against the underside of his member, he leaned over the tiny gal's body with both hands wrapped around the tree stump for leverage, his wrists against her shoulders to keep her from sliding off. Once he was comfortable, he adjusted himself and backed up so that his tapered tip was right against her lips, nestled in between. \n\n\tShe could see he was waiting for her next move, so she grinned up at him and reached down between her legs, one hand parting her lips and the other pushing his cock downward so that he was at the right angle. It was clear she wanted it and had no fear, and it was clear he was just as ready. \n\n\tThe moment he felt her flesh wrap around his, he pushed into her, slowly but forcefully slipping into her while her entire body got pressed up against his wrists. She let go of his member and wrapped both of her hands around her wrist for leverage, spreading her legs and bringing her knees up to adjust to his massive girth. \n\n\tTo his surprise, her pussy took him with relative ease. It required a bit of force on his part, she was by no means loose, but once he applied some pressure her muscled relaxed and her flesh dilated to accommodate him. His spade-shaped tip popped in and continued to plunge into her, filling her just enough to form a gentle bulge in her belly. Without stopping, he was able to get all the way in to the tip of the knot, his lobes still pressing out against her inner thighs. He didn't think there was much chance of tying with her, so he simply wrapped both hands around her midsection and hips, and slowly pulled out, leaving only the tip inside. \n\n\t“There ya go! See? I told you. Now, you can get rougher. Promise.” She winked at him, wings fluttering against the tree stump. “In fact, I insist. If you're too hard, I'll let you know.” \n\n\tHe nodded, snarling a bit as his more carnal, base urges took hold. He pushed back into her, this time a bit faster and a bit harder, which also meant he got in a bit deeper, his knot teasing her lips. Once he was content he didn't hurt her, he went again, even faster, the slick sounds of his flesh grinding against hers tickling his ears in all the right ways. \n\n\tSo of course, the more he heard and the more he felt her flesh stroking him, the more excited he grew and the faster he went up until he was thrusting twice a second! The sound of his cock slapping against her lips and the cute little moans that came out of her elicited more snarls from him, and he didn't let up. But he also didn't go any harder than that. He was pumping into her from tip to knot every time, her passage completely stuffed to the brim and a little bulging bump in her belly every time. \n\n\tHe even went so far as to slow down a bit, worried he'd finish too quickly. He may have been a little lost within his own macro lust, surrendered to the moment of a fantasy come true, but his compassion never wavered and he didn't want her to be unsatisfied. He slowed down a bit, substituting speed and rhythm for a bit more force, now almost bucking her right off the stump. \n\n\tShe whimpered at him and tried to reach out and grab him only to find pretty quickly that his chest was too far away to grab and not adorned with any clothes. Failing that, she wrenched her head to the side and chomped his wrist to get his attention, her one fang doing its job. \n\n\t“H-hey!” He protested, halting his thrusts. The deeply resonant sound of his own voice aroused him further, coaxing pelvic twitch that coursed through her.\n\n\t“Why'd you slow down? Don't stop! If you're going to be this size, then darn it, use it!” \n\n\t“But I don't want to-” \n\n\t“Yes you do and I think we both know it! Go ahead! Have your fun! Don't stop until you've given me all you can, got it?” She brushed her blue-tipped bangs aside and grinned up at him, cheeks nestling into the mane around her neck akin to a blush without any of the color changes. \n\n\tLethias was of course hesitant, but he didn't want to disappoint. Instead of forcing himself on her, he found a compromise. He grabbed her around the waist and rolled onto his back, landing between the wood pile and wheelbarrow with enough force to knock the wheelbarrow over, despite not touching it. This ended with her on top of him, riding him cowgirl style. “How about this? You decide.” His hands were resting on her hips, ensuring she didn't slip and fall.\n\n\tShe found herself with both her hooves resting in between the crook of his thighs and hips, knees bent and Lethias's tip just barely inside her. She nodded. “I think I can work with this.” She then shifted until she was on her knees, calves cradled between his thighs and hips for leverage as she slowly descended onto him, relishing the sensation of his shaft slowly plowing through her. Once she made it all the way down, she let out an elongated gasp and threw her head back. “Theeere we go!” \n\n\tSatisfied with her pace, Lethias began clenching his rump muscles, the resulting flex subtle raising his hips up into her. At the same time, she used her own stunningly strong muscles to bounce on him, maximizing each and every thrust so that his entire shaft plunged in and out of her. \n\n\tThey kept at it, finding a pace that suited them both. The rhythmic sounds of their flesh slapping and rubbing against one another was intense enough to echo throughout their homestead, accented only by his deep rumbling growls and her brisk, cute whimpers. \n\n\tBefore long, Lethias bared his teeth, clenching as he snarled and added a bit more force and pressure to proceedings. He could feel his orgasm coming up, and the closer it came the less he was thinking about anything other than completion. The more he bucked, the more intense the sensation, and the higher the intensity the more he gave back. His hands wrapped around her waist, and with increasing pressure he began pushing down against her alongside every thrust. She didn't seem to mind. In fact, she actively shifted so she wasn't kneeling but instead splayed out, her legs straight and draped over either side of his waist. She wanted it all, so he gave it to her. \n\n\tWith her no longer bouncing on him but him instead holding her and doing all the work, she started undulating her body, clenching and relaxing her loins in time with every thrust, deliberately relaxing when he bucked into her and clenching every time he pulled out. Her walls were snug around him, her flesh making a glorious symphony of squelches and slaps every time his knot hit her lips. \n\n\tAnd in his macro lust, he barely even noticed that with each full-bodied thrust he was grinding his knot against her opening a bit harder every time, each buck a bit deeper. She noticed, but she didn't stop him. In fact, she deliberately threw her head back and relaxed fully, loosening herself up so that he'd have less resistance. \n\n\tWith each subsequent motion as he used her body to stroke his cock's length given their size difference, more of his knot slipped past her lips. First just the crest, then a bit more, then almost to the thickest point, then he went past the thickest point but not quite past the ring of muscle around her opening, then just barely past that ring, until finally he pulled out one last time having loosened her up and slammed with all his might! Every bit of him from tip to veiny shaft to bulging knot burst into her, growing even firmer as his knot lobes swelled inside her, locking the pair of them up. \n\n\tShe had taken all he had to offer at this size, but he still tried to help her to bounce on him. Though, since his knot had completely tied and plugged her up, the best he could do was tug on his knot as her lips protruded down, unwilling to let him go. \n\n\tOnly a handful of strokes later he felt his balls tense up and every neuron in his lower body tense up. His toes curled, his wings spread, and his tail tip flicked behind him, knocking over the pile of sapwood he'd been chopping. His cock throbbed and pumped shot after shot of his seed deep inside her, his essence filling her up and giving her a bloated belly. None of it escaped, his knot had completely sealed her shut. Only the glistening of their combined fluids could be seen where his flesh met hers, her lips struggling to handle his girth. \n\n\tAgain and again, his length twitched, more of his dragon seed swirling around inside her and around his shaft. The heat of her body and the fluidity of his cum was enough to make him grow a little delirious. The intensity of the climax was so much it left him woozy. His vision going blurry. \n\n\t“W-wait, hold up, I'm-” \n\n\t“It's okay.” She cooed at him while resuming a kneeling squat position, both hands on her perfectly round belly. The patting of her midsection sloshed his cum about inside her, tickling him some more. “That will happen until you get used to it. This sort of thing requires a whole lot of energy. You're gonna be pretty weak until morning. But for now, relax. Enjoy it. We'll untie when you shrink enough to let me go. In the mean time, just enjoy it. Yeah, enjoy it. I know I will.” she laid down on her chest, breasts against Lethias's belly scales and her own cum-inflated belly squishing against him. \n\n\tHe wasn't entirely satisfied with that conclusion, but given his size and the fact that any motion could put her in potential danger, he simply passed out with all his limbs spread in all directions. \n\n\tThere was much to talk about, a conversation he expected to have upon waking. Fidget remained alert and aware, struggling to deal with the pressure of the seed he'd put in her. But she was prepared for this. She was fine. She had a lot of explaining to do, but that would have to wait until morning. Once she'd extracted all of Lethias's essence – his cum – the potion effects would wear off. Ht didn't know this, but she had his best interests in mind, something she whispered to him as she stroked his belly scales and nuzzled his swollen pectoral muscles. \n\n\tLittle did she know, he actually heard her and hadn't fully passed out. He was only semi-conscious, just barely lucid enough to hear what she thought she said only to herself. Even in his macro lust, this was enough to convince him that she was legitimate. Not just out to get him or trick him. And in the mean time he had a whole night to enjoy the sensation of her body wrapped around him, coaxing more and more of seed deep into her. \n\n\tHis cock kept twitching, threatening to pump even more of his essence if only the pressure hadn't grown inside her to stretch her to her limit. He idly brought both his hands up to wrap around her hips, coming to rest upon her rump while gently pulling her, tugging his knot in the process. There wasn't anything quite like a post-knotting tug. The thrusting and stroking were fun, but that knot pull prolonged the orgasm well beyond what he usually expected. \n\n\tEventually, he did fall asleep, lost in bliss and contemplative. He still didn't want to be anyone's war dog, but he did want to explore this element of his past, to see if there was any truth to what was happening and what she claimed about him being special. Seeing now that the growth potion worked on him when it didn't on others – something he saw first hand with her only slightly growing but him going from two to four meters – then maybe there was more to the story. \n\n\tIf nothing else he was willing to investigate farther. \n\n\tAs promised, his mass receded overnight and eventually led to her being able to push his knot out of her, a gushing, flowing mess resulting that turned the dirt around him into mud. When he woke, he had quite a sticky job to handle, as much of it was coating his belly and inner thighs. Most notably, when he woke up he saw the imprint of his larger self in the dirt below him, showing him just how much he grew. This gave him a swell of pride, adorning him with a broad grin all day. \n\n\tWhen he went back inside, he saw Fidget having some tea with his husband, which was where he agreed to go with her to the capital under two conditions. His husband would not be joining them, and he would not be harming anyone under any circumstances. \n\n\tFidget offered a weirdly suspicious grin as she agreed to the terms, especially the last one. She knew more than she was telling, but if she agreed to the terms then it was worth checking out. Either way, Lethias had a bit of a bath to clean himself off, collected his stuff, and both he and Fidget departed after Lethias's husband cooked them all some lovely breakfast. \n\n\tIf there was a chance that Lethias was the Kaiju Dragon reborn or an ancestor or in some way shared the Kaiju Dragon's blood, it would all be worth it. Only one way to find out, and that was to go on an adventure! \n\n\tAct II\n\n\tLethias remained cautious. While Fidget did come across as being sincere and trustworthy, something didn't feel right. The circumstances surrounding her arrival and the convenience in which she was able to cater to his very specific needs made him wonder just what else she knew or was keeping from him. He was amiable to her offer and willing to, at the very least, go with her to give Empress Yelena and Emperor Sanfrit the benefit of the doubt. \n\n\tBut that didn't mean he entirely trusted them. He held a positive mindset that encouraged him to not lead with distrust, but to keep a shield at the ready. It was similar to the old adage, to speak softly but carry a big stick. It's important to be prepared either way, even if he wasn't going to just believe anything that was told to him. That was a mentality that made him a lot of allies but not many enemies.\n\n\tOnce he'd packed up his stuff in a rucksack, the pair of them were off. Fidget led the way, showing the path she took through the underbrush of the forest that surrounded Lethias's home. It was very similar to the path Lethias took, which made him think that maybe he needed to mix things up a bit. If she was following his path, it meant he'd left a trail in his wake. \n\n\tThe trek took them from his home all the way to a camp just outside of Caiden. A two day walk at Lethias's pace. Fidget liked to joke that she could move much faster, since she was more nimble and didn't carry as much weight as Lethias. \n\n\t“I could take much longer strides if my legs were longer.” Lethias joked, eyeing up her satchel and the potions within. “If you've got any more growth potion we could cut the walk time in half.” \n\n\tShe held the satchel up close to her hip. “Oh, I see how it is.” She cut back, sticking her tongue out at him and blowing a raspberry. She stepped right up to him and playfully poked him between his pecs. “You just want to come to enjoy more of that lovely, lovely potion. To grow, to swell, and to show how big and strong you are. Oh, look at me, damsel in distress. Save me!” She feigned a faint. \n\n\t“No, I-” Lethias tried to interject, only to be cut off. \n\n\t“It's fine, I get it.” She smacked him on his hip, very close to a booty thwack. “Just get goin'. I only have so many of these potions and they're a little on the volatile side. I wouldn't trust them to do exactly what you want in any given time. It's a weird, strange brew. We got lucky once.” \n\n\tThis did surprise Lethias a bit. “What do you mean, lucky? Could we have been hurt?” He did keep pace with her even as she bounded away down the pathway. \n\n\tShe kept ahead of him, skipping while remaining a few paces away. “No, of course not. No bad effects, but the actual effects are mercurial.” She then turned around so that she was jogging backwards, sure to keep her gaze on him as she explained. “This brew in particular is less about any one particular effect and more like a catch-all wishing potion. It makes your dreams come true, but only if you have the power and strength to make it happen. If someone lacks the dedication, the magic, or the innate ability to live out their wildest fantasies, the potion doesn't just do it. It's kind of a testing potion. Diagnostics. If I gave you the potion and nothing happened it meant you either didn't have the drive to make it happen, or you weren't the kaiju dragon reborn.” \n\n\t“So does this mean that I am definitely him?” He swelled up a bit, his heart aflutter and a lump in his throat. He did have to stop himself from getting too excited. Not only did she neither confirm nor deny immediately, but she could have been lying.\n\n\tFidget kept jogging backwards, maintaining some distance between herself and Lethias. She did trip on a rock and stumble a bit, but she was very well-balanced and was able to stay up. “It's hard to tell. I'm sure you know better than most that growin' like that ain't common at all. Few folks can do it, but even with the help of a potion the effects are negligible. You, however, took a diagnostic potion and that's what came out of you. I told you it was a growth serum, but it wasn't. And that's what happened. Not only did it work exactly as you wanted, but the results were quite magnificent.” \n\n\tHe flexed his bicep and pectoral muscle when she said he was magnificent. He liked that word.\n\n\t“So there's something there. Definitely. What it is, is hard to tell. We can't be sure until we reach the camp and try out our new diagnostic method. As for now, I'm pretty confident in saying that there's definitely something here worth looking out for. Even if you're not the one we're looking for, you might still be the one that can help us out.” \n\n\t“I do feel the need to reiterate I have no intention of harming anyone. Regardless of how things shake up. Whether I am or am not who you say I am – and who I want to be – I won't be some war beast.” He was firm but gentle at the same time. Kind but strict. \n\n\tShe turned around so that she was jogging forward again. “I know. We all kinda know that. If things go well, at least according to what I was able to gather from the meetings prior to them sendin' me out here to see you, you'll be saving a lot of people one way or another. The warring tribes, well, they all worship the gods and the titans. Everyone has reverence for-” she stopped herself, realizing she was rambling. “We'll see. I don't want to get your hopes up.” \n\n\tLethias had slowly perfected his posture so that he was standing upright, his chest bulging out and his form a perfect triangle as he walked. The more he heard her boast about what he could do and who he might be and how things might pan out, the more excited he became. The sound of protecting people was exactly what he wanted out of this sort of ideal. The only thing holding him back was that he didn't trust any ruler to have the same restraint he had. He did want to probe her for more details, to continue with her line of thought, but then he heard something nearby. “Stop.” He commanded, reaching out to grab her and pull her in close. “I hear someone. Could be bandits.” \n\n\tRobberies were common on this trail. It was one of the reasons Lethias chose to build his home as far away as he could. Unfortunately, it was the clearest and most straight path to their destination. \n\n\t“Not likely. And even if there were bandits, I'm not worried.” She assured him while slipping out from under his relatively large hand. “Not only have you got this, but I know a thing or two about self defence and I run faster than pretty much anyone I know. Oh, and I have some enchanted daggers somewhere in here so I'm not worried.” She patted the satchel and kept ahead, leading Lethias. \n\n\tHe followed, but he remained cautious. He could still hear something odd in the distance, the sound of impacts and rustling and whining. The more he trained his ears on the source of the sound, the less it sounded like the rustling of nimble bandits and more like the desperation of someone in trouble; someone that needed aid. However, given his mentality of keeping his guard up while still wanting to help, he knew he would need to be cautious. One of the most reliable ways to trick good people into lowering their guard was to feign distress and then ambush. \n\n\t“Give me a moment, I'm going to investigate either way.” He stepped off the beaten path and ducked under some branches, delicately pushing all leaves away so that he didn't damage them. After a few moments, Fidget followed him. \n\n\t“What are you doing, weren't you the one saying we could go faster if we-” \n\n\t“Shh.” He put a finger up to her lips. “I'm listening.” \n\n\tInstead of hushing, she bit his finger, then immediately suckled it a bit to show she meant no harm. “Don't shush me. I'm trying to keep us on track. And besides, if my ears are telling me what I think they are, it's just a trap to entice good folk into an ambush. Best to move along.” She tried to grab his tail to pull him back, but he was much stronger than her and just hoisted it up, lifting her off her hooves in the process. When she landed, she had to be careful to not spill the potions in her satchel. \n\n\tLethias crouched down as he eased towards the source of the sound, his mind focused on the surrounding area. He was prepared for an ambush. Fidget crouch-walked next to him. \n\n\tWhen they arrived into a clearing, they saw a squirrel gentleman trapped under a log, not fully pinned but unable to squirm out. The trunk of the mostly-decayed tree was right on the small of his back, his large hips and upper body trapped on either side. A rudimentary glance showed that the log must have slipped and landed between a nearby mossy rock and the trunk of a still-standing tree, as there were wooden smears all over the tree bark and moss rubbed off the stone. \n\n\t“He needs our help.” Lethias said. Fidget tried to stop him but just ended up missing his hand and nearly stumbling onto her face in the leaf litter. Lethias stepped up to the squirrel and crouched down next to him, his eyes scanning the surrounding treeline, just in case. “What happened here?” \n\n\tThe squirrel, seemingly exhausted, tried his best to turn and look up at Lethias. He was pinned belly-down under the log. “I was trying to dig up some goodies I had stashed at the base of this rock, when the log slipped! Been here all afternoon but nobody's come to help!” \n\n\t“Really? You stash your goods like a feral?” Fidget countered. “Come on, nobody does that anymore. This is a trick. Lethias, come on, let's go before his buddies show up.” \n\n\tSomething about this really upset Lethias. The prejudice she spoke of didn't sit well in the back of his mind. IT also upset him a bit that she'd be so callous and unhelpful. “That's not fair, you don't know this fellow.” He then turned to the squirrel and wrapped his arms around the side of the fallen log. “I won't be able to lift it much, so on the count of three, I need you to slip out from under, okay?” \n\n\tThe squirrel nodded. Fidget glared at both Lethias and the poor trapped gentleman, her arms crossed over her chest as her little stubby tail waggled with an agitated vigour. \n\n\tLethias positioned himself, stabilized his posture, and made sure to lift with his knees, not his back. “Alright. In three, two, one!” He dug his claws into the soul and hoisted up the log with stunning ease, rearing it up so high it went over the other side of the rock and rolled down harmlessly away from the squirrel, who scrambled out from where he was and collapsed into Fidget's arms. He was no bigger than her, and the log was much lighter than Lethias expected. Could have been because it was decomposing and mostly hollow. Not too much for Lethias, but still probably too much for a tiny squirrel to lift. He felt quite proud of himself. \n\n\tHe expected to look over to Fidget and get chastised or otherwise scolded for helping the lad, but she was just smiling at him with the rodent in her arms. “Nice.” Was all she said. The squirrel pushed himself off her and rubbed the leaves and sticks from his fur, suddenly chipper as could be. \n\n\tLethias was a little confused. “Okay, what's going on.” He said, eyes still scanning the trees. \n\n\tFidget laid a hand on the squirrel's shoulder and leaned against him. She addressed him, not Lethias. “Think he passed?” \n\n\t“Oh yes, indubitably.” He answered, voice suddenly dapper. “With aplomb, I must say!” \n\n\t“I agree. Here.” She handed a small silver tab to the squirrel, who nibbled the corner and put it in his own satchel. She turned to Lethias, still leaning on the squirrel. “I guess you proved yourself.”\n\n\tHe narrowed his eyes at her. “I don't appreciate what's happening here.” \n\n\tShe motioned for the squirrel to hop along, so he disappeared into the woods. “That's alright, I kinda had to. There's more to the kaiju dragon than just his size. His kindness, compassion, and personality are all important, too. I wanted to see how you reacted, especially with me being so terrible by bein' all judgy.” she stuck out her tongue like she was gagging. “Squirrels burrow. Ugh, what a terrible stereotype. I hope me pretending to feel that way didn't paint your opinions of me in a negative way. That was just an act, you see. I don't believe all squirrels like to bury their stuff. That was actually his idea, you know.” \n\n\t“And what exactly was the purpose of this, aside from just seeing if I was a good person?” He was actually a little angry, but was doing all he could to maintain an aura of dignity and calmness. \n\n\t“Oh, I just wanted to see if you'd help even if most factors made it seem like maybe you really shouldn't. You knew there was a chance you could be walkin' into an ambush, I tried to play off any prejudices you had by making you question his validity, and you still helped. Yeah, I say you passed. But you weren't an idiot about it. I saw you being cautious, scanning the trees, not letting your guard down, but still tackling the problem head-on. I'd say you fit the personality profile.” She reached into her satchel and grabbed another potion. This one's vial was half the size, maybe smaller. “I think you've earned this!” \n\n\tOnce again he narrowed his gaze, reluctantly taking the vial. “Yeah, I did. Could you please not put me to tests I don't know I'm in? It's quite rude and disrespectful.” \n\n\t“I agree! Won't happen again. It was a one-time thing, the last test prior to your arrival at the military base camp.” She started counting on her fingers. “I met you in person and you fit the visual profile; same colours and all that. I talked with you and you spoke with similar cadence and tone. I interacted with you and got you aroused, and your personality and kinks lined up. Then you drank the potion and exactly the right effect came of it. And now, during a time of potential crisis, your heroics – no matter how insignificant – aligned. Yeah, I don't think I have any more tests for you. So if you wanted to maybe have a potion and get those longer legs, then maybe we really could shorten the walk back! Cut the trek time in half.” She turned and headed back towards the pathway, cute little tail waggling as she went to skip away. \n\n\tBut Lethias reached out to take her by the hand, stopping her from leaving the clearing. “You said I earned this. I don't suppose that comes with any added benefits?” He downed the potion and then slipped the empty vial in her satchel, never breaking eye contact. While he was still mildly miffed at being so callously jerked around, he was not planning on maintaining a grudge over it. And, having succeeded in a way that seemed to impress her emboldened him. He was confident, but still needed to test the waters a bit, to see if she was as eager as him. \n\n\tShe paused for a moment to stare him up and down. “Thank the skies, I was wondering if you'd ask. I'm sure we can find a bit of time but then we have to get moving. I wasn't joking about you walking slowly. I wanna get there by nightfall tomorrow.” Fidget stepped up close and pressed against him, making Lethias fall into a sitting position atop the mossy rock that had trapped the log. “So, tell me stud, what sort of reward would you be looking for? We don't have a whole lot of time but I'm sure we could work something out.”\n\n\tHe was not expecting this. He asked for it, but didn't actually expect anything to come of it. “Well, it depends. That was a pretty small vial compared to the first one, what can we expect?” He was touching fingertips, hunched over a bit. \n\n\t“Who knows? I guess we'll have to wait and find out.” she hopped up onto his lap, her knees on his thighs with her legs spread. Her skirt did not cover her groin, so this gave both of them clear and unfettered access to her loins. While kneeling on his lap, she reached down and started gently caressing his balls through his pants, tickling the bulges before aggressively undoing his waist band. “You know, this would go a whole lot faster if you helped me out, here.” \n\n\t“My apologies.” He slipped out of his pants, careful to let her step back and forth so he could slide the garment out from under her. This left her fur pressed against his scales, the warmth of her loins billowing out from under her skirt to tickle his scales. This felt so nice to him despite not making contact that he slipped form his depths quickly, his tapered pink cock emerging to smear against her inner thigh and tease her loins. \n\n\tShe grinned at him, her one long fang exposed fully. “See? Nothing wrong with that. Here, lemme help ya out a bit.” she shifted in place, delicately moving around so that her back was to his chest and belly, her hooves kneading his thighs in a way he didn't much appreciate but didn't protest.\n\n\tHe preferred paws and claws to hooves, but he was too much of a gentleman to say anything. \n\n\tOnce she was in position there, with her calves nestled within his hip grooves, she leaned up against his chest with her head between his pecs, her little tail wiggling against his belly scales. She reached down between her legs to help guide him, grinning and chirping cutely. A sound that he didn't expect to hear out of her. With her fingers cradling the underside of his member, she tickled him a bit, pushing his tip right up between her plump lips. The instant she felt his flesh part hers, she also felt his pecs swell against her cheeks; she nuzzled back, nibbling and rubbing into him. \n\n\tThis was when Lethias noticed that his body was shifting. He wasn't growing taller and his limbs weren't elongating, but his muscles were ever so subtly expanding, muscles inflating and stretching his scales taut. So much so that he began to lose some of his mobility. As he tried to wrap his arms around her, he found his biceps and pecs were too big, so that even with her being much smaller than him he couldn't grab his own hands for a hug. \n\n\tFortunately for him he had no problems leaning back, allowing her to nuzzle and fixate on his growing bulges, while he growled contentedly. At the same time, his legs were doing something similar, his thighs swelling to actually pin her calves in his hip grooves while his feet expanded and pushed out the dirt and dander at the base of the rock and the tree trunk. \n\n\tIn addition to all that, his balls were both inflating with a speed that was greater than anywhere else on his body. Within only a few seconds his orbs had expanded to the size of a pair of blitzballs, then kept swelling more until they were nearly on the ground between his ankles! The tickle of the moss on the rock brushing against his orbs made him tense up a bit, his lower body flexing to force his length into her, whether she was ready for it or not. \n\n\tFidget was always prepared. She not only happily accepted his length, but gasped at his girth. Much like the rest of him, his cock had expanded in width but not in length, doubling and tripling in diameter, his shaft pressing tightly against the barriers of his hip bones. There was no way he'd be able to fit if he got any larger. \n\n\tBut Fidget was a bit more adventurous and less reserved than him. She not only slammed herself down on his swelling shaft, but she rotated from side to side to best smear their combined fluids against one another, sure to not leave a single patch of flesh dry. All the while, she nuzzled into his growing pecs, pressed her hips back against his well-defined abs, and even reached out to get some stability by grabbing his arms and shoulders. With some prolonged pressure and stunning flexibility, she was able to force her lips to lurch past his knot, allowing him to pop into her fully. \n\n\tNormally this would have been the beginning of the endgame; not only was his member so thick he felt there was no room to move within her, but a good tie usually locked them together until climax was achieved. But she wasn't done. The instance his unswelled knot lobes slipped into her, she pulled off him and popped it right back out, her loins just stretchy and loose to allow it. Again, she slammed down, taking it all back inside her, whimpering a bit as she felt his growing girth grinding against her walls. Then she did it again, popping it on and off repeatedly, grinding and bouncing on him with all her might and will, each subsequent penetration a bit harder given his steadily swelling knot. \n\n\tEventually, when she slammed herself down, his knot was just the right size to squeeze into her but grew while inside her so that she couldn't pull off. She hit her limits, and when she went to pull off again she only tugged his knot, his flesh yanking on hers in return. Her lips distended, but did not give way to his girth, resulting in a pressure that quickly brought him a his full, knotted tie. Not only did his knot tie them together, his cock tip pressed out against her lower belly, forming a clear bulge. \n\n\tA sudden and sharp sensation of pleasure burst from his loins, coursing up his spine and down his tail as her flesh swallowed him up. The pressure, the intensity of the friction, and the subtle throbs of her heartbeat pulsing around his shaft and knot lobes worked together to draw his essence out of him within seconds. He felt his toes curl in the leaf litter and his every muscle tense up as his balls tugged upwards and his cock started to twitch and pulsate. He was about ready to burst. \n\n\tHe growled and snarled into her ear as he managed to wrap his bulging arms around her side, holding her in place and keeping her from moving too much while he bucked his hips into her. The pressure around his knot and the subtle friction of her passage caressing his length was enough to make his loins twitch and his massive twin orbs tug upward and squeeze, pumping a series of thick, gooey shots into her depths. His tapered tip had formed a clearly defined and large bulge in her lower belly, but the definition on it quickly subsided as his essence flooded into her, inflating her womb in a way that made her look pregnant. \n\n\tHer rounded belly lacked the cock definition once offered by his cock tip, but the more his loins twitched and pulsated, the bigger she got. Her pregnant look continued to expand, like she was having twins or more. Eventually, her entire abdominal wall from just below her breasts to the crest of her mound was inflated and perfectly round, his essence sloshing about inside her. \n\n\tOnce his climax died down enough for him to think clearly once more, he unwrapped his arms from around her torso and began gently petting her belly, caressing her bulge to make it churn and slosh some more. He could actually feel his cock inside her if he pressed in the right spot. \n\n\tThis made her giggle. She pressed herself up against his chest again, happily nuzzling his swollen muscles and taut scales, even going so far as to tease and nibble the blue stripes that came down over his shoulders. She seemed oddly comfortable despite her body being swollen and inflated with a hyper-sized dragon's voluminous load. \n\n\t“A bit different this time.” She cooed at him, her words ending with a grunt as Lethias's cock twitched and his balls pumped a bit more of his essence inside her. “Lateral growth instead of vertical growth. Very interesting. Very curious.” She struggled to yank her calves out from his hip grooves, a true task given the bulge of his thighs trapping them. Once she was there, she did her best to spin around and face him, his knot getting twisted inside her before lurching around in one quick motion, his knot lobe grinding against her walls and letting loose just a bit of cum before finding comfort. \n\n\tWith her knees in his hip grooves, her pussy drooling combined fluids onto his lap, and her hands on his chest. She grinned at him. “Yeah, I think you're going to have some real fun once we get to camp. For now, let's just enjoy this.” She laid herself against his chest, her belly pressed to his and her abdomen fitting in with the grooves of his abs while she rested her chin between his pecs.\n\n\tIn response he patted her on the head and stroked her down the back, occasionally doing what he could to ease and caress her belly again. He had many questions, but rightly assumed he'd not be able to think straight while in a prolonged state of orgasmic bliss, so he waited for his cock to deflate and the effects of the potion to wear off, thus returning him to his normal girth and his groin to return to normal size. Of course this let all the seed he'd deposited into her to cascade out and soak into the ground at the base of the boulder and the tree, a mess that they couldn't really clean. \n\n\tOnce the pair of them parted ways, untying his member from her loins, she happily guided him down the trail once more, explaining to him that such a reaction was yet another show that she was confident he was, in fact, who she claimed. \n\n\tLethias continued to have many questions but figured he wouldn't get them out of Fidget. And he was right. She had shared all she could, she had no more information for him regardless. All she could offer was speculation and hope. All that was left was to take Lethias to the camp and have the others there do further diagnostics. \n\n\t=====--=--=====\n\n\tThe trek did in fact last a full day beyond that point. But once the pair arrived they were met with a level of excitement he wasn't expecting. The camp itself was quite rudimentary, a series of tents erected deep in the woods in the valley of a hilly region. There was a clearing in the middle with a huge bonfire, and nestled in the crook between two cliffs was the biggest tent, one lined by the banners of Empress Yelena and Emperor Sanfrit, its fabric a combination of black, white, and brown with hints and accents of green and blue. \n\n\tThe other members of the camp were almost entirely canine, but there were other dragons and equines as well. Lethias didn't feel the most comfortable here, but he understood the need. Yelfrit was primarily a canine and equine nation, with the five warring tribes bringing in more diversity. \n\n\t“We're here!” Fidget declared while slapping him on the butt. “I guess this is where we part ways. Once I take you into their tent, they'll take you from here.” She almost sounded disappointed. \n\n\t“Would it not be better to have you come in with me? Tell them what you saw?” Lethias asked, similarly concerned. He felt he really needed her as a witness to the things she assured him were significant. The last thing he needed or wanted was to make claims without her support. \n\n\tShe laughed a bit. “Oh, I'm going in with you. I gotta give my report before I head out or take my next job. Don't worry, big boy, I'm not gonna abandon you. Come on.” She grabbed his hand and guided him beyond the bonfire to the draped entrance of the main tent. Other members of the camp, all warriors dressed in armour and weapon holsters, had to get a look and offer a casual salute to him. She had to stop before they entered the tent to give her satchel to an ash stallion who slipped it into a weapon cache next to him. It seemed they were not allowed to take potions inside. \n\n\tInside the circular tent, Lethias was greeted with the image of two canines sitting on ebonstone thrones with ivory detail work. The fabric of the thrones was an earthy brown and there was a similarly coloured walkway leading up to them. There were rows of seats on either side of the walkway, with a series of shelves and racks lining the outer walls, each one stuffed with equipment, clothing, weapons, and tonnes of other amenities. Between the strip of seats and the shelves, there were tables covered in steaming, hot food. Roasts, veggies, sauces, and everything else expected for a feast. A meal fit for, well, a king or an emperor. \n\n\tEmpress Yelena and Emperor Sanfrit sat upon the thrones until Lethias entered. Then, they got to their feet and clapped. Empress Yelena was a stark black and white canine with piercing blue eyes, while Sanfrit was a bit more earthy, mottled with grays and browns; he had equally piercing green eyes. The pair of them clapped when they saw Lethias enter, his towering form nearly breaching the low-hanging fabric of the tent's roof. \n\n\tYelena came forward first, bounding up the walkway to meet Lethias and Fidget. She wore robes of gold and brown with blue buttons to match her eyes, and she was a bit taller than Fidget, making her still a full head and shoulders shorter than Lethias. “Aha!” She yipped at him while excitedly reaching out to try to take his hand. “We didn't think you'd actually come! Fidget, darling, you've done a fantastic job!” \n\n\tLethias was slightly unsettled by her enthusiasm and need to touch him, so he simply stepped back and bowed gracefully. “Empress.” Was all he said. \n\n\tEmperor Sanfrit stepped up behind her, arms behind his back. He wore a similarly colored robe, only his buttons were green; also to match his eyes. While he was trying to be more reserved than Yelena, Lethias could see his tail wagging under his robes. “It's a pleasure to meet you in person.” Sanfrit declared. He was a bit more respectful, offering his paw for a shake rather than reaching out to grab the dragon. Yelena backed off as well. \n\n\tA bit more comfortable, Lethias shook both his paw and Yelena's. “I wish I knew more about why I was here, but I suppose it's my pleasure as well.” Now that he was face to face with the ones who took him from his home he was mildly upset and wanted to be aggressive with his words but chose, as he often did, to be diplomatic. “So, if you don't mind, I'd love to have a bit of a chat about what inspired you to summon my husband and I.” \n\n\t“Right, right.” Yelena said, her tone apologetic. She and Sanfrit headed back to their thrones, where they hopped up and sat, Yelena being cross-legged while Sanfrit remained in a more traditional, regal pose with his arms on the rests. She snapped her fingers and a pair of appropriately sized chairs slid onto the carpet in front of the thrones – one big enough for Lethias and the other for fidget – followed by the smallest table of food from the feast hovering over to land right next to the chair. “Sit, sit, we have plenty to discuss. Fidget, you too.” \n\n\tLethias was mildly hesitant but did take a seat. He'd been walking for almost two full days at this point and was ready for a rest. The food helped, too, even though he had no intention of eating during a meeting. That was rude, even if it was offered. The food table was between the two chairs set out for him and Fidget as well as the thrones that Yelena and Sanfrit sat atop. \n\n\tOnce he was comfortable, Yelena turned to Fidget with a broad grin. “Okay, so it seems whatever you did convinced him to come. So you'll be rewarded handsomely for that. Please, do give your report on how you managed to do that. Lethias, my friend, feel free to pitch in whenever you feel the need to do so. I want all the details. Yes, even the juicy ones.” \n\n\tThere was a moment of uncertainty as Lethias wasn't entirely comfortable sharing the more intimate details, but once Fidget began giving her report it became clear that it was all important. \n\n\tFidget started at the beginning, recalling the initial contact when Lethias was splitting wood, right up to the application of the potion and the rather impressive growth Lethias showed when he got aroused. Lethias did look away when that part was discussed but he didn't ask her to stop; she was being quite flattering and he liked hearing her give such details in an official report. Her debrief continued with the conversations she had with Lethias's husband, the events just off the pathway with the squirrel, and Lethias's lateral growth. \n\n\tShe was very thorough, and very flattering. Not only did she share every detail, her recollection of the events made Lethias swell, figuratively, as he remembered the situations and had to stop himself from getting aroused in front of royalty. While it seems his arousal was a key factor in the growth, he still felt wrong showing that to people he'd just met. \n\n\tUpon completion of her report, Fidget turned to him and grinned. “I think I got everything?” \n\n\tHe nodded. “Seems so. Very thorough report. Very kind, too.” \n\n\t“Honest.” she said simply. \n\n\tYelena yipped in happiness. “And I couldn't be more pleased with the results. Fidget, you're free to get your payment from the arbiter if you wish, or you could stick around. Up to you.”\n\n\t“I'll stay for now. I've come to love this derg. He's kind of a sweetheart and I wanna see how things go, if that's okay with you.” \n\n\t“It is, yes.” Yelena then turned to Lethias with that broad grin, her piercing blue eyes trained on him. “Well, we have a lot to discuss, if you've got the time. Oh, who are we kidding, of course you have time. Feel free to have some food, you must be starving after a long trek.” \n\n\tTo show they were serious, Sanfrit got up and made himself a plate from the feast set out on the table. He bit into a big leg of the roast and happily sat by while Yelena continued. Clearly she was the more dominant or vocal of the two. \n\n\tYelena grabbed a strip of meat from Sanfrit's plate and dipped it in the potatoes and gravy, chomping it down before continuing with Lethias. “So, it seems Fidget explained everything to you. The basics. A good friend of ours has been scouring the globe looking for potential titans reborn, and was particularly excited when they found you. I don't mean to alarm you, but they've been watching over you for a while now. Not interfering, but observing.” \n\n\tIt did bother Lethias quite a bit hearing that he'd been surveilled so thoroughly prior to this, but he kept that thought to himself and allowed Yelena to keep talking. \n\n\t“This friend of ours was an old friend of yours, too. If you are who we think you are. And together with our mages we were able to not confirm your identity, but to give us enough information to know with a fair degree of assurance that you are, in fact the Kaiju Dragon, reborn.” She paused to see if Lethias reacted to that. He didn't, at least not outwardly, so she continued. “That potion you took was a bit more than just a potion. As Fidget explained, it was somewhat diagnostic. We've been experimenting with essence extractors, and we were able to make that potion. A potion that doesn't do any one thing, but simply, well, extracts your essence. Makes it real.” \n\n\t“Yes, Fidget kind of explained that. How does it confirm anything?” \n\n\tYelena got up from her throne, urging Lethias to stand before her. “Okay, so here's how it works. We have growth potions. It's incredibly hard to make, because transformation magic is some of the most complicated and nuanced of all the spells out there. Changing your body is just not something that can be done most of the time. We have healing or restorative potions that revert you back to your default state, and there are plenty of potions that will temporarily give you buffs like making you faster or stronger or more resilient to impact, but those are short lived. Couple hours duration at most and they don't transform you, they temporarily alter you.” \n\n\tLethias nodded. “I've had some in the past. It's quite expensive and hard to come by.” \n\n\t“Exactly!” She snapped her fingers and then pulled over another seat so she could stand on it. Only then was she standing at eye level with him. “And how tall did you get? How big did you grow with that extremely expensive concoction? About here?” She added a half meter or so to his height with her hand, having to stand on her paw tips to get that high. \n\n\t“About that, yes. Bulked up a bit, too.” Lethias flexed to show off a bit, but Yelena didn't react. \n\n\tShe then got back down off the chair and paced in front of him, motioning for him to lay down. “We had the same results. We tried using it on some of our soldiers, to give them a bit more heft for a battle, but it didn't do much. A fifty percent increase in mass is great for berserkers – you know, folks we don't expect to see alive at the end of a battle – but not great for soldiers we want to keep alive. A blade still penetrates their flesh all the same. There's some weakness to blunt force as well, but most weapons are blades, so it doesn't do much. And we like keeping our people alive. Makes for a better long-term strategy if our soldiers live to fight another day. Great for morale, too.” \n\n\tTrue. Lethias did agree with that, so he nodded once more. He tried to not interrupt. \n\n\t“And that's the most a growth serum will add to proceedings. Mass is mass. One cannot conjure mass from nothing. You can expand what you already have, but then it makes your body less dense and can actually weaken you. Unless you're something more than an average soldier. The only way you can summon the mass needed to grow to remarkable size is if you already have it in you or through another method we're still working on. It's not a potion, though. Potions just use concentrated magic to amplify or trigger certain spells. Can't conjure something from nothing.”\n\n\tThis mention of another method to grow piqued Lethias's interest. He rubbed his chin but otherwise kept to himself, happy to let Yelena continue. He did glance over to Fidget, who was sitting cross-legged on the seat and listening intently, eyes wide and ears up high. \n\n\tYelena continued. “And with all that said, I can say with certainty that you are, in fact, the kaiju dragon. Reborn. Or, if you're not him, you're a viable substitute. You clearly have the essence in you. Maybe you're an ancestor, maybe you're him. I don't know. All I know with certainty is that you're special. No other soldier, regardless of innate strength or skill grew to your size. What was it, Fidget?” \n\n\t“About four meters, I'd guess. Easily twice his height and therefore quadruple his mass.” \n\n\t“Four meters. That's insanely large. I bet it felt good.” She stared intensely at him, grinning and nodding. She didn't let him answer. “Of course it felt good. And it felt right, didn't it? Like that was what you wanted or believed all along. A lifetime of wishing for that only to find, with the right application of a diagnostic potion, that it is exactly who you are. There's a reason you felt this way. But, there is also a reason you didn't grow any larger. Your self-doubt.” \n\n\tLethias narrowed his gaze. “I don't doubt myself, I know my abilities.”\n\n\tYelena hopped back up onto her throne, glancing sidelong over at Sanfrit. “No, of course not. Why would you. You've accomplished everything you set out to do, haven't you? You have no reason to question your own abilities, but you also have no reason to believe yourself to be more than what you grew up to expect. You worshipped the titans, you had no reason to believe that you might be one of them, or that they were even anything more than mythology, for that matter.” \n\n\t“I'm still not convinced.” Lethias countered. His resolve was wavering but he was also a very analytical person who wasn't yet convinced. “Potions are getting stronger and more effective all the time. And I know your influence on the region – that's why the five tribes are fighting over your spot in Caiden – so I know there's a good chance you have access to enchantments far greater than anyone else. I have no reason to believe there's anything special or out of the ordinary, here.” He hated saying it, but it felt right. He wanted to believe what was said but also knew the value of healthy skepticism. \n\n\t“I thought you might say so.” Yelena interjected. “And I know that nothing I say or do will convince you until we have a more powerful and accurate diagnostic test for you, but I can say this. When we were researching the titans and with our ally, the one who suggested you were the one, we discovered something very important.” \n\n\tLethias was intrigued. “What's that?” \n\n\tYelena reached under her throne to pull out a small chest. She opened it up and revealed a small scroll. When she unfurled it and showed it to Lethias, it showed three figures. A dragon, a gryphon, and an insect hybrid. The insect was gray and blue, flying over top of the dragon and the gryphon, who looked like they were protecting the hybrid. The gryphon was black and white with a yellow beak and pronounced neck plumage, but it was the dragon's colours that stood out. A red-scaled dragon with a yellow belly and two blue stripes over his shoulders. All of them were towering over a pyramid-like temple with two huge thrones of goldstone. \n\n\tThe dragon's colours were the same as Lethias's. He was shocked, but still tried his best to keep up an aura of skepticism. “There's no proof that's real. It's easy to use dyes and paint. You said you had an old friend watch over me. I have no way of knowing this wasn't coloured after you sought me.” \n\n\t“This is true, it could be fake, but it's not. This was discovered a few years ago by a black and white pegasus mare and her teal kobold friend. This mare had apparently gone from being a devout worshipper of the gods in Port Aralyptian to suddenly getting visions of these kaiju. So she spent years building up the funds for an expedition, and buried deep beneath a temple in the Arrenthen Basin she found this chest, and in it this scroll. The visions stopped the moment she found it, and she donated it to us. This was the first time any of the titans were depicted with colour, a monumental discovery.”\n\n\tHe was growing increasingly convinced but unwilling to accept this without proof. “Okay, that's quite compelling evidence. How do I know you're telling the truth?” \n\n\tShe rolled up the scroll and slipped it back into the chest. “You don't! You can't! Of course we could be lying. But what is more likely, that we just randomly decided that you – a reserved dragon who was minding his own business far away from civilization – were special and specifically conjured a conspiracy and put together the pieces and developed new magic just to convince you to fight in a war and die for us, or that we're telling the truth and spent valuable resources to investigate before making the wrong choice? I'm not going to pretend a conspiracy isn't possible or that we lack the ability to do so, but what would it benefit vs the cost? We get one dragon who lasts marginally longer in a fight but does nothing to sway the tides of war, all after spending mountains of gold coins on research and development of new potions? Yeah, I think you know that's not likely.” \n\n\tHis breathing was growing. A huge part of him just wouldn't let him believe it, he still didn't have enough compelling evidence to buy into their claims. Yet, despite all that he also had few counter arguments that weren't grasping at threads. He had questions, but knew he couldn't possibly ask them without expecting some sort of run-around or testimony he would just question anyway. \n\n\tAfter a moment of heavy breaths, he raised a hand. “Can I have a few moments? I really need some time to think.” \n\n\tSanfrit stood up and bowed to him. “Indeed. We do politely request you stay at camp and give us some time to prove to you what we are certain to be true. If we can convince you to stay, that you are the Kaiju Dragon Reborn, then we seek your help. If we cannot convince you, or it turns out you absolutely are not who we think you are, you are free to leave. No ill will, no catch, no cost to you.” \n\n\tLethias simply nodded before getting up, bowing to both Yelena and Sanfrit, and heading out of the tent with Fidget in tow. He walked past the clearing and right down the trail that he used to enter the camp, only to be stopped before reaching the guarded barricade by Fidget. \n\n\t“You know they're right.” She declared without hesitation. “It sounds absurd, but they aren't lying. They wouldn't waste all this time with reconnaissance and hiring me to come get you and allowing me to use a dozen of those extremely valuable diagnostic potions. If they're wrong, they're wrong. They're not lying, and that's important.” \n\n\t“I know.” He said in between ragged breaths. His vision was slightly blurred, the air felt thin, and his chest was tingling in a way that made things very uncomfortable. His heart beat rapidly and his fingers tingled; he was having a slight anxiety attack as he struggled to make sense of everything and reconcile his own personal uncertainties. “I know, but it's a lot to take in, and-” \n\n\t“It's fine, calm down.” She said as she sidled up to him and guided him back towards the tents, her arm around his hip. “There's no need to panic and no need to commit. Just relax, maybe meet some of the other soldiers here, maybe have some food and drink and potions for fun, then we can reconvene tomorrow. I heard rumours and whispers that they have more to show you but didn't want to until you'd agreed to at least let them check you out a bit.” \n\n\tHe paused and looked down at her. “You still know more you're not saying.” \n\n\t“Yep. Can't just dump everything on you at once. I can't say much more, but trust me on this.” \n\n\t“I only just met you, but I'll give it a chance.” He gulped and walked back to camp with her. “I just need some time. I'm sure you understand where my mind's at.” \n\n\tShe nodded and leaned into him. “More than you know. Come on. I'll go see if I can get some of my potions back from Arbiter Vvilfred and we can have some fun tonight. Meet the crew. Who knows, maybe you'll make some friends and form some bonds. Either way, lots of food and music.” \n\n\tLethias remained cautious but excited in equal measure. He had a hard time believing what was happening but he'd managed to take a few days on the trip up to at least temper his expectations in a way that allowed him to buy into it all. If only a little bit. Of course, he had so much more to see and to learn, so much more growth to experience. \n\n\tThis dragon was in for one interesting night. ", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Art - :iconpieu-a-taupe: (I think)
Writing/Fidget - :iconRuna216:
Lethias - :iconLethias:
Foxifly/Foxra - :iconfoxra:

Chapter 1: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/45766848/
Chapter 2: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/46024127/
Chapter 3:

After seeing the growth he exhibited, Lethias and Fidget head out east to the camp outside the capitol. There, he learns a bit more about his place in the world and the ties he has to the past.

=====--=--=====

Act I

\tLethias held the axe over his head, muscles flexing and eyes trained on his target. He needed to be precise, he needed to ensure precision. If not, well, he had no desire to extend the suffering. With one heavy blow, he brought down the axe with all his might, its blade lodging itself deep into the tree stump, splatters of red marking the ground around it. The job was complete. His task accomplished. He grabbed the two sides of the sapwood he'd split in half and put them in the wheelbarrow, readying them for the incense fireplace. His partner liked how sapwood – a tree that seemed to bleed an aromatic red fluid – smelled, and while Lethias didn't care much for incense, he cared enough about his partner to get it for them, anyway.

\tAnd this world needed some serenity. Lethias didn't like how things were going. His time spent in the woods of Yelfrit had been marred with the threat of war as the five tribes of the nation all struggled to overthrow the capital, Caiden. No war had begun, but what little he got from the news and the town crier spoke of a conflict on the verge of implosion.

\tEach of the five tribes had their own specialty, and thus each one felt its contributions to the nation were paramount. The Farmers of Imarillo felt their agricultural contributions made them the most vital to the food supply. The Merchants of Lauterre held the most coin and ensured the nation's prosperity. The Warriors of Phlaumoth felt their defense of the nation's borders was paramount to the safety of the land. The Hunters of Kuwan countered the Farmers of Imarillo, assuming the meat they supplied more important than the vegetables and wheat. While the mages of Igmandril contested that their scholarly knowledge elevated the nation beyond all else.

\tNaturally, the solution to this silly war in the making was simple. Work together, not against one another. Every part of that equation was similarly important and paramount to the nation's continued prosperity and survival. Yelfrit was best with warriors and scholars and merchants and food providers, working in unison and building each other up instead of tearing each other down. And the capital city, home to Empress Yelena and Emperor Sanfrit, was under constant scrutiny for allegedly not balancing the support to the five tribes. It was a mess. A silly, foolish mess. One Lethias had no interest in.

\tSo he chopped wood, brewed tea, and helped out where he could while doing his best to avoid all that. He and his partner established a home beyond the reaches of any well-worn trail, specifically to ensure that only those they trusted could find them. They did try at one point to buy a homestead in or around town, but the fighting made that difficult. Both too expensive and too dangerous to consider.

\tLife was peaceful on his homestead, a cabin buried deep in the woods with a small garden and plenty of storage for food and shelter. Daily, he would fantasize about all the ways he would or could put a stop to the impending war. Most often, he looked to a local legend for inspiration. The story of the Kaiju that saved the world, most notably a Foxra, a dragon, and a gryphon. According to the tales there were others, but the story of those three inspired Lethias the most.

\tAs the tale went, on the island region of Arrenthen, three forces came together to protect the world from a potentially catastrophic event. Nobody knows exactly what it was that they needed to combat, but that if they hadn't come together, the world as they knew it would have been destroyed. Reduced to ash and rubble. The three of them, once enemies and rivals, came together in the world's time of need to compliment each other's skills and abilities to stave off the catastropy.

\tTheir cooperation was a key part in the roles they played, but the fact that each of them were the size of a mountain helped. Lethias liked that part of the story a lot. The gryphon, the dragon, and the Foxra were all massive creatures, each one standing tall above the villages they protected, taking the brunt of the catastrophe on their back. He liked to imagine himself in that role, talons to the sky and wings spread to protect those he loved. Of course, in the legends, the dragon of the story had red scales, same as him. So of course it was easy for him to fantasize about gaining the mass needed to do what was needed. But alas, of course that was just mythology. A legend from the past.

\tThe world may have been magical with much left to learn, but such a thing isn't really possible. Not at that level, anyway. He'd heard tales of the Mages of Igmandril had found a way to emulate that growth, but it was very subtle. A few inches at best, maybe some bulging muscles that lasted an hour.

\tProgress is progress, but that doesn't mean it can't be a little disappointing to not have more.

\tStill, this led Lethias to a life of serenity and solitude most of the time. But it also meant that he liked to spend time in town as well, helping out those who needed it. His fascination with growth and muscles and fitness meant he had learned how to use his hands to heal. Not with magic, at least not fully, but with pressure and force. He could use his fingers to knead out any soreness or cramp, to restore flexibility and grant a limber jaunt to anyone he graced. He made a point of helping the construction workers and the blacksmiths and farmers and everyone else who used their bodies for hard physical labor. He didn't do those jobs, but his presence ensured that those who did could do so free of pain or stiffness. His very existence ensured that most everyone else in town enjoyed their work. Or, at the least, was pain free in doing so.

\tThis gave Lethias a serene existence. His partner would do much of the cooking and home farming and gardening, while Lethias would do the work in town, healing others. Both were quite thick and powerful, and they both had plenty to contribute, complimenting each other perfectly. For example, Lethias could bake well, while his husband could cook like a professional chef. Lethias did a lot of the woodwork and masonry around the house, while Minnigan did the hard labour tilling the fields and tending the gardens. Complimentary to one another. Supplementary. Where one had a weakness, the other picked up the slack.

\tOf course, this sort of tale couldn't simply end there, with two lovers happily living their lives free of conflict. No, as Lethias was cutting that sapwood and tossing it into a wheelbarrow to be collected and burned by his husband, the sound of something rustling in the bushes nearby caught his attention. It could have been a wild animal, since they were pretty deep in the woods and far away from any trail, but it was considerably more agitated than that. He gripped his axe, just in case.

\tBut then, after a few seconds of disturbance, two bushes parted to reveal a rather petite but spritely lass. A hybrid of deer and bunny, more commonly referred to as a jackalope. She had thick antlers with bits of jewellery dangling off each tip, a tree sigil tattooed on the inside of her right eat, bright blue highlights on the tip of her hair, and a steely, gray-blue fur color with stark white on the front and deer-like splotches on her hindquarters, as well as a thick bushy mane. She had a cute little bunny tail and a pair of stumpy, tiny wings that could never allow her to fly and were clearly residual appendages, nothing more. She wore a short skirt and tank top with a satchel hanging over her one hip.

\tHer presence agitated Lethias. He didn't recognize this lass, and he and his partner both made it very clear that they didn't want anyone on their homestead that wasn't specifically invited. She was trespassing, and while Lethias was not a violent person he was prepared for some conflict.

\tHe gripped the axe with one hand and let his hang by his side. He didn't want to give the impression he was looking for a fight. “Hello!” He called out, hoping for her to introduce herself.

\tShe waved back, weirdly bubbly for someone who was on private land without permission. “Hey! Lethias! How are you?” She continued to wave as she hopped over a fallen log and jogged towards him, hip satchel bouncing with every leap and step. As she got closer it was clear just how tiny she actually was. At most, the tips of her ears and antlers would have only reached his belly.

\tLethias was a bit surprised by this, taken aback by her brash nature and chirpy demeanour. Moreso, he was a bit cautious that she knew his name and called him out without hesitation. He gripped the axe handle, but then relaxed a bit, realizing pretty quickly that his gut-reaction was a bit overblown and that she clearly wasn't here to start a fight. Even if she was, she was tiny. Lethias was not keen on someone invading his space, but he wasn't going to instigate a fight even if his eyes were now scanning the treeline to see if there were any others around for whatever reason.

\tThese were uncertain times. It was natural for him to be cautious. He had no reason for anyone to want to harm him, but bandits roamed these woods frequently. She didn't seem like a bandit, and it made no sense for a bandit to call him by name, but maybe she was just a really good bandit. Unsure, he remained stoic as she approached, waiting for her to continue.

\t“Sorry, sorry!” She chirped at him, voice cute and bubbly. She extended her hand once she was close enough. “Name's Fidget, and am I ever glad to see you!”

\tHe took her hand, allowing her to wrap every digit around a single finger of his. They shook, and she stepped back with her hands on her hips, looking up at the much taller dragon. He didn't know what to say. “Care to elaborate? How did you find me?”

\t“Oh, right. Right. Sorry, I'm just sort of a messenger in a manner of speaking.” She took in a deep breath; it was clear she'd put in a lot of work getting to Lethias's homestead. Then, as she exhaled, she produced two scrolls and offered them to Lethias. They were both sealed by wax, the symbol of the Emperor and Empress on them. “You're being drafted! You and that bear husband of yours, both!”

\tLethias gave her a cold stare and refused to take them. “No we're not. We have no interest in your silly war.” He explained. “And if you did enough work to find me here, you should also have done enough research to know that I'm not a fighter, I'm a healer.”

\tShe went back and forth, thinking to herself before answering. “And why does that remove you from the eligibility pool? An army needs healers, you know.” She motioned her elbow towards him, winking knowingly. “And who better than to get the soldiers in tip top shape than an expert muscle guy? You know, just grind in there, massage the jitters away. Relieve that stress and all that.”

\t“Indeed, but I'm still not interested. I'd like to politely request you leave, now.”

\tFidget looked like she was compiling her thoughts again. “Okay, so normally you wouldn't actually have a say in the matter. You know, the Empress and Emperor are not exactly known for compromise. If you were anyone else, I'd be telling you 'too bad', tossing you the draft scrolls, and then leaving. But if you were anyone else, they wouldn't need to hire someone like me to find you. And if you weren't so important, then I guess I just wouldn't be here, now would I?” She leaned in, hands on her hips. “But here I am! And here you are. Do you know how hard it was to find this place?”

\t“Yes. That's the point. Clearly not hard enough, though.” In spite of his gruff exterior, Lethias was curious about her declarations that he was 'important' and how he wasn't just like anyone else. However, he was wily and quick-witted, he knew better than to speak first and put them on the defence.

\tShe tapped her hoof, little bunny tail wagging back and forth quickly. “Yeah, pretty rough. Really had to take some risks. Took me a while, too. Do you know that none of your friends in town would give up the goods? Anyone I asked about you just said they either didn't know you or wouldn't tell me where ya live. Good stuff. You've got good friends. Had to do all the work on my own. Not even a couple of jade coins could loosen their lips.”

\tLethias was surprised by this. Jade coins were extremely valuable, but the loyalty of his friends was apparently even more so.

\t“Couldn't help but reward them for their kindness. Gave them the jade, anyway. Not a lot of folks would ever earn that kinda respect. The legends about you must be true, then.”

\t“What legends? I'm just a dragon out here with my husband. Doing my own thing. There's no legend to me. That's one of the reasons I came out here, to get away from that sort of thing. Or do you not understand that. I know you seem to think you know me, but I'm not who you're looking for.” His breathing was quickening a bit. Something didn't feel right. He didn't want to accuse her or get angry, but he was definitely on guard, now.

\tFidget just rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Alright, so our scholars have done some research from afar, and we think you are somehow linked to the Kaiju Dragon. We believe that there's more to you than you think.” She leaned back against a rock, legs crossed and wings fluttering behind her. She wasn't in any way hesitant or unsure. So either she was deluded or justified.

\tLethias just crossed his arms over his chest, puffing out his pectoral muscles while keeping the axe gripped under his arm. “You think you can just come here, pretend I'm some ancestor or something and think that will make me change my mind? Everyone looks up to the kaiju in that story. Everyone has macro dreams of being a hero. I'm not special.”

\t“Oh, but you are!” Fidget countered. “We know you're not supposed to give it all away early. You know, tease and dish out little bits of info as you go to keep you curious but not satisfied, but based on what I've been told and what the Emperor and Empress believe, there's good reason to think that you are an ancestor of the dragon. Now, obviously you're not going to believe that. They're myths, right? Well, maybe not? And considering I'm here as a messenger to the Empress and Emperor, do you really think they'd send me – or anyone – to you on a whim? Do you think they'd build a great city like Caiden and protect it from the five tribes for decades if they were a little off in the head?” She pointed to herself and rolled her eyes, bobbing her head like she was a little loopy.

\tLethias didn't speak. He knew she had a point but still wasn't convinced. Deep down inside, he wished she was true but saw no proof of that being the case. Just some weirdo chasing fantasies.

\tShe sensed his hesitation and continued. “They told me to be all mysterious. Ooooo! You know, get your interest and beg for your attention. But no. I don't get the impression that will work with you. I respect my marks too much. You're a smart guy. You're a good guy first and foremost. You do your research, you weigh the options. I get it, but yeah, it seems a bit daft, don't it? Crazy. Loony. And it is, but think about it. Think real hard. If they're right, what does that mean? If they are correct and you're an ancestor of the great Kaiju Dragon, protector of Arrenthen alongside the Gryphon and Foxra, then what does that mean for you. The capitol's only a few days trek away. Less if you fly – which I don't recommend, they're on high alert for aerial attacks – so why don't you come with, see what's up, and make your decision from there? What could it hurt?”

\t“I don't feel right leaving my husband. They're not going to agree no matter what you say, and-”

\t“Yeah, we know, that's why The Empress and Emperor are drafting them, too. Wouldn't dare bring one without the other. They did their research.”

\t“No, I mean even if I do agree to go with you, they won't ever come with. They hate war as much as I do. Maybe more? We never really discussed it. It's not a good idea. I really don't think you should continue pursuing this. It's a waste of your time. If I'm permitted to decline, then I decline. I'm sorry, I'm just not interested.” Lethias respectfully nodded to her and wedged the axe in the stump, once again folding his arms over his chest, telling her that he has spoken and that's that.

\tFidget nodded. “Yeah, we sort of assumed. Tell ya what. Here, I got something for you.” She reached into her satchel and pulled out a single vial of potion. “This right here? Yeah, I think you'll like it. Growth potion. A key element to the royal court's battle plans. But a failed potion so far. The idea is to put it into soldiers, to make them twice their size or more. But any time it's tried, there's either no reaction or such a pitiful reaction it's not worth continuing. The alchemists of the royal court theorize that, if you are who they say you are, that it will trigger your innate abilities, and it will work. Of course that's just a theory, but you're a smart guy. Why not try it out?” She tossed it to him.

\tInstinctively, Lethias snatched the vial of potion out of the air. He considered letting it fall onto the ground but he really didn't like the idea of cleaning up the glass shards and wasting potion. “I don't believe you.” He said, then gingerly placed the vial upside down on the stump, not touching it. He wasn't going to mess around, not with some spy for the Empress or something. Not a risk he was willing to take under the best of circumstances.

\t“No? Okay. Fine. That's fair. Okay, here's something that'll blow your mind.” She reached into her satchel and grabbed a second potion, same colour as the first. She reached over and gingerly placed it next to the one she gave Lethias, also upside down. “I'll drink one, you drink one, we'll see what happens. The choice is yours. To grow or not to grow? I think we know how you'll go.”

\tAdmittedly, Lethias was impressed. If she was bluffing, she was very good. And, since he did in fact want this to be real, he was willing to at the very least take a chance. She didn't appear to be messing with him or tricking him, so even if she was wrong he got the impression she at least believed what she was saying. With this in mind, he grabbed both of the vials, stabbed his claws into each cork toppers, then twisted them out. He offered her one, which she took, and they downed the potions together, gagging a bit as the slimy concoction trailed down his throat. “See? Nothing.”

\t“You're not familiar with potions, are you Lethias?” She teased as she took her empty potion vial and put it in her satchel, returning to the rock. “Give it a minute. I'll stick around, if you don't mind. Worst case scenario, nothing happens and this experiment is over. Best case, well, you'll see.”

\t“I do mind but I don't think that matters to you, does it?” He slipped the cork back in the vial and tossed it back. The two halves of him were warring inside. One really just wanted her to go away, while the other half really wanted her to be right. Both sides still didn't want any part of the war.

\tShe caught it and put it back in the satchel with hers before grinning at Lethias, a smug smirk revealing her one full fang and second, broken fang. “Oh, it does matter. It matters a lot what you think, I just also think you might be pleasantly surprised and thank me.” She cocked her head to the side, gaze shifting downward to eye his crotch. He wasn't wearing any clothes. Why would he? “I look forward to your vigorous apology.”

\t“Honeyed words, but not enough to sway me. Better than you have tried and failed.” Lethias grabbed another piece of the sapwood and put it on the stump next to the axe. He grabbed the axe handle and went to swing, only to graze the end of the sap wood and the stump, nearly hitting his own ankle in the process. This was strange to him, as he'd gained plenty of experience and never missed. He shook this off and grabbed the wood again, this time delicately placing it with his claws, bent over to make sure it was balanced. Once again, he went to raise the axe only to have a bit of trouble holding it above his head. His shoulders felt cumbersome, like they were stopping him from holding his hands up.

\tBefore he could bring down the second swing, he stopped and took a deep breath. In his peripherals he saw the bulging, rounded curves of his pectoral muscles teasing the bottom edge of his vision. He was already a fairly well-defined dragon, but the eyes adjust to redundancy and normally that sort of thing is removed, internally. It's the reason people can see over their snouts or beaks without constantly being reminded of their snout or beak. Curious, he went to look down only to find trouble lowering his chin, a bulge of tissue obstructing him.

\t“Told ya.” Fidget giggled at him. She lifted her skirt, flipping it onto her belly. Underneath her skirt he could see her lady bits plump and ready. “You just lemme know when you wanna apologize.”

\tLethias dropped the axe, letting it fall blade-first onto the stump. He was confused. He felt odd, but not in a bad way. He tried clenching his fist and playing with his fingers, but felt a bit of resistance as he tried to move his body. Curious, he brought his forearm up to get a look and noticed that the scales were gently undulating, bits of it swelling in waves as more and more of it did the same. While he was in good shape, well-toned and strong, his forearm was getting bulgy. Less like a worker and more like a bodybuilder. He could see the individual contours of the muscles and sinew under his scales as he flexed. Moreso, he could actually see the difference when he curled each finger independantly.

\tThis was not what he expected, but he was indeed an intelligent dragon and was able to link things and figure it out. He missed the wood because he was, in fact, growing. When he looked down, struggling to glance over his bulging chest, he could literally see his feet widening, the flesh pushing the dirt to the side to make room for his growing mass. He curled his toe claws, digging furrows into the ground that loosened up the dirt even more, allowing the edges of his talons to part more of it.

\tHe stumbled back a bit, not panicked but a little overwhelmed. His hands were growing, his digits were extending, every muscle on his body was swelling and stretching out to accommodate. None of it was happening in unison. For a moment, his one arm was swelling to twice the size of the other, knuckles almost dragging to the ground before his legs began to grow and counter balance those proportions. His tail thickened in waves, alternating the ventral and dorsal scales as it went. His other arm bulked up, his chest swelled, his abs swelled to form a perfectly defined guy, but then his belly grew again to maintain his power-lifter physique only to once again have his abs poke through.

\tBut most importantly, his sheath swelled as well, his balls inflating one after the other, the fleshy orbs inside pressing out against his scrotal scales. Given that there were few muscles and no bone in there, they went from normal sized to hyper the quickest before the rest of him caught up. For a brief moment, mid-way through his expansion, his spheres were hanging so low they literally dangled two and fro between his knees, so big and temporarily hyper sensitive that he had to widen his stance like a horseback rider. This just made balance even more awkward until the rest of him caught up.

\tPrior to this he was a solid two meters tall. Head and shoulders above most folks and easily twice as tall as Fidget. But as his bones stretched and his muscles grew to accommodate, he found he was almost as tall as the shorter trees lining his homestead. It was hard to decipher for sure, but if he had to guess he'd say he was twice as tall, and according to the square cube laws, eight times his normal mass. His arms, especially his biceps, were thicker than his legs used to be. His legs, especially his upper thighs with those gloriously well-defined quads, was thicker around than his waist used to be.

\tAnd the more he grew, the more his body needed to self-adjust. His outer scales would grow first, becoming loose on his muscles for a bit until the muscles swelled underneath, tightening his scales until everything found its equilibrium. The inconsistency meant that, as the potion took effect, parts of him were lopsided or stretched taut before the rest caught up.

\tAfter about five minutes of having to find his footing, use his tail for balance, and keeping himself from falling over due to the swelling and bulging of each individual part of him, he stopped. At about twice his prior height, but with all the same proportions as before, he was now in fact quite a bit larger than before.

\tHe surveyed his hands in front of his face, focusing on his scales and the yellow of his palms. The distance between that and the ground beneath him was so much that the ground – and fidget – looked blurry to him. The focus in his eyes meant that he had to actively swap between looking at the fine detail of his forearm plats and the pile of wood at his feet. The pile that looked more like twigs than actual logs, now. It was amazing what a growth of only double his height would do.

\tAnd of course, the more he got a look at his body and the more he tapped and rubbed his scales to make sure this was all real, the more he lost himself to arousal. Fidget was correct in glancing at his groin as he took the potion, because the advent of his body doing this to him discombobulated him enough that he didn't even think to be modest. His cock emerged from his sheath slit and his balls had fully swollen and dropped, ready for action. What once was hyper-sized and daring to drag upon the ground due to size was now just properly portions and soft and tender.

\t“Okay then.” He said to himself as he patted his body. Only everything seemed like it was going a bit slower, his motions muted and sluggish. His voice a lower, deeper tone with volume that reverberated off the surrounding trees. His vocalizations were so deep and resonant that it scared a tree full of birds nearby. “Sorry!” He called out, still a bit stunned by the sound his voice made.

\tFidget hopped up off her rock and snapped up at him, her motions seeming to be a bit more hyperactive. The size difference mattered. Her voice was pitched up and a bit squirrely, but he could make out what she said. “Believe me now? I told you, we both took the same potion and look at me. Only grew a bit. You, on the other hand, look at you!” She motioned towards all of him.

\tHe did just that, glancing down at himself and moving each limb and digit one at a time, testing himself. “Yes, look at me. Witness me!” He then flexed, striking a pose with his arms up and tail out behind him, deliberately flexing both arms and both legs. It was only then that he realized that the one part of him that wasn't matching the rest of him was his wings. That was okay, there was no way he'd fly anyway, they were mostly for decoration.

\tOf course, in spite of his mind racing and getting lost on all the kinky things he could do like this, he couldn't help but actually think back and ponder about what she'd said. About the Kaiju Dragon and what it meant for him. An inspiration for most of his life, now a personal motivator. He felt like nothing could conquer him! And while he still wasn't entirely certain of his heritage or lineage, he was certain that he had the power! The size! The mass! He had it all!

\tBut Fidget still had business to tend to. She grabbed a rock and threw it at him, hitting him on the belly. He flexed so that it bounced off him, merely a pepple to him! Puny girl!

\t“Hey! Okay, so do we agree here? Clearly there's something about you, right? If nothing else, this is worth exploring more? It doesn't necessarily mean you are who we say you are, but it does help our case. And in that point, do you agree to come with us?”

\tLethias got out of his pose and grinned at her, his muscles so swollen he struggled to get down in a squatting position. With the aid of his tail, he was able to find the balance, but even squatting down as far as he could go and leaning forward to match her, she was still only just barely at his face height. And, of course, those low-hanging balls of his came to rest on the dirt next to the stump. “No.” He said, gently poking her on the shoulder, even that being enough force to nearly knock her back onto her rock. He didn't mean to do that, so he apologized, eyes wide as he cradled her rump and kept her up.

\t“No? Just no? Not even a maybe?” She countered, while seductively removing her skirt and tossing her satchel to the side. Her rump was sitting right on Lethias's palm, her plump lips now leaking arousal onto his scales. He may have been large and she may not have grown much at all, but he could still feel the moisture. “Anything I could do to entice you?”

\tHis eyes narrowed and he paused to think about that. His member had fully emerged from his slit, steamy and soaked in natural lubricant in the wake of his expansion. Yet, despite his nearly feral lust in this moment, his compassion took over. He shook his head, even while gently slipping a fingertip between her rump cheeks to rub her from behind. “Sorry. I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to be involved in your conflict, and I don't want to hurt you.”

\tShe wrapped both hands around his thumb and pulled it up so that she could nibble on his claw. “That's the thing. You can't. We both took the same potion but they have slightly different effects. For you, well you saw what happened. For me, it gave me the malleability needed for my mass to grow, but didn't give me the mass to fill it.” She nibbled his thumb again, then made it slide past her breasts, down her belly, and between her legs. “So you could fill me and my body would adjust.”

\tHe couldn't help but give an idle rub of her plump lips, fingers wrapped around her waist to hold her there as his thumb curled between her thighs. “Are you sure? I don't want to risk it.” He lied. He wanted it. In that moment it took all his self-control to not take her up on her offer without assessing the situation first. She consented, he wanted it, it only made sense. But no, his compassion was too great. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. She may have invaded his homestead without permission, but she also made this dream of his come true. In his mind, she was positive.

\tBut she wasn't swayed. “Yeah. I'm sure. I work with potions all the time, I deliver them. I help test them. Ever since doing this job, it's been my thing. I've tried this potion out before.” She glanced down to focus on his member, still throbbing and drooling fluids into the dirt below, just missing the pile of sapwood. “I could take that. Maybe not the knot? I guess we'll have to see, won't we?” She then slipped out of his grip and ducked down between his legs, cradling his balls with each hand, each one looking like a blitzball or football, while nuzzling his cock tip.

\tLethias wasn't entirely sure how to react. “Are you always this free-spirited?” He asked, feigning caution while also leaning back on his tail with his knees spread as wide as they could go, ensuring she had full access to him.

\tShe brought both her hands up to gently stroke his member, starting at the knot and working her way down the veiny shaft towards the spade-shaped tip. His head alone was as big as her entire hand from heel to fingertip. The cock's total length including knot easily longer than her entire forearm and considerably thicker. “Not always, but some clients want to try out the potions and I'm always down for some chemically assisted fun.” She then gave the underside of his tip a gentle lick.

\t“And you're sure you'll be fine?” Lethias asked a third time, his voice still as deep as ever.

\tFidget didn't answer, at least not vocally. She simply stepped backward, hands cradling his cock as she found her way to the stump. She tossed the log and axe to the side, and guided him right onto her belly. She kept her knees up and her cute little rabbit tail wagging rapidly as she started grinding up into him, his fluids soaking her belly and chest. His member, from knot to tip, was enough to get to right between her breasts. Something she enjoyed as she used them to stroke either sides of his head.

\tLethias wasn't completely convinced. That difference in size was quite serious, but the lust that came from his bulging muscles and sheer size helped guide him. Like her, he didn't speak, but the moment he felt her flesh and fur against the underside of his member, he leaned over the tiny gal's body with both hands wrapped around the tree stump for leverage, his wrists against her shoulders to keep her from sliding off. Once he was comfortable, he adjusted himself and backed up so that his tapered tip was right against her lips, nestled in between.

\tShe could see he was waiting for her next move, so she grinned up at him and reached down between her legs, one hand parting her lips and the other pushing his cock downward so that he was at the right angle. It was clear she wanted it and had no fear, and it was clear he was just as ready.

\tThe moment he felt her flesh wrap around his, he pushed into her, slowly but forcefully slipping into her while her entire body got pressed up against his wrists. She let go of his member and wrapped both of her hands around her wrist for leverage, spreading her legs and bringing her knees up to adjust to his massive girth.

\tTo his surprise, her pussy took him with relative ease. It required a bit of force on his part, she was by no means loose, but once he applied some pressure her muscled relaxed and her flesh dilated to accommodate him. His spade-shaped tip popped in and continued to plunge into her, filling her just enough to form a gentle bulge in her belly. Without stopping, he was able to get all the way in to the tip of the knot, his lobes still pressing out against her inner thighs. He didn't think there was much chance of tying with her, so he simply wrapped both hands around her midsection and hips, and slowly pulled out, leaving only the tip inside.

\t“There ya go! See? I told you. Now, you can get rougher. Promise.” She winked at him, wings fluttering against the tree stump. “In fact, I insist. If you're too hard, I'll let you know.”

\tHe nodded, snarling a bit as his more carnal, base urges took hold. He pushed back into her, this time a bit faster and a bit harder, which also meant he got in a bit deeper, his knot teasing her lips. Once he was content he didn't hurt her, he went again, even faster, the slick sounds of his flesh grinding against hers tickling his ears in all the right ways.

\tSo of course, the more he heard and the more he felt her flesh stroking him, the more excited he grew and the faster he went up until he was thrusting twice a second! The sound of his cock slapping against her lips and the cute little moans that came out of her elicited more snarls from him, and he didn't let up. But he also didn't go any harder than that. He was pumping into her from tip to knot every time, her passage completely stuffed to the brim and a little bulging bump in her belly every time.

\tHe even went so far as to slow down a bit, worried he'd finish too quickly. He may have been a little lost within his own macro lust, surrendered to the moment of a fantasy come true, but his compassion never wavered and he didn't want her to be unsatisfied. He slowed down a bit, substituting speed and rhythm for a bit more force, now almost bucking her right off the stump.

\tShe whimpered at him and tried to reach out and grab him only to find pretty quickly that his chest was too far away to grab and not adorned with any clothes. Failing that, she wrenched her head to the side and chomped his wrist to get his attention, her one fang doing its job.

\t“H-hey!” He protested, halting his thrusts. The deeply resonant sound of his own voice aroused him further, coaxing pelvic twitch that coursed through her.

\t“Why'd you slow down? Don't stop! If you're going to be this size, then darn it, use it!”

\t“But I don't want to-”

\t“Yes you do and I think we both know it! Go ahead! Have your fun! Don't stop until you've given me all you can, got it?” She brushed her blue-tipped bangs aside and grinned up at him, cheeks nestling into the mane around her neck akin to a blush without any of the color changes.

\tLethias was of course hesitant, but he didn't want to disappoint. Instead of forcing himself on her, he found a compromise. He grabbed her around the waist and rolled onto his back, landing between the wood pile and wheelbarrow with enough force to knock the wheelbarrow over, despite not touching it. This ended with her on top of him, riding him cowgirl style. “How about this? You decide.” His hands were resting on her hips, ensuring she didn't slip and fall.

\tShe found herself with both her hooves resting in between the crook of his thighs and hips, knees bent and Lethias's tip just barely inside her. She nodded. “I think I can work with this.” She then shifted until she was on her knees, calves cradled between his thighs and hips for leverage as she slowly descended onto him, relishing the sensation of his shaft slowly plowing through her. Once she made it all the way down, she let out an elongated gasp and threw her head back. “Theeere we go!”

\tSatisfied with her pace, Lethias began clenching his rump muscles, the resulting flex subtle raising his hips up into her. At the same time, she used her own stunningly strong muscles to bounce on him, maximizing each and every thrust so that his entire shaft plunged in and out of her.

\tThey kept at it, finding a pace that suited them both. The rhythmic sounds of their flesh slapping and rubbing against one another was intense enough to echo throughout their homestead, accented only by his deep rumbling growls and her brisk, cute whimpers.

\tBefore long, Lethias bared his teeth, clenching as he snarled and added a bit more force and pressure to proceedings. He could feel his orgasm coming up, and the closer it came the less he was thinking about anything other than completion. The more he bucked, the more intense the sensation, and the higher the intensity the more he gave back. His hands wrapped around her waist, and with increasing pressure he began pushing down against her alongside every thrust. She didn't seem to mind. In fact, she actively shifted so she wasn't kneeling but instead splayed out, her legs straight and draped over either side of his waist. She wanted it all, so he gave it to her.

\tWith her no longer bouncing on him but him instead holding her and doing all the work, she started undulating her body, clenching and relaxing her loins in time with every thrust, deliberately relaxing when he bucked into her and clenching every time he pulled out. Her walls were snug around him, her flesh making a glorious symphony of squelches and slaps every time his knot hit her lips.

\tAnd in his macro lust, he barely even noticed that with each full-bodied thrust he was grinding his knot against her opening a bit harder every time, each buck a bit deeper. She noticed, but she didn't stop him. In fact, she deliberately threw her head back and relaxed fully, loosening herself up so that he'd have less resistance.

\tWith each subsequent motion as he used her body to stroke his cock's length given their size difference, more of his knot slipped past her lips. First just the crest, then a bit more, then almost to the thickest point, then he went past the thickest point but not quite past the ring of muscle around her opening, then just barely past that ring, until finally he pulled out one last time having loosened her up and slammed with all his might! Every bit of him from tip to veiny shaft to bulging knot burst into her, growing even firmer as his knot lobes swelled inside her, locking the pair of them up.

\tShe had taken all he had to offer at this size, but he still tried to help her to bounce on him. Though, since his knot had completely tied and plugged her up, the best he could do was tug on his knot as her lips protruded down, unwilling to let him go.

\tOnly a handful of strokes later he felt his balls tense up and every neuron in his lower body tense up. His toes curled, his wings spread, and his tail tip flicked behind him, knocking over the pile of sapwood he'd been chopping. His cock throbbed and pumped shot after shot of his seed deep inside her, his essence filling her up and giving her a bloated belly. None of it escaped, his knot had completely sealed her shut. Only the glistening of their combined fluids could be seen where his flesh met hers, her lips struggling to handle his girth.

\tAgain and again, his length twitched, more of his dragon seed swirling around inside her and around his shaft. The heat of her body and the fluidity of his cum was enough to make him grow a little delirious. The intensity of the climax was so much it left him woozy. His vision going blurry.

\t“W-wait, hold up, I'm-”

\t“It's okay.” She cooed at him while resuming a kneeling squat position, both hands on her perfectly round belly. The patting of her midsection sloshed his cum about inside her, tickling him some more. “That will happen until you get used to it. This sort of thing requires a whole lot of energy. You're gonna be pretty weak until morning. But for now, relax. Enjoy it. We'll untie when you shrink enough to let me go. In the mean time, just enjoy it. Yeah, enjoy it. I know I will.” she laid down on her chest, breasts against Lethias's belly scales and her own cum-inflated belly squishing against him.

\tHe wasn't entirely satisfied with that conclusion, but given his size and the fact that any motion could put her in potential danger, he simply passed out with all his limbs spread in all directions.

\tThere was much to talk about, a conversation he expected to have upon waking. Fidget remained alert and aware, struggling to deal with the pressure of the seed he'd put in her. But she was prepared for this. She was fine. She had a lot of explaining to do, but that would have to wait until morning. Once she'd extracted all of Lethias's essence – his cum – the potion effects would wear off. Ht didn't know this, but she had his best interests in mind, something she whispered to him as she stroked his belly scales and nuzzled his swollen pectoral muscles.

\tLittle did she know, he actually heard her and hadn't fully passed out. He was only semi-conscious, just barely lucid enough to hear what she thought she said only to herself. Even in his macro lust, this was enough to convince him that she was legitimate. Not just out to get him or trick him. And in the mean time he had a whole night to enjoy the sensation of her body wrapped around him, coaxing more and more of seed deep into her.

\tHis cock kept twitching, threatening to pump even more of his essence if only the pressure hadn't grown inside her to stretch her to her limit. He idly brought both his hands up to wrap around her hips, coming to rest upon her rump while gently pulling her, tugging his knot in the process. There wasn't anything quite like a post-knotting tug. The thrusting and stroking were fun, but that knot pull prolonged the orgasm well beyond what he usually expected.

\tEventually, he did fall asleep, lost in bliss and contemplative. He still didn't want to be anyone's war dog, but he did want to explore this element of his past, to see if there was any truth to what was happening and what she claimed about him being special. Seeing now that the growth potion worked on him when it didn't on others – something he saw first hand with her only slightly growing but him going from two to four meters – then maybe there was more to the story.

\tIf nothing else he was willing to investigate farther.

\tAs promised, his mass receded overnight and eventually led to her being able to push his knot out of her, a gushing, flowing mess resulting that turned the dirt around him into mud. When he woke, he had quite a sticky job to handle, as much of it was coating his belly and inner thighs. Most notably, when he woke up he saw the imprint of his larger self in the dirt below him, showing him just how much he grew. This gave him a swell of pride, adorning him with a broad grin all day.

\tWhen he went back inside, he saw Fidget having some tea with his husband, which was where he agreed to go with her to the capital under two conditions. His husband would not be joining them, and he would not be harming anyone under any circumstances.

\tFidget offered a weirdly suspicious grin as she agreed to the terms, especially the last one. She knew more than she was telling, but if she agreed to the terms then it was worth checking out. Either way, Lethias had a bit of a bath to clean himself off, collected his stuff, and both he and Fidget departed after Lethias's husband cooked them all some lovely breakfast.

\tIf there was a chance that Lethias was the Kaiju Dragon reborn or an ancestor or in some way shared the Kaiju Dragon's blood, it would all be worth it. Only one way to find out, and that was to go on an adventure!

\tAct II

\tLethias remained cautious. While Fidget did come across as being sincere and trustworthy, something didn't feel right. The circumstances surrounding her arrival and the convenience in which she was able to cater to his very specific needs made him wonder just what else she knew or was keeping from him. He was amiable to her offer and willing to, at the very least, go with her to give Empress Yelena and Emperor Sanfrit the benefit of the doubt.

\tBut that didn't mean he entirely trusted them. He held a positive mindset that encouraged him to not lead with distrust, but to keep a shield at the ready. It was similar to the old adage, to speak softly but carry a big stick. It's important to be prepared either way, even if he wasn't going to just believe anything that was told to him. That was a mentality that made him a lot of allies but not many enemies.

\tOnce he'd packed up his stuff in a rucksack, the pair of them were off. Fidget led the way, showing the path she took through the underbrush of the forest that surrounded Lethias's home. It was very similar to the path Lethias took, which made him think that maybe he needed to mix things up a bit. If she was following his path, it meant he'd left a trail in his wake.

\tThe trek took them from his home all the way to a camp just outside of Caiden. A two day walk at Lethias's pace. Fidget liked to joke that she could move much faster, since she was more nimble and didn't carry as much weight as Lethias.

\t“I could take much longer strides if my legs were longer.” Lethias joked, eyeing up her satchel and the potions within. “If you've got any more growth potion we could cut the walk time in half.”

\tShe held the satchel up close to her hip. “Oh, I see how it is.” She cut back, sticking her tongue out at him and blowing a raspberry. She stepped right up to him and playfully poked him between his pecs. “You just want to come to enjoy more of that lovely, lovely potion. To grow, to swell, and to show how big and strong you are. Oh, look at me, damsel in distress. Save me!” She feigned a faint.

\t“No, I-” Lethias tried to interject, only to be cut off.

\t“It's fine, I get it.” She smacked him on his hip, very close to a booty thwack. “Just get goin'. I only have so many of these potions and they're a little on the volatile side. I wouldn't trust them to do exactly what you want in any given time. It's a weird, strange brew. We got lucky once.”

\tThis did surprise Lethias a bit. “What do you mean, lucky? Could we have been hurt?” He did keep pace with her even as she bounded away down the pathway.

\tShe kept ahead of him, skipping while remaining a few paces away. “No, of course not. No bad effects, but the actual effects are mercurial.” She then turned around so that she was jogging backwards, sure to keep her gaze on him as she explained. “This brew in particular is less about any one particular effect and more like a catch-all wishing potion. It makes your dreams come true, but only if you have the power and strength to make it happen. If someone lacks the dedication, the magic, or the innate ability to live out their wildest fantasies, the potion doesn't just do it. It's kind of a testing potion. Diagnostics. If I gave you the potion and nothing happened it meant you either didn't have the drive to make it happen, or you weren't the kaiju dragon reborn.”

\t“So does this mean that I am definitely him?” He swelled up a bit, his heart aflutter and a lump in his throat. He did have to stop himself from getting too excited. Not only did she neither confirm nor deny immediately, but she could have been lying.

\tFidget kept jogging backwards, maintaining some distance between herself and Lethias. She did trip on a rock and stumble a bit, but she was very well-balanced and was able to stay up. “It's hard to tell. I'm sure you know better than most that growin' like that ain't common at all. Few folks can do it, but even with the help of a potion the effects are negligible. You, however, took a diagnostic potion and that's what came out of you. I told you it was a growth serum, but it wasn't. And that's what happened. Not only did it work exactly as you wanted, but the results were quite magnificent.”

\tHe flexed his bicep and pectoral muscle when she said he was magnificent. He liked that word.

\t“So there's something there. Definitely. What it is, is hard to tell. We can't be sure until we reach the camp and try out our new diagnostic method. As for now, I'm pretty confident in saying that there's definitely something here worth looking out for. Even if you're not the one we're looking for, you might still be the one that can help us out.”

\t“I do feel the need to reiterate I have no intention of harming anyone. Regardless of how things shake up. Whether I am or am not who you say I am – and who I want to be – I won't be some war beast.” He was firm but gentle at the same time. Kind but strict.

\tShe turned around so that she was jogging forward again. “I know. We all kinda know that. If things go well, at least according to what I was able to gather from the meetings prior to them sendin' me out here to see you, you'll be saving a lot of people one way or another. The warring tribes, well, they all worship the gods and the titans. Everyone has reverence for-” she stopped herself, realizing she was rambling. “We'll see. I don't want to get your hopes up.”

\tLethias had slowly perfected his posture so that he was standing upright, his chest bulging out and his form a perfect triangle as he walked. The more he heard her boast about what he could do and who he might be and how things might pan out, the more excited he became. The sound of protecting people was exactly what he wanted out of this sort of ideal. The only thing holding him back was that he didn't trust any ruler to have the same restraint he had. He did want to probe her for more details, to continue with her line of thought, but then he heard something nearby. “Stop.” He commanded, reaching out to grab her and pull her in close. “I hear someone. Could be bandits.”

\tRobberies were common on this trail. It was one of the reasons Lethias chose to build his home as far away as he could. Unfortunately, it was the clearest and most straight path to their destination.

\t“Not likely. And even if there were bandits, I'm not worried.” She assured him while slipping out from under his relatively large hand. “Not only have you got this, but I know a thing or two about self defence and I run faster than pretty much anyone I know. Oh, and I have some enchanted daggers somewhere in here so I'm not worried.” She patted the satchel and kept ahead, leading Lethias.

\tHe followed, but he remained cautious. He could still hear something odd in the distance, the sound of impacts and rustling and whining. The more he trained his ears on the source of the sound, the less it sounded like the rustling of nimble bandits and more like the desperation of someone in trouble; someone that needed aid. However, given his mentality of keeping his guard up while still wanting to help, he knew he would need to be cautious. One of the most reliable ways to trick good people into lowering their guard was to feign distress and then ambush.

\t“Give me a moment, I'm going to investigate either way.” He stepped off the beaten path and ducked under some branches, delicately pushing all leaves away so that he didn't damage them. After a few moments, Fidget followed him.

\t“What are you doing, weren't you the one saying we could go faster if we-”

\t“Shh.” He put a finger up to her lips. “I'm listening.”

\tInstead of hushing, she bit his finger, then immediately suckled it a bit to show she meant no harm. “Don't shush me. I'm trying to keep us on track. And besides, if my ears are telling me what I think they are, it's just a trap to entice good folk into an ambush. Best to move along.” She tried to grab his tail to pull him back, but he was much stronger than her and just hoisted it up, lifting her off her hooves in the process. When she landed, she had to be careful to not spill the potions in her satchel.

\tLethias crouched down as he eased towards the source of the sound, his mind focused on the surrounding area. He was prepared for an ambush. Fidget crouch-walked next to him.

\tWhen they arrived into a clearing, they saw a squirrel gentleman trapped under a log, not fully pinned but unable to squirm out. The trunk of the mostly-decayed tree was right on the small of his back, his large hips and upper body trapped on either side. A rudimentary glance showed that the log must have slipped and landed between a nearby mossy rock and the trunk of a still-standing tree, as there were wooden smears all over the tree bark and moss rubbed off the stone.

\t“He needs our help.” Lethias said. Fidget tried to stop him but just ended up missing his hand and nearly stumbling onto her face in the leaf litter. Lethias stepped up to the squirrel and crouched down next to him, his eyes scanning the surrounding treeline, just in case. “What happened here?”

\tThe squirrel, seemingly exhausted, tried his best to turn and look up at Lethias. He was pinned belly-down under the log. “I was trying to dig up some goodies I had stashed at the base of this rock, when the log slipped! Been here all afternoon but nobody's come to help!”

\t“Really? You stash your goods like a feral?” Fidget countered. “Come on, nobody does that anymore. This is a trick. Lethias, come on, let's go before his buddies show up.”

\tSomething about this really upset Lethias. The prejudice she spoke of didn't sit well in the back of his mind. IT also upset him a bit that she'd be so callous and unhelpful. “That's not fair, you don't know this fellow.” He then turned to the squirrel and wrapped his arms around the side of the fallen log. “I won't be able to lift it much, so on the count of three, I need you to slip out from under, okay?”

\tThe squirrel nodded. Fidget glared at both Lethias and the poor trapped gentleman, her arms crossed over her chest as her little stubby tail waggled with an agitated vigour.

\tLethias positioned himself, stabilized his posture, and made sure to lift with his knees, not his back. “Alright. In three, two, one!” He dug his claws into the soul and hoisted up the log with stunning ease, rearing it up so high it went over the other side of the rock and rolled down harmlessly away from the squirrel, who scrambled out from where he was and collapsed into Fidget's arms. He was no bigger than her, and the log was much lighter than Lethias expected. Could have been because it was decomposing and mostly hollow. Not too much for Lethias, but still probably too much for a tiny squirrel to lift. He felt quite proud of himself.

\tHe expected to look over to Fidget and get chastised or otherwise scolded for helping the lad, but she was just smiling at him with the rodent in her arms. “Nice.” Was all she said. The squirrel pushed himself off her and rubbed the leaves and sticks from his fur, suddenly chipper as could be.

\tLethias was a little confused. “Okay, what's going on.” He said, eyes still scanning the trees.

\tFidget laid a hand on the squirrel's shoulder and leaned against him. She addressed him, not Lethias. “Think he passed?”

\t“Oh yes, indubitably.” He answered, voice suddenly dapper. “With aplomb, I must say!”

\t“I agree. Here.” She handed a small silver tab to the squirrel, who nibbled the corner and put it in his own satchel. She turned to Lethias, still leaning on the squirrel. “I guess you proved yourself.”

\tHe narrowed his eyes at her. “I don't appreciate what's happening here.”

\tShe motioned for the squirrel to hop along, so he disappeared into the woods. “That's alright, I kinda had to. There's more to the kaiju dragon than just his size. His kindness, compassion, and personality are all important, too. I wanted to see how you reacted, especially with me being so terrible by bein' all judgy.” she stuck out her tongue like she was gagging. “Squirrels burrow. Ugh, what a terrible stereotype. I hope me pretending to feel that way didn't paint your opinions of me in a negative way. That was just an act, you see. I don't believe all squirrels like to bury their stuff. That was actually his idea, you know.”

\t“And what exactly was the purpose of this, aside from just seeing if I was a good person?” He was actually a little angry, but was doing all he could to maintain an aura of dignity and calmness.

\t“Oh, I just wanted to see if you'd help even if most factors made it seem like maybe you really shouldn't. You knew there was a chance you could be walkin' into an ambush, I tried to play off any prejudices you had by making you question his validity, and you still helped. Yeah, I say you passed. But you weren't an idiot about it. I saw you being cautious, scanning the trees, not letting your guard down, but still tackling the problem head-on. I'd say you fit the personality profile.” She reached into her satchel and grabbed another potion. This one's vial was half the size, maybe smaller. “I think you've earned this!”

\tOnce again he narrowed his gaze, reluctantly taking the vial. “Yeah, I did. Could you please not put me to tests I don't know I'm in? It's quite rude and disrespectful.”

\t“I agree! Won't happen again. It was a one-time thing, the last test prior to your arrival at the military base camp.” She started counting on her fingers. “I met you in person and you fit the visual profile; same colours and all that. I talked with you and you spoke with similar cadence and tone. I interacted with you and got you aroused, and your personality and kinks lined up. Then you drank the potion and exactly the right effect came of it. And now, during a time of potential crisis, your heroics – no matter how insignificant – aligned. Yeah, I don't think I have any more tests for you. So if you wanted to maybe have a potion and get those longer legs, then maybe we really could shorten the walk back! Cut the trek time in half.” She turned and headed back towards the pathway, cute little tail waggling as she went to skip away.

\tBut Lethias reached out to take her by the hand, stopping her from leaving the clearing. “You said I earned this. I don't suppose that comes with any added benefits?” He downed the potion and then slipped the empty vial in her satchel, never breaking eye contact. While he was still mildly miffed at being so callously jerked around, he was not planning on maintaining a grudge over it. And, having succeeded in a way that seemed to impress her emboldened him. He was confident, but still needed to test the waters a bit, to see if she was as eager as him.

\tShe paused for a moment to stare him up and down. “Thank the skies, I was wondering if you'd ask. I'm sure we can find a bit of time but then we have to get moving. I wasn't joking about you walking slowly. I wanna get there by nightfall tomorrow.” Fidget stepped up close and pressed against him, making Lethias fall into a sitting position atop the mossy rock that had trapped the log. “So, tell me stud, what sort of reward would you be looking for? We don't have a whole lot of time but I'm sure we could work something out.”

\tHe was not expecting this. He asked for it, but didn't actually expect anything to come of it. “Well, it depends. That was a pretty small vial compared to the first one, what can we expect?” He was touching fingertips, hunched over a bit.

\t“Who knows? I guess we'll have to wait and find out.” she hopped up onto his lap, her knees on his thighs with her legs spread. Her skirt did not cover her groin, so this gave both of them clear and unfettered access to her loins. While kneeling on his lap, she reached down and started gently caressing his balls through his pants, tickling the bulges before aggressively undoing his waist band. “You know, this would go a whole lot faster if you helped me out, here.”

\t“My apologies.” He slipped out of his pants, careful to let her step back and forth so he could slide the garment out from under her. This left her fur pressed against his scales, the warmth of her loins billowing out from under her skirt to tickle his scales. This felt so nice to him despite not making contact that he slipped form his depths quickly, his tapered pink cock emerging to smear against her inner thigh and tease her loins.

\tShe grinned at him, her one long fang exposed fully. “See? Nothing wrong with that. Here, lemme help ya out a bit.” she shifted in place, delicately moving around so that her back was to his chest and belly, her hooves kneading his thighs in a way he didn't much appreciate but didn't protest.

\tHe preferred paws and claws to hooves, but he was too much of a gentleman to say anything.

\tOnce she was in position there, with her calves nestled within his hip grooves, she leaned up against his chest with her head between his pecs, her little tail wiggling against his belly scales. She reached down between her legs to help guide him, grinning and chirping cutely. A sound that he didn't expect to hear out of her. With her fingers cradling the underside of his member, she tickled him a bit, pushing his tip right up between her plump lips. The instant she felt his flesh part hers, she also felt his pecs swell against her cheeks; she nuzzled back, nibbling and rubbing into him.

\tThis was when Lethias noticed that his body was shifting. He wasn't growing taller and his limbs weren't elongating, but his muscles were ever so subtly expanding, muscles inflating and stretching his scales taut. So much so that he began to lose some of his mobility. As he tried to wrap his arms around her, he found his biceps and pecs were too big, so that even with her being much smaller than him he couldn't grab his own hands for a hug.

\tFortunately for him he had no problems leaning back, allowing her to nuzzle and fixate on his growing bulges, while he growled contentedly. At the same time, his legs were doing something similar, his thighs swelling to actually pin her calves in his hip grooves while his feet expanded and pushed out the dirt and dander at the base of the rock and the tree trunk.

\tIn addition to all that, his balls were both inflating with a speed that was greater than anywhere else on his body. Within only a few seconds his orbs had expanded to the size of a pair of blitzballs, then kept swelling more until they were nearly on the ground between his ankles! The tickle of the moss on the rock brushing against his orbs made him tense up a bit, his lower body flexing to force his length into her, whether she was ready for it or not.

\tFidget was always prepared. She not only happily accepted his length, but gasped at his girth. Much like the rest of him, his cock had expanded in width but not in length, doubling and tripling in diameter, his shaft pressing tightly against the barriers of his hip bones. There was no way he'd be able to fit if he got any larger.

\tBut Fidget was a bit more adventurous and less reserved than him. She not only slammed herself down on his swelling shaft, but she rotated from side to side to best smear their combined fluids against one another, sure to not leave a single patch of flesh dry. All the while, she nuzzled into his growing pecs, pressed her hips back against his well-defined abs, and even reached out to get some stability by grabbing his arms and shoulders. With some prolonged pressure and stunning flexibility, she was able to force her lips to lurch past his knot, allowing him to pop into her fully.

\tNormally this would have been the beginning of the endgame; not only was his member so thick he felt there was no room to move within her, but a good tie usually locked them together until climax was achieved. But she wasn't done. The instance his unswelled knot lobes slipped into her, she pulled off him and popped it right back out, her loins just stretchy and loose to allow it. Again, she slammed down, taking it all back inside her, whimpering a bit as she felt his growing girth grinding against her walls. Then she did it again, popping it on and off repeatedly, grinding and bouncing on him with all her might and will, each subsequent penetration a bit harder given his steadily swelling knot.

\tEventually, when she slammed herself down, his knot was just the right size to squeeze into her but grew while inside her so that she couldn't pull off. She hit her limits, and when she went to pull off again she only tugged his knot, his flesh yanking on hers in return. Her lips distended, but did not give way to his girth, resulting in a pressure that quickly brought him a his full, knotted tie. Not only did his knot tie them together, his cock tip pressed out against her lower belly, forming a clear bulge.

\tA sudden and sharp sensation of pleasure burst from his loins, coursing up his spine and down his tail as her flesh swallowed him up. The pressure, the intensity of the friction, and the subtle throbs of her heartbeat pulsing around his shaft and knot lobes worked together to draw his essence out of him within seconds. He felt his toes curl in the leaf litter and his every muscle tense up as his balls tugged upwards and his cock started to twitch and pulsate. He was about ready to burst.

\tHe growled and snarled into her ear as he managed to wrap his bulging arms around her side, holding her in place and keeping her from moving too much while he bucked his hips into her. The pressure around his knot and the subtle friction of her passage caressing his length was enough to make his loins twitch and his massive twin orbs tug upward and squeeze, pumping a series of thick, gooey shots into her depths. His tapered tip had formed a clearly defined and large bulge in her lower belly, but the definition on it quickly subsided as his essence flooded into her, inflating her womb in a way that made her look pregnant.

\tHer rounded belly lacked the cock definition once offered by his cock tip, but the more his loins twitched and pulsated, the bigger she got. Her pregnant look continued to expand, like she was having twins or more. Eventually, her entire abdominal wall from just below her breasts to the crest of her mound was inflated and perfectly round, his essence sloshing about inside her.

\tOnce his climax died down enough for him to think clearly once more, he unwrapped his arms from around her torso and began gently petting her belly, caressing her bulge to make it churn and slosh some more. He could actually feel his cock inside her if he pressed in the right spot.

\tThis made her giggle. She pressed herself up against his chest again, happily nuzzling his swollen muscles and taut scales, even going so far as to tease and nibble the blue stripes that came down over his shoulders. She seemed oddly comfortable despite her body being swollen and inflated with a hyper-sized dragon's voluminous load.

\t“A bit different this time.” She cooed at him, her words ending with a grunt as Lethias's cock twitched and his balls pumped a bit more of his essence inside her. “Lateral growth instead of vertical growth. Very interesting. Very curious.” She struggled to yank her calves out from his hip grooves, a true task given the bulge of his thighs trapping them. Once she was there, she did her best to spin around and face him, his knot getting twisted inside her before lurching around in one quick motion, his knot lobe grinding against her walls and letting loose just a bit of cum before finding comfort.

\tWith her knees in his hip grooves, her pussy drooling combined fluids onto his lap, and her hands on his chest. She grinned at him. “Yeah, I think you're going to have some real fun once we get to camp. For now, let's just enjoy this.” She laid herself against his chest, her belly pressed to his and her abdomen fitting in with the grooves of his abs while she rested her chin between his pecs.

\tIn response he patted her on the head and stroked her down the back, occasionally doing what he could to ease and caress her belly again. He had many questions, but rightly assumed he'd not be able to think straight while in a prolonged state of orgasmic bliss, so he waited for his cock to deflate and the effects of the potion to wear off, thus returning him to his normal girth and his groin to return to normal size. Of course this let all the seed he'd deposited into her to cascade out and soak into the ground at the base of the boulder and the tree, a mess that they couldn't really clean.

\tOnce the pair of them parted ways, untying his member from her loins, she happily guided him down the trail once more, explaining to him that such a reaction was yet another show that she was confident he was, in fact, who she claimed.

\tLethias continued to have many questions but figured he wouldn't get them out of Fidget. And he was right. She had shared all she could, she had no more information for him regardless. All she could offer was speculation and hope. All that was left was to take Lethias to the camp and have the others there do further diagnostics.

\t=====--=--=====

\tThe trek did in fact last a full day beyond that point. But once the pair arrived they were met with a level of excitement he wasn't expecting. The camp itself was quite rudimentary, a series of tents erected deep in the woods in the valley of a hilly region. There was a clearing in the middle with a huge bonfire, and nestled in the crook between two cliffs was the biggest tent, one lined by the banners of Empress Yelena and Emperor Sanfrit, its fabric a combination of black, white, and brown with hints and accents of green and blue.

\tThe other members of the camp were almost entirely canine, but there were other dragons and equines as well. Lethias didn't feel the most comfortable here, but he understood the need. Yelfrit was primarily a canine and equine nation, with the five warring tribes bringing in more diversity.

\t“We're here!” Fidget declared while slapping him on the butt. “I guess this is where we part ways. Once I take you into their tent, they'll take you from here.” She almost sounded disappointed.

\t“Would it not be better to have you come in with me? Tell them what you saw?” Lethias asked, similarly concerned. He felt he really needed her as a witness to the things she assured him were significant. The last thing he needed or wanted was to make claims without her support.

\tShe laughed a bit. “Oh, I'm going in with you. I gotta give my report before I head out or take my next job. Don't worry, big boy, I'm not gonna abandon you. Come on.” She grabbed his hand and guided him beyond the bonfire to the draped entrance of the main tent. Other members of the camp, all warriors dressed in armour and weapon holsters, had to get a look and offer a casual salute to him. She had to stop before they entered the tent to give her satchel to an ash stallion who slipped it into a weapon cache next to him. It seemed they were not allowed to take potions inside.

\tInside the circular tent, Lethias was greeted with the image of two canines sitting on ebonstone thrones with ivory detail work. The fabric of the thrones was an earthy brown and there was a similarly coloured walkway leading up to them. There were rows of seats on either side of the walkway, with a series of shelves and racks lining the outer walls, each one stuffed with equipment, clothing, weapons, and tonnes of other amenities. Between the strip of seats and the shelves, there were tables covered in steaming, hot food. Roasts, veggies, sauces, and everything else expected for a feast. A meal fit for, well, a king or an emperor.

\tEmpress Yelena and Emperor Sanfrit sat upon the thrones until Lethias entered. Then, they got to their feet and clapped. Empress Yelena was a stark black and white canine with piercing blue eyes, while Sanfrit was a bit more earthy, mottled with grays and browns; he had equally piercing green eyes. The pair of them clapped when they saw Lethias enter, his towering form nearly breaching the low-hanging fabric of the tent's roof.

\tYelena came forward first, bounding up the walkway to meet Lethias and Fidget. She wore robes of gold and brown with blue buttons to match her eyes, and she was a bit taller than Fidget, making her still a full head and shoulders shorter than Lethias. “Aha!” She yipped at him while excitedly reaching out to try to take his hand. “We didn't think you'd actually come! Fidget, darling, you've done a fantastic job!”

\tLethias was slightly unsettled by her enthusiasm and need to touch him, so he simply stepped back and bowed gracefully. “Empress.” Was all he said.

\tEmperor Sanfrit stepped up behind her, arms behind his back. He wore a similarly colored robe, only his buttons were green; also to match his eyes. While he was trying to be more reserved than Yelena, Lethias could see his tail wagging under his robes. “It's a pleasure to meet you in person.” Sanfrit declared. He was a bit more respectful, offering his paw for a shake rather than reaching out to grab the dragon. Yelena backed off as well.

\tA bit more comfortable, Lethias shook both his paw and Yelena's. “I wish I knew more about why I was here, but I suppose it's my pleasure as well.” Now that he was face to face with the ones who  took him from his home he was mildly upset and wanted to be aggressive with his words but chose, as he often did, to be diplomatic. “So, if you don't mind, I'd love to have a bit of a chat about what inspired you to summon my husband and I.”

\t“Right, right.” Yelena said, her tone apologetic. She and Sanfrit headed back to their thrones, where they hopped up and sat, Yelena being cross-legged while Sanfrit remained in a more traditional, regal pose with his arms on the rests. She snapped her fingers and a pair of appropriately sized chairs slid onto the carpet in front of the thrones – one big enough for Lethias and the other for fidget – followed by the smallest table of food from the feast  hovering over to land right next to the chair. “Sit, sit, we have plenty to discuss. Fidget, you too.”

\tLethias was mildly hesitant but did take a seat. He'd been walking for almost two full days at this point and was ready for a rest. The food helped, too, even though he had no intention of eating during a meeting. That was rude, even if it was offered. The food table was between the two chairs set out for him and Fidget as well as the thrones that Yelena and Sanfrit sat atop.

\tOnce he was comfortable, Yelena turned to Fidget with a broad grin. “Okay, so it seems whatever you did convinced him to come. So you'll be rewarded handsomely for that. Please, do give your report on how you managed to do that. Lethias, my friend, feel free to pitch in whenever you feel the need to do so. I want all the details. Yes, even the juicy ones.”

\tThere was a moment of uncertainty as Lethias wasn't entirely comfortable sharing the more intimate details, but once Fidget began giving her report it became clear that it was all important.

\tFidget started at the beginning, recalling the initial contact when Lethias was splitting wood, right up to the application of the potion and the rather impressive growth Lethias showed when he got aroused. Lethias did look away when that part was discussed but he didn't ask her to stop; she was being quite flattering and he liked hearing her give such details in an official report. Her debrief continued with the conversations she had with Lethias's husband, the events just off the pathway with the squirrel, and Lethias's lateral growth.

\tShe was very thorough, and very flattering. Not only did she share every detail, her recollection of the events made Lethias swell, figuratively, as he remembered the situations and had to stop himself from getting aroused in front of royalty. While it seems his arousal was a key factor in the growth, he still felt wrong showing that to people he'd just met.

\tUpon completion of her report, Fidget turned to him and grinned. “I think I got everything?”

\tHe nodded. “Seems so. Very thorough report. Very kind, too.”

\t“Honest.” she said simply.

\tYelena yipped in happiness. “And I couldn't be more pleased with the results. Fidget, you're free to get your payment from the arbiter if you wish, or you could stick around. Up to you.”

\t“I'll stay for now. I've come to love this derg. He's kind of a sweetheart and I wanna see how things go, if that's okay with you.”

\t“It is, yes.” Yelena then turned to Lethias with that broad grin, her piercing blue eyes trained on him. “Well, we have a lot to discuss, if you've got the time. Oh, who are we kidding, of course you have time. Feel free to have some food, you must be starving after a long trek.”

\tTo show they were serious, Sanfrit got up and made himself a plate from the feast set out on the table. He bit into a big leg of the roast and happily sat by while Yelena continued. Clearly she was the more dominant or vocal of the two.

\tYelena grabbed a strip of meat from Sanfrit's plate and dipped it in the potatoes and gravy, chomping it down before continuing with Lethias. “So, it seems Fidget explained everything to you. The basics. A good friend of ours has been scouring the globe looking for potential titans reborn, and was particularly excited when they found you. I don't mean to alarm you, but they've been watching over you for a while now. Not interfering, but observing.”

\tIt did bother Lethias quite a bit hearing that he'd been surveilled so thoroughly prior to this, but he kept that thought to himself and allowed Yelena to keep talking.

\t“This friend of ours was an old friend of yours, too. If you are who we think you are. And together with our mages we were able to not confirm your identity, but to give us enough information to know with a fair degree of assurance that you are, in fact the Kaiju Dragon, reborn.” She paused to see if Lethias reacted to that. He didn't, at least not outwardly, so she continued. “That potion you took was a bit more than just a potion. As Fidget explained, it was somewhat diagnostic. We've been experimenting with essence extractors, and we were able to make that potion. A potion that doesn't do any one thing, but simply, well, extracts your essence. Makes it real.”

\t“Yes, Fidget kind of explained that. How does it confirm anything?”

\tYelena got up from her throne, urging Lethias to stand before her. “Okay, so here's how it works. We have growth potions. It's incredibly hard to make, because transformation magic is some of the most complicated and nuanced of all the spells out there. Changing your body is just not something that can be done most of the time. We have healing or restorative potions that revert you back to your default state, and there are plenty of potions that will temporarily give you buffs like making you faster or stronger or more resilient to impact, but those are short lived. Couple hours duration at most and they don't transform you, they temporarily alter you.”

\tLethias nodded. “I've had some in the past. It's quite expensive and hard to come by.”

\t“Exactly!” She snapped her fingers and then pulled over another seat so she could stand on it. Only then was she standing at eye level with him. “And how tall did you get? How big did you grow with that extremely expensive concoction? About here?” She added a half meter or so to his height with her hand, having to stand on her paw tips to get that high.

\t“About that, yes. Bulked up a bit, too.” Lethias flexed to show off a bit, but Yelena didn't react.

\tShe then got back down off the chair and paced in front of him, motioning for him to lay down. “We had the same results. We tried using it on some of our soldiers, to give them a bit more heft for a battle, but it didn't do much. A fifty percent increase in mass is great for berserkers – you know, folks we don't expect to see alive at the end of a battle – but not great for soldiers we want to keep alive. A blade still penetrates their flesh all the same. There's some weakness to blunt force as well, but most weapons are blades, so it doesn't do much. And we like keeping our people alive. Makes for a better long-term strategy if our soldiers live to fight another day. Great for morale, too.”

\tTrue. Lethias did agree with that, so he nodded once more. He tried to not interrupt.

\t“And that's the most a growth serum will add to proceedings. Mass is mass. One cannot conjure mass from nothing. You can expand what you already have, but then it makes your body less dense and can actually weaken you. Unless you're something more than an average soldier. The only way you can summon the mass needed to grow to remarkable size is if you already have it in you or through another method we're still working on. It's not a potion, though. Potions just use concentrated magic to amplify or trigger certain spells. Can't conjure something from nothing.”

\tThis mention of another method to grow piqued Lethias's interest. He rubbed his chin but otherwise kept to himself, happy to let Yelena continue. He did glance over to Fidget, who was sitting cross-legged on the seat and listening intently, eyes wide and ears up high.

\tYelena continued. “And with all that said, I can say with certainty that you are, in fact, the kaiju dragon. Reborn. Or, if you're not him, you're a viable substitute. You clearly have the essence in you. Maybe you're an ancestor, maybe you're him. I don't know. All I know with certainty is that you're special. No other soldier, regardless of innate strength or skill grew to your size. What was it, Fidget?”

\t“About four meters, I'd guess. Easily twice his height and therefore quadruple his mass.”

\t“Four meters. That's insanely large. I bet it felt good.” She stared intensely at him, grinning and nodding. She didn't let him answer. “Of course it felt good. And it felt right, didn't it? Like that was what you wanted or believed all along. A lifetime of wishing for that only to find, with the right application of a diagnostic potion, that it is exactly who you are. There's a reason you felt this way. But, there is also a reason you didn't grow any larger. Your self-doubt.”

\tLethias narrowed his gaze. “I don't doubt myself, I know my abilities.”

\tYelena hopped back up onto her throne, glancing sidelong over at Sanfrit. “No, of course not. Why would you. You've accomplished everything you set out to do, haven't you? You have no reason to question your own abilities, but you also have no reason to believe yourself to be more than what you grew up to expect. You worshipped the titans, you had no reason to believe that you might be one of them, or that they were even anything more than mythology, for that matter.”

\t“I'm still not convinced.” Lethias countered. His resolve was wavering but he was also a very analytical person who wasn't yet convinced. “Potions are getting stronger and more effective all the time. And I know your influence on the region – that's why the five tribes are fighting over your spot in Caiden – so I know there's a good chance you have access to enchantments far greater than anyone else. I have no reason to believe there's anything special or out of the ordinary, here.” He hated saying it, but it felt right. He wanted to believe what was said but also knew the value of healthy skepticism.

\t“I thought you might say so.” Yelena interjected. “And I know that nothing I say or do will convince you until we have a more powerful and accurate diagnostic test for you, but I can say this. When we were researching the titans and with our ally, the one who suggested you were the one, we discovered something very important.”

\tLethias was intrigued. “What's that?”

\tYelena reached under her throne to pull out a small chest. She opened it up and revealed a small scroll. When she unfurled it and showed it to Lethias, it showed three figures. A dragon, a gryphon, and an insect hybrid. The insect was gray and blue, flying over top of the dragon and the gryphon, who looked like they were protecting the hybrid. The gryphon was black and white with a yellow beak and pronounced neck plumage, but it was the dragon's colours that stood out. A red-scaled dragon with a yellow belly and two blue stripes over his shoulders. All of them were towering over a pyramid-like temple with two huge thrones of goldstone.

\tThe dragon's colours were the same as Lethias's. He was shocked, but still tried his best to keep up an aura of skepticism. “There's no proof that's real. It's easy to use dyes and paint. You said you had an old friend watch over me. I have no way of knowing this wasn't coloured after you sought me.”

\t“This is true, it could be fake, but it's not. This was discovered a few years ago by a black and white pegasus mare and her teal kobold friend. This mare had apparently gone from being a devout worshipper of the gods in Port Aralyptian to suddenly getting visions of these kaiju. So she spent years building up the funds for an expedition, and buried deep beneath a temple in the Arrenthen Basin she found this chest, and in it this scroll. The visions stopped the moment she found it, and she donated it to us. This was the first time any of the titans were depicted with colour, a monumental discovery.”

\tHe was growing increasingly convinced but unwilling to accept this without proof. “Okay, that's quite compelling evidence. How do I know you're telling the truth?”

\tShe rolled up the scroll and slipped it back into the chest. “You don't! You can't! Of course we could be lying. But what is more likely, that we just randomly decided that you – a reserved dragon who was minding his own business far away from civilization – were special and specifically conjured a conspiracy and put together the pieces and developed new magic just to convince you to fight in a war and die for us, or that we're telling the truth and spent valuable resources to investigate before making the wrong choice? I'm not going to pretend a conspiracy isn't possible or that we lack the ability to do so, but what would it benefit vs the cost? We get one dragon who lasts marginally longer in a fight but does nothing to sway the tides of war, all after spending mountains of gold coins on research and development of new potions? Yeah, I think you know that's not likely.”

\tHis breathing was growing. A huge part of him just wouldn't let him believe it, he still didn't have enough compelling evidence to buy into their claims. Yet, despite all that he also had few counter arguments that weren't grasping at threads. He had questions, but knew he couldn't possibly ask them without expecting some sort of run-around or testimony he would just question anyway.

\tAfter a moment of heavy breaths, he raised a hand. “Can I have a few moments? I really need some time to think.”

\tSanfrit stood up and bowed to him. “Indeed. We do politely request you stay at camp and give us some time to prove to you what we are certain to be true. If we can convince you to stay, that you are the Kaiju Dragon Reborn, then we seek your help. If we cannot convince you, or it turns out you absolutely are not who we think you are, you are free to leave. No ill will, no catch, no cost to you.”

\tLethias simply nodded before getting up, bowing to both Yelena and Sanfrit, and heading out of the tent with Fidget in tow. He walked past the clearing and right down the trail that he used to enter the camp, only to be stopped before reaching the guarded barricade by Fidget.

\t“You know they're right.” She declared without hesitation. “It sounds absurd, but they aren't lying. They wouldn't waste all this time with reconnaissance and hiring me to come get you and allowing me to use a dozen of those extremely valuable diagnostic potions. If they're wrong, they're wrong. They're not lying, and that's important.”

\t“I know.” He said in between ragged breaths. His vision was slightly blurred, the air felt thin, and his chest was tingling in a way that made things very uncomfortable. His heart beat rapidly and his fingers tingled; he was having a slight anxiety attack as he struggled to make sense of everything and reconcile his own personal uncertainties. “I know, but it's a lot to take in, and-”

\t“It's fine, calm down.” She said as she sidled up to him and guided him back towards the tents, her arm around his hip. “There's no need to panic and no need to commit. Just relax, maybe meet some of the other soldiers here, maybe have some food and drink and potions for fun, then we can reconvene tomorrow. I heard rumours and whispers that they have more to show you but didn't want to until you'd agreed to at least let them check you out a bit.”

\tHe paused and looked down at her. “You still know more you're not saying.”

\t“Yep. Can't just dump everything on you at once. I can't say much more, but trust me on this.”

\t“I only just met you, but I'll give it a chance.” He gulped and walked back to camp with her. “I just need some time. I'm sure you understand where my mind's at.”

\tShe nodded and leaned into him. “More than you know. Come on. I'll go see if I can get some of my potions back from Arbiter Vvilfred and we can have some fun tonight. Meet the crew. Who knows, maybe you'll make some friends and form some bonds. Either way, lots of food and music.”

\tLethias remained cautious but excited in equal measure. He had a hard time believing what was happening but he'd managed to take a few days on the trip up to at least temper his expectations in a way that allowed him to buy into it all. If only a little bit. Of course, he had so much more to see and to learn, so much more growth to experience.

\tThis dragon was in for one interesting night. ", "writing": "", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "", "pools_count": 0, "title": "Kaiju Dragon Reborn Chapter 2", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "image/png", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "2", "rating_name": "Adult", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "4", "name": "Sexual Themes", "description": "Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal", "rating_id": "2" } ], "submission_type_id": "1", "type_name": "Picture/Pinup", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "0", "views": "174" }