Oaksong Ch. 05: Dread

Three riders rode atop enormous black-and-silver nightsaber panthers, the humanoid forms covered in deep green cloaks to better camouflage them. Their long elven ears were visible as they poked out through slits in the hoods of their cloaks, mounts carrying them through the ancient woodlands.

Though they were well camouflaged, Shalendris, Talena and Allendril hardly felt safe. All around them, traces of the Burning Legion were visible. Claw marks could be seen in the trees' bark, glowing a sickly green. Green embers and tiny flickering flames littered the ground here and there, sign that demons had visited this place before.

Everything was quiet, save for the frequent flapping of Brightbeak, Shalendris's avian companion. The beast's ethereal form moved through the dense foliage as though it were no obstacle, surveying the surrounding areas. If he spotted a threat, Shalendris knew they would be warned. Yet, even with such a watchful companion at their side, there was unease growing.

It had been three days since they had left the camp and the other two hundred survivors, and they were only halfway to their destination. They'd been sent to Black Rook Hold to meet up with other night elves like them, to ask for assistance in evacuating the camp safely. They were, however, separated by territory controlled by the demons of the Burning Legion.

And even after three days, Shalendris hardly felt the need to sleep. There was some weariness in her muscles, to be sure, but nothing like what her two companions seemed to be experiencing. Shalendris had tried to stay awake the second night, just to see if she was truly imagining things or if she truly didn't need to sleep. And she had managed to keep her eyes open the whole time while the other two next to her slept peacefully.

Her breasts, while still massive by anyone's standards, seemed to have diminished somewhat after that experiment. She still felt hunger and the need for nourishment, unlike the days following the blessing she'd received from Aessina. She suspected it had something to do with the type of magic that her chest had absorbed, but it was too soon for her to confirm anything at this point.

Suddenly, Brightbeak landed on Shalendris's forearm, giving a few soft hoots. The woman had, over the last month, developed a deeper bond with the feathered being and grown to understand him better.

"Enemies spotted, north of here," came Shalendris as she rode up next to Allendril.

The pink-mustachioed night elf nodded in her direction, his gaze rapidly scanning the surroundings. "Then let us ride south and over the Mistwater Rapids. The foliage is dense there, and most fiends will have difficulty following us, even the winged ones."

Unlike his colorful appearance, Allendril was a calm and composed individual and Shalendris saw much of herself in his kind nature. Though he had decades if not centuries more experience than her, he did not shy away from teaching her basic magic and enchantments. She wondered what kind of enchantment kept his gaze from her chest, amused. Even before her current enhancement, men had often found their eyes drawn to her breasts. Large by Kaldorei standards, they were now absolutely enormous, nearly resting upon her lap as she rode her mount. Oh, how glad was she that her days were spent sitting and not walking! Though the great beast upon which she rode moved with unmatched grace, bouncing very little in the process, that small amount of bouncing was still more than enough to send her tits jiggling and wobbling about.

She would often find her hands pressed to the huge things, trying to lessen their constant jiggling and bouncing. But it was hopeless. They were far too large, and she needed both hands on the reins to travel long distances. She was not yet an expert rider like other soldiers seemed to be. She was quick to note, however, that what should have been quite the painful experience for her chest only caused her the mildest of discomforts.

Shadows seemed to grow all around them as they walked the trailless wilds, almost no light managing to reach the ground. The wind blew softly through the leaves, carrying with it a warning for Shalendris.

Danger.

Not a word, but a sense, a feeling. The trees themselves confirmed the trio's suspicions, and Shalendris was quick to alert Allendris again, to confirm what Brightbeak had seen. The bird took off from Shalendris's arm to perch itself upon a nearby tree, scanning its surroundings with its piercing white gaze.

"The day's travels have been difficult," he declared. "Let us rest for the night. I will cast the protective runes around our camp while you two keep watch."

Once they had found a suitable spot, they slid off their mounts and went to work. Shalendris set up the camp, Talena cast a few minor lighting spells to dispel the encroaching darkness and Allendril started casting runes into the trees to protect the small camp.

Three trees were more than enough, and he was done with the protective spell in less than a minute.

The sorcerer had cast a similar spell back at the refugee camp, yet this one had taken a hundredth of the time and had only required three trees upon which to cast the runes.

"There," the night elf declared, observing his work. "These should last about half a day, by my estimates!" he then added, proudly, his pink curly mustache rising with the wide grin forming on his lips.

Sitting down on a thick woolen blanket, Allendril then turned his gaze to the two women accompanying him, his golden eyes radiating kindness and warmth. "Now, I know this seems like quite the dire situation! But I want both of you to rest, this night. We are only half a day's ride from the crossing, and I am certain many eyes are already upon us. We will not stop; we will not rest until we are out of harm's way." With that said, he traced his fingers in the air for a moment in a rectangular motion, a small feast materializing slowly before them.

All three Kaldorei stomachs growled at the sight before them. All manner of fruits, cooked meats, soft bread, and vegetables now sat upon a small levitating platter, waiting for hungry mouths.

The mounts were fed first, to show gratitude and respect for their service. Nightsaber mounts were far more intelligent than smaller felines, and the bond between one of the great cats and its rider was unmatched, or so it was said. The large animals lay down nearby after they'd eaten, closing their eyes to rest.

As Talena gently ran her fingers through her nightsaber companion's fur, she spoke up. "When did you first learn the arcane arts?" she asked Allendris, who was busy biting into a juicy peach.

"Curious one, aren't you?" the night elf replied, pulling out a thin cloth with which to wipe his lips. "I have been learning for about three hundred years now, I would say. Though I still consider myself a novice in comparison to some of the other Highborne!" His laughter lightened the mood somewhat. Shalendris and Talena allowed themselves a smile.

"And you, Talena? Why dedicate your life to Elune? Why not learn magic as well? I have seen the great mastery with which you cast your spells. I am certain you would have made a fine mage. Ley lines aren't as fickle as goddesses!" he said in a friendly manner, a playful grin on his face. He didn't wait for her answer before taking another bite of his peach.

"Elune isn't fickle!" declared the priestess suddenly, more than a little offended at the man's words. "Elune watches over us and protects us!" she continued, catching the bald man by surprise.

"Then where is she?" retorted the sorcerer with all the seriousness in the world, no hint of mockery in his voice. "One would think a protector such as her would aid us more in these dark days."

"You are quite apt at criticizing Elune when your own spells don't work half the time! Where are your precious ley lines now?!" retorted the priestess angrily. "Could you not cast a spell to grant us invisibility? To allow us to fly to Black Rook Hold? To teleport us there?"

Allendril knew she was right, of course. While divine magic had not suffered any difficulties and still worked as it always had, arcane magic had weakened since they'd been cut off from the Well of Eternity. He still had access to most of his magical repertoire, but it took considerably more effort to draw upon the energies of the Well of Eternity and he often had to supplement his spells with other sources... which was why he was so often forced to cast his protective runes upon trees, drawing from the life essence they would give.

"You say you manipulate ley lines and that your abilities come from great practice and study, yet the minute the Well of Eternity weakens, your spells become useless!"

Allendril smiled, bowing his head somewhat. "You are right, young Talena. I meant no disrespect to Elune. I am as devout a follower as any other among us."

Meanwhile, Shalendris simply stared at the pair of them, not really understanding why they would argue and not understanding anything of divine or arcane magic. She barely had any control over her own magical abilities, relying mostly on when living beings (usually plants) wanted to communicate with her. Her bow was far more reliable, though it was still quite difficult to fire the weapon with breasts that were as large as they were now.

She brought a hand upwards to absent-mindedly caress the cumbersome things, still wrapped within the bedsheets Talena had used.

"And what about you, young Shalendris? You also seem quite gifted in the arts. I don't think I've heard of many Kaldorei who can speak with plants or who can change their form as quickly as you," he said, his eyes moving downwards to indicate her colossal chest.

The purple-haired night elf hesitated for a moment, thinking of how to best describe what had happened to her and what she knew of her abilities. "Before I found the refugee camp, I stumbled upon a glade where a nature spirit gave me her blessing... That's what my chest grew," she said, cupping her gargantuan melons as though to emphasize the point.

"Well, I should say that's when it grew the first time," she continued. "The size they were when I arrived at the camp was but a fraction of what they were after I'd received the blessing... And I think that has to do with them being used to store magical energy, in a way."

She then laughed a soft, pleasant chuckle. "I know it sounds stupid, but I have a theory... I think that different magical energies have different properties when absorbed by my breasts. They're like magical sponges, in a way..." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind an ear before her eyes looked over Talena and Allendril, still listening intently to her, visibly quite interested in what she had to say.

It was Talena who spoke up first. "Well, that makes sense, in a way. Did you notice how earth that has been touched by fel energies seems to get corrupted, how the land that does not die gets distorted? Mutates? I think that, like the land itself, your chest may have the capacity to absorb magic..." The young priestess then looked to Allendril, rubbing his chin, and nodding in response to her words.

"Mmm... Yes. That is quite the interesting theory! You have quite the perceptive mind! Such a shame you are not interested by the arcane arts!" he added, chuckling, and winking in her direction. "I suspect something similar, though we would have to attempt a test or two, if that is ok with you, Shalendris? I am the only one among us who can use arcane energy, and I would want to test your abilities. They may prove quite invaluable to us."

The man seemed to hold no ulterior motives other than sheer curiosity and, as Shalendris nodded her approval, he moved forward, sitting cross-legged before her.

"If I tell you to stop, you stop," warned Shalendris dryly, staring at the man.

"Of course, of course! You may feel a bit of a sting. This is an offensive spell of pure arcane energy. Though, with my powers in their current state, it would probably not be enough to slay even a squirrel!" continued the mage, his dexterous fingers already weaving glowing runes of white and purple energy in the air before him.

The spell itself took only a few seconds to cast before Allendril pushed the rune forwards at Shalendris.

The woman winced, closing her eyes as she braced for the worst. Though, when the spell hit her, it stung very little, her flesh only going numb for a brief moment. Looking down at her chest for any changes, she was both relieved and disappointed to see that no additional growth had happened.

"Are you sure the spell hit me properly?" asked Shalendris, looking up at the mage who seemed as perplexed as she was.

"I am certain that it did. I will attempt a second time and, if any arcane energies still linger upon you, this spell will build upon that energy to increase its potency. The effects might be greater than with a single blast of the spell..." he said, hands preparing the same rune yet again. He held it there for a moment, waiting for the woman's approval before hitting her with the energy again.

When she'd nodded, he let the spell fly, blasting her yet again with the purple-white energy.

This time, she didn't wince, eyes locked down on her chest, waiting for any possible effect. There seemed to be little pain, perhaps a side effect of her absorbing holy energy previously combined with the absorption power.

That thought went no further as suddenly, her tits ballooned outwards, like two enormous waterskins being filled with water they grew and grew. Their growth was quite impressive at this point, causing her bedsheet-top to detach itself and letting her chest grow unimpeded. The mountainous teats swelled at a constant pace, Shalendris holding her hands to them to feel her fingers being pushed apart, her hands unable to reach her nipples now.

As her form absorbed the powerful arcane spell, she felt a sudden clarity of thought. It was an odd feeling, but she almost understood the very nature of the magic around her, the magic he had cast. The arcane spell within her tits simmered there for a few moments as her chest's growth slowed, lingering within her flesh.

She didn't think it was possible, but her chest was now nearly a quarter bigger than it had been that morning, so large that her full and heavy teats most likely hung down to her hips if she stood up, settled firmly upon her lap.

The Kaldorei groaned as she massaged the colossal mountains of titflesh. "Ugh... I knew this was a bad idea. I doubt my Nightsaber will want to carry me now. And that's if he can carry me." A sigh escaped her parted lips as her hands wandered across the exposed flesh.

"Truly, truly marvelous!" exclaimed Allendril, visibly excited at the prospects of Shalendris's powers and not at all worried about any difficulties she might experience due to her absurd new size. "I wonder what a third blast would-"

"NO!" shouted Shalendris and Talena in unison to protest the sorcerer's apparent desire to push the woman's powers to her limits.

"Fine, fine! Though if this is what such a small amount of arcane energy can do..." Allendril said with a laugh, obviously not as distressed as the other two women. A glare from the two women told him he should probably stop talking and he shut himself up by grabbing a fruit from the floating mage-table to stuff into his mouth.

Talena huddled close to Shalendris, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

Shalendris turned her head sideways towards the priestess, offering her a slight smile, a hint of sadness visible in her eyes. "I didn't mind this blessing at first but it's quickly starting to seem like a curse," complained Shalendris, giving her breasts a squeeze as though that would somehow allow her to empty the energy stored within.

Talena also squeezed her fingers a bit harder into Shalendris's shoulder and suddenly, the two night elves felt a connection form between the two. Not regarding their relationship to one another, but the feeling of each other's energy, in a way. Shalendris could feel the priestess's body, could understand its dimensions and construction.

It was then that Shalendris felt the energy simmering in her chest, the power stored within seeking an outlet that it had found in the priestess.

"Talena," an amazed Shalendris said. "Do you feel it? Do you trust me?"

Talena, eyes wide open, for she had never felt such a thing, simply nodded.

And then, Shalendris directed the arcane energy within her breasts, letting it move upwards to her shoulder and through Talena's fingertips. The green-haired elf felt a small tingling at the tips of her digits that rapidly moved first to her spine, settling there for a few moments. It wanted to be directed, it wanted to be told where to go.

Her eyes glanced over to Shalendris's chest, and she knew what she wanted. She wanted to help her friend most of all, but she had always been a bit jealous of the more endowed women in her life.

Like innumerable, unseen needles prickling her skin, the energies moved across her ribs and towards her chest. Talena knew that it was her own will that was now directing the energy, guided somewhat by Shalendris's thoughts. They were doing this together, she knew.

A delicate moan slipped from Talena's lips, and she leaned forward somewhat, surprised at the feeling of pressure at her chest. It wasn't a painful sort of pressure, though it wasn't anything particularly pleasurable compared to the arcane current itself. She had never been too blessed in that region but now the two tiny bumps in her robes started pushing outwards, her nipples rapidly hardening, causing slight indentations in the fabric of her garments.

With her right hand upon Shalendris's shoulder, Talena lifted her left hand up to her chest to feel that slow growth, to feel the flesh beneath expand, pressing against her palm. It was an odd feeling, to see oneself changing physically at such a rate and for a moment she forgot all about the Legion, about the burning woodlands and the enemies all around them.

For a moment, she felt at peace (and more than a little turned on, to be honest).

The two previously flat breasts grew outwards still, and Talena noticed how that growth was accompanied by an equivalent reduction in Shalendris's own chest. It was working.

Talena squeezed her breasts as if to confirm that they were indeed hers, two sensitive tits attached to her body. They had soon surpassed the size of apples and the priestess felt that her robes were far less spacious in that area than they had been mere moments ago. Using her free hand, she hurriedly undid a few buttons at the front to grant her expanding twins the room they needed.

Allendril, meanwhile, seemed completely amazed at the situation. Of course, he did enjoy the sight of the two half-naked women before him, but he was far more intrigued by the odd "titty transfer" going on. Oh, how he wished he had brought his notebooks (or anything else to take notes on, really). He would simply have to write it all down once they arrived at Black Rook Hold.

Like two glaciers melting, Shalendris could feel her chest sliding backwards, dragging slightly against her thighs as it shrank, portions of it being transferred over to her friend who now sported breasts that resembled large grapefruit in size.

It wasn't enough. Shalendris could feel how this transfer of energy was taking its toll on her mentally, her concentration becoming harder and harder to maintain.

With one last great push, the purple haired Kaldorei "shoved" a great portion of arcane energy through to her friend, causing Talena's eyes to open wide in shock as her breasts doubled in size in the span of a second, the sudden increase in weight nearly causing her to lose her balance and fall flat on her face.