X Centaurus Ch. 004

She panicked looking around trying to see, but there was nothing, only pitch black darkness and absolute pin-drop silence.

She looked down at her hands but found she couldn't see them, in fact as she observed herself she realised that she no longer had a body, she was bodiless, a floating consciousness in the abyss.

If she had lungs to breathe with she suspected she would be hyperventilating.

Instead, she simply floated and did the only thing she could do, exist and watch.

After a little while of just existing something caught her eye. It was a mote of light, tiny, the size of a speck of dust. She willed herself closer and to her surprise she moved, her point of view shifting closer to the mote.

The mote seemed to be caught in some kind of invisible current and no matter how it struggled it was drawn in one direction. Fey watching the thing with curiosity, it seemed like the mote was in a losing battle, whatever was drawing it in was irresistible.

She looked around trying to spot what it was that had the mote so trapped. Nothing, just an empty void, that is until she saw a curve, a black curve, black on black, and as she looked from left to right and up and down she realised she was looking at a mind bogglingly vast planet sized lightless sphere.

Instinctually she understood several things at once.

First that the mote of light belonged to the anti-mage. She didn't know how she knew but she did.

Second, the terrifyingly huge planet was hers. A mass so great and so heavy and so dense that it was generating its own gravity well unlike anything else in this void and its proximity to the mote was drawing it in, sucking it up as surely as a stone falls to earth.

Third, the mote was rapidly accelerating.

She watched uncertainly, unsure if she should or could do anything to stop it as the desperately struggling mote fell down and down toward the planet and was instantly absorbed as it landed. The little light winked out and Fey was alone in the dark again with only that intimidatingly vast mass to keep her company.

She could feel herself drifting back to reality, the darkness seeping away. But as she went she got a sense of dominating will from the planet sized mass, a hunger, a dark insatiable need to breed, to reproduce, to fuck. Then it was gone and she was back in her own normal physical body.

"-no need for blood if we are all reasonable people."

She looked down at the anti-mage who's arm she still grasped.

He looked back at her and after a moment a puzzled expression crossed his face.

"Hey... are you getting bigger?"

Fey realised he was right, she did feel larger, she was growing. Not much, just a fraction of an inch, but it was noticeable. She squirmed as the feeling rushed through her. She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the sensation. She was distracted however by what was happening to the man, already he had lost an inch of height and was rapidly losing more. The centaur looked on wide eyed as the man before her seemed to drain, his muscles dwindling and syphoning away, his body becoming softer and smaller, even his bones were shifting, his face becoming less angular and more rounded. She gasped and let go of the man as the stubble fell from his cheeks and his wrinkles seemed to lessen. He'd lost nearly a foot of height by the time the change stopped.

He looked down at his body wide eyed. He looked like a younger man. Suddenly desperate he pulled forward his now slack trousers and looked down at his private parts.

"Oh my god! What have you done to me?! It's like a nub!!!" His voice cracked and peaked as he spoke.

"I- I don't know!"

The man held up one trembling hand and balled his fist, once, twice. His mouth fell open.

"My anti-magic, it- It's gone!"

Behind them a dumpster exploded. Garbage and bits of wood flew into the air before freezing in place mid arc. In the center a mud smeared gnome rose from the ground, a look of terrible fury on her face.

"OI CUNT!"

The trembling pseudo young man turned to her, his fist still held helplessly up. He gave her a nervous ingratiating smile.

"Uhm, hi?"

"I will fucking destroy you, you fucking tubesteak!" howled the gnome.

"W-wait, this isn't fair!!! THIS ISN'T FAI-!" He screamed as a dumpster's worth of garbage meteored into him and slammed him headfirst into the dirt.

The three other men bolted. Flora moved through the air with her arms outstretched, various bits of trash orbiting her like some kind of goddess of garbage. With a vicious snarl she twisted her hand and the three fleeing men face planted into the ground, another flick of her hand and they began to be pulled backwards by their feet screaming, their hands clawing at the ground ineffectively trying to get away.

"You're pretty good at healing, right Fey?"

"Uhm, yes?"

Ellaria held up her hand and a three foot wide fireball bloomed above her head colouring the tight packed buildings with orange light.

The anti-mage was crawling from the pile of garbage he had found himself under, a hand held to his face where a nasty gash sheeted blood. He only had a moment to scream before everything was fire, and then he really began to scream.

"Ella! I can't heal him if he's dead!"

The elf tutted but snapped her fingers and the fire extinguished. The man's clothing was gone and his skin was bright red and cracked. He writhed on the ground in agony, small choked off whimpers the best he could get out from his seared lips.

Fey trotted over to him as the other three men were lifted into the air screaming, their clothes being torn piece by piece from their bodies.

Despite being in horrible torment the man with a sort of young man's body still had enough of his senses about him to try and scramble back fearfully as Fey approached. He failed of course, as he was in too much pain to have any real control over his faculties.

Fey crouched down and held out her hands over his burns, green light illuminated the man and his skin began to heal. While doing this the centaur had a pretty good view of what she had done to the man before he was temporarily immolated. His body had seemingly regressed, as though he had had the sexual maturity sucked right out of him leaving him looking younger as a side effect. He fainted halfway through the healing to Fey's relief, she wasn't sure she was comfortable with the sheer blind terror in those eyes.

A few feet away a naked man was smashed through a door, still screaming. Fey sighed and finished healing up the burnt anti-mage leaving him pink skinned and curled up in the fetal position in the mud.

She trotted over to Ellaria who was standing over a pile of gathered clothing with a fiery look in her eye. She lifted her hand and a cone of fire obliterated the clothing turning it to ash.

"Ella, I think Flora's going to go too far."

"They would deserve it."

A man suddenly flew past their heads, his limp body crashing through a shuttered window.

Fey raised an eyebrow at her.

"Fine. Won't be much use if we're wanted for murder I suppose, even it's scum like this."

She turned to the gnome who was cackling as she pushed one of the men's heads into a steaming pile of horse manure.

"Flora, take it down a notch, we're out of here."

"Fuck you. I'm not stopping until I break a foot off in one of these assholes arseholes!"

"If you don't stop I'll dock your share from the reward. I'm serious."

"Bitch! That's mine!"

However, the gnome did stop, ending by slamming the man face first into a fresh pile of dung. Fey was pretty sure he was openly weeping and trying without success to vomit.

"Aww, but I didn't get a turn!" said Vivi mopily.

"Next time make yourself useful and we won't end up in that situation."

The vulpine pouted. "I was about to until Fey over here sucked the manliness out of that anti-mage. What was that even?

The band turned to Fey.

"I- I don't know, I was just touching him and then everything went black and I saw what I think was a part of him get absorbed into a part of me..."

Ellaria raised an elegant eyebrow. "Really now? And that part was what? His masculinity? his puberty? His magic?"

"Yes! All of it, I think. I think... I think all of that, every last bit of that white stuff in the dungeon, it's inside me somehow... I saw it... It's big, it's really really big, and it's really really hungry."

"What are you on about? The hell do you mean hungry?" said Flora crossing her arms.

"I can't explain it, it's like there is just so so so much of whatever it is crammed together that it has somehow gained a sense of self, a basic animal instinct."

"That's... worrying, and a little disturbing," said Ellaria.

"I know! I need it out! I can't go on like his! Gods know what it will do to me!"

"Well we know what it's doing to you, it's making you grow bigger and be more attractive and cum buckets. Seems like it has a pretty straight forward intent."

Fey bit her lip. "But when does it stop? Where does it end!?"

"Calm down Fey, we're going to find a way to fix you and put you back how you were."

"Aww really? But she's so much more fun like this! Who would want to trade being a giant fucking stallion sex god for meek little Fey the healer."

Fey turned annoyed eyes on Flora, her hands curling into fists at her side.

"That's still me you are talking about like that! Flora, goddamit why do you have to be this way all the time. If you say something mean like that again I- I won't have sex with you again!!"

Flora blinked and unfolded her arms. "Hey wait hold on, I was just kidding, you were and still are an amazing healer Fey... I don't like to admit it but Vivi might have died without you in the dungeon.... As much of a dumbass fox she is she is still one of my friends... and I regret that it was you who took the, whatever that attack was by the thing in the bottom of the dungeon, you jumped in and attempted to save my life without knowing if it was life or death. I'm... Whatever I say I am grateful for that."

Fey's hands uncurled and she sighed. She looked up at the slightly muddy pink haired gnome floating in the air.

"It's... It's fine... I chose to do it, it was my decision, so I live with the consequences."

"Not forever Fey. We'll fix this, in the meantime just relax and try to enjoy the uh, good parts, being taller for one," said Ellaria.

"So all good and cool and we can fuck and stuff in the meantime yeah?" said the gnome giving Fey a cheeky grin.

"You're as insatiable as an entire colony of rabbits Flora," said Fey,

"I choose to take that as a generous compliment."

Vivi put a paw on her hip and stretched her spine.

"We gonna make moves or are we gonna be stuck here all day?"

"Yes, we need to get to the adventurers guild and report what these muggers, these highwaymen were doing. Other adventurers need to be made aware that a group like this is around. There may be more if they are as organized as they seem."

"Eh, I was more looking forward to getting paid, but sure," said Vivi, beginning to step away.

Ellaria was about to join her when Flora pointed down at the pile of ash that was what remained of the muggers clothing and belongings. The ash rippled and then suddenly objects burst free and flew into the air, levitating up to orbit around the gnome.

"The muggers become the mugged," she said smugly as a blackened leather coin purse split apart and silver coins spilt into the air.

Fey grabbed a passing coin and examined it. ⚜️'1 silver. Her Majesty EXCALIVANIA the Dragon Queen, Dei Gratia Regina 1136 ⚜️

A regal looking dragon head wearing a crown was embossed on its surface.

"Ooh! Gimme!" said Vivi snatching coins from the air.

"Hey! You didn't even do anything! You just sat on your ass and were fake preggers!" complained Flora with a scowl.

"Usual adventurer's rules Flora. Those muggers were monsters as much as any real monster. Even split," said Ellaria.

Flora looked up at the sky and let out an agonised sigh. "Gods help me, Fiiiine. Fckinlzygddamfox."

The coins and purses orbiting her split apart and zipped up to each of the band, in Vivi's case they pinged off her belly and landed in the mud forcing the fox girl to have to lean down awkwardly to scoop them up.

Ellaria was already walking away along with the rest of the band and Vivi had to waddle fast to catch up, one paw holding up her belly as she clutched the coins to her chest.

They soon passed from the scene and a few blocks later they came to their destination, the Adventurers Guild. Despite the grand name the building wasn't much to look at, an old tavern converted for the local guild's uses, practical, but not pretty.

Ellaria pushed through the swinging door to the warm interior, the mutter of conversation and the scent of stale beer washing over them as they entered. Adventurers huddled around tables barely gave them a glance, at least until Fey entered, that attracted a few questioning eyes and shocked expressions.

Gracefully ignoring the attention the band stepped up to the counter where the AG's clerk worked, part Guild staff part barkeep she gave the band a flat look as they stepped up, her gaze drifting from Ellaria to Vivi's pregnant stomach to Fey's rock hard throbbing cock. Surprisingly it didn't even give her pause, her demeanour so jaded that a sculptor could happily carve several jade statues from it.

"We're back from the new dungeon exploration job, I would like to procure the reward."

"Hmm. Really." The clerk gave her a dry look then pulled a heavy book from beneath the bar along with a green crystal on a leather cord and a pen. She flipped open the book. Her eyes flicked back up to Ellaria.

"Band name."

"Magic Mog."

She flipped through the pages and then ran her finger down the paper.

"Band Captain, Ellaria De'loquint the Third of House Starry Oak."

"Yes, that is me."

She looked down at the book again then turned to Vivi.

"Vivi Skypiercer?"

Vivi patted her stomach and gave the clerk a vulpine smile. "Yup, that's me, pretty badass name no?"

The clerk's expression remained as stony and immovable as granite. She turned to Fey.

"Fey Swifthoof of the Moonplain tribe?"

"U-uhm, yes that's me."

The clerk turned to Flora and paused, she stared at the book for a much longer time than previously.

Vivi put her paw to her mouth and looked away from Flora. " Here it cooomes..." she whispered aloud.

The clerk's eye twitched.

"Miss Killfuck Soulshitter."

In the background an adventurer fell off his chair.

Ellaria put a hand over her eyes and sighed.

"Oh yeah, that's me!" said Flora with a shit eating grin.

"Why, why in gods name did you register yourself as that again Flora?" said Ellaria still with her hand on her face.

"Because I wanted a legendary name, duh. A name people will fear and remember!"

Ellaria let out a hissing breath from between her teeth and massaged her forehead.

"They'll definitely remember it alright."

"You're just jealous of my awesome adventurer name. Imagine being stuck with a lame posh elfy name like yours."

Ellaria glared at the gnome her lips set in a line. With difficulty, she turned her attention back to the clerk.

"The job, I want the reward."

The clerk blinked at her and seemed to collect herself, her stony expression returning.

"Commission from the Guild to check a potential new dungeon and gather information if said dungeon is proven to exist."

"Yes, that's the one." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I cannot say whether the dungeon is truly a dungeon or not, we found it had multiple floors, goblins, slimes, other typical things for a dungeon but there was also a lot of extremely dangerous animated armour which is not normal for a dungeon. I would advise against any inexperienced adventuring band entering that 'dungeon'. We found no core and no loot and no treasure, as best we could tell it was barren, very different from any dungeon I am familiar with." She paused and looked the clerk in the eye. "You can look up my record with the Guild if you wish, I know my stuff. I highly highly recommend sending a specialist Guild Investigator before sending any further bands into that dungeon. Especially considering the level of skill around here."

She gave a meaningful glance at the groups of adventurers crowded around the circular tables of the room. A few of them were surreptitiously leaning in their direction attempting to overhear.

The clerk looked at Ellaria trying to read her. Then she picked up the green crystal by the cord. It flashed blue. She pursed her lips.

"Very well. I will see this goes up the chain before any further jobs or information goes out.

"Thank you."

The clerk ducked below and scuffled around. A moment later she dropped four coin bags on top of the bar. Flora instantly snatched hers up and greedily peered inside.

"Wait, is this it?"

"It was just an exploration and information job Flora, most of the reward was the dungeon itself but since there was nothing in the dungeon this is all we get."

Flora stuck out her tongue. "All that work for just this makes me want to become a mugger, at least it seems like it pays better. Fuckin Guild pay."

"We aren't exactly in a big area for adventuring with a big guild budget so you will just have to deal with it." She turned back to the clerk. "I'd like to report something as an aside."

The clerk paused while putting the job book away. "Yes?"

"We were waylaid on the way here. Thieves targeting returning adventurers. One of them was an anti-mage. Very dangerous. We dealt with them but I can't help but feel there is more. The Guild needs to do something or adventurers are going to be robbed just trying to get here, especially if they are weakened or low on mana after a job."

"Adventurers are their own responsibility outside of Guild property and jobs. The Guild does not seek jurisdiction over any town or city it is located in."

Ellaria frowned at her. "But they are our people, fellow adventurers, we need to look out for our own."

The clerk's tone was distinctly uninterested. "Thieves are none of mine or the Guild's concern. That is the problem of private citizens and the responsibility of law enforcement. If you take issue then seek out the local town guard."

"But-"

"If that is all." The clerk moved away without giving her a chance to reply.

Ellaria gave the clerk's back a frustrated look.

"So they're not going to do anything at all?"

"Seems like it."

"Wow this town is bullshit."

"I'm not going to do nothing, even if the Guild doesn't care," said Ellaria. She put a hand into the dimensional bag at her side and pulled out her romance novel. Flipping to the back she ripped out a blank page and then snatched up the pen that the clerk had accidentally left out on the bar top. She swiftly wrote at the top the page.

She held up the page and inspected it.

'WARNING! THIEVES TARGETING ADVENTURERS IN TOWN ON RETURN FROM JOBS! WARNING!'

"I don't think they will get the point, it's not scary enough." said Flora using her telekinetic power to pull the paper from Ellaria's hands along with the pen.

She slammed it down on the bar and began gesturing at it, moving the pen above the paper. A crude skull with X's for eyes and dripping blood was quickly drawn below Ellaria's elegant handwriting.

"There, see, now people will take it seriously."

"Flora, nobody is going to take that seriously, it's like a child's crayon drawing."

"Hey fuck off, I tried okay!"

Vivi grabbed up the pen and leaned over the paper, her belly squishing up against the bar. She stuck her tongue out as she scribbled.

Ellaria was becoming annoyed as it was taking her a while. "Just give me the paper already, it's enough, I'm going to speak with the guard anyway."