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Acquisition

Azure Ebonwing was more than satisfied with the workout equipment that Osimaret had summoned. The effects of the tiny, damned creatures summoned by the demon were certainly helping, of course; even after a vigorous routine, the dragon felt better than ever. He would have to come up with new ways of challenging himself as, after just one session, it was clear his old physical limits had been completely cast aside. "So, my black-winged friend," Osimaret spoke, walking over to the dragon once more, "You said you knew of others who would be worthy in participating. Who are these people and where are they?"

The dragon paused to think. There were plenty of possibilities after all. Some of his old workout buddies would love this place, but were they ready to handle something like this? And why restrict himself to simply choosing from his immediate peers? There were certainly other species that sought out the finest in physical prowess, even if they had different ways of manifesting that beauty. And then others he knew had a well-disciplined mind but hadn't yet taken the opportunity to train their bodies in the same way; this seemed like a perfect chance to allow them to train with a minimum of distractions. "I know a few," Azure said. "How many are we looking for right now?"

"Two? Three? I would prefer to keep this place reserved for the truly worthwhile beings who can make use of my powers to perfect themselves. There will be time to expand our ranks later. For now, choose carefully, Azure." Osimaret's words helped focus the dragon's mind. Just a couple for now? He could immediately think of two: One was a dragon, one was not.

"Well," Azure started, considering his choices carefully, "There's the guy who was the runner up in that show you found me at. Dragonien Hitsume." The demon remembered that red dragon. He had dismissed that possibility quickly, in part thanks to the below-average (for a dragon) height he sported. But with the endorsement of Azure, and the power to grow himself, perhaps Dragonien could make up for that shortcoming. Though Osimaret had his doubts, he kept them to himself for now; if things started to get out of hand he had ways of correcting the problems when they arose.

"And Sovrim," the dragon added.

"Who is he?"

"He's from another planet near mine," Azure explained. "Some weird kind of swampy water world. The guy has endurance though." Osimaret watched the dragon's face to see if he betrayed any innuendo in that statement but the mythical beast's gaze remained pure. "He'll keep going all day long if you let him. That has to come in handy right?" The demon nodded his agreement. There was more than one kind of physical prowess, after all.

"Then it is decided. Go first to your world and find Dragonien. We'll then go together to Sovrim's realm. Let us not waste any time; the sooner we return the more quickly you can resume your training." It was an entirely ulterior motive of course. The demon simply was going to enjoy the eye candy while getting out of having to work. If those he allowed to work out here also took benefit from it, so much the better, but that was never his priority.

After being urged on by Osimaret, Azure quickly ran up the stairs and burst through the door that led back to his home world. The exit led him into the basement of his former home. Those apartments seemed cramped enough before but now, after his earlier adventures had added a foot to his height, they seemed even more inadequate for the towering beast. Even his fellow dragons couldn't come up with something adequate for someone like him. The thought amused Azure but needed to be pushed aside for now. He was here for a reason. He climbed up the stairs and made his way outside. His target was just a short walk away.

When Azure walked outdoors, he was impossible to miss. He was the tallest person on the street, standing head and shoulders above everyone else and almost double the height of some folks. The crowd in the busy street still parted just enough for him to make his way through. They knew who he was and, though everyone's gaze lingered for a moment, none dared to touch his pristine scales. Azure's mere presence was enough to command respect from anyone who understood this world and what his body represented: Years of hard work to bring himself as close to perfection as possible. What nobody else knew is that he now had an extra tool in his arsenal thanks to the demon. Rather than merely being close to perfection, Azure was convinced he could truly reach that pinnacle of physical ability given nothing more than time.

Azure had to tread carefully as he made his way toward a residential area meant for those smaller than him. He was getting close to Dragonien's home, at least. Once he found the dragon he knew it would be easy convincing the red one to come back with him and join him in seeking ever-greater power. Oh what horrible things they would get up to...

Dragonien was 'only' eight feet tall. He lived on the top floor of a two-story apartment building, one that was slightly cramped for the red dragon. It was tastefully appointed - the red certainly appreciated the finer things in life - but still never seemed big enough. He was relaxing after another excessively long day doing some pointless job or another, but a loud knock on his window nearly made the dragon jump out of his seat. Dragonien got up from his seat and walked over to the window, drew back the curtain, and smirked at the oversized face on the other side. "Ha ha, very funny," he said, shouting loud enough to be heard through the glass.

Azure just leaned in closer to the building and tried to lower his voice. "I have something I need to show you. Put on something comfortable, get down here, and follow me." That was a curious request. Azure was usually rather terse when speaking to people but he rarely gave such a vague statement. It was enough to pique Dragonen's curiosity, at least. He put on a pair of almost skin-tight blue boxer briefs and wandered downstairs wearing nothing else. Modesty was certainly a the strong point for the red one. "Let's go Drago," Azure said, leading the way back toward his place.

While the blue dragon was walking slowly, Dragonien had to jog just to keep up with his larger companion. As they stood, the smaller dragon came only halfway up Azure's thighs; he probably could have stood beneath the bigger male if not for the swinging dragonhood occupying that space. Most people didn't even turn to look at the mismatched pair of dragons; on this world, such size ratios really weren't that uncommon. However, as before, most people gave Azure a wide berth; they didn't dare force the dragon to deviate from his path through the city. When they made their way back toward Azure's side of town, Dragonien started to look a bit small. Buildings were now scaled for those creatures fifteen to twenty feet in height; by that standard, Dragonien was downright puny. The red dragon moved a bit closer to his larger friend to avoid potential conflict with others in this area.

Several more minutes later, they were at the entrance to Azure's apartment building. He opened the door and went inside but, rather than heading up the stairs to his apartment he started walking down toward the laundry room. It was only when Azure started to lead Dragonien downward that the red dragon started to ask questions. "Where are you going?" It was certainly strange how things had gone already this afternoon. Normally Azure was more talkative than this. He rarely simply ignored a question as he was doing now; most of the time he'd make it very clear that the inquiries were unwelcome. Something was clearly up. "You're being weird. What's up?"

"You'll see. Trust me." Azure still refused to explain as he opened the door to what initially appeared to be a mere utility closest. "Follow me." There was no way both of them would actually fit in a closet... then again, there was no way Azure should have been able to fit in it himself. The sapphire-scaled dragon had to almost crouch down to fit into that doorway and he seemed to go deeper and deeper into a hallway. Dragonien was more than slightly confused but also intensely curious. It had to be some kind of illusion, right? No matter what it was he had to go and find out. The red dragon quickly walked forward, striding purposefully to and through the doorway. That's when he realized that, shockingly, this wasn't a joke after all.

When Dragonien walked down the stairs into Osimaret's gym, he was left in a rather dumbstruck state of awe. This was everything that Azure had ever talked about using and more. Was it a new black market gym of sorts for people who wanted to exercise without the prying eyes of the public? Was there some sort of performance-enhancing drug dealer waiting around the corner? It was a little too convenient for all this to be underneath Azure's old apartment. And even then, how was this place so darn big if it was in the basement of just one building? Something more had to be going on here. Even as he pondered those questions Dragonien kept walking forward, taking in all the sights around him, until he was in the main weight room and saw both Azure and Osimaret standing next to each other, talking casually back and forth. When they realized that their new 'client' was finally in the room, they stopped and turned to the smaller one.

Osimaret spoke first. "You must be Dragonien. Welcome. What did Azure tell you about this place?"

"Well..." Dragonien thought, considering what sort of cutely sarcastic response to give.

The demon read the pause, however, and didn't wait for the smaller dragon to even finish that sentence. "Nothing. Okay then. What if I told you that you could become as big as Azure not with years of hard work but with a mere week under my training?" That promise seemed absurd. Dragonien crossed his arms in disbelief. Osimaret continued. "I am a demon charged with sending the damned to meet their inevitable fate. Rather than simply doing this alone, however, I have decided it would be more interesting to allow a few others to assist me in that task. I chose Azure to join me; you can see the effect simply being here one day has had upon him. Now he has chosen to give you that same opportunity. If you are want to accept it, the equipment is yours to use; you will learn how things work here given time. If you would rather not help a demon, you are free to go." He punctuated that last statement by gesturing to the door Dragonien had walked through a few minutes ago, which now seemed like it was half a mile away.

"You know you want to do this," Azure said, flexing impressively in front of his smaller companion. Indeed, Dragonien was slightly jealous. He had always wanted to be even bigger - both in height and musculature - but had never gotten the kind of results that he thought he deserved. This wasn't technically a deal with the devil, either, even if it certainly felt like it with the way everything had been presented to him. Does he take a chance to have something he's always wanted or simply walk away and wonder what could have been?

Osimaret extended his right hand to the red dragon. "Do we have a deal? I am sure you're eager to begin if we do." Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Dragonien stepped forward and shook that massive hand, even as he looked up expectantly for a sign from the demon. Such a sign wasn't forthcoming, however, aside from a wry smile as the narwhal stood up and gestured to the exercise machines. "Go on. They're waiting for you."

As Dragonien started to walk back, Azure took the lead, guiding him to a suitably-sized bench press rack. "Come on. I'll spot for you. What's the most you've ever lifted on one of these?"

"Uh... six hundred?" Dragonien responded. As soon as he said that, Azure began throwing the weights around. He slapped on the hundred-pound plates like they weighed nothing at all; the smaller weights looked almost ridiculously small in the twenty-foot-tall dragon's hands.

With the weight settled, Ebonwing over the bar at the front of the apparatus. "Give me ten reps. You've got this." Dragonien balked. Ten? He'd never done more than two in a row at that weight. Sure, Az could easily catch the bar if he got into trouble. Hell, the bigger dragon would probably be able to chuck that weight aside like it was a toothpick. But that had to be a joke, right? "Let's go Dragonien." That was enough to stop the red dragon's stalling. He hesitated a bit longer before getting into position, but he soon laid back on the bench and squared his feet on the floor. There was ... something under his right foot. Something itchy. The dragon ground his paw against the floor to try and satisfy that annoyance before simply shifting his position slightly to get rid of whatever it was.

That tiny thing was, of course, yet another tiny city. This time an entire metropolis of ten million people had been diminished to the size of a mere postage stamp The floor lighting gave those people a perfectly clear view of the red soles about to descend for them. It was like the sky itself had turned crimson; they could see every detail of Dragonien's toes writ large as the paw slowly descended upon them. Every little curve of his toeprints was like a valley, one that would only just have room for a couple city blocks along its length. The curvature of each toe was like that of the distant horizon, one that hovered miles in the sky that was rapidly falling toward them. The first impact caused most buildings in the city to collapse. The ones that were caught directly beneath flesh simply imploded, vanishing in an instant when that red flesh met the ground. Even the ones that were in those toeridges were badly damaged by the violent gust of wind and the quaking that accompanied the impact upon the floor. For the remaining survivors, all they had was the wreckage of their homes and an unrecognizingly massive surface of solid red. What had happened? They would have only a few seconds to consider that. When Dragonien attempted to satisfy his itch by grinding his foot against the floor, everything else was ground out of existence; they were simply the latest victims of a titan working out.

Dragonien certainly felt something different once he settled in, even if he didn't quite know what was going on yet. He grasped the weight in both hands and drew in one last deep breath before beginning his set. Though the weight was indeed about as much as he could handle, Dragonien felt capable of handling it. The bar briefly caressed his chest before the red dragon pushed it upward once again. He locked his arms out. "One," Azure said, "Nine more." Nodding, the smaller dragon let the weight descend once more. The second lift was still a struggle, but it came slightly easier than the first. "Two. Keep going." Another repetition. Down. Up. "Three." Down. Up. "Four." By the midpoint of the set, Dragonien was almost distracted by his awe over what was happening. This was more than he should have been able to lift even twice; instead of struggling, though, he was thriving. His arms burned with exertion, but that pleasant feeling of hard exercise never gave way to even a hint of fatigue. His breathing became heavy but he was able to complete all ten reps.

"How'd I do that..." Dragonien asked as he sat up. He looked over the weights to ensure that yes, it really was six hundred pounds piled there. It was a free weight so there clearly wasn't anything funny about a mechanical assistance. Azure never touched the bar even once during the set so it wasn't the big dragon's involvement either.

"Did you feel anything before you got started?" Azure asked. He had a knowing smirk upon his muzzle. Dragonien nodded; Azure's smirk widened. "See, that's the funny thing about this place. Osimaret's little doomed things are little as hell. And when we're working out we get to use their size for ourselves. They get smaller. We get bigger. And if you keep this up for a while... well, how big do you wanna get? It's all up to how much work you put in here. It's not a free ride but it's damn sure more than you thought you were going to do with this body of yours." It was a strange system but it seemed that this was going to work out quite nicely. "So what do you say? Ready for another set?" Dragonien only responded with a grin and a nod as he got back onto the bench. He was ready to spend the rest of the day pumping iron and Azure helped him work out for a good part of the day. Yes, this was the beginning of a beautiful thing.

Aquatics

Once Azure had finished leading Dragonien through a full body workout, the dual-colored dragon was ready to head out and acquire his second guest of honor for this arrangement. He'd known Sovrim for a while and the hybrid was a near-perfect counterpart to the dragon's abilities. Azure specialized in bursts of raw strength his physique was second to none; Sovrim had agility and endurance on his side. Between them, they could put up some awfully long days for whatever unfortunate creatures found themselves beneath the two males. But first, he would have to actually convince his friend to become the newest partner in this curious endeavor.

This time, when Azure made his way to the exit, it led to a completely different world. Once again he found himself in a basement, but this time he smacked his head against the ceiling immediately. Clearly this was not the right place for a twenty foot tall dragon to be. Azure smirked to himself though. This world was just too small for him... that thought was more than slightly alluring, though it was a somewhat inconvenient fact at the moment. He was fortunate enough to find a freight exit across the room however. That was good enough for now. He got on all fours and crawled across the floor until, finally, he could emerge from the building he'd previously contained within. As he rose from the basement loading dock, he looked like a giant rising from the sea, minus the water cascading from his scales.

But there was plenty of water here. This building, like most artificial structures on Sovrim's home world, was built on a specially constructed island. Most of the natural land wouldn't support this kind of weight for very long; Azure would have to watch his step if he ventured very far off the beaten path. He glanced around to get his bearings and found he was at a transport hub within convenient walking distance of Sovrim's abode. It seemed Osimaret's portals were pretty damn good at figuring out the nearest place large enough for whoever was walking through them. But it did still leave a five minute walk and Azure was going to stand out like a sore thumb here. Many of the creatures on this world were somewhat xenophobic. Few would dare get in his way, but Azure could still hear the grumbled insults and under-their-breath comments as he strode through the streets as if he owned the place. His footprints lingered for a few moments on the spongy ground, tripping up more than one person as he strode through the village.

Rather than having to enter Sovrim's home, Azure was noticed by his friend before he even reached the building. Sovrim swam over quickly and hoisted himself onto the shore before gently shaking off some of the excess moisture from his flesh. The creature was a strange sort of hybrid between a salamander and a chameleon. Sovrim's hide was mostly smooth, but had the faintest hints of scaly texture in various places. His feet were slightly webbed, as one would expect from an amphibian; the hybrid always loved the feeling of water against that flesh as he swam about. Being part chameleon gave him a somewhat more impressive tail, however, and the ability to change his colors. As he stood on the ground, he changed from an aquatic blue to start matching the greenish terrain beneath his feet. At just under ten feet tall, the top of his head crest reached the dragon's hips; Sovrim had to look up significantly just to look the dragon in the eye. "Azure? What are you doing here?" The hybrid's tone was slightly anxious; there was little reason his draconic friend would be here if things were perfectly normal. He was right in assuming something was different, but that's only because they were even better than normal.

"I have something to show you, Sovrim," Azure teased. "Something you'll like. Want to come back with me for now?" At this point, most people in the neighborhood were watching with annoyance. They didn't care what happened as long as it made the dragon go away and they were allowed to resume their usual lives.

"Sure. Give me a ride?" Walking on the ground was not an amphibian's favorite thing to do - not by a long shot - yet Azure smirked at the hybrid's playful request. He said nothing; instead he grabbed the hybrid by the waist and hoisted him upward, depositing the smaller one on his shoulders for a piggy-back ride. Whatever got him back to the gym sooner. He was eager to get back to working out and discovering what the hybrid would do given the chance to make even more of himself. Azure took the very same path back, ignoring the stern glances he got from some of these smaller creatures, and once more made his way to the terminal. When the dragon stopped and placed Sovrim back on the ground the hybrid was a bit confused. That befuddlement escalated as the dragon simply pushed the freight doors open and crawled inside. Sure, it was the only way a twenty-foot-tall dragon was going to fit in a building designed for creatures half that height, but why was that such an important goal?

Once Azure was far enough out of the way, Sovrim followed the dragon inside. This was absurd but it was certainly an interesting distraction on an otherwise uneventful day. Azure kept making his way forward until, ultimately, he started to crawl into the freight elevator. At least, it's what should have been the elevator. It was the only other doorway a big dragon could fit through but could he actually fit inside? It turned out it didn't matter. That just happened to be where the portal was located leading back into the gym. Sovrim followed without protest; his inquisitiveness was more than enough reason to follow a dragon through a rip in the space-time continuum to an unfamiliar place. The hybrid used his tail to close the door behind him as he walked down the stairs and into the new facility the demon had constructed.

"What is this place?" Sovrim asked rhetorically. He saw noone around to answer that question but, thanks to the wonders of demonic magic, Osimaret simply appeared behind the hybrid to respond.

"It is a gym," Osimaret answered. Sovrim spun around and found himself face-to-chest with the narwhal. The demon was intimidating enough when people were expecting his presence; when he came out of seemingly nowhere, it was downright frightening. "It is the last place you will ever need to work out. Azure thought you would be a good fit for this place and spoke highly of your endurance and other abilities. Please, join us for a swim. The water is wonderful." The demon gestured to the nearby pool, allowing Sovrim to get a proper look at it. Azure was already swimming back and forth in the distance, leaving a small wake in his path. There appeared to be small bits of something strange in the otherwise pristine water. Was that just a trick of the light? It seemed curiously out of place. While he was staring the demon started walking to the water's edge; Sovrim scurried to catch up and soon joined the other two males for that swim.

The water was the perfect temperature for the amphibian: Just slightly warm to the touch as he slid inside. It was really far nicer than diving into a cold pond and having to start speed-swimming immediately just to build up enough body heat to withstand the shock. He made his way deeper until he was floating alongside the two larger creatures. The three took a moment to just idly stretch out in the warm water. That's when another fleck of something caught Sovrim's attention and the hybrid leaned in to take a closer look. At first it just seemed like a pebble-sized chunk of dirt but, as his eyes focused on the landscape, he realized there were about half a dozen small creatures upon it. They weren't just bugs, either; he could just about make out distinct arms and legs and wings, with one of the tiny ones waving to try get attention.

To the little ones, it was like they were somehow left on a desert island, abandoned in a vast sea, and now the creatures from the deep had risen to lay claim to their lives. Even Sovrim - the smallest of the three creatures - rose seemingly thousands of feet into the air. The narwhal and dragon were even more massive, both in height and their hills of well-toned muscle. All three creatures glistened from the water as it rushed off their bodies, sending waves for the terrain. The ground rocked violently as those waves passed beneath, sending them a hundred feet up and back down again, left bobbing in the tempest caused by three giants simply standing around.

"Hey, there's something..." Sovrim started to say, but his voice was almost instantly cut off.

"We know," Azure snorted. He slowly rolled forward to float upright again and waded toward his companion in the pool. "I'll let him explain." The dragon gestured to the demon, who was happy to once again elaborate on the purpose of this place. Physical perfection in all its forms. Obliteration of the damned for whatever gain these giants could take from it. The literally endless supply of fresh playthings that would be available to them. The fact that no matter what those tiny ones were damned anyway and that they may as well get used in some creative fashion before meeting their inevitable end. It was quite a lot for the amphibian to take in; most of this would have seemed impossible if he weren't still looking at a half-dozen furs that were each less than the size of an ant.

After that detailed explanation, there was really just one question left, asked by Azure Ebonwing. "Are you in?" It was something that Sovrim had to consider. If he were here, he could build up his body in whatever way he wanted. He'd be stronger, yes, something that rarely was associated with his species. He also would build up the kind of endurance that most of his kind only dreamed of; swimming for miles on end would become almost effortless. And all it would take would be the end of a few insignificant little things that he might never even notice anyway. Ones that nobody would notice being gone.

"Sure! This is going to be something; I can already feel it." Once again, Sovrim found himself looking at the tiny things on the ground before him. All he ad to do was think about it and they'd quite literally become a part of him... he started slowly, letting that feeling of raw, primal power flow into his body. The little ones became even more little; their size was halved in a matter of seconds, while Sovrim felt his heart tingling, pounding, as he tried to increase his endurance. There was a spark of lust in it as well, of course; the sensation of pure power and energy was one that encompassed all the senses. As the initial warmth subsided, Sovrim had an idea of his own. His natural instincts were beginning to kick in and his hunger could not be ignored. With a lightning-fast flick of his tongue, he simply caught all six of those tiny creatures and pulled them into his mouth.

The cries of protest and sheer terror were only barely audible to the hybrid. Once his mouth sealed around his prey he could no longer hear them at all. The tiny furs saw their entire world go pink when that tongue lashed out; sticky saliva clung to their bodies and gave them no hope of escape. It was only after they'd been deposited in the hungry predator's maw that they were able to slowly wiggle their way free, even if that was a tragically futile effort. Things were simply dark and humid and they all knew the only way they were likely to get out of here was on a one-way trip into this giant's belly. Sovrim was in no hurry to swallow, however. He drained just a bit more size from them as he savored the struggling creatures within his mouth. Taking in a mere insect was one thing; having half a dozen sapient victims was another. He hummed softly in pleasure, earning him a curious glance from both the larger males. Sovrim blushed, then swallowed.

Suction overtook the six victims of that hungry titan. Rather than being chewed up and granted a quick, they were condemned to the horrors of being digested alive. The only mercy for them is that, at their tiny size, they wouldn't last more than a brief moment in even the relatively weak acids of an amphibian's stomach. The noises of the hybrid's body became deafening; the steady rush of air in and out of the giant's lungs and the beating of his heart were the last sounds the tiny ones would hear. They then landed in the stomach and nature simply took its course, providing a tiny sliver of nutrition to a giant that would make use of every last ounce of that strength.

"Race you," Azure said, gesturing to the farthest depths of the pool. It would previously have been a fair race; while Azure had more raw power and size, Sovrim benefited from a body designed to swim and a technique perfected by years of practice. The dragon didn't even wait for a cue to start swimming. He simply took off and forced the hybrid to catch up. At first it seemed like a lost cause but, after a few seconds, the strength from those first earlier victims was put to use. Sovrim felt his limbs tingling with power like never before. He felt he needed to swim faster. This pace was uncomfortably slow. With that drive pushing him on, he soon caught and passed Azure, touching the wall a full body length ahead of his friend. Though he was not thrilled about losing, Azure set pride aside for a moment as he looked down at the chameleon's bewildered face. "Not bad. Not bad at all. You're going to love this." With those words, the dragon started to swim back toward shore, leaving Sovrim a chance to collect his thoughts. Now that there were two new inductees into this facility, it was time for the three of them to put it to good use.

Rejection

In his quest to find the best possible members for this secret project, Osimaret was not perfectly successful. There were some creatures that even a demon of his abilities would fail to sway. One of those such beings was a gold dragon named Draco. He was on a smaller, peaceful planet, one that some people might retire to if they were sufficiently well off. The demon was rather surprised to find that such a large, powerful dragon was simply relaxing there. Draco barely put any effort into maintaining his build but he could have put even Azure Ebonwing to shame with his physique. If he could somehow convince that dragon to join his cause it would be a truly amazing addition.

Given that the planet had particularly interesting public events for Draco to attend, Osimaret simply elected to go up to the dragon's front door directly. He put on a white vest and tried to look like some sort of door to door salesman or preach. Being unassuming was the way to go here. As soon as he rang the bell he heard movement from inside the house; Draco quickly made his way to the door. "Can I help you?" the gold dragon asked cheerfully. At seventeen feet tall, he was just slightly bigger than the demon.

"Hello..." Osimaret spoke, looking down at some papers as if he were trying to find the name. "Draco. Draco of Zeradaith. Am I in the right place?" When the dragon nodded, Osimaret continued. "I am here to offer you an opportunity to-"

"I'm really not interested in buying anything but thanks for the offer!" Draco said as he moved to close the door.

Scrambling, the demon moved his foot into the doorway to try keep it open. "I'm not selling anything." That got the dragon to stop for a moment. "This is an offer. An opportunity. A chance to do the impossible. In case it was not obvious I am not from around here. This offer, too, extends from beyond your world. I simply ask for ten minutes of your time, Draco." Osimaret doubted he would even need that long but it seemed like a suitably simple request. When Draco allowed him to continue, Osimaret extended his right hand and opened it, palm upturned, to reveal a minuscule bird with bright red feathers. "See, this is what you might call a micro. A small creature of some sort or another, not entirely different from you or me, just an order of magnitude smaller. I'm sure you've seen them around here; they are quite common in this area." Once again, Draco nodded. It was not obvious what this creature was getting at and the dragon's patience was already starting to wear thin.

"I have devised a way to make use of even that tiny amount of size and take it for those of us who are of much larger proportions." To demonstrate, Osimaret stole half the size from that tiny bird and applied it not to himself, but to the dragon's chest. Draco gave an involuntary moan as the power rushed into his body; the surge was fleeting but its effects still lingered. "You can use this to augment your body and grow bigger and stronger. You could increase your attributes in ways that you never dreamed were possible. And all you have to do is come with me to my gym and work out with a few people you'll come to call friends. What do you say?"

Draco bristled. He liked - no, loved - the idea of growing. Being able to grow without limits was perhaps his favorite fantasy. But to do it at the expense of someone else? "Where exactly do you get your micros? Why do you think it's okay to do this to them?"

Ah. A direct question. That was not something the demon wanted to deal with. "I have my sources and can't reveal all my secrets of course. I assure you they're chosen carefully and fairly."

"How?" Draco interrupted. Osimaret simply ignored that question and spoke over the gold dragon's voice, trying to simply dispel the doubts by the power of persuasion.

" And really," the demon reasoned, "This is far better than what most micros would have to suffer before they eventually starve or get eaten alive or worse. Wouldn't you rather humanely deal with them yourself and at least put their tiny forms to good use before they're inevitably shuffled off this mortal coil?:

"Actually no, I wouldn't," Draco said, matter-of-factly. "This is insane. You're insane. What gives you the right to do any of this?"

Osimaret was getting annoyed. This was supposed to be a simple task, not an inquisition of his morals. "Very well. You seem to be a creature that settles for nothing less than the truth. I am a demon. My job is to take the souls already condemned and see them off. I do not take innocents; even as a demon I am bound by a code that I dare not violate. I simply sought to share that task with some others who might appreciate the power that comes with it."

"Your job. Not mine." Draco crossed his arms and glared at the demon. "So what do I have to do to make you leave? Say some magic words? I'm not listening anymore."

Sighing, Osimaret shook his head. "You have to do nothing at all. I bound myself with the earlier ten minutes I asked you for and that time has nearly come to an end. I cannot force you to come with me; you are innocent and not subject to our rules. I can only say that I feel you're making a mistake and that you will wonder for the rest of your life what you truly could have been."

"If you say so. Bye!" Almost on cue, Osimaret simply faded away to nothing; his time in this world had expired and he was sent back to his chambers. However, the micro he brought with him was still there, briefly floating in the air before starting to fall. Draco reached out and quickly grabbed the little one, taking the utmost care not to inure the fragile creature. "Are you okay?" he asked, more than slightly concerned. Aside from being much smaller than he was a few minutes earlier the micro was indeed just fine. There wasn't a single feather out of place even after that brief freefall. "I'll take care of you," he said, going back inside with the tiny avian. The small one was given food, water, and shelter for a time.

Back in the underworld, the demon cursed the gods for his misfortune. That was a prime candidate for this place and now that opportunity had been squandered. Draco's heart was simply too pure to corrupt. Grumbling to himself, Osimaret went back into the gym and turned his attention to those already here. They were certainly more than good enough for the tasks that needed to be done.

Insignificance

Konf awoke to find he was in a rather strange landscape. He'd gone to sleep in his own bed. He hadn't been drinking or doing drugs. So how did he end up here? The floor beneath him was slightly warm and glowing. A faint scent of physical exertion permeated the air. Wherever he was, it was certainly a massive place; he couldn't even see the walls in the distance, or perhaps it was just the mirrors giving the gym the illusion of being even larger than it was. Shapes started to come into focus; he soon realized this was a gym and he was the size of a cockroach upon its floor.

The small, flightless black dragon started walking around, trying to call out for help. It was unlikely someone would even hear him at this size, especially over the grunting of giants working out. Two of them were taking turns on one of the largest weight racks, each daring the other to try something even heavier. Another creature - a feminine wolf - was working out alone on one of the treadmills; that seemed like a more likely place to get some actual help. "Hey! Down here!" he shouted, though even at the very top of his lungs that sound came out as scarcely more than a pathetic, barely audible squeak. At least Konf could appreciate the view from down here; he had to look up just to see the girl's feet pounding against the machine's belt. Each stride covered more distance than the small dragon could handle in full minute. If he were spotted and the lupine wanted to crush him he'd have no chance to escape. Each one of her toes was probably about as big as his entire body; he would have no prayer of outrunning a stomp. Then again, right now, he also had no chance if he didn't get some kind of help. This was a risk well worth taking.

After almost twenty minutes of trying, Konf was about ready to give up. Then the treadmill stopped and the girl walked off it. Was she going to even notice him? Konf ran over, desperately hoping to get her attention. This was a weird place and he would be helpless without the assistance of someone much larger than he. Then, miraculously, the wolf-girl actually did see him. Unfortunately, his worst fears seemed to be realized; the next thing he saw was the underside of one of her feet, with chocolate-brown fur surrounding the black pawpads. He cursed to himself and tried to run despite the seeming futility of it. Her paw came down and missed him by only a fraction of an inch. She laughed. The miss hadn't been an accident. She was just toying with the little dragon. Her foot rose into the air once again and Konf scrambled to his feet, driven by instinct to try and escape. Again, she deliberately stomped just next to him, forcing him to jump away from it time after time. The faint scent of sweat accompanied each of those stomps, wafting over the small dragon. At his scale, he could practically taste her feet thanks to the moisture in the air. If she weren't seemingly trying to kill him, he might actually volunteer to help with her paws after all.

Two more minutes of stomp-torment and Konf was completely spent. He was finding it increasingly difficult to even get up after the wolf stepped down. She was missing him by increasingly narrow margins. But she also was getting bored, thanks to the decreasing amount of effort put forth by her tiny plaything. Rather than just crushing the little one to get it over with she had an even better idea. While he was lying there on the ground, helpless, she reached down and grasped him between two of her fingers. He was unable to protest or even brace himself. After what he'd already been through, he wasn't sure whether to thank the wolf for not killing him or just wish she would finish off this exercise in sadism for good. Konf couldn't quite tell where he was being taken but he could tell that she was walking for a time. The motion of being carried about was making him dizzy; his body swung back and forth, while all he could see were the finger-pads pressing against his body, almost sealing him in the darkness.

Then, suddenly, it all stopped. Things went clear for the dragon. He looked around and found himself in the world's largest locker room, standing on a bench the size of a football field. The wolfess was changing her clothing. She slipped into something more suitable for a swim while standing right in front of the little dragon. It was a view to die for; he could see her breasts looming like hills in the sky, though they obscured his view of her face. If he looked lower, her groin was almost at his eye level, itself a valley of pure femininity despite how well-toned her legs were. Even the dense fur of her body didn't obscure the work that she'd put into making herself into a goddess. He wondered how she did it. He was about to find out.

Once she was in a skin-tight two-piece bikini the wolf turned her attention back to the dragon staring lewdly at her towering body. She cleared her throat to snap him out of that staring contest. He suddenly remembered he probably should be terrified of what the big girl might have in mind next. And oh, did she have something in mind. She once again picked him up between her fingers, but this time she focused for just a moment. A sensation of vertigo washed over the dragon, leaving his vision swimming once again. He was vaguely aware of the pawpads beneath him becoming more coarse, but his other senses were completely useless for several seconds. This time, once his vision cleared, things looked quite different. While the wolf's paw previously was about the size of a bus, it now looked more like an entire city block laid out beneath him. The hills of her breasts looked a lot more like mountains. And those mountains were getting closer. The female lifted her paw upward and used the free hand to pull her top outward. It was just enough space for one tiny dragon to fall in and get trapped to the woman's chest, all but smothered in the mounds that he'd been staring at from a distance just moments earlier.

It was difficult to ignore the squirming micro but the wolfess managed as she walked to the sauna. She just wanted to chill out in the steam room and listen to some music. For her, it was just a chance to relax and unwind after a good, hard workout. For Konf, however, the workout was just beginning. He started to shimmy his way downward, trying to get closer to the woman's nipple. He figured there would be more space there, either from the nipple pushing out against the fabric or his body sinking into the supple softness of her areola. But with his front pinned against her breast already, every millimeter was a struggle. It didn't help that, as things became increasingly hot, the lupine began to sweat. That fluid was just sticky enough to further impede Konf's progress as it almost glued his body to hers. Every time he wanted to move he had to pull every one of his limbs free, rather than simply sliding across her body. Under normal circumstances, being trapped by a giant female's boobs might be an erotic thing. For Konf, however, it was proving to be nothing short of an ordeal. It was only with the last of his strength that he reached his goal and found that tiny bit of extra space he was looking for, tucked in under the 'protection' of a giantess' nipple, for however long he would be able to hide here. He soon passed out from exhaustion.

When Konf woke up again, it was because that wolfess was moving about once more. She was just heading back to the locker room but every step felt to Konf as if the entire world was shaking. The breast bounced heavily with each of the female's steps, after all, and Konf was at the furthest point of it, taking the full range of motion every time. The giantess sat down and had to peel her top off. She'd almost forgotten about Konf until she noticed that black-scaled creature sprawled out and panting for air while clinging for dear life to her nipple. "You're persistent... Now what am I going to do with you?" she mumbled. It was just loud enough for her to hear but to Konf those words were almost painfully clear. However, the wolfess was not interested in doing anything more to try finish off the little one. If he was able to survive being in her top she didn't want to think about what else he could survive. No, she'd have to find something he couldn't escape and couldn't bother her with. It was only when someone else walked into the locker room that she got an idea. "Heading out?" she asked her workout partner; the other creature just nodded. This was the chance.

The giant female snuck around behind the other gym member and found their shoes. They were heavily worn; the imprints of the heel and toes were clearly marked in the insole. Perfect. The little one probably would just get stepped on without being noticed and there'd be no room for him to get out of there. She simply opened her palm and dropped him inside, allowing him to tumble through the air onto the fabric. Then she got up and walked off to leave him to his fate. Konf was resourceful enough, however, to try find some other alternative to his seemingly inevitable doom. He found a small tear in the side of the shoe, one that might be large enough for him to hide within if he had to. If only he could run there in time. Before even sprinting for that, however, he decided to make one last attempt at getting himself noticed by someone who may be willing to help him. He made his way to the heel section of the shoe and waited for the giant to reach down.

As soon as the owner of those shoes looked at them, Konf started shouting and screaming, whistling, whatever noises he could make. He jumped up and down and fluttered his wings. But, in the dark interior of a shoe and against the dingy dark gray backdrop of a sweat stain, the giant never even noticed. His last, desperate plea for help went totally unnoticed. Now, all Konf could do to start scrambling as the giant's foot started to block out the light, coming for him at alarming speed. The ant-sized dragon ran as quickly as he could across the terrain of fabric; even his feet sank in slightly as the ground squished with old, musky sweat. That hiding place was going to have to do for now. He got there just as the enormous creature put on that shoe and tied it up, lacing Konf in for the long haul. The little one was unlikely ever to escape or be noticed by a giant again.