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The Gam3: Chapter 3

"So you guided him to be more comfortable with The Gam3 and his HIV positive friend. I am not sure whether to applaud you or mock you for making such a predictable move."

The first player moved his rook, placing it dangerously close to the second's lattice of defensive pawns. There was a venerable advancing wall that made it almost impossible to slip through. The only way to truly proceed was either to sacrifice a piece to break the defensive line or slip a single piece through and risk it being isolated from the rest.

"And I suppose you have a dashing countermove that will shatter his world once again?" the second player asked, waving her hands extravagantly.

He laughed heartily and folded his arms. "I believe that introductions have been made, don't you? Everyone has had their fun and games. It's now time to remind them of the consequences."

The second player glowered and her eyes levelled with the first player's knight that had yet to be moved. "I see..."

"Worried are we?"

"A little," she admitted. "You realise that he isn't going to like this, right?"

The first player smirked. "What can he do? He's just an Admin right now. He promised not to interfere on that level."

"But you'll suffer the consequences once this is over."

The first player's eyes glimmered. "Then I guess I should make it worth the trouble, shouldn't I?"

******

"Goddamnit!"

Tom lifted his arm and watched the last pieces of his latest piece of armour crumble to ash. The Wild Wolfman Warrior he was fighting had enough time to laugh before he swung his big broadsword at the dragon. Ignoring being reduced back to a draconic stripper, he swung his halberd in response to the attack. Their weapons clashed but Tom's strength was superior to the Wolfman's. The broadsword was thrown clear away upon impact and Tom followed up the strike with a spinning swing.

Poof!

The wild lupine creature exploded into another cartoony explosion. What was left behind was a wolf pelt that was already perfectly cleaned and sliced, ready for crafting.

Tom straightened, digging the butt of his halberd into the grassy soil beneath his feet. "Fuck me... I swear, every time I go out to do something, I need to forge another piece of armour!"

"That's because you keep using your fire breath," Pete laughed, softly spinning his enormous, ridiculously large sword in the air and sliding it perfectly into the scabbard over his shoulder. "Maybe you should start making some fireproof armour?"

Tom tore off the lasts bits of his leather jacket which was now mostly scorched and burnt, making it utterly useless. All the enhancements he had infused into it had been obliterated when he last used his racial skill. "Maybe. But I've never found any fire proof FCs."

He got a light slap behind his head for that comment. "Dumbass," laughed his stag friend. "All you need to do is use materials from a creature that's already immune to fire to make your armour." Pete crossed his arms and tapped his foot thoughtfully. "Hrm... The Salamanders just outside this forest should be good. They're not entirely fire proof but they should at least add some durability to the pieces of shit you make."

"Gee, thanks."

"Why don't you just make some steel or plate armour?" Pete suggested.

"What? And get the metal melted into my scales. No thanks." Tom snatched the wolf pelts off the ground and stuffed it into the bag he had been dragging around with him. "Okay, we've got enough pelts now. This should sell well enough, right?"

Pete, who had a much larger bag than Tom, crossed his arms behind his head. "Yeah. We'll just leave it at the auction house and wait a few hours. Wolfman Pelts are in season as the next Event is apparently cold themed."

Tom hefted his bag, grunting in discomfort as it weighed him down. There were times when the realism of The Gam3 became a burden. "Shouldn't we save some for ourselves...?"

"Why waste the money when Ed has a cold protection aura and spell?" answered Pete with a shrug. "Besides, my armour gives me Physicality boosts and if you go making fireproof armour now, you'd only waste the effort making cold resistant ones for this one Event. Best to invest in the long term."

Tom had to agree to that. While it was fun to make his own armour here and there, from what he heard from Pete and Ed, since there was a new Event coming out every week, only the most hard core players would invest insane amounts of time and effort to making anti-Event armour and equipment. They usually scored high in the Events but Tom could not imagine doing that every week. At least the developers gave them a heads up on the upcoming event three days before it started to give everyone time to prepare.

He had recently taken to enhancing his own armour which was an additional mechanic in the crafting world. Infusing FCs into his armour allowed him to effectively gain additional statistic bonuses from the armour. Only weapons allowed for Ability FCs to be infused into them but no piece of equipment allowed changes to appearances via FCs. His most recent piece of armour - which now lay burnt several feet away from him - had given him bonuses to his speed and strength. He had come into the Pine Maze area of the Tied Forest able to carry his bag with ease but now that his armour lay in ruins, he found himself struggling.

Much to his embarrassment, the much stronger, much more muscular Pete picked up his hefty bag easily and slung it over his shoulders.

They trudged back to the main path in the vast Pine Maze which was a sub area of the much bigger Tied Forest. Towering pine trees practically blocked out the sun and shrouded the ground with shadow and mystery. Populated mostly by canine and feline denizens, the Maze and indeed the Forest it belonged to was a popular destination for those who enjoyed hiking. The Forest stood at the foot of the Emerald Eves; the vast mountain range that was the last monument of civilisation before the intimidating Io's Descent which, in turn, was the gateway to the dreaded End Game Lands.

Looking past some of the tall pines, Tom could see the towering spire-like mountains which heralded the Emerald Eves. Towering above them all was the pure white, icy Mount Absolution, the crown and glory of the Io's Descent Zone. From what he heard, beyond the mountain were sheer cliffs and a dangerous way down into the fiery Thanatos Divide and then the Zone known as Where Atlas Rests and finally, God's Studio. The last town had never had a player enter it as they usually got stuck at Thanatos Divide.

"Quit daydreaming!" Pete snapped. "You're not carrying any of this shit so at least be on the lookout."

"Oh, right," Tom chuckled and followed Pete back to the monumental city of the Tied Forest known simply as Crescent.

Unlike the industrious city of Terminal, Crescent was rustic and very homely. Wooden houses sat nestled in the embrace of a broad clearing around a crescent-shaped river and its connecting waterfall. The city was built atop the very river itself with water turbines constantly running beneath the city's heavy foundations to provide power. The generators were oddly silent though this was in comparison to the roar of the waterfall.

The moment Tom saw it for the first time, he had only one question...

"What happens to everyone's poop?"

Both Ed and Pete had given him a smack for that and told him that no one poops in The Gam3. There was a level realism that not even the developers were willing to go into.

Like any other major city, Crescent provided the basic amenities for any player including a Quest Square. Unlike Terminal which was a maze on its own, most services could be found by just strolling down Main Street which was a major road running along the curve of the city. The duo found the auction house about halfway up Main Street; an enormous, triple-storey structure that was as big as a warehouse and filled to the brim with other players.

Multiple stalls for auctions were set up with other players making their bids in person. Some made their bid and left while others were shouting over one another for a specific item. Pete used his impressive bulk to push past the crowd and reach a relatively free auction site. He dumped the Wolfman pelts on the table and set the price.

Tom let the stag do the haggling as he idly watched the other players make their bids. Back in reality, it was Thursday after class and he had gone to play The Gam3 at Pete's house. It was a trust exercise on his part. He hadn't been to Pete's place since he learned his best friend had been infected by HIV. He had to admit, he still had this horrible nagging sensation that Pete would jab him with a needle when he wasn't looking but he pushed such terrible thoughts aside.

They had been friends since they were kids. Pete would never do that. Something Tom was quickly relearning.

A hand fell on his shoulder and Pete grinned. "Okay, all set," Pete said. "Let's grab you some fireproof armour."

"Hey Pete..." Tom began softly. "I'm sorry about how I've been treating you since we found out about..." He spun his hand absently through the air. "You know... I realise it wasn't... appropriate."

Pete just grinned and said, "Oh. You mean the way you were always looking at me with pity, keeping me out of arms reach at all time, flinching every time I coughed and always refusing to come over to my place when you used to come over every weekend to get away from Colin and your game show-obsessed mother?"

Tom winced. "Yeah..."

The stag offered him a sad smile and took his arm, pulling him away from the auction house crowd. "I'll be honest, it hurt man. It felt like you were treating me like some contagious corpse walking around. It's like you had written me off as dead. Ed treated me the same so I wondered why couldn't you...?"

"I..."

"I know, it's fine." Pete smiled at him. "I understand. It just comes with the stigma of living with this thing." He pushed open the doors, leaving the auction house and taking in the fresh, crisp air of Crescent. "I'm just glad that every once in a while, I get to escape somewhere."

The tried and true warning of being careful not to escape from reality using a videogame seemed... inappropriate. It was on the tip of Tom's tongue but what cause would Pete have to go back to reality when all that awaited him was impending doom, ostracising crowd and pitying stares?

Let him escape. Let him be who he wants in this world because in the other... he will always be branded for one stupid mistake.

"I'm going to get better," Tom said.

"That would be my line," laughed Pete, the two of them heading away from Crescent.

"I know. But what I meant was that I'll make every effort to stop treating you like a walking biohazard."

"Well, I am a walking biohazard..."

Tom shoved his friend lightly. "You know what I mean."

The friendly joking between them continued until they left Crescent and entered the Zone known as the Bushfire Lake. A large lake sat at the centre of the Zone, clear as crystal. Various creatures roamed the land but their eyes were securely set on the red and black Salamanders. About the size of alligators, the round-headed creatures crawled slowly across the ground or lounged about in the noon-day sun.

Tom examined them all. Despite their sluggishness, they had incredible agility. That meant that they would be fast when agitated. Glancing at his own FC which was bound to his bicep by a metal strap, he noted that his statistics had started to favour his Physicality more than his Agility. He had to admit, he was getting a little beefy and was loving the power.

"Attaaaaaaaack!"

He flinched as Pete charged straight at a Salamander swinging his massive sword. Despite the intimidating cry, he approached the lazing creature quite slowly... Until he got about thirty feat from it. Then, a little holographic label appeared above his head announcing 'Reckless Charge' and he crossed the distance between them in an instant.

Tom had switched on his Attack Announcement filter, ensuring that he got to tell what abilities people were using. It was about time he got one himself but with so many abilities to choose from, it was hard to tell what he wanted and what he needed. Pete was taking the time to show-off his own Abilities which were mostly centred around beefing himself up, dealing immense damage and ignoring his defences.

Typical berserker, really.

Pete swung his sword at the Salamander which gave a high-pitched yelp as the blade struck. The creature was instantly sliced in two, disappearing moment later in a puff of smoke. A thick, neatly folded pile of Salamander hide was left.

"Ha! These guys are easy!" Pete shouted.

"Uh... Pete...?" Tom said warily.

The other Salamanders around him obviously took offense to one of their kin being brutally murdered like that. They approached Pete, surrounding him entirely. The stag just grinned and slung his sword over his shoulder.

"Come on! Give me your best shot!"

The words 'Thoughtless Provocation' appeared over the stag's proud antlers. Tom observed Pete's attack strength skyrocket. The Salamanders all charged at the same time, leaping at him.

'Whirlwind' sprang up over Pete's head and the big stag swung his blade in a wide circle around him, slicing through dozens of the Salamanders. Sadly, Pete was an excellent attacker but his recovery time and speed was severely lacking. As he finished his attack, the remaining Salamanders slammed into him, pushing him to the ground and swarming him.

"Hey! What the!? Get these bastards off me!"

Tom shook his head, smirking in amusement. He retrieved his halberd and sliced into another Salamander. Pete had them distracted and they were doing minimal damage against his strong, iron-hard muscles with their bites and weak claw strikes. That gave Tom some time to slice at them and ease the pressure on his friend.

A few of the Salamanders took notice of him and began charging, letting out those loud yips and snarls at him. Tom swung his halberd with ease, spinning it easily and deftly in his clawed hands. It damaged the creatures quite well, biting into their flesh with enough force to cause them to _poof_away. However, he became bitterly aware how ineffective it was compared to Pete's massive sword.

Soon, they were being swarmed by Salamanders.

Pete grunted loudly and got to his feet, promising never to be taken off guard like that again.

"What did Ed say about being too cocky?" teased Tom.

"Eh, shut it," growled Pete, running his hand over the length of his blade. Cuts dropped blood all over his body and there were bite marks all over his silky, brown fur. The massive, silvery sword with the gold hilt glowed a bloody red. 'Bloodbath Blade' appeared over Pete's head.

A Salamander launched itself at Pete who quickly dispatched it with an upwards slash. As if reading his weaknesses, other Salamanders quickly came into the fray, pouncing from all directions. The faster, more agile Tom leapt to his defence, sweeping his halberd with its superior reach through the crowd. He caught one creature by the chest and kept swinging it, using the Salamander like a reptilian baton.

"You okay?" Tom asked, glancing over his shoulder. To his surprise, he found some of the wounds on Pete's body closing up.

"Getting better," grinned Pete. "Bloodbath Blade. Awesome Ability I got early on. Strikes I make heals me for a fraction of the damage I deal. And since these bastards are piss weak..."

Suddenly, alarms started blaring in their ears. Big, red, warning signs started circling them.

"Wh - What!?" exclaimed Tom. "What's going on?"

Pete looked pale and horrified. "Oh shit! No way!"

"What? What!?"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

They both turned at the sound. Crashing through the underbrush, pushing entire trees out of its way was an enormous_Salamander bigger than anything he had ever seen. It was as big as a _house, its enormous maw able to swallow both him and Pete whole! Instead of the black and red striped hide that covered its body, it had black stripes on a sea of undulating red, flaming flesh like fire itself was imbued into its skin. Every step it took unleashed a short ring of flame that burned the grass beneath its feet. Thankfully, the flames did not spread far. Gouts of flame erupted from its back from what looked like large open pores.

"It's a World Boss!" screamed Pete, readying his sword.

The warning signs suddenly vanished. In their place, in massive, stylised words over the creature was the beasts' name.

'Saint of Fire: Elmo the Salamander.'

Tom made a sour face. "Really? They call a World Boss 'Elmo'?"

"It's a play on Saint Elmo's Fire, dumbass!" Pete shouted, multiple Ability titles appearing above his head as he quickly activated them all mentally. "Get behind me!"

"We're going to fight that thing!?"

Pete readied his sword as the other much smaller Salamanders approached alongside their boss. A wicked grin crossed Pete's face. "I've been playing this game for months and haven't once fought a World Boss. I heard they're hard regardless of what level you are. Time to test my skills." His eyes flashed towards Tom. "Take care of the small fry! I've got this bastard!"

"Pete! Wait!"

'Cry of the Brave' erupted over Pete's head as the big stag charged at Elmo. The smaller Salamanders tried to intercept him but Pete's enormous swore cleaved through them easily. His wounds healed miraculously thanks to Bloodbath Blade. Unfortunately, Elmo was not without his own skills.

'Crisis of Flames' appeared over Elmo's head. The massive Salamander reared back on its hind legs. Pete saw the opening and used Reckless Charge. He crashed into the World Boss, bringing his sword slashing across the beasts' chest. The Crisis of Flames title shattered like glass, heralding that the attack was interrupted.

Comforted somewhat that Pete could handle the World Boss, Tom went about keeping the other Salamanders off his friend's back. He only wished he had a provoke-like ability like Pete as all the lizards were heading straight for the stag. Tom charged at the coming swarm, slicing through the horde as best as he could.

WHAM!

He heard Pete give a shocked cry. The stag crashed to the ground but leapt immediately back to his feet. Elmo pulled back his massive clawed foot and threw back his head.

'Salamander Swarm' appeared over his head. A bellowing cry sounded from the gargantuan boss monster. Dozens more Salamanders heard the call and came swarming out of the underbrush.

"Fuck!" Tom shouted. It doesn't stop!

"Call Ed!" Pete shouted. "We need a healer and someone with AOE attacks!"

Tom swung his halberd one more time before quickly opening his menu. Much to his dismay, Ed was still offline. Apparently, he had to study as his father claimed he was spending too much time playing The Gam3. Jake was offline as well so help was out of their reach. He still sent them both a quick 'Help!' message.

"He's offline!"

"Fuck!" Pete grunted.

Elmo reared back up, preparing its 'Crisis of Flames'. Pete, knowing he couldn't possibly interrupt it in time, braced himself. Tom was faster and in a bout of daring, charged.

He dodged past the snapping jaws of Salamanders and crossed the distance between himself and Elmo. Swinging his halberd wildly, he sliced at the rear legs of the World Boss with all his might. He thought he saw the creature stagger.

BOOOM!

Elmo slammed his front claws into the ground. A massive shockwave exploded from him and the ground instantly into red-hot coals brimming with flames. A ring of fire marked the limit of the fiery field. Pete, not having any fire resistant material whatsoever, gave a startled cry and was thrown clear off by the shockwave. Thankfully, he landed into the crystal clear lake.

Tom only felt a faint breeze but his armour suffered for it. The leather caught fire and he grunted as he was forced to strip down absolutely nothing. The halberd felt heavier in his claws.

"Crap... Crap... Crap...!"

Elmo turned towards him, black eyes gleaming.

He thought about retreating... but then he'd be leaving Pete... just like how he left him back in reality.

"No! I'm not going to do that again!" he shouted at himself, readying his halberd. "This time... This time...!"

THWACK!

The gargantuan Salamander reared and let out a bellowing roar. A glistening, blue arrow stuck out of its left eye.

"What the...?"

Dozens more arrows came shooting out from beyond the wall of flames, embedding themselves firmly into the World Boss' hide. The creature let out a pained cry and staggered back, every step shaking the ground.

"Dispel!" came a new voice.

The fiery field was encased in a glittering, bluish light. Like breaking glass, the light shattered, taking the fire with it and revealing the scorched ground beneath.

Tom watched with slackened jaw as his hero stepped forward.

A proud golden lion with a lush, brown mane with a full metal cuirass stepped forward. Studded leather pants covered his strong, muscular legs which carried him to be slightly taller than Tom. A cape concealed the left half of his body while the right held a bow proudly. Beyond that cape, Tom noticed a sword hung by the player's side.

"Going up against a World Boss at your level?" the lion scoffed. "And with only two players? Please. You two are total noobs. Bet you didn't even do your research on Elmo, did you?"

Tom rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "He sort of snuck up on us."

"Then you didn't research this place or hunting Salamanders. You should have known that defeating an excess number of Salamanders increases the chances of spawning Elmo."

Tom ducked his head in embarrassment. "That... I did not know..."

The lion rolled his eyes and lifted his bow towards Elmo again. "You get props for being a dragon though. Good anti-fire resistances. Now let a professional take care of this."

Nodding, Tom took a step back and just watched. Was this guy an Admin?

Lightning fast, the lion unleashed another barrage of icy arrows at Elmo, running around the creature to keep it on its toes. Elmo followed him, snapping at him with its massive jaws. The guy was amazingly fast, faster than Tom. He was almost a blur as he ducked beneath Elmo's jaws and ran under the boss, firing arrows upwards and causing the creature great discomfort.

Elmo reared back up, readying its Crisis of Flames. The lion drew back an arrow, countering with 'Stop Shot.' The moment he unleashed the arrow, Crisis of Flames was interrupted, an explosion of lightning and gas causing Elmo to slump to the ground, looking dazed.

The stunned state only lasted for a second and Elmo was up again after it expired. That was enough for the lion to draw his sword, a longsword and much smaller than Pete's gargantuan blade. Elmo snapped at the feline but the lion leapt into the air, vaulting well over the beast.

In that moment, Tom took a second to examine the player.

His name was 'YoungPride' and stood at an incredible Level 21 with equal amounts of power in his Physicality and Agility. His armour was simplistic but provided much needed buffs to his already impressive statistics.

YoungPride landed on Elmo's back and lashed downwards at the creature's spine. Every slash caused a burst of flames from the large pores on Elmo's back. With one such burst, YoungPride drew his icy arrows once more and fired it straight into open pore. The arrow was absorbed into the flames but not before its effects were felt by the World Boss. From where he stood, Tom could see the pore become covered in ice, causing Elmo great discomfort.

The lion sealed up another three pores before he was hurled off, the massive World Boss suddenly throwing himself at the ground on his back, trying to crush the player. YoungPride was just grinning as Elmo's belly was exposed. He pounced one more time, peppering Elmo's belly with arrows. As soon as YoungPride reached the creature's chest, he pulled back his arrows for a 'Chains that Bind' attack. He let loose exactly four arrows, each one trailed by a glistening, golden chain. They wrapped around Elmo's wrists and pinned them to the ground.

Elmo roared in frustration but was effectively pinned.

A cocky grin crossed YoungPride's face as he swaggered over to Elmo's throat, sword in hand.

Despite knowing full well what would happen, Tom had to look away. When he heard the loud, resounding poof of the World Boss being defeated, he spent a whole minute considering what had just happened.

YoungPride had defeated a World Boss effectively by himself. That was a feat unto itself...

When he looked back, he saw the young lion plucking a FC from where the World Boss had once stood. The surprise came when he also plucked several pieces of armour and arms from the ground. Tom guessed that since this was a boss-level monster, it was allowed to drop pieces of equipment where it would've been deemed unrealistic for normal monsters to carry such.

However, when he saw YoungPride reach for Pete's sword...

"Hey! That's my friend's!"

Speaking of Pete, Tom saw the stag coughing up water on the shore. He bolted to Pete, trying to prop him up. The stag shook his head and waved him away, saying that he was fine.

"This hunk of junk?" YoungPride asked, picking up the weapon and examining it through half-closed eyes. "I suppose it'll sell well."

"Sell?" Tom replied. "What are you talking about? That's Pete's. Not yours."

"It's unbound," answered YoungPride with a dark glimmer in his eyes. "Anyone can pick it up and do with it as they see fit."

"What!? That's not right!"

"Those are the rules." YoungPride turned, hefting the sword easily across his back.

"Hey! Come back here!"

The lion laughed and bolted. Growling and with fury in his blood, Tom reached for his halberd. He bolted after YoungPride, ignoring Pete's warnings. YoungPride was fast but not fast enough to disappear from Tom's view entirely. The lion just ran in a straight line as well. Clearly with so few points in his Mentality, he was severely lacking in some tactical sense. Tom ignored all else. He was going to get Pete's sword back.

It was the least he could do after how he had treated his best friend.

They both burst into a broad clearing and there, YoungPride turned around, grinning widely.

"Give the sword back!" Tom shouted.

"Sure." That dark glimmer appeared in YoungPride's eyes again. "If you can defeat me."

"We're in a PVE zone. I can't just hit you."

Ding!

He blinked and glanced upwards. A big, red bar with the letters 'HP' drawn over it appeared over his head.

"Are we now?" answered YoungPride, his own HP bar appearing.

To his horror, Tom realised YoungPride did have some tactical sense after all. He had led Tom on a chase through the forest straight into a Black Zone - a PVP Zone!

"Oh shi -"

WHAM!

There was no pain but panic exploded from Tom as his body locked up. Several icy arrows stabbed his arms and left leg. Thick slabs of ice suddenly encased them, weighing him down entirely and rendering them utterly useless.

"God, you noobs are so easy to pick off," laughed the lion. He drew a circle in the air. "Let's see what you've got..." A frown crossed the lion's face. "The hell...? Not even a piece of armour and a basic set halberd? And you were in this zone? You're even more of a noob than I thought..." Then his eyes glimmered. "Holy hell! You've got a +Penis FC? Ha! This is my lucky day!"

Tom stumbled back. "Wh - What!?"

"That's a really rare FC!" The lion strode forward, grinning from ear to ear. "Give it here."

"What!? I'm not giving you my FC!"

"Fine then. I'll just keep hitting you until you do." YoungPride smirked. "Maybe after I hand this in, the Shapeshifters will finally respect me."

A third voice cut through the clearing.

"That's all I needed to hear."

Tom turned his head and relief washed over him. Jake stood at the edge of the clearing, arms crossed and a frown on his features. Beside him stood Ed who was holding up Pete.

"Jake! Ed!"

"I saw your message," Jake said, offering Tom a faint smile. "I ran into Edward here at Crescent. He told me that Pete messaged him about what happened and we came as soon as we could." His blue eyes darted back towards YoungPride. "You realise you're just the pack mule here, right? Just another low levelled player that the Shapeshifters are using to farm for minor items that they can then sell as they see fit. If you take the fall, the organisation doesn't get hurt but they still get the benefits."

YoungPride smirked and readied his bow. "So what? You think that'll last? Once I turn in his rare FC, I'm going to be a true member!"

Jake shook his head sadly. "Naïve... Look, just give back the stuff you stole and I'll let this slide."

"Who do you think you are trying to tell me what to do!?"

Ed spoke up. "He's -"

Jake raised a paw, silencing the tiger. "I'm the guy trying to tell you to stop being an asshole in this game and to do the right thing. There are rules, yes, but there's also common decency. Give all that equipment back and hand in the Cracking Device."

YoungPride snarled and drew an ice arrow. "Like hell I will! You'll have to beat it from me first!"

The wolf rolled his shoulders. "Have it your way." He unfurled his chain wings and for the first time, Tom saw a flicker of fear in Young Pride's eyes. When Jake unleashed Realmbreaker, the lion looked about ready to piss himself.

Panic overtook the lion and he let loose a barrage of his arrows. Having never seen Jake in battle before, Tom was awed when the Admin swung his ethereal swords and deflected two arrows away. Before the next could strike him, a second version of him sprang out of nowhere and sliced through the arrow. Dozens of images came springing out of thin air, slicing through the arrows with ease.

"Oh crap..." YoungPride murmured. "What... What was that? You didn't even active an Ability."

"It's call Passive Bonuses, genius," Ed said mockingly.

Jake made no reply as his images vanished. 'Flashpoint' appeared over his head. A bright explosion of light erupted in front of YoungPride, making the lion cry out in shock. The moment the light faded, Jake was suddenly behind the lion and swinging his ethereal blades. Just one slice and YoungPride was reduced to half health. Jake swung Realmbreaker ten times in a dizzying combo that reduced the lion well past zero HP.

YoungPride fell to his knees, gasping.

"You're beaten," Jake rumbled.

A flash of light exploded from YoungPride and his HP bar suddenly filled up again. Even Jake looked surprised as the lion sprang to his feet and lashed out with his sword, clipping Jake's arm.

"Didn't think I had the Auto-Revive Amulet, did you?" laughed YoungPride.

Jake's eyes narrowed. "Those are exclusive only to Odyssey Events. I see the Shapeshifters have managed to hack those to work outside those events too."

"I've got dozens of them!" laughed YoungPride. "Beat me all you want, I'll just keep coming back!"

A red aura suddenly surrounded the lion, a wicked grin flashing across the feline's face. Jake's eyes widened and he leapt back, grass and earth being upturned beneath his feet. YoungPride jumped to his feet and threw his head back to let out a ferocious roar that shook Tom to the core of his being.

The words 'Chaos Drive: Arrows of the Pride' appeared above his head.

"Crap! He's using a Chaos Drive!" Ed shouted. "Jake!"

The wolf spared a moment to flash them a glance. "Defensive spells up, now!" He swung his arms in their direction, 'Grand Guard' appearing above his head. Three points of light appeared around Tom, one yellow, a second red and the third blue. They instantly sunk into his Form Grid, filling him with a surge of power. He noticed the others had been enchanted similarly.

"Take this fucker!" shouted YoungPride, drawing back his bowstring. The very earth shook beneath his feet as the sky darkened. Cracks appeared all over the ground and powerful shockwaves exploded out from his body. A gargantuan arrow of light appeared against his bow, not so much an arrow as an enormous spear of energy three times his size.

"Holy crap!" Tom shouted.

"Get behind me!" Ed cried pushing him back. 'Mage Guard' sprang up over his head, forming a glistening, translucent shield of light in front of him. "Brace yourselves!"

YoungPride unleashed his arrow, the sound of peeling thunder exploding all around them. Tom couldn't see Jake anymore as the entire field was consumed by a dizzying array of light. A monumental force struck him across the chest, sending him flying backwards and crashing into something hard. He heard the creaking of wood behind him and he guessed he had smashed into a tree.

Gravity took its hold and peeled him away from the tree, dropping him unceremoniously against the ground. For a moment, all he saw was white... Shapes and colours began slipping back into his vision. The blades of grass, the twisted forms of several trees, the blue skies and fluffy white clouds... With some effort, he propped himself up on his hands and knees, gazing out into the field.

His eyes widened in horror.

Where Jake had been there was now nothing but a smouldering crater, scorched and hissing softly. YoungPride stood at the lip of the crater, grinning triumphantly.

"Ha! Take that!"

"No way..." Tom whispered, desperately looking for his friends. Ed was barely standing, wavering on his feet while Pete was on his hands and knees, jaw open. "Did... Did he just obliterate Jake?"

"Nope."

YoungPride suddenly flinched when, right beside him, Jake reappeared and swung his ethereal blades, slicing through the startled lion. Once again, YoungPride's HP was reduced to zero.

"What!? How!?" cried the lion as he fell back.

"Easy," answered the wolf with a shrug. "You missed. Did you really_expect me to just stand still for the whole thirty seconds you were charging your Chaos Drive? There's no such thing as auto-aim, you know. We expect _you to do the aiming."

"Fucker..." growled YoungPride as another Revive Amulet popped his health back to full. He lifted his arm and dropped it abruptly, a burst of smoke exploding from where it struck the ground. Jake staggered back, coughing and spluttering.

YoungPride scrambled a good ten feet away before spinning back around and readying his sword. That same red aura surrounded him.

'Chaos Drive: Sword of the Undaunted' appeared over his head. His sword sprang an extra six feet in length, glistening with a red aura and sizzling with energy.

"Another Chaos Drive? Really?" said Jake, rubbing his eyes free of the smokescreen. "You'd risk the consequences of using the Chaos Sockets more than once per day just for a chance to beat me?"

"It'll be worth it!" shouted YoungPride. "I'll use as many Drives it takes to beat you!"

"Uh-huh..."The wolf ran a paw through his golden blonde hair. "It takes about half a second for the ARA to kick in." Realmbreaker faded back into his paws. He lifted his right paw into the air, a glistening, bright red orb appearing between his fingers. "If you were hit with a One-Hit KO attack multiple times with about half a second between each strike, that would drain those Amulets pretty easily."

YoungPride grinned. "Good luck trying to get that off!" He lifted his sword over his head and charged. "Take this!"

Jake's eyes narrowed. "Ultima Thule."

The orb of light in his paws expanded suddenly into a gargantuan size, even bigger than Elmo had been. Within the orb, thousands upon thousands of lasers bounced within its confines like it had captured them all in a globe of light. YoungPride swung his sword but at that very moment, the globe exploded. The air was suddenly filled with dizzying lances of light. YoungPride's arrow was instantly scorched to smithereens, torn to shreds by the mesmerising array. One beam struck the cocky lion, erupting in a blistering blast of light that scorched the ground beneath his feet. YoungPride fell to his knees, back down to zero HP. There was a burst of light and he was once again at full health -

BOOM!

Before being struck again.

Another ARA kicked in -

BOOM!

... full health...

BOOM!

Full health...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Over and over again, YoungPride was healed miraculously before he was bombarded by the blistering lasers. Tom just sat back, awed at the sheer power of the Admin. He could understand why it was so hard to defeat Admins but at the same time, feared the Shapeshifters who could give the Admins so much trouble.

BOOM!

YoungPride remained still, his HP bar remaining at zero. He was out of revives. Tom watched the lights around him. There were still so many of them. Anyone who went up against Jake would have to be seriously well equipped.

"You're proud," grunted Jake, waving his paw. The lasers vanished from sight and he approached YoungPride, a snarl on his features. "What you're doing is against the rules of both The Gam3 and common decency. You're banned from The Gam3."

YoungPride smirked, eye flashing at the Admin. "You think that'll stop me? I can just come back as another player. The Shapeshifters can even unlock my current avatar. You can't be everywhere."

"Probably not." Jake seized YoungPride's throat and lifted him up to eye level. "But think of it this way: who has more to lose? The guy who can obliterate you within ten seconds or the guy who has to keep going back to his masters to beg for another chance? Even bad guys break and the worst torture out there is seeing a glimmer of hope, coming so close to it and then having it snatched away from your fingertips.

"Plus this is my job_._ You're the one that spent money on this videogame. If this is how you're going to spend your experience, so be it. But frankly, I can think of way better ways to enjoy a virtual reality than getting your ass handed to you over and over again."

YoungPride suddenly vanished in a swirl of lights.

"Crap! He got away!" shouted Tom.

"Nah, he just respawned in the safe zone of this Black Zone," answered Jake, straightening. He looked incredibly worried. "Damn... They've managed to hack ARAs... That's problematic."

"Why is that a problem exactly?"

"ARAs are only available and usable during Events," answered Ed, looking similarly worried. "They're pretty abundant there. Basically, it's a sure-fire way to keep you standing against the powerful bosses there. You fall but you can get revived and keep on fighting without having to restart the instance over and over again. But if people are handing out those things for free, it makes The Gam3 horribly unbalanced. It's effectively a form of immortality. There's no threats of losing. Quests won't churn out as much money as they used to because people won't fail to them. World monsters and bosses can be easily defeated even by low level teams or individuals. Plus, general PVP areas like this become killing grounds."

"Plus I'd rather not think of the mentality of people who can grit their teeth through multiple near death experiences in rapid succession," answered Jake. "It's only in the PVP areas that pain is not replicated. Outside, you feel everything. Think about how it'll affect people if they suffering killing blows only to jump back up."

Tom grimaced. "These Shapeshifters are bad, huh?"

"Terrible. And to think they're using other players like drug runners..." He shook his head and smiled at Pat. "Come on, let's get you out of here. It sounds like you've had one hell of a day."

*****

Jake took them all back to Crescent without further incident. He had to leave them to file his report and officially ban Young Pride but before he did so, he restored Pete's sword to him which the stag greatly appreciated. He also handed them the loot from their raid against Elmo.

They retired to a tavern in Crescent, consolidating their equipment and chatting about what had happened.

"Next time I see that YoungPride I'm not going to let him get the better of me," Tom growled, punching his fist.

"Jake is banning the guy. You'll never get another chance at him," Pete said.

"But you heard him. He'll work his way around it somehow."

"Assuming the Shapeshifters take that kind of failure." Pete slumped back against his seat. "This would never have happened if I wasn't so careless and cocky with my equipment. I should've had my sword bound and we should've just run from Elmo."

"I'll say," grunted Ed. "What were you two thinking? Going up against a World Boss without an AOE or healer?" He shook his head. "I've only got one healing ability and it isn't overly strong. Maybe we should start looking for one?"

Tom held up the card that Jake had given him of an excellent smith in Crescent. "You guys go ahead. I'll go visit this smith and get some fireproof armour forged. If I have enough money, I might even get a better halberd."

"We'll be here for a little while yet," Ed said. "Taverns are a good place to look for other players."

"Maybe we should find a good tank too?" chimed in Pete. "I'm a good damage dealer, Tom is our DPS, you're our AOE."

Tom left his two friends to their musing about a perfect party, carrying the sacks of Salamander hide with him out of the tavern. It was a bit of a culture shock to find a player like YoungPride existed out there. He had heard the warnings but after being exposed to such a friendly atmosphere in Terminal, running into such an asshole worried him.

The Chaos Drives were also something he had nagging at the back of his mind. Glancing at his FC, he noted that he already had all three Chaos Sockets filled. Use of one was allowed per day but any more and there would be consequences. Though he understood how alluring the use of such attacks were. That one YoungPride actually got to fire off was ridiculously powerful...

Before long, he found himself at the location of the smith that Jake had referred him to. Oddly enough, he found it was far from the Craftsman Quarter of Crescent. It was just a small smithy in the middle of a few houses and attached to a slightly bigger house. The smith was a big wolf with thick arms and scars all over his brawny biceps. The wolf was pounding some hot iron on his anvil and on display, hanging on the walls, were some pretty amazing pieces of armour and weapons. Each one looked so unique and beautiful. One blade had a shimmering blue blade with a delicate lattice of golden vines drawn across its length. A set of armour hanging on a mannequin was crafted from the same blue material and looked like it was made out of pure sapphire.

"Um... Hello? Wilbur?" asked Tom, moving towards the smith.

"Yeah?" grunted the massive wolf. As he approached, Tom was amazed that the wolf was way bigger than he was. Towering well over eight feet tall and just as brawny. "Whatcha want?"

"Oh... Um... Erm..." Tom regarded the bag of Salamander skins he had. "I was referred to you for some armour..."

"I'm closed!"

He was taken aback. "But you look like -"

"I'm busy, runt," growled the wolf. He noticed how one eye of the wolf was scarred, three ragged gashes slicing down the wolf's face and crossing the eye. Though the eye worked perfectly, it made the wolf look rather... fierce. Such a level of customisation was not something a regular FC offered and he didn't see an FC on the wolf either. He was dealing with an NPC.

"Jake said -"

The wolf went rigid. "Jake? As in Reaper3?" The wolf's attitude changed suddenly and he dunked the red hot blade he had been working on in some water. "Come on in. What do you need?"

Jake really had quite a bit of a pull in this world. Tom was glad to be on his good side. "I need some fireproof armour. I've got some Salamander skins here that I was hoping you'd use?" He offered the bag to Wilbur and the smith looked inside.

"Is that Elmo's hide?" asked the smith.

"Uh... yeah... We sort of had a run in with him..."

The smith eyed him suspiciously. "And you won?"

"Sort of..."

The smith pulled the sack onto his workbench, dumping the contents all over the table. "Hmmm... Okay. I can work with this. Leather armour I'm assuming?"

"Yes please."

Wilbur was pensive as he ran his paws across Elmo's bright, fiery hide. "Would be a waste to just make normal leather armour out of this even if it's just fireproof. What do you say I add some extra features to it? How do you play, kid?"

Remembering Pete's description of his role in the party, Tom said, "I'm generally a DPS."

The smith grunted and gave a nod. "Alright. I can put fuse some extra FCs I have lying around to boost your Agility stats. That should help you along. But it'll cost you."

"Sure. How much do you want?"

Wilbur eyed him, shamelessly appraising the very naked dragon. When the smith's eyes settling on Tom's crotch, Tom became very well aware that he was extremely naked. All his armour had been burned in the fight against Elmo. His pride prevented him from covering up his privates but he could feel a strange hunger coming into Wilbur's eyes.

"How about your muzzle?"

"Wh - What...?"

"You heard me," the smith said, lounging against his workbench with a smirk. "I put some extra oomph in your armour and in return, you suck me off." The wolf reached for his package, jostling the enormous bulge hidden beneath his smith's apron.

"What kind of business do you run here!?" shouted Tom, taking a step back.

"A failing one," grunted the smith. "I'm in the middle of nowhere, sandwiched between rural houses. Do you really think I get any customers back here? Just take the offer, runt. At least then you won't spend any gold."

Tom shook his head incredulously. "Isn't gold worth more to you than a blowjob?"

"If it were, would I be willing to make you some pretty badass armour for one?"

The dragon pursed his lips. He glanced left and right. No one was there. No one was there to see him pause and seriously consider the offer. Pete had gotten his rocks off in The Gam3 and he had often told Tom that it was exactly the same as if he were to do it in real life. What was the harm right? Besides, this was an NPC. He was probably programmed to do this. Kind of a sick programmer but who was he to argue?

"This better be some pretty damn good armour," he muttered, striding forward. "Got a room?"

"I'm not letting you into my house, kiddo," grunted Wilbur, undoing his apron. It fell to his knees with a loud whump. Thick, rippling muscles were barely contained beneath a dirty, grime smeared white shirt and shorts. Something stirred in Tom upon looking at those bulging shapes that the short, grey fur could barely contain.

"Right here, right now," grunted the wolf. "My time is precious."

Not truly believing what he was agreeing to, Tom said, "Fine."

He approached the smith, taking in the heavy, metallic scent of the wolf. Everything about the wolf screamed alpha male. The scent was heavy, musky and laden with sweat. It reminded him a lot of Pete though where Pete had these underlying tones of 'prey', Wilbur's scent made Tom want to run.

Kneeling in front of the cross-armed wolf, Tom reached for those shorts and slowly unbuttoned them. Part of him was disappointed when he noticed the wolf wasn't even hard yet. He had been hoping he wouldn't have to perform any foreplay and just get the lupine off but apparently, he had to excite the NPC first.

The wolf's musk was even stronger as he drew closer to those gargantuan balls that had filled his hands when he gently fondled them. Drawing from his experiences back when he had to suck off several centaurs, he avoided using his claws and leaned it, gently kissing the wolf's plump sheath. He got a soft moan for that.

Glad for the response at least, Tom gently lapped at the smiths' balls with his flat tongue. Wilbur tasted salty, not too salty that it was bitter but just that delicate balance where Tom could detect it but it wasn't overpowering. Every gentle lap brought the large orbs closer and closer to Tom's lips and with the most delicate of kisses, he brought Wilbur's left testicle against his lips. Wilbur groaned at the attention, his hips gently bucking.

Tom could practically hear the wolf's balls gurgling for release. He leaned in and took the entire testicle in his muzzle, suckling on it gently. Wilbur whimpered, his entire body quaking slightly.

"Sounds like this pup needs to get off bad," chuckled Tom.

"Just shut up and don't stop," grunted Wilbur gruffly.

Tom watched with wild pride as the wolf's pointed cock began slowly emerging from his sheath. It worried him a little that he had a natural knack of sucking people off but he dismissed that as just knowing what guys wanted. Now with a target, Tom took the wolf's sheath in his muzzle, sliding his tongue in between that flap of skin and the emerging member. He drew a long breath, the sucking motion rewarding him with another inch of cock into his mouth.

"Oh fuck..." Wilbur moaned, his legs going weak beneath his feet. The smith tumbled to the ground but not before Tom carefully caught him, paws on his ass. Thick, corded muscle pressed against Tom's hands and he couldn't help but think that that was a very firm piece of ass.

Now on the floor, Tom preyed upon the wolf's weakness and began suckling on the emerging cock, teasing its underside with his tongue. Long ropes of precum squirted deep into Tom's throat. That salty taste was back but like before, it wasn't overpowering and Tom found himself actually liking it a little. Unlike his experience with the centaurs, it was a taste he could get used to.

Realising what he was thinking, Tom shook his head a little. The motion caused his tongue and muzzle to wiggle, jostling Wilbur's cock and urging more blood into the rapidly engorging member. That movement pushed the tip of the hot-red pecker against the roof of Tom's muzzle. Puzzled and also a little curious to see just how big that member would get, he continued lathering it with attention, drawing long licks and sucks from it.

Tom had to readjust himself slightly as he found the smith's cock had no more room to move in his current position. It was hard as steel and was still growing. If it got any bigger, it would pierce the roof of his muzzle. He pulled away for a second, wondering how to proceed.

Wilbur however provided the solution. The huge wolf suddenly sat up and seized Tom's waists with his long, muscular, scarred arms. Tom found the world spinning around him as he was turned upside down and Wilbur's cock once more pressed up against his muzzle. At the same time, he felt Wilbur's wet nose pressed up against his draconic slit.

"Um..." he murmured.

"Shut up and do your job."

Before Tom could protest further, Wilbur's long, wet tongue pressed up against his slit, drawing a long lick. The sensation was pleasure incarnate and rippled through Tom like a tsunami. He gasped and in that moment, found Wilbur's cock being shoved down his muzzle, the massive twelve inch member throbbing angrily as he wrapped his draconic tongue around its length. Thick ropes of precum spurted into his throat and he instantly found himself regretting missing the delicate salty flavour of the fluids. That regret, however, was short lived when Wilbur's next lick brought his own cocks to attention.

"Holy shit, kid," grunted Wilbur. "Got two swords back here."

Tom mumbled something but could only end it in a moan when his cocks emerged from their hiding space, rising to their full seven inches and rubbing their ridged shapes against Wilbur's muzzle. The wolf took one cock into his muzzle, his hot breath and the dexterity of his tongue sending wave after wave of overwhelming pleasure through Tom. On top of that, Wilbur seized Tom's other member, squeezing it lightly and rhythmically milking him.

The dragon's eyes rolled into the back of his head as the dual sensation of being sucked and jacked off crashed into his fragile resistances. He moaned loudly, bucking his hips in tandem with Wilbur's own movements. Whenever Wilbur jerked his cock, a fresh wave of pleasurable messages surged into his body. Upon retreat, the wolf would immediately draw a long draught from Tom's other cock, sending its own wave. The unending stimulation melded perfectly with Wilbur's cock being shoved into Tom's throat. The combination of pleasure and the blowjob merged and twisted into a single message: blowjobs were good. Both giving and receiving.

Tom moaned loudly when he felt an odd bulge pressing up against his muzzle. Somehow, he managed to wrest control from his more bestial side to spy the enormous knot forming at the base of Wilbur's already erect, pulsating member. Both a little curious and lusty, the dragon pressed a finger against the knot, instantly getting a shower of precum down his throat that filled his belly with an amazing warmth. There was enough that it squirted down the length of Wilbur's cock and danced on Tom's tongue.

That heavenly, salty taste tantalised Tom even more and he immediately seized that knot, squeezing on it for more of that euphoric ambrosia. Wilbur let out his own muffled moan and thrust his hips into Tom's muzzle, the long ropes of precum growing in intensity and frequency. In response, Wilbur's tongue went wild on Tom's cock, peppering it from all sides with hot, wet licks that Tom was knocked back into his bestial rhythm; the only thing on his mind was getting off and getting Wilbur off.

Their grunts and moans grew louder and louder, Wilbur's massive, muscular body pressing up against Tom's athletic form. Sweat rolled off them both, glistening off their frames. Tom's eyes were firmly shut, blocking out all sight and focusing solely on the stimulation that brought his body closer and closer to release.

The heat in his loins grew to unbearable levels. He tried to keep the dam hard and strong but with every long lick from Wilbur and the subsequent squeeze, he felt himself breaking down. More and more, he wanted to cum but he was unwilling to cum first. His pride shone through the fires of lust and he redoubled his efforts to bring Wilbur to orgasm first.

He didn't have to wait long.

Wilbur suddenly thrust his hips forward, pushing his cock - knot and all - deep into Tom's muzzle. That sudden movement jerked Tom into semi-consciousness as his gag reflex rejected the intrusion. That moment of shock broke his concentration and his cocks exploded as the damn walls broke. The twin bursts of cum from his cocks sent his body into violent spasms, his tail thrashing madly left and right, sending precious smithy equipment crashing all around them. At the same time, thick ropes of cum exploded down his throat. No longer fully conscious, he could only drink in that salty lupine seed while all his efforts were focused on pushing as much seed as he could from his two cocks.

Tom felt the heat of his seed spilling all over Wilbur's chest and subsequently against his abs. At the same time, the long blasts of cum from Wilbur's cock came too fast for him and much of it spilled out of his muzzle, dribbling down his chin and matting the soft fur beneath him.

Some part of him wanted to clean it all up... but he was too exhausted.

His mind wandered, thinking of nothing... but just how good it felt to suck someone off... and how much he wanted to do it again.

*****

When Tom woke, he did so in a bed alien to his own. He glanced around, puzzled. This was not his room. It was filled with books, made of wood and was actually clean. It took him a moment to realise that he was still in The Gam3. Despite that, this was not his room.

Curious, he slowly got up, fully aware of his nudity. However, with his cocks securely in his slit, he didn't feel so... nude. He glanced around the room, aware of the soft _clinking_noise coming from somewhere downstairs. Still a little disoriented, he strode towards the stairs and followed it outside into a familiar smithy.

Wilbur was pounding another sword and took notice of him between swings.

"You're awake." The wolf nodded to a mannequin. "Your armour is ready."

"Oh... Uh... Thanks."

Tom strode towards the indicated mannequin. His jaw dropped at its sheer beauty. It glistened with the same live fire colourations as Elmo's flesh but was gilded with gold. Its design was amazing. The cuirass was perfectly shaped to show off Tom's pectorals and the attached pauldrons were shaped like webbed, draconic wings. A dragon's emblem was crafted perfectly on the back. The pants were layered to provide both mobility and protection, having thin wires of gold forming intricate designs across his lengths. Even the arms and legs were perfectly designed, the gauntlets being shaped like snarling dragon heads with his fingers jutting out of their maws.

"How are you not getting more business!?" Tom exclaimed, picking up the armour. "This... This is amazing!"

"Leave my business practices to me, kid," grunted Wilbur.

Tom glanced at the wolf who had gone straight back to pounding the metal. He wondered what had gotten the NPC in such a foul mood but then recalled that this was an NPC, a well-programmed one but still an NPC. He was probably designed to be gruff and noncommittal. Still, Tom was curious about one other thing...

"Erm... How was I...?"

Wilbur's ears perked and he looked up at the dragon, a frown on his scarred features. "You made me cum."

"Oh... Uh... Was it good?"

"Good enough. Getting at your slit felt a little like eating pussy though."

"Oh... You're gay?"

"What was your first clue?"

Feeling a flush on his cheeks, Tom said, "Sorry... It sort of came with this form... If I could have a sheath like yours, I'd make the trade straight away."

Again, the wolf's ears perked. He dropped the metal he was working with back into the water and reached into a leather pouch he had hanging on a hook against the wall. He dropped the contents of the pouch on the table. Several FCs of various colours spilled onto the wooden surface. Never having seen so many FCs before, Tom could only stare.

"I noticed you've still got five slots on your FG free," grunted the wolf. He picked up five crystals and held them out for Tom. "Here. One of them is an Appearance Crystal. It'll give you that sheath you wanted."

Tom grinned and reached for them but then froze a moment later. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. Just take them."

Surprised and having expected a request for another blowjob or worse, Tom still warily too the FCs. He regarded the items in his hands. Three were for Agility stats, Speed, Dexterity and Flexibility; all coloured a shade of yellow. A fourth was red made for his Metabolism statistic under Physicality. The last, a pink crystal, was clearly marked as an Appearance Gem to give him a sheath.

"Thanks."

Forgetting his last experience, Tom immediately placed the FCs into his Form Grid.

"Whoa! Hey!"

Tom froze. "Oh shit... Aaaaaah!"

He fell onto his rear as a pulsating heat began bubbling up from deep inside of his limbs, seemingly emanating from his bones and bleeding into his muscles. It was far from uncomfortable, in fact it was so good. He groaned loudly as his legs felt like someone was pushing them gripping his thighs and pulling on them, stretching them out. Through half-closed eyes, he watched his thighs lengthen, followed by his calves and then his feet growing bigger to accommodate.

Loud popping erupted from his back as he squirmed slightly as the ground grew further and further away from him. His tail thrashed pleasurably as his entire torso grew longer. At the same time, all the fat that kept his abdominals from clearly showing began to bubble away. A sound like dry leaves being crushed filled his ears. Right before his eyes, his muscles became more prominent, his pecs losing the fat that kept them from being perpetually hard and his abdominals finally showing clearly through his yellow scales.

On top of that, he felt the heat focusing greatly in his balls. They became incredibly hot, so much so that he gripped them tightly in a desperate attempt to cool them. To his amazement, he felt them growing bigger and bigger, pushing his fingers further apart. They felt - and even looked - a little like lemons by the time the change moved onto his cock. The thin, draconic slit shrank but in its place, a thick, tube-like growth pushed out of his flesh, containing his dual cocks.

Tom shivered in pleasure at the change, fresh rolls of sweat rolling down his body.

"Kid, are you alright?"

He drew himself from the pleasure of change, finding Wilbur's bright, brown eyes staring down at him in worry.

"You're pretty..." he murmured.

The wolf's eyes widened and he snorted. "Your fine. Now put on your armour and get the hell out of my smithy."

Shocked by the sudden brashness, Tom sat up and watched the wolf's tight, bubble butt wandering away to get back to work. As Wilbur turned, however, he noticed the wolf's apron was slightly tented.

A smirk crossed his features as he got up and slipped on his armour. He shivered slightly as the added statistics from the armour filled him with additional strength. His halberd was resting beside the mannequin and he retrieved that once he was fully dressed.

"Thanks for everything," he said to Wilbur. He only got a grunt in reply.

As Tom turned to leave, he caught sight of Wilbur retreating back into his house and shutting the door.

The dragon smiled to himself, thinking just how cool it was to have gotten off an NPC and how that very same NPC was now jacking himself off in the house. He couldn't blame Wilbur. He was goddamn sexy and he was eager to test out his new sheath and armour.

Maybe he would visit Wilbur again sometime.

After all, the wolf was fairly cute...

Tom stopped himself in mid-step... a frown crossing his features...

...

... was he... Was he attracted to an NPC?