[Fonk]

Welcome back, good sir! I like the picture, muchly.

[Fonk]

The second one is astonishing. The first one's pretty sharp.

Promise me you'll never stop drawing! 😉

[Fonk]

Very interesting, very vivid. Me likes!

[Fonk]

Layering on the anticipation… yes! Thanks for your fine, fine work, sir.

[Fonk]

I love it. She so vein. 😛

[Fonk]

I'm really sorry that I can't contribute any drawing skill to the project – I have relatively little! – but I can say that it looks amazing! ;D

[Fonk]

Awesome.

[Fonk]

I am fond of the Sentinel: a lovely big six-pack there. Yum! Thanks for your work!

[Fonk]

Any time you want someone to housesit, let me know. Any time. 😉

[Fonk]

OK, so, I decided to make it six parts. I like the number six. 😉

The Claws Of Winter – Part 5

Vanessa Keates was broken. She kept running through the events that had led to their capture, seeing if there was anything she could have or should have done to prevent it. The blonde decided they had been badly unprepared, and that had proved their undoing. She had lost track of the time they'd spent in the darkness. It made no difference if they had their eyes open or closed, but Vanessa's were closed. She had shuffled into a corner and tried not to make too much noise with her tears.

Dominique had muttered for what felt like hours, her beautiful, melodic voice reduced to a rasping choke. Having lost all the knowledge of French the Ring had given her, Vanessa only understood about one word in five. She had talked about herself a lot – "Je" was easy to recognise – and a lot about something she'd lost, possibly. She also said "i.e." a few times.

Jean-Jacques had been silent; Vanessa guessed he'd gone to sleep. She didn't crawl over to him to check – she had realised that the chamber was air-tight, so she was trying to keep her movements to a minimum. The air was thin yet humid, reeking of sweat and urine. Her heavy stomach grumbled occasionally, breakfast now feeling like it had taken place in another world, another life. She curled into a ball and tried to sleep.

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

The light was blinding, uncomfortable. She blinked furiously, raising a hand to block it out. Serena was standing in the doorway, grinning magnificently. "Ah, my pets!" she cried, excitedly. Vanessa frowned: the Collarwearer's voice sounded odd, as if two people were speaking at once. She turned her head to listen intently. "I have something for you." At the limit of the audible the Ringbearer managed to make out that Serena was somehow saying the same words in French.

She flung three small bread rolls into the dirty prison. "Bon appetit," she mocked. Bowing to them, she resealed the chamber with a wave, enshrouding them in darkness again. The Ringbearers had each scrambled to grab a roll before scuttling back to their corners. Vanessa heard rhythmic scraping sounds as one of her companions wiped the dirt off their roll, but she was too hungry and ate it all in two bites. Dominique said something; Jean-Jacques laughed.

Vanessa shifted to a comfortable position and tried not to think as the others munched through their rolls. Jean-Jacques spoke for the first time: his voice was coarse and quick, but Vanessa thought she could recognise some of the words. "Faut," she thought. "That means 'must'. 'She-eh'? What does that mean?" She mulled over the word – or words – for a moment before a sound made her dry heave. The Frenchman was crapping in the corner of their jail.

"Oh, God, stop!" she thought. Vanessa saw a brief flicker of light through her screwed-up eyes and Jean-Jacques did, indeed, stop. Her eyes sprang open and she looked down at her Ring. Her jaw dropped as she saw it cycle through red and green and purple and blue. Dominique and Jean-Jacques looked at their own Rings for signs of life, but they were still the uninspiring gunmetal grey colour of earlier. Their shock turned to jealousy as they both stood in the dim light cast by the sparkling Ring, their expressions ice and rage.

A dazzling flash stopped them. Vanessa's Ring was projecting an image in an upside down cone of light. It was a man, the size of an Action Man figure. He was dressed in a stereotypical wizard's costume, minus the hat, and had the appearance and bearing of Richard Harris's Dumbledore from the early Harry Potter films. "Be still," it said gently. Through the shock Vanessa noticed that it was speaking with the same duality Serena had shown earlier. "We do not have much time."

Vanessa's companions settled down, staring at the tiny figure. "The Collarwearers plan to extort money from the world's governments in order to – " "Who are you?" Vanessa interrupted. The image smiled indulgently. "I am named Gawain of Sale," he replied. "I am the essence of your Ring." A frown rippled along her brow as the words sank in. "But you're not speaking in monotone!" "Of course not," the image said, shaking fizzing slightly out of focus before righting itself. "I believe I said we have little time?" Vanessa looked sheepish.

"As I was saying, the Collarwearers plan to extort money from the world's governments to further their evil schemes. I have been unable to deduce how they are causing the eternal winter – it is magic beyond my knowledge. What is certain is that you three must break the spell before the United Nations caves in to the Collarwearers' demands." "And how will we do that?" Dominique said sourly. Vanessa looked at her happily. "I can understand you!" she cried. "It is the least I could do," Gawain smiled.

"My dear, you will achieve this apparently lofty goal by the use of cunning, wit and, of course, considerable brawn," he continued.  "I have been given authorisation to take Vanessa to the limits of what is possible with the human body. I know that she has a plan to deal with your foes, and I will be able to assist her in its execution. After that, it will be up to you to destroy the spell and restore order to your world. Do you understand?" The three nodded in turn.

"Good," Gawain said. "Now, I sense that you are full of curiosity. You may each ask me one question, which I will answer to the best of my ability. Then I must take my leave." Vanessa went first: "Why aren't Dominique's and Jean-Jacques's Rings working?" "Their Rings have essences too," the tiny man replied. "It has been difficult to break the magical barrier placed on our current forms by your foes, so we were obliged to pool our resources into one of you. We chose Vanessa, as the most experienced."

"Will we all be able to regain our powers?" Dominique asked, notes of fear playing in her voice. Gawain nodded. "As soon as the Collarwearers are dealt with, the magical impediments that they have placed upon us will cease and you can return to your enhanced forms." The magician nodded gently towards Jean-Jacques. "And you, young man?" He cleared his throat. "What happened to my mother?" The two women looked at him, their jaws slack. Then they exchanged glances. Gawain looked wretched.

"This is most unfortunate," the apparition sighed disconsolately. "It is as you have always suspected: your mother committed suicide." Vanessa gasped, but Jean-Jacques just nodded, once, firmly. "Thank you," he whispered. Gawain smiled sadly for a few moments before gathering himself. "I must take my leave of you," he announced. "The magic is ready: once I have disappeared, Vanessa will start to grow. You must make room for her." He smiled patiently as the others scuttled as far away as they could.

"Vanessa," Gawain said, simply, "all our hopes rest on you. Win." "But – " It was already too late: the cone of light was receding into her Ring, taking its essence with it, leaving only enough light to see. True to his word, once the image had gone, Vanessa's whole body started to expand. She doubled over, grunting. Her previous growth had been gentle, almost unnoticeable. This time, it felt like she had stepped into a volcano.

Firstly, gratifyingly, her belly flattened out, vague lines of strength appearing on the surface of her abdomen. For an instant Vanessa had a model's body; then the changes rushed on. Time being of the essence, the Rings had decided to make all their desired changes at once, so the blonde was being made stronger, taller and curvier. And it was painful.

Vanessa's B-cups ballooned, pushing against the fabric of the robe. Her shapeless shoulders took on size, raising the filthy garment around her lengthening, strengthening neck. As she grew taller, more of her legs appeared: initially dimpled with fat, they were quickly endowed with the lean muscles of an athlete, before exploding into the blocky bulges of a bodybuilder. Her narrow arms took on the task of filling out the robe's sleeves.

As she grew in all available dimensions the others cheered. The Ringbearer was gasping for every breath as searing pain rushed through her from head to foot and back again. She fought to stand up, out of the way of the others. "'The limits of what is possible with the human body,'" she said to herself as she leaned on the jagged rocks behind her. "Hope it's safe…"

The fantastical transformation was easier to see now Vanessa was standing up. Her gorgeous breasts, backed by the expansion of two very powerful pectorals, had pushed the robe open at the top. The belt – which the blonde had tied tight around her waist – was keeping the lower portion of her torso under wraps for the moment. Dominique and Jean-Jacques had to content themselves with the sight of Vanessa's top two abs developing generous definition. It was like stop-motion animation as they pushed up onto the surface of her stomach and then carved out their impressions upon it.

As her limbs grew longer, more and more of her forearms made it into the light. Veins trailed up and down like ant tracks, thickening and coiling as her muscles expanded. Hidden under the sleeves, her upper arms started to make their presence felt. The robe had clearly not been designed with people of these dimensions in mind. Vanessa's hips flared to allow her rocket legs to take on more muscle. She reached and quickly passed six feet in height.

On top of the growth Vanessa was becoming beautiful. Her skin was smoothing out and developing a healthy, vital tan. Her cheekbones were becoming prominent as her lips plumped out. Her dirty blonde hair lengthened in sensual swoops. Her apple-shaped body was turning itself inside out to make the world's most powerful hourglass figure, rounding out her butt and repositioning her burgeoning breasts into the bargain.

At seven feet tall the robe was seriously losing the fight. The belt was on the point of tearing apart and the sleeves were tight with muscle, drawing the garment up to try and cover breasts the size of watermelons. Her nipples, the size of corks, were poking through. Any involuntary flex or spasm would do, and that's what happened: the blonde tightened her abs, the belt burst and with a sigh the Amazon's torso was revealed. Vanessa wriggled out of the garment and felt it spool up behind her.

Freedom was the key. The Ring glowed fierce bright and powered its wearer to heights she had never dreamed of. Past eight feet tall and quickly through to nine, she towered over her astounded colleagues. Far stronger than she'd ever been, too. Her thick muscles outshone those she'd had at the start of the day, and they would not stop growing. Even standing at ease, Vanessa's arms displayed outstanding size. Her torso widened to allow her pecs and abs to bulge into new, raw, supreme shapes.

Vanessa reached out mentally, exploring the crushing waves of power rushing through her body, revelling in the way they got stronger as she went. The actual process was still causing throbbing, searing pain to tear through her frame, but she was now equipped with the strength to stand tall. To Dominique and Jean-Jacques, it was as if their colleague was growing from a sapling into a mighty oak tree, sprouting intense strength as she shot upwards.

The Ringbearer spread her arms wide and pulled an earth-shattering double biceps pose. Two mighty, jutting boulders ripped up and out, topped off with split head peaks that rose as they watched. Vanessa turned her bull's neck to kiss both of them. She reached down to her pecs, feeling their sweet contours under and around her insanely inflating breasts. Jean-Jacques had to turn away.

The final surge of change made Vanessa's knees buckle. She fell heavily into a kneeling position, putting her mammoth calves to good use. She levelled off at twelve feet tall, her thick dirty blonde hair slaloming down her quivering, rippling back to just above her tight, power-packed butt. Her neck was lost amongst traps like the biggest hams you could ever wish to see, caroming into delts with the classic cannonball shape, though they were the size of basketballs.

The blonde knew that there was more power in her arms than her entire body had previously held, and it showed. It looked as though someone had stuffed the largest rocks they could find under her skin – every time she shifted her arms they came to life as the eye-watering blocks of power danced their way through the motion. Her chest had gone off the scale: beach ball sized boobs rose and fell hypnotically with each breath, complete with perfect hard, tan nipples. The astounding breastflesh was kept in check by pecs beyond imagination.

Trailing down the rest of her torso were abs the size of DVD boxes, though far thicker. As Dominique stared at her colleague's hyper physique, she realised she could fit most of her hand in between the grooves of Vanessa's abdominal grid. Her navel looked like a smudge made by a thumb in concrete. Slowly the more-than-superwoman got to her giantess feet, bringing everything about her legs into sharp relief.

And there was a lot to bring. Thicker around than the proverbial tree trunks, Vanessa realised that she could have hidden her comrades behind them. Her quads were hunks of rock you would need many pairs of hands to span, streaks of veins lining the beyond immense muscle. Her calves ballooned out inhumanly, reaching nearly as far behind her body as her perfectly rounded ass.

"You have ten minutes," a blessedly familiar voice rang in her mind. "Welcome back, Vanessa. Make us proud." She nodded. One missile strike fist later and the rock that enclosed them had become sand. Vanessa's colossal frame protected the others from harm. Her features betrayed the wrath she was about to dole out, but despite the anger and rage flooding her entirety the rebelliously geeky part of her brain had its moment.

"It's clobbering time," she grinned.

— To Be Concluded —

Thanks for all your replies of support, guys, it's very appreciated. 😀

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