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Transformative TreasureFeaturing: Lexal and SarkBy: hdalby33“Forward my brethren! We shall find that treasure yet!” “Aw, c’mon Sark, it’s just me and we arrived like a minute ago.” Lexal wiped his steel-grey dorsal fin and nudged the large shark out of his way. Sark, a pirate known for his theatrics, chuckled and removed his boot from the boulder. The adventurous leader peered over his shorter counterpart’s shoulder, eyeing the map that seemed to lead them through miles of jungle. Taking a moment to adjust his blue and gold vest and pantaloons, Sark eyed the forest, “Anything stand out to you Lexal? I’m not seeing a dotted line anywhere.”Lexal shook his head, his gloved paws gripping the map nervously as Sark fidgeted, “Er…well we’re on the right path, I think.”The larger shark cast a glance behind them. Their ship was moored on the shoreline, approximately twenty paces from where they stood. “Well that’s something!” Sark bellowed cheerfully, slapping Lexal on the back.The shorter shark yelped as he briefly dropped the map. Grumbling, Lexal knelt down to pick it up when something in the rocky sand caught his attention. Leaning forward more, his cargo shorts crinkled as Lexal noted the tip of a large rock poking out of the ground. A small, indiscriminate spiral was inscribed in its surface, forming a seahorse’s tail that dead-ended in the creature pointing forward, toward the clutch of jungle. “I think we’re heading in the right direction,” Lexal showed Sark the marking and received another mind-numbing slap on the back for his efforts from the muscled fish. “Good eye, there!” Sark boomed, drawing his short sword and thrusting it forward. He replaced his booted foot on the boulder, “Now we can get a proper start to the trip!”Lexal nodded, “Yep, you’re an inspiration to us all.” In truth, the smaller shark was happy to have Sark along. He was a bit over the top, but a strong, natural leader, and the sword wasn’t decorative. Lexal himself carried a bow and some throwing daggers, while Sark employed a pistol as his range weapon. The two of them together were a formidable team and, heading into the unknown thicket of jungle, Lexal was happy for the help.After an hour of treading along a faint, but discernable path, Lexal realized they were following the curve of the river. As it wound, so did they, easing his initial concerns. Sark lead the way, slicing through vines and crushing creeping plants when they ensnared his boot. Lexal was more cautious, his eyes on their surroundings as they forged on. He felt as if they needed to come against an obstacle. Something to dissuade trespassers. Sark was all too happy to forge on, his thick tail weaving back and forth as he sang a soft sea shanty. It was only when that shanty stopped and Lexal ran into a stone-still Sark that his uncertainties were confirmed. Ahead of them sat a large slab of granite, with the same spiral marking pointing the way along the river. But at its center sat a beautiful emerald the size of a baseball. “Whoa,” Lexal padded over to the jewel and then looked back to his partner. “How much would your buyers pay for something like this?”Sark drew his paw over the edge of his sword nervously. Despite being an adventurous anthro, the towering shark still possessed common sense. “A fortuitous amount, most certainly. I’m not sure though, Lexal. It seems…malicious.”“I suppose,” Lexal sighed, reaffixing his gaze on the prodigious gem. It was ethereally beautiful, the facets and vertices composing its surface gleaming at entrancing angles, as if it were the essence of allure. And it was working on the curious shark. Unable to help himself, Lexal unsheathed a dagger and wedged the blade against the emerald and its holding place.“Lexal!” Sark warned, stepping forward nervously. His voice lowered in tangent with his perturbance. “Remove. The. Dagger.” “It’s glorioussss,” the smaller shark slurred, digging his knife in further, “Imagine what we’ll find beyond thisss Sssark. Richessss of unfathomable dimensions.”“Lexallll..”The emerald popped out, landing in the shark’s paws while Sark looked around nervously. His gills dilated rapidly as he watched Lexal grin. Neither anthro moved, both staring at the gemstone with different intents. Then it began to glow. A soft, warm light trickled from the gem and seeped into Lexal’s grey-skinned paws. The shark yelped and dropped the stone, but it magnetically rolled itself back into the spiral in the center of the stone. Lexal staggered for a moment, before dropping to his knees. The green light rapidly pervaded his body, following the trajectory of his veins like an alien source of blood. A burning sensation spread with it, causing the shark to cry out and fold over, his dagger falling from his grasp.Sark scrambled forward to support him, but Lexal waved him off as he came back to his senses. They had no clue if the light, or whatever it was, was infectious. The burning sensation lanced at Lexal’s muscles, burrowing mercilessly into his bones and after another moment, began to transform him.Soft crackles and twangs could be heard as the shark’s body changed, pulling everything into itself. Sark, no longer able to bear the whimpers coming from his friend, rushed forward and supported Lexal. Nothing happened to the larger anthro, but Sark was finding it harder and harder to assist Lexal as he shrank.With each passing moment, the afflicted fish’s lithe form diminished further, the world around him growing larger. Eventually it got to the point where Sark could support him in his broad paws, curious eyes watching as his partner shrunk roughly to the size of his pistol. Once the transformation stopped, Lexal was no more than eight inches in height and the weight of a small-ballistics cannonball, which was around a pound. Both were fortuitous in the fact that the magic affected the shrunken shark’s clothes. Sark wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if he’d had to tote a naked mini-fish the rest of the way. Poking the diminutive shark curiously, Sark tentatively asked the inevitable, “You alright?”Swatting the paw away, Lexal crossed his arm and huffed. “I think so,” he squeaked, “Just a bit smaller.” Sark awwed at the high-pitched quality of his companion’s voice, making Lexal turn red. “I swear you big galoot, if you make a single comment on my size or any smug remarks about being right, I’ll--”“What? Nibble me to death?” Sark chuckled as Lexal steamed and grumbled angrily. Swatting the larger fish’s snout with his tail, Lexal pointed ahead and then to the map that had fluttered out of his grip. “Our only hope of getting out of this mess is by heading forward. Think you can resist my chibi-charms for that long?” There was a searing quality to Lexal’s voice, but Sark was entirely impervious to it.“I shall call you Little Lexal now,” the muscled pirate giggled, stooping to snag the map and placing the mini-shark on his shoulder.“Don’t you dare!” Lexal squeaked, scrambling up his friend’s neck and bracing himself against Sark’s dorsal fin. “Now let’s find a way outta this mess.”Sark giggled and forged on through the dense undergrowth, his sea shanties picking up once more and an occasional chuckle piercing the voyage whenever low-hanging branches clotheslined Lexal.For his part, the miniaturized shark didn’t complain. He did his best to dodge the trees and contend with Sark’s off-key singing. The industrious pirate focused on a shanty about shrimp and how they made the world go round. It was only when Sark began replacing shrimp with a certain sea creature perched atop his head that Lexal finally whapped his carrier’s dorsal fin with his tail.Fortunately it wasn’t terribly far to the next checkpoint, an identifying waterfall that actually showed up on the map as well. They were approximately halfway. “So,” Sark gently tilted his head and let Lexal slide onto his shoulder, allowing them to converse more effectively, “Shall we try again? Or do you want to press on?”Lexal eyed the marking, this one a tall, rectangular column of stoned etched with runes of fish swimming in a spiral. At its core was a starburst of rubies, gleaming a lustful red. “We can’t run the risk of not trying,” he mused squeakily, sighing and plopping on Sark’s broad collar bone. “Let’s just hope this one makes me better.”“Think it’ll make you cuter?” Sark teased, poking the mini-shark’s belly.“No! Stop that, yah galoot!” Lexal pushed the invading digit away and shook a tiny fist at the gentle giant. Sark shook his head and stepped forward to acquire the central ruby, only to be stopped by Lexal. “Let me do it. If you touch it first and shrink then we’ll be done for.” Sark nodded in agreement, extending his paw out as a platform for his companion. Lexal wobbled precariously for a moment, dropping to his knees and gripping two of Sark’s fingers for support.Once steadied, the micro-fish stood once more and slipped his paws around the outer edges of the ruby. He just managed to grip both sides, causing the gem to glow angrily as it was disturbed in its stone nest.Yanking back, Lexal stumbled on the rubbery surface of Sark’s hand and let out a startled yelp as he was promptly pinned under the large stone. Wriggling helplessly, Lexal’s view was saturated in red, while his slim form groaned and shifted. He felt a cold, strangely refreshing touch creep from the ruby, spreading over his body like a blanket and imbibing it with…something almost pleasant.Lexal could sense a change from the familiar way his body creaked and groaned. Forceful snaps and twangs popped all over, while the crushing weight of the ruby dug into his torso. Sark, loyal to his cause, remained passive; leaving the ruby untouched and hoping his friend was all right.The weight of the ruby seemed to lessen gradually, causing Lexal’s struggles to die down. As the crushing weight was lifted from his abdomen, he protested weakly at Sark for removing it, only to realize it wasn’t the pirate. Rather it was he, or more specifically, the musculature composing him.Lexal’s rubbery skin heaved and rolled as the masses of tendons under his hide thickened and corded his form with cutting-edge definition. Pectorals and abs hardened along his stomach, pressing against his green shirt, while the shark’s biceps and thighs flexed with the perfection of one of Sark’s sea gods. His shoulders broadened, generating a sculpted promiscuity along his spine before chiseling the muscles in his tail and making it a veritable club of an appendage. Grunting once more, Lexal pushed against the ruby and suddenly hurled it straight back into the stone crevice.Sark watched in awe, his hand dipping briefly as Lexal’s weight became fully realized. Standing tall, Lexal eyed his newly muscled figure and grinned up to Sark. “Not the perfect solution, but definitely better.” His voice was still a squeak.The large shark nodded, slightly envious of Lexal’s acquired definition. Eyeing the ruby, he rubbed his square chin and swished his tail, “Perhaps I should adjust it. Just to ensure it’s properly fitted.”“No!” Lexal waved is paws to get Sark’s attention. “You’re…already thick enough as it is, heh,” he patted the bigger fish’s blocky snout. “I suppose…” Sark hummed for a moment, before poking Lexal again. “You look like an action figure.” Lexal puffed his chest up proudly, “A squeaky one, to be precise,” Sark amended with a chuckle. Lexal’s V-shaped torso deflated visibly, but he still managed a faint smile. Rubbing his widened neck self-consciously, Lexal rolled his arms and smirked, “Now I know how it feels to be you.”Sark hummed in agreement, tossing the mini-muscled shark onto his fin and taking out the map once more. “Alright,” he tapped their current location, “We’re relatively close now. A couple more miles and we come to a bend in the river.” He pointed to the terminus of the dotted line, “X marks the spot, eh?”Lexal rolled his eyes at the clichéd trope, but nodded in agreement. “I just hope whatever’s there can change me back.” He flexed his pecs indulgently, causing his shirt to creak and contort from the pressure. “Maybe keep a bit of this as well.”“Yeah, you’ve earned it,” Sark snorted, heading toward their final destination. He grinned and rose his head to snag the smug shark on an overhanging branch. To his surprise, Lexal vaulted athletically over it, swung like a gymnast off a broadleaf and flipped right back onto Sark’s fin. With a ‘humph’, Sark tread deeper into the jungle, the pair on their way once more.Given the generous distance between each of the markers, the sharks were blessed with ample time to one another’s company. For Lexal it was also a chance to test out his newfound strength. Grabbing onto Sark’s fin, his muscles rippled as he spun his lower torso around like a gymnast on a pommel horse. Sark, busy with the task of slashing away errant plants and vines, barely noticed. After some moments of spinning around, the chiseled fish flipped off his perch and landed lightly on his feet. Adopting a boxing stance, Lexal shuffled his feet left and right, treating Sark’s curved fin as an opponent. He muttered some silly fighting terminology to entertain himself, imagining the lush greenery around them as thousands of adoring fans, egging the micro-shark on.With a triumphant cry, Lexal lashed out with a powerful left hook, striking the thick rubbery surface hard. The force of the blow coupled with the little shark’s unfamiliarity of his own strength resulted in a remarkable rebound of his fist, smashing Lexal full on in the snout and landing him flat on Sark’s shoulder. Sark tilted his head to eye the dazed figure, the punch registering somewhere along the lines of a sharp bug bite. “You alright, bud?” Sark nosed his overturned companion in concern, “I think something bit me.”“Mrrrfff-grrfffek,” the heap replied. Lexal sat up, head spinning as a bright red cherry cropped up on his grey snout. Shaking his thudding cranium, Lexal smiled sheepishly, “Uh yeah, it was a big flying thing. Crashed into me. I scared it off.” He propped himself on one arm and offered a far too innocent grin.“My gratitude,” Sark giggled, reaching up and poking his companion’s middle. It wasn’t as effective this time around thanks to the hardened mass of muscles packed around Lexal’s weight. He huffed and protested nonetheless. “How much further?” the small shark inquired.“I’m not sure,” Sark consulted the map, narrowing his eyes ahead, “But I think there’s a clearing in a couple hundred yards.”The pair ventured forward curiously, the jungle thicket receding for more casual strains of grass, ferns, and bush. Stepping into the clearing, they were greeted with impressive pillars of stone set in the direct center of the field. It was surrounded by several more boulders, each intricately carved and facing outwards as if to guard off intruders such as the two who’d just entered.A large orb of a diamond squatted atop a cradle made of the same stone, flanked by the tall pillars. It gleamed softly, flawless in every cut angled across its surface. Lexal rubbed his paws together, a soft twinge cropping in his stomach. Sark eyed the jewel with reproach, already distrusting the cannonball-sized jewel. “That would supplement my crew for years,” he stammered. Lexal nodded, leaping off the shark’s shoulder and tucking into a tight ball in midair. He landed on his hands, grinning inversely up to Sark to ease the bigger fish’s nerves. “This is the final stone, bud, maybe it’ll change me back.” Leaping back onto his feet with a fluid grace, Lexal walked around the base of the diamond appraisingly. Despite the various, unnerving effects it had on him, the shrunken shark couldn’t help but be impressed by the gorgeous gleam of the gem.Sark coughed to get Lexal’s attention. “I’m sure your reflection is spellbinding, but I think it’s best if we spend as little time as possible here.” He looked around at the stones. It felt like they were trespassing. Nodding, Lexal turned back to the diamond and placed his gloved paws on it. The diamond immediately began to flash with light, sending waves of what felt like electricity through his muscles. Crying out, the mini-shark held his ground and pushed against the jewel all he could, his entire body flexing like one continuous slab of muscle. After another moment, the flashes caused the shark to grow. With each one, he became a little larger. First a foot tall, then two, then Lexal tumbled off the lip of the stone cradle, one paw remaining affixed to the diamond.Several more flashes and he let go. Lexal shook his paws, feeling them overheated from the diamond’s energizing qualities. He found the base of his gloves had burned away. As Lexal inspected the damage, he realized he still retained the muscularity from earlier, causing a wide jack-o-lantern smile to split his muzzle. Sark eyed the fresh-formed shark suspiciously, and then turned to the diamond. It still glimmered softly, while Lexal stood tall and grinned. His was almost level with Sark now. “Now we’re seeing eye to eye, eh?” he chuckled as his heavily-built companion rolled their eyes, still looking at the diamond.“But did you get an eye for an eye?” Sark muttered. He reached out and poked Lexal’s rigid abdomen, the perfectly toned fish’s smile dying down into a pursed frown. “What do you mean? I went through plenty with all that transformation stuff. Are you saying you don’t think the diamond is done?” Lexal felt worry take hold in his mind and his muscular physique crawled worryingly, as if ants had begun to nest amid them. Both turned back to the diamond, the flashes of light flickering through it like sunlight on the ocean floor. The flashes picked up in frequency, mounting to pulses that matched Lexal’s quickened heart rate. His skin crawled, muscles contorting tensely, and then one final flash emanated from the diamond and it went clear.Lexal yelped as he felt the same electrical sensation from earlier return. This time however, it was constant, and it lanced relentlessly along his bones. Sark watched in concern, unable to help as Lexal felt his muscles begin to soften, almost slip from his arms into supple sags. In one monumental shift, the shark’s muscularity slipped downward as if a droplet at the tip of an icicle, and conformed into generous deposits of flab. Lexal’s shirt ripped as his belly bounced energetically over his waist, a pale-pearl orb shaped like an egg wobbling gently against thighs, once thick with muscle, now rounded with pudge. His hips and chest quivered gently, pushing against a second chin that framed a very disappointed, very adorable rounded face. Lexal found his tail creased when it swished in annoyance, his pants trembling as they struggled to hold in his plumped legs. Sark observed the transformation in awe, before collapsing into a fit of laughter at the prominently pouty expression weighing his friend’s soft features. “Oh by pearls of the sea, you just went from shark to manatee,” he sang, poking the pear-shaped shark in their exposed middle.Lexal huffed, turning away from his chortling friend and grumbling. “I’m not a manatee…”“No? Tell that to this, Cannonball,” Sark sniggered, slapping Lexal’s side. Sighing, Lexal looked around for the map, his ponderous middle making the task all the more difficult. “Where’s it say to go next, you lug?”Sark smirked even wider at this, handing over the telltale scrap of parchment and snorting peals of laughter as best he could. Their current position was precisely in line with the X on the map. Lexal’s pout deepened in tune with Sark’s increasing laughter. The larger shark reached out, poked his claw into the soft flesh of Lexal’s belly, and traced it gently into two intercrossing lines. “X marks the spot!” Before he collapsed into a heap of laughter once more. ................
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