Two-parter commission for  johnpm995! This features his beefy lady, Crystalla, and her adventures in my fantasy/musclefur setting of the Palamani Dominion; you may recognize her as one of the people Roland comes across in my series, Strength of a Thousand Men.

Anywho! This is my first female muscle-fur story, and I'm glad I got to tackle a different type of character for once. There's not too much growth for Crystalla in Part I, but if you want to see a muscular dog lady doing her thing, you might just enjoy!

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Story © Moi
Crystalla ©  johnpm995

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Crystalla would never forget the day that the Dominion came. She was a proud daughter of the North, of Garenth. Those proud sons and daughters of the Mountains and Ice had seen would-be conquerors break on their shores like the waves against the rocks. Remera and her Battlemage Legions could not conquer Garenth, nor could her children, the Western Kingdoms. But the Dominion did not break. They were not a wave; they were a moving mountain. She watched her father and brothers imprisoned in the midst of battle, overpowered by soldiers stronger than them several times over. Of course, her brothers and father weren’t as strong as she was. Crystalla was the strongest in her village, with arms and rolling shoulders to shame any of the men of Garenth, and she never fell. Unfortunately, one strong warrior cannot win against an army. The Legions of the Dominion were not only strong, they were crafty. At a battle led by their strongest, their leader, the Imperator Ulysses, Garenth’s last stronghold fell in a surprise attack that left Garenth’s warriors surrounded. It was clever, but not without honor. In a strange sense, she even respected the Palamani warriors. They were as big as her, even bigger, and their strength was unsurpassed. There were no massacres, no burning of heretics, and no burning of their homes. Her family even came back, and looking particularly bigger. Her biggest brother even managed to beat her in arm-wrestling. The Palamani spoke of how they were going to make Garenth strong, truly strong, and at first the warriors of Garenth laughed, but when they saw the size and strength of their masters, the Sons of Garenth signed up in droves for the Palamani Legions to be stronger than ever.

But only just the Sons.

When Crystalla marched to Garenth’s largest town, the new provincial capital of Starkheim, and proudly announced her intention to fight for her new Lords, the Recruiter, a fox only slightly bigger than her, laughed and told her to find woman’s work. Crystalla then wrestled him to the ground, and declared that woman’s finest work. In Garenth, everyone was a warrior. True, most women did not have the strength of men, but that did not stop her mother from learning how to fire a bow or throwing a spear. And Crystalla? She had been blessed with great beauty; her canine family were known for their luscious gold fur and regal looks; a story in their village often told stories about how her family had a drop of blood from warrior kings to look so blessed. As Crystalla grew, and, in truth, never really stopped growing, those stories only grew. The great, golden beauty of Hillegard had not found a man worthy of her; not that she minded having a smaller mate. She stood a head taller than an average man, and nearly twice as wide, with shoulders like the rolling hills that surrounded her village, arms and legs thick as trees, her back wide as a doorframe, and a vast chest that boasted more than prosperous breasts. But all the men that sought her favor were convinced they must best her to win her affections, and she had a sinking suspicion the Palamani men would be much the same way. Still, where did these massive men in their bronze armor come from? What were the Southern lands really like, now that the Garenth raiders could no longer raid the coasts of the Western Kingdoms? Crystalla had to know. And so, with nothing more than her leather jerkin and her father’s great sword, Crystalla left home, which she would never see again. The journey across the cold Great North Sea was miserable, grey, and wet, but finally she came to the city of Herculeon, a port founded by the Dominion on the Great North Sea’s wind-blasted coast. The buildings were all white-washed stone with tile roofs. The Dominion had conquered the harsh tundra here just as they had Garenth, and now lived in comfort. The harbor was the busiest Crystalla had ever seen; broad-shouldered, burly workers were running down the piers with great piles of merchandise from all over the Western lands, and ships docked and loaded like an organized regiment of soldiers. The harbor itself ran its business in the shadow of a statue depicting the most massive lion Crystalla had ever seen, with enough muscle in his arm to make two of her, it appeared. The inscription read, “Imperator Herculius the Patient- the Strongest to the Last” Crystalla grinned up at the statue. Maybe she could learn to be strong like Herculius?

As she passed the statue, a Palamani soldier stopped her. “Pardon me, m’lady-- oh, excuse me, citizen.” He grinned, looking over his board of papers. “I’m from Illias originally. Old habits die hard. Any rate, I’m the Prefect of this Harbor, Renard De Fleureaux. And you are… wow.” The soldier, dressed in a suit of shining steel plates that gave his expansive body room to breathe, stopped as he looked Crystalla over. “F-forgive me, you are just… not like girls in Illias.” Crystalla and the soldier, a tawny furred hybrid with a canine face and a lion’s tail, were of roughly the same height and build, with powerful muscles on Renard’s behalf grinding against his armor.

“I’ll do you the favor of taking that as a compliment.” Crystalla grinned.

Renard cleared his throat, “Right. Well, I just need to ask you a few quick questions, and you’re on your way.”

“I actually have a few questions for you, if you don’t mind.”

“Anything, for an… exemplary citizen of the Dominion. What can the Legion’s finest do for you?”

“You run this whole harbor?” she asked, looking over Renard’s shoulder and peering at all the ships. “I’ve never seen one run so smoothly.”

Renard grinned, raising his chin with pride, “I am but a simple soldier doing my duty. Credit also goes to my Quartermaster, but between you and me, I’m looking for a promotion. I should be getting one soon… there’s this girl, Claudia, and she’s being wooed by a Praetor--” Renard stopped himself. “I’m sorry, I tend to babble. Surely you have other questions besides boosting my ego.”

Crystalla looked over her wide shoulder at the sword strapped to her back. “Well… I’m a warrior, by nature and experience. When I saw the Dominion invade Garenth, I was glad to see they fought with honor and strength. I’ve come to join your Legion. I want to know where I can enlist, and fight for the same honor you’ve received.”

“Oh. Ah…” Renard rubbed the back of his head, bicep mashing against his shoulder. “I’m sorry. They don’t take female recruits.”

Crystalla blinked in shock. “You’re joking.”

The hybrid held up his hands. “I’m sorry, I truly am. You look as able as any other recruit… in fact, you could probably do better than the ones I have under my command…” He took a sidelong glance to two burly soldiers that looked less than intelligent loitering next to the docks. “But it’s the rules. Women don’t fight in the Legion.”

“But…” Crystalla looked crestfallen. “I came all this way to fight for the Dominion. Doesn’t that mean anything?”

“Not to the Generals, and probably not to the Imperator. I am sorry.” Renard said consolingly.

“What do I do, then? Just… go back home and marry some little man?” Crystalla growled.

Renard tapped his papers. “I might have one suggestion. They do allow women to fight in the arenas; gladiatrices. If you go to Virtus, I’m sure the Grand Arena wouldn’t dream of passing you down. It may not be fighting on the front lines, but it’s still combat.”

Crystalla’s ears perked up. “Truly?”

“Absolutely. Tell me… just… how did you get so big? Do they have Jidou in Garenth already?” Renard asked.

Crystalla stared at him blankly. “Jidou?”

“Have they not built aqueducts in Garenth yet?”

The large canine shook her head. “No. Starkheim’s not getting theirs until next year.”

“So you’re… all this is…” Renard gestured to her bulging arms. “That’s all you?”

“What else would it be?” Crystalla asked in confusion.

“Nevermind... here.” Renard walked back to a stockpile, and picked up a waterskin. “Just… drink this when you’re thirsty. And only drink water from Dominion aqueducts.”

“Why?”

“It’s for growing girls and boys. Just trust me. Now, I just need your name and purpose of visiting Herculeon.”

“Crystalla Frodedottir. My purpose? Fighting for honor,” she beamed.

Renard smirked.“I think you’ll fit in the Dominion just fine.”

Crystalla grinned, parting ways with Renard with thanks and a firm handshake. She was able to handle the rough and broad shoulders on Herculeon’s streets, and even peek over the heads of some of the smaller men in town. There was a different sort of energy here; where Garenth’s traders hawked fish and iron weapons, the Dominion dealt in gold, silks, and the mysterious casks of water Renard had hinted at. The Palamani wealthy, who were also coincidentally the largest, wore very little clothing. They were practically presenting; skimpy, diaphanous cloth did little more than hang limp, pushed aside by meaty pecs, mountainous shoulders, and bulging arms thicker than Crystalla’s waist. Men and women alike were adorned in golden jewelery that hung around their mutually thick necks, but where the men strutted around with massive weapons and wearing outfits that could potentially count as armor for someone half their size, with metal chestplates that did little to actually cover their hulking chests, the women wore dresses the likes of which Crystalla had only seen in houses of ill repute back home, carried on extravagant litters born by broad-shouldered slaves. Her own outfit made her look downright prudish, in comparison; a leather jerkin that wrapped around her hefty torso and somehow managed to contain her heaving breasts, fitted with chain mail padding along the shoulders and sides, and thick, woolen trousers and boots to fight against the chill she was so accustomed to.

One litter in particular caught her attention, mainly because it almost slammed into her. Two burly slaves shouted at Crystalla to get out of the way, but the dog didn’t hear them. Not to be deterred, the slaves attempted to shove her aside, but were not expecting resistance from a trained warrior. Next thing anyone knew, a large hyena draped in gold and silk had tumbled out of the litter, which the slaves only just prevented from dropping entirely as they smacked into Crystalla.

“Stupid brutes! What did you think you were doing?!” The hyena stood to her full height; smaller and leaner in build than Crystalla, she was still plenty strong, with a rippling physique, broad shoulders, and arms and legs roped with heavy muscle under her dress. She smacked one of the slaves, before approaching Crystalla. Her face looked fierce, outlined by her bronze fur and chocolate brown spots, but she had sharp, handsome features; to the men back in Garenth, she would have been an exceptional challenge, like Crystalla. But in the Dominion, she was a classic beauty of the Palamani. As could be expected, she was oozing gold jewelry, with five necklaces hanging from her thick neck alone.

“I apologize on behalf of my slaves,” the hyena glared at them. “If you want, I can have one of them whipped.”

“Oh! Ah, that’s really not needed, uhm…?”

“Claudia. Of the House Solari.”

“Crystalla-- Crystalla Frodedottir.” Crystalla grinned and offered her hand.

Confused, Claudia frowned at Crystalla’s hand. “Frodedottir… isn’t that a Garenth surname?” After a moment’s hesitation, she took the dog’s hand.

“Oh! Yes, it is!” Crystalla smiled, almost feeling relieved. Maybe she had met someone that would think like the Garenth.

“Tell me, Crystalla, where are you headed?”

“The harbormaster pointed me towards the capital, where I can fight in the arena. I suppose that’s where I’m headed!” Crystalla grinned, shouldering the cask of water.

Claudia’s eyes flashed. “The Harbormaster? You mean… Renard?” She seemed to preen herself.

“Oh, wait… you said your name was Claudia? He was talking about you.”

“Well, as he should.” Claudia grinned. “If you’re headed to Virtus, would you care to travel with me? The House Solari is old by Dominion standards, and we have estates in Virtus.

“I… don’t think there’s room for both of us in your litter.” Crystalla rubbed the back of her neck. “I could ride with you, if I knew where to find a horse.”

“Horses, I have by the dozens. Slave!” Claudia snapped, and immediately a slave ran down the street, as the hyena climbed back into her litter. “We’ll find you something shortly.”

More than a little bewildered, Crystalla now found herself riding out of Herculeon’s stout, bronze gates alongside Claudia’s litter on one of the largest horses she had ever seen; a massive beast of a steed that seemed to be bred for size and strength, like anything else in the Dominion.

“Now please,” Claudia threw back the silk curtains as she stretched her well-muscled form luxuriously. “You must tell me about Garenth.”

Crystalla chuckled; this Dominion woman was not quite what she expected from Garenth’s conquerors, but she wasn’t disappointed, either. “Garenth is a cold land; everything is covered in snow for at least a third of the year. There are mountains everywhere, and what isn’t mountains are thick forests filled with evergreen trees; mothers tell their children about the trolls and monsters that lurk in the shadows, there. We don’t have any plains, and few horses… most of our steeds are oxen and yaks, to pull carts, and we have few cities. Those that do not take to the seas prefer life on homesteads.”

Claudia grinned. “It sounds positively bucolic. I’ve heard so much about the Garenth raiders and warriors; all the men of my house were excited to fight your brethren on the field of battle.”

“Why did you not join them?”

Claudia frowned again. “That’s an odd question. Women do not take to the field; strong Palamani women use their strength in the home, and raise strong children.”

Crystalla gave Claudia a long look. “That’s not how things are done in Garenth. Our first High King, Harald Stone-chest, would have died on the field of battle if not for his shield-maiden wife, Brunhild Ironside. We have our heroes, like Dagomar the Sword-master, but our heroines, too, like Svalla the Huntress.”

“Palamani women are not without their models,” Claudia sniffed indignantly. “There was Livia, the favored consort of Valentulus, who consoled our founder on matters of state and gave him a dozen children, and Branka, wife of Huxley the White, who… tempered the Imperator’s impulsive nature.”

“None of them took to the field?” Claudia asked. “Not once?”

“Why should they? Fighting on the field of battle is a man’s place.”

The large dog huffed. “I was excited to come here; now, I’m not so sure. I want to fight.”

“What, in the Legion?” Claudia chuckled. “Should the men stay home, then, and give birth as well?”

“Well, no. But I wouldn’t stop a man if he wished to stay there. My own father and my three brothers were happy to stay home; they only fought out of necessity, alongside me and my mother when we were invaded by the Dominion.”

“What a curious thought. Who takes care of children, then?”

Crystalla shrugged. “Sometimes the mother, sometimes the father. Most women are not like you or I, so I suppose more women or men, but each couple decides on their own.”

“Intriguing…” Claudia seemed fascinated by the concept. “What’s your family like? Who leads, then? The strongest?”

“Well, again, my mother and father, and three brothers. After the invasion, my brothers married, and if all goes well, I should soon have a niece or nephew. I’m the biggest and strongest… my two older brothers, Sven and Harald, have been trying to beat me in wrestling since we were children… never lost a match,” she flexed her arm, letting her bicep bounce.

“Hah! Truly? Besides father, I’m biggest. My brothers didn’t take to Jidou as well as I do,” Claudia stretched luxuriously, letting her muscular body speak for itself as it pressed up against her flimsy dress. “Every powerful man in the Dominion has sought my hand because of it… only a few of them have really caught my interest.”

“Does that include Renard?” Crystalla grinned.

“That would be telling,” Claudia said conspiratorially, but her small smirk was answer enough.

“So, if you’re the biggest… shouldn’t you be in charge? That’s how it works in the Dominion, yes? Strongest takes all?”

“Oh, no… my eldest brother Titus will take father’s place on the Senate. He’s already serving in the legion.”

“What? Why?”

Claudia blinked. “Only men serve in the Senate,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Your Dominion gets stranger by the minute.” Crystalla snorted.

The journey to Virtus went by faster than Crystalla had thought; the space between Herculeon and Virtus was nearly as big as Garenth itself, but the Dominion’s well-built roads were much like the Palamani themselves; nothing stood in its single-minded path. The stone roads cut through hills and mountains, spanned ravines and rivers, and never once bended to the natural contours of the land. Crystalla and Claudia passed the time swapping knowledge of Garenth and the Palamani. Claudia rekindled Crystalla’s excitement with the tales of massive strength of the Dominion’s vaunted leaders, like the founder Valentulus, and Herculius the Patient. In return, Crystalla regaled Claudia with Garenth’s wild legends, mostly related to the fiery passions of the Northern Gods, like how the Northern Lights are the result of a cosmic battle between Grunhilda, Queen of the Night, and Talor, God of Thunder and Warriors. She barely noticed that the keg of water Renard had gifted her quickly dried up; it had a slight, sharp taste to it she rather enjoyed, and was glad that Claudia seemed to have more of the same. She also failed to notice the effect it had on her body.

“Does the Palamani Dominion have any Gods?” Crystalla asked after telling another tale of Hardin, King of the Gods.

Claudia shrugged. “Not yet.”

Crystalla frowned. “What do you mean, not yet?

“Valentulus revered the Gods of the Remeran Empire, save for one, but prophesized that a God of Strength would come and serve as the Dominion’s Patron. In the Palamani conquests, as belief in the old Remeran Gods waned, every god and goddess we’ve come across has been tested, and then found wanting. At the top of Virtus is a massive temple, but without any statue of a god or altar. Men of magic called Diviners tend to the temple, waiting to serve the God of the Strong when he deigns to show himself.”

“Maybe one of my Gods will serve.” Crystalla grinned.

“I doubt it… they certainly weren’t strong enough to stop the Legions, now, were they?” Claudia returned the grin.

The comment stopped Crystalla in her tracks as she bid her horse to stop. “Hey, now, wait a minute!” As she reached out, the strap of her jerkin going over her broad shoulder snapped, and she gasped as she quickly put her arms over her chest to keep herself decent.

“What’s wrong?” Claudia bid her slaves stop, and peered out of her litter.

“My- my jerkin, it snapped, I… I didn’t think it was too small!”

Claudia gave Crystalla a near academic look. “Well, no wonder. You’ve been taking to the Jidou well.”

“Jidou? You keep mentioning it, what is it?”

“You mean you don’t know?” Claudia laughed. “Oh, darling, why didn’t you ask? I thought all this time you knew about the water.”

“I- I thought it was the Palamani word for water!”

“The Palamani buys a herb called Jidou from our Eastern ally, the Da-Zhou Empire. We put it in our water, and it makes us stronger. Look at you; surely you didn’t think your jerkin was shrinking all this time, did you?”

Crystalla, for the first time since she left home, really looked over her body. Her arms bulged bigger than they ever had before, jostling rolling shoulders that expanded wide as the strongest sons of Garenth. The warrior looked even bigger with her thick, golden coat, and she had noticed that her prominent chest was tight against her jerkin; but she had secretly been chastising herself, certain it was because she was letting herself go flabby from not training. “I… I can’t believe this!” she murmured. “How big will I get?”

Claudia smirked. “You’ll have to keep drinking to find out, won’t you? Everyone has a limit… you’ll be utterly popular in Virtus. The Imperator himself may just take notice of you!” Her smirk fell as she gave the dog a critical look over. “But not like that. Please, take whatever you need from my wardrobe to keep yourself decent… you’ve been a wonderful travelling companion. You’ve given me a lot to think about, I will give you that, daughter of Garenth.”

Crystalla, muttering her apologies to the slaves who couldn’t help but stare as her breast started spilling over her broad arms, quickly squeezed herself into one of Claudia’s slinky dresses; she went for the most conservative outfit, but it didn’t do much; the nearly translucent, red silk dress hugged her broad flanks and was cut low enough she was certain her breast would slip out if she so much as lifted her arm overhead. She felt even more naked than with her busted jerkin.

“Oh, you look ravishing!” Claudia gushed. “You could do with some jewelry, but I’m sure you’ll get plenty of that when the suitors start lining up. Oh! And just in time…” Claudia sat up as they came to the top of a hill. “Behold, the City that Strength built, the foundation of the strongest empire in history, Virtus!”

Crystalla’s jaw dropped as she took in the city. Carved into a mountainside and straddling a dramatic waterfall, the city was a shimmering display of bronze and marble, glittering in the morning sun. Sitting on many tiers, it tapered down from the peak of the mountain to the ground, and sprawled along the side of a massive lake made by the waterfall. The entire city was ringed by the stoutest looking walls the daughter of Garenth had ever seen, punctuated with wide, squat towers with red banners fluttering from the parapets. They rode past monumental bronze gates, stamped with the Dominion’s sigil; three muscular arms all grasping to a sword, and framed by a laurel wreath.

There was little time to react, for as soon as Claudia and Crystalla entered the city, they were swept away by the crowd. Everyone, from the lowliest slave to the richest nobles and senators, were bulging with muscle. Some were merely brawny, and others were titanic behemoths, moving mountains that dwarfed Claudia and Crystalla. And with that many broad shoulders, it was hard to navigate the crowded city. Soon, Crystalla and Claudia found themselves being involuntarily separated, as one crowd carried Claudia to a large public space, and another was pushing Crystalla up the streets to the city’s higher tiers.

“Claudia!” Crystalla called out.

“Oh, don’t worry! I have to go this way anyways! Best of luck, Crystalla at Garenth! Strength be yours!” The hyena waved. “And cut up a gladiator for me; just follow the crowd to the top of the city! I’ll see you in the Arena!” She added quickly, before disappearing around the corner.

Crystalla rode the crowd up to the highest tiers of Virtus, overwhelmed by the size of the city. The higher she went, the more opulent the Palamani capital grew; crowded tenements and tottering workshops packed tightly together soon gave way to broader streets decorated with cypress trees, and palaces of marble hiding behind stout stone walls. Statues of massively muscular figures were everywhere, praising the strength of the Palamani. Almost every species seemed represented in the great city; from Western and Northern mammals, to the avians that dominated the Southern lands, to the mysterious reptiles of the East. They all seemed to be bound for her same destination; the Great Arena.

The Great Arena of Virtus, a mammoth, circular structure dominated by muscular statues of gladiators and blood red banners, was being packed with the city’s populace, as cheers for the crowd’s favorite wafted down to Crystalla. Smiling tightly, she rolled her broad shoulders, stood as straight as she could, and marched over to a burly wolf at a desk, under a canopy at a side entrance of the arena.

“I’m sorry, m’lady, this isn’t the ticket vendor.” He sighed listlessly.

“Oh, I’m not here to watch.”

The wolf looked up with a resigned look on his face. “Then what can I do for you?”

Crystalla grinned, and withdrew her father’s sword, still strapped to her back. She let the sun catch the shine of the massive steel blade, and drove it into the stone ground, her arms rippling with strength as she posed, hoping to look as impressive as possible.

“My name is Crystalla, daughter of Frode. I am a proud daughter of Garenth, and I’ve come here to fight for glory and honor!”