The last chapter! Epic conclusion, big(ger) cheetah gets to flaunt his stuff! Hope everyone enjoys it, this was a fun one to tackle.

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Daniel is ©  exatron
Story is © Moi

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A hundred years ago, the port of Sarrant had been part of the Kingdom of Candaren, and still today, it looked distinctly Un-Palamani. There were no grand marble structures held up with stout columns or white-washed buildings covered in red clay tiles, but tight, neat houses of stone and brick with grey, slate houses. The city’s skyline was dominated by tall spires and battlements of an old-fashioned castle loomed over the shoreline, and climbing steeples of gothic temples once dedicated to the Old Gods, now dedicated to Roland. That was one of the changes the city had seen in the past century; the godly unicorn’s visage was plastered everywhere; on statues that loomed over public squares and forums with a breathtaking amount of muscle packed on to the frame, on colorful murals painted on stone walls showing Roland’s legendary feats of strength, and his profile beaten in bronze, showcasing the sheer size of his shoulders and laterals quickly swallowing up his head.

“I never took the Palamani for the religious sort,” Daniel rumbled.

“We have to do something to pass the time besides conquering lands and guzzling down Jidou,” Victoria replied glibly. “Can you find your way to the temple from here, Avatar? I have no idea where the Imperator will be at this point, or how much time he’s had to prepare for you, but I should try to get the local authorities on your side.”

“It’s those two twin spires, near the center of the city, correct?” Daniel pointed over the rooftops.

“Yes; Strength be yours, Avatar.” The Diviner bowed, drawing a mysterious symbol in the air with her hand.

Daniel couldn’t help but look around at the people of Sarrant clearing out of his way as he walked down the narrow cobblestone streets. He towered over everybody here as well, but unlike the wary glances of the Ras-Almal locals, the Candar-Palamani had several generations to find their place within the Dominion. Broad shoulders, bulging muscles, and burly frames as far as the eye could see, but the Candars carried themselves differently than the Legionnaires Daniel had come to know in Al-Barrad. Their gate was a little more graceful, their speech a little more formal, and their clothes were vastly different. Instead of revealing robes, chitons, and togas accompanied with extravagant amounts of jewelry, the people of Candaren stood out in colorful costumes tied to their heritage. The men wore tight stockings that showed off every bulge along their legs, and open doublets that showed just enough of their bulging chests along with puffy sleeves to make their arms look bigger. The women wore dresses adorned with rich embroidery, but slit along the sides to give glimpses of their powerful legs and cut low to show as much of their torso while still being decent. Some even seemed to be presenting more than usual as Daniel passed, with sidelong glances up and down the cheetah’s mammoth frame.

He soon came to the temple; a sprawling facade, adorned with ornate stonework and statues of Palamani luminaries, he saw that the hulking structure was covered in scaffolding; craftsmen were hard at work, carving out the old gods and replacing them with Roland. A great rose window showing an ancient goddess was being replaced, frame by frame, with a stained glass portrait of Roland, his huge arms spread out and his hands open, welcoming his followers.

“Oh, there once was a warrior of glory and fame,
He was so great, every mother’s son knows his name,
He was a legion all his own, called Valus the Vast,
When he was on the field, the battle was won fast,
But there was a twist with each battle-won prize,
Without water or effort, Valus would expand in size!
His arm alone had the strength of a hundred men,
He punched holes in a mountain again and again,
But when he crumbled the base where the mountain sat,
Valus the Vast became Valus the flat!”

A loud voice sung out the rowdy song at the steps of the temple. Daniel arched his brow as he spotted the singer; a diminutive horse wrapped in a cloak, cradling a guitar that looked a little too big for him. Even Palamani children clutching their muscular parents’ hands looked bigger and heartier as they approached the temple. The singer was receiving more than his fair share of dirty looks, and there were dark mutterings of “Weakling,” and “Freak.”

“Do I have any requests? Any requests for a copper? Roland preached about Strength of Heart! You, sir, copper for a poor…” The horse looked up, and up, at Daniel; his features were obscured by his hood, save for the pure white fur on his snout sticking out. The horse whistled low. “You’re a big one, aren’t you?”

“What’re you doing here, friend?”

“Oh, the usual. Begging. My master kicked me out because I wasn’t strong enough for work. No one wants a talented singer that can’t lift more than his own weight over his head,” the horse shrugged his thin shoulders. “I hate to ask… but you’re the biggest guy I’ve seen. Would you be willing to do me a favor? I can’t pay you, but… I can entertain you.” He strummed his guitar. “Any song you want.”

Daniel shrugged. “What do you need?”

“I just need someone to accompany home; I’m staying outside the city. And, well. Yesterday I got beat up by the local Magistrate’s son,” he strummed a chord. “He’s ten.”

“Yeesh.”

The horse nickered. “Yeah… they’ve been bathing him in Jidou. Anyways, waddya say? Help a poor musician out?”

The cheetah looked the horse over. “I’m in a bit of a rush…” He looked up at the temple, then sighed. He held out his hand. “Come on, then.”

“Heh.” The horse steadied himself on weak, spindly legs. “Thanks, friend. Maybe I’ll write a song about you.”

“That’s really not necessary.”

The horse shrugged, and began strumming his guitar as they walked the streets of Sarrant. There were withering glances, disgusted sneers, and swaggering smirks thrown at the horse, but not a word was spoken, and no one dared move; Daniel needed only tense his arms, cross them over his chest, and the resulting masses of muscle jostling against each other, fighting for room, was enough to ward them off.

When they reached the gates, the horse gave a hearty salute to a sullen-looking guard that Daniel had shoved aside with his swollen tricep alone when he attempted to grab the small musician. Walking along the highway, the musician felt a song coming on.

“Oh, from Virtus to the old Remeran shore,
There’s a group of men that always push for more,
They’re the Dominion’s Legions! Palamani heroes, all!
Next to them, any army’s pitifully small.
They’re the muscle that mashed the Melanti,
The Colossi that crushed Candaren,
They’re the Legion, strong and brave--”

“I’m sorry, can I ask a question?” Daniel looked over his shoulder.

“What’s that, my huge friend?”

“Why do you want to sing about the Legion? Aren’t they the same people that beat you?”

The musician shrugged. “They’re not all bad. I knew a few good ones in my time.”

“Anyways, where are you staying?”

“Oh, uhm…” The musician sheepishly pointed up at a mountain. “Up there. In a cave.”

“You’re kidding.” Daniel ran a hand through his hair. “I really need to get back to the temple.”

“Oh, please, just to the cave. If I come across a wild animal, or bandits… I’m done for.”

Daniel looked up at the mountain, and sighed. “Alright. Lead the way.” He grabbed the horse by the arm, however, and yanked him up in the air. “But no more singing, or you’ll be picking guitar bits out of your teeth into the next decade.”

“I will be silent as the grave.” The musician said solemnly.

The path up to the mountain was narrow; Daniel was almost too big for it. The cheetah stepped carefully over the hard and rocky terrain, almost envying how easily and nimbly the horse clambered over the path. But soon, he came to a sudden halt.

“Oh, dear…”

The mountain path was blocked by a boulder as big as a house, surrounded by rubble. The slope up the mountain looked like it had been badly scraped up.

“There must have been a rockslide…” The horse pulled his hood further down and his cloak closer as a gust of wind blew up from the valley below. “My cave is just beyond. Please, my huge friend, can I ask for your help one more time?”

Daniel sized up the boulder. “Shouldn’t be a problem.” The cheetah lumbered over and took a deep breath, his chest expanding dramatically as his clawed hands looked for purchase on the rock face. Finally, he dug his hands in, his claws puncturing the stone, and his arms tensed. His muscles swelled up, his arm alone looking as big as the horse. He dug in his powerful legs, thighs pressing up against each other as he flexed, and he threw all his awesome strength in to the effort.

But it didn’t budge an inch.

Daniel tried again, and again; nothing.

“You’re kidding… this… this shouldn’t be…” He gasped to catch his breath. The cheetah flexed, his back exploding in a mass of rippling muscle. “I should be strong enough!”

“Don’t worry about it, my friend. Everyone has a limit.”

“But this shouldn’t be mine!” Daniel, in a fit of frustration, punched the boulder. “Ow!” Pain exploded across his fist for the first time in years; he didn’t even make a dent. “I… I don’t understand!”

Daniel ran at the boulder, slamming his shoulder into it. “Dammit!” He bared his teeth, growling through the pain. “I! Am! Strong!” He snarled, pushing at the boulder with all his might. After struggling for half an hour, he slowly collapsed, sliding down to the ground, his back against the boulder. He was breathing heavily. “I- I don’t understand! I should be strong enough to toss houses, I guzzled so much of that blasted Jidou!”

“Friend, it’s alright!” The horse patted Daniel’s burgeoning shoulder. “No one man can be strong enough to face every challenge. Sometimes, we fail.”

Daniel looked up at the boulder one more time, adjusting his spectacles. Taking a deep breath, he glared at the rock with a determined gaze. “Maybe, but not right now.” The cheetah stood to his full height, and scooped the horse and his guitar up, tossing him over his shoulder. The musician scrambled, wrapping one bony arm around the behemoth feline’s bullneck, or more of his shoulder; it was hard to tell.

“Wh-what’re you doing?!”

“Getting you home.” Daniel leapt in the air, and his claws dug into the rock face. He threw up his arm again, and starting climbing up the boulder. Soon, he scaled the humongous obstacle and hung at the top, hanging from the mountain slope as he looked down at the boulder. “Like the view?” He asked over his shoulder.

“I can only see your back!” The musician’s muffled voice called back.

“Then it’s a good view.” Daniel smirked, his confidence flowing back to him. “I’ll do you one better. I spent a lot of time reading when I was awake back home; and I learned a little bit about force. Old Remera had a lot of brilliant minds, and give the Dominion their due, they didn’t let that stuff die out. If you’ve got a powerful force putting all its effort to make an object move and it doesn’t take, you just need to find…” Daniel tensed his powerful leg again, his calf tensing and his thigh ballooning in size, his quads tensed and primed like a coiled spring, and then he kicked the boulder with all his might; it took a moment, but soon, the boulder began to tip over, and finally, slide down and land with a terrible crash. “...a new point of effort.”

Daniel leapt down, and shrugged his shoulders, allowing the musician to slide down. “So… you live in a cave?”

“I wouldn’t take a judgemental tone; you’ve lived in one for years, too.” The musician began strumming his guitar.

“I… yeah, but when did I tell you that?”

The musician looked over his shoulder, his hood still obscuring his features. “Oh, you didn’t? Guess you just look like the type.” He cleared his throat as he began playing a chord.

“There was a great all over the land,
Roland called for an Avatar to stand,
Many strong and mighty thought it was theirs,
But Roland cared for none of his so-called heirs,
Then he met a great beast, noble, strong, and true,
Daniel was his name, a foreigner too…”

Daniel stared at the horse warily. “...What’re you doing?”

“Well, don’t judge it too harshly, it’s a work in progress.” the musician threw back his hood, revealing a tall, sharp ivory horn jutting from his forehead; and a mane of blue and gold. “But I did say I’d write a song about you.”

There was a blinding flash of light, and Daniel stood dumbfounded as he stared at the first person that ever stood bigger than him; if only just. Roland’s titanic body glowed with a golden, ethereal light, highlighting each and every ponderously oversized muscle. Roland was still strumming the guitar, which now looked comically small against his godly body. “The knightly tradition of Candaren dictates a knight ought to be educated and cultured; I was taught to play the lute, but at this size, well… you need an instrument just a little bit sturdier.”

Daniel adjusted his spectacles. “So… all this time? It was really you?” His face twisted into a snarl. “Why? Do you have any idea what you’ve done to my life?!”

“You found a home and a purpose all on your own; and I only called you when you were absolutely needed. That’s not so bad a life, is it?” Roland grinned.

“I’m four hundred years old! Everyone I grew up with, everyone in my family, has been gone for centuries, because of you!”

The unicorn’s grin turned into a sad smile. “I know. But I’d like to make amends. How does an empire sound?” He spread his hands. “It’s all I have to offer.”

“What? Are you talking about Valentulus III? Why would I want to rule the Palamani Dominion?”

“Because you could do good. Do you think Kabir Al-Fahd is terribly unique? There are lots of small areas, marginalized groups and dying villages that need protection, a guardian like you; and the Dominion of late has been far too concerned with flexing and showing off its muscle instead of putting it to good use.” Roland offered his hand. “I’d very much like you to be the one to correct that.”

Daniel looked down at the god’s hand. “One question. Why me? Why would you go back centuries, just to pick me?”

“A person who handles power, especially great power, well is a very rare find. You’re not just strong, you’re smart about it. And you’re a pretty decent fellow, to boot. If I had not intervened, you would’ve ended up a King of your people, but you would’ve hated every moment. It would’ve been hard; and try as you might, very few would’ve appreciated your efforts, and history would not have been kind. I decided you needed a second chance, and a fresh slate.” Roland offered his hand again. “Besides, an Imperator outranks a King.”

Daniel eyed the hand, and, hesitantly, took it, gripping hard as he could. “This is only one of many, many long conversations about the three centuries you decided to play around with.”

“We’ll have all the time in the world, I promise. But first, you have one last task to take care of; Valentulus III isn’t going to overthrow himself.” Roland pointed down at Sarrant. “He’s in the city; when I asked him for his help, he threw me off the steps of the temple for ‘defiling it with weakness,’ and he’s currently bullying my Diviners for their blessing.”

“Nice man.”

Roland smirked. “Will you do it, then, Imperator Daniel?”

“I will. I’m strong enough.”

Roland clapped Daniel on the shoulder. “Good man.”

The cheetah and the unicorn god moved down the mountain path, one at a time; shoulder to shoulder, the two stood wider than a house. As they made their way back to town, Daniel was surprised that the Palamani weren’t acting more reverent as Roland passed. “Can they not see you?”

“No. But then, if they could, I couldn’t do things like this.” Roland waved his hand, and a farmer struggling to pull his cart out of a ditch suddenly wrenched it free with one mighty heave of strength. “He’s been feeling self-conscious ever since he earned his freedom. He’s still a touch small by Palamani standards, and he’s afraid his wife will leave him if he doesn’t get stronger.”

“At times, you have me confused. You’re God of the Strong, or, God of Strength, or whatever, but you seem concerned with a lot of other aspects, as well.”

Roland shrugged. “What is strength? It’s not just the measure of size and muscle. Strength of the mind and spirit are also my domain as well as the body. I can’t be the sole God to an entire people if I don’t have my bases covered, now can I?”

“Are there other gods as well?”

“Well, I fought one, didn’t I? The fallen God Edathan?”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean. What religions got it right?”

Roland gave a mysterious smile. “That would be telling, now, wouldn’t it?”

The cheetah let the subject drop as they approached the gate of Sarrant. Passing back into the crowded streets, Daniel craned his neck. “Where do you suppose Valentulus III is?”

“MORE! I NEED MORE, WEAKLING!”

“Three guesses.” Roland quipped.

The two quickly made their way back to the temple square, where a huge crowd had gathered. There, on the steps of the temple, was a phenomenally massive figure; clad in purple robes that were actively falling apart and gold finery that was becoming warped and twisted, it could only be Valentulus III. The Imperator was a bull, if the two ivory horns jutting from his head were anything to go by. Granted, it was hard to tell. His body was so overgrown that many features were distorted; he seemed incapable of putting his arms down, and his belly was so swollen from his gluttony, it left a bald spot where his fur was stretched too thin. He had a decently muscular lizard in his grip, looking like a plaything as he drunk down another keg of Jidou.

“Where’s the good Jidou, Magistrate? Your Imperator demands MORE!” Valentulus bellowed.

“Y-you’ve already drank it all, Your Mightiness!” The terrified magistrate sputtered. “Please, I’ve give you my entire personal stock!”


“You’re lying… you have more!” Valentulus demanded. “GIVE ME MORE OR I’LL SQUEEZE YOU LIKE A GRAPE!”

“HEY!” Daniel shouted, pushing his way out of the crowd. “There’s an old adage about picking on people your own size. Well,” he beat his chest, “I’m as close as it gets for you.”

Valentulus stared drunkenly at the cheetah, before gasping and standing as straight as he could, as if at attention. Daniel glanced behind him to see Roland.

“He can see me,” Roland explained, “I’m allowing him to. I want him to personally see the choice I’ve made.”

“So… does that mean you’re going to help me against this ogre?”

Roland chuckled. “Well, that wouldn’t be terribly sporting, now would it?”

“Wait, what?”

There was no time for a response as the bull slammed into Daniel with all the force of a tidal wave. The hulking cheetah was launched into the air and plowed into the public square with a deafening crash, leaving a crater where he landed. His head was spinning, but Daniel jumped back to his fit, adjusting his spectacles.

“Ha! You wear glasses? What sort of weak, limp-armed scholar thinks he can be Imperator of the mighty Palamani?” Valentulus flexed his arms hard, until his biceps swelled to such a size they forced his forearms back.

“I’m hardly a scholar. But I’ve learned enough to know that your regime’s just about over.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

Daniel rolled his shoulders, those mountains rippling and brushing against his cheeks as he stretched his column-thick bullneck. “Because I said so.” Daniel’s eyes flashed as he dropped down into a sprint, charging at Valentulus and hitting him fully in his distended stomach; far from rock-hard, the Imperator’s bulbous gut was tensed and extremely sensitive. Valentulus groaned, trying to cradle his belly. But his arms were so swollen, his biceps dug into it and pinched his sides, increasing the pain.

“Curse you!” Valentulus groaned in pain. He swung a fist at Daniel, but just glanced the cheetah’s arm. As Daniel struck again, the two locked hands, grappling with each other. Valentulus, if nothing else, had more brute strength than Daniel, and had the cheetah in a vice grip. His belly was pressing up against the cheetah, and slowly forcing him down.

“Give it up,” Valentulus snarled. “You never belonged here, savage. And when I grind you into paste, I’ll go after your little village; every weak savage will be kissing my feet, begging for the strength only the Dominion can give them.”

“You wish.” Daniel glared up at the bull, and, baring his teeth, came up with a plan. With one last burst of strength, he broke out of Valentulus’ grip, and seemed to be retreating. Instead, crouching on his powerful legs, he pounced, digging his claws into the bull’s stone-like flesh as he scrambled up the Imperator’s monumental frame. He grabbed Valentulus’ horns, and kicking off from the bull’s stomach, propelled himself over, slamming into his opponent’s mammoth back. He wobbled, but Valentulus tumbled like a felled tree, the wind knocked out of him. As Valentulus struggled to get up, Daniel felt a surge of energy and strength, and even felt his muscles expand more; his back sprawling as wide as the Dominion itself, his arms pumped to new levels, he crouched down, and hefted the bull’s great weight, and with one, clean move, lifted Valentulus over his head, letting out a defiant roar. Onlookers would tell stories about how his fur shimmered like gold, and his eyes shone bright as stars. Daniel threw Valentulus down in a crumpled heap, leaving a second crater in the Temple Square of Sarrant.

There was a stunned silence across the crowd of Palamani, all eyes on Daniel. Before the cheetah could speak, a single soldier saluted the cheetah, and shouted out, “Hail the Strongest!”

“The Strongest! Hail the Strongest!” The chant spread like a fire, until the ground shook with the shouts of Palamani.

Daniel felt an ethereal pat on his shoulder. “Well done; very well done.” Roland’s voice whispered approvingly.

“Imperator,” the soldier fell to his knees. “What will you be known as?”

“Uh… Daniel?”

“And what is your first order, Imperator Daniel, Mightiest of the Palamani?”

The cheetah bit his lip, and then snapped his fingers. “Oh!” He grabbed a scroll he had kept on his person since leaving Ras-Almal. “Can you get this to a courier? I need this to get to Remera, for a friend’s daughter.”

Imperator Daniel would have a long and prosperous reign. The Al-Barrad Caliphate were brought into the Palamani fold not as a broken enemy or a colony to be lorded over, but a full and equal partner in the Dominion’s continuing success. His reforms were hard to swallow at first, but as the years rolled on, the Palamani flocked to their new, slightly irreverent Imperator. However, after several decades on the Imperator’s throne, one day, he simply vanished.

His legacy, however, would not go unnoticed. The Avatar of Strength, the herald of Roland’s revival for the Dominion, was honored in statues, murals, and grand monuments across the empire. Kabir Al-Fahd became a place of pilgrimage, and after Daniel’s disappearance, seemed to be particularly blessed; as the years rolled on, the small village turned into a prosperous center of trade and culture. Even when, centuries later, the Palamani Dominion was only a memory, the people of Kabir Al-Fahd were exceptional for their size and strength, and no foreign power would ever be able to capture the city again, which the people of the city continue to attribute to their great guardian.