With the odds stacked against them, a king devises a last ditch effort to ending their conflict. Fatness ensues.

Hoooo boy, this one was long! Worked on it a lot longer than I thought I would, and in the end I'm pretty happy with it. New longest story at almost 7000 words! I. am. beat.

Enjoy!

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Continental Conquest

*huff* *huff* *huff* *huff*

A messenger scrambled along a dirt path, desperately trying to get back to civilization. The sounds of fighting raged on behind him. The battle cries of the knights. The clanging of swords and shields. The twang of bowstrings followed by the whistling of arrows flying through the air. The donkey could hear it all. He tried to tune it out, determined to keep moving. Vandis was in jeopardy, and he would not stand to see his homeland fall!

The kingdom of Vandis, situated on the southern end of the Falkris region, was never one to usually benefit from conflict. Being the smallest of the 5 kingdoms that ruled over the land, Vandis lacked the military strength of larger ones like Aggrel or Castor. However, in spite of this disadvantage, the citizens of Vandis were able to make do with the one thing they did excel in: trade.

Vandis was primarily a kingdom focused on farming. Unique to their farms, they were always able to produce crops and livestock at an abnormally high surplus. With these, the people of Vandis were able to easily sustain themselves, having plenty to eat and trading the extra to the neighboring kingdoms. Wether it was because of their king’s influence, or something different with the soil or farming techniques, no one knew. As a result of the kingdom’s plentiful harvests, it became easy to tell apart a citizen of Vandis from the others. A majority of the populace had grown rather plump. It wasn’t uncommon to see a Vandis citizen carrying around a lot of extra weight.

Unfortunately, as with all beings in a position of power, Vandis’ trades eventually became not enough to satisfy its neighbors. Vandis had soon become a regular target to attacks from the kingdoms of Faust and Aggrel, their kings greedy for a piece of the prosperous land. Being the weakest of the kingdoms, Vandis struggled greatly to defend its borders, each assault pushing its pitiful army further inland.

Passing through the numerous acres of farmland, the messenger finally came upon the capital city. He ran past the central square, noticing the streets were empty. Approaching the front gate, the donkey found out why. Crowded up in front of the castle was a large group of people trying to get inside. This was much more than he was used to. On a regular basis, the king would open he castle walls for citizens to come in and voice their concerns. It wasn’t an odd sight to regularly see a line stretching from the front gates on a normal day. These troubling times of war were far from the norm, however, drawing and even larger crowd of worried subjects to huddle up at the entrance. They were only being held back by the castle guards, a pair of hippos who had become impromptu targets for the group’s numerous concerns.

“Excuse me. Pardon me. Important messenger coming through.” The donkey pushed his way to the front, presenting a piece of parchment to the pair. “I’ve an urgent message from the front lines for His Majesty. I request an audience with him to deliver it properly.”

The two looked over the paper, muttering a few words between themselves, before his request was granted. The gate was opened slightly, allowing the messenger to slip by while the hippos held everyone else back. Free from the rowdy mob, the donkey was led by servants through the front entrance and into the grand halls of the castle. They guided him to the large doors of the throne room, where they left him to resume their other duties. Taking a deep breath, the donkey composed himself before opening the doors.

“Your Majesty, King Rylock! I bring urgent news!” he announced.

In the back of the room, laying upon his throne, was King Rylock, ruler of Vandis. With a well-groomed trunk and two magnificently polished tusks, the elephant proudly displayed the look of a distinguished leader. Rylock was a pachyderm worth the praise he was given, being widely popular among his subjects. With his frequent counseling sessions he was able to stay ever connected with the commonfolk and be a driving force in improving their lives. The elephant reigned over the people of his kingdom with the utmost care, earning him much respect among the public.

Not even he was immune to the plentiful pickings that Vandis had to offer though. In fact, Rylock had seemed to have been affected the most. The elephant was positively obese, having grown the fattest out of anyone in the country. Over the years, his clothes and even his throne had to be modified to accommodate for his growing figure. Even now he still has to squeeze his behind into his much wider throne, his sides threatening to cover the armrests. His rotund body filled out his cloak nicely, stretching a bit tightly over his belly.

“Go on, speak.” Rylock commanded.

“Yes, right away, Your Majesty!” The donkey bowed before opening up a rolled piece of parchment. “This is a report from the front lines.” He explained. “The troops are unable to keep an handle on the constant attacks from both the Aggrelian and Faustian armies, and were forced to retreat inland. We’ve lost the territory surrounding the Noctrene River.”

“Aahhg, pushed back again!?” Rylock growled. “Ulrim and Kelvar have gone too far. We can’t let them get away with this!”

“T-that’s not all.” The donkey continued. “Some of the scouts have reportedly seen the banners of Nomek and Castor among the enemy ranks. We have reason to believe that the other two kingdoms are lending their strength in a 4-way alliance against us.”
Rylock slammed down a fist in anger. “As if it could get any worse! Gharen and Eldric just had to get involved. The treachery never ends! They will pay for this. Every one of them!”

“B-but Sire, what are we to do?” The messenger asked. “We don’t have nearly the amount of power to even combat the likes of the Nomek kingdom!”

“Oh, but I have a plan.” Rylock replied. “It’s far-fetched, crazy, unreliable, call it what you will. However, when your country is pushed to the brink of annihilation, what else is there?”

“But what is-“ The donkey began, before being interrupted by the doors to the throne room opening once more.

“Your...Your Majesty, I’ve done it!” An owl dressed in robes dashed inside. Rylock recognized him as the court alchemist. The spectacled bird looked to be out of breath, having ran all the way from his lab.

“Have some good news for me?” the king asked.”

“Why, of course!” The owl replied, rummaging through a pocket. He took out a flask filled with a strange blue liquid, proudly showing it to the elephant. “This is what came of that special request you had me take on. It’s finished!”

Rylock smiled. “Excellent. Looks like we can move on the plan without any issues.”

“But wait!” The messenger interjected. “What is the plan!?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Rylock replied. “Now, the two of you go out and tell the guards to let everyone in. I have an announcement to make.”

---

Within the hour, the walls of the king’s throne room were packed with all manner of Vandis citizens. From peasants to nobles, from farmers to members of the royal court. They were all gathered for similar reasons, be they concerns about the war or how they would be affected.

The aggravated chattering of the crowd were soon silenced as their king was readied to address his people. He had trouble getting up from his throne due to the pachyderm’s plentiful poundage weighing him down, so he had the twin hippos assist in his efforts to stand. After a minute or so of struggling, the elephant was freed from his seat with an audible pop that echoed through the room. Finally standing up on shaking legs, he threw his arms up to start his speech.

“People of Vandis!” Rylock began. “I’m sure all of you are fully aware of the current state of our nation, and the crisis that we have come upon. The greed of the neighboring kingdoms has driven them to want to take our lands for themselves, and I fear they won’t stop until Vandis is wiped clear from the map!”

The sounds of concerned whispers rose up from the crowd, showing their unease. “Furthermore,” he continued. “from more recent reports I am led to believe that Aggrel and Faust aren’t the only ones involved. There is evidence to suggest that an alliance has been struck with the Nomek and Castor kingdoms as well! I’m not exaggerating here when I say we’re in the worst possible position right now.”

The whispers grew in volume, the crowd looking ready to panic at a moment’s notice. Above the murmurs, one could faintly hear phrases like “What are we gonna do?” and “Is this the end for us?” The growing unrest among the populace was starting to be too much for some, prompting the guards to try and calm them down.

“However!” Rylock said. The room fell silent again. “I’ve devised a plan. A way to protect you all from the coming danger and quell our attackers in the process! Thanks to our alchemist, we have the last piece we need.” Somewhere in the crowd, the owl blushed.

“Now, a lot of you may be wondering how we could possibly have a countermeasure against such stacked odds.” Rylock pointed out. “To that, I pose a question. What’s the one thing that Vandis can do that none of the others are able to replicate?” Everyone, of course, knew the answer to that question. “Naturally, it’s the massive surplus of food we always produce without fail. We’ve got more food around Vandis than we know what to do with! Even all the extensive trading we had done in the past wasn’t enough to keep it from filling up our pantries, our storehouses, and of course, our stomachs.” Rylock chuckled at this and patted his belly, sending a few ripples through it. “Where’s my point in all of this? Well, we can turn this absurd abundance of food into our greatest weapon!” The group of citizens were understandably perplexed by this statement, as none of them could see how the two could be related.

“I’m sure you’re all confused about this.” Rylock stated. “After all, how could food help us out at a time like this? The answer to that lies with this!” The elephant king presented the flask of blue liquid, to be met with yet more puzzled looks. “This is a special potion that I had the alchemist prepare for this occasion. According to his research, this potion is meant to alter the user’s constitution in such a way as to give them a nigh infinite capacity. For those of you who can’t follow, it means that whoever drinks this will be able to eat far beyond what any normal person could consume in their own lifetime!

A few gasps rose up from the mob, realizing the implications behind their king’s words. “Ah, I see a few of you are starting to catch on.” Rylock said, smiling. “In that case, let me clarify for you all. There’s just one thing that I need everyone to do to put this plan into action, and that is for every single one of you to gather up every last scrap of food that this kingdom has and bring it all to me!” Several more gasps followed that statement, shocked at what the elephant was planning to do. “You’ve all experienced firsthand what it’s like eating as well as we do.” Rylock explained. “This is the same thing, but on a much more drastic level. With this potion, I can become the weapon that will grow to crush those who threaten our way of life!”

The response the king got was primarily one of skepticism. Whispers of doubt floated through the air, a variable mixture of shock, disbelief, and denial. Rylock wasn’t particularly surprised by this reaction. If it had been anyone else, their words would’ve been dismissed as the ramblings of a madman.

“Yes, I know how crazy this all sounds.” Rylock said. “I had a hard time believing it myself, but at this stage there’s really no other choice that we have. There’s no way we can fight back by force. We’re already losing in that regard. We can no longer negotiate through trade, as our land is what they’re after in the first place. What we all have here is what we have left to work with, and I’m willing to put my trust into this last ditch effort. I can’t guarantee the preservation of our lands, but I can guarantee the protection of our lives! All I ask is that you trust in me too!”

The room was once again silent. The people looked between each other, exchanging looks of uncertainty. Their king had made a compelling argument, but they still took a moment to think over the details. Then, a couple of members in the crowd started to applaud, showing their support. Those nearby soon joined in, further solidifying their decision. The applause grew in volume, more and more people placing their trust in their ruler. Soon the entire room was filled with cheers, everyone ready and willing to serve their country to the best of their ability.

King Rylock motioned for them to quiet down so that he could address them again. “Okay! Now that everyone is in agreement, I say it’s time that we get to work!” With that, the elephant uncorked the bottle he held and chugged down the liquid inside, rousing another cheer from the audience.

The potion tasted sweet, as if he were downing a pastry in liquid form. As the contents settled in his stomach, they caused it to growl hungrily, the sound audible to everyone in the room.

“You better fire up those ovens, chefs!” Rylock said. “Your king hungers, and for this he’s going to require a feast larger than Falkris has ever known!” The royal chefs in the room ran off to the kitchen to cook whatever they could, and they had more than enough to work with. While they went to work, Rylock turned to the crowd again. “The same goes for all of you as well! Bring me everything in the kingdom! They’ll all soon see what happens when you make an enemy of Vandis!”

The people cheered in affirmation, leaving the castle to gather up every scrap of food they could find. Rylock meanwhile crashed back down onto his throne, his feet sore from having to stand for so long with his weight.

The first people to return to the throne room were local residents of the capital, bringing with them some of the high in stock, oversized crops that they kept in their homes. A parade of gigantic fruits and vegetables made their way to the king’s throne, the elephant’s stomach growling again in anticipation. He grabbed at them when they were placed in arm’s reach, first snagging an apple bigger than his hands. Greedily he bit into the plump red fruit, getting a generous helping of juice along with the hunk of flesh he tore off. Rylock hummed at the deliciousness of the produce, savoring the flavor as he chewed. The elephant swallowed it down, eager to continue.

Rylock repeated his actions, carving down the large apple until it was no more. He happily patted his belly, that first fruit already filling him nicely. He wasn’t even close to satisfied through, so he snatched up the next thing he laid his eyes on. The elephant attacked a log-sized carrot, whittling it away to nothing before turning his gaze on a pair of cherries that looked more like red watermelons. He didn’t stop there. Bottom heavy pears, bloated grapes, massive peaches. Rylock ate it all, not slowing down his consumption in the slightest.

The elephant’s overeating soon began to take its toll on his waistline. His belly grew outwards, straining his outfit tightly around his skin. Gaps became visible on the king’s front, the pressure on his suit showing parts of his stomach as it fought for more room. Within a couple minutes, the buttons on his suit could take no more abuse and shot off of his body with a series of loud pops. Freed from the constricting article of clothing, Rylock’s gut surged forward, dropping down over his knees until it was scant inches from the floor. A good start, he thought, but this was only the beginning.

Rylock continued to feast upon the crops he people brought him, fattening up with each bite. Before long, his throne he sat upon was getting to tight for him to properly fit, the armrests bending away to make more room for his growing middle. The food offerings persisted, the elephant all too accepting of them. His weight increased until he heard an ominous creaking from below him. Before he could question where it came from, his throne gave out, falling apart in a pile of wood and cloth that was squashed under its occupant's expansive rear. Rylock was unceremoniously dropped to the floor. The impact was cushioned by his abundant fatty reserves, sending a few ripples through his body.

The feeding had paused for a moment to asses the situation. Rylock chuckled at this new development. “Ha ha, wonderful!” He said. “We’re making pretty good progress here. Keep it up! Feed me until there’s nothing left!”

With renewed passion, the feast continued. Rylock ate and ate, consuming whole orchards worth of fruits and vegetables. The elephant king grew considerably bigger and fatter the more he devoured, quickly getting too large to be able to lug his weighty mass anywhere. His legs grew fat and useless, thickened with enough pudge that he couldn’t bend them easily. A similar effect began to impact his arms, but he still managed to reach the food he was being presented with, his pace not slowing down in the slightest.

It was when Rylock’s bulk had taken up a sizable portion of the back of the room that he felt a new wave of aromas hit his nostrils. The chefs had finished their first dishes and had come to add their load to the feast. Rylock’s mouth watered when he looked upon the various soups, salads and sandwiches that made their way toward him. The other people shuffled to the side to make room for the new arrivals, increasing the variety the elephant had to choose from.

With gluttonous vigor, Rylock shredded the salads to bits and inhaled the sandwiches like they were nothing, filling his stomach further than he had ever known before. He methodically slurped down the large pots of soup, a myriad of warm flavors streaming down the plush pachyderm’s throat. His frame swelled like a balloon on hose as he gulped, quietly sloshing with how much he contained. His bulbous behind made contact with the back wall, pushing the king’s growing grey mass forward as it grew up against the surface.

Rylock started to pant as the feeding progressed relentlessly. He had eaten so much already, but he could still take in more and more and more. The elephant’s arms were losing strength, the weight upon them putting too much strain for him to move them properly. The people took notice of this, opting instead to stuff the food into their king themselves. The rate of feeding as well as how fast he grew sped up considerably. Rylock had no room to complain even if he wanted to, because of his mouth being full of whatever they gave him at nearly all times. The elephant’s belly churned a bubbled, working his overstuffed stomach into processing more fat that filled out his form, taking up more and more space in the throne room.

Rylock’s senses, overwhelmed as they were, detected new scents coming from the doors. Copious amounts of meats of all shapes and sizes were being added into the mix, heightening the fattening force of the feast to a flurry. The mound of grey flab that was their king billowed rapidly. His stomach blorped outwards with layers upon layers of blubber with each massive mouthful he was stuffed with. His cheeks ballooned, starting to obscure his vision, but still never slowing down with his eating. Even his trunk had bloated with fat, looking like an overstuffed sausage. By now, Rylock had grown so huge that he covered most of the floor in his obesity, resorting his subjects and servants to climb the plump pachyderm’s plentiful poundage in order to reach his face.

Bigger and bigger Rylock grew, unending in his hedonistic quest for more food. The larger he became, the more he was able to eat at once, making him grow even faster. An endless cycle that intensified with every passing minute of unabashed gluttony. The throne room was covered wall to wall with the elephant’s wobbling grey flesh, rising like dough in a pan as he continued to fatten up from his subjects’ eager hands. His body squished against the stone walls, letting out small groans of protest at the increasing pressure. Space in the throne room became cramped as the elephant filled it up, swathes of fat spilling out of the windows where it could. Slowly, the walls began to crumble. Various cracks formed on the surface, creaking with tension. Still Rylock continued to eat, gulping down the offerings of whoever could reach his face. Such a trek was proving to be quite difficult in his confined state.

That problem would soon be remedied as the walls of the room soon burst forth, releasing the strain against Rylock’s body. His fat flowed into the surrounding corridors, flattening furniture as it went. With more surface area to work with, Rylock’s feeders were able to resume once more, and just in time for the chefs to bring in their dessert courses to the banquet. Cakes, pies, breads, pastries of all kinds. The delightfully sweet (and tremendously fattening) confections brought a smile to Rylock’s miniscule face, practically shrinking against the growing landscape of his belly.

More walls came in contact with the expanding king, but they too were demolished before his tonnage. Room after room was smothered under his fat, expensive treasures and priceless heirlooms were lost under his endless rolls. Bedrooms, the kitchen, the ballroom, nothing was safe. Everything was buried by the bloating elephant balloon, and the entire castle would soon follow suit.

From outside the castle, Onlookers carrying food stopped upon hearing a rumbling from the castle they were heading towards. The building trembled, cracks growing along the walls. A few square stones fell away, revealing a mass of grey swelling from within. The entire structure bulged comically, straining to contain its still growing occupant. Those closest in the vicinity thought it best to get clear, fleeing for cover, and not a moment too soon. All at once, the royal palace exploded in a shower of rubble. The symbol of Vandis’ authority was gone, and in its place a new, larger, grander, softer one sat overlooking the capital city.

King Rylock looked upon his castle-crushing fatty mound of a body proudly, punctuating his victory over the destroyed building with a massive belch. The elephant’s enormity had spilled past the foundations of the castle, sagging past the front gates and beginning to encroach upon the upper-class housing. His bulbous rump followed a similar trend, although it held together in a much more rounded shape that helped to prop the king’s figure upright.

Rylock took a moment to catch his breath. As much as he enjoyed himself, all the eating and growing he’s done was pretty tiring. Thankfully, the destruction of his castle had given the people enough pause for him to relax for a bit.

“Someone...bring me that messenger from earlier today.” Rylock ordered.

The small donkey was relatively easy to find. He had been close by when the castle collapsed, aiding in the feeding like everyone else. Upon hearing the request for his presence, the messenger scaled the jiggling hill of blubber to reach the elephant’s bloated face.

“You called for me, Sire?” The donkey asked.

“Tell me, boy. What is your name?” Rylock requested.

“I-It’s Coda, Your Majesty.” He answered, bowing.

“Well, Coda, I have a message for you to take back to the front lines...”

“...Got it? Now get going. The sooner you can reach them, the better.”

“Yes, Your Highness. You can count on me!” With his new message in tow, Coda scrambled down his king’s doughy stomach, hitting the ground running back the way he came. Rylock watched him go before he disappeared behind the swell of his bulk. He rose his voice, calling out to anyone who could hear.

“The rest of you, you know what to do!”

---

Out in the fields near the kingdom’s borders, the battle raged on. On the Aggrelian front, the situation was heavily in their favor. A few scouts came to a tent where their commander had stationed himself to report.”

“Scouts, status report!” The Aggrelian commanding officer ordered.

“Sir! The Vandis troops continue to be pushed back by our advances. As expected, the combined forces of our armies is too much for them to handle.”

“Excellent. With how weak this kingdom seems to be, it’s a wonder why we didn’t try to take them over years ago!” The canine laughed. “Before long, their fertile lands will be all ours for the taking!”

“Commander! New developments on the battlefield!” A new scout entered the tent. “The enemy appears to be withdrawing!”

“Hmm, perhaps they’ve realized the futility of their resistance. No matter. That just makes the capture of their territory that much easier!”

That’s not all, sir!” The scout continued. “There seems to be something coming this way!”

“Reinforcements, perhaps?”

The scout paused. “Um...I’m not so sure.”

“Hm? Give me a straight answer! Are they getting help from somewhere?”

“I-I said I’m not sure! All I know is that it’s really huge. It...it looks like a moving mountain!”

“A mountain? That’s ridiculous!” The commander said. “Vandis is all flat farmland. There’s no mountains to be seen in this region!”

“Well, if you won’t take my word for it, it’s best that you take a look for yourself, sir.”

Struck by curiosity, the commander did just that, Getting up from his seat, the cheetah stepped out from his tent into the sunlight. His heart skipped a beat at what he came to find. Just as the scout had said, off in the distance was a humongous grey mass, at first glance looking like a mountain range. On closer inspection it appeared to be round and lumpy instead of sharp and jagged. It wasn’t like any mountain he had ever seen before.

More importantly though, the large unknown mass appeared to be moving. It rolled across the fields at a rapid pace, and the commander’s heart sank as it was coming right toward them! Frantically, he dashed back into his tent. “Fall back!” He ordered. “Tell everyone to fall back! We don’t know what that thing is, but it’s coming, and fast!”

The cheetah’s orders didn’t even need to be relayed, as anyone who saw the gigantic grey mass turned tail and retreated as fast as they could. Even the fastest of them couldn’t outrun the thing, however, and one by one the Aggrelian troops were overwhelmed. One more observation was made by the commander once he too was overtaken. The mysterious mass was strangely quite soft...

From up on high, King Rylock giggled as he felt his titanic blob of a body cross over the border and spill into Aggrelian territory. Since bursting out of his own castle, the king’s immense feeding session had spiraled into a fever pitch. The elephant was packing on weight at an extreme pace, his body flowing over the landscape like a tsunami. Farms, houses, forts, it all came crumbling down before the unstoppable force of Rylock’s expanding folds.

King Ulrim of Aggrel was thrown into a panic from this turn of events, much like the rest of his kingdom. Having been taken by surprise as Rylock’s first victim, there was little the Tiger could do combat the looming, fat-filled doom that awaited them. Within a couple of hours, the kingdom of Aggrel had been consumed.

“That’s one down.” Rylock said, feeling the castle crumble under his weight.

Faust didn’t fare much better, but they tried. King Kelvar prided himself on being prepared for anything, but this was a daunting task, even for a hawk as crafty as he. Seizing the extra time had, the Faustian troops were ordered to fight back. The results went as well as expected. Swords and axes failed to pierce Rylock’s thickening hide, and arrows harmlessly bounced off to no effect. The kingdom of Faust went down fighting, enveloped within the sea of elephant flab like Aggrel before it.

“A valiant effort, but still couldn’t cut it.” Rylock said. Before resuming his feast, he noticed a familiar face approach. It was Coda.

“Your Majesty, I bring news!” the donkey reported. “The kingdom of Nomek has announced its surrender.”

Rylock tried shaking his head as best he could with his numerous chins. “Why am I not surprised? King Gharen was always such a coward, bending to the first person who raised a hand against him.”

“How do you respond, sire?” Coda asked.

“Have him hand over any and all food in his possession. We could always use more, right? Ha ha ha!”

The frightened turtle king was more than willing to cooperate, if only so that he could have the chance to save his own skin. To his chagrin, the addition of his food stores only served to further speed the expansion of Rylock’s gut. Before he knew it, the reptile was greeted by a wall of wobbling grey flesh that crashed down upon him. Nomek was buried in blubber in record time.

Bigger and bigger Rylock spread, covering everything in sight with his bulk. Miles of elephant flab surged across the land, hiss stomach loudly gurgling and creaking as his body stretched to new limits. Forests were toppled, villages were smothered and rivers were filled up by the constantly growing grey blob. Rylock consumed it all, endlessly enlarging fatter and fatter over nearly all of Falkris. It seemed that there would be nothing that could stop him.

Only one kingdom remained to oppose his gluttonous conquest, and that was Castor, the largest of the 5 kingdoms. Its king, the self proclaimed “Dragon Emperor” Eldric, ruled over the militaristic juggernaut of a country with only one intention in mind: power. For the dragon, nothing was a better ally than pure strength, and to bow to anyone would prove your weakness. He was never one to back down from a challenge, if only to show off his dominant prowess.

King Eldric did not falter when a shadow fell over the lands of Castor. While his people panicked, He and his loyal soldiers stayed strong, standing in defiance against the gargantuan pile of pachyderm that loomed heavily over them all, still billowing larger by the second. They were all that remained of Falkris, and they weren’t going to go down without a fight!

As Castor’s blubbery doom approached, Eldric rallied his troops together for for one final stand against the blob menace. They had little time to act, as the elephant’s colossal gut closed the distance to the castle quickly. “Open fire!” Eldric commanded. Archers that lined the fortified walls unleashed a hailstorm of arrows, raining down with little to no room to dodge. The arrows struck true, but against Rylock’s immensely thick hide they failed to make any sort of dent against the fast flowing wave of lard.

“Load the catapults!” Eldric ordered. Large boulders were fitted onto the contraptions, and by the king’s call, they were launched at their flabby foe. The rocks as well proved to be of little effect against him though, smashing against his belly with only enough force to send ripples along the surface. “Tch! Figures that wouldn’t work either.” The dragon grumbled. Some of his soldiers were starting to get antsy, worried that they too will fall to the all-consuming elephant.

“Pull yourselves together!” Eldric shouted. “We’re not finished yet, men! I won’t be satisfied unless I get some action for myself!” The dragon brandished a sword at this statement, readying himself for combat. “If we can’t take the fight to them, we’ll let them take the fight to us. Be ready!”

Eldric’s army watched in anticipation, others in fear, as Rylock’s unrelenting mass surged towards them. Once the mountainous elephant’s rolls started to make contact with the castle walls, Eldric gave the order.

“CHAAAAAARRRRGE!!!” The dragon shouted. Leading the assault, Eldric jumped from his position on the walls towards the grey blob, the sheer abundance of fat cushioning his impact. His troops followed, to varying degrees of success. Some made the jump without any problems. Some of them failed to get a sufficient grip and slid down the incline of adipose, getting scooped up into one of the many fatty folds below. Others hesitated and acted a bit too late, joining their castle in getting enveloped by flab. Those that remained made a trek up the squishy monster of a king, refusing to give up even at the loss of their land.

Up where the unending expanse of belly was more even, the Vandis troops were ready for them. A battle then raged on top of the enormous elephant. Eldric’s army was much more skilled than that of Rylock’s, that much was true, but they weren’t at a complete disadvantage this time. The veritable swamp of fat that they fought in bogged down their opponents’ movements, giving Vandis the edge. The Castorian army was fighting on unfamiliar turf, and that compromised their normally superior fighting strength. One by one, the troops were overpowered, unable to maneuver properly in combat. The fighting force shrank as they were incapacitated, the situation becoming dire for Eldric and what remained of his troops. The dragon refused to back down however, still holding his own against his opponent. He was not one to be underestimated, even with his back to the wall.

The Vandis soldiers then came at him in groups, forcing the warrior king to contend with multiple targets at once. Slowly he began to be pushed back, overwhelmed and outnumbered. “Ha! If you think that’s all you need to defeat me, you’ve got another thing com-Whoa!” Eldric hadn’t been paying attention to where he was being pushed, finding himself teetering at what he felt was the edge of a cliff. There wasn’t any more room for him to move. He was locked there, sword clashed against the troops who pressured him. “Heh...looks like this is it.” He said. In spite of his current predicament, the dragon grinned. He hadn’t felt the bitterness of defeat in a long time. His attackers hadn’t expected such a reaction, the momentary lapse in their focus letting Eldric push the swords away. To their surprise, his attacks ended there.

“Alright, I concede.” The dragon said, smiling. “I’ll acknowledge the strength of your country...” Eldric then closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall backward. “Congratulations.” He managed to get out as he plummeted, before landing softly into a deep fold that laid behind him. The dragon blinked his eyes open, realizing his fall was broken.

“Huh. Probably should’ve seen that one coming.” He said, cheeks turning red.

---

The people rejoiced, for the war was finally over. Vandis was a clear winner, having stuffed their king silly until his continent-crushing body had enveloped all of Falkris into his mass. To the citizens of Vandis, this was a miracle. They had entirely beaten the odds, having defeated the 4 kingdoms that were conspiring to wipe them out, and all thanks to the cleaver thinking of their king.

King Rylock had truly become a sight to behold, his ravenous gluttony having bloated him beyond recognition into a monumentally huge landmass of grey flesh. The elephant’s hide spread as far as the eye could see, forming its own horizon. His limbs were nowhere to be seen, lost among the sea of folds. The king’s head was swaddled within his surrounding neck rolls, a multitude of chins splayed out under him. His face was squished together by a pair of bloated cheeks, completely blocking out his peripherals. From where he sat, he could feel the ocean lapping at his body from all sides. Behind him, his blimp-like buttocks spilled past the southern end into the sea, while his stomach stretched for miles ahead of him, dipping over the northern side. Rylock was bigger than he could even fathom, and he couldn’t be happier.

While the people were busy celebrating their victory, Coda approached the king once more. “Well, Your Majesty, it looks like your plan worked after all. I’m amazed at how big you managed to grow.”

“Heh heh. You and me both.” Rylock laughed. “It’s pretty weird, having yourself be everywhere at once, but its a warm, relaxing feeling. I feel great!”

“I have to ask, Sire. What are we going to do now that the entire continent is buried under your fat?” The donkey asked.

“Well, the first order of business is getting a rescue party together.” Rylock said. “There’s a lot of people trapped in, around and under me, and it’d be best if we could get them out of there.”

“I’ll start asking around right away, Your Majesty!” Coda said, running off once more. Within the hour, a group of volunteers was rounded up, splitting into each region to go spelunking within Rylock’s expansive girth. Stragglers were found all over, dazed from the events, but relatively unharmed by the blob’s soft form. Even the defeated kings were retrieved eventually.

After everyone had been rescued from their cushiony fates, Rylock arranged for a meeting with the kings, having them gathered around his fattened face.

“So...what is all of this about?” Ulrim asked.

“I’m glad you asked.” Rylock replied. “You see, I propose that we unite all our kingdoms into one under my rule.”

“What!?” Kelvar exclaimed. “You can’t be serious! I wasn’t prepared for this!”

“Do you think I would joke around like this?” Rylock asked. “Look at me! I’ve become one with Falkris! Since I’m all that’s left, it makes sense that I should be the one to rule.

“Preposterous!” Kelvar shouted. “For as long as it’s always been, we’ve been separate. I refuse to-“

“I support it.” Eldric rose his hand, much to everyone’s surprise.

“Eldric...is actually okay with being lower than king?” Ulrim gaped. “What in the world brought this on!?”

“He and his countrymen have proven themselves stronger than mine.” The dragon explained. “Therefore, I will follow him. That is all.”

“U-Um, excuse me...” Gharen spoke up. “I’d like to...agree to it as well.”

“You too, Gharen?”

“I...I don’t want to go through something like...that again.” He muttered, looking down.

“Well that’s two in favor.” Rylock said. “How about you, Ulrim? Kelvar?”

Kelvar had his head down, the hawk lost in thought. Ulrim looked between him and the others with a look of uncertainty. After a minute or so, Kelvar rose from where he sat.

“I’ll vote in favor too.” He said. “I’ve mulled over the facts, and this seems like the best course of action.”

All eyes turned to Ulrim, their combined gazes making the tiger nervous. “Alright, alright! I’ll agree to it as well.” He spat out. “I’m still not exactly sure what’s going on, but if you’re all for it I don’t really have a reason to refuse.”

“It’s settled then!” Rylock announced. “From henceforth, all of Falkris shall be joined as one under my protection!”

“It’s gonna be strange having to serve a king so...large.” Ulrim said.

“From now on my strength is yours.” Eldric bowed. “You may do with it as you wish.”

“A new time of peace for us all...” Gharen smiled.

“Indeed.” Rylock agreed. His gambit had paid off tremendously in a way he had never imagined. He was now an embodiment of Falkris itself, all kingdoms united by his boundless form. To be a king was one thing, but to be an entire continent would be a whole new experience, one that the elephant blob wouldn’t change for the world.

“Oh, this is just simply splendid!” Kelvar said, getting excited. “This calls for a proper celebration. I’ll get together some plans for the event right away!”

“Uhm, would food happen to be on that list of plans by any chance?” Rylock asked.

“Why yes, of course. Why do you ask?” a long drawn-out growl filled the air, wobbling the pillowy ground that they all stood on. Rylock’s puffy cheeks turned red.

“I...could actually still go for a bit more to eat...if you don’t mind?”