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After Adam and Ishma's ordeal inside King Attem’s cursed dungeon. They tried to shed the excess weight they had gained due to the curse. Their journey towards fitness started strong, but unlike his boyfriend, the manticore seemed to still be struggling with the aftereffects –namely, the need to constantly feel full–. He felt ashamed for not being able to stop eating, food just tasted so good to him, and the more he had of it, the better. Ishma found it vexing, but remained beside him, encouraging him to keep trying.
During his training he discovered something though, his body was more resilient, the extra padding was able to absorb more damage than before. This little discovery made him wonder, “What if he was able to become strong enough to move his colossal pudge around?” A crazy idea came to his mind, then again, the manticore was always known for taking a wild new approach to things.
It took convincing a very doubtful Ishma about his plan, but being the supportive boyfriend he was, the wolf decided to change his training regimen while keeping an eye on Adam to make sure he did not overdo it. A year later, a massive Adam was back in action. He might've lost the ability to fly, but the trade off for the extra strength and durability seemed fair. Still, he felt he needed to evolve his fighting skills to better suit his new colossal proportions.
Looking for answers, he came across the tale of “Filippus the Full”, The Grand Duke of Breggmorth, the once grand commander of this kingdom’s royal army and a retired legendary knight of renown. He was also a victim of Attem's curse, and after some turbulent times, he managed to turn his fortune for the better. Adam was already looking forward to visiting Breggmorth for their renowned cuisine, but once he heard about how His Grace had learned a new ancient martial art from the east during his travels, and that he was also teaching those willing to learn, the manticore was more than ecstatic to go there.
They arrived at the eve of a festival, then again, Breggmorth was always celebrating. During the day, Adam devoured as many dishes as he was offered by the portly inhabitants of the city, while a tired Ishma thanked the heavens for the fact that his lover’s impromptu feast was free of charge. Once night came, they, alongside the rest of the population, gathered at the vast town square where a grand stage had been constructed, displaying a giant circular ring.
Adam’s blood pumped as combat always made him excited. This spot was about to become the stage for a dueling match of some sort. Then his heartbeat was drowned by the ground quaking beneath his feet. And right when he and Ishma wondered about what was causing it, the crowd burst into unanimous cheer as they greeted the Lord of the city himself alongside another. Adam and Ishma were taken aback, not just by how the title of “Filippus The Full” fit the enormous equine perfectly, but also for the attire he was wearing. A verdant green, silk loincloth of some sort, tied snuggly around his extensive midsection; it managed to give him some sort of coverage in the front, but the rest of his boundless self was left bare for the whole audience to witness. It was definitely not something they ever thought a nobleman would wear. His opponent, an equally gargantuan tiger, was wearing the same thing, but his was crimson red.
Both greeted the crowd and His Grace broke into a short speech as he acknowledged everyone present and hoped everyone had enough food and drink, and of course, that they were also having plenty of fun. He also announced that the main event of the night was about to commence. The thrumming of drums changed the atmosphere of the place as the cheering of the crowd subsided and silent anticipation overflowed everyone present.
Filippus and the tiger were now on opposite sides of the ring. With a stone gaze and souls like shrines of stillness. Another noble enters the ring, a stocky otter clad in fine armor that seems to be fitted to perfection around his muscular body; he is seemingly there to arbitrate the upcoming duel. Salt is casted like sacred snow and the silence swells as the crowd leans in. Expectant to what is about to happen.
Something had ignited inside Adam the moment he saw the two titans that were Filippus and Magtanggol –the unknown tiger– as they emanated an equal aura of respect and honor. Their bodies were like mountains. Unmovable and imposing, yet they were also donned with breathtaking grace and beauty. Their match started, their stomps resounding like thunderclaps. A clash and a quake! Palms striking against one another. Their flesh, covered in coat and fur respectively, making an echoing drumming sound as the crowd goes into uproar.
Adam found himself shouting along the crowd, obviously overtaken by the passion of these two formidable opponents going against each other. Ishma half smiled as he noticed how excited his lover was. For him, it was as if he was witnessing the clash of two raging oceans fighting for space, so, it was a matter of time before one swallowed the other. It finally happened once the noble horse capitalized on a slip from the immense feline. A pivot later, and fate had chosen the victor of this match, Filippus.
Helping the tiger up, Filippus gave him a look only two intertwined souls could comprehend. The tiger smiled at him before they both turned towards the crowd and raised their fists up. Everyone was overjoyed, even Ishma found himself clapping and smiling. But once he looked at Adam, he worried. He noticed on him the same look he displayed when he was about to duel against a strong opponent. And with speed defying his size. The manticore crashed the stage, just right when Filippus was introducing two of his students that would take part in the next match. Roaring with excitement, Adam challenged Filippus to a duel right in front of an astonished crowd and a distressed Ishma.
Magtanggol growled at him for showing such disrespect on the ring, and he was already thinking about showing the manticore his place, but Filippus stopped him with a gentle look. Ishma saw again that deep connection between them by the way they could communicate like that, but was more worried about what was about to happen.
With grace befitting his title, but with an inner fire of a true warrior, His Grace accepted Adam's challenge. The manticore was desperate for an answer, but watching the magnificent elder horse at the other end of the ring was like witnessing a still vast ocean. Unable to discern its true depth until he dared to jump in it. With an exploding lunge, he charged towards a calm Filippus who expertly used the manticore's own momentum against him. Adam was a hero of the colosseum, he knew the ups and downs of combat, but this new corpulent body of his was still hard to control, so he was at Filippus mercy the moment he lay hands on him.
Adam witnessed first hand how Filippus harnessed gravity itself. Gently turning his charge into a fall, his final motion is as poetic as the falling of spring blossoms. He lands, not feeling defeated, but rather, reborn. His eyes widened with revelation. Filippus looks gently at him and offers him his hand, not as a victor but as the elder flame passing to the wind-sparked torch. The crowd roars, but the match is quiet in its heart. In silence, something eternal was spoken— not of strength, but of respect. Not of war, but of balance. Ishma had never seen or heard Adam act so polite as he asked Filippus if he could be his apprentice. Towering over him like a bastion of protection, Filippus welcomed him to Breggmorth with open arms.
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Years later Adam would become one of Filippus’s best students and also one of the pillars of Breggmorth’s community. He had always longed for adventure and to face bigger-than-life opponents. He also made it his duty to help the oppressed. As long as he had his “pup” by his side, anywhere they went was home for them. But the longer he trained under Filippus and listened to him talking about how he took the meaning of abundance and turned it into a mindset to help his city flourish, Adam started changing his own perspective of things.
Despite having finished his training, Adam found himself unable to leave the city of Breggmorth. He, like Filippus, now saw all the possibilities and the way in which the city could evolve and thrive even further. At first, he thought about how hard it would be to convince Ishma to stay, but the wolf gave him that tired look he always had when the manticore asked him questions Ishma assumed Adam already knew the answer to. His place was next to Adam, and it would always be, and if he wanted to try and settle here, he would be there to make sure he did not mess it up.
When the city reached a point of massive transformation, for the first time in a while, Filippus found himself somewhat overwhelmed and a little worried for the future ahead of them. But seeing how he had gathered a family of like-minded individuals, he brought up the idea of a knightly order that could uphold the belief that the world holds limitless potential; where opportunities, resources, and achievements are not finite, but instead flow abundantly for all. Once Filippus informed his chosen champions, all of them, including an overexcited Adam, of the work ahead of them, they all accepted his invitation without requests.
Due to his electric personality and his journey from orphaned brawler to a beacon of inner fire and collective strength, Adam is known as the Knight of Empowerment, evoking his comrades and the people around him to rise above negativity and surround themselves with uplifting energy, which in turn will fuel others’ strength as well.
His position in the order does not just come with a noble title, he also has a civil duty bestowed upon him as the Captain of Integrity. Maintaining Justice and ethical governance within the city. And while any who has come across him in the past could attest to the fact that he's not very brilliant, they can confirm how the manticore lives by a code of honor – defend the oppressed, honor strength through unity, and reject the toxicity of status or cruelty.
“Integrity ain't just courtrooms and scrolls. It's the fire that says: ‘I got you,’ when the world wants to break you.”
Adam’s evolution from thundering gladiator to impassioned leader has given way to an intense orator throughout the years. His new voice rouses justice not through quiet counsel, but through raw conviction. He’d rally a crowd before he’d write a law, but the values he upholds are ironclad. He didn’t just learn to speak; he learned to make his voice a weapon just as bold as his own physique. Ishma has told him it was made to echo across amphitheaters. But make no mistake, he still carries the cadence of battle, but now it’s woven with wisdom learned from Filippus’s teachings. His charisma is volcanic, but the lava now nurtures rather than destroys.
“They called me loud. So I learned to echo. They called me reckless. So I dove unto purpose. I am Adam. I don’t just lift swords – I also lift spirits.”
And now, being the oyakata of his own stable, he mentors younger rikishi knights with fire-forged encouragement to foster a strong and abundant mindset while also focusing on building emotional resilience in order to protect their city and what it stands for. He's also infamously known for his morale boosting speeches he gives to the rookies.
“TELL ME, WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR?!”
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Filippus watches him from afar, proud of what Adam has become and a bit amused by how the former jock now moves hearts like tides.
The Knight of Empowerment. The Captain of Integrity. Both titles were given thunderous weight by Adam's own accord. His charisma is a weapon. His resilience, a shield. And his heart? Unshakable.
⚔️🦁⚖️ Years in the future Adamus has become well acquitted with Filippus' teachings -and the results speak for themselves. Big shout-out to
Vintagart for coming up with this imposing design for an older, larger-than-life Adamus.💖
Category All / Fat Furs
Species Manticore
Size 3137 x 1175px
File Size 625.7 kB
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