Jackie Oaks' return to the wrestling scene is going well- until he encounters a rival with a similar powerset, but Anubis knows how to beef up his favorite warrior. Enjoy!
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Seth found it difficult to not stare— he had been Jackie Oak's court-assigned therapist for months now, and the former artifact thief and wrestling promoter was certainly the most fascinating client he had ever worked with— a classic Napoleon Complex mixed with a latent case of kleptomania, his showman tendencies made him naturally charismatic; in fact, he was originally concerned that he might also be displaying manipulative decisions, but he had, as far as Seth could tell, been upfront, honest, and even friendly. In fact, he was even tempted to be a little less than professional and ask him out, he had built such a rapport.
But he couldn't ignore the fact that this was the first time Jackie was lying to him.
"What's up, doc?" the other man asked, grinning crookedly back at Seth. "You look like you're a million miles away."
The tall and lean therapist let out a small, rueful chuckle. Just a few weeks ago, Jackie had been dressed in the only cheap suit he could afford, an ill-fitting outfit that did not do him and his recently acquired beer-gut any favors. He had been angry and bitter about his new, low-paying salesman job, and clearly missing the wealth and privilege he used to enjoy. Now, he had inexplicably gotten a newly tailored suit with a silk shirt, and he couldn't be certain, but the squat man certainly looked in much better shape— thicker arms, a thinner waist, and a more defined, muscular chest peeking out from under his shirt.
"Well, Mr. Oaks, I can't help but notice you seem… Well, let's say you look to be in a much more, ah, stable position than our last meeting. What's changed?"
Jackie smirked, already thinking to last night— he had invoked the power of Anubis again to turn into that deliciously powerful, musclebound beast in the underground arena, throwing around freaks and monsters around like they were toys— he had taken one alligator-faced beast down with one hell of a piledriver, then held him against his heaving pecs until he stopped squirming— and that's how he won his latest pot of prize money.
When he faced Seth, however, he shrugged. "Hey, guess I'm hitting my stride as a car salesman, yeah? I figured I could treat myself to a few creature comforts…" He puffed up his chest as he folded his arms behind his back. "I thought I was lookin' pretty good."
"Oh, well, you are, Mr. Oaks, but—" Seth stopped, clearing his throat as he realized what he said. Jackie noticed, his grin spreading as he quirked his brow. "Hah, well. It's worth questioning. You hitting the gym more?'
"Ain't you sweet to notice," Jackie chuckled. "Yeah, I mean… Why not, right? Body is a temple, yadda yadda— I couldn't help but notice you always cut a nice figure— you bike to work, right?"
"Well, yes," Seth replied somewhat guardedly.
The shorter man grinned, looking the lean, toned man up and down. "Hey, it's paying off." Jackie sat up. "Y'know… we never did settle on that lunch date— that is, a date to have lunch."
"Heh," Seth shook his head. "Well… I have a thing Wednesday evenings, but Thursdays are good."
"Hey," the broad-shouldered man leapt to his feet, winking at Seth. "It's a date."
The sudden rush of power shot through Jackie's body as he embraced the power of Anubis' amulet, the presence of the Egyptian god now looming large in the back of his mind. HIs body expanded— and, thankfully, he was starting to stand a head taller than all the other half-animal, half-man wrestlers present, his body pulsing as muscles bloomed into the type of physique that would shame all but the biggest of bodybuilders.
As he let out a low growl, curling his arms just to feel overgrown muscles leap to life, tensed and flexing, he stared out over the crowd of mutant wrestlers, and then he heard Anubis let out such a snarl he had never heard for all the time he had spent as the god's vessel.
There he is! Set!
Jackie's golden eyes locked on a wrestler like a mountain, halfway across the vast cistern the underground fights were being held. He had a strange look, unlike any animal that he had ever seen. Dark brown fur, sleek and short, strangely shaped ears and a canine-like muzzle, glowing, golden eyes, and the body— pound for pound, Jackie couldn't tell if he or Set were bigger, but his impressive musculature, the defined cut of his abs and the rippling swell of his chest, his huge arms—
Focus! Destroy him!
"Right, sorry," Jackie grunted as he started lumbering towards Set, cutting through the crowd of other fight club participants like he was wading through water until he was face to face, or rather, pec to pec, with Set.
As the jackal met eyes with Set, the other beast snarled. "Can I help you?" As their chests started grinding against one another, his eyes narrowed. "Wait— are you that Anubian punk everyone's been talking about?"
Jackie flashed a toothy smile. "You bet your ass— and I'm calling you out, Set. This is my ring now! I've cut my teeth on every punk and wimp in this joint—" He jabbed a clawed finger against the beast's chest, testing the density of it— it was hard as stone. Anubis furiously whispered in Jackie's head not to let that get to him. There was plenty more power left compared to what he had already been given. "And I want to go for something with a little more meat on their bones."
The two leaned into one another, muscle grinding against one another— Jackie grappled Set's hands, their arms growing taut and flexing, and then Jackie felt another burst of divine power surging into his body, his brawn beginning to spread and grow. As his biceps surged out, matched by the slab-like mass of his triceps, shoulders billowing out, back unfurling, and Set's weight began to shift back. Jackie's smile spread wide as he felt Set get pushed back, already feeling like the fight was over— but then he saw a flash in Set's eyes. The beast began to grow as well.
"You didn't really think— hngh!" Set threw his weight back against Jackie, biceps grinding against his puffed up pecs. "You were the only one, did you? The rest of these wusses are nothing but prey, right? Guess what— you're not the only predator in these woods."
Jackie threw back Set's grip, staring darkly at him. "You know what?" He huffed, trying not to show his shock. He pulled himself up, slamming his fist against his swollen chest and pointing a clawed finger at Set. "We know where this is headed— I wanna see your ass in the ring tomorrow night! I will crush you like a bug!"
"Get your finger the Hell out of my face, scavenger!" Set snarled, slapping Jackie's hand away. "You want to see the inside of some of those tombs you're supposed to be guarding?! I will bury you! Tomorrow night!"
Jackie stalked out of the underground fight club, and as soon as he was away from the noise and the other fighters, his bravado began to fade. "Okay, Annie— be honest with me. Do I gotta be worried about this Set? I've never seen anyone else do that before. How big can he get? How big can I get?"
He heard Anubis scoff. Are you joking? Set is the god of the desert and chaos. He is all flash, shock and awe— I, however, am a god of death. Everyone is mine, eventually. Which means I have VAST reserves…
Jackie let out a sudden roar as he felt the jolt of Anubis' divine energy shooting through him. His arms exploded into engorged cannons, brimming with boulder-like biceps and triceps thick as tires, warping the gold arm bands he wore. His legs would shame any oak tree with their width and density, holding up a sculpted torso that looked as impressive as any stadium he had ever staged a competition in, his chest jutting out like a shield wall and stone-like abs tightly packed, buttressed by his heaving lats, still billowing out until he swore he could feel pressing against either side of the alleyway.
And it's all yours, to crush Set.
"Okay! Okay!" Jackie let out a loud laugh, his biceps jostling his engorged pecs as he reached to rake his fingers across the bulging mass. "This is more like it!" he shook his head as he pried the amulet loose from the cleft of his chest, returning to his human form— with a bid added bulk as he grabbed up his clothes from his bag. "Nice. And here I was getting worried over nothing!"
As Jackie let out a relieved chuckle, he didn't catch the figure looming in the darkness, gold eyes glaring out at him from behind. Set stalked out from the corner as he watched Jackie walk off, shaking his head. "Oh, no…" Set grumbled as he too returned to his human form, a tall and lean, mild-mannered counselor. He reached for his phone as he felt it vibrate— a text from Jackie.
"Hey, got a thing tomorrow night. Lunch date will have to be short— good with you?"
Seth let out a small, resigned sigh and texted Jackie back. "Sure thing! See you then :)"
There was a small diner that Jackie liked; classic Americana, chrome exterior, vinyl booths, the works. He had chosen this for quite a few different dates over the years, something lowkey when he really did like the other person— that and Jackie was feeling really good. Between the prize money he was getting in the underground fights and the new confidence he had with Set, he was feeling good.
Jackie whistled low— Seth was wearing a low cut shirt that looked good on his cut physique, and smiled warmly at the shorter man. "Look at you, Seth— I knew getting you in touch with my clothes guy would pay off."
The counselor let out a small chuckle as he sat opposite from Jackie. "You're looking good, too— I gotta get your workout routine."
Jackie spread his hands, smirking. "Hey, I don't mind taking you down to my place for a workout— but a man's gotta keep some secrets, y'know?"
"Yeah…" Seth leaned forward, folding his arms on top of the table. "I bet a man like you has all kinds of secrets."
Jackie sat up a bit at that as he leaned forward to meet Seth, chuckling softly. "I see we're just dropping any pretense about this being professional."
"Heh, well…" Seth shrugged serenely. "You're not the first client I've had to wrestle with."
Jackie's head shot up at that. Seth put such a strange emphasis on "wrestle" it immediately set off alarm bells in the man's head.
Seth must have picked up on his sudden shift, then laughed. "Come on, Jack. Not all my puns can land. Because you were in wrestling, you know."
"Oh! Oh, yeah, of course." Jackie laughed nervously as their lunch was served. The two bantered a bit over light subjects, but then, with a strange look in his eye, Seth smirked as he swirled his drink.
"You know, I've always been curious— besides the, uh. Other benefit, what did interest you in Egyptian artifacts?" he asked.
Jackie shrugged his broad shoulders. "Well, I guess it's the aesthetic, right? Lots of gold, pyramids, yadda yadda."
Seth smirked. "Yeah, of course. Still, I'm a little surprised— a man like you, I thought you'd be more into that whole… Greco-Roman aesthetic, big solid marble and all that. Something with a little more presence, heft— a little more meat on their bones, you know?"
Jackie's face fell for only a moment. He could hear Anubis hissing in the back of his head.
He's Set!
The shorter man cleared his throat, trying to act casual— it had been going so well, too. "You know, uh— here, lunch is on me Seth. I gotta get going, I got a thing later this evening."
"Oh, no worries— I do too." Seth said, eyes locked on Jackie. "I really don't want to be late for it, either."
"Heh," Jackie chuckled ruefully, also staring down the taller man. "Of course not. We, uh… we'll have to do this again some time."
"Sure," Seth nodded as they both stood up— he held out his hand. Jackie took it, and knew how this was going to go. Both of them gripped the other's hand hard— in human form, Jackie had the advantage, if just barely. Seth was a lot stronger than he looked. "I, uh. Look forward to seeing you again soon, Jackie."
"Yeah, yeah, it'll be a real blow out— I'll have to try and surprise you for the next date."
"Surprise?" Seth chuckled as he let Jackie's hand go. "Not if I see you first."
The two men watched each other leave, Jackie shaking his head as he frowned. "Dammit— He's a good therapist. Can read me like a book… especially now that he knows everything about me."
It's nothing that a little more shock and awe can't fix. When you walk into that ring, I can make certain you're a colossus. As Anubis spoke, Jackie could already feel the galvanizing power of the god prickling at his skin, nearly bursting out of his suit.
"Aha, no! No."
No?
Jackie shook his head, looking at his reflection in the rearview mirror. "Trust me. We'll spring it on him in the match— you're sure you can make me bigger than him?"
I could BURY him.
"Good, good," Jackie nodded, breathing in deeply. "Let's get ready to rumble."
The energy in the underground club was electric as all the other fighters and spectators crowded the ring— Set and Anubis were a fight thousands of years in the making, and all the mutants and freaks couldn't wait to see who won. Set loomed in one corner— every muscle primed and polished with oil across his sleek fur like he was a living colossal statue, strong enough to hold entire pyramids above his head. He looked bigger and stronger than Jackie, an impression only enforced when they stepped up to one another. Set smiled toothily down at Jackie.
"I gotta say," he growled low so only Jackie could hear, tall enough that at his eye level, the musclebound jackal was at the beast's chest line. "I've gotten used to you being so short. I like you down there."
"Yeah, well— we all gotta get used to new perspectives, from time to time." Jackie growled as he bumped his fists with Set, and both returned to their corners.
"You're sure that you can get me big fast enough?"
Please. I'd give every ounce of my divine power to knock Set down a peg.
"Alright— on my signal." Jackie rolled his shoulders, giving a toothy grin to the spectators as the bell rang. Set, a wild, hungry look in his eye, charged for Jackie, the floor of the ring trembling with his heavy footfalls, column-like legs rolling off one another as he raised his mighty arms and lunged for Jackie. The mutated canine dived, missing his first lunge— but as Set fell back against the ropes, he launched himself at the jackal; Jackie was struck with the force of an oncoming train. Set wrapped his huge arms around Jackie, biceps digging into the canine's hefty sides as he felt Set heave him off his feet, then throw him down with a heavy thud that made the whole ring tremble, the roars of the crowd echoing in Jackie's ears.
"Now," he hissed through gritted teeth, trying to shake off the ache as Set tried to bring down his fists on Jackie's chest with a hammer punch. The jackal felt Anubis' power flow into him once more, this time like a flood that nearly overwhelmed his senses. Reinvigorated, he let out an adrenaline-fueled howl as he grappled with Set, the desert beast nearly throwing him back. But Jackie latched on hard, his grip like iron, and in waves he could see the changes coming over him— with every breath he took, his chest jutted out a little further. With every shift of his weight, his fat, tear-drop quads bulged out in either direction, widening the circumference of his earth-shaking legs. His arms pulsated with power beneath his copper fur, fat veins ranging across the hefty curve of his mammoth biceps as those boulder-like burls of brawn filled out, mashed against other muscle groups and fighting for room.
By the time Set realized what was happening, it was too late— Jackie latched on to him as the lights overhead on the ring blinked out, the jackal's sprawling plateau of a back, lat muscles shifting like huge desert dunes, eclipsed them, swallowing Set up in shadow. The fight was done quickly as the now monumentally sized avatar of Anubis loomed large over Set— too fast for Set to call upon any power of his own, if he had it. Jackie let out a small laugh that rumbled across his mountainous body, jerking Set's arms back, the overgrown bloat of his own arm muscles barely twitching from the effort.
From there, it was over; the smallest application of his mass and power drove Set to the ground, buried in a landslide of muscle and brawn, pinning him utterly. Set tried squirming free, but he could already hear the clock counting down towards his defeat.
Rumbling deeply, Jackie let out another chuckle that reverberated through his massive body as he leaned down. "I like you like this— second date's even better than the first one, eh?" He tightened his grip on Set, the beast letting out a small, pained groan.
"This— Isn't— over!" Set grunted.
"I'd hope so. I'll need a challenge next time, Set. But let's leave that for the lockers backstage, eh?" Jackie smirked. "I've got a whole different set of moves to show you."