The Game v2.0

Story by Nex_Canis on SoFurry

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

#1 of The Game v2.0

So... I've been asked multiple times to continue The Game and since it's been so long since the last chapter, I've decided to do a reboot of the series!

So here we are... The Game v2.0 with more defined mechanics and a lot more kinks! This chapter is still pretty tame but stay tuned for more!


The Game v2.0

A storm had struck. Not a very good start to the new school year but Anthony 'Tony' DeChant couldn't argue. From birth to present day, he was always an indoors kind of guy. His father often jokes that the moment he came out of that womb, he wanted to go back in, that's how much he wanted to be inside.

Not that he wasted that time.

Tony was a guy who liked to think. He was a born philosopher and getting his English degree with the hopes of going somewhere with it once he had solved the puzzles to the world. Having just arrived at Rhodes College, he was eager to start a fresh batch of thoughts that he could follow and trail as he had long grown tired of the philosophies he had reached back home. Now, he had a new environment, new people to meet and new stimulus to get his brain churning out new insights.

He was eager to start.

And he would start with his roomie.

"Do you think there are other dimensions beyond the third?" he asked, swinging his legs absently from the edge of his bed. "It's been widely accepted that Time is the fourth dimension with the first three being Space. But is there a fifth and a sixth? Do you think the soul and thought are other dimensions?"

His roommate, Benjamin gave a noncommittal grunt as he continued to unpack the various assortment of objects he had brought from home. Unlike Tony who had just come with the necessities, Ben had brought a whole sound system, a TV and his computer along with other things. Apparently his parents were rather well off to be sending their son with so much in a college dorm.

"In fact," Tony continued, raising a finger to brush away the lanky, dark brown hair that clung to his scalp like a wet mop, "I think that we shouldn't divide dimensions by number. The physical dimensions are the first, second and third dimensions in our understanding. Then there are the mental dimensions like thought, soul and the connecting dimension to the physical ones, pain. Time is the dimension that encompasses them all."

Ben gave another grunt, one edged with a fraction of irritation.

Tony nevertheless continued. "Think about it, the three dimensions we are commonly associate with are measurable but it is theorised that an intense enough gravitation field will bend all dimensions into one! But a field that strong will probably kill us! We'll experience pain as our three dimensions are merged into one. I can't claim anything about the soul or thought but I really think that pain could at least be a fifth dimension. What do you think?"

Ben looked up, his green eyes piercing Tony with an exasperated stare. "I honestly think that you either shut up or help me unpack."

The air suddenly became incredibly tense just as a bolt of lightning sizzled somewhere in the distance. The following boom of thunder shook the entire hall. Flickering lights cast dark shadows across Ben's features and Tony was sure he must have looked startled at the outburst.

To his relief, the lights stabilised and Ben's features had softened.

"Look," Ben said, running a hand down his face, "sorry I snapped like that. I didn't mean to. Just a long trip, you know?"

"It's okay." Tony sprang off his bed and wandered over to where his roommate was hunched over a one of the many boxes he had brought. "As you can guess, I'm an English major, minoring in philosophy."

"Arts," came the short reply.

"Majoring in anything yet?"

"Not yet," was the frustrated reply. "Can't seem to decide on anything. My parents want me to do one thing. My grandparents want another and damnit if my aunt and uncle want me to do something else." He sighed heavily as he lifted a picture of several people gathered in front of a Christmas tree, smiling at the photograph. "I love them but whatever they want for me... I don't think it's for me."

Tony reached over and patted Ben's shoulder in a friendly manner. "Hey, don't worry about it, right? I mean, you've got a year or so to decide. If anything, being around new people will give you more perspective! It might even help you decide what you want to do."

"We'll see," was the following, unenthusiastic reply. Ben's brown eyes shifted away, unable to meet Tony's gaze. His features suddenly furrowed and he leaned towards his bed, specifically beneath it. "Huh... This isn't mine..."

Curious, Tony watched Ben remove what appeared to be rather old board game from underneath his bed. It was extremely old as the casing was made entirely out of wood and had countless intricate markings all over it, apparently hand crafted. The words 'The Game' were written across the face.

"Must have been left here by the previous tenants," Tony said, inclining his head to the side. "Looks interesting. Wanna play?"

"What are you, twelve?" Ben gave Tony the board game and returned to his boxes. Then, he winced and turned back to Tony. "Sorry, sorry. I... I'm not really that good at meeting people on my own. My parents always used to introduce me."

"Ah."

Tony ignored the thoughts of 'mama's boy' in his head and placed the Game on the floor while Ben went back to unpacking. The wooden box opened down the middle to reveal a rather broad game board. It was odd that there were no tiles on the central board. On either side of the 'doors' he used to open the board were two dice; one six sided and the other with twenty sides. There were also four different coloured cards, red, blue, green and yellow stacked neatly and sitting inside containers. Several metal bars sat amongst the cards. On the other flap was a set of rules.

Curious, he regarded the large foldout piece of paper.

"Heh," he chuckled. "Check this out: 'Rule 1: Once you start the Game, you must finish the Game'."

Even Ben had to grin at that. "Wow. What's the penalty?"

Shrugging, Tony continued to read. "'Rule 2: The goal of the Game is to reach your Finish. Every player has a Finish that is set specifically for them. Rule 3: Players can join at any time. Rule 4: Cheating will be heavily penalised. Rule 5: Beware of X.'"

The two boys exchanged glances. Then burst out into riotous laughter.

"Ooooh! Beware of X!" Ben taunted. "Got to give them props for coming up with an intimidating name that's been used over and over again since the 1980's!"

"Hey, this thing is probably from the 1980's! Look how old it is!"

Grinning and showing a bright side, Ben took the pamphlet from Tony and raised an eyebrow at him. "Hey, what do you say we play a round? I mean, I'm basically unpacked anyway."

"It'll give you something to shoot for," Tony answered with a shrug. "So how do we play?"

Leafing through the pamphlet, Ben said, "Says here that we each pick up one of the metal blocks. They become our 'Avatars'." He reached down and snatched one of the blocks. "How are we meant to tell them apart? They are -Ouch!"

He abruptly dropped the bar and to his amazement, the bar began to glow a bright red, a faint sizzling filling the air. The two boys watched in awe as the metal began to morph and twist. A strong jawbone and an athletic build began to form, arms, legs and even - from all appearances - individual strands of hair. Slowly, the metal block took on the shape of -

"That's me!" Ben exclaimed, awed at his nude little 'Avatar'.

"It sure is, buddy," Tony answered, trying to hide his giggles. "It sure is."

Blushing, Ben covered his little Avatar's privates. "Aren't you the least bit concerned that that metal block just turned into me!"

Shrugging, Tony reached down and picked up his own block. "I bet it's some weird feature. Maybe it's nanobots or something."

"Nanobots haven't even been invented yet!"

"Oh yes they have! Ah!" Tony dropped his own Avatar and watched in amazement as it too took on his shape. "They have been invented. In colleges and universities no less. Who knows? Maybe the guys who lived here before used this 'Game' as a testing grounds for them."

"I still don't trust it," Ben grunted. Still, he hesitantly took up the pamphlet and continued reading. "Okay, it says here that we now have to roll the d20."

"The what now?"

Ben peered over the pamphlet. "The d20. The dice with twenty sides. It's used often in Dungeons and Dragons games."

"And you know that because?"

Feeling the blush grow deeper on his face, Ben said, "So I've experimented and tried a lot of things."

"Sure thing," Tony answered with a cocky smirk. He picked up the d20 dice and tossed it absently in the air. "What do we do with this thing?"

"Roll it. It determines our species."

"Species?" he laughed. "I'm not sure about you, but I am human through and through... Although... what is human...?"

Ben clicked his fingers multiple times in front of Tony's face. "Hey! No zoning off! It says here that 'species' is a gameplay mechanic. It seems to have a sort of morality system here. You 'transform' into your species as you go through the game, giving you that species' abilities as well as other transformations you get along. Thing is, you want to remain human, right? So even if you reach your finish, if you are the one who is 'less human' out of everyone else, you still lose." Ben lifted his eyebrows and nodded. "Ah... I get it..."

He picked up his Avatar and dropped it onto the game board. There was a series of flicking and clicking. The board itself began to shift and transform as hidden panels all over the board switched and turned. A winding path was revealed with several crossroads and paths that all ended in the same, little white circle that was emblazoned with the words 'Finish' somewhere near the end of the path. Even beyond the Finish tile, however, the path continued and looped around, eventually leading to Finish again.

Then, he dropped Tony's Avatar onto the board. Just like with his, the board reacted. It traced a path of differently coloured tiles all over the board, sometimes crossing the path set out for Ben and other times completely avoiding it. However, like Ben's, it had a circular 'Finish' far away from his.

"So basically," Ben instructed, "each of the differently coloured tiles has a different effect. The effect is determined by another roll of the d20 and the result is mapped onto different tables depending on the type of square we land on." He showed Tony the table he was referring to. "Red are 'Material' Spaces where we can add 'transformations' or 'equipment' at our discretion or take them away from our opponents. Blue are 'Immaterial' which allows us to alter our own or our opponent's psychology."

"What?"

"It's probably a hidden factor on the success of our attacks or whatever. Let me finish." Ben cleared his throat. "Yellow tiles are 'Game' tiles which alters the movement and turn structure of the players. Green tiles are 'Player' tiles, letting us give one another or ourselves buffs or debuffs. Again, we have to roll a d20 to determine the effect."

"And what are the cards for?" Tony asked, noting how enthusiastic Ben was slowly growing.

"They determine the target of our rolls and additional benefits on top of those we roll."

"What about the Black and White tiles?"

"White tiles allow us to remove an effect of any of the previous cards on ourselves or opponents. See how they're numbered? That means we can remove that many effects on another opponent. Black tiles are the 'Challenge' tiles where if one of us lands on it, it 'round' is over and all players engage in a battle. Losers are lose more of their humanity and this getting closer to losing the Game while winners are granted an ability that can help them without losing their humanity."

Tony nodded sagely. "I get it. So this is a philosophical game as much as it is a competitive one. The one with the most humanity wins. It's a competition of power versus integrity. Friendships can be made and lost by forcing an opponent to lose their humanity while granting them power or selflessly forcing transformation upon yourself to spare them the pain of being less than human."

"Yeah, yeah, philosophical crap," Ben said, picking up the d20. "So, to start off, we have to roll the dice to determine our species. I'll go first."

"I thought you were older than twelve," Tony taunted but Ben had already rolled the dice.

It landed on a 13. A quick search on the table revealed...

"I'm a wolf apparently," Ben announced. "Not sure exactly what benefits that means since I don't see a table on it... Oh well, your turn."

Shrugging, Tony rolled the dice himself, coming up with a 2.

"You're a lion," Ben announced, showing him the table.

"Great. So now what?"

"We play." Ben picked up the six sided dice and rolled it. He came up with a 4. As he reached over to move his Avatar, he was surprised when the tiny little guy shuffled four spaced from his starting position. It frightened him a little that the metallic version of him walked exactly how he would have walked. His parents always told him never to drag his feet and to always stand straight but that was one thing he could never truly do for them despite everything else he jumped at.

"That's cool," Tony observed, placing the deck of red cards in front of Ben. "So red card. Pick up."

With a shrug, Ben picked up his card. "'Double the effect of your roll. Target: self' How ominous." He swiped the d20 and tossed it idly at the board. It came up with a 14. "Ha! Cash!" he announced after a quick read of the results table. "Okay..." He rubbed his hands together, grinning with some degree of giddy. "A thousand dollars!"

A thousand sounded like a nice round number to start off with considering it would be doubled. He had no idea what the level of currency was in the game as it never stated but he thought starting off with two thousand while Tony began with nothing was a good enough head start.

Thwack! Thwack!

"Ow!" he cried, looking upwards at the ceiling. "What hit me?" He glanced around and saw Tony's startled stare. Rather, the English major wasn't staring at him but just a little beside him. Following that gaze, Ben found his jaw hit the floor - quite literally. He went down on all fours, nose to nose with the two large wads of cash sitting beside him wrapped neatly in sealed paper.

"You must be kidding..." he whispered softly. "Now way... This can't be real..." He poked it tentatively with a finger. Sure enough, it was good old green, American currency. Even if it was counterfeited, where did it come from?

"Anything to say?" Ben asked.

He saw the flash of greed in Tony's eyes. "Play on. Give me the dice."

Like Ben, Tony took the six sided dice and gave it a roll. He was rewarded with a one. His Avatar took a single step forward and landed on another red square. In fact, upon closer inspection, he noted that the majority of the starting area was littered with red squares. Still, if that meant a wad of cash...

He picked up the d20 eagerly and gave it a throw. A 16 met him. "What does that mean?"

"Equipment plus, apparently," Ben recited. "I guess that means you do what I did; pick up a card and wish for some sort of equipment."

"Is that what the rules say?"

"Pretty much."

Shrugging, Tony picked up a red card which said 'Permanent Change. Target: self.' thought hard about what kind of equipment he wanted. Peering over his shoulder at the lowly and mostly empty half of the room that he had claimed as his own, he was thrown in a bit of depression considering how across the room, Ben's half was far more lavished.

"A TV," he announced. "I would love to have a nice, big, flat screen TV."

Boom!

At first, he feared he had been crushed by the TV, forgetting that Ben's cash had fallen on him. Everything was dark... and then the lights flickered back on.

"Huh..." Ben said, glancing around. "Quick power outage. Must've been the..."

Ben trailed off. His eyes were locked firmed behind Tony. As Tony turned, they both stared at the enormous flat screen TV sitting at the foot of Tony's bed, mounted to the wall and consuming most the room.

"Holy shit!" Tony exclaimed, leaping up to his feet. He eagerly jumped onto his bed and stared at the enormous, black panel that seemed to stare back at him, begging him to switch it on. The remote sat on his bedside table and with overwhelming eagerness, he snatched it and hit the power button.

The comely weather lady told them the storm would last for a couple of days yet.

"This game is awesome!" he exclaimed.

The sound of dice being rolled tore his gaze away from the screen. Ben's Avatar was already moved one square forward to another red tile. Tony jumped off his bed, leaving the TV on in his enthusiasm and eagerly awaited Ben's results.

Ben hurriedly picked up a red card and was slightly disappointed when it read, 'Effect Total. Target: All.' He wasn't eager to share his spoils with Tony but at least he would get something. He rolled the d20...

And came up with a 4.

"What is it? What is it?" Tony asked eagerly.

The result made Ben frown. "Double plus species. Dang... I guess we... Ah!--"

Ben abruptly doubled over, a strange, blinding pain rippling through his entire body. Odd sensations began to fill his entire mind originating from every fibre of his being. His heart began pounding against his chest like it was bursting to get out. The blood that coursed this his veins was like acid, burning their way through and seeping into every fold of muscle in his body before bleeding into his bones. A thousand tiny pinpricks began tricking against his feet like he had sat on them for far too long. Blind instinct took over and he rolled onto his back, gasping for breath as beads of sweat rolled down his face.

With some surprising strength, he managed to lift his head and peer at his feet covered in some expensive Nikes. His jaw slacked when his toes roiled and curled beneath the folds like a beast churning beneath a thin fabric of skin. He arched his back, letting out a pained cry just as a deafening boom of thunder rippled through the dorm. Concealed within the earthshattering boom was some loud rips as his toes burst free of his sneakers.

Ben almost fainted at that moment. Black claws jutted out from the tips of his ruined sneakers, attached to stubby, furry toes. The black fuzz that covered his toes seemed to breathe and gasp with each beat of his heart, slowly expanding. Panic set in and he frantically ripped off his ruined shoes only to stop when he felt a strange, pinching pain at the tips of his fingers. He watched in horror as another set of black claws slowly pushed themselves out of the tips of his fingers. The face of each finger began to harden and turn black, quickly forming leather dots. That same black fur began spreading out from the alien additions to his hands, crawling all over his palms and fingers. He gnashed his teeth together as the bones stretched painfully and muscle broadened in just his fingertips.

Veins pulsated on the back of his hands before they were quickly consumed by the black fur. Those same veins travelled down his forearm, pumping blood and mass into the muscle there. There was some form of ripping as his flesh stretched ever so slightly. The pain was excruciating... but was quickly starting to feel... pleasurable. His heartbeat was still rapid but the burning became less like having liquid iron coursing through his veins and more like a thousand, warm hand massaging the flesh beneath his skin.

A gasp rose from his throat when he felt that massage quickly rising up to his calves. He felt the muscle there jiggle in anticipation, growing and broadening. They tore right through his the lower half of his pants, leaving the thick, black fur exposed to the air. Another flash of lightning cut all the lights in the room again and in that time, the fur seemed to leap at the darkness and shoot through his thighs. A feral growl rose from his throat when he was forced to spread his legs wide as the abrupt burst of muscle pushed his thighs apart. A moan rose from his throat when he felt the veins riding up his rear, massaging his ass and reshaping it into the perfect, manly bubble mould.

On his body, the veins migrated to his biceps. Some primal instinct drove him to lift his arms and flex his biceps. The tearing he heard was no doubt from his shit ripping. The fresh, cool air felt so alien to but the warmth from his biceps cancelled it all out. The lights flicked back on and he had a momentary glimpse of enormous guns covered in pulsating veins before they were wrapped in thick, black fur.

He grunted when he felt the transformation seep over his shoulders and across his chest. At the same time, it crawled up to the base of his spine where it felt like it was rolling down the length of his back and extending a little further beyond, like it was pushing his spine out. He fell onto his hands and knees, grunting with his hips undulating as the change pushed his chest out, forming hard, square pecs and pressed something else foreign through his pants.

"Aaaaargh..." he moaned when the change crept up towards his throat. Every sound that came from his throat was deeper, resounding and almost thunderous. He clenched his teeth again, one part of his brain fighting the transformation while the other was eagerly embracing it. An itch made itself known on his nose and he barely had the strength to open his eyes and watch his nose push itself out in front of him and turn black. He tried to make a sound but his tongue got in the way. It flopped out of his lips which quickly caught up, a long muzzle wrapping itself around his tongue, fangs caging the pesky, long, flat appendage neatly.

Ben closed his eyes again, feeling his ear being pulled by strings towards the top of his head. Sounds suddenly became much clearer, smells even sharper. He instantly became aware of a strange smell in the air...

Arousal...

And it was his.

A deep moan came from his throat as he once again fell on his back, his hands following the trail of growing fur from his thick pectorals as they migrated down his stomach. Fresh abdominal muscles grew there before quickly disappearing into the thick fur. His fingers traced the spreading treasure trail until he found the tip of his hard, six inch cock. Even without looking, he knew the transformation was spreading across it too. His hands worked expertly as they removed his belt and undid the remnants of his pants, letting his cock rise free.

The glands of his cut cock were quickly wreathed in warmth as foreskin that had long vanished eagerly enveloped the entire length once more. The black fur spread across the skin, wrapping around his balls and filling them to the brim with seed. Arousal quickly fogged his mind. A sensitive, molten hot piece of flesh quickly pressed up against his fingers and he could only grin as he felt the thick, eight inch canine cock slip into his paws and pulsate there, dripping thick ropes of precum onto his chest.

"Fuck yeah..." he moaned.

"Argh!"

Ben's eyes quickly snapped open as he remembered the other 'player' in the game.

On the other side of the room, Tony had fallen off his bed and was desperately trying to scramble for the door but his feet had given out of him. Thick, stubby toes exploded out of his socks, covered in golden fur and tipped with light brown claws. His limbs were twitching wildly and with each jolt, they grew.

Tony's entire left leg suddenly jerked and the entire limb just exploded out of his pants, completely covered that same golden fur. The cuts of muscle were clear through the fur, lean and strong. A deep growl rose from Tony's throat as his right hand groped for the doorknob. There was a sudden jolt in the limb and that too burst into a beautiful explosion of muscle and fur. Thick veins pulsated beneath the fur, clearly visible running from the back of Tony's new paw all the way up his arm and through is biceps.

He fell onto his belly grunting and twitching as his entire body tore through the last remnants of his clothing. The golden fur spread across his back, spreading out to give his torso a spectacular 'V-shape'.

Ben felt a pang of jealousy at Tony's lean physique but he quickly pushed that aside as he crawled over to the lion, his body still feeling numb like he was a newborn trying to learn how to walk again. Somehow, he managed to reach Tony and rolled the feline onto his back. He wasn't surprised to find Tony's eyes rolled into the back of his head, a look of ecstasy on his features as the transformation turned the rather geeky, gaunt features into the broad, handsome features of a lion. A thick, golden brown mane haloed that face, crawling down Tony's chest and forming a very thick treasure trail that spread down perfect, square pecs and a clearly visible six pack.

Ben was suddenly aware of a thick, hot piece of meat rubbing up against his own and he glanced down to find Tony's eight inch member dripping precum against his own cock.

"Tony!" he cried.

The English major's eyes snapped open and he let out a soft 'whu'.

It only took a moment...

"Ah!"

The lion shoved Ben aside, the force of the blow enough to knock the latter on his ass. Ben instantly saw what Tony intended and pounced faster than he ever thought he could manage. He tackled Tony before he reach the door, pulling them away from leaping into the rest of the dorm and being experimented on by government agents

"Are you nuts!?" Ben growled, fangs bared. "How do you think people will react if they see us?"

"Us?" Tony asked. He glanced at his paw. "Oh shit... it happened to me too..."

Ben was quick to piece the reasons together. "The card said 'Target: all'. It affected us both." He pushed off Tony, shakily getting to his feet and staggering back over to the Game. "Fuck... I shouldn't seen this coming... the bloody thing turned me into a werewolf and you into a..." He gave Tony a quick look. "... werelion."

"That implies we can change back!" Tony exclaimed in near panic.

"We can." Ben lifted the table of rules and held it up for Tony to see. "There's a column here for 'minus species'. We just have to roll the dice right on a Material Square and we get to change back."

"That's all up to chance! What are the odds we'll land on a Material Square, get a card that says 'Target: all' and roll the dice so we can change back!"

"You forgot that it has to say 'Effect Total' too."

Tony let out an anguished cry and curled up into a ball, clutching his head in his paws.

Ben rolled his eyes and picked up the d6. He strode boldly towards Tony and thrust the dice into his paws. "Look, maybe once the Game ends, we turn back. Fact is, we can't just wander out there. We'll get dissected!"

"Have you seen the board game?" Tony answered. "The path doesn't end at Finish. It goes beyond it. You have to land exactly on the Finish tile."

"We still have to try," Ben said, holding Tony's paw firmly. "Come on. It's either get dissected or take our changes and get out of this alive."

For a moment, Ben thought Tony wouldn't rise up to the challenge but relief spread through him when the lion nodded and gingerly wandered over to the board. They sat opposite to one another and took a breath together. Tony held up the dice to show that he would be rolling... and threw it.

The dice landed on a 4.

When their eyes went to Tony's Avatar, Ben was a little surprised that it had turned into a lion just like Tony had. They exchanged brief glances but perhaps there was something in Ben's eyes that got Tony to keep on moving.

It was a blue tile this time.

"God... What could this be?" the feline moaned. He picked up the blue card and regarded it gingerly. "No Effect. Target: Last player to roll."

"That's me," Ben murmured softly. "Roll."

"Are you sure? This is an Immaterial tile. I could affect your psychology or -"

"Roll."

Tony picked up the d20... and gave it a roll.

2.

"Animal Instinct," Tony read. "What does that mean?"

Ben wasn't sure what that meant either... until he became aware of a soft thumping behind him and the fact that a faint, dull throbbing rippled up his spine. He glanced over his shoulder and gave an exasperated sigh. Lifting his bare - though furry - rear into the air, he showed Tony his wagging tail. "That's what it means."

Tony could only laugh and handed Ben the d6.

Daring another roll - while consciously trying to tell his tail to stop wagging - he threw the dice and watched it land on a 3. His Avatar shuffled forward three spaces to land on the first green tile of the game. He held his breath for the entire time as he picked up the green card.

"No effect. Target: self." Still with breath held, he rolled the d20. He was about to pass out when he saw it land on a 7. "That gives me the plus endurance buff, I guess."

They stared at one another, just waiting for something to happen. Ben half-expected a little icon to appear above his head indicating that he had this supposed buff but nothing happened. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or frightened. Still, he handed the d6 to Tony and waited for him to have his turn.

The lion toss the dice timidly, landing it on a 2 and consequently the first yellow tile of the game.

"Oh boy," Tony murmured, picking up a yellow card. "Add +1 to movement. That's odd."

"It's a 'Game' Card, remember? It affects where your Avatar lands and turn order. Toss the d20. See where it lands."

Tony picked up the d20. Before he threw it, however, he blew on it, tossed it around in his fist a couple of times then let it go. He was lucky enough to get a 9 which was a +3 tiles on the chart. His Avatar strode forward three spaces, landing him on a white tile. His eyes shone.

"Hey! White tiles remove effects of other cards, right? Does this mean -"

Ben regarded the lion Avatar grimly. His heart sank when it lifted its foot... and placed it on the next tile adjacent. A black tile.

"Hey! What -!?"

Before Tony could even finish, thunder boomed outside and the lights went out once more.

When the flicked back on, their dorm room was gone.

Ben spun, leaping to his feet with his tail rigid. Instead of their dorm room, they were in a brightly decorated room that was divided into two colours. On one side, the room was entirely red. On the other, it was blue. Right in the middle was a bed, the sheets coloured appropriately.

"What happened!?" Tony demanded. "I was on a white tile! Why did my Avatar move one more space!?"

"Because you landed on a yellow one first, remember?" Ben answered. "And that forced you to move an extra space as part of the card's condition."

Tony looked utterly horrified. "Shit... What does that mean now...?"

A loud gong sounded in the small, enclosed room. Ben spun around, searching for the noise. Everything about the room screamed 'love nest'. There were men and women posing in portraits, all in sultry positions. An assortment of toys sat in cupboards for all to see and not too far away were several jars of Viagra.

"The game is: Gay Chicken," a female announcer's voice boomed. "A challenge will be posed. If the challenger is unable to perform the act, the second challenger must complete the act for them to be a winner. A challenger is immediately announced a winner if the other challenger orgasms. This is a sudden death match."

"Wait..." Ben began, taking a step back away from Tony. "She doesn't mean... I have to... On you...?"

The worry on Tony's face was replaced with a slight amount of cockiness though his lips were still trembling. He wanted to win. "What's wrong? You're not scared of being kissed by another guy, are you?"

"No!" came the defensive response. "Are you?"

"Dude. I'm an English major. It's in my nature to experiment. Bring it!"

Ben instantly began cursing himself, fearing what would happen should he lose. He recalled in the rules that the loser would be forced to give up more of their humanity. He didn't know how much more 'wolf' he could become unless he ended up becoming a quadruped only able to speak in barks and piss.

"Round one," the came the announcement. "Challenger Benjamin, lick Challenger Anthony's right nipple for one minute. Then lick his left nipple for another minute. Time starts when licking begins."

That... That didn't seem so hard.

Except...

Whump!

Tony splayed himself on the red side of the be, legs wide and his big, fat feline cock sitting in its sheath, plump and ready to come out. He had a big, predatory grin on his face and his arms behind his head, showing off those impressive, lean muscles.

"Well, what are you waiting for, puppy?"

"Don't call me that," Ben growled, angrily storming over to the bed. He gingerly crawled up to Ben, trying to keep his eyes focused on the lion's right nipple. Unfortunately, he was forced to gaze at those perfect, washboard abs lightly covered by that thick mane. The musk of man and sex that seeped out of the lion kicked up some rather... odd thoughts in his mind. If anything, he felt his crotch starting to respond. Mentally kicking himself for that imagery, he stormed the last few inches up to his target and leaned down.

"Now be gentle," Tony taunted. "Though, I do like it rough."

"Shut up."

Ben leaned down and wrapped his lips around Tony's right nipple, slowly brushing his tongue against the thick, nub of flesh. Tony moaned loudly, letting out a soft, 'oh yes' followed by a 'just like that'. Ben wished he wouldn't do that. Every inch of his body screamed for him to leap off and just surrender... well... every inch except for the eight that was poking out of its sheath.

It seemed like an eternity until the voice said, "First segment complete. Please proceed."

Taking a deep breath and reminding himself it was already half over, he went for Tony's left nipple, unfortunately brushing his nostrils against that thick growth of chest hair. He caught a whiff of the lion's manly scent. His mind when briefly to a scene where that big feline cock was buried deep inside of him, a mighty roar rising from that proud chest. He tossed it aside quickly and went for his target.

Tony didn't help. He thrust he chest, thick muscular pecs and all, against Ben's nose, his hips undulating and deep moans rising from his throat.

"Fuck yeah... You know you like it. Yeah... Worship my pecs... You love that manly chest..."

Ben was almost in tears when the voice announced his turn was over.

Gasping for breath, he leapt off Tony and flashed him his fangs. "You're an ass."

The lion shrugged, a cocky smile on his features. "Hey, it's a game. Someone has to win. Now lie down."

"No."

"Fine by me."

Ben suddenly found thick, muscular arms wrapped around his chest and a course, flat tongue brushing up against his right nipple. It was odd... but he only felt a faint tickling from the movements. By the way Tony made it sound, it was the second best thing to sex but to him, he barely felt anything at all.

Then an idea hit him.

Thinking quickly, he used a claw to jab himself in the thigh. Just a faint pinprick. Nothing more.

The endurance bonus.

Tony seemed to have forgotten about it.

A plan formed in his head as Tony shifted to his left nipple on the announcer's command. He forced a flinch, trying to make himself seem as uncomfortable as possible. If he could just continue to fake how uncomfortable he was, he could win!

"Challenge complete. Round over."

Tony sat up, grinning broadly. "You taste yummy."

Ben pushed him away, growling softly.

"Round two: Challenger Anthony, lick Challenger Benjamin's ear - whichever you please - for one minute."

"Easy," Tony answered proudly. He wrapped a paw around Ben's neck and pulled him down to the bed. "C'mere!"

Ben made a conscious effort to struggle even as he felt that course tongue rub up against his ears, he kept fighting. About halfway through, he made it seem like had started to like it, digging his claws into Tony's sides and pretending he was fighting himself. He could feel Tony smile even without looking.

"Segment complete. Please switch."

Making a sour face, Ben lifted himself up to Tony's ear-level and made a show of slowly letting his tongue out. He lapped at Tony's fuzzy ear very lightly, bringing a giggle from the lion. He wondered if he should have giggled a little but discarded the thought and continued on the task. As the seconds ticked by, he increased his pace, making it look like he was starting to enjoy the task.

When the announcer told them the round was over, he gave Tony one last lick before pulling away as far as the bed would allow.

Tony was giving him this knowing look, like he knew he would win.

Perfect.

"Round two: Challenger Benjamin, suckle on Challenger Anthony's scrotum for two minutes."

"What!?" Ben exclaimed, spinning towards some arbitrary direction.

"Do you concede?"

Biting down his pride, Ben said, "Hell no." He pounced on Tony, pushing him down to the bed and bringing a loud 'oh' from the lion. Holding his breath, Ben went down towards the lion's crotch and pressed his nose against the thick, furry, golden scrotum. He opened his muzzle but broke his held breath, taking in a long whiff of that heavy, musky, manly scent. His cock twitched in anticipation but he felt himself far from orgasm.

Tony on the other hand... The lion was spurting so much precum that the bed would be soaked by the next round. Just to tease the feline, Ben gave one particularly hard suck. That bought him a long, heavy moan and a twitch of those thick, muscular legs. Those same legs began pressing down on either side of his face and being so close to such delectable specimens of the male physique drove some part of Ben wild.

For a brief moment, he went back to that place where he had that huge lion bend him over, pounding is ass wild and making him moan.

"Ben!"

His eyes sprang open to the grinning features of Tony.

"It's over, puppy."

Ben lifted himself away from Tony's crotch, grunting softly. "I know that. Your turn."

He spread his legs wide, exposing his fuzzy balls. Tony eagerly dove in. Like before, he barely felt anything but there was some part of him that wished he could. In the back of his mind, he imagined what it would feel to have his balls suckled like that and he was reeling with the imaginary sensations. A soft wince came from him and there was a slight building of pressure deep inside his cock.

Cursing himself from almost losing it, he focused on winning and waiting for the countdown to reach zero.

"Round complete."

Tony sat up, panting. His cock was so hard it could have been used to break a brick. So much precum had spilled from the tip of that barbed member that his golden fur was matted in placed and a pool was starting for form underneath him. Ben took a moment to note just how... picturesque that cock looked like.

It was the perfect fusion of a human and feline penis. It rose from a furry, golden sheath, thick and veiny. It pulsated, taunting Ben and urging him closer. It had the same helmet as a human but there were some small barbs sitting on the otherwise smooth surface. Ben had no doubt that if that were inside of him, it would make the experience so much better.

And it scared him that he wanted that experience.

He was almost regretting that buff that dulled all his senses ever so slightly.

"Round four: Challenger Anthony, suck Challenger Benjamin's penis for two minutes."

A shaky grin crossed Tony's features. "You up for this, puppy?"

Steeling himself, Ben said, "Bring it on, puss."

Tony leaned down, seizing Ben's cock. It took about half a second before Ben realised he should gasp or react and gave a shaky hiss.

"Ever been blown before?"

"By girls."

"Yeah? Well I know what guys like."

Ben braced himself, half-eager and half-apprehensive of what would come next. Tony's coarse, flat tongue brushed against the underside of his cock and he let out a long moan not from the pleasure but from the dulled sensation that came from it. Even when Tony's muzzle wrapped around his eight-inch cock, he could barely feel the hot breath on his flesh. When Tony sucked on his dick, he was forcing himself to imagine the sensation just so he could react.

It frightened him that he wanted to truly know what it felt to have his dick sucked, to feel all these sensations without the barrier of this buff that should have helped him. The battle would be won but who would truly be the winner?

He groaned when Tony's tongue swirled around the tip of his helmeted cock head. For a moment, the lion dared to push his tongue against Ben's piss slit, bringing at last a fresh wash of pleasure none other than Ben had felt.

And he wanted more.

"Uh..." he gasped, thrusting his hips into Tony's throat. He felt the lion's throat closed around his cock, that hot breath boiling the blood in his throbbing member. Like a hot, moist vacuum, Tony's muzzle kept a loving embrace around Ben's cock, sucking and urging Ben's cum out of his balls. As much as Ben wanted to cum, he wanted to win more and held on dogmatically. He wanted to keep the experience going for as long as possible.

Then, it was over.

The announcer blared the challenge was over and to switch.

Tony pulled away in frustration, his eyes half-glazed in lust but still burning with frustration. "Shit..." he muttered.

"My turn, puss," Ben growled. With a ferocity he never knew he had, Ben pushed Tony against the bed and dove straight for the lion's crotch. He took in that manly musk, taking pleasure in that one sensation that was unaffected by that blasted green card. Brushing his cheek against Tony's cock, he enjoyed the touch of that throbbing member against his flesh and even loved the touch of those tiny barbs against his lips.

Slowly, he drew open his muzzle and closed it around Tony's pulsating cock. He took another breath, getting a lungful of Tony's manly scent, committing it to memory. Having never sucked cock before, he could only guess and kept his sharp fangs as far away from the sensitive flesh as possible. He sucked deep, bringing a rising moan from the lion.

This was it... Tony would give out soon.

He would win...

But... He didn't want it to end. Not yet.

Ben held back, increasing the intervals between each suck, relishing the salty taste of that feline meat in his muzzle. He sensed Tony's desperation to both cum and to win but the former need won out. The lion was thrusting hard into his muzzle, forcing that thick cock deeper and deeper into his throat. Salty precum was pouring down Ben's throat in gallons, forcing him to break his routine of slow sucks every few second just to swallow.

He closed his eyes, letting his body go to autopilot. His paws rose up and squeezed those thick thighs that he both envied and adored. His thumb rolled over the thick, corded muscles, startled at how the lanky English major transformed into such a hunk of a lion. The exploration ran down to the plump calves that he had seen firsthand change from twigs to redwood trunks. His fingers then traced the veins that crisscrossed across Troy's feet before ending at those stubby feline toes.

"Oh fuck..." Tony winced. "Of fuck...!"

"Round complete."

Ben wasn't sure if he should sigh of shout in frustration. He pulled away from Tony, wiping his muzzle of the excess precum that dripped out from the sides of his muzzle. He fought the urge to lick up the residue.

"What...?" Tony whimpered.

"Looks like you're stronger than you though," Ben grunted.

"Round six: Challenger Benjamin, you are to have anal intercourse with Challenger Anthony. Do not tie with him. Continue to have intercourse for one minute."

Both boys went rigid and exchanged glances. A great wince escaped both of them but Ben could sense the eagerness in Tony's body language. The lion gingerly turned onto his stomach, taking great care when moving his cock like even the slightest touch would set off the bomb that was so close to exploding.

Ben found himself at a crossroads.

He wanted to be fucked by that dick hard. He wanted to feel what Tony felt every round. He wanted to cum bad but his body just was not creating. A quick glance down at his cock and he knew he was far from that point. If he remembered his dog's anatomy, when his knot formed, that was when he was close to cumming.

It wasn't even visible.

Swallowing hard, he levelled his hard dick at Tony's hole, completely unsure what to do. He wished Tony had gone first, at least then he would know what to do.

He decided to let his body go on autopilot and shut his eyes.

Ben cradled Tony's thick, muscular thighs in his own and gripped his pulsing cock. Slowly, he guided it into Tony's hole, shuddering at the warm embrace of those fuzzy, bubble buns. He pushed his cock slowly inside, counting the second to when it would be his turn. He prayed Tony wouldn't cum but he was unsure how much longer the lion could hold on.

He shoved his dick in hard, thrusting back and forth, quickly forming a rhythm. Alongside Tony's grunts, he heard his own. They sounded animalistic, feral and fucking hot. A deep growl rose from his throat and he lowered himself, pressing his body against Tony's broad, muscular back. Every thrust he made caused his nipples to rub against the firm ridges all over that broad mountain range. Tony's ass felt so warm that just like his muzzle, it boiled the blood in his cock.

A moment of joy and anticipation hit him when he felt the cum bubbling in his balls as they slapped hard against Tony's ass.

He was close!

He was going to cum!

"Segment complete. Please switch."

"Noooooo!" Ben howled. His voice rang with his lupine voice and even as he pulled his cock away, his ears folded against his head.

"Not yet, puss," Tony panted. "Not... yet... Now you're mine..."

Ben tried to hide his excitement but it was hard to with his wagging tail. Tony had to plant a firm paw to hold it down, the grin on his face only half-menacing with the other half completely consumed in lust. Ben braced himself, unsure of what would come next. Tony loomed over him, their lips so close to one another while their chests brushed against each other. The only thing not touching was Tony's cock and Ben's ass.

He felt Tony's cock hovering at the edge of his virgin ass. Taking a deep breath, Ben took the initiative and pushed himself down onto Tony's cock. The lion gasped and let out a whimper as Ben squeezed down on that cock. A shudder ran throughout the lion's body and while his face read restraint, his cock screamed for release and he pushed deeper into Ben.

For the wolf, he felt a sharp stab of pain followed by the amazing sensation of being filled with a warm, thick member. It was just like experiencing that transformation again. Tony's thick cock pulsating inside him was one big hand massaging his insides, encouraging growth and filling him with manly precum.

Tony began to instinctively thrust even though his face was caught between desperation and lust.

Lust won.

The lion's thrusts became wild and unfettered. Ben finally got that hit of pleasure he was hoping for. His entire body was awash with pleasure as the heat from Tony's cock permeated every fibre of his being. He was shaking not only from the force of Tony's wild thrusts but in joy. He was growling, moaning and pulling Tony close to him.

Their lips brushed against one another and in that moment, they threw aside all reservations and dove for one another's tonsils. Their bodies on autopilot, their minds lost in lust, Tony and Ben undulated, groaned and growled in a feral coupling that shook the entire bed.

Ben finally felt his knot starting to form, pushing his cock even further up Tony's rock had abs. His own pre was leaking between them and he could feel himself driving closer and closer to the edge with every thrust of Tony's thick, barbed cock.

He begged for it.

He wanted it.

He didn't care if he lost.

He just wanted to fucking cum!

He pulled away from Tony's kiss.

"Oh... fuck!"

His cock jerked violently, hot white spooge exploding from the tip and splattering all over his chest, spreading across his perfect pecs and drawing the outline of his abs against his black fur. His mind spun from the orgasm... and then the second blast came and he was practically knocked unconscious.

All he could remember...

... was the announcer's voice...

"Battle finished. The winner is Challenger Benjamin."

*****

When Ben next awoke, it was because thunder boomed outside. The room was pitch black and when he rose, he was startled to find himself on the floor of their dorm room. He felt cold but there was something warm pressed up against him. It took him a moment to notice the manly scent that came from the source of the warmth and the steady heartbeat of someone fast asleep.

"Tony..." he whispered softly. "Tony, wake up."

A snort told him his roommate had awoken.

"Whu... What happened?"

"The Game... I think we beat it..." He stood up and staggered over to the light switch. After a few flicks, he was rewarded by a bolt of lightning and the lights switching back on. He grinned... but only for a second.

"What?" Tony asked, running his hand over his face. "Is there something...?"

There was.

A thick, brown beard covered Tony's face where before he had been perfectly clean shaven, not even a trace of hair on his glowing features. That thick beard rolled down his throat and met up with the light dusting of chest hair that made a treasure trail all the way down to his crotch. Never mind that they were both nude.

The sudden appearance of the fur was what frightened them both.

"That... That wasn't there before..." Tony murmured, looking himself once over. His eyes met Ben who was now human again. "You don't look different, though..."

"I don't feel different..." Ben admitted, wandering over to the Game. He was surprised to find it firmly shut but a note sat on the top of the box. He picked it up and unfolded it. "'Congratulations Challenger Benjamin,'" he read. "'As a reward, you have now obtained the Pheromones ability, allowing you stimulate the sex drive of anyone around you so long as their strength of will is low. The Game continues in 24 hours.'"

He felt warm hands wrap around his waist and Tony's breath on his neck. "Pheromones, huh? Don't suppose you've kicked them off have you?"

He pushed his roommate away. "No. And don't get any ideas."

Tony gave him a knowing smirk. "Oh come on now, don't tell me you don't find this the least bit sexy?" He indicated the thick fuzz on his face. "As I recall, you actually liked being fucked by a big, muscled lion like me."

"That was different. We weren't us." Ben turned towards the Game, lips pursed. "We should destroy it." He wanted to... but at the same time, he was aware that the pleasure he felt from Tony fucking his brains out was not at its fullest. That sensation was still barred by the green tile's effect. He wanted to experience that in its fullest and to do that... he needed to go back into the Game.

So he made an excuse.

"But we haven't beaten the Game yet," he said doggedly. "We have to keep playing until we reach the Finish."

"In the meantime..."

Ben turned around and let out an exasperated sigh. Tony was on his bed, splayed out with his legs spread wide and arms behind his head, cock already erect.

"You just don't give up, do you?" he sighed.

"Hey, I know what I want," Tony answered with a smirk.

Ben snatched up a pair of clean underwear and slipped it on.

"So do I."

He wanted lion Tony.