�Hey you little runt, get over here and clean this mess up.� Melvin barked.
Cerb got a broom out of the closet and started to clean up the debris. He would have loved to have broken the broomstick over Melvin�s head, but he would have had the shit beat out of him for that. Melvin was a dog fur, just like him, but he was a rottweiler and Cerb was only a mutt.
Besides it was his job to clean things: labs, floors, bathrooms. He wasn�t wealthy like the other students at Sorcerer school. Working part-time was a necessity to pay for the little things. His wealthy classmates liked rubbing that little fact in his face every chance they got.
However, unlike his wealthy classmates, Cerb had the gift. After graduating high school, he was awarded one of the school�s rare scholarships. The magic arts came naturally to him. Tasks that his peers would struggle over, he completed easily. Unfortunately this only served to enrage his fellow classmates who often had little or no natural talent.
�Good job you little shit.� Melvin barked as Cerb finished cleaning up the mess. As he walked toward the door, Melvin shoved him into a nearby table. Glass from the beakers went all over the floor.
�Aw, did little Cerb make a mess. Then clean it up you little shit!� Melvin roared as he left.
While climbing up off the floor, sharp bolts of pain ran down his leg. Small pieces of the beaker�s glass got embedded in his leg. So after cleaning up the mess, Cerb walked to the nurse�s office.
�Oh Cerb, what did those mean boys do to you this time?� The school nurse asked sympathetically.
�Nothing, nothing at all ma�am. I just had a little accident in the laboratory, that�s all.�
It would have been nice to be able to tell her the truth about the abuse Melvin and his friends inflict on him. The bruises, cuts, and taunting were almost weekly occurrences. But if he went to the school with his complaints, even if they believed him, the other boy�s powerful families would protect them. He would probably be the one that gets kicked out. So Cerb just kept his mouth shut.
The next day he woke up in his bed sore. Apparently the injuries sustained in the lab fell into the �going to feel this feel this in the morning� category. However it did not matter, at least not today. Today was a special day, the day the final projects were due in alchemy class.
Cerb had spent weeks on a potion that would increase the effectiveness of any other potion by up to twenty fold. The idea came to him one day while he was experimenting in the lab. Every free second since has been spent working on it. If the potion worked it could make him rich and famous.
Grabbing the old leather briefcase he used for a book bag, Cerb loaded up his notes. Rushing out the door, he stormed down the hall. He wanted to be early to set up his work and get the potion ready. Upon reaching the lab, he was overjoyed to find it still empty. However in all the excitement, he failed to notice Melvin and three of his buddies enter the room also.
�What�s your big hurry Cerb? Late for class or something?� Melvin growled.
The mere sound of that fur�s cruel voice sent shivers down Cerb�s spine. It was a normal response that had developed from months of abuse.
�Please Melvin, just leave me alone. I�ll do anything you want. I�ll do your homework, help you with your potions, anything. Just leave me alone today. Pleassse.� Cerb begged.
Regrettably his pleas only managed to infuriate Melvin. The large fur�s ears shot straight back and the nails popped out of his claws. He struck a nearby set of beakers, shattering it into pieces, and approached the now whimpering Cerb.
�You little shit! What makes you think that I need anything from you?� Melvin growled angrily.
He snatched the leather briefcase out of Cerb�s hands and tore it open. Using his razor sharp claws, Melvin turned its contents into a pile of confetti.
Cerb�s heart sank as he watched weeks of hard work destroyed. But his concerns about the potion were soon replaced by fear. Once Melvin finished with the notes, the fur started to approach him again. Melvin�s claws were still out and he was foaming at the mouth. Cerb wanted to run but couldn�t get his legs to work. Melvin looked like he was about to�
�What�s going on in here?� A familiar voice shouted.
Cerb looked up and saw John, his alchemy professor, standing at the door. Melvin and his buddies shot out the back door. They obviously didn�t want to stick around to explain their actions. But the damage was already done.
Holding the remains of the notes in his hands, Cerb explained what had happened to the professor. John had often encouraged and assisted him in his studies. John was also the one who gave him that old briefcase, a gift he cherished. In many ways the kind professor was his only real friend on campus.
Sympathetic to what just happened, the professor granted Cerb extra time, and use of the lab after hours, to work on his potion. John told him that he was going get an �A� anyway, but this potion was more than a grade to him. It was his chance to prove himself to the rest of the school.
Thus over the next week Cerb spent every night in the lab trying to redo his potion. Experiment after experiment failed until he finally got to the ingredients correct. Unfortunately, although he was certain the ingredients were correct, he just couldn�t seem to get the mixture right.
Then one night Cerb was working on the potion. He was close, real close. The ingredients were correct, the measurements seemed right, but something was missing. Fatigue had started to set in but he still didn�t want to give up.
Suddenly, while reaching over to grab a beaker, some potion spilled on his arm. The hot liquid burned as it splashed on his fur. By the time he managed to wipe his arm off with a towel most of it had already been absorbed into his skin. Then the room started to spin, he felt dizzy�
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Cerb slowly opened his eyes and the school nurse was looking down at him. He must have passed out.
�Good morning. How is my favorite patient doing?� She asked softy.
�What, what happened?� Cerb asked.
�John found you passed out in the lab next to some potion and brought you to my office. It looks like you bumped your head pretty bad. I want you to get some rest. Now I�ve already talked to the dean about this and he has given you a leave of absence for the next few days from all of your classes.�
�Thank you.� Cerb replied while feeling the painful lump on his forehead.
Cerb got up and went out into the hall. However instead of going to his room, he headed for the cafeteria. Hunger pains were beginning to set in since it had been several days since he had a good meal.
Spending the next hour at the cafeteria, Cerb ate continuously. After his fifth trip through the line, it occurred to him that he�d never eaten this much before. However the overwhelming hunger that engulfed him earlier just now seemed to be subsiding. No more skipping dinner to go to the lab that was for sure.
After finishing the huge meal a surge of pure energy ran through his body. He sure didn�t feel like resting at the moment. A walk, yeah a walk was what he was in the mood for. Cerb ran down the stairs out into the woods.
The large forest, which took up a good five square miles behind the campus, was somewhere he never bothered to venture before. It was owned by the school but rarely used by anyone. Cerb was always too busy studying or working to explore it. Perhaps this would be a good time to check it out.
Immersed in nature�s beauty, Cerb found a tree to rest against and sat down. The pleasant sound of birds singing and small animals rustling about soothed him. Maybe he could get some sle�
�There he is! I told you I saw him go into the woods. Let�s get him!� A voice shouted.
Out of nowhere, Melvin and two of his buddies came rushing toward him. Cerb got up and started to run. The three furs rushed after him growling, they seemed really pissed off over something.
�You little shit, you can�t run forever.� Melvin growled. �We�re going to teach you to tell that alchemy teacher about us!�
Luckily a never-ending supply of energy fueled Cerb as he ran through the brush. They couldn�t chase him forever. Their growls were starting to fade in the distance. A little farther and they�ll be gon�
�Damn it�� Cerb yelled and stopped dead in his tracks.
He had entered a large clearing and just ahead was a mountain of solid rock that blocked his escape route. Surveying the left and right, his only possible escape routes now, Cerb realized he had to make a quick choice. Ok right it is...
�Here he is!� A voice shouted from behind. �Nowhere left to run now you little shit.�
Turning around, Cerb found the three large dog furs just a few yards in front of him. Apparently his lead wasn�t that great after all. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.
�Alright you little shit, any last word��
Abruptly Melvin�s voice went silent and was replaced by a soft whining. Subsequently the whining seemed to grow more and more distant.
Cerb opened his eyes and saw nothing at first but clouds. He looked down and between his paws were three small figures. The figures were Melvin and his friends.
That�s when Cerb realized that he had grown into a giant. It must have been the potion.
He looked down at the cowering furs, they were nothing but insects to him now. These bastards had tormented him for so long and finally the tables were turn�
Suddenly, one of the furs tried to escape. Instinctively, Cerb swung his left paw over him and stomped down hard. He felt a brief crunch, then a warm moist feeling under his paw.
He was completely shocked at how easy that was, just like stepping on a bug. So very easy... An evil grin overtook his face as Cerb turned his attention Melvin. It was time to make him pay, make him suffer.
He lifted his other paw up and swung it over Melvin. The fur began to scream in horror as his body slowly disappeared under the enormous foot. Intent to enjoy every moment of the experience, Cerb gradually pressed down on him. Melvin�s screams of terror turned into cries of agony.
Cerb smiled as his former tormentor struggling frantically under his paw. The painful cries from below began to get louder and more labored. Then a series of satisfying cracks signaled bones breaking under the unbearable weight.
As memories of torment surged through his mind, Cerb pushed down hard. There was another rewarding crunch and then nothing but a dead silence. Releasing the rest of his built up fury, he viciously twisted and ground the lifeless remains into mush with his toes.
After taking a moment to relish the gratifying sensation under his pads, Cerb gazed down at the last fur. The fur, a rottweiler like the other two, was crying and begging for mercy. He knew this one all to well, they called him Jake. Jake would often torment him while he cleaned the labs and was almost as bad Melvin. But his tormenting days were over now.
Cerb lifted his paw up in the air and over Jake. Just one more bug to crush.
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�Damn it!� Cerb roared as beakers fell off the table and shattered to pieces on the floor.
He had been trying for days now to recreate the growth potion, but failed every time. His notes were intact but he just couldn�t seem to get the right reaction.
After experimenting with his own new powers, Cerb found he could grow up to about 100 feet tall and return to normal size at will. Now that would be a potion that would make him real famous. That is of course if he could duplicate it. But something was not working this time.
�Get in here, now!� Cerb yelled out into the hallway.
A large dog fur cowered into the room with his tail between his legs. �You called me?�
�Clean this mess up Jake. And did you finish cleaning the bathrooms yet?� Cerb growled.
�Yes sir.� The broken-spirited fur responded.
�Good. You know what Jake, I�m happy I didn�t squish you. Now I don�t have to do all of the shit work around here anymore.� Cerb said and stormed out of the lab.
�What�s wrong Cerb?� A gentle voice asked.
Cerb turned around and saw John walking up behind him. He must have heard the commotion from the lab all the way down the hall.
�It�s this potion that�eh� helped�I mean� Well I discovered it the other day. Now I can�t seem to reproduce it.� Cerb stuttered.
�Well you see Cerb sometimes you don�t discover a potion, it discovers you. Usually when that happens, it�s just when you need it the most. And you can spend the rest of your life searching, but you may never discover it again.� John explained and patted him on the head.
�But this potion, it�s important. It could��
�There will be other potions.� John interrupted, �Just let this one go, alright.�
Cerb nodded. Somehow John always knew just the right thing to say to make him feel better.
�Now come on, I�ll buy you lunch. Rumor has it you�ve developed a real appetite.� John said ginning.
They both walked down the hallway laughing. Cerb suspected John knew more than he was telling, but that�s ok. Maybe he wasn�t meant to recreate the potion. But that really didn�t matter because he will always have the power. And NO ONE will ever torment him again.
Acknowledgements:
- Cerberus is copyrighted to his player and used with his permission.