Callista felt the warm, sweet breeze as they entered the round grotto of the past. Through the little entrance, her eyes focused on the bright light of the enclosure. She watched as Elaine raced into the field, marveling at every inch of grass and twig. 

"It's positively exceptional!" Elaine roared. "Exactly what I'd dreamed."

Callista sighed, looking around for any sign of her friend. She didn't expect her to be this hard to spot. A hand touched her shoulder, and she spun around, only to be met by Mari's smile. "Good to be back?"

"I'm not sure it's fully sunk in yet." 

"Mind if I take a sink?" Paul asked, still slung on her shoulder. Callista nodded, thoughtfully and gently set him down on the soft grass below them. Paul took a deep breath. He knew he was out of the woods, but the pain lingered like a gnat in his sight. "Such pretty flowers." he spat.

Callista looked at the thicket of budding flowers under Paul. Beauty was something they didn't have time to relish in their first visit to the island. Now she could sit next to her friends, and smell the roses. Paul winced, with a strange look in his eye. "What in the..."

He rolled over, showing a stain the flowers left on his grimy pants. It had rubbed into his wound, leaving a shock of yellow around the red. "Are you alright?" Callista gasped.

"I'm fine." Paul blinked. "In fact, I think it's helping." He stood up then. Callista stood with him, staring down at his confused expression. "It's like I never got shot at all."

"Madness!" Callista shouted. "All this time we've spent worrying about this nectar, and there are scads of helpful curatives all around us."

"Almost like a metaphor." Mari concluded sagely.

"Rebecca must have figured that out by now. I wonder where she's got off to?" Callista pondered.

"Not like she'd be hard to spot." Mari contributed. They looked around, trying their best to spot a giant woman in the open field. They were drawn suddenly to Captain Ulster's whistle.

"We got something here!" He shouted from a pile of rock on the near edge of the enclosure. They all walked to him, Callista's heart sinking with every step. She knew before she even made it to the site that she was approaching Rebecca's tomb. Under a heavy pile of boulders, an impossibly large hand jutted out. Pale and thin, it had been lifeless for some time. Callista felt hot tears on her cheeks. Mari took her in her arms, letting her sob into her wide shoulder. Paul patted her on the back, as Ulster took his hat off out of respect.

"My word, she must have been over 20 feet tall, by the size of that hand." Elaine gasped.

Callista ignored the lack of sadness in Elaine's voice as she replied. "She was a giant before she ever came here."

"She saved our lives." Mari added.

"And no one was here to bury her." Callista sobbed.

"They are now." Mari separated herself from Callista, and gave her a determined look. Callista had no choice but to return it. They walked over to the rockpile, and set to work arranging it as respectfully as possible. The gentlemen tried to help, but found the women more than capable of doing their work alone. Through her grief, Callista couldn't help but marvel at her newfound strength. She moved boulders that were certainly at least 200 pounds with relative ease. Staring down at the grave of her savior, she knew the dangers this place held in store.

Their work done, Callista turned around. Paul and Ulster nodded to her with great empathy. Elaine was nowhere in sight. Callista sighed, as she marched past them, looking for her diminutive benefactor. It didn't take long to spot her on the other edge of the rounded wall. The edge that still carried the cuts from Queeg's machete. The edge where the sap flowed most freely.

Callista approached her, looking down at the woman's dazed eyes. Elaine was staring into the wall as one gazes at stars. "I wanted to give you your time. Thought it indecent to start now." she mumbled.

"Thank you." Callista snapped. She would never become used to the strange manners of Elaine Redmond. She had lived a completely different life from her own, given everything and still desperate for the only thing she could never be given. And here it was, an inch from her face. Callista felt strangely proud of her employer for the restraint she showed in this time. "Go ahead."

Elaine's face spun on Callista in half a heartbeat. "You wouldn't think it untoward?"

"It's what you came here for." Callista sighed.

Elaine stepped forward. She wasn't entirely sure how to start. She took a finger and moved it toward the dripping sap, then pulled it away, thinking better She'd had a sip. Why not go for a guzzle. She cupped both hands and placed them against the wall, watching the sap slowly collect in her little paws. When it looked like it was about to overflow, she brought her hands to her lips and drank. By then, the others had joined her. Ulster stepped close, inspecting the sap very closely as Mari and Paul watched Elaine take her first real sip of the nectar.

Elaine licked her hands clean, taking every sticky, amber drop she could from her palms and fingers. She took a deep breath, and turned to her compatriots. "Well, on behalf of the Redmond Family, and its subsidiaries, I'd like to thank all of you for your unparalleled efforts in-"

She stopped. Everyone could hear the noise her stomach made then. She grabbed her chest, feeling every inch of her body come alight as if fireflies began to dance under her skin. "I've never felt such... euphoria." Her gaze began to falter. She felt her knees buckle, but refused to go down. She was raised better than to faint at a moment like this. As she stood up straight, her perspective seemed to keep going up. From her perspective, it felt as if every time she straightened up, her legs had more room to straighten. That's when she realized it.

The others watched as Little Elaine rose higher and higher, her head wobbling slowly upward as her body began to burst out of her tiny safari clothes. She stumbled toward them. Mari caught her, staring into her blissful eyes as they came closer and closer to her own. "I wish this would go on forever."

"Believe me, you don't." Mari laughed as Elaine's head rose just enough to her own.

"By George, I think it stopped." Elaine panted. Her clothes were in ruined shreds all around her. Bits remained to cover her unmentionables, Ulster noticed, tucking his flask back into his pocket. "I'd say this nectar works just as advertised. Well deserved trip, everyone. You have my thanks. Stand up straight dear, I need a metric."

Mari rolled her eyes, straightening her back in response to the return of Elaine's clipped manner of speaking. "I'd say you still have 2 inches on me. And your last measurement of six-foot-six would put me squarely at six-foot-four." 

Then it hit Elaine. She clutched her exposed chest, fanning herself as Callista laughed. "I'm nearly enormous."

"Congratulations." Callista laughed.

"Here, here." Paul chimed. 

"Daddy's only 6'2". My, what will he say? He won't find the words, I'm positive." Elaine stretched out, feeling the new strength in her body. "What say we toast to our success?"

Elaine dipped a finger back into the sap, and raised it high. "Sorry boys, it's a gal thing."

"I'm not sure I want to go much bigger than this." Mari admitted.

"Come now, there's always room for improvement." Elaine chided.

Callista thought of her old friend as she stepped forward, dipping a finger into the nectar. Mari gasped, astonished. "To absent friends." Callista said, raising her own finger.

Mari stomped forward. She thought of the women waiting for her back home. She resented being the largest among them again. She thought it would seem like taking back the gift she gave them, in a way. Nonetheless, her finger found its way into the sap before she added it to the circle.

"Bottoms up." Elaine laughed. The others stuck their fingers in their mouths and sucked on the sweet nectar at the tip. At the last second, Elaine's finger swooped around her and found the sap again, taking another helping along her hand as she drank deep in toast. Mari laughed, trying to hide her nervousness as she felt her head raise higher.

Her clothes began to meet their limit as her flesh pressed against them. She looked down at her breasts, pushing further out as her lengthening legs disappeared behind them. She turned to Callista, who was growing nowhere near as quickly as herself. But then it stopped. She had only a bit to wonder before a voice behind her called, "6'11". Just shy of seven feet." 

Mari sighed. She was happy to stay below that line. This would stay her height, as far as she was concerned. She looked over to Callista, whose growth was strangely more muted. "6'10". Strange. Your body seems to react differently."

"I must have built up a tolerance." Callista wagered. She finally stared back at the voice, and found her staring directly at Elaine's sharp chin. 

"Which means I'm sitting pretty at just about 7'4". Another full foot. It's almost like I know what I'm doing." She stretched out, now fully nude, and gazed down at everyone. A brand new feeling for Elaine Redmond, and one she sorely wanted to experience. Now she had it all. Tallest woman on record, even amongst the nectar users. And with that behemoth out of the way, she was almost definitely the tallest woman alive.

"So what now?" Mari asked, feeling strangely self conscious. Before there was a drive to their mission, an ambition. Now all their goals had been met. There was nothing more to do. "We start packing this stuff up? Good job everyone, we're rich?"

"You'll almost certainly be paid handsomely." Elaine cooed, rubbing a finger under Mari's chin. Mari felt a mix of revulsion and arousal, with neither winning out at the moment.

"We should stay a bit." Callista piped up. "The flora here obviously has miraculous properties outside of... selfish personal betterment. We should study it for awhile, in the comfort of this hidden valley. There's enough for us to live on for quite some time."

She looked around at the group as she spoke. Almost none of them showed her level of enthusiasm at this prospect.

"I'm eager to get back to Santa Brigita. I have a life there." Mari apologized.

"I'm ready to get back to society as well, albeit a much larger pool of a higher class of people. If you'll pardon me, Miss Yanagita." Elaine added.

"Ship can't sit for too long, else we'll be stuck here." Ulster grunted.

Callista watched as her dreams of biological exploration began to winnow in front of her. Paul caressed her back, wrapping her in the best hug he could at her new size. Elaine watched, trying to hide her jealousy with her new altitude. "The sun is already going down. We'd be fools to march through that hell at night. Let's at least camp here. Callie, take all the time you want to make your notes and take samples. In the morning, we'll figure out what to do."

"A capital idea, and one ripe for the taking." Elaine shouted. "As leader, I approve. Everyone make camp. Let's spend the night in Eden."

-------

Callista plucked another flower delicately from its root, pressing it gently into her book as she scribbled notes around it. The sun had set long ago, but she was determined to fill as much information into her journal as she could. She'd pulled out a brand new book just to document the discoveries within the valley, and even then she was worried it wasn't enough space.

Paul came up to her, standing over her crouched form. He remembered then, almost unintentionally, their first meeting. She had been so brusque, so formal. Getting to know her on this trip had been a highlight in his life he never expected. She felt his presence and stood up. He stared up into her eyes some 7 inches away. Their heights had nearly reversed. He wouldn't stare down at her much going forward. Even then, he knew he wanted to build a life with her. When all was over, and they'd made it back to the mainland, he'd give up his sailing days and settle down, if she'd have him.

"I've been doing some thinking." Paul tried.

"I've been thinking a lot more than some." Callista replied, taking another note in her book. She stared down at him, noticing the silence. 

"What do you think you'll do once we get back?"

"Publish, I suppose. No point in leaving this place a secret anymore, given its benefits to humanity."

"And that's all you have planned?" Paul asked.

"Was there something else?" Callista muttered to her book.

"I have a lot in store, if you'll have me."

Callista put her book down, finally. She stared down into Paul's desperate eyes. She'd never seen that look on him before, like a puppy looking for a home. She felt protective of him then, as if he was her's. And he was. She knew it as soon as she kissed him. Their kiss continued as she stroked his hair, bringing him closer to her enhanced form. He pressed himself into her soft breasts as she bent to kiss him deeper.

They collapsed into the flowers as a bloom of yellow dust puffed out with their impact. Paul didn't have much to remove as he fondled her nakedness She ran her long fingers along his leg, finding his cock and stroking it. Paul let out a gasp as he continued to kiss her. She grinded her hips into him, feeling his member harden against her. He kissed her neck, rubbing her ears with his fingers as he heard her moan above him. She gasped as his hands traveled down to her sex. He felt her wetness as he gently massaged her clitoris. Her moans grew to gasps as she quietly begged him to enter her.

As they moved together, Callista stared up at the stars in the open sky. Her vision began to blur, making them a cascade of white against the dark as she felt ecstasy grow inside her. It built in her throat until she finally let out a quiet but powerful moan. Paul came with her, feeling his sweat drip onto her perfect body as they collapsed together in bliss.

Mari listened at her own camp, some distance away. She smiled. It had been fun to reconnect with her old mate, but she knew their romance had been fleeting. She had her crew at home, waiting for her return. She thought of Fran, still probably getting used to her new body. She wondered if Mari's new size would help her feel right at home. She also wondered what it would be like to fuck a woman over seven feet tall at her new height.

As if reading her mind, Elaine appeared through a thicket. Mari stood up, strangely self-conscious. She watched as the once frail woman sauntered up to her, with new curves bouncing all the way. As she grew closer, something felt off. As she stared up at Elaine, Mari now realized her eyes were at the same level as her shoulders. "Been having a midnight snack?"

"I couldn't resist." Elaine giggled. "But then I got lonely. Here."

Elaine lifted her hand, showing it covered in the nectar. "I'm full from dinner, personally."

"Come now. There's always room for more. See, I got it in my head that being the only 8 foot tall woman would be quite the feat. I worked very hard to take just enough to meet that. And then, well... I decided why not 8 foot one?"

Elaine stretched out again, bringing her new breasts into Mari's face. Her hand raised up, offering the nectar once more. "Just a taste?" Elaine offered.

Mari's instincts told her this was a bad idea, but the smoldering expression of a woman much taller than her made her weak. Mari wrapped her mouth around Elaine's finger, sucking it delicately, staring into her eyes. Her eyes grew closer as she did. Elaine moaned with pleasure, feeling Mari's tongue around her delicate hand. Even at 8'1" she still found herself feeling delicate.

"Hmm. 7'2". Not bad." Elaine smirked.

"Not bad?" Mari scowled.

"Not enough." Elaine corrected. "Come."

She took Mari's hand and led her toward the center of the valley. "Attention!" she shouted into the night.

Paul and Callista were roused from their stupor by this announcement. They stood, wearily, and walked over to the assemblage of Mari, Elaine, and the bleary-eyed Ulster.

"I've made a fascinating decision just now." Elaine announced.

"Elaine, you're massive." Callista said, gazing stupefied at the 8 foot woman in front of her.

"Well, if you'll let me get to my point." Elaine scolded. "I've decided, what with all our increased circumstances, it's high time we had an orgy."

Silence was their answer. The birds chirped in the night sky. Crickets murmured, completely unaware of their irony.

"Elaine, I'm not so sure..." Callista started.

"Enough of this shyness. If you're worried you won't keep up, I've got some incentive." she raised her still nectar-covered hand.

"No." Callista said, quietly.

"Paul, we'll be delicate with you. I know you're still on the mend. And you're quite small now. Ulster, you can join if you like. Just look at you both. You barely come up to this gal's perky areolae."

"I said no." Callista stated firmly. Elaine spun around to her. 

"Callie, this is what you signed up for, isn't it? Adventure? Exploration?" She marched up to her, slowly. She tried her most seductive walk as she made the distance between them.  "Why not give in?"

Callista felt a powerful hand on her shoulder right before she saw Elaine's other hand shoot toward her mouth. She tasted the sweet nectar on her fingers touching her tongue. She thrust herself away. "How dare you!"

With a rumble, the furious Callista rose to an even seven feet. Still not enough to be imposing to the hurt and confused Elaine. "You can't force people to do things you want."

"Of course I can. I have money. " Elaine laughed. 

"You pathetic child." Callista spat. "You got exactly what you want, and all it's done is turn you into the world's biggest baby."

Elaine's face grew red. "I see I've chosen the wrong crew after all. Perhaps I'll have to come back here with a better class of people who'll make good use of this garden of earthly delights."

Then it hit Callista like an avalanche. She'd brought the world into extreme danger. She thought of the dead Danielle Summerton. She'd killed to get her hands on the nectar. If this place became a playground for the rich and powerful, there would be only an increase in suffering and subjugation the world over. She stared down at her little book full of so much good. It was useless now. She handed it to Paul, and stepped forward.

"You will never return here. No one will." Callista stated. Mari saw the courage in her then, and stood beside her. For Rebecca. For the world.

Elaine laughed again. "This is all very cute, but this was never to be a negotiation. I am your employer. Even if I was still that little wisp of a thing, what I say is law."

Callista and Mari didn't budge.

"Oh? Going to stop me. Two timid women with no resources or funds. Say you can overpower me, which..." Callista licked her whole hand now, wiping it clean of nectar. She rose again to 8'6". "Good luck, I'll only come back better and more powerful. You can't kill me. Your lives will be over. I have lawyers as vast as an armada and an insurance policy that could buy the Louvre wholesale."

Mari charged her then. She hadn't the tools to combat with words, but she knew how to fight with her fists. She collided into Elaine, and reeled as it felt like she'd run into a steel door. Paul and Callista joined her, trying to pin Elaine to the ground, but she swung them all off. Elaine laughed, out of breath. This was going to take more work than she anticipated, but she knew she'd come out on top. She always did.

Mari and Paul continued to fight her, knowing only that their best plan was to subdue their giant villain else she did more harm. Callista rose some feet away. She'd been bucked off like an untrained cowboy. She stood, weakly, steadying herself against the wall. Her hand touched something sticky. She looked. The nectar oozed next to her, as if answering the question she was too afraid to ask. She thought of Paul, the life they could have had. She thought of all the good she could have done with her valley journal. Then she thought of Elaine's hand in her mouth.

Mari panted, staring up at her opponent. Paul was barely standing, completely winded and already beginning to bruise. "So I have to go alone? Ulster, you'll be paid double if you get me out of here now. Start the ship."

Ulster stood where he was. He wasn't an evil man, but he valued his own life more than he was willing to admit. He felt the need to see a clear victor in this scuffle before he took a side. His breath stole away as he watched a new challenger approach from behind.

"Do you hear me, Ulster?" Elaine choked. She felt the presence of Callista before she saw her. She laughed and spun around, staring just slightly up at her. "Finally found the nerve, eh? All too late, I'm afraid. 8'11" isn't all that much in the grand scheme. I'll get ahead in no time-"

Elaine was stopped by a powerful kiss. Callista swept her off her feet, pressing her lips against her with the most passion she could muster. Paul watched, unable to feel jealousy as he saw two completely naked women with breasts higher than his head locked in an embrace.

To Elaine, it felt like it went on forever. She felt loved, and respected, and cared for. She'd never felt someone pour so much into a kiss. An apology, a demand, a last ditch effort. Then they finally parted. Elaine was still reeling from it as she tried to gather her breath.

"Don't... don't try flattery on me. We're well past that." she puffed.

"I know." Callista replied. Elaine's vision corrected itself as she stared at the crowd behind her. Their jaws were nearly on the floor. She turned to look directly at Callista's chest, before staring up.

"How much exactly did you drink?" she stammered, gathering that the woman had just crossed 11 feet and showed no sign of stopping.

"Enough. A concept you seem unable to grasp." Callista boomed back.

They all watched as she continued to rise, higher that the trees, almost as high as the walls themselves. Callista took a deep breath, watching the world shrink around her. It was an invigorating feeling, but she could already feel herself growing lonely. She tried to focus her giant eyes on Paul, as his look became more horrified. She felt her weight. it was like the earth became a small room, rather than a grand mansion. She knew then the sadness Rebecca must have felt in that moment. The fact that she only showed grace and strength made her want to do the same. As she felt herself coming to a halt somewhere slightly above 30 feet, she dropped to one knee.

She stared down at the frightened Elaine like a disobedient child. Leave now. Never return. Or I will crush you where you stand, and make sure your remains are never found, let alone laid to rest.

Elaine collapsed onto her own knees then. She began to sob. Deep, heavy breaths shot out of her throat. Paul watched, amazed, as this giant, beautiful, unclad woman had a fit like a toddler in front of him. "I have to have this. I have nothing else."

"You have so much." Callista boomed.

"When you're raised as I am, your only hope is to become a god." Elaine countered.

Callista smiled, knowingly. "We're not gods."

She scooped all of them into her hands. Mari felt herself clinging to her gargantuan friend as the wind blew through her hair. She watched Callista carry them over the wall with ease, sliding down the wide embankment back to the other side of the waterfall. She was a new species of person. Not human anymore, something else. Something greater, but with so much responsibilty.

"Where are you taking me?" Elaine sobbed.

"Back to the ship. You're all going home." Callista replied.

Paul felt a stab at the word you're. He knew immediately their life together was over, but to hear that separating word aloud was enough to break him.

They made it through the trees with ease, looking down at the curious animals who scattered at Callista's steps. Mari saw the cats again, rushing away. They were far from ferocious at this height. She looked out again, and saw the ships on the shore. The Ambrosius looked worse for wear, in the days since their expedition. Ulster noticed it, too. "Animals got to her," he spat.

"Miss Summerton has no more use for her vessel." Callista offered. Ulster's face perked up at that. A better ship for all his trouble. Seemed like a fair trade. He almost took a celebratory drink from his flask, but thought better.

At last, Callista's massive footprints made indents in the sand as she dropped her cargo delicately in front of their new ship. "I can't let you stay here much longer. I have a lot of work I want to do."

"So this is it?" Mari asked, practically shouting up at her enhanced friend.

"I'd offer to hug you, but..." Callista laughed. Her voice rumbled as she did. Mari couldn't help but laugh at that. Both times she'd made it to this island, she'd come back the better for it, but losing a friend the same way made her feel a special kind of melancholy.

"You get no points for originality." Mari said, punching Callista in the shin. It was like punching a very thick tree.

Ulster was already revving up the engine of Danielle's ship. Mari jumped on board. She wasn't one for long goodbyes. Paul, on the other hand, would have talked to her for hours if he could. He watched as Callie dropped to her knees again, staring at the pouting Elaine. 

"I am truly sorry, Miss Redmond." Callie stated.

"Of course you realize I won't be paying you now." Elaine spat back. She glared at Callista's massive face. It terrified her. She thought for a moment, she would bring her fist down and pound her into the earth.

"I understand." Callista smiled. "I hope only, with the time you have now, that you'll realize that what you're after can't be bought or taken."

Elaine hid her face. She felt the words of a rumbling giant reverberate into her soul. She stood, staring down at her lithe, eight and a half foot body. She would be the talk of high society, and all at once that meant nothing to her. As she boarded the ship, she thought of all the little detours she could take in this bright new vessel. Perhaps she'd put some more miles on her spirit before she returned. What use was her new beauty if she was only a bore who talked about herself.

"Good bye, Miss Wethers." she said in the doorway of the ship's cabin. She turned and ducked under the frame inside. Callista watched for a moment, before Elaine returned, ducking her head under the doorway again. "Thank you."

And then she was gone. Only Callista and Paul sat on the beach. Paul had sat some time ago, staring at the rising sun. He wondered how hard it would be to stay here. He had quite the tour guide. Plus, if he asked nice, she might double as a bodyguard.

As if reading his mind, Callista scooped him up into the palm of her hand. "I don't much feel like kissing you now." she said.

"I'm a bit frightened of that, myself." Paul replied.

"For lack of anything better to say, I would have enjoyed whatever you had in store for us." Callista said.

Paul smiled. He raised one of her fingers up, and hugged it as if it was her whole body. He gave a peck on her finger tip and she giggled.

"Make a giant giggle. I'll add that to my resume."

She placed him gently down on the ship as smoke sputtered from the steam pipe. The boat sprang to life, trying its best to maneuver out of the sandbed. Callista gave them a little push, spinning them in the right direction. Ulster gave her a salute as the ship chugged away into the vast blue sea.

Paul and Mari watched the island disappear slowly from their gaze. The huge silhouette of its new guardian took the longest time to disappear from their vision. Paul tried his best to keep that image in his head it grew smaller and smaller.

"This place will always need a protector, I guess." Mari said. "We won't be the last ones to try this."

"Well, it's in good hands." Paul replied. "Gentle hands are always the best."

Mari nodded, pulling Paul into her massive embrace. From the cabin window above them, Elaine watched silently. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sat cross legged on the fine carpeting. She wasn't the woman she was when she had set out. There was no way of going back to that life. Clinging to the same insecurities had led her to ruin and near death. It was time to be someone else. She took a deep breath, and chose to start over.

Ulster steered the ship into the rising sun, setting a course for Santa Brigita. He pulled out his flask, and unscrewed the top, staring down at the bright amber liquid inside. He patted his pocket, assuredly, steering all steam ahead.