Infiltration Inflator (Patreon)

It has been a full week's worth of travel for the Slinking Scavengers since they had left the city of Galvan, having left the Jakina  Iceland’s that hold the frigid kingdom some time ago, the bitter chill in the wind that followed them for those many miles. The team finally managed to shed their layers of warmth and return to their normal attire although all were weary from the journey. All weary, except Melanie who was filled with an excitement which she tried to share with Cass and Jamie to encourage “Hey… c'mon. Smile! We just got away with a huge heist. Alluff has the money, and we are only a few minutes away from the hideout we told her to go to AND we got away from the knight and squire without a scratch on us. For such a high stakes heist and prison break combo, I’d call it a job well done.”  

“Maybe next time we need to have a more thorough plan, try and avoid needing another breakout.” Cass grumbled, the travel making her patience with the bombastic thief. 

“Yeah… that place was horrible. So cold. “Jamie mumbled. While he did usually like to remain a voice of optimism for the crew, the stint in prison had drained Jamie. His rhythm magic, which he had used to help the escape, was not making things any better.  

“Yeah, yeah, I get that. I do promise to be a little more thought out in the future. I've always been used to a more… improvisational style. Robbing a house is all about spur of the moment decisions.” Melanie apologised, although to the others it seemed as if she was more so excusing her actions more than an actual apology. 

“That wasn't a house, Mel. That was the manor of some of the richest and most powerful people in the land.” Cass pointed out, not letting Melanie go unchallenged. 

“Well … it's just a big house then!” Mel argued back which only irritated Cass further. However, before the kangaroo could let out more fury, the warm hand of the otter came and gently comforted her. With a slightly calmer mind, Cass sighed. “I think I need time alone when we get to the hideout.” 

Mel looked down and nodded. She felt a little upset that no one else seemed quite as happy as her. She did her best to think before clicking her fingers. “How about, after some much-needed R&R, we go and raid a dungeon? It would get us out of the public eye for a couple days while we get to the bottom of it, and I know you all prefer it to thieving. I got a contact I'll reach out to and see if there's any active ones nearby.”

“Oh…that sounds fun!” Jamie noted as he perked up a little. 

“Sure. Just let us rest Mel.” Cass reinforced. She knew Melanie was often impulsive and was hoping that she could reign it in long enough for the gang to get some rest. 

“I know I know. The hideouts got rooms for us all to relax in for a little alone time.” Melanie assured her before looking forward from the wagon. 

A sigh of relief filled the wagon as the hideout came into view. All three of them were quick to jump out of their ride and head inside. It was a fairly sized building although it was unassuming from the outside as it had long been covered in ivy and moss.  While on the outside it was rough and uncared for, the inside was a warm little retreat from the world outside. A cracking fire sat on one wall, attended to by Kilari. He turned at the others entering, smiling just at the corners of his mouth. “I was wondering how long you'd be. Alluff is resting in her room. Didn't have much patience, I think if we stay another day here, she's gonna lose her mind.” He noted with a soft chuckle.  

“Well, she's gonna have to deal with it. I need time off the seats of that wagon.” Cass grumbled before vanishing into her own room, no patience left for dealing with anyone's nonsense, least of all Alluffs.  

Jamie, still utterly drained himself, let out a large yawn. “Sorry I don't want to seem rude; I did miss you Kilari… but I haven't slept right since prison, and I just need to get warm and get some rest” he apologised sincerely as he too wandered into his own room. 

Kilari let out a soft laugh at Jamie's unending sweetness. “I still can't believe he was the one that got caught. With how much you'd told me about that Squire lady, I would have sworn you'd be the one getting snagged.”

“C'mon you know me. You give me a few thousand gold and tar couldn't trap me,” Melanie joked with a wide smirk. “Speaking of which, I need to see how much I managed to smuggle away in Alluffs magic bags. Where did she put them?” She asked. 

“They are in your room.  Shame about the cold. From what Alluff was saying, even I could have taken a full burden of coin, and we would have still left behind a fortune.”  Kilma noted, warmly laughing to himself before stoking the fire. His scaled hands practically entangled with the flames themselves, so thick that the heat barely penetrated through. 

“Well… I'll split it into the usual divvy. And don't worry. You'll get an equal cut. None of us would dream of cutting you out.” Mel assured him. 

“Don't worry. I trust you. Now, go have your fun. I'm just going to keep this fire going. We are still too far north for my liking.” Kilari mumbled. He was a dragonewt, and the cold weather was especially dangerous to his cold blood.  With that, Melanie disappeared into her own room with an excited giggle.  The thought of counting the coins put such a palpable joy into the thief. With her closing her door, the gang has all settled in for a time of rest. 

Alluff frustratedly lied on her bed, flipping through her spell book trying to entertain herself. Unfortunately, as the tomes weathered spine could attest to, the book had been scoured top to bottom more times than the witch could count. Closing it, she grumbled to herself. “Guhhhh! This place is so boring. Maybe Jamie will let me experiment with spells again…that can keep me going a couple of days. It's always funny seeing him getting all shy when I give him a good fill.” Alluff laughed to herself a little, her mind now occupied with the thoughts of seeing Jamie all rounded. 

In a split second all changed. A leather collar, thick and heavy, wrapped around Alluff’s neck. A glow came from an embedded crystal as a magical seal formed. A voice whispered into Alluff's ear. “You've got a magebinder collar around your neck. Try and speak, and all the air of your breath will be pushed into your gut. Try and cast a spell and your body will swell with mana. I can take you in like this, or in scraps. I get paid the same no matter what.” the voice warned. Alluff didn't believe in an artefact of such power and went to scream for help, but she didn't make a sound. As warned, the breath travelled back down until it filled her gut, bulging her belly out a good few inches.  Alluff’s eyes peered down wider than they had ever been. It made the girl furious to think she had been bested yet there was little she could do. The figure, working from the corner of Alluffs eye, tied down the impotent witch. She was trapped. Without a further word, the figure disappeared, leaving Alluff unable to move and unable to warn the others of their impending doom. 

Melanie sat back in her chair, looking at a job well done. All the gold, around fifty thousand in worth, was stacked into five neat poles of equal size. All of the coins shimmered in the light of the candles. It took more strength than Mel would have liked to admit to not pour her portion of the gold onto her bed and roll around in it. It took even more strength to not do it with the whole hall. Looking at all the glistening lustre made Mel's brain just a little fuzzy. She picked up a coin from her stack and admired it, front and back, taking notice of every little detail. Her mind began to wonder thinking of all the things she might buy with her cut. Her mouth watered slightly at the idea of some really fancy patisserie filled with flavoured creams, or perhaps a new cloak with finer material. 

By the time that Melanie noticed a figure standing in the coin's reflection it was too late. Before she could react, a swift blow came to the back of Melanie's head. The thief fell forwards, dazed. At this moment, the figure wasted no time. She placed something in Melanie's mouth before placing a cloth gag over her snout and binding her hands together. “Fizzing fruit. Every movement you make will only activate it more.” She warned into Melanie's ear before giving her a push. It knocked Mel to the ground, making her accidentally swallow the fruit. She could feel that even this small movement has jostled it enough for some fizz. 

Foam began filling Melanie's belly, making her feel full and puffy. She gently brought her hand down to rub her growing stomach, hoping sorely for it to stop before it got too big. She could feel the bubbling within her, which made her whimper against the fabric. Fear filled her face realising she had been captured. Her sharp mind, even fighting the haze, was quick to figure out it must have been a bounty hunter that had followed them from Galvan. She was determined to save her group from the figure so quickly took her bound hands and used them like a hammer to slam against the figure. 

The cloak figure did stagger back and groaned quietly in pain as if biting her tongue. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to bring her down. The figure turned to face Mel, a glare peeking through the cloak covering her face. A hand came down and grabbed Mel’s melon sized stomach and shook it around rather furiously. “I'll have time to take down the kangaroo and the otter before you pop and give the game away.” She threatened. Melanie whimpered as her stomach immediately began bulging out as the foam within her bubbles inside her. She was getting larger and was doing so real fast. The opossum didn't dare move again; she didn't want to make it any worse. 

Just as the figure went to leave, Jamie walked through the door. “Hey Mel…I wanted to talk about the… what the hell?” he stammered out. The figure turned her head to the intruder. She kept across the room at staggering speed and yanked Jamie into the room. She quickly put him down to the ground. The otter let out a yell as he went down although the figure quickly covered his mouth with her hand. His expression filled with panic. The figure held him still for a second, listening out to the rest of the house. Cass, who was in the room directly next to Melanies, called out through the wall. “You alright Jamie?”

The figure worked fast. She showed Jamie Mel, letting him see her stomach bulging bigger and larger. Her face portrayed how overwhelming she had found it. The figure whispered in his ear. “Say you are fine, or I'll make sure she pops before that door opens.” She threatened. Not wanting any harm to come of Mel, Jamie nervously mumbled out. “Y... yeah, I'm okay. Just stubbed my toe.” he called back, doing his best to keep his tone calm. Silence returned. The second it did, the figure wrapped a second magebinder on Jamie, shutting down his speech and magic. She explained it to him before binding him down the same way he had to Alluff. The figure vanished out of the room quickly after. Jamie, unlike his bunny comrade, reached his hand over and gently rubbed Mel’s swollen stomach to try and comfort her. She looked back to him and gave him a thankful look, as it had soothed the ache of the growing pressure within. She had a small smile on her lips as she realised something. The figure didn’t mention Kilari.

Cass lay next door in her bed, grumbling to herself. Her patience had worn thin with the others however a good part of her irritation had been at herself. Her mind kept running over the events within the Yore Hall.  Every time she thought about it, she swore that she saw Jamie running behind her as she made a break for it. As much as she was usually such a steadfast warrior, she felt such an unrelenting guilt for leaving Jamie behind. Cass found such a thing unusual as her lifelong warrior training taught her to act decisively and without guilt to make sure she did not slow in battle. She didn’t really know how best to channel or express her feelings around it. 

Her ears pricked up as she heard the subtlest of sounds from behind her. Instinct guided Cass, she grabbed her weapons from the floor and drew it towards the sound, ready to fight immediately. The figure was surprised at being challenged however she was ready for it. Her cloak opened and sent three glinting darts towards Cass. the warrior managed to deflect two of them, however the third embedded into her chest. An exhaustion immediately set upon her. The figure didn’t waste a second to capitalise, two more darks coming up, hitting Cass’s dominant hand and one of her thighs. Both immediately went numb causing her weapon to fall to the ground with a large clank.  The figure wasn’t worried about making sound, thinking her job was done however as Cass became unconscious the door was slammed open. 

Kilari’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the figure. “You…” he grumbled under his breath in disbelief. The figure turned to him before letting out a smug chuckle. “Kilari Bonebreaker?  My my I never thought I would see you so deep in the gutter. Last I saw you; you were such an honourable freedom fighter.” She asked him mockingly, making honour sound like a dirty word. “Now look at you. Knee deep in the filth with a bunch of criminals. What happened to the man I was sent to kill before?” 

“My willingness to follow any king's definition of honour ended with my country's soul, Perth.” Kilari noted. “My honour comes from helping the people. From protecting my allies. And you … you have made a mistake in attacking them.” He warned her, voice cold and gravelled. 

The figure drew her blades, twin thin swords which she wielded with effortless ambidextrous skill. “What's the matter Kilari? Sad, I attacked your friends for the second time? They'll live this time, you on the other hand…there was no bounty for you. I am just going to kill you for myself!”

She yelled, before charging at Kilari. Needing to ensure Cass was safe, The Dragonewt backed up through the door, letting Perth follow him into the hallway. Her blades swung like silver fabric caught in vile wind, glinting and slashing through the air. Kilari brought his arms, covering in his body's toughest scales, to defend himself from the swings. 

Most blows glanced off of Kilari with his active defence, however some strikes slipped through nearing softer parts of his hide. The assassin clearly knew his body, he could tell she had been planning this meeting since their first encounter. She fought with surgical precision, and he was only barely managing to protect his body. Needing room to breathe, he swung his heavy weapon, causing Perth to leap back to avoid it.  However her cloak was snagged by the tip of his war pick, trapping it to the wall. The ass. in was quick to slip out of it, revealing her short yet strong falcon body clad in leather armour. “That is the closest you are getting!” She yelled furiously before tossing a handful of her sleep darts at his face. His hands raised to protect his eyes, the darts bouncing off his steel strong scales. Anticipating a follow up attack, Kilari backed up, and narrowly avoided a slash aimed at his stomach. 

However, what he quickly noticed is that Perth, perhaps due to her anger, had overcommitted to her strike. He seized the moment and quickly grabbed a hold of the assassin. His strong hands were able to restrain her. Without a moment's hesitation he lifted her off of her feet and slammed her down through an old, slightly rotten wooden table. Perth was knocked out cold from the blow, allowing Kilari a second to breathe. Her speed was daunting, and her precision dangerous. Even if he walked away unscathed, it was not easy. After a moment of taking in what had happened, he began to worry about the others. He went to Cass and quickly took her pulse. She was breathing, just heavily knocked out. He lifted her body up and gently set her back down into her bed. 

Next, he went to Mel's room and saw that she had swollen up massively. Her gut alone had grown and was larger than the desk which it actively pushed against desperate for room. Harder to see was Jamie, who was smothered in the puffy belly. His own stomach was a little rounded although his generally calm demeanour allowed the otter to stop himself from getting too big. The dragonewt quickly moved over, pulling Jamie free before removing the magebind from his neck. “G..gha…t..thank you.” He stuttered out, a little flustered after being trapped under melanie. Kilari nodded his head before looking over the opossum. Such a thing was a little past his understanding, but he knew his best bet was getting Alluff. He turned to the door and quickly moved down to her room. Alluff looked furious, and her belly was noticeably swollen. Kilari didn't waste a second in removing the magebinder. “Where is she? I’ll pop that sneaky little…” she ranted until her rescuer raised a finger to her lips. 

“I will deal with her. Melanie needs your help.” He instructed. 

“Fine…” Alluff grumbled. As furious as she was, she would never argue with Kilari. After a second to fix her own swollen belly, the bunny witch walked off to go aid Melanie. 

With his group taken care of , Kilari went to Perth.  He grabbed her up and lifted her out to the front of the house, then deep into the surrounding wood. He sat her down and began creating a small fire to keep himself warm.  He stoked it, watching her constantly. When she awoke, she looked to him then to the surroundings. “This…this is a warning to you Perth. I don't want more blood on my hands, even yours. You attack my group again and there will be no cave or crack or castle safe enough for you to slink away to where I will not find you.” He warned her. He reached for her swords and ,with her watching, bent them with his hands.  The steel snapped with Kilari barely flinching. “Now leave. Take my mercy and return to your boss. Tell him that the scavengers are protected.”

Perth got up, rubbing her aching back as she did. Before she vanished into the shadow she imparted one whispered warning. “you are going to wish I won.” 

commission for my good friend Lotta-Otter featuring his characters and world.
he can be found on DA and FA under the same name or on Twitter as @otterly_horny