Gemhunt 2: Eye of the Storm (Patreon)

It had been barely a month since the incident at Wedderluz Manor and Silvia had already gotten the scent of the next Hōseki diamond . There were old tales she remembered hearing about years ago about a storm that never stopped, at the centre of which was apparently a one of a kind gemstone. Those who claimed to have seen it said that it had a perfect , unmatched clarity, as if it was perfectly invisible other than the cut lines . Most people dismissed it as a crazy legend surrounding the very real storm that raged over a marshland in the southeast. It was infamous for having raged on for decades. Most steered clear of the marsh entirely. If the weather didn't get you, the glue like mud would

Watching from the marshes border at the storm older than her put an uneasy feeling in Silvia. She was definitely more skilled with burglary than she was this more open form of exploration. She was certainly no great explorer. Yet, with her curse looming over her, the great danger seemed much more inviting to her than it would most. It would be one more step towards her freedom where she would no longer have to fear being turned into an overgrown fruit out of the blue. 

“I'm certain it's in there… but it's going to be risky getting it.” Silvia mumbled to herself, gently rubbing her chin.  Despite having no one around her visibly, she did have an audience for her thoughts. Kin, the twin deity of forgiveness and judgment. 

“Do not assume that because you are our champion that we care for your safety.” Suné pointed out , his voice within her right ear.  

“Come now brother, we shouldn't treat her so cruelly. She is here after all. We must motivate our champion.” Sugi pointed out, speaking to Silvia's left ear. 

“Yeah! I'm here aren't I? I found this stupid rock, I just have to get it.” Silvia argued. 

“Stupid rock? Show some respect! all of the diamonds were sacred gifts from our realm to our people.” Suné growled angrily, getting a little handwave from Silvia. 

“Yes yes. I know. I'm just annoyed ‘cause I'm going to have to go through that sludgy mud.” She grumbled , looking down at her cloak which had been remade perfectly by a skilled tailor. This one had a large amount of stretch to keep it on her when the curse flared up. It also has one other change. A small spell cast into the fibres allowed her nine large tails to tuck away neatly into it as if they weren't even there. Silvia was no fool and knew that they would get in the way of her sneaking. 

She already had enough getting in the way of her stealthier actions. First of Which was the two new voices in her head, judging her every action and speaking at times she needed focus. Once, a week prior when Silvia was trying to get a little pocket money by breaking into a nobles manor , it took the thief an extra ten minutes just to pick a lock because she could hear Sugi and Suné arguing. That was barely an obstruction when compared to her curse which had flared up that very same heist. One loud gurgle from her stomach woke the noble and Silvia had to run even as her body grew.  

Thinking of that struggle, Silvia thought to ask. “So. The first diamond had a curse. Will they all have curses?” Silvia asked, slowly walking closer to the start of the marshes. 

“Well, yes. All of them have curses. It was to prevent them from falling into unworthy hands. It didn't work out well, we realize.” Sugi clarified. 

“The curses are reflections of the gifts we gave with the gemstones. The Lanmei… the azure diamond, that was the gift of harvest. It made the berry crops of our people bountiful. It also turns you into produce.” Suné added, sounding smug. 

“So what? This gem going to make a little rain cloud follow me around all day?” Silvia grumbled. 

“Not quite.” Sugi murmured, sounding somewhat apprehensive. Silvia shrugged it off. She had already dealt with becoming a fruit. Whatever happens she could live with it.

Standing on the storm's threshold, Silvia felt a thin spray of raindrops that had escaped the storm falling on her hood. The fox hated getting wet sincerely, but knew there was little choice. “So I'm heading into a storm that's raged for a century to maybe collect a cursed diamond that's going to give me a whole new curse on top of the one I already have?” She asked facetiously. 

“Well … if it makes you feel any better, it won't make a curse flareup any more common. Your body will just kind of …choose between the curses you have.” Sugi replied. 

“Delightful.” Silvia grumbled. With one last quick self reassurance , she leapt through the threshold of the storm. The intense difference in weather was like night and day. What had once been a light spray now became torrential rain that bombarded against Silvia,  instantly soaking her indigo cloak down to her fur making her feel miserably cold almost immediately . This was only made worse as gailing winds barged against the thief , knocking her hood off her face and exposing her face even further to the rain. Begrudgingly she gritted her teeth and began to trudge forwards through the storm.

“I hope I find this thing fast… I can't take this weather long. Do you two have any sense of where this thing is?” Silvia asked, her next footstep burying her boot to its hem in thick sludgy mud, making her scowl. 

“When we get closer we should be able to detect the diamond.” Sugi confirmed. 

“If there even is a diamond here.” Suní added, not giving Silvia a single ounce of credit. 

“Hey. C'mon now. The storm is about as old as the Wedderluz manor was abandoned for and seems pretty supernatural. It makes sense to me. Maybe you should  trust a thief's instincts on this.” She argued. While her words were muffled by the whistling wind, the deities in her ears could hear her regardless. In truth she didn't even need to speak, as the deity shared her mind and could hear her thoughts as easily as she could. To the thief it brought her a good deal of comfort to speak to Suné and Sugi like they were there. It made her feel less crazy. 

Step by step, Silvia trudged deeper. As foul as the mud was, it did at least hold her to the ground given how far she sunk into it. Still, she grabbed hold of whatever branches and logs she could get her hand on to help pull her deeper.  Every inch she moved forward was laborious but she kept pressing onwards. “These winds are unnatural. It certainly suggests this could be due to our diamond. It did hold a fair amount of our magical strength.” Sugi noted. Lacking a physical body, she and her brother could feel none of the burden of the weather and her calm tone reflected it. Silvia couldn't help but grumble jealously to herself. 

“Indeed. Truth be told thief… our power was greatly diminished after the Diamonds were stolen and separated. We barely had the strength to stop you slipping over to the other side but with a second diamond in our possession? It might give us some strength  back.” Suné added. Even with the hectic fight against the storm, Silvia noticed a sliver of vulnerability within the deity. It was hard for her to feel too bad for him, given he had done nothing but insult and demean her, yet she still found it a little staggering.  She didn't have much focus spare to think about it, but it sat in her mind like a stone. 

Trudging along was agony. It felt like it could have been miles since she entered the storm with how exhausted she had become. Silvia had no idea how far she was into the tempest nor how much further she needed to go to claim her prize. Her vision was blocked by a thick spray of rain that turned the world grey. All she could do was hold her direction and straight as she could to try to head to the centre. Her only small relief was that there was no lightning. The thought of having to contend with such dangerous bolts of pure energy always sent shivers down her spine, especially given her ability to move was limited with the glue like mud that lapped at her knees as if desperate to swallow up even more of her legs. It was miserable. Each and every step. 

Just as Silvia considered heading back to rethink her approach, Kin spoke in unison with excitement and immediacy. “To your left. We can feel the diamond!” They instructed her. Immediately Silvia gritted her teeth and doubled her efforts. Determination pulled her legs through the mud. It wasn't the need to cure her curse that drove her so intently, instead it was her unrelenting desire to get out of the storm and get dry. Kin kept offering her directions which Silvia followed, fine tuning her angle until she saw it. A clearing amongst the rain. The eye of the storm. She clawed her way into it and immediately took a few deep breaths before taking stock of her situation. It felt nice allowing the air to softly seep into her lungs instead of having it rush past her and having to fight to claim a breath. Her body slumped down against a log close to her., having to avoid the still wet mud around her while being desperate for a moment of relief.

After a few seconds of recovery spent unfortunately breathing in the dank smell of mossy bark, Silvia forced herself back to her feet. On doing so she could take stock of her situation. The eye of the storm was no bigger than a couple dozen feet in diameter. Within the centre was a dead tree with long veins of pulsing energy running up its withered old branches. All the veins snaked back to a tree hollow midway down the trunk. Silvia scoffed. It was almost too easy to find. She pulled herself through the remaining mud which steadily got more and more solid as she got more distance from the storm , right up until she stood on the solid ground next to the tree.

“So . Remind me. Why can't you just stop this gem's curse from affecting me in the first place?  It's your magic can’t you just…stop it?” Silvia asked the Kin. 

“It's part of your punishment, thief. Take it with some dignity.” Suné growled. The fox's fists clenched, getting fed up with his constant insults. Sugi quickly corrected him however. 

“More importantly… we can't access the magic without it flowing through your body.  You , as our champion, are a sort of conductor for the energy within the gem. The curse is just an unavoidable side effect.  We will do what we can to help you and make sure you are as comfortable as you can be. “ She clarified.  Silvia sighed. As much as every part of her wanted to run from the tree, she knew that she would never be free until she claimed all of the diamonds. After bracing herself, Silvia stuck her hand into the hollow and searched the cavity thoroughly. 

It didn't take long for her to find the hard, smooth crystal jutting out of the wood, so she carefully pulled it from the tree. The diamond was stunning. It was practically invisible, only having some opaque lines along its edges. It shined beautifully,Silvia felt her greedy urges taking hold, wanting to keep such a pretty stone for herself. The irony that she had no choice did however dull that enjoyment. She held it for a moment however as it got close to the other diamond it began to react. Within an instant, both vanished from view. Silvia, Suné and Sugi all screamed in unison, all afraid of some unusual magic. That was until Silvia felt an odd weight on her back. Looking at her coat, something strange had happened. Before, the jacket had an embroidered set of nine tails. This had been an essential step in making her magical coat. Now, two of the tails have the gemstones embedded in their tips. 

“Oh…well I guess that's nicer than having to wear nine rings…” Silvia mumbled, running her hand over it. The gemstones were stuck in place, as if they were always there. 

“I guess… the tail-tucking magic had a weird reaction to the gemstones.  Me and Suné will examine this intimately while you… deal with the curse.” Sugi mumbled before both heads of the deity went eerily silent.”I suppose I have to deal with this by myself.  I guess a little company is too much to ask for.” Silvia thought to herself as she began inspecting her form and her surroundings waiting for something to change.That was  when she noticed something horrifying. the eye of the storm was starting to close in around her. The spray of rain got closer and closer, dampening her cloak which had just barely started to get dry again. weirder than that, the storm seemed to begin to focus. It was like the bottom of a tornado, yet instead of heading downwards it spiraled around the eye of the storm, slowly traveling inwards. Silvia fought every instinct  to run, trusting that the Kin would not let her die. They needed their champion after all. she instead stood still, watching the nearing storm until it was mere inches from her face. The strange focused wind and rain pushed closer until it began soaking her snout. 

The foxes eyes widened as the tendriled storm pressed  against  her face with more and more force, slowly prying its way past her jaw and down her throat. it felt bizarre, like breathing extremely hard yet being unable to stop. It didn't take long for the feeling of pressure to hit Silvia. Her eyes were as wide as they could get as her hands gently rubbed a now bloated stomach through her robe. She tried to speak yet no words could slip past her lips with the storm pushing it way into her gut. “of course. the first gem turns me into a blueberry, of course the second one turns me into a balloon. Good thing I had these robes made stretchy…” she thought to herself. everything felt bizarre, most of all however was the fact that it didn’t feel as strange as it should. Sure, her belly was already starting to swell up against her clothes as it filled with a magical storm, but after being blindsided by the azure gem and being turned into a human blueberry before exploding, this all seemed much less strange. Much less impossible. She almost allowed herself to enjoy it. without the fear and anxiety, all that was left was the pressure. feeling the winds pressing against her belly felt good. shamefully good. Her cheeks flushed as she began to rub her stomach more intently. Thankfully, with the Deity siblings far too busy making sense of the strange magic they encountered, she did feel like she had a moment to herself. 

the storm raged further into her. The pressures got more and more intense as it pushed into her more and more ferociously. it was overwhelming in all the best of ways. especially as the wind began to press out into new areas of her body. it filled her ass, hips and thighs. unlike last time however it also welled in her back. instead of looking pear-shaped in the early stages, this time she looked rounder, more spherical. her legs were swelling into cones at the bottom of  her core, and her chest was starting to do the same. Silvia ran her hands where she could, trying to feel every inch of her expanding body. It was such a different feeling to the juice. Before there was such a terrible weight which left her joints aching after having to hold it all up however with the air she felt… lighter. it was almost as if the weight that had been on her bones since birth was finally being removed. She would have sighed with relief if anything could escape her lips. Silvia’s eyes closed just to let her focus on that feeling and enjoy it.  

Her body got rounder and fuller even without her attention. The wind funnelled down into her mouth ,passing surprisingly painlessly, before further puffing out every inch of her hide. her legs grew comically conical, only surpassed by the large ball that her torso had become. Her robes thankfully had more than enough give to let her body expand as much as it needed, yet they still ended up looking quite stretched.  The fabric pulling taut only added to the general sense of pressure she felt but with how much Silvia was growing to love the feeling , it was a welcome addition. It was so easy to give in to the pleasure and relaxation that Silvia subconsciously went to sit back to just ride out the transformation. To her surprise though, her rear did not lower to the ground. It didn’t lower at all. None of her did. It was such a shock it finally got Silvia to open her eyes.  She tried desperately to scan her environment but found it was hard to move her body as everything had become incredibly stiff. What she did see however took a few moments for her to fully understand. It was the marsh, now much more visible as much of the storm that once obscured it now filled Silvia, yet it was far shorter than she had expected. It was only when she saw the trees that boarded the marsh and how even those seemed smaller did it dawn on Silvia that she had begun floating. steady rising higher into the air as the storm within her hoisted her upwards. 

Immediately Silvia desperately tried to grab on to anything she could. It was instinct, the same one as if she was falling. The only thing close enough was the tree the gem had been hidden in. Silvia desperately tried to latch onto the bark but there was nothing she could get a good purchase on. She regretted not wearing gloves as her fingers scraped against the bark, leaving them feeling tender. Before she could try again, her body knocked against a branch of the tree. Her body began to spin around, making the fox feel incredibly disoriented. She flapped her arms around desperately, although she could feel it getting harder and harder to move them. Her arms were vanishing into the balloon that was her body fast. her heart began racing as she got closer and closer to the open air. Just as she was getting to the top of the tree, her hand managed to clutch a branch. Immediately Silvias grip tightened as much as it could on the single hope of keeping her close to the ground. It was thin, and felt quite weak. She could already feel the wood bending as her body kept pulling upwards. Getting the hold did at least steady her body allowing Silvia to better understand where she was. She was able to see the ground below her. 

It was staggeringly high. At least three stories up , right at the tip of the tree. There was nothing above her other than the sky and the clouds that rode it. more horrifying than the height was a new sensation Silvia could feel. Unlike before, the wind was starting to pack into her hands. She could feel them growing a little puffy against the branch she held desperately. It was making it harder to hold her grip. She looked back to the storm, which had never stopped flooding her mouth, to see there was only a little bit left. Her only hope was that it wouldn't puff her up enough to make her let go. She swallowed the gusts hard just to try to get it to go down faster.  It made no difference, but It did make the fox feel a little better as if she clawed back a single aspect of control. Gulp by gulp her hands got puffier little by little. Her body was basically a ball, covered in an extremely stretched robe. Her hands, feet and head poked out of divots. Her grip loosened beyond her control more and more but there was so little wind left it was coming down to the wire. 

Then came the last gust. One gust too many. Her hands stiffened open as they puffed out, looking like the pudgy hands of an overindulgent royal. With that, her body finally gave in to the lifting winds within her. She began racing upwards, leaving Silvia to watch the ground as all the details got fuzzier and more distant. With her mouth finally free, Silvia let out a loud scream. As much as the actual feelings were pleasurable, the thought of being stuck in the sky scared Silvia alot. “SUGI! SUNÉ! DO SOMETHING!” she yelled out as loud as she could. Yet the two did not respond, still pondering their own problems. Silvia did her best to calm herself. She took in some deep breaths, which felt incredibly bizarre as her already pressure packed body tried to take in anymore. The longer she floated, the calmer she got. The pleasure of being so full was doing a lot to calm her mind. With a little sigh she began absentmindedly flapping her hands to kill time. She was going to be up there for quite a while.