Larbordale is a colorful, seaside town, where adventure is a prominent trade of the locals. Lexal, a muscular knight-class shark, is fresh off a quest, selling his treasures and the pudge he received on the trip, with the latter used to power crystals. Stopping in at an Asian fusion restaurant, the shark is surprised with a Fugu fish for his meal. The only catch with the succulent sushi is one must be delicate in its consumption, and not swallow it whole. Lest they start swelling up like a Fugu themselves.

Story/Callum

Edited by

Go Fav the original!!!
_______________________________________________________

Larbordale Labors
Featuring: Lexal
By: hdalby33

Larbordale gleamed in the mid-morning sun, a collection of modern and modest buildings colored in gentle blues, greens and reds to match the tropical climate. It was a home of explorers and vibrant livelihoods, where the economy was stimulated by magic and well fed waistlines. Lexal enjoyed the sights as he moved down along a brown-bricked road lined with fashionable food stands and trendy, open-air cafes.

His well-muscled figure rippled under a suit of intricate steel armor fringed with turquoise enamel. Lexal was an imposing shark, more so in his armor, but a big dopey grin and thick wagging tail ruined the effect. He’d just come across an Asian fusion restaurant, where Caribbean delicacies met traditional dishes from the far East. Slipping a pouch of crystal weights from his navy waistcloth, the shark seated himself happily and waited for service.

A tall, gangly platypus answered him, eyeing the weights and then the excitable fish. “Help you?” he said, adjusting his nametag, which read TERRY in bold letters.

“Yes please!...Or...well, what would you recommend...?” Lexal’s armor clinked as he looked for a menu, the platypus sighing through his bill.

“You wanna menu or?...”

“Surprise me!” the shark replied jovially. His chiseled stomach had begun to growl against his breastplate.

Terry gave the shark a blank look, but conceded in hopes that it would land him some crystal weights. “One sec.”

The platypus disappeared into the kitchen, while Lexal bobbed from side to side, his armored tail swishing dangerously. A moment later, Terry reappeared holding a platter of heated Fugu fish. It resembled a spiky basketball, gleaming hot red and steaming white, and taut to the touch. Lexal rolled over a couple crystal weights, his gut snarling at this point to be filled.

Terry eyed his eager customer warily, before clearing his throat. “Just so you know, you gotta be careful with this guy. There’s some parts of him that can be pretty posi-”

“Ulp!” Lexal’s soft white throat bulged outwards as he gulped the Fugu down, too excited to wait. The platypus froze mid-sentence, one paw frozen in mid reprimand position. The shark purred from the delicacy, feeling it slide and roll down into his washboard middle. A faint distension peered through his armor, the Fugu lodging itself snugly within his belly.

Lexal urped softly, “Good Fugu,” he hummed, rubbing his middle. Then he noticed the frozen platypus. “You alright, Terry? You seem kinda…terry-fied,” the shark giggled.

Terry began backing away slowly, his eyes wide with fear and his steps slow. Lexal pouted, folding his thick arms and frowning at the petrified platypus. “It wasn’t that bad a pun. You should hear Tyrex. Then you’d be running for the hills!”

The platypus kept backing away, causing Lexal to pause. His playful pouting grew serious, seeing Terry’s gaze fixated on his gut rather than his face. A strange, airy sensation crept into the shark’s belly, tightening around the Fugu fish where it strained at his plated stomach.

Lexal widened his eyes, staggering back for a moment, before uttering faint whimper. Then the fish kicked into high gear and his muscle-bound body began to truly swell.

Furniture rattled and cracked as the muscle-bound shark stumbled backward, his gut ballooning against his breastplate with the force of a battering ram. With a groan, the bewildered shark tried to steady himself, only to realize his arms had begun to bloat up as well. The fancy suit of armor encasing his form creaked under pressure as the Fugu fish swelled within his stomach and pumped air through the poor shark. Lexal whimpered as his gut bulged outward, perfectly round and taut, like a mother of pearl the size of a basketball. The plates covering his abdomen trembled under the massive pressure, bowing outward as distended shark flesh wobbled against them. With a piercing crack, the armor finally shattered, causing Terry to cry out and dive for the ground. Overhead, a fruit display was torn to shreds as large chunks of the shark’s armor sliced through them, decorating the air with colorful ribbons of mango, blood orange and coconut.

Lexal awwed at the loss of his breastplate, he’d just gotten it renewed and this stuff was expensive. With each swell and bulge that coursed through his body, another expense piled up in his mind. His gut, now free of the plate, bounced and quivered over his waistcloth, bloating to the size of a beach ball and barely slowing. Lexal felt his arms pinch sharply where the leather straps holding his armor in place dug in good and tight against an abundance of rubbery sharkskin. He tried to loosen the straps, only to find his fingers too thick to be of use. His arms looked like overstuffed sausages, flopping uselessly against the great curve of his sides.

The Fugu fish pressed relentlessly against the walls of his belly and back, causing the shark to bulge outwards in a spherical fashion. Lexal was finding it difficult to maintain his balance. His legs had thickened as well, forming tubby cylinders that rubbed and squeaked together with each step. Panting, Lexal winced as the chitinous armor along his shins snapped off in rapid succession, sending deadly blades of metal spinning into the café where they embedded themselves in the far wall. One of the pieces struck a fancy sculpture, sending it spinning furiously and briefly giving Lexal a goofy view of his swelling bod.

He was massive at this point. Only the more stubborn parts of his armor clinging ferociously to his arms and legs. His big white belly was entirely exposed, an alabaster orb the size of an overinflated mattress bouncing off tables and chairs with an innocent ‘boing.’ Lexal tried to apologize for the damage, but his neck was swallowed up by his chest, which had become a broad sand-colored plane, padded only faintly by the remnants of his pectorals.

Lexal realized he was acquiring a new style of definition: the direct antithesis of his normally muscled form. His legs and rump pumped up with air, rounding out and growing stubbier where toned calves, quads and gluts once reigned supreme. All were lost to the bulge of air filling him up, with a rump close to the size of the yoga balls he used in the gym and thighs thicker than dumbbells. Another pop and whizz sounded through the café and something on the wall, an abstract painting of a grey sphere, crunched. Lexal couldn’t help but feel as if he were being mocked.

Slowly, his reflection filled out that sphere in the shattered frame, ballooning and growing heavily strained as it neared the diameter of a large vehicle. Lexal toppled forward, feeling like a parade float as his belly bounced quaintly along the sidewalk in a series of ‘doings.’ His arms poked harmlessly out his barrel of a chest, the leather straps hooked around his shoulders trembling dangerously.

Behind the bloated shark, Terry slowly rose from his hiding place and crept over to the now bulbous fish. The platypus was angered, his duckbill pulled into a tight scowl. An angry chitter trickled out of his mouth as he observed the massive damage done to his restaurant. Lexal could only offer a sheepish grin as he balanced precariously atop his taut midsection. The shark’s features were rounded as well, with puffed up cheeks that made for a rather adorable grin. Unfortunately the platypus wasn’t having it.

Terry pressed his black paws into the rubbery distension of Lexal’s belly and jostled it, clicking angrily. “As I was saying, you great bloated buffoon, some parts of the Fugu fish must be ingested carefully. Or else the body can be affected in serious ways.” The platypus gripped Lexal’s big cheeks and wobbled them angrily, making the puffed up shark whine. “I’ve never seen anyone manage to swallow the entire bloody fish down in one go. And now my café’s shot to hell!”

Lexal groaned as his spherical form was shaken, struggling to form a response. He had a pouch of crystal weights from adventuring. It would be more than enough to pay for the damages, but he couldn’t inform the angry platypus while being shaken. Inexplicably, fate opted to resolve the issue in a far simpler manner.

With the rampant shaking, Lexal’s bloated middle bulged faintly tighter, adding to the tenuous strain of his straps. The ones around his arms creaked alarmingly, yet Terry failed to notice. All the shark could offer was a moon-eyed look of apology, before one final shake snapped those leather straps.

A loud CLANG followed by a yelp and thud ensued, as the leather strap tore free and trailed the shark’s shoulder plate through the air like a comet. It slammed Terry in the side of the head, spun the platypus around in a full spin before he plummeted to the sidewalk, unconscious.

Lexal eyed the platypus sheepishly, now finally free to talk, “I’ll pay you back, I promise!” For the meantime, he had to figure out how what the hell to do now. His prayers were answered by a soft laugh and a pat on his swollen side.

A bulky shape came into view, outfitted in a tan vest, white shirt and dark pants. Callum smiled to his companion, heavy with blubber after a successful quest in one of Larbordale’s many adventuring districts. Pressing his soft blue belly to Lexal’s taut one, the baker looked over the shark-skinned balloon. “I wish I could generate this kinda waistline in a café,” the drake murmured sorrowfully, “It’d be a lot better than fighting those goddamned slimes.” He slapped his gut, making it jiggle and gurgle like a sack of jello.

“Didn’t mean too..” Lexal muttered blushingly. “Bad Fugu.”

“Damn right,” Callum rubbed his friend’s distended hide, “Or maybe good Fugu depending on how you look at it. Don’t you know you hafta be careful with what you eat it?”

Lexal huffed, his cheeks and chest red with embarrassment. Wiggling his swollen paws, the shark rocked back and forth, “I know that now, you doof. Now can you get me outta here or not?”

Callum shrugged, “Sure! We’ll see if the mages can power those crystals with hot air and flab.” He noted the extensive damage done to the café, “You’d be able to pay for your meal then. Fugu can be pretty costly.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Lexal grumbled, rolling his eyes. He spotted his pouch on the counter, untouched. Directing the fat dragon to the pouch, he had Callum meter out an appropriate payment before checking to make sure Terry was still with them.

“Terry?! Are you serious?” Callum’s belly jiggled with laughter and he slumped against Lexal’s rubbery hide for support. “Terry the platypus, that’s priceless.” He grinned to the bloated shark, rubbing Lexal’s sides where they were stiff with internal pressure. “Up against the elusive Dr. Doof, eh.”

Lexal growled, but his threats were ineffective at this point. Slowly, his view of the world rotated, with the sky, the street and Callum’s supple underbelly spinning by. “I’m not a doof,” he managed, pouting.

“Right. You, the big intimidating knight who got bested by a dead fish, is not a doof.”

The shark grumbled, his bulging form stood taller than Callum. Perhaps he could squish the doughy dragon. “Fine. But I swear if you tell Tyrex, I’ll…”

Callum giggled, “I might, if we see him a-round.” He laughed as the rubbery orb of a shark groaned, feeling Lexal’s belly vibrate against his paws. “But first, let’s find those mages. See if they can make use of some wind power from a puffer shark.”