The life of an adventurer is often filled with peril and hardship, but, at the end of the day, an adventurer’s life is an undeniably exciting one. Tyr was well aware of the dangers that would be present in his newfound occupation, but the drake was nevertheless eager to explore to his heart’s content. However, he had no idea how strange some of his exploits would turn out to be.

One particular exploit in the Eastern Wilderness proved to be one of the strangest yet. Shortly after departing from the local village of Oakhaven to locate a missing pig (a quest which is heroic in its own... straightforward way) the pot-bellied dragon decided to take a moment to forage for some wild berries. And that was when he found it.

He pulled back one of the berry-burdened brambles to find the oddest of items - an ancient, grey wood door embedded in the cliffside before him. “Huh?” He said aloud. *According to the locals, there weren’t any structures outside the city border for at least two miles. So... what could this place be?* He thought to himself. He slowly opened the door, letting out an ominously loud creak. Before him laid a less than inviting sight - a long, stone staircase which descended into darkness. *I really shouldn’t go in... someone might still live here.* He thought to himself, his brows furrowed nervously.

Suddenly, his expression changed to one of renewed determination, as he thought, *Wait, what am I thinking? I’m an adventurer! I mean, sure I might not have the perfect physique for this profession just yet, but I ought to take a few risks every now and again if I want to be a good explorer.* Finally, the plump dragon stepped onto the stairs, prepared to face whatever may lay in this strange hovel.

As he finally reached the last step, he could barely make out the faint outline of a second door. Reluctantly, the brown-scaled dragon opened the door, coughing as he stirred up an unreasonable amount of dust and dirt. *Ugh - I guess no one lives here then. Still... something feels... off.* he looked around the room, taking note of the dilapidated bookshelves, rusted chests, and busted chairs, all bathed in a muted light. *Wait a second - it was just pitch black. How can I see all of t- oh? Oh wow.*

His lingering sense of unease was overwhelmed by an incredible sense of wonder as he gazed upon the source of the light. It was... an ordinary chocolate cake, placed on the rough clay floor. Well, ordinary aside from the whole glowing trait. As he observed the peculiar pastry, his nose was overwhelmed by the lovely smell of cocoa. It was the best thing the dragon had ever smelled in all his life. His eyes were wide with wonder as he practically drifted over to the shining sweet.

Finally, he reached the delicious treasure, but before he took one bite of the delight, he paused. *Wait... there’s something... very, very wrong with this... but it smells so, so good...* The dragon threw caution to the wind as he gingerly took a handful of the lovely chocolatey treat and shoved it straight into his greedy maw. And then, it began.

Instantly, he heard a loud tear as his belly ripped his white undershirt slightly. *Wait... WHAT?* The dragon thought as the significantly heftier waistline, which now sagged over his pants. With a loud slam, the door behind him slammed shut, followed by the somewhat quieter slam of the outer door. With a look of pure panic, the Tyr spun around to face the noise a little too fast for his newly acquired pudge, causing him to tumble back into his plush rear, his belongings falling everywhere. To make matters worse, his hands became bound by strange, glowing shackles, restricting his movement further.

“Wha-what-Mmf!” He said, as the cake suddenly moved with a will of its own, shoving itself into his maw. As another, far larger portion of the delightful, haunted food passed into his throat, his belly bloated outward to a ridiculous degree, as he heard slight creaks from his overburdened pants and shirt.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk... What did you think would happen if you barged into someone’s home and started eating his food willy nilly?” A heavy, honey-like voice said as Tyr felt a cool, soft hand sink into his newly-acquired belly pudge. The dragon’s eyes darted away from his massive gut, allowing him to view his captor. *Oh... Oh NO. That’s-That’s... a GHOST!* He thought, his mouth too full of food for him to actually say anything. Well, not that he could actually say anything with the intense fear he felt.

Sure enough, the smug ethereal visage of a fox lay before him, his slender spectral form ending not in legs, but rather in a curled, ghostly tail. “Oh, well, I don’t like the term ghost... how about you think of me as... mortally challenged, Tyr. It is Tyr, isn’t it?”

*Wha- it can read my mind!??!* He said, as his belly slowly expanded further outward. “Yes, Tyr, my dear. Ah, where are my manners? My name is Percy. Now... onto business. You see, I have a bit of a problem with my decor all of my seating is just so drab! So sad. These conditions are simply un-liveable (don’t mind the pun), my flabby friend!” He said as he drifted over to a beaten up old wooden chair, reclining in the seat, dramatically putting an arm over his brow, as though it were the greatest tragedy to ever occur. After letting out a mournful sigh, the fox’s smug grin returned wider than ever.

“But you can release me from this hellish discomfort! (I’m being honest, I’ve been there on holiday a few times. They have these same damn chairs there, my dear.)” He said with his sweet voice. This time, as he drifted closer to the steadily expanding dragon, various cookies, cupcakes, and other sweets began appearing from the shadows, following in his wake. “What I really need - is a place to rest my weary eyes. And even though we have a somewhat long way to go, you’ll make a fine bed before long, dragon...” The ghost said as he leaned onto Tyr’s massive gut.

*I-I haven’t even finished the first cake and I’m already massive! Just how big of a bed does this ghost need?* The dragon thought, his eyes wide with fear. “Oh, my dear, dear Tyr... I need the biggest bed magic can buy...” He said as he pushed the cake fully down the drake’s throat, causing his massive belly to bloat out even further. To make matters worse, the room’s main light source was now gone, leaving only the eerie glow of Percy’s ethereal form. The drake gulped as he could just make out the various sweets honing in on his head, as the ghost smiled onward gleefully. Tyr had a feeling he could get out of this eventually, but this was definitely going to be a long, weighty adventure.

—-

This one took me a good bit of time, but I’m really happy with the final result. I mainly did this to practice both character design as well as the details of having two characters interacting with each other. I hope you all enjoy!