Hit with both a mood for inflating in armor and an inflating gator/snake hybrid, so I reworked an in-progress character and turned him into a boozy berry! Enjoy :3

Anders tries out a tavern known for berrification, and is pleased by the apple cider swell he experiences...

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Apple Cider Swell
By: Indi

Anders’ arrival at the Bottomless Keg was difficult to overlook. The light shone off the scale mail armor he wore, which jangled with every heavy step. At a glance he could be mistaken for a mere dark green gator, but his serpentine features couldn’t be denied after a closer look. His long tail flicked, more flexible than a regular gator’s would’ve been. His snout was a tad bit stubbier.

The gazes his entrance received were brief, and soon the patrons were back to drinking and chatting—and sloshing. Scattered here and there were those who’d indulged on drinks that didn’t simply quench one’s thirst. They were almost completely spherical, orbs with paws and heads sticking out. Their colors were oddly bright and monotone, ranging from blue to red to orange and a whole swathe of the rainbow. A few appeared to have burst out of their clothing, but most wore outfits that fit their round forms perfectly. Or at least perfectly enough.

They looked like comically oversized fruit, and at that point they practically were. What little movement they did make led to muffled sloshing from the juices that filled them. At least one had been tapped, his friend guzzling cherry juice pouring from his navel, starting to turn red himself.

Berrification might not have been the most popular pastime in the city, but at the Bottomless Keg it was the norm. Which was exactly why Anders had bothered trekking so far away from the docks to visit it.

Anders strolled up to the bar, grinning as he looked at the row of berries behind it who served as living kegs. Not the most glamorous job, but most of them were clearly enjoying it.

A rotund, orange-striped zebra named Rho—the tavern’s owner and barkeep—had a look of amusement on his face as Anders approached. “You expecting to find a fight tonight? Or maybe start one?”

“Neither, hopefully. Some nights it’s just best to be cautious.”

“So, my double-scaled friend, what can I get for you?”

“I’m interested in something fruity with a bit of a fwoomp to it. From the looks of things you got plenty of that.”

Rho’s interest was piqued. “Just how much fwoomp are you wanting?”

“Oh as much as you can provide just as long as you don’t care about this tavern remaining intact!”

“That’s the spirit!” Rho laughed, before turning around. He skipped over the row of living kegs, though, and instead ducked into the back. When he returned he was lugging a small keg with a yellow circle painted atop it. A mug was filled and passed to Anders. The drink had an almost golden look to it. “Honey apple cider mixed with a potent enhancer brewed by the borb cauldron behind me. Guaranteed to get you sloshing in no time.”

Anders looked at the massive blueberry blue jay amongst the other kegs. Their talons were completely sunken into their body, their beak barely poking out. They were in a daze, but obviously euphoric. Just the kind of willing berry Anders would trust to make an extra-special drink.

The gator snake began with a small sip. He grinned and nodded at Rho immediately after, then chugged half the mug in one go. A comforting chill grew in his belly. The brew was working, and fast.

“Now this is the good stuff! Wonderful taste with no delay—not a common combo from my experience.” Anders eagerly finished off the rest of the mug. “I spent a lot of time in the employ of snooty nobles, and got to enjoy my fair share of high-end berrification booze at their expense. So far this is beating them all.”

“Why thank you! I take pride in my berry brews, and few things make me prouder than watching a patron swell and slosh.”

Anders smiled in agreement. By then the scales on his claws were shifting from dark green to golden yellow, just like the cider he’d had. A glance over his shoulder revealed his tail had changed as well. He had no doubt the same was happening to his face. Changing color always marked the beginning of berrification, and once it was complete the swelling could start—Anders’ favorite part of the whole experience aside from simply getting big.

When Anders’ belly did balloon out, though, he was actually caught off-guard. Most of the time such expansion was slow and steady, possible to overlook if you were distracted enough. But Anders’ middle was blimping with considerable haste. It bubbled and sloshed, swelling as if he were guzzling a waterfall. His sides were already inflating, and in seconds the gator snake’s shape was rounding out.

The armor Anders’ wore creaked and groaned, yet somehow it stretched to handle him puffing up. His initial surprise was replaced by glee, and he let loose a hearty belch.

“And here I was expecting you to burst right out of that armor of yours!” Rho said. “Bit disappointed I didn’t get to see it, but I can respect the outfit of a man who clearly likes getting big.”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it!” Anders slapped his belly, producing a slosh and a clang. “I’d be round all the time if it were feasible. Alas they don’t really make doors with spheres in mind.” The creaking of metal scales continued.

Anders’ middle was already comically round, a wrecking ball surrounded by his armor. His limbs and tail were also starting to puff up some. As he was filling with cider, sobriety was fleeting. He smirked and swayed more, and burped frequently. With his massive belly pushing into the bar he took a couple careful steps back so he’d have room to swell.

His claws were all over his growing middle, prodding and shaking and rubbing it. He’d always adored being big, and had indulged in berrification since the moment he’d learned of it. Nothing made him larger, nothing made him rounder, nothing made him feel like he was taking up as much space as physically possible. In his armor he felt powerful enough to sink a ship just by falling on deck. He actually had, once, and wished it were a more common occurrence.

Rounder and rounder the gator snake grew, his limbs vanishing into his spherical body. With care he shifted himself onto his thick tail, using it as a stubby stool. The move wasn’t meant for comfort or to impress, but to allow Anders to feel just how heavy he’d become as a berry. And to slosh the booze within him around a bit as well.

Despite Anders’ dramatic expansion, his armor had yet to show any sign of strain. Straps were holding perfectly, few gaps had appeared in between sections, and no ominous creaking could be heard.

Rho hadn’t known what to expect when Anders had entered his tavern, but he was quickly growing fond of his new patron. “Still holding together there I see. So how often have you rolled into battle this round, if I may ask? I can’t imagine why you’d have it otherwise.”

“Oh not nearly enough, not—bworrrrrrp—nearly enough!” Anders laughed. “To be honest, I initially had the armor enchanted after inflation darts became popular with the local burglars. I love getting huge, but not when it interferes with work. Oh the look on a sneaky little fox’s face when he realizes his darts have just made you a cannon ball are delightful. Course it’s also a bit harder to pop when you’re armored, too!”

As he happily chatted away his transformation into a berry—and thus a sphere—came to an end. His claws and head were jutting from his body, the only unarmored portions of him visible. Anders was thoroughly drunk, the sloshing sloshed orb rocking gently atop his tail and smiling. At that point he actually was showing off, but eventually the strain became too much and he gently lowered himself off his tail. He continued using it to rock himself and stir the cider within.

“I may...I may be needing a room for the night,” Anders almost mumbled, off in his happy round world.

“Why of course!” Rho got the attention of a nearby server. “We have plenty of rooms available designed with berries in mind. We can even get you juiced in the morning—if you so please.”

Anders’ smile grew wider. “I think I’ll be—uorrrrp—coming here quite often!”

The server looked daunted by the task before them, but quickly pressed their paws against the armor-clad sides of the berrified gator snake and slowly pushed them towards the back. Sloshing and clanking and laughing followed him the entire way. Anders’ head swirled as much as the cider filling him, but he was enjoying himself immensely. Truly nothing was better than being a huge and seemingly invincible sphere.