My half of a trade with my buddy  de-flator

This story is a prequel to: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/42500856/

Marcel Bat belong to  de-flator

Zach Bat-Possum belongs to me: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/41669859/

It was a cold windy night in the grassy highlands, a full moon shines brightly on a brown helium balloon. Quite a massive floating orb, a little cap opens and shuts gently at its top as the pilot operates from his little makeshift basket. “That's it, descend you darn rental...” Whispers the anthro bat, gritting his fangs. A bounty hunter for hire, Marcel has decided to take on the job of capturing an evil summoner. Amazingly, Marcel figures it'd be best to strike while the iron's hot, so to speak – so he's actually heading for this mighty rodent during his own siege of Castle Krowning. Some find this foolish, others find it brave. All Marcel knows, is he's got a job to do... Meanwhile, at the castle.

With various knights and folks slain across every corridor of the stony castle, skeletons now shamble the halls with their spoils of battle. Enjoying their new shields, spears, and hammers – Conjurer Cordin, a slender gray rat in a purple robe sits upon his newly claimed throne. Accompanied by his skittish companion Zach, Cordin glances upon the bat-possum hybrid in sheer dominance. “I foresee, a great ball... Full of air... Coming our way. Destroy this ball, and I will make you... Awesome.” Says the mighty wizard, pointing at the open skylight. Nodding wildly, the silly hybrid cackles as he flutters off into the night. Grinning ear to ear, he spots the approaching target and lands on top of it.

Rubbing his skinny little paws together, Zach gets down on all-fours and sinks his fangs into the thing. In one comedic instant, he accidentally swallows all the helium and becomes the balloon. “MMMPH!” Moaning hard with wide eyes, his massively round body creaks as he flails his relatively small limbs. Grotesquely, the silly hybrid keeps swelling. With his flesh tightening in the moonlight, he's clearly about to burst. “My balloon turned into a bomb, time to split!” Shouting so, Marcel pulls a dagger from an emergency bag and cuts the basket loose – falling towards the castle. While the bounty hunter plummets, the hybrid blocks out the moon as his limbs sink deeply inward - exploding dramatically.

Crashing through the skylight, Marcel shakily exits the basket-like an austere action hero – wondering why he didn't just flutter down. “Zach always was an airhead...” Sighs Cordin, rising from his throne. Barring the door, the bat smirks at his foe. “Alright summoner, it's time to surrender... And pay for my destroyed rental!” Demanding so, Marcel pulls a wand from a sheath in his wing. “Surrender? After I've claimed a freaking castle? The nerve on you!” Responds the rat, gritting his fangs. Wiggling his fingers, Cordin zaps the floor with electric glory. Among the smoke, a frail little imp rises. Red with horns and wings, he whips his tail around as his eyes glow a deep vibrant blue.

Sighing cold breath, the bounty hunter can't help but laugh. “Typical.” He shrugs. Suddenly, the demon leaps at Marcel. Raising his wands, he shoots the creature in the head with a magic bullet – flipping him to the floor, the creature is simply knocked out. “Really? Is that it?” Asks the bounty hunter, amazed at the pathetic display. “Do not underestimate the little guys...” Whispering so, Cordin reaches into a bag that's hidden away in his robe. A mystic orb, the more it's touched, the more it transfers power from the summoner to his own creations. Without Marcel realizing this, the imp stands back up and dusts himself off. Merely poking the orb, the rat does his best to conserve his energy.

“You're tougher than you look...” Says the bat, pointing his wand once again. ...okay, maybe a little more power. Thinks the rat, prodding the orb. As Marcel takes another shot at the demon, his pecs grow and harden, along with his biceps – deflecting the magic bullet. “What the? Now you actually look tough!” Yells the bat. Growling, the imp launches himself like a cannonball – plowing him through the door into the main dining hall, some skeletal minions notice the intruder. While the demon tromps over the debris, he grows to Marcel's height as his muscles broaden a little further – really getting bulky. While the bat's surrounded by three skeletons, plus the imp, Cordin appears on a balcony.

Watching over the battle with his arms crossed, the mighty summoner grins devilishly. Striking a firm, yet admittedly nervous karate pose, Marcel dunks beneath a sharp spear as it clashes with another skeletons shield. Crouched beneath this bladed staff, the demon kicks the bat straight in the chest – launching him into a war-hammer-wielding skeleton. Shattering the foe, Marcel grabs its weapon. “Should've had more milk, it's good for your bones!” Says the bounty hunter, a hidden laughs track plays in the background. While Marcel strokes his ego, the two remaining skeletons approach. Narrowly dodging the spear, the bat smashes both their heads together – turning them to dust.

Nearly forgetting about the muscle-bound monster, Marcel raises the iron shield just as the creature slams down his two mighty fists. Really denting the shield, the bounty hunter bashes him in the face. Dazing the beast for just a moment, Marcel leaps with the hammer and bashes the imp in the head – knocking him out as the hammers head snaps off its wooden shaft. Breathing heavy after such an intense fight, the bat looks up at Cordin, very much ready to end this game and fulfill his contract. Smiling confidently, the rat holds up the orb – showcasing his transfer of power, the demon stands once again with perpetually increasing strength. “Ohhh, I see now...” Sighs Marcel, understanding this battles dynamic.

Raising his wand to the mighty imp, the bat swiftly points it at the rat and freezes his paws to the orb. “Ahh! Release me from this ice block, you fiend!” Shouting so, not only is the summoner unable to stop his power transfer but he's also frozen to the balconies banister. Naturally, the demon is nearly twice the size of Marcel now. Steam blowing from his nostrils as he becomes barrel-chested, his arms and legs grow veiny with tone and definition... However, his abdomen is starting to bloat, slowly fading away his abs. “Alright you big lump, now the real fight begins.” Saying so, Marcel stands strong while the imp roars down at him. Charging with incredible force, the steam drags ominously across the monsters huge muscles.

Flapping his wings, the bounty hunter flutters over the demon – avoiding its charge as it crashes into the wall. Landing smoothly on his feet, the bat looks back and can't help but be amazed by the sheer size of this creature. With his head starting to retreat beneath his impressive chest - his huge arms and legs, although strong, totally lose their flexibility. Whipping his relatively small tail and wings around, the imps belly groans and expands like a balloon. Comically, his navel pokes out as he falls flat to his back – effectively immobile. Clearly too swollen to bear any more gains, Marcel knows from past experience what comes next. Barely able to see his master atop the balcony, things go from bad to worse for the demon.

While Marcel takes cover behind the dented shield, Cordin plops to his knees and turns into dust – sucked completely dry of his power. Finally, with the entirety of the summoners power transferred to the imp, he screams as steam blows from all orifices. Inflated nearly as big as the silly hybrid was, he explodes like the crack of thunder and lightning – leaving behind nothing but a cloud of fading magical energy. Shakily standing up, Marcel heads out to the courtyard. Due to the loss of their master, all the skeletal minions plop to the ground. Nothing more than bone piles, the bounty hunter sits frustrated on a stairway. “No Cordin, no reward...” He sighs. Suddenly, a familiar face appears.

“H-Hey, sorry I popped your balloon... Well, became it, then popped...” Whimpers Zach, his body covered in bandages. Plopping next to the bat, the hybrid begs for belly rubs and forgiveness. “Oh... Why the heck not?” Shrugging, Marcel rubs all over Zach's slender tummy – making him kick and pant like a dog. After all that transpired this night, the bounty hunter never imagined it would turn out like this – but here we are. Smiling, they both watch the sunrise. In the end, Marcel wouldn't be able to collect his bounty, but the public officials affiliated with Castle Krowning would reward him for his heroic efforts in liberating the place. Above that, among the strangest of circumstances, he made a new friend. THE END