Caramel Treats by Azure

Reading a magic tome had never felt so boring. Wanda had to force her eyes on the pages, otherwise her mind would drift away into more interesting stuff, like the potted plant next to her, the glass of water on the table, or even the cloud formation she could see out the window. The elf thought this tome would deepen her understand Hilrandian ways of magic, but half the book is bureaucracy regarding spell-casting or the writer talking about how glorious their kingdom is. Wanda loved reading books, but even she had her limits.

“This is a waste of time,” she said to herself as she closed the tome, sighed, and leaned back on her chair. Wanda was in the Idosan archives, the largest library in the city, a prodigious six-story building with all the books one could dream of. It's one of her favorite places in Idosa. The elf found a corner all for herself, nothing but her, and endless rows of books. Sometimes it was great to have some peace and quiet away from the boisterous noises of the city.

The mage reached in her bag and pulled out a blue-colored gem, shook it, and it shone a faint blue light. A glowstone, they called it. When a person shakes the gem, it shines a faint blue light.

Wanda saw a woman stroll by one of the bookshelves, carrying three books in her hands. She was an elf with blonde hair that stood out in stark contrast to her brown skin. She wore a white dress with black colored rims that complemented her hourglass figure. The elven woman turned her back to Wanda as she began to sort the tomes in front of her, and the elf’s dress had a cut in the back which bared quite a bit of skin. Wanda took a look at the woman and at the cup of water that laid in front of her. The mage’s lips curled into a devilish grin as an idea formed in her mind.

The mage put the glowstone down, extended her hand towards the glass of water as she directed some of her inner magic towards the glass. Streaks of blue light emanated from her palm like shiny veins and made their way into the cup. Slowly, clumps of ice began to form and cluster together within the water until a chunk took shape which was three inches wide. She levitated the ice piece all the way to where the elf stood, flicked her hand, and let ice fall into her white dress. The elf yelped, dropping two books onto the floor.

“Shhhh, don’t you know that you shouldn’t shout in libraries?” Wanda giggled.

The blonde elf glared back at her. “Wanda, this isn’t the place for your pranks.”

“Oh, Karnie, don’t be a prude. We all need a bit of a laugh every once in a while.”

Karnie groaned, bent down, and picked up the fallen books. “I don’t have time for your antics, Wanda. I have a meeting in twenty minutes and a lot of sorting to do afterward, and I still have to assist in the institute’s research and…” She sighed. “I’ve got a letter from my daughter, and I still haven't had a chance to read it.”

“Mariela? I miss that girl. How’s her life in the academy.”

“She said in her previous letter she was having fun, but she also misses home…” She placed the books on the shelf, and sighed.

“Karnie, tell me.”

“What?” She glanced back at Wanda.

“Something is going on inside that big head of yours, I can see it.”

 "Wanda I..." She turned to face Wanda and leaned on the bookshelf. "I just hope Mari can get through the academy. It’ll open so many doors for her to live a better life. I wouldn’t want her to be lost."

“Hey, if that didn’t work out, then she could always be an adventurer, like me!”

“You mean mercenary.” Karnie replied sternly. “I don’t want my only child to be some work for hire mage that-” She placed her hand on her temple. “Sorry Wanda, I just…”

Wanda let out a giggle as she shook her head. “No offense taken, there is no need for you to apologize, Karnie.” The blue elf stood up, walked closer to her friend, and placed her hand on the librarian's shoulder. “You seem stressed, why don’t you take a break? I know a nice place where we can just sit and have a nice drink.”

“I appreciate it, Wanda. But my day is so full that I-”

Karnie halted as her blue eyes spotted the book Wanda was studying. She picked it up, and Wanda could see her friend’s eyes widen in horror.

“Wanda is…is this the White Order’s insignia?”

“Keen eyes!” Exclaimed Wanda. “It’s not as interesting as I thought it would.” She shrugged.

“How did you get hold of this?!”

“Do you really wanna know?” She crossed her arms and gave her a mischievous grin.

“You know what? No.” She placed the book back on the table, almost slamming it, and leaned closer to her friend. “Wanda, these people are dangerous. I don’t want you getting entangled with the Hilrandians.”

Wanda chortled. “I promise I’m not in trouble, Karnie.” She took the book along with her notes, placed them in her bag and wore it across her shoulders. “I’m heading out, don’t overwork yourself to death, okay?”

"I'll accompany you out, I'm heading for the science ministry to hand over some papers."

The elven pair descended the marble stairs. Wanda placed her hand on the oversized wooden handrail as her eyes glanced over the library’s ground floor. And saw an army of bookshelves, and in between them were tables where people were reading, writing, drawing, and she could see a young looking man taking a bite out of a round piece of bread. The Archives was one of the most beautiful building in Idosa, the pillars, and parts of the ceiling were decorated with intricate paintings depicting various historical events in Idosa’s history, just before the entrance, there was a fountain with a statue of a winged woman pouring water out of a jug into a larger pool and all the windows had a light blue tint to them that gave the library a unique lighting. She heard that the people who built this place thought this would make reading less straining.

As they reached the bottom floor, the pair made their way towards an office. Karnie picked up a bundle of papers. Her fingers swiftly flipped through the pages before looking around.

“Now, where did I put it?” She opened one of the drawers and fumbled through its contents. Wanda’s eyes were drawn towards a bowl filled with small biscuits wrapped in paper. She took a piece, looked around, and then immediately grabbed a bundle of them and placed them in her bag.

At that moment, a cloaked figure came from behind one of the bookshelves. He had long, wavy dark hair that dropped out of his hood, and his eyes were all black with no pupils. He looked at their general diction and walked to Karnie’s desk.

"Ms. Karnie, can I help you?" He said.

Karnie craned her head up and sighed, "Oh, thank goodness, you got in just in time.” she stood up. “Wanda, this is Vincent, he’s new here.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Wanda.” He did a subtle bow.

“Just Wanda.” She approached him and extended her hand. “Nice meeting you.”

Vince looked at her hand and then looked back at her with a confused look on his face.

“It’s okay, shake it!” She smiled as she reassured him.

Vince didn’t move, but reluctantly opened his cloak to reveal four insectoid arms. He gently grabbed the blue elf hand and shook it.

“P-pleasure meeting you, W-Wanda.” He said.

“Pleasure is mine! It must be useful to have an insectoid like him around, isn’t it? You have no idea how much I could have achieved if I had four arms.” Giggled Wanda.

“R-right…” Said Karine as she gave her elven friend a stern look before turning her gaze towards Vincent, “Do you know where the empty files are?”

“Why, yes. Just a moment.” He undressed his cloak to reveal quadruple translucent wings, and the fancy suit he wore. He fluttered them hard and flew all the way up to the upper floor. The insectoid hovered next to a shelf, picked out red colored files and dashed back down. Vince extended one of his arms with the files, “Here you go, Ms. Karnie.”

The blonde elf gave him a glare with her blue eyes. “Vincent, what did I tell you about flying in the library? I’ve told you I don’t want papers flying around because you’re too lazy to use the stairs like the rest of us.”

“I’m sorry…”  He said wistfully, his antennae bowed down a little.

“You better be, gimme that!” Karine snatched the files from his insectoid hand. “Let’s go Wanda.” She grumbled as she walked away.

Wanda looked at her friend walk away and shook her head. She saw Vince sit on a nearby chair. She stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Never mind her, Vince, you were a great help. Karnie is just awfully grumpy today.”

“I’m still new here, still learning.” He said as he looked at Wanda with his all black eyes. “People like me don’t get a chance to work in a place like this, I don’t wanna ruin it.”

“Why do you bother wearing a cloak indoors? You look nice in this suit!”

“Sometimes, people are...scared of me.”

“Nonsense, you were so elegant flying all over to the upper floor, I wish I had wings!”

“Th-thank you, Wanda.” said Vince as he stood up. “I better get back to work.” He walked to a desk and fumbled through papers.

Wanda made her way out of the library. She gazed upon the busy street as the towering building of the Archives cast a large shadow over it. People were walking, talking, and conversing with each other. Some elves, trolls, cat-people, lizard-folks, and even some humans. Carriages went about their business left and right, and a couple were haggling a merchant nearby. Many tall spires could be seen from afar with intricate golden writing. She looked around before she caught a glimpse of Karnie. The blue elf walked closer to her friend, who was audibly mumbling as she filled the files with papers.

"You seem troubled.” Said Wanda as she stood next to her.

Karnie glanced at Wanda and then eyed the papers once again. “I can’t believe you actually shook hands with a bug, you shouldn’t give his ilk more respect than he deserves.”

“He is not just ‘a bug’ Karnie, he is a person just like us.”

“Like us!?” Karine closed her files and glared at Wanda. “He should be grateful that we hired his ilk in the first place.”

“Karnie, that seems too harsh, even for you.”

“I’m not getting into an argument about this, Wanda.” She groaned. “Well, I gotta head for the ministry, please don’t do anything stupid, will ya?”

“Dunno, how much stupid is too stupid?” she gave her sly smile.

Karnie rolled her eyes, groaned and trotted across the busy street, audibly mumbling as she did so. Wanda saw her friend walk until she disappeared behind the corner of a small tailoring shop. Couldn't help but let out a little giggle.

The elven mage stepped into an empty alleyway, reached for her bag, and pulled a small wooden box. She opened it and carefully took out a small blue stick. She took a deep breath and concentrated her magical power on her hand. Wanda saw her hand shine with blue light as she slowly felt the stick grow in size until it grew large enough to be as tall as her. It was a long tree branch, the bottom half was navy colored which had a couple of teal colored leaves, and the upper was cyan colored, topped with a wooden butterfly holding an orange orb. Wanda giggled at the thought of Karnie knowing she brought a weapon into the library.

With her trusty staff in her hand, the elf ventured out into the busy street. She trotted a few steps, leaned on a railing, looked down on the river and stared at her distorted reflection. She could barely distinguish her blue face and green eyes as the water rippled. A boat came into view, a man with scaly features was rowing it, he looked at Wanda with a shrewd expression on his face and continued rowing the boat. She saw a little girl, she wore tattered clothes and had the same scaly features as the man who was rowing the boat. The girl’s body rocked slightly left and right, as the boat cut through the water, she looked at Wanda with a curious look on her face. The elf smiled at the little lizard girl, reached out for her bag, grabbed one of the biscuits she took earlier, and tossed it at the girl. The little lizard girl hastily snatched the little treat midair. The girl’s face seemed to beam with joy as Wanda waved at her. Wanda saw the girl tear the paper off the biscuit and nibble on it as the boat floated away from Wanda. The mage then sighed, she had no plans for the rest of the day and didn’t fancy doing more reading. So, she decided it’s better to go back home.

She crossed the bridge and walked along the river, Her eyes went up towards the high city walls to the west. Flagpoles stood proudly with white and blue banners dancing with the wind. And a little further, towards the center of the city, laid the Qarar Palace. A large building with dark blue marble and crowned with a glistening glass dome. It’s where the trade syndicate manages the city. Wanda couldn’t help but scoff at how marvelous the palace looked from afar and looking down on some of the dirty streets of Idosa.

After an hour of walking through the stone streets, she arrived near a two-story building with a large wooden door, and a sign with the words  “The Jolly Turtle” that hung above it. She stepped closer and opened the door, which let out a subtle creek as she set foot inside. Wanda entered the tavern hall, she saw tables, curtains half-covering the windows, and a single streak of light coming from a big circular window above the entrance she just came from. There was a fireplace at the corner with a freshly started fire, above it was a painting of a sun sitting over a field of grass. All of which already gave the elf a cozy feeling. No patrons yet, though she knew it wasn’t prime hours for drinkers.

Wanda saw a man cleaning the bar counter. He had red hair that went down to his shoulders, an olive skin tone, and distinctively round feline ears. He continued to scrub the counter as he hummed a melody, paying no attention to the elf who had just entered his tavern. The bartender turned his back to reveal a long tail with a little hairy tuft at the end of it. He began to sing a song, but the lyrics were unintelligible to Wanda, but his voice was so euphonious that she couldn’t help but smile.

The elf slowly walked and sat on one of the chairs near the counter. She rested her head on her palm as he continued singing nonchalantly. The bartender turned around and yelped when he saw Wanda sitting in front of him. His eyes widened, as if he saw a monster right in front of him.

“Aw, and here I was enjoying the song.” She chuckled.

“Wanda…f-for how long were you just sitting there?!” He yelled at her.

“Long enough to hear one of the best singing voices in Idosa, thought you’d hired a bard to liven up the place.” Laughed the elf.

“Well… I...” He muttered, Wanda could see a faint hint of a blush on his face.

“Come on, Theo. I’m just teasing ya! Let’s hear more of that singing.”

“I…think this is enough singing for today.” He said as he resumed cleaning the counter. “Never thought you’d be back so early. I thought you’d study that tome of yours until the sun goes down.”

“Not as useful as I would have hoped. I only studied half of it, and a lot of the pages are filled with praises for the king and how amazing their kingdom is.” Wanda looked around. “Where is Yeva?”

“She went to bring some supplies, we wanted to experiment with new cocktails, and went after some new ‘secret ingredient’ of sorts.”

“Oh, what’s that?”

“Some sort of brown sweet, thought we’d add more variety to our menu.”

“Well, don’t just tell me about it. Gimme a taste!”

“Right up!” Theo walked to a cabinet, grabbed a brass pitcher, and emptied a brown looking drink into an empty mug. He took the mug and placed it in front of Wanda.

“Here you go! On the house, this time.” He said with a warm smile on his face.

Wanda nodded then stood up. She approached the counter and grabbed the mug. Her eyes looked down at the brown drink as it glistened under the tavern’s lights. She took a sip, her tongue was treated with a tang of sweet and nutty flavor. She let out a subtle moan as she licked her lips.

“This is amazing, Theo!”  She said before taking another sip.

“I bet you never tasted anything like it in Azalia, I bet you tree worshipers are picky eaters.”

“We don’t worship a tree!” She spat back at him as she took another sip.

Theo chuckled as he resumed cleaning, “Do you miss it, though? Azalia I mean.”

Wanda shrugged. “Not really, there isn’t much for me to miss. Even if I wanted to return, I’ve burned too many bridges for that to happen.”

“I know how that feels.” He sighed.

“Theo.” She leaned closer to him. “Tell me.”

“Tell you…what?” He said nervously, his ears were low facing sideways.

“One does not exactly ask a question like that out of nowhere, there is something going on inside that cat head of yours.” She gently tabbed his forehead.

Theo glanced away from his elven friend, then looked back at her with a smile on his face. “It’s nothing, enjoy your drink.” He said as he resumed cleaning the counter.

At that moment, the tavern door flung open, and a female figure came in carrying a large backpack. She had a wavy blonde hair tied in a ponytail, wore leather pants, and a midriff-revealing shirt red and black that showcased her toned abs. She also had the same lion-like feline features as Theo.

“Finally…home.” The woman grunted as she slipped off the backpack and sat down on the nearest chair. “Maybe I should have paid for a mule or- Wanda! You’re back early.”

“Well, if it ain’t our house cat.” Sneered Wanda.

“Shut up!” The lion girl was soon back up on her feet and stretched her arms. Her shirt went up, revealing more of her olive-skinned toned stomach, and a hint of an underboob. “I had to carry this all the way here from the markets.”

“Yeva, you should have asked me to help you out.” Argued Theo.

“I’m fine! Besides, we need someone to watch over the tavern.” She grabbed the backpack, walked over to Theo, and placed it on the counter with a loud thud. “That damn merchant tried to make me pay our entire savings for this, I managed to haggle a nice deal out of him.”

“You…didn’t threaten him, did you?” Asked Theo.

“What? Of course not!”

“I dunno, I still remember when you scared off that spice salesman.”

“He was trying to scam us!” She argued back.

“What’s this?” Asked Wanda as she peered over the bag.

“Oh, Wanda, this thing is incredible!” Yeva reached out for her bag and took out a large metallic container. “This thing here is called caramel, it’s a type of sweet popular in Sobania.”

“So this is the ‘secret ingredient.’ Theo gave me a taste of it.”

“Yeva loves bringing all sorts of wild stuff from the market,” Theo said as he opened the lid and took a whiff. “Yep, this is the one.”

Wanda looked over the pot as a sugary and nutty aroma filled her nostrils.. Yeva brought a plate, ladle, scooped a portion of it in then poured it over the plate. The lion girl then picked up a wooden spoon and gave it to Wanda.

“Try it raw!” She offered.

Wanda grabbed the spoon, and scooped a little of the brown condiment, and tasted it. She moaned a little as she enjoyed the sugary taste.

“Lovely, isn’t it? The merchant said it’s made from Sobanian sugar canes, the taste is divine!” Explained Yeva as she messaged her shoulder. “Carrying this thing all over here is gonna make my shoulders ache for days.”

“Ask me next time you shop, I can help you lift!”

“With what, these scrawny blue arms of yours?” Chuckled Yeva.

“I can lift heavy stuff!”

“Wanna bet on it?” She smiled and crossed her arms.

“Pfft, that’s it? I’ve moved boulders before!”

“Without magic.” She said with a grin across her face.

“Oh?” Wanda’s expression turned from a shining grin into a frown. “Well, I…uh.”

“You see this, Theo?” Yeva guffawed. “Oh, the mighty elves are useless without their magic!”

“They can’t do anything without that stick they carry around.” He added.

“I’m not useless without magic! I can lift this.” Wanda grabbed both sides of the pot, and tried to lift it up. She let out a loud grunt and her arms strained, but the pot didn’t move an inch. She took a deep breath and pulled on the pot again, not to no avail.

Yeva leaned over to the bottom of the pot. “You know, I think it lifted it up just a little bit, maybe a hair’s width!” She sneered.

Wanda groaned as she felt like her arms were going to be ripped apart. She let go of the pot, and walked over to the next table, her arms ached, as was her pride.

“I better take this back.” Theo lifted the pot and took it inside. He waddled the whole way, as even he had a little bit of trouble with it.

“It’s okay, Wanda, we still love ya.” Said Yeva.

“Don’t patronize me.” Pouted Wanda as she sat down.

“So, you’re back early,” said the lion girl as she grabbed a rag and swiped over a table next to Wanda. “Thought you’d be there all day.”

“That tome was as useful as a hammer made of glass. It was so boring I wanted to gouge my eyes out.” Explained Wanda.

"That's a shame." Yeva bent down to pick up a mug from the floor. "Thought you'd learn something cool, like turning your nose red, or pulling a long strand of cloth out of your mouth."

"Very funny, Yeva."

The lion girl laughed as she walked past Wanda, her tail swaying left and right, the elf resisted the urge to grab it and play with the tuft at the tip. Yeva bent to clean the table, and Wanda got a nice view of the lion girl’s luscious rear end.

At that moment, the tavern door was burst open, a woman came into the hall followed by two tall men. One was blonde, and the other was bald. The woman however, had short black hair, and wore a long purple colored jacket.

"Welcome to the Jolly Turtle!" Yeva approached the woman with a smile on her face. "How can I help you?"

"This place is nice…" Said the woman as she walked towards the fireplace. "Theo must be doing good for himself, huh?"

"The jungle folks seem to know how to run a business." Laughed the man with blonde hair.

"Shame he doesn't keep up with his promises." Added the bald man.

"I-I don't follow, what do-"

"You must be Yevana." The woman interrupted her. "Theo told me all about you.”

At that moment, Theo emerged from the kitchen. His amber eyes widened when he saw the woman and her men in the tavern hall.

“M-Miss Evona.” He jolted closer to her. His tail whipped back and forth and his lips twirled into a nervous smile. “What brings you here?”

“I’m here for my money, Theo. You promised you’re gonna pay me this week.”

“L-look, Miss Evona, business was slow the past week, I-I promise to pay you as soon as I can!”

“Theo, what’s the meaning of this?” Yeva interjected, her ears were low and flat.

“You see, your dear partner owes me ten thousand gold. He was supposed to pay me three months ago, but out of my kindness and generosity, I gave him more time to have more money, but I waited long enough.”

“I took eight thousand, and you want me to pay ten!” Exclaimed Theo. “Look, I have some coin, I can pay more than half of it now and I-”

“I’ve waited long enough,” she interrupted him. “I came here to take all my money.”

“I don’t have it, but I promise you I-”

“I’m sick of your empty promises. I'm getting my pay one way or another. " She walked, and her hand gently stroked one of the tables. "This is quite the nice establishment, shame you're gonna lose it."

"Yeah, mistress Evona always takes what she wants!" Said the bald goon.

"Hey!" Cried Yeva as she angrily walked towards the human, her tail was puffed. "Who the fuck do you think you are?! You think you can just barge in, and threaten us?!"

"In the matter of fact, I think I do."  She neared herself to the lion girl. Yeva tried to get near the human, but the goons stood in front of her, shielding Evona. "You people should have stayed in the jungle where you belong. Idosa is no place for you. I know people in this city, your little tavern will be mine in no time"

Wanda glared at the two men and Evona before reaching for her staff. Her heart sensed peace time was running out. She saw Yeva’s eyes glare at Evona while her feline ears kept twitching.

"I'll never let you take my tavern!" Yelled Theo, the first time Wanda had seen any rage course through him.

"Well then," Evona's lips twirled into a grin. "I guess you'll pay by your blood"

"You'll n-"

The blonde man grabbed Theo's neck and lifted him up. He sputtered as he flailed both of his legs. He tried to scream, but his voice was muffled.

"Get away from him!" Cried Yeva as she dashed, jumped onto the blonde haired goon, and gave him a bite on his shoulder. The human let go of Theo and let out a cry.

The bald human ran towards them, but Wanda quickly stood up, pointed her staff at him. "Hawaa!" She yelled, and a gust of wind came out of her staff and knocked the bald goon away, along with some mugs and utensils.  She ran towards Theo, and placed her hand on his shoulders, "Are you okay?"

He let out hacking coughs before giving a nod.

She nodded back at him before turning her attention to the other goon. The blonde human grabbed Yeva and threw her at where Wanda stood. The mage quickly concentrated her energy and cast a spell on Yeva's body. The lion girl was suspended in the air, Yeva flailed her arms and legs for a little while before she was gently lowered next to her partner.

"Is the elf a friend of yours?" Asked Evona.

"If you wanna get to them." Wanda pointed her staff at Evona and her goons. "You're gonna have to get through me!"

"Well, elf. Have it your way." She gestured for her goons towards Wanda.

The concentrated magical power into her staff. Before the goons could reach her, a brilliant beam of blue light that lit the hall shot from her staff, and into the direction of Evona and the two other humans. For a second, nothing happened, but soon enough, their bodies began to shrink. Evona looked into her own body and hands as she and her goons continued to shrink until they were small enough to fit into Wanda's palm. The blue elf couldn’t shake the smirk off her face as the trio looked so puny.

The mage towered over them. Evona and her goons looked at the giantess with fear. The trio yelled dashed away from the giant blue elf, but Wanda quickly cast another spell and the three tiny bodies started levitating until they reached her eye level.

"Lemme go!" Said the blonde haired human.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Cried Evona.

"Like you said, I'm having it my way." Giggled Wanda.

The mage walked over to Yeva who helped her partner be back on his feet by placing his arm over her shoulder. Theo let out a grunt as Yeva helped him sit on a chair.

"You guys okay?" Asked Wanda.

"I've had better d-" Yeva's eyes blinked twice when she saw the three bodies floating in the air. "Did…did you just…"

"Is that…Evona?" Theo raised both of his eyebrows as he stared at the floating small bodies.

"Shrinking magic! It's amazing, isn't it?"

"Just wait until the city guards hear about this! I'm gonna-"

"Oh, but they won't," Wanda leaned her staff on the wall, cupped her hands, and lowered the three tiny figures into them. "You're not gonna be able to tell anyone."

"What do you mean?" Asked the bald goon.

Wanda parted her hands and had the blonde goon in one hand and Evona with bald goon in the other. She stared at the helpless small as he stared back at her with wide, horrified eyes.

"Oh, you're going to a place where you won't be able to harm anyone anymore." She giggled.

"Wanda, what are you going to do with them?" Yeva raised an eyebrow.

"Remember the time I told you about how I defeated that white order mage? Well, I'll show you I dealt with her."

Wanda dangled the blonde haired human above her head, parted her lips, and dangled her wet, purple tongue out. The goon let out a shriek and flailed his arms and legs.

"Wait! Hold on! You can't do this to me!" He yelled.

Wanda lowered the tiny goon and neared him to her face. "Give me one reason not to."

"I-I-I taste bad!"

"Huh, well." She looked at the bar counter and a large grin formed on her face. "I have the remedy for that."

The blue elf walked towards the counter, near the plate which had the caramel condiment. She dosed the tiny goon in the brown substance until he was covered top to bottom, she could hear his muffled screams as his body was dosed in the sugary substance.

She lifted him up, his body soaked in caramel and a streak of the sweet condiment went down Wanda's palm and dripped into the counter.

"Now then, this should solve the taste problem. "

"Wait, I c-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Wanda quickly slurped his body in between her lips and into her mouth. The strong taste of caramel shot through her mouth as the tiny goon moved around her mouth, desperate for survival. She played with him using her tongue, moving him left and right. He was hopeless and she was all-powerful. He could cry all he wanted but his fate was sealed.

Wanda moved him to the back of her mouth and swallowed him whole, letting out a wet gulp. She felt his body slide down her body, he was a bit big, his descent was somewhat slow. Perhaps she should have shrunken him a little more. She unconsciously rubbed her bare midriff as soon as she felt him drop into her stomach.

“You…you actually swallowed him…” Theo said in disbelief, was aghast at what he just witnessed.

Yeva stepped closer to her elven friend, “Can…can you feel him?”

“I do! It feels great, too!” She patted her stomach.

 “You monster!” Evona squirmed in an attempt to free herself. “Do something, you bonehead!”

“What do you want me to do?! I can’t defeat a giant elf” Said the bald human.

“What am I paying you morons for?!”

“Stop.yelling at- whoa!”

Wanda grabbed the remaining goon, and dosed him in caramel, just like his compatriot. She lifted him and immediately slurped him into her mouth. The blue elf played with his tiny body around her mouth, enjoying his hopeless squirms, and the sugary taste of caramel. Her elven ears could hear his muffled screams as he moved around her mouth like a rat trapped in a cage.

The mage moaned as she enjoyed the taste of her morsel, but her stomach was waiting. She moved him to the back of her mouth and with a one gulp she sent him down her throat. Wanda felt the goon scream and struggle all the way down to her stomach. Two people now reside inside her, and she patted her bare abdomen after feeling them move around.  She looked at the remaining tiny person in her hand and brushed her lips using her purple tongue.

“Don’t you dare!” cried Evona as she rapidly quivered in the giantess’ hand.

 Wanda pinned the tiny human to her bare, blue skinned midriff. “Can you listen to them, aren’t they having the time of their lives?”

“I will never die inside some cerulean elf’s gut!” Cried Evona.

“Cerulean?!” She glared at the tiny woman. “Call me that again and I'll chomp your head off!” She bared her teeth.

The lion girl kept staring at the tiny human. Her amber eyes had a stare that would suck a person's soul.

"Wanda…can I ask you for a favor?" Asked Yeva.

"You've got it!"

“Let me eat her.”

“Yeva… you can’t be serious!” Cried Theo.

“She told her goons to kill us!” She argued back at him.

“But…”

“So, you wanna have a piece of the fun, eh?” Wanda couldn’t help but look at her friend with a wide grin across her face, excitement slowly to brew within her. “Are you ready?”

The lion girl’s eyes glanced at Evona, and then right back at Wanda. “Yes, definitely.”

“Alrighty then!”

“Wait, you can’t do-” Evona’s speech was dulled as her body was lowered into the caramel plate. She let out muffled screams as Wanda moved her body left and right.

Wanda lifted the tiny human’s body up, she was covered in caramel from top to bottom. She looked back at Yeva. “Well, say ahhhhhhh!”

Yeva stared at the caramel covered Evona, before slowly parting her lips. Her maw opened wide to show two rows of teeth and four long fangs were the most prominent among them, two columns of saliva, and a dangling wet uvula right above the darkness of her throat. The lion girl's pinkish colored tongue extended like a wet, flesh-made welcoming mat. Wanda gently placed the small human into her friend’s tongue.

Evona tried to move, but Yeva quickly retracted her tongue, and slurped the tiny human with it. Her eyelids went wide open as she experienced the taste. The lion girl let out a subtle moan as she moved the tiny human in. The lion girl’s left and right cheeks bulged as she played with the hopeless prey inside her mouth. Wanda could hear the subtle, helpless screams of the lion girl’s prey as she was being toyed with.

“Come on, swallow her.” Wanda said to herself, her heart was racing with anticipation.

Yeva closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and with one mighty gulp, she swallowed. Wanda saw a bulge form on the lion girl's slender neck that made its way down and disappeared behind her collarbone. The lion girl’s eyes opened wide, and placed her hand on her chest, no doubt feeling the little human struggle all the way to her waiting stomach. With that, Evona was gone. She could never come back into the outside world, Yeva is her world now.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Evona felt her body being pressed from all sides as she slid down the giantess’s esophagus. The sounds of Yeva’s body filled her ear drums, including the rhythm of the lion girl’s beating heart. The flesh-made tunnel was tight, she felt her body would burst. The human felt her feet pass through an even tighter orifice and sooner than later, she felt herself in free fall for a brief moment before falling into a pool of liquid with a splash.

She flailed arms as she felt the liquid burn her skin. She desperately swam until she reached what felt like a wall. Evona reached for her coat, and pulled a glowstone. She shook it and let out a bright, blue light. The human saw herself in a chamber made up of  fleshy walls composed of gnarly lines by all sides. She was in a pool with what looked like Yeva’s previous meal, which was halfway digested. It all looked like giant clumps, of white, brown, and green blobs to her.

“I’m not dying here!” She punched the stomach walls as hard as she could, but her puny hands could do so much. She continued punching until she had no power to punch anymore. The stomach walls moved in a rhythm, and the churns of Yeva’s body filled her ears.

Evona collapsed, she felt helpless, powerless, and defeated. Yeva has completely overpowered her. The lion girl’s body treated her no different from any other meal the giantess ate. Her fate was sealed, and there is no way out. She couldn’t help but let out some tears as she felt the stomach acid burn her skin.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You did it, you’ve swallowed her!” Wanda jumped, feeling the goons slosh around in her stomach. “So tell me, how does it feel?”  

“Wanda… I’ve never felt anything like this before.” Replied Yeva as she placed her hand on her bare abs. “I felt her struggle all the way to my stomach, and I can still feel her moving inside!”

Wanda couldn't take her eyes off her friend’s bare stomach, behind these perfectly sculpted abs lay Evona, cut-off from the world, completely enveloped by Yeva’s athletic body, and completely under the mercy of its inner-workings. The elf even heard a faint gurgle coming out of her friend’s belly.

“I can’t believe you did this…” Said Theo.

“Theo, why didn’t you tell me we were in debt?!” Yeva glared at him.

“I…” Theo held his arm which was still aching, “I’m sorry Yeva. The stuff we sold when we came here didn’t give us as much money as I would have hoped. You were so excited about us starting a new life here, and I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Theo, please don’t hide stuff like that from me. We could’ve gotten into a lot of trouble!”

“You’re right, I should’ve told you…” He looked away from her.

“Do you think we’re safe?”

“Dunno, I think you’ve just swallowed your debt problem.” Chuckled Wanda.

“Wanda, since when do you know how to shrink people? I’ve never seen anything like that.” Said Yeva.

“Found it on an old scroll back in Azalia. Nobody seemed to have paid attention to it. People a long time ago used to shrink boxes for easier shipping, but I found out it can work on living beings too!”

“So you…swallowed that white order mage?” Asked Theo.

“She was tasty!” exclaimed Wanda.

“You can’t be serious…”

“Nah, fuck Hilrandians.” Yeva interjected

“See? Your cat-wife understands!” Wanda elbowed Yeva.

“Don’t call me cat-wife!”

Wanda chortled. “I think I'm going to my room." She dosed her finger into the caramel and then licked it off. " This sweet is an amazing find, Yeva. "

" Shame we don't have any more small people to eat." Yeva patted her stomach.

" Yeva!" Cried Theo.

" Theo, you can't judge me until you try it!"

" I certainly will not! ”

"I'll leave you two to squabble."  The blue elf doused her finger in caramel and then gave it a lick. "This thing is too good!"

"Hey Wanda, thank you."  Theo held his own tail, she could almost see his eyes tear up. "I made a huge mistake and I…"

"Theo, don't think about it, okay? It was nothing."

"Theo, please." Yeva sat next to her partner, her tail wrapped around his waist. "We're all here now, we're safe."

Wanda thought it's best to give them some space, and thus left the lion couple behind as she ascended the stairs and opened her bedroom door. The curtains danced with the wind as she had forgotten to close her window. The room was somewhat chilly, but she didn't mind it.

The mage reclined her staff on the wall, and laid on her bed. She placed her hand on her bare stomach as she still felt the goons struggle inside her. She couldn’t help but smile as she closed her eyes, hoping for a nice nap.