Chapter 14

The furniture was sparse, and while the air lingered, stale and musty, on his lungs, Merrick couldn’t deny the cabin’s quaint charm. A squat, unassuming building. They’d found it tucked back into the woods like some long-lost shrine. A stone chimney beckoned to the sky, a few bricks having come loose to gather at its base. The front door, painted a vivid crimson, was wide enough for a horse to enter. The porch floorboards creaked as they made their way cautiously inside.

The interior was humble, with the main room functioning as a combination living space and kitchen. There was a rudimentary cooking area with a pot-bellied stove, a rickety table and chairs, and a set of cabinets that housed a collection of porcelain plates, cups, and saucers. A small shelf held a few books and some curious artifacts; a menagerie of ceramic figures in the shapes of rabbits, ducks, and bears. To the left, a small, unmade bed sat tucked away in the corner, and Eliza immediately waddled towards it. It wasn’t long before she laid sprawled out, belly protruding like a ripe fruit. The once lingering hem of her red dress now hiked up far enough for Merrick to see the pale bottom hemisphere of her mountainous middle. Was she still growing? Was that possible? He watched intently from a nearby chair, attempting to measure her circumference. Eyes growing wider at the slightest stirring of cloth as her groaning middle expanded another fraction of an inch. The dress’s retreating hem continued its rout up her straining belly. The briefest glimpse of her black cord could now be seen, its magical vestment encircling her, pressing into her unblemished skin, even as she grew bigger.

Soon enough, Eliza was snoring. The sound of her corset’s stretching leather and her own measured breaths filled the cabin. Merrick followed close behind.

———

He dreamed of writhing vines, twisted and deformed, closing around him. Grasping him. Rending the flesh from his limbs.

---------

He awoke to the smell of roasted meat. Hovering over him, Eliza smiled as she hummed contentedly. Her long hair hung loose and wild over her delicate shoulders. She’d somehow changed outfits during the night, and now an embroidered nightgown accentuated the contours of her rounded form, the outline of her bare belly and breasts pressing intently into the sheer fabric. She’d definitely shrunk since last night. He imagined her natural metabolism was still putting up the good fight, but there was no doubt she was still larger than he’d ever seen her. Merrick couldn’t help but watch her as she padded around the room. Her movements exaggerated, almost feline; the same deliberate effort, but less grace now and more unwieldiness.

Had she cooked? It smelled delicious, but... Had there been wood last night? He didn’t recall, but it seemed unlikely. Eliza plated the meal; a hearty slab of cooked roast and steaming potatoes with herbs, and laid the dishes out on the table. Merrick watched her belly bob and sway before her as she sat down, legs parted, thighs pressing insistently into the wood frame of the chair. The hem of her gown had once again begun to inch its way up.

“Hun-gr-y.” Eliza spoke between mouthfuls, tearing at the meat with her fingers. She paused and licked the juices from her lips. “Gu-ests.”

Merrick paused, his eyes scanning the room before lingering on the front door. Had they come? Were they already here? He rose slowly from his seat. Between bites, Eliza curiously watched him, a look of mirth plastered on her beautiful face. The squeaking of floorboards, the tiniest of creaking murmurs. The creatures - these nymphs- sauntered from the back bedroom, their gnarled, tiny legs moving the bulk of their upper frames in a spastic jerky manner, as if the simple act of movement was causing them great pain. There were three of them. The wrinkled, aged flesh clinging to their bony structures reminded Merrick of old cloth drying on a line.

These creatures were nothing like he had pictured; these were ancient beings. They hobbled to the table, surrounding and straightening, as if taking root, next to Eliza’s chair. Their deep-set eyes watching her with strict intent. Unmoving like tiny stumps.

Eliza scooted back her chair, presenting herself proudly for their inspection. As if by silent command, she stood, the weight of her stomach made apparent as the rickety chair shuddered at its release. Lifting the hem of her nightgown, she revealed herself. Baring her naked body before them. She was heavy and swollen; the dark cord wrapped around her middle, stretching with every passing mouthful.

As one, the creatures fanned out around her, each coming to inspect her as an eager lover might. The seemingly oldest of the three gripped her stomach as it made a pass, its weathered fingers digging into her skin. Merrick’s heart fluttered as Eliza moaned. The youngest, with a firm grip on the curve of her breast, leaned in close and inhaled deeply through its puckered mouth. Eliza gasped as its tiny hands pressed and caressed her shape, pushing, searching for a weakness. It paused when its palm found the slight swell of her navel and began massaging it as Eliza moaned again. The oldest placed its hand on Eliza’s belly button and pushed, and as it did so the skin grew taunt, the ridges and folds of her cord’s coils came into focus.

Merrick watched Eliza’s belly stretch anew, growing wider. Each hand, now planted firmly on her, pressed in deep; searching, feeling. The Fey belched with a sheepish grin. When they had finished, the three retreated towards the bedroom without so much as a look or word.

---------

In the weeks that followed, Merrick rarely saw Eliza outside of meals. Her days were spent in the back bedroom, surrounded by the three creatures who tended to her needs and truly gluttonous appetite. She slept a lot, her mind wading in dreams, while her body continued its expansion. Daily, she’d ask Merrick to come to her room, to rub her belly; to feed her. He eagerly awaited her cries, the lilting call of his name which she now had no problems pronouncing. The nymphs would watch, always watch, as if silently egging him on while judging his every action. When needed, and seemingly before Eliza knew herself, the small creatures would trundle from her bedroom, sometimes in the dead of darkness, and return with food or whatever the Fey required. Sometimes, they’d grasp at her, squeezing and prodding in earnest to feel her body respond. She’d grown fatter every day since the creatures arrived. Her belly swelled under the torrent of offered calories. A great arcing mound topped with her engorged breasts, now plump and swollen, with the Warden’s latent magic.

Sometimes, they’d lay in bed with her, side by side, their tiny bodies pressed against her expanding form. In time, one would disappear, returning with a bowl of fruit; the sweetest pears and berries, plump grapes, and crisp apples. One would hold the bowl, as another ladled the fruits into her open mouth, their bark-laden fingers pushing each morsel past her eager lips. Their eyes would follow her throat as it flexed with each swallow. They’d feed her until her belly grew large and tight. Until her gluttony was satiated, and her form, now massive and gravid, pressed insistently into the sheets. One would follow the gentle slope of her stomach to its apex, where its hand would rest, warm and comforting. And then it would push. Pressing and kneading, watching the contours of the cord’s black tendrils shimmer as they pressed deeper into her. Her skin would give, growing taunt and thin as it stretched out to accommodate its growing load.

Under the creature’s care, Eliza’s troublesome metabolism seemed to dissipate. Like the flick of a switch, her body, once determined and resolute to shed weight, now appeared to absorb every calorie put into it.

And the creatures were insatiable.

The nymphs seemed to know she was peckish before even she did. They’d watch her eat; observe her. Fill her to the point of bursting.

On any one night, Merrick would sit struck in sheer amazement as he watched them coax her into a state of absolute over-indulgence. At the dinner table, she was fed portions twice as large as any he’d seen before. Her belly bulged and strained as she ate. Her mouth, agape in a perpetual state of feeding, as the nymphs followed each successive bite with another. “Feels...so...good...” Her words, slurred and broken. Eliza’s tongue lapped at her lips, begging for more. The creatures would always oblige. Merrick watched as they massaged her belly; pressing in with small, concentrated fists. Their eyes grew wide as her abdomen blossomed under their ministrations. Her head tilted back as she sucked in a breath; her nostrils flared as she exhaled and groaned.

Many times, they’d lay her out on the floor, and push and press on her heaving middle with their tiny hands, chittering with each new groan. As her belly grew tighter and heavier, she’d arch her back, buckling under the pressure. Merrick grew drunk on the sound of her labored breathing, the sight of her straining flesh. Her breasts had grown heavy and round; the mounds of her pale chest heaving as she inhaled through clenched teeth. By the end of things, Eliza would barely be able to keep her glazed eyes open, a torrent of groans and belches bubbling up and out of her as the creatures helped her to bed.

---------

The passage of time seemed to draw out, elongate. Eliza hadn’t left her room in two days.

Merrick opened the door and peered inside. She was sitting up on the bed, her back resting against the bank of pillows, the hem of her dress drawn up over her gorged belly. Her breasts were bare; the tops of her large breasts jutted out over the strained fabric. A single candle cast the room in a dull yellow glow as she looked up from her book, and a welcoming smile crept across her face at the sight of him.

“Look at you.” He grinned. “So big. So full.” Was he speaking? He felt weightless.

Eliza sighed, and he watched her full belly drop between her thighs as spread her legs at his approach.

Merrick placed his hands on the underside of her belly; feeling its weight. She was gravid, swollen tight, but she had yet to pass her breaking point. Somehow, he knew this. Embraced it. Yearned for it. He pressed in with his thumbs, rubbing in concentric circles around the cave of her belly button. He felt the taut surface of her stretched midsection yield to his touch; felt the entirety of her enormous middle. She groaned, long and low, the sound vibrating in his core.

“Merrick... Please...” Her words were pure. Uninhibited. She pushed her chest out, her breasts reaching for him, the top of her dress bunching up under the heft of her seemingly pregnant stomach. He settled his knees between her slender legs, and leaned forward, cupping her swollen breasts with his hands. Their weight was substantial as he squeezed, testing the firmness of her milk-swollen mounds.

Eliza sighed as he licked the tip of her each breast; swirling his tongue around the bud of her nipples. She gasped as he took it into his mouth and began to suckle.

“Merrick...” Her voice was hushed and reverential. “Please... I’m so hungry...”

He paused, her breast leaving his mouth with a gentle pop. Moving closer, he unbuttoned his trousers and Eliza’s stomach growled in response. She reached forward and wrapped her hands around him, her alabaster skin contrasting with the deep tan of his cock as she guided him into her open mouth.

There was no prelude, no moment to adjust or prepare. No sooner had the head of his cock crossed her lips than she took him into her mouth. Her head sinking down and swallowing him. The sound of her sloppy gulps filled the room as she greedily devoured him, her tongue undulating as it lapped at his length. Her lips glided over his girth, her mouth like a vice gripping him.

Merrick held Eliza’s head in his hands and rocked his hips; plunging his cock in and out with a steady, natural rhythm. Her long hair fell across her face like a veil as her head bobbed in concert with his thrusts. He groaned as she pushed forward, her nose pressing into his pubic mound as she swallowed his full length in a single motion. She held him there for several seconds; her mouth flexing as she drank him in. He pulled back, and she gasped for air, only to surge forward, consuming him once more.

Her belly pressed against him, and then, seemingly, all around him. She held him there for a minute, her eyes rolling back as she feeds on the musky scent of his arousal. With a violent motion, she pulled back, ejecting him from her throat with a deepening gasp, and bearing forward and down on his cock. He moaned as she grabbed his ass, pushing him in deeper, sucking and clenching.

Her throat bobbed as she drank his seed with a series of grunts.

“Fuck...” Merrick looked down, watching his cum overflow from the corners of her mouth as she gulped it down, each swallow producing an audible ripple in her throat. Her gorged middle rising with each gulp.

“Fill me up.” She pleaded. “Feed me. More...” Her eyes were glassy, her pale skin flushed pink. Her open mouth drooled, its pink tongue running over the tops of her teeth as she pulled back and look up at him.

The shifting of the light, a play of the shadows, and Eliza’s face was no more. Like shrugging off a mirage, Merrick watched it contort. The candles’ light dancing and, somehow, morphing the Fey’s face until the pale angular visage shifted into something far more sinister and malignant. Something unknowable.

Illeona...

Acolyte Sera’s malformed face grinned at him now. Nearly all the flesh scoured away, leaving only a bloody mash. Her eyes were empty sockets. Pools of writhing darkness. And her mouth… Her mouth stretched and grew, inch by squelching inch, curling until it covered her gnarled face with a great rictus snarl.

And from it a single grating breath smelling of the tomb. “More...”

---------

Merrick jerked awake. Sweat had soaked through his shirt.

It was late morning, the sun already well on its way to cresting. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. How long had he been out? He watched as one of the creatures sauntered out of Eliza’s bedroom, its back to him as it slowly shuffled towards the table, where a sizable platter of fruit awaited Eliza’s feasting pleasure.

He rose quickly and followed it...