Magical pest control. It's tedious and unenviable grunt work that more often than not gets shoved off onto those lower in the guild pecking order. Unfortunately, someone has to introduce the newbies to the ins and outs of doing away with bothersome monsters. In this case, those someones happen to be Jem and Russo as they allow Dax to shadow them on what should be a simple errand. ...Yeah we all know it's not how this is going to turn out.

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Russo shuffled side to side, splashing his snow-stained boots in the half-melted slush. He could feel the tips of his fingers going numb even with his gloved hands shoved deep into his crimson laced pockets. “Jem, this place is a decrepit piece of crap. Just kick the door down and be done with it.” Arms bundled up against his sides, disjointed puffs of shimmering breaths wafted up from his mouth.

“Cold, Russo?” Tail wagging side to side, Dax could hardly contain himself. The well-insulated wolf was tagging along on his very first formal mission!

“What do you think?” Russo sarcastically replied. Before the human was a ramshackle and long abandoned shop. Nestled deep inside one of Tedrah’s back alleys, a frigid burst of wind that flayed at the mortal’s exposed skin howled through the artificial tunnel.

“Mnnfff.” Russo tugged down his hood and shuddered as the very life was drawn out from him. “Would you hurry it up!” Pointed fabric tugged down past his nose, the mage’s teeth clacked together noisily.

“Dilapidated or no, we should still strive to leave this place in the same condition we found it.” Jem said while hunched over the entrance’s rusted over handle. The armored rough collie fiddled with the lock. Orange tinted flakes of metal peeled off onto his padded fingers every time the rotted door jostled against its frame.

A creaking sign swung fro and to in the tunnel of wind. Faded engravings and lettering hinted at this having been some sort of potions shop in years past. Shrouded in the shadows of looming buildings that flanked it, knobs and splinters peeled off the squat building’s pale brown frame.

“Like anyone would notice or care!” Clumps of melting snow tumbled off the thatched roof to the streets below in loud wet claps. The disturbance prompted the human to lift his hood just enough to curiously eye the pile of slush.

“Somebody obviously noticed the Flan infestation, we wouldn’t have been called out here otherwise.” Now…whether or not anybody cared what happened to this hovel was certainly up for debate. “If you’re that cold and impatient then just teleport inside,” the canine grumped.

“You know that’s not how those spells work.” With a quiet sigh, Russo acknowledged that complaining wouldn’t get the lock open any faster. If the windows weren’t caked over with that pungent yellow glaze then maybe, maybe, the mage could imagine himself looking out on the desolate cobbled streets from the inside.

Dax clutched a torn piece of parchment between his soft thick fingers. It read out ‘Pest Control’ at the top of the flapping paper. Below the header was a crude drawing of an amorphous blob sporting two beady glowing eyes and a drooping maw. “Flan, huh?” the wolf thought. Dax licked his lips hungrily. That was one of the desserts he had delighted in gorging himself on at the harvest festival! A delightfully cold and goopy milky treat that slithered down his throat like congealed jelly, all covered in cinnamon and syrup! Though now that he thought about it, it looked nowhere near as menacing at the festival as it did in the flier.

A steady stream of compacted ice and slush trickled off the abandoned shop’s gently sloping roof, splashing into the swelling puddles that threatened to swallow the street below. As the minutes ticked by the deluge gradually ground to a halt.

“Well that’s a relief,” Russo mumbled. His mind no longer compelled to anticipate every drip and drop, he tilted his head back to take in the sight of… a wall of snow slowly sliding down the thatched incline. The roof sagged noticeably under its concentrated weight, pressing down on the top of the crumbling door as more and more ice and slush melded into misshapen form. “Jem.”

“I’ve almost got it…” Jem replied with a dismissive wave. A startled yelp escaped from his muzzle when he was roughly yanked back by the scruff of his fluffy mane. “I said I was almost-”

Conceding defeat to this winter’s significant snowfall, the old potion shop’s roof collapsed in on itself with a wet crunch. Waves of white cascaded down the front of the building, bringing down with them the troublesome front door. Stale and musty air wafted out from behind the fading billows of snowflakes and splinters.

“You’re welcome by the way,” Russo simply stated.

Jem leaned back into the human and blankly stared at the narrowly avoided winter burial. “Appreciate the save.” Scratching at his furred forehead, the canine gathered his jumbled thoughts.

Dax excitedly trudged through the mess into the exposed bowels of their dilapidated destination. “Let’s go hunt some monsters!” Even from outside, the mage and warrior could hear the floorboards heave and groan ominously under the wolf’s generousness.

Shaking his head, Jem dutifully followed after him. “Dax, you’re only here to observe remember? Master wants you to shadow us, nothing more. Darnit, Dax.” The rough collie’s voice echoed out from inside the building. “Look with your eyes not your hands.”

“Well, at least I wasn’t the one to bring something crashing down this time. Feels kinda nice actually.” With a shrug of his shoulders, Russo trailed the two sets of paw prints stamped into the snow. “Find anything yet, you two?” He called out upon breaching the ruined entrance. What little light filtered into the alleyway was bounced off the mounds of white slush and into the building’s interior. Stamping his boots against the grime covered hardwood floor, dust wafted up from between the planks at every footfall.

“Still looking!” Dax answered back.

“Sheesh, some of this crap is probably older than I am.” Russo flipped down his hood and took in his surroundings. Tables shoved against the walls, toppled shelves splayed out on the floor, tattered books piled up in the corners; this place had certainly seen better days. Shuffling his feet along the floor, the human kicked aside clouded vials and beakers. “They’re blobs for fucks sakes, how hard can it be to find some stupid Flan?” Snapping his fingers together, a lick of flame coalesced atop a fingertip. Hand held out in front of him, Russo scanned the illuminated tables. A vial frothing with blue goop that dripped down its glass curves caught his attention.

“Dax, Jem, get in here.” Russo’s unenthused voice carried over to the milky glass, rousing its inhabitant awake. Blots of cerulean manifested within the mixture, spreading like veins throughout the liquid. They throbbed with some unseen life force, thickening and coagulating until the vial’s contents were uniform in color.

“Found one already?” Jem padded up besides the human. Squinting at the curved glass wobbling of its own accord, the rough collie tilted his head side to side. “Dark blue huh…” The additional acoustic agitation prompted two beady yellow eyes to flicker to life within the container. Like lanterns, they shined through the darkness.

Situated safely behind both of his brave teachers, Dax set his chin against the mage’s shoulder and arfed at the peculiar creature. He wondered if their colors determined their flavor.

“That makes it a Water Flan, right?” Jem slapped his palm against the grip of his sword, wisps of frost rolling down from the sheath as the hilt jostled against it.

“Maybe an Ice Flan, but I see where you’re going.” Russo rolled his shoulders, forcefully nudging at the bottom of the wolf’s chin resting against it. “I’ll take care of it.” The mage slowly sauntered forward towards their mark.

“Without using fire magic, please,” Jem was quick to addend.

Halting in his tracks, Russo held his hand above his head. A flop of his wrist extinguished the flame and left trails of smoke wafting off his gloved fingertips. “This tinderbox can go up just as easily from sparks as it would embers, but whatever.” Before the smoky wisps could dissipate, they burst back to life in a crackle of white and purple light. Arcs of energy jumped from one digit to the next.

“Thank you,” Jem sighed out in relief. Clearing his throat, he turned his attention towards Dax. “Alright there Dax, today we’re hunting Flan. To ease you into the ins and outs of monster extermination, Russo here will show us the ropes!” The maned collie waited for his partner to approach the table pressed against the far wall before continuing. “Now, before you can go out and about disposing of a monster it is imperative you properly educate and prepare yourself.”

Up and down the wolf’s head bobbed as the collie’s words went in one ear and out the other.

“Flan are a pretty common pest. They’re a blobby gelatinous sort with a uh… unique naming convention.” Whatever leap or lapse in logic resulted in their nomenclature was something that escaped Jem. Why they were named after a dessert he would never know. “They can be found pretty much anywhere lots of magic and any force of nature come together.”

Vial in hand, Russo curled his fingers around the sticky goo covered neck and flipped it upside down. Shaking it vigorously, the Flan slid out with the consistency of molasses while its glowing eyes bounced against the curved glass walls.

“Come across a sparkling pond brimming with magic? You’ll probably find some Water Flan mucking about its shores. Investigating the smoldering remains of a forest fire? Don’t be surprised to see some Fire Flan sliming through the ashes.” The unmistakable sound of glass shattering rang out before the furry duo. A puddle of bubbling cerulean goop lay splayed out across dull shards upon the table. Russo shrugged off the stares directed at him while the Flan pulled itself together into a jiggling blob.

Dax’s mouth watered at the sight. It had to be blueberry flavor, had to be. Wait… The wolf furrowed his brows. What little information he had taken in rattled around his skull. “Why would they be showing up here?”

A thin crease formed upon the Flan’s surface just below its luminous eyes. It thickened, gradually, into some semblance of a mouth. Gurgling absentmindedly, a cluster of bubbles floated up from the monster’s interior.

Russo timidly swatted at the shimmering spheres, reeling back when they swirled every which way through the air. “These obnoxious things are pretty common ingredients in potions. Hell, they’re practically liquidized magic.” The first of the bevvy of bubbles made landfall, serenely drifting down and coming to a wobbling halt upon the floor. It popped with an explosive crack, power washing away years of accumulated grime in an instant. “…That happens to bite back,” Russo continued while the Flan’s simple but potent magical attack faded. “Let’s just say this is what happens when you let potions sit way past their shelf life.”

At least Dax was paying attention, Jem reassured himself. “…Anyway, standard weapons don’t work all that well on Flan given their gooey composition.” Snapping his fingers together, the armored collie’s emerald eyes flit about their dust covered surroundings for something he could use to illustrate his point. The canine whined and turned to Russo for guidance.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it.” Arching his brows, the human hrrmmed and turned his attention towards an overturned bookshelf resting atop its own regurgitated contents. Russo dropped to his knees and hefted up an encyclopedic tome as thick as his arm. Grunts punctuated his every step while he plodded back over to the groaning Flan whose eyes had bubbled back to its surface.

Jem nodded to his human companion and continued on. “This next tidbit is best conveyed via a demonstration. The troublesome thing about Flan is that physical attacks flat out don’t work on them. At all.”

A loud wet smack clapped through the air, Russo having let the weighty writings slam down upon the dimwitted monster.

Floppy ears flattening against the side of his head, the collie waited for the ringing in his ears to subside. “You can slice them, stab them, flatten them…”

“That’s my cue,” Russo told himself. Tugging up on the encyclopedia’s front cover, the mass of bound paper slowly peeled off the table. Sticky cerulean strings snapped off the book’s spine as it was pulled away; the recoil of the lurching sinew jiggled the Flan’s compacted but otherwise unharmed form.

Tail wagging side to side, Jem couldn’t help but smirk. It was nice having people acknowledge his spiels for once. “And as you can see, nothing happened. Someone like me, who relies on swords rather than sorcery, is nearly useless against those things. See Dax, this is why educating yourself about your foes is absolutely crucial. Better to know that you’re ill equipped to slay a monster ahead of time rather than in the middle of a battle with it.” The canine flicked a finger against the bottom of his sword’s hilt. A magically enchanted weapon would work wonders upon those slimy scoundrels… provided it wasn’t imbued with the same type of magic they were.

Teeth clenched, Jem bobbed his head side to side. Okay so ‘technically’ ice magic was considered a different class of magic all on its own compared to water, but it made little difference to monsters. Ice was simply one of the many different forms water could take after all.

“How do you get rid of them then?” Dax asked. Licking his lips, one method had already sprung to mind. The wolf pondered how blueberry flan toast would taste, spread in thick goopy layers over roasted bread and hold on. “Shoot, that’s right,” he pouted to himself as he came to grasp the implications of Jem’s earlier explanation. He imagined sinking a butter knife into the monster’s wobbling form. Down the silverware would gently slice through the air only to come to find itself embedded against the Flan’s sticky exterior. Oh, maybe he could spread the colorful goodness the other way around! Maybe instead he would grind a crunchy piece of toast against the Flan and no that would just get stuck too. Harrumphing to himself, silverware and breakfast pastries continued piling on top of the wolf’s pretend Flan as one idea after the other was rejected.

“Just say when, Jem,” Russo called out while he prepared a spell. Arcs of electricity ran up the gaps between his fingers in steady waves.

A raspy cough punctuated the lull in chatter while Jem swatted away the dust laden air. Blech, he could already feel a layer of grime collecting upon his fur. “So glad that you asked, Dax! As Russo touched upon earlier, Flan have a very close connection to magic. Their bodies are a sort of viscous gathering of it that’s not really a solid or liquid, which is what lets them shrug off physical attacks and cast primitive but very powerful spells.”

Russo’s crackling limb hovered near the blerching mass of slime. “Now?”

“Not yet.” Jem shook his head side to side. “Anyway, since Flan have such a close connection to magic, this results in them being very sensitive and vulnerable to any changes to it. Take this Water Flan, for example.”

Said creature slowly slimed its way across the table, gurgling as shards of glass and discarded books trailed along behind its sticky sinews.

Such dimwitted and slow moving monsters were proving an ideal way to ease Dax into the ins and outs of pest control. Jem mentally noted that so long as a wide berth was maintained there was little if any danger posed by them. “Think of it as a delicate mixture of magic and water. If any outside spells were introduced, by oh I dunno Russo over there, what do you think might happen? Any guesses at how his magic might interfere with the Flan’s own?”

Dax immediately shrugged his shoulders.

Brows flattened and eyes half-lidded, the armored canine sighed. “You could at least try to take a whack at it. Russo, if you’d be so kind?”

“Pay attention you two, as you’re about to be underwhelmed.” Hand held directly above the Flan, the human splayed out his fingers with a disjointed jerk of his arm. A sudden burst of light illuminated the room as miniaturized bolts of lightning rained down from the tips of Russo’s digits, piercing through the monster’s gooey form with ease. Subdued thunder rattled the stagnant air while the ramshackle shop went dark once more. “Tahhh dahhhh. And that’s how you kill a Flan.”

Behind him the monster gasped and wheezed. The holes that punctured its blobby body refused to close, smoke wafting up them from where the patches of the table it rested on had been smoldered black by thousands of volts of electricity. Layers of frothing goop and slime laden with sparkling magical energies slid off the Flan like sheets of water onto the creaking floor below.

Ooohs slipped forth from Dax’s muzzle. Clapping his hands together he cheered on his super strong teacher who could fell a beast with a single spell! “Neat! So you fight magic with magic.” The pudgy wolf couldn’t help but wiggle and stamp his feet excitedly. That’d be him one day, coolly dispatching monsters without even having to think about it.

Puddles of moisture spilled out from beneath the slime as it continued to fade away. Its sagging form hemorrhaged magic, ribbons and wisps of energy seething off its form. Returning to its constituent elements, the Flan’s eyes that once shined like lamps dulled to dying embers.

“These things fall to pieces when you hit them with any kind of spell that doesn’t match up with their own,” Russo yawned. Cringing at the gush of water splashing against his boots, the mage shuffled backwards. The dampened floorboards creaked and sagged worriedly under his weight.

“Well that’s one down,” Jem thought to himself. Turning his attention towards Dax once more, he resumed flapping his muzzle. “This actually segues really nicely into why it’s good practice to always take on missions as part of a team. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I may be next to useless when it comes to disposing of Flan, but Russo can off them with ease. He compensates for my weaknesses and in turn I cover for his.”

A violent froth of bubbles signaled its death throes as the foul beast was reduced to nothing more than a mere puddle. Letting out faint pops and gurgles, the last remaining bubbles vanished while years of accumulated mold and grime were lifted away. Steady streams and trickles of dirtied water dripped down between the gaps in the wood.

Frigid gusts of wind howled past the potions shop, sending shards of slush skittering inside. Arms wrapped about his chest, Russo shivered as the cold poured in. “Can we hurry this along?” In between his chattering the human’s puffs of breath were gradually rendered visible.

“If we’re going to do this right we have to be thorough.” Jem took to pacing around the room, shuffling his paws and kicking aside bottles, beakers, and vials. “One room at a time, floor by floor.” He dropped to his knees and placed his calloused hands upon an overturned bookshelf, its broad flat back staring up at the ceiling. Grunting, the canine dug his fingers into its notched and moldy sides and lifted up.

“You’re going to drag me through each and every one aren’t you?” Russo’s shoulders sagged. He was asking a question he already knew the answer too. He groaned when the furniture crashed into the floor with a cacophonous mixture of wood and glass crunching and begrudgingly relegated himself to the task in store. Its shelves exposed, more Water Flan were revealed to have been clinging tightly to the damp and darkened wood. Dammit, there better be a few Thunder and Fire Flan mucking about for him to shove off onto Jem. “I’ll take care of ‘em…” he atonally answered before trudging over towards his collie companion.

While various zaps and bursts of light flared behind him, Dax plodded over to the final resting site of the dearly departed Flan. “I knew thee well, Blueberry.” Shoving his muzzle towards what little remained of Blueberry, Dax sniffed and snuffed. His wet black nose flared its nostrils and drew in the Flan’s lingering scent. Crinkling his sniffer, the pudgy wolf continued to filter the various smells floating through air. Bahhh it was no good! Not a trace remained. Less than satisfied with the results, Dax would just have to make good with what was available to him. Parting his lips, the wolf timidly lapped at the puddle on the table.

“You know, at first I thought the old man was actually giving me a pass by having me tag along.” Electrical energies wrapped around his gloved thumb, Russo flicked bolts of lightning off it with his index finger. “Should’ve known better.”

“The help is appreciated nonetheless. Couldn’t do this without you, Russo.” Lips curled up into a smile, Jem patted reassuringly at the mage’s back.

Dax smacked his lips together, trembling at the tasty sensations dancing upon his tongue. Oh sweet Blueberry, you were as colorful as you were tasty! Sugary sweetness interlaced with a stinging aftertaste that… Hold that thought. Jaws parted wide, the wolf allowed his pink longue to loll out. Nope, that was just the splinters. He spat and raspberried them away. Still, that Flan could only be described as liquid delicious! More, he had to have more.

“These things are always a pain in the ass to clear out. Miss so much as a single one and you’ll have another infestation on your hands in days.” Sticking close to the collie, Russo patrolled around the cluttered confines for more Flan.

Jem’s floppy ears perked up at the comment. “Oh, that’s right! Dax, I nearly forgot to mention just what it is that makes Flan such a nuisance in the first place! You…” Swiveling about the grimy floor on the padded soles of his paws, Jem turned to face his absent audience. “Can’t keep still for long, can you.” The attentiveness was nice while it lasted. Head cocked to the side, he directed his gaze towards the human. “Should we chase him down? It’s not like he could stir up that much trouble on his own.” Mind still glued to the job at hand, Jem was adamant about completing one task before jumping to another.

Face pulled back in disbelief, Russo gesticulated in exasperation at the canine. “Great. Now we have to find him since you went and jinxed it.”

“I think you’re-”

Lurching forward, the mage swatted and slapped at Jem’s muzzle to shoosh him. “Would you cut that out!? Look, we’ll come back and finish our sweep after-”

A monstrous belch that shook the dilapidated shop’s very foundations interrupted Russo’s exhortations. Waves of dust ebbed and flowed against the human and collie’s ankles, pushed forth by shockwaves of air that bellowed out from a lightless hallway leading deeper inside.

“Uuuuuuuurp! Hehe, that was a good one.” Dax’s cheery voice echoed from the void.

Eyes narrowed, Russo’s piercing glare bore into Jem. Brushing off the rough collie with a dismissive sigh, he turned his attention towards the source of the disturbance. “This is going to end badly, I just don’t know how yet.” Wasting no time, the mage stomped off into the darkness. “Alright Dax, what did you do this time?”

“S-sorry Russo…” His apology garbled between smacks and chews, the wolf was hard pressed to even finish what he started. Swallowing hard, Dax let out a pained gasp. “But they were soooooo good!”

“Whatever you did to disappoint me, I’m sure my standards have been lowered enough by now that I won’t be surprised.” Hand held out before him and palm facing up, a shimmering blue orb comprised of countless ribbons layered together coalesced above Russo’s grasp. Slowly the individual strands that shaped the sphere took on shades of reds, yellows, and oranges. They wavered and melded into one another, swaying side to side until a spark of flame burst to life in the mage’s hand.

Before him, Dax sat sprawled out on the moss covered floor. The fur’s belly was bloated and distended, pushing apart his legs. Milky glassed vial grasped firmly between his fat fingertips, the wolf uhhh… well… wolfed down the indifferent Water Flan that called it home.

“I’ll admit, I was asking for it.” Palm resting against his forehead, Russo ran a hand through his short and patchy brown hair. His gloved fingers tugged at what little had already grown back after being singed off by old Greg. “Now, Dax, I…I…” The wolf’s way of thinking was alien and unknowable to the mage. Discarding his composed veneer, he took to yelling at the wolf in a mixture of irritation and shock. “What in the hell would make you look at a Flan and think: ‘I’m gonna fucking eat that!?’”

“He did what!?” Jem yelled back from the entrance.

Ears folded down, the wolf twiddled his fingers along his taut stomach. “I dunno, you and Jem kept talking about Flan this and Flan that and I mean that sure is a yummy dessert.”

“Since when does food growl or spellcast at you!?”

Dax whined and shrugged his shoulders dismissively. “Well where does Flan the food come if it doesn’t come from Flan the monster?”

“Why am I having this conversation.” Russo pinched at the bridge of his nose and clenched his eyes shut. He was having an argument with a shrunken giant wolf about the naming conventions of monsters that overlapped with fattening foods. “This is my life now,” the human thought. Eyes still closed, the mage prodded the interrogation along. “Ignoring the fact that whoever named these things was a colossal jackass that decided calling a slimy thing a Slime was beneath him, why would you up and devour a goddamned monster?”

Jem hurriedly padded up alongside Russo. Jaw gone slack he couldn’t help but stare at the wolf.

“It wasn’t like I gobbled one down without thinking!” A pained look spread across Dax’s features. Of course he knew better than that! What did they think he was, an amateur? “I sampled one first, to make sure.”

“Please don’t tell me you lapped at what remained of the Flan that Russo disposed of,” Jem pleaded with the gray furred wolf.

“Okay, I won’t!” His tail slung side to side, kicking up clouds of spores and dust. Dax was quite pleased with how he handled that exchange. “Gotta say though, they are pretty tasty!” He stifled another belch and patted at his violently rumbling belly.

“…Nope.” Having been the catalyst for a great many disasters, Russo was well versed with the warning signs of an impending shitstorm. “Jem, you jinxed this so you can deal with it. Call me back in when whatever this escalates into blows over.” Back turned to the canines the mage picked up the pace and noped right out of the pest-filled potion shop. Even if he didn’t know exactly how this was going to end it was worth risking frostbite out on the snowy streets in the hopes of avoiding it.

“Russo!” The collie’s gaze nervously flicked back and forth between the bloated wolf and the human’s backside. “Russohhhhh you son of a bitch.” His composure compromised, Jem barked obscenities at the poorly lit airy entrance. “F-fine! I will take care of this on my own.” Lips pulled down into a frown he turned his attention back to now noticeably discontent Dax.

Painful groans and moans slipped forth from the portly would-be mage’s maw as increasingly voluminous gurgles rumbled out from his tummy.

“You see Dax, there’s another reason altogether why Flan are loathed as pests.” Jem twiddled his fingers nervously while watching the wolf’s stomach balloon in size. “They have a nasty habit of multiplying, shedding off excess slime to breathe life to an entirely new Flan on a whim. It’s one of their more bothersome spells that they use when they feel threatened. Which, uhhhhh, you’ve managed to pull off.”

Panting, Dax tugged at the anti-magic necklace fading into his bloomping neckline. He dragged a clawed finger against the leather painfully digging into his furred flesh. “Awww, that’s cheap. I don’t even get to taste the extra ones popping up!” The necklace snapped under the applied strain and gently tumbled off of Dax’s curves to the mossy carpet below.

“I think you’re missing the point.” The rough collie distanced himself from the gradually gigantifying wolf. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jem wiped away the worried wrinkles creasing his fluffy forehead. At least they wouldn’t have to worry about the grisly possibility of his belly bursting. “You’ve just ingested… okay eating any amount of Flan is probably too much. To be clear I’m talking about the monster not that caramel custard thingy. What you’ve done is… bluh.” Words failed him. Now that the shock and awe of it all had faded the crippling consequences and repercussions flooded Jem’s thoughts. “How long will it take for the Flan to exhaust their magic and quit multiplying inside you? Sure, you could probably outgrow and make room for them but… but what if you burst out of here for all to see?”

A sad aroo bellowed out from the wolf. Even when plunked down flat on his ass Dax, and his belly, now rivaled Jem in size. “That’d be pretty bad, yeah.” Chin nuzzled against his chest he exhaled softly. “Ooooog…” Patting at his chest, he could feel air sliding up his throat. “Urp!” Upper and lower half of his muzzle forced apart, Dax released a sizeable belch. “Hmmm?” Blinking curiously, it appeared that a shimmering bubble had materialized from his very breath. His eyes followed it as it floated around the room.

“And who knows what would happen if these things were to cast something other than Multiply in there? Where would those Water spells of theirs even go?” Shaking his head side to side Jem struggled to identify a desirable outcome. Arms crossed about his armored chest, the canine kicked at the ground. “I mean, I guess the best case scenario would be if they exhausted their magic trying to swell their numbers and you managed to not outgrow this place.”

Cheeks puffed out, Dax could feel another pocket of air stretching his belly and slowly forcing its way up his windpipe. “Urf… Jem?” The rumbling in his tummy escalated to a ferocious climax that rattled the few shelves that remained standing. Vials and beakers wobbled in place upon their wooden inclines.

Jem was hesitant to lift his eyes up from his paws. He’d much rather remain blissfully ignorant to the tremors forcing his fluffy toes to splay apart. “Yes, Dax?” He asked, uncertainty wavering in his voice.

The wolf opened his mouth to speak yet no words came out. His saliva, tinged bright blue with the telltale glow of magic, dripped down from his teeth. After a couple drips it gave way to thin film of spittle mixed with magic that spanned the gap between the bony stalagmites and stalactites jutting out from his jaws. A heave of Dax’s belly forced a blast of air up and out of his lungs. Forced outward, the film of liquid magic slowly expanded as it filled with air courtesy of a monstrous burp.

“I’m starting to realize what it’s like to be you, Russo.” Tail shoved between his legs Jem could only watch on dejectedly while Dax blew a giant bubble. Well, at least now he knew how Flan casting spells from inside a person would manifest itself. Not like that was any consolation, granted.

Parting from the wolf’s lips the bubble hovered ominously above the duo. Ribbons of energy rippled across its wavering surface, as if prodding to see how far its temporary and transient existence could be pushed.

“Excuse me!” Smacking his lips, Dax patted at his belly. Whatever had roiled his insides had subsided, the quakes and tremors that shook the room dying down abruptly in response. “No more Flan I guess.” A tinge of disappointment registered in his voice. He poked and prodded at his taut and distended gut to no ill effect.

“Please don’t touch it.” Jem repeated over and over to himself in hushed whispers. He knew better by now than to speak aloud and so much as plant the idea in Dax’s head. Careful to not even agitate the very air itself he shuffled slowly, ever so slowly, away from the looming spherical threat. The rough collie’s body continued to tremble nervously long after the Flan had settled down inside the giant’s tummy.

“Did I do that?” His curiosity piqued, Dax reached out towards his very first Water spell! Just as his padded fingers were about to breach its surface he hesitated. Or maybe it was the Flan’s spell. Blueberry urped up a bubble earlier too, after all. The wolf cocked his head to the side and grumped at the possibility that this wasn’t his doing. Ehh technicalities aside he burped it so he called dibs on it!

“Nonononononononononononono don’t!” Waving his arms side to side Jem pleaded with the wolf to abstain from indulging his impulses. His mind was torn. Did the collie hedge his bets and try to talk Dax down from certain doom? Or would the fur risk it all in a mad dash to safety?

“It’s just a bubble.” The practically immobile wolf stated nonchalantly when he leaned forward and booped his wet black nose against it.

A mixture between a shriek and a whine spilled out from Jem’s maw as Dax tempted fate. Fury and jealousy seethed beneath the collie’s panicked veneer. He was pissed that Russo wasn’t here to suffer through this with him and was also bitterly envious of the fact the human had seen this coming from so far off.

Blissfully ignorant of the magnitude of the threat wobbling and wavering before him, Dax poked a clawed finger against its tenuous surface. “Think anything’ll happen if I pop it?”

---

“What am I, stupid?” Russo asked himself out loud. Hood flipped up and crimson cloak wrapped tight around his form, he huddled just inside the mouth of the alleyway. “I should’ve already been home by now.” He rubbed his back against the coarse brick corner pressing into his spine. Why couldn’t he take his eyes, shrouded in shadow, off of that podunk piece of crap? Numbed fingers scratched at the stubble on his cheek. “Mmfff I guess it was kind of dickish to leave Jem high and dry like that. But for fucks sakes he was asking for it!” Shaking his head side to side, a scowl spread across the mage’s face. “Why? Why would you say that?! ‘Oh it’s not like he can get up to much trouble.’ NO. NONONO. You do not tempt fate like that!” Russo sighed in disgust. “Dumbass.”

Even knowing that he could leave satisfied and in the right, Russo couldn’t pull himself away from his post. “…Would you two just hurry up.” Guilt? Loyalty? Just what the hell was keeping him here?

Torrents of water blasted out the crusted windows of the long abandoned potion shop without warning. The entire storefront lurched forward, a wall of liquid propelling and scraping it against the cobbled road before it exploded in a rain of soggy splinters and shrapnel against the stone wall opposite of it.

“Ohhhhh that’s what I was looking for. Validation.” Brows arched, Russo smirked to himself as he watched an incredibly bloated Dax get carried out onto the street by the current. Jem, perched atop a belly that rivaled him in scale, sputtered and hacked away. Soaked to the bone both of the canines coughed and wheezed for air while they stumbled to their feet. “Heh, they’ll be fine.” Stretching his arms high above his head the mage couldn’t help but smile. “Godddd it feels so good knowing I won’t have to explain this to the old man.”