But fire never ceases to be fire

Gyodo, the namazu merchant that you and your party had been screwed over by before, was strolling the beach by Onokoro. Trying to lay low after getting yet another of his schemes found out.

A whole solitary week of bad hunting and shitty sleeping accommodations passed in frustrated squalor. The namazu's many short comings and lack of practical skills biting him in the ass once out of his natural element: back alley deals.

One day he was lazily laying on the beach, in a pose not too dissimilar to a beached whale when he heard battle noises and shouting just up the beach from him!

In a sleepy frightened scramble he managed to dive into a nearby sandy patch of tall grass and weeds.

After the noises quieted down he just heard one source of quiet crunches in the sand.

Hesitantly, he peered out of the brush and who else should he see but the very Warrior of Light that punted him across the water a month ago! They did this to him! Not his own actions or anything like that no way. Gyodo specifically chose to blame them for his current rock bottom.

Apparently they had just finished a battle against some really overpowered for the area enemies and now they currently were under an unfortunate status affliction known as Mini, making them merely half the height of the portly catfish merchant.

They had barely managed to take down the beast after being shrunk and were absolutely beat. Walking slowly and tiredly, right in his direction...

Gyodo momentarily panicked thinking that he was their next target before a thought occurred to him: (oh how fortunate)

They hadn't seen him yet~

...an idea popped into his head with a hungry growl in agreement from his practically starving belly.

With an eager grin and a slimy lick of the lips, Gyodo hunkered down in a position not too dissimilar to a leopard, even if he looked more like a clumsy house cat, ready to pounce on his prey as soon as they got within range.

The Warrior of Light drew nearer, making it easier to gage if the greedy namazu's plan would even work. Let's see... they looked about barely half a yalm tall! Perfect! Especially catfish could swallow things almost their own size, not that Gyodo knew that much about biology.

His instincts were enough to change his target from "friend" to "prey".

The little warrior only had a moment to react when they heard the little targeting noise from the brush to their left.

Just then, a status effect popped up above their health bar with a target! Frantically, they turned to defend themselves right as something dense (in more ways than one) and heavy launched itself full-bodied in their direction!

They protested under the weight of Gyodo smugly pinning them to the ground underneath his pudgy gut.

The want to say something to taunt or tease did occur to the hungry fish but his stomach roared in hunger. Ehhh, words could wait!

All the hapless and helpless little warrior could do was shout in indignation as their head was suddenly engulfed by the damp and fishy maw. Muffling any further protests so effectively that, even if there were people nearby, no one could hear to help.

Gyodo's clawed flippers gripped at his lunch possessively. Not caring in the moment about scratching or injuring them in the process. Just added extra flavor and got out a few more of those satisfying squirms.

"who's the strongest now, "hero"?" He thought to himself smugly, chomping down more of the warriors body as he swallowed their head into the start of his waiting and eager throat.

Thankfully, at least as far as suffocating in the tight esophagus goes, the trip down the throat was short. Most of the namazu's torso cavity being for their stretchy gut after all.

Gyodo heard an audible gasp for air after their head popped inside the hollow chamber. Laughing around them as the deep breath turned to coughing and hacking in the acidic air.

And yet, they still couldn't fight back anyway! In utter frustration they tried to move their arms, still tightly bound by the muscles above. The Warrior of Light wasn't about to go down like this! They'd just... bide their time and energy until their arms joined and then they could thrash as much as possible. Hopefully making the catfish throw them back up! ...Emphasis on hopefully.

Unfortunate for that plan, Gyodo had a similar idea that they'd happen. Gnawing on their hips and legs lazily as he kept their arms bound in his throat and breathed through his gills. The huge prey not obstructing his breathing at all during the swallowing process.

Now he just had to wait until they tired themselves out~ ...a plan his stomach protested loudly as it growled and squeezed around the little amount of prey that it had so far.

Only a minute passed of both of them waiting for the other to give up before the Warrior of light resumed their thrashing, weirdly... squirming further inside?

Apparently they had the thought of if they got in faster, they could do their plan of thrashing to make Gyodo sick! The smug catfish gulping heavily in surprise, smugly grinning as the rest of them disappeared into his mouth.

"Idiot food," he slapped his gut with a satisfied and a (bit of an overstuffed) belch, "yes yes, foolish prey thinks I have a gag reflex~"

He taunted with an extremely smug tone, licking his lips for any remnants of flavor. The thrashing within his stretched belly, half his size, was at most an annoyance, and at best, felt really good. If he didn't want to lord this over the Warrior so much, he would just lay back and let the food coma happen.

But... Gyodo found he really wanted to stick around for the whole digestion~ just as the Warrior of Light themselves would be sticking around on his waist. Seemed only fair!

"If I didn't know any better..." he started with a another lazy belch interrupting and squeezing his prey tighter, "I'd say you fed yourself to me! Where you thinking that would give you the upper hand just climbing down my throat?"

Gyodo was at first sitting down with the heavy and quickly sloshy gut. But after his taunting caused more frantic movements he got a rather fun idea. Soon adjusting his position to laying atop his belly and crushing down with his body weight.

While he didn't necessarily want to break his little "toy" just yet, all this squirming and power tripping were giving him a different need.

The Warrior of Light had reacted to the new weight atop them at first by just holding still more. The gut lazily squeezing and rubbing currently weak acids into their clothing and exposed skin. Almost peaceful really, but... When they started feeling rhythmic grinding from the gross little merchant... their fight returned with a layer of shock and disgust.

Gyodo muttered something breathlessly about "putting pompous hero's in their place" between cute sounding moans and grunts of effort. Really hammering it in for the Warrior of Light, just how deeply humiliating this was.

Namazu were laughably cute and small. Even made little squeaky toy noises as they walked or moved! It turns out though, those noises are a lot more infuriating when timed with each thrust against his hero filled belly.

The acids rose as the heart beat that surrounded them got faster. Momentarily sending them into a panicked flurry of limbs and curses that just succeeded in sending Gyodo over the edge.

An obnoxiously drawn out moan that turned into a belch echoed over the now empty beach. The fat fish rolling over to lay on their side, food coma starting to kick in as the adrenaline wore off.

Giving his gut another heavy slap, Gyodo gloated over his victory. Exhaustion tempting him with sleep, but no! He wanted to watch his stomach win the battle and shrink back down!

With a deep yawn, he gulped down a big mouthful of air for his "toy", not even worth calling a hero anymore at this point~

Even with the extra air, "graciously" sent down to join them, the Warrior of Light had little to no wiggle room. Something that seemed to be getting more and more scarce as the walls shrunk?

...no wait, they were the ones slowly growing!

They kept their cheer of victory to themselves for now, just had to wait for the status effect to wear off completely! Then they'd be home free. No way this stupid fish could trap them in here at their full size, ...right?

Gyodo barely noticed the growing as he lazily rubbed and pinched and squeezed. Only getting a bit worried when he felt them growing heavier. With any luck his digestion would be faster than their growing.

But if it didn't... well, guess he'd just be a very fat and happy namazu~

After 30 minutes of regrowing they were almost back to full size! With no sign of getting out in sight... seemed all the bigger size did was make the food coma Gyodo was fighting off happen sooner!

Any hope of escape or release died as he started to doze. Leaving them alone in the humiliating gut to be churned down into nothing....

The next day:

At least that's what Gyodo was hoping he'd wake up to. Instead dissapointed to see his gut still full of squirming meat.

True it had condensed a bit since their regrowing, fighting it's prey down and compacting them into submission. But the hero was unfortunately still very much alive.

Gyodo sighed heavily, mentally wishing he had grabbed his illicit dinner when they where a job class with less HP and lower defense.

But, he grinned as he looked on the brightside, that meant he had been the one to defeat the Warrior of Light!

Him! A small "pathetic," "waste of air"! Had the world's chosen hero all to himself. Only a matter of time until he'd won entirely, just had to wait!

Soon enough his dinner now breakfast squirmed and tried to stretch, at first feeling around in bleary confusion before trying to trash with the same energy they had last night.

Well, if they had that much left anyway.

Honestly it was cute how pathetic a display it was, "Aw are you tired already?" Gyodo mocked in a sing song tone, "and I was so looking forward to another show just for me yes yes," he sighed in mock dissapointment, the obvious satisfaction he actually felt dripping from the words.

After teasingly clenching his stomach muscles best he could, there came an adorable weak little whimper from deep within his gut.

Gyodo rubbed at them almost affectionately, "you're all mine you know that? Yes yes, no one will ever know that you were digested by a small weak little fish~ almost makes me want to go tell everyone that I defeated the Warrior of Light single handedly. ...Almost being the key word~"

The next thunderous belch caused a few crunches and pops, wouldn't be long now surely?

At least with how tightly his belly had them contained he should be small enough to hide it behind his merchant stall back in town. As long as he avoided the samurai that patrolled about of course. Wasn't exactly welcome there, but there were sales to be had!

He put a flipper on his gut, grinning smugly when he could still feel a pulse and breathing from its contents. "Good! was worried I couldn't take you into town with me~ Who's up for a little trip?"

With that he hefted his belly up with his arms, having to clumsily waddle back to the city. Each step jostling and churning his precious meal down further. The warrior inside cursing their own resilience and still trying to fight back as the battle was slowly lost.

Later that Evening:

In Kugane proper Lyse had been searching diligently for her missing party member and friend. This wasn't like unusual for the Warrior of Light, who would often go off on long side quests and leave her and other party members waiting.

But this time? This time felt different... They had said last night they were going to do some hunts, no big deal, they did like 10 a week. But that always took an hour at the very most.

It had been almost a whole day.

Trying to not look too worried Lyse walked about the market place stalls asking around.

An hour pass and she had no luck in the main market, but maybe down the alley where the backhanded deals went down? Those guys were trouble last time the party came here too. Was worth a shot!

Spying a certain familiar shifty fish she raised her voice "Hey!" Lyse shouted as she approached, surprising the namazu merchant into humorously yelping and scrambling to look presentable.

"Gyodo right?" She started in a mock friendly tone before cutting to the chase, "don't make me tie you up again for this, but I need information" Lyse slammed her hand into his ramshackle front counter for emphasis.

"Yes yes! Whatever you need Mistress Lyse!" He clearly remembered both her name and and how violent it was the last time he met her party, "what can I get you today?"

"Cut the small talk, I'm trying to find my friend," Lyse said as she started carefully watching Gyodo's facial reactions, "you know, the Warrior of Light? Perhaps you've heard of them?"

His grin was genuine alright, no need to hide it, but it just looked like his normal customer service grin as he gave his chubby belly an absentminded rub.

"You know?" Gyodo said with a thoughtful look, "Haven't seen them recently! Have you checked Onokoro?" He said as if actually offering it as a real suggestion.

Lyse relaxed and sighed a bit, "Ok... yeah thanks actually, I'll try there next," she nodded, her hope renewed. Even left a tip in gratitude as she ran off to the pier to get on the next boat out.

He listened for her steps to fade before pinching a bit of his gut between his fingers smugly.

"Hear that dinner?" He said quiet enough only what was left of his prey could hear, "wow you have some dumb friends, yes yes,"

Gyodo was very pleased that his taunting was rewarded with the most pathetic barely noticeable squirm. Most of them already part of a new layer of fat on his body.

Laying back in his chair a bit, he pressed in deep and finally belched out what little remained of their air~