#vorelanders

A factory was one of the worst places to lose your way, let alone a factory owned by an infamous mad scientist. There was little care for safety regulations, as evidenced by things like the twisting labyrinth of pipes and catwalks, a lack of guardrails over steaming vats of slime, and the irradiated Chompies you had to keep kicking away before they could sink their teeth into you.

You cursed yourself for deciding to wander this far into Dr. Krankcase’s lair. One misstep onto a conveyor belt was all it had taken for you to be separated from your Skylander companion. Fearing that staying in one place could get you caught, you chose to press on. This had been a mistake, and now you were fearing that every turn could lead to your capture, or even demise.

Keeping to the shadows, you kept your ears open for the sounds of moving wood and metal. Running into any patrolling Evilikin would be bad enough, but running into the “good” doctor himself would be disastrous. You shuddered at the thought of him trapping you, performing horrific experiments on you, leaving you tied up over a vat of goo…

As your mind wandered to awful places, you completely missed the net strung across the hallway. You kept walking, only to walk straight into a web constructed with green goo. You gasped, pulling away, but the slime stuck to you like glue. You tried to struggle, but much like a fly, you were only getting more stuck. What kind of horrible chemicals were getting all over you? Your panic was so great, you barely noticed the approaching tapping of wooden appendages.

“Oh don’t worry, that goo isn’t caustic, just sticky.” A slightly rough voice whispered in your ear. You whipped your head around, your stomach sinking to the floor. Dr. Krankcase gave you a sharp toothed smirk, sizing you up like the trapped prey you were. “Thanks for testing out one of my new traps! Shame I have to take you in now.”

“Please…let me go. I’ll leave, I won’t trouble you anymore!” You pleaded, shivering underneath him. Krankcase just chuckled, holding your chin and forcing you to look up at him.

“Sorry, dear, but that’s not happening. You’re a very valuable bargaining chip against your Skylander friends,” he said. “Just hold still, and I’ll move you to a very cozy cell.”

Like you’d let that happen. You held still long enough for him to untangle your body from the web of goo. Once the last slimy strand was pulled away, you made a break for it…and tripped right over an outstretched spider leg. You floundered for a moment, flipping yourself over, only for Krankcase to climb over and pin you under his five legs.

“Well aren’t you spirited! I almost feel bad about this.” Dr. Krankcase ruffled your hair before aiming one of his goo guns at you. All you could do was scream as he shot you point blank with a chilly, stinging glob…which almost immediately caused you to start shrinking in size. The reduction freed you from his pin, but that didn’t matter as you were swiftly snatched up. Even then, you were completely frozen. None of your muscles were cooperating with you.

Dr. Krankcase rubbed your head with a fingertip, grinning over your form. You wondered if he would toss you into a birdcage or jar…that thought was dashed as you were brought up to the doctor’s mouth, his tongue slipping out to lick his lips. Your stomach sank to the floor, and you immediately started to struggle.

“Wait, no! You don’t have to do this!” You cried. “I’ll leave! Just let me go!” But he just shook his head and tsked, sticking out his tongue to give you a slimy lick across the face. You shuddered, wiping the slobber away, only to find yourself being placed onto Krankcase’s tongue and slurped into his mouth.

You gasped, trying to crawl back towards his lips, but that damned tongue swished you around, coating you in a layer of slippery saliva. It wasn’t long before you were sliding towards his throat, unable to find purchase as Dr. Krankcase tilted his head back. Your legs were engulfed by his fleshy throat, and a single, strong gulp sent you right down his gullet.

“No!” You cried out, clawing at the squishy walls. The peristalsis squeezed you down, completely unaffected by your desperate struggling. The gullet was too strong, too slippery, too fast at pulling you down to the mad doctor’s waiting belly. You slipped through the esophageal sphincter, leaving you sealed within Krankcase’s digestive tract.

The stomach gave a low, rumbling gurgle, as if welcoming or taunting you. The walls had a sickly green glow, much like the goo he loved to concoct. It wasn’t very dark as a result, bringing you some form of comfort. You huddled against one of the squishy walls, hoping that he wouldn’t consider just digesting you instead of keeping you prisoner…

It’s never easy being a borrower, especially in Skylands. It’s a vast, wonderous realm, but danger lurks around every corner, more so at your size. Vicious monsters are everywhere-often spread by the Dark Portal Master trying to conquer everything, an encounter with a single Chompy could be deadly, and even the most well-meaning, heroic Skylander could accidentally stomp you.

Most borrowers tended to stay in Mabu villages, uninhabited elemental zones, or other places that had some level of safety. You, on the other hand, had settled somewhere far riskier. Somewhere that few monsters dared to venture. Perilous, but well protected by its own fiendish inhabitants. You had made your home in the walls of the infamous Dr. Krankcase’s lair.

The workshop had its own share of dangers. Toxic fumes were everywhere, as were vats and containers of slimy green goo that threatened to overflow. Plus there were plenty of sharp tools, threatening machinery, hulking lumber robots populating the place, and the risk of the “good” doctor finding you. You could only imagine the kinds of experiments he would run on you if he got his hands on you…

That said, it was amazingly easy to adapt. There were lots of wood and metal bits and pieces you could carry to your hideaways. The pantry was well stocked too, and uncontaminated crumbs were everywhere. And if you were lucky, he’d accidentally leave out your favorite snack-pickles! As long as you were careful-and there were no major incidents-you could live out your days comfortably here!

Unfortunately, Dr. Krankcase would eventually learn of his little guest’s escapades. It started with him noticing random bits and bobs going missing. It didn’t concern him too much, given his habit of misplacing things. But then snacks that were left out for later were suddenly missing or half eaten, especially his pickles. He knew for a fact that his Evilikin didn’t eat anything. When Krankcase found itty bitty footprints trailed through a pile of sawdust, he knew he wasn’t dealing with an ordinary rat or Chompy infestation.

Setting up a trap for his little intruder was child’s play for the mad doctor. Rig a cage over a plate with a small pickle on it, pretend to go to bed, then lie in wait. With a bit of patience, he’d have his little intruder in no time. Indeed, you were carefully creeping out of hiding, too peckish to have much caution. The placement was a little suspicious, but the Doctor was asleep by now, right?

You stepped onto the plate, ready to take a big bite of the gherkin sitting in front of you. But the moment you sank your teeth in, a cage dropped on top of you with a deafening CLANG. You froze, frantically looking around, finding no escape. Even if you could slip out, Dr. Krankcase was already scuttling towards you. There wasn’t any hope of outrunning him, even if you weren’t so small.

“Gotcha! Now let’s get a look at you…” Your heart pounded uncontrollably as a gloved hand reached in, grabbing you. You tried to fight, but his grip was impossible to break out of. Krankcase’s intrigued gaze made you feel even smaller than you already were, those large eyes of his narrowing slightly. “Oooh, you’re a little one, aren’t ya! Tell me, how long have you been creeping around my workshop?”

“Urk-! Er…about five months now…?” You said meekly. Your instincts were screaming at you to get out of here, despite your position. And here he sounded as if he was just conversing with an old friend! 

“Really now? I’m impressed you’ve survived this long! Sorry to break your streak like that.” Krankcase didn’t sound incredibly sorry about it. He just kept poking all over you, smirking as you squeaked in fright.

“Y-you’re not just going to throw me out, are you…?” That was probably the best thing he could do, as opposed to experimenting on you, or squashing you. To your surprise he shook his head.

“Nah, it’d be a waste to kick out a rare little one like yourself. If anything, you’d be an interesting little pet!” He said, cackling. “I don’t have a proper enclosure for you just yet, but I have somewhere else you can’t escape from.”

Before you could ask, you watched his pink tongue slide along his lips. Dr. Krankcase lifted you over his head and opened wide, warm breath rising up like steam from his maw. You gasped and gripped onto his gloved fingers, frantically kicking your legs. This couldn’t be happening! This had to be a nightmare!

“Wait, no! You don’t have to eat me! I’ll be a good pet!” you cried. Your pleas were ignored as Krankcase lowered your legs into his mouth. His lips closed around your flailing legs, suckling on you and licking along your form. Krankcase smiled around you, humming at your taste. Every passing moment led to you gradually sliding deeper into his mouth. Why was he slurping you in so slowly? Was this his way of making your punishment worse?

Once his lips were around your chest, Dr. Krankcase stopped messing around and slurped you up fully. You grasped onto his tongue, grimacing at the slimy texture. Your grip was short lived, the slippery saliva and movements of the tongue making it nearly impossible to hold on. The cushiony interior of the mad doctor’s mouth absorbed every blow from your kicks and struggles, and each lick helped wear you down further. It didn’t take long at all for all the fight to be drained from you.

The moment you stopped struggling was the moment Dr. Krankcase was done toying with you. He tilted his head back, letting you slide along his tongue towards the back of his mouth. You whimpered, but knew that begging was pointless. Tears ran down your cheeks as your legs slipped down into his throat. A single gulp pulled your lower half into his squishy gullet; one more sent you all the way down.

You mustered up the urge to wriggle as the peristalsis pushed you down Krankcase’s gullet. It was horribly slimy and squishy, not to mention how tightly you were being squeezed. Krankcase pressed against the bulge traveling towards his belly, squishing you further. You cringed at the feeling, hoping it would end.

Your wish was soon granted, though not in the way you would have preferred. You landed within the slimy embrace of the doctor’s stomach. The pink walls gave a light green glow, allowing you to see. Not like there was much to take in…you shuddered, curling up within your fleshy prison. The shock of the situation lingered, and you only snapped back to attention as Krankcase shook you from outside.

“Ahh…there we go, nice and tucked away for the night!” He said, patting his gut. “Aww, there’s no need to shiver! Tell me, what’s it like in there? Dark, slimy?” 

“Um…th-the walls are actually glowing a little…” you said softly. You were certain he only meant to mock you, but on the outside he quickly pulled out a notepad and pencil.

“Really now? I never would have imagined!” He remarked, writing that down. “Please, tell me more! It’s not like I’ll ever see the inside of my own stomach!”

As if being a snack wasn’t bad enough, you now felt like a guinea pig as you talked about how warm it was, how balmy and slimy the walls were, etc. You wiped the tears and slime from your eyes, the fear slowly subsiding. At least you weren’t being digested…and the questions did finally stop after a short while.

“Well, I’m beat. Time to take a rest for real!” Krankcase stretched his arms, then glanced at the gherkin left under the cage. No sense in wasting a perfectly good pickle, he thought as he popped it into his mouth, swallowing it whole as well. You yelped as the vegetable landed on your head. Well…at least you got your dinner back.

As Dr. Krankcase headed off to bed, you quietly munched away before the pickle could get too slimy. You prayed that he wouldn’t digest you in your sleep…although being his pet didn’t sound much better. Perhaps you should look at the bright side; at least you’d be fed, and wouldn’t have to fend for yourself. Maybe you’d be spared from experimentation…but probably not from being eaten again.

There were times where you were chastised for being too reckless. Always running or flying off into danger, you’d get yourself into deep trouble one of these days; that’s what your friends said. You brushed those words off for the most part. You were a Skylander, and a dragon at that! Even the riskier missions had you raring to go! No evil-doer could keep you down!

Your latest quest, just like many others, had been picked up without hesitation. It was true that charging into a fight alone wasn’t usually a good idea. Especially if it involved some of the more infamous villains, such as the Doom Raiders. But this time it was only one Raider…surely it was a fight you could tackle? Why, you’d battled hulking beasts, elemental monstrosities, scheming villains of all shapes and sizes! How difficult could one mad doctor be?

Well, Dr. Krankcase’s lair hadn’t been a walk in the park. The chemical fumes were dizzying, and you spent a lot of time on pathways around and above vats of green, bubbling goo. And that was without mentioning the vicious, wooden monsters trying to impede your progress. But traversing hazardous, hostile environments was part of the job. Couldn’t let the danger dampen your spirits!

And then came the actual confrontation. Dr. Krankcase had greeted you quite cordially before jumping into battle. The goo he shot at you stung your scales, the Evilikin minions he threw together diverted your attention, and those spinning wooden spider legs of his were faster than they looked. You tried to fly in an attempt to dodge another spin attack, but a well-timed blast of goo shot you back down to the floor.

You were swiftly pinned down on all sides by his wooden legs. The centermost one tilted up your chin, forcing you to look up at him. Any attempt at struggling was blocked by his legs. You were utterly trapped. Krankcase holstered his goo guns, crossing his arms. All you could do was lay there, defeated, as the doctor smirked down at you.

“Some fight you put up, Skylander!” He exclaimed. “Aren’t dragons supposed to be some of the most powerful beings in Skylands?” You bared your sharp teeth, snarling at him.

“I’ll show you just how powerful they can be…once you let me get up, that is!” He just had to go there, didn’t he? You futilely tried to push him off, barely having the energy to attack now. Krankcase’s cackling only bruised your pride further.

“How precious. I could just eat you up!” he exclaimed, laughing again. “You’d make a good test subject, or bait. I’m sure your friends will pay a pretty penny to make sure your tail is safe!”

“Or they’ll just come and kick your wooden ass.” You retorted, sticking out your tongue. Krankcase growled, about ready to tie your muzzle shut. Then his stomach rumbled. Seems he’d been so busy preparing for a fight, he’d forgotten lunch. Oh well, he could just tie you up and get to that…but there was an idea itching at his brain. Somehow, the more he looked over you, the more…appetizing you looked. He wasn’t sure where the thought had come from, but it was tempting, the thought of simply eating you up.

Krankcase slowly licked his lips with his slimy tongue. It’d be a good way to cement his victory over you as well, reducing you to a satisfying meal. It helped that he wouldn’t be the only Doom Raider who’d eaten someone. Wolfgang and Gulper had done it a few times, and Chef Pepper Jack had a fondness for cooking up his defeated foes. The doctor was no master chef, but would be content with simply downing you in one.

Another, more insistent growl from his middle settled it. Krankcase used his front legs to lift you up into his hold. His gloved hands gripped your sides firmly, as if you were a sandwich. He stuck out his tongue, giving you a long, wet lick up the side of your face. Such a nice, meaty flavor, with a sugary tinge of magic…Krankcase couldn’t help licking you over and over again.

The whole time he’d been pondering over you, dread had been gradually pooling in your belly. You felt like a dragonfly in a spider’s web…and Krankcase had decided to take that literally. Your pulse quickened as he kept tasting you, smacking his lips.

“You-you wouldn’t!” you yelled. That damned, wolfish smirk of his widened.

“Oh, I most certainly would, my dear! Don’t worry, this won’t hurt a bit!” Krankcase laughed, opening his mouth wide. His lips closed around your muzzle, his thick, wet tongue rubbing against your scales. As your face was engulfed, you were quickly given a view of his mouth-and hungry throat, eager to swallow you.

You whimpered, but held out some hope that you’d be too big to swallow. He was larger than you, but not by much. Your horns were certain to stop him! You grinned as he struggled…but it was a momentary struggle. With a grunt of effort, Krankcase slid your head into his gullet, sealing your fate.

Your forelegs were held against your body, claws barely noticed as they were coated in saliva. Your wings were carefully folded as well, taking a bit more effort to fit in. The slick walls of his throat pulsed around you, gradually pushing you deeper. Your head was soon pushed into his stomach; the pink walls give a faint, green glow. It’s a bit concerning, but at least you won’t be in complete darkness.

By that point, Dr. Krankcase started to worry about actually fitting you inside his belly. Were his eyes bigger than his stomach? No…he was committed by this point. Holding your wings against your body, Krankcase braced himself to swallow again. As he managed to gulp down your middle, he grabbed your kicking hind legs and folded them against your body.

With each gulp, more of you spilled into the mad doctor’s belly. It was tight, forcing you to remain curled up. The walls were soft and squishy-but also horribly slimy. It also smelled strongly of pickles. There was barely any room to struggle, forcing you to remain mostly still as you were devoured.

The only parts of you sticking out of Krankcase’s mouth were your rump and frantically swishing tail. He took a few gulps, pausing at the base of your tail before slurping it up like a thick strand of spaghetti. It joined the rest of you in his belly, curling around you. Eaten by a villain…you couldn’t believe it! More slime was spread over you as Krankcase rubbed his belly.

“Wow…dragons are a lot tastier than I thought! Maybe I can find another easy catch like you somewhere!” Krankcase exclaimed. He patted his stuffed gut, his dress shirt somehow managing not to burst. You cringed, kicking and pushing as much as you could.

“Y-You better let me out!” You yelled. “Oh Eon, it’s so slimy in here…” 

“Not a chance,” he said. “I’d suggest you get used to the slime. You’re gonna be in there for quite a while.” The doctor patted his gut once more and stretched his arms. Well, he’d dealt with the Skylander and had lunch in one go! Time to get back to work!

Although…did he have to? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so full. Plus you left quite a bit of weight in his gut. Maybe he could just enjoy the moment, rest up from that fight before properly locking you up. Smiling gently to himself, Krankcase scuttled deeper into his lair, heading to the living area. His gut rocked and cradled you as he smoothly crawled along, actually feeling weirdly soothing. It settled as he got comfortable on a worn sofa.

“You know, I think I’ll just rest for now. Thank you for filling me right up, Skylander!” He chuckled and rubbed where your head was. As Krankcase lounged back, a large, rounded robot stomped up to him. He smiled warmly and gave the Evilikin a wave.  “Scrap Shooter, cancel the rest of my plans for this afternoon, please.”

“O-of course, boss, whatever you say.” he stammered. The lumber-and-steel robot was completely inedible, but it was admittedly intimidating watching the doctor swallow a small dragon whole. As Scrap Shooter stomped away, Krankcase turned his attention back to your small, pitiful struggles. It was almost cute, honestly.

“Calm down, you’ll only tire yourself out more.” He said, lazily stroking over his gut. There was a hiss and more squirms, but you’d given up on demanding to be released. Your squirms died down as well once you slowly accepted that he wasn’t spitting you out. Krankcase chuckled, rubbing you more. “There we go, that’s it. Just let ol’ Dr. Krankcase look after you, heh.”

You sighed and curled up further. Well, at least he probably wouldn’t kill you. It had been a while since you’d been swallowed, and you weren’t feeling any hints of digestion. Your adrenaline had worn down a while ago, and Krankcase’s stomach was starting to feel comfortable, even with the slime. The rubbing from outside didn’t feel so bad either. It actually did wonders in calming you further.

When you took this mission, you hadn’t expected anything to go too terribly wrong. 

It looked simple enough. You and your Skylander companion just had to infiltrate Dr. Krankcase’s lair and sabotage his machinery to prevent another enchanted woods from being bulldozed and used to build more evil wooden minions. You hadn’t expected a sudden cloud of smog to send the airship you were on reeling, accidentally sending you tumbling off to the ground below.

Against common sense, you’d decided to trudge ahead instead of waiting for Camo to find you. Without a weapon or Skylander, you were forced to hide and run past any Chompies or Evilikin that patrolled the area. A lot of wandering later, you stumbled upon an imposing mill. Again, against your better judgment, you chose to slip inside through a side door.

You were immediately smacked with the oppressive smell of the workshop. Vats and containers of bubbling goo were everywhere, smelling like a foul mixture of rancid milk, vomit, and decade-old cheese. You fanned away the fumes, cautiously walking in. Maybe there was a safe place you could stay until your Skylander showed up.

That proved to be your biggest mistake. As you carefully weaved around open, caustic cauldrons, there was a distant tapping. It sounded closer the further you walked. Was some Evilikin waiting to get the drop on you? The clicking suddenly sped up, like someone tapping their foot. It finally brought your attention to a figure on ledge above, illuminated by a glass container of glowing goo.

Perched right above you was the very inventor you’d been sent to take down, Dr. Krankcase. His green, frog-like face was twisted into a sharp-toothed smirk, a tall, red top hat adding to his surprisingly imposing stature. Your eyes were drawn to his most defining feature: five mechanical, wooden spider legs that made up his lower half. That, and the goo gun he had aimed right at you.

“I had a hunch we’d get some uninvited guests, but a genuine Portal Master? Now that’s a real prize!” He exclaimed. “Just come with me, and you won’t get hurt!” Fat chance at that-you ran for it, prompting him to open fire. Green goo splattered around your feet, trying to trap or slow you. Cringing, you shook the gunk off before diving under a table, just out of sight.

Krankcase jumped down, immediately going on the hunt. Your heart pounded in your chest as you watched him inspect the area. Mercifully, he didn’t check under the table. You crawled out, still trembling from how close that had been. You had to find somewhere better to hide. But as you moved to stand, you bumped the slightly rickety table. A small, haphazardly placed cauldron wobbled on its stand before tipping.

You cried out as the pot fell on you, splashing you with minty-green colored goo. It thankfully wasn’t very hot, but you had to get this stuff off. Unfortunately, the noise had been more than enough to alert Dr. Krankcase to your location. There was nowhere to run as he came charging back at breakneck speed.

“There you are!” Krankcase exclaimed, only to freeze when he saw you covered in goo. “Wait, what did you do?!” He ran at you, closing the distance in seconds. Your stomach dropped, ignoring how his expression had swiftly gone from malicious to panicked.

“Stay away from me!” You yelled, backing away from him. But your two legs had no hope of outrunning his five mechanical ones, and within moments the mad doctor had you in his grasp. You tried to struggle away, but he kept grabbing you and trying to clean you off with a ragged towel.

“Stop fighting! Don’t you get it??” he said. “I just cooked up that batch today! It’s a brand new, untested mix! Not even I have any idea what effects it’ll have!”

Your blood ran cold at that. If he didn’t know what that concoction was capable of, then what would happen to you? What kind of toxins were seeping into your body? Were you going to turn into some kind of horrible mutant? You stared up at Krankcase with wide eyes…was your sight failing, or was he always that tall? Actually, his hands grasped more of your body.

“W-Wait, are you getting bigger?” you asked. The doctor looked over you, nervously chewing his thumb for a moment.

“On the contrary, my dear…you appear to be getting smaller.” he said. As you processed this, you shrank down to the size of a mouse. You couldn’t remember the last time you’d felt so vulnerable. The doctor placed you on the table, needing a moment to collect himself.

You curled up on the wooden surface, covering your face. It would be one thing if you’d just been accidentally shrunken down. But you were completely at the mercy of a Doom Raider, one of the most notorious villains in Skylands. Yes, he was admittedly more polite than the others, but there were still countless things he could do to you. All you could do was hope that Camo would find you before the doctor decided to do something worse than hold you captive.

Meanwhile Dr. Krankcase was just as frazzled as you were. Not only was a Skylander likely charging through his workshop, but he was stuck with their shrunken Portal Master. Though the way he saw it, you deserved it for breaking into his workshop and threatening to wreck his whole operation, not to mention tipping over a vat of his precious goo. Perhaps he could just keep you in a jar or box for now. You’d be a good bargaining chip against the Skylanders…

That’s when a small, peculiar smell hit him. It was fresh and sweet; a sharp contrast to the caustic chemicals and reeking mixes he constantly worked with. Was that a side effect of the goo? He had to admit, it made you smell rather…appetizing. A smirk slowly crept onto his face. Slight change of plans, he thought, leaning down to take another whiff of you.

You were so busy sulking that you barely noticed Krankcase leaning in closer. He started sniffing you, blasting you with his warm breath. It felt weird, but oddly kind of nice. The warmth suddenly intensified, before something wet and slimy laved up your back. When you looked back, his pink tongue slipped up along your front, drenching you in drool.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” you yelled. Dr. Krankcase only chuckled, giving you another slimy lick.

“Just giving you a taste, for curiosity’s sake,” he said. “I think I know just what to do with you.” That hungry glint in his eyes, paired with that toothy smirk and a lick of his lips had dread pooling in your stomach. He was just trying to scare you, wasn’t he? But he was reaching for you now, the same way you’d grab for a snack. “Now just hold still. This won’t hurt a bit!”

You screamed and tried to run, but there was nowhere to go. He grabbed you with zero effort, lifting you to a dangerous height from your perspective. He was going to eat you! You kicked and slammed your fist against his leather glove; efforts that were barely noticed.

“No, no, you can’t do this! The Skylanders will come beat you to a pulp and save me!” you cried.

“Oh, I’m aware. I just figured this is the best place I could keep you! Not to mention a fitting way to punish a meddling Portal Master!” he exclaimed. He gave you a few more licks before dangling you above his mouth. “Now then, down the hatch!”

You screamed as he dropped you, a part of you fearing that you’d take a deadly fall to the floor. Instead you landed on his soft tongue, barely managing not to slide towards his throat. This relief was short-lived; you were already wet with saliva, and Krankcase’s tongue was already wrapping around you, making sure you were nice and coated for the trip down.

You whimpered, softly begging him not to swallow, but you knew it was pointless. These villains were all the same, after all. Those few minutes of being tasted felt like hours; being swallowed was almost welcome. But as he tilted his head back, you scrambled to get a grip on something, anything. You didn’t want to be a mad scientist’s snack!

“K-Krankcase, please have mercy just this once!” But he merely chuckled, a flick of his tongue sending you into his throat. In a last ditch effort to be spit out, you managed to grab onto his uvula. Krankcase coughed, and for a moment there was a bit of hope. The tab of flesh was slippery, though; all it took was a single, strong gulp to send you to his belly.

It was difficult to struggle, given how the gullet muscles hugged you. The soft, slick surface had no trouble pushing you deeper into his body. After what felt like an eternity of being squeezed downwards, you slid down into the fleshy pouch of his stomach. The pink walls had a light green glow, keeping you from being in complete darkness.A sigh of satisfaction came from above.

“Nice try, Portal Master, you almost had me! If it’s any consolation, you were absolutely delicious.” Krankcase patted his gut and cackled. You gritted your teeth, kicking a nearby wall. There wasn’t much impact, given how slippery the stomach lining was, but you didn’t care. You just kept kicking and struggling with all your might, hoping to make your captor sick. This earned you another laugh from above. “Woah, easy down there! That tickles!” he said.

There was a slight pressure from outside, and it took you a moment to realize that he was rubbing his belly. You really were just a snack to Krankcase, weren’t you? Just a pesky intruder reduced to a tasty morsel. To make matters worse, Camo had no idea where you were. You could be partially or even completely digested by the time the plant dragon showed up. How would he react to Krankcase gloating about your slimy fate? Completely defeated, you laid along the curve of his stomach and wept.

Dr. Krankcase gave a small burp, licking the last of your taste from his lips. He’d admittedly never given much thought to eating people-that was something a couple of his fellow Doom Raiders preferred-but it was more fun than he’d thought! He’d have to do this again sometime! Just as he was about to get back to work, Krankcase faintly heard you crying. Serves you right…but why did he feel just a little bad? He tried to ignore it, but you just kept sobbing in anticipation of a gruesome end.

“Hey…come on, don’t cry,” he said. “You’ll be fine, I promise. I know I’m a pretty bad guy, but I’m not that cruel.” You brought yourself to look up, wiping tears and slime from your face. You really didn’t want to believe him. What if he was trying to give you false hope? He did sound genuine, though. You had no choice but to settle in, feeling him pat his stomach. “There we go. Now sit tight and let the doctor do his work.” With that, he scuttled off back into the depths of the mill.

It was humiliating, really, having to sit in a villain’s gut while he got to work plotting more destruction. At least it wasn’t dark in there. Plus there was the hope that maybe he wasn’t lying about you being safe. At the moment all you could really do was get comfortable and wait. Admittedly not too hard given how cushy his gut was…even with the smell of pickles.

Ultimately Krankcase would keep his word. You were trapped in his gut for quite some time, but not a bit of you melted. The eventual fight with Camo did throw you around, but the soft lining of the doctor’s gut kept you from taking much damage. Soon, with him and his machinery damaged, Krankcase had no choice but to reluctantly cough you up.

You shivered in Camo’s hold, the dragon’s red eyes wide in shock-and some disgust from the slime you were covered in. He decided against cracking any jokes at your expense, given how shaken you were. Instead he wiped you off as best he could before swallowing you down. You settled into his leafy-feeling stomach, soothed by the familiarity. There was certain to be a spell that could return you to normal size at the academy, but this experience would stick with you…

~

A couple years had passed, and your imprisonment in the mad doctor’s belly had mostly become a distant memory. Since then, a few of the apprehended villains had been given a chance to reform and go on to train the next generation of Skylanders. Dr. Krankcase had been one of them, which admittedly made you a little nervous. Even after his rehabilitation ended, there was still a degree of awkwardness between you both.

It was well into the night by now. You probably should have been getting ready for bed, but you just sat at your desk with a book. Minutes ticked by as you did your best to fight off the slowly growing drowsiness. Suddenly, the familiar clicking of wooden spider legs made you perk up. Krankcase slowly opened the door, smiling as he let himself in.

“Ah, there you are. Guess I’m not the only one who can’t afford to sleep around here.” he said, crawling up to your side. “I hope you’ve been alright, Portal Master.” That brought a small smile to your face.

“I’m doing just fine, Doc.” you said. There was a nervousness in his stance that you couldn’t exactly place. Like he was steeling himself to deliver some bad news.

“Hey…you remember that little incident, right?” he asked. Ah yes…you could never truly forget, especially whenever he looked even a little peckish.

“Yeah, that was terrifying.” you said. He’d already apologized for it a while back, and you really didn’t hold it against him too much. It made you wonder why he was bringing it up again, so nervously too. Unless…he’d heard about how some of the Skylanders tended to swallow you to protect you, or even just for the hell of it. You looked up at him, and the anxious grin he wore said everything.

“Yeah, about that…I did have the recipe written down, and managed to concoct a growth mix to go with it. Both perfectly harmless, I assure you.” Krankcase said, rolling a vial over to you. You picked up the vial, looking at the minty green goo contained inside. It was perfectly clear what he wanted. You remembered the fear…but also how soft and warm it was inside. And it’s not like you weren’t used to being swallowed. Maybe…it wouldn’t be so bad now? The doctor’s legs fidgeted as he took a breath.

“So…you wanna try it again?”