"oh it's just a quick thing for my friend who likes pv, how long could it take?" - me before i spend all of my time writing this for like 3 months straight

anyways hi i have finally finished a really long fic which is very surprisingly not vore-centric at all! helped edited by that same friend who really helped out a lot in making this story flow a lot better. it's only stuffing and bloating and all that jazz (very sorry to the other 3 pure vessel vore fans out there, i'll do them again one day :pensive:). it's one of my longest stories to date, at just over 8.4k words.
double anyways, what if pure vessel but fat

8.4k words
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The Hollow Knight, Stuffing, Hammerspace Capacity, Huge Weight Gain, Weird Navel Play
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*Ding!*
“Hello, my subjects!” The Pale King tapped on his champagne glass to capture everyone’s attention. The crowd of nobles, scholars, knights, and many other high-ranking figures quieted down to listen to their ruler’s words. A retainer quickly rushed over with a stool for the King to stand on before he continued his announcement, “I thank you all for attending my Vessel’s celebratory event! Their knighthood tomorrow is one I am proud to bestow upon them; they are my own child, and their strength reflects that. Now, witness the champion of Hallownest!”
All of their eyes turned over to the Pure Vessel, who had been sitting down at the normal, small-sized vessels’ table with their smaller siblings. They had worn a ceremonial version of their armor over a formal suit and pants, making them seem even larger sat down on a too-small chair with their knees up to their chest. Once they realized that there was a sudden influx of looks at them, they shot up lightning fast and stood at attention, awkwardly standing in place amongst their tiny siblings. They were as still as a statue, looking around for several seconds as everyone waited for their response. No sound was made inside the banquet hall for several agonizingly long seconds.
“Haha, yes, that is my valiant knight,” the Pale King gleefully said. He stepped down and held the White Lady’s hand, “Today is an occasion of joy, so feel free to enjoy yourselves!”
On his cue, the band continued their jaunty tune, giving the party some much needed ambiance. Soon enough, the casual environment returned, allowing the Pure Vessel to sit down on the floor, foregoing dignity for comfort. Despite their best efforts, they had little idea on how to socialize with anyone outside their family. Their lack of voice was a challenge in and of itself, but the Pure Vessel had been raised in isolation from the rest of the kingdom, leaving no room for friends outside of the White Palace. They dejectedly sighed at their current condition, watching their little siblings share their thoughts with each other. The tiny vessels had been excitedly conversing with each other in sign language, and the Pure Vessel shared the sentiment. The royal banquet was starting soon, and was the only part of tonight’s party that they had energy for - for good reason.
The Pure Vessel had always been interested in the culinary arts. The way their royal chefs could create exemplary dishes from raw ingredients would draw their attention whenever they passed by the kitchen, especially with the fragrant aromas of everything being made. They remember the first time they went into the kitchen and asked for something not on Father’s menu for vessels: aspid royal stew. They had stood in the corner of the kitchen to watch the magic happen… The sizzle of the fires searing the bottom of fresh aspid steaks were mixed in with the sounds of crisp vegetables being chopped, of chitin broth being boiled. Combined together, a rich stew that would fill their stomach and keep them warm for hours on end. A peasant’s meal to be sure, but one that made them realize the potential hidden within cooking. They snapped back to the present as the head butler made his way towards their father.
“For our first course,” the head butler said, ringing a little bell to catch everyone’s attention, “Roasted goam with vegetables farmed right within the Queen’s Gardens, glazed with honey imported from the Hive. Hunted by Deepnest’s very own Queen Herrah, she has graciously allowed us to partake in her bounty. Please, enjoy the fruits of her labor.” He bowed to the audience as an army of servants went to work behind him, quickly placing down plates and goblets down to every table.
Nearly a dozen retainers carried out a whole roasted goam on a massive platter, defanged and glazed with honey; more groups followed for the rest of the banquet hall. Its entire body had turned a gorgeous red and was cut into segments, revealing the still-steaming insides that dripped out delicious juices onto the platter. Grilled herbs and vegetables flanked every section of the goam-roast, giving the feast a veritable sight of so many different colors. The sight alone made the Pure Vessel’s heart skip a beat, and that was before the fragrant smell even registered in their head.
With some effort, the servants managed to place the entire roast down onto the vessels’ table, causing a heavy thump as it landed and settled. The audience watching the display clapped alongside the vessels - the Pure Vessel had been too enamored with the sight of it to do anything. The servants began to plate out each segment to every vessel at the table, carefully scooping out the meat and plating it alongside the greens to ensure every part of the meal is eaten. Another group of servants followed, pouring each vessel a generous amount of sparkling nectar along with a plate of freshly baked bread. The Pure Vessel, though, had been given a different appetizer.
“Your father asked me to pour you some of this wine,” a servant said in a silky voice, “A fine pairing with your meal, he assures me.” The servant showed the Pure Vessel a dark, crimson bottle of wine, allowing them to see the label of the bottle: “Kingdom’s Flame.” The servant pulled out the cork and poured the burgundy wine, filling out the Pure Vessel’s elegant chalice to its brim, nearly spilling it all over the table.
The odd servant gave the Pure Vessel a wide, sharp grin as he slid a plate of dark chocolates next to the wine. They shuddered at the mischief behind those piercing scarlet eyes that seemed to stare into their very being. Their jet-black body only made their considerable height above the rest of the staff all the more unnerving. “I hope you will savor the night, my darling.”
The Pure Vessel couldn’t understand this servant and their… menacing aura. This one… he radiated an aura of power, much like their father’s, except… it was muffled, like it was being deliberately hidden. They looked away to their father for only a second, but the servant had already disappeared into the crowd of white-suited retainers somewhere.
Father usually disallowed fermented drinks for the vessels, especially alcoholic ones, but… The Pure Vessel could feel the temptation building up at the bottom of their stomach. Their reflection stared back at them as they assessed the deep crimson wine, almost like it was daring them to take a sip. It seemed almost endless from how much of the chalice it took up.
“PV,” signed one of the taller vessels that noticed the wine, “Where did that come from? Father said that none of us were to be served alcohol.”
The Pure Vessel signed back dismissively, “He said to enjoy ourselves, and it’s my celebration, so I’m allowed leniency - your food’s getting cold.”
Some of the other vessels shared a look with one another, but they quickly turned their attention towards the more interesting matter in front of them. They began to cut right into the meat with their utensils, easily slicing it apart with their knives. The Pure Vessel did the same, cutting out a thick chunk of goam meat and held it in front of them with a fork. They couldn’t wait any longer - the bottom of their mask split apart into clean, even pieces, revealing the sharp mandibles behind it. They shoved the chunk of meat into their mouth, savoring the complex flavors that it held. The tenderness of the meat ensured that every drop of sauces and juices were squeezed out with every bite, melting right on the Pure Vessel’s tongue. They took a moment to appreciate their first bite of the meal, then swallowed it in one swift gulp, before continuing to tear the meat apart from its shell and cutting it into pieces to easily fit into their mouth until it was all gone.
The vessels’ table was especially lively as many of the smaller vessels were excitedly trying to chew right through the tough chitin of the roasted goam, sometimes successfully. Hard shell bits littered the table with every bite, and the Pure Vessel chirped in amusement as they remembered what it was like to be as free as their siblings were. They picked up the chalice of wine and swirled it around absent-mindedly before they realized it was in their hands. Maybe… it wouldn’t hurt to let go of their responsibilities, just for tonight. They held up the chalice to their mouth, and with a hesitant breath, took a sip of the wine.
As they sent the wine down their throat, the Pure Vessel felt themselves relax and everything melt away as their body tingled. All those feelings of being stifled, of being a royal child, of being Father’s too-beloved Hollow Knight, it was like they were all contained in the wine itself; the more they drank, the more their worries went away. They tipped the chalice up to drink entire mouthfuls of the delightful liquid, only stopping once they realized they needed to take a breath. As they pulled back from it, they let out a choked cough once they realized that their wine wasn’t anywhere close to being emptied at all. Had they drunk only a mere fraction of its contents? The weight in their belly said otherwise.
“And now, for our second course,” the head butler spoke again, ringing his dinner bell, “Refresh yourself with a palate cleanser as we serve ouma hotpot, recipe courtesy of Monomon, Dreamer of the Archives. Boiled medicinal herbs from Greenpath, minced boofly meat, lifeblood broth, and ouma tentacle noodles, served as you desire with optional sides. Oh, and please remember to portion yourself for the rest of the night as well, there are more courses yet to be served.” He bowed yet again, allowing the army of servants to clean up and prepare everyone for the next course.
Tables were cleaned of their contents and almost-pitifully small bowls were put down. The Pure Vessel internally groaned at the sight, thinking of how they could ever possibly eat from this tiny thing. They took another deep swig of the chalice, sighing as another wave of relaxation hit their body. Finally, the servants began to pop out of the kitchen, prioritizing serving the vessels’ table first and foremost. A handful of servants presented the table with raw boofly steak slices and several dishes sliced vegetables on the sides of each other.
The last servant to the table carried a large pot filled with broth, with some sort of box underneath it. Judging by the logo of the Teacher’s Archives on it, the Pure Vessel guessed it was probably one of Monomon’s prototypes. The servant planted the pot down with a heavy and worrisome *THUNK* as the servant flicked a tiny switch on the side. There was a low hum and the unmistakable zaps of lumaflies coming from within; before long, the broth started to bubble and boil. One servant began to insert the glassy tentacle noodles, followed by some of the steak strips and vegetables. In a few moments, the servant scooped up a ladleful of the aromatic concoction, pouring it into the Pure Vessel’s bowl first.
The Pure Vessel nabbed some of the noodles with their chopsticks after a few awkward attempts at figuring out how to use them, pulling it into their mouths to finally eat the new cuisine. They slurped up the noodles, tasting the rich broth that seeped into the tentacles. With ravenous speed, they held the bowl up to their mouth, pouring all of its contents in there at once. Onion-root and bone broth and noodles and meat pleasantly burned their throat as it slid down in one slick motion. Just like that, their serving of hotpot had disappeared in a matter of seconds, and the Pure Vessel was left with a burning desire for more. They sat in silent suffering, watching as the broth slowly got smaller and smaller with each serving for the other vessels.
“PV,” one of the shorter vessels signed in concern, “Is something the matter?”
“No, of course not,” the Pure Vessel signed, “Just hungry.”
“You appear to have chocolate. Perhaps that will help sate your hunger?”
The Pure Vessel nodded - a little snack would keep their mind occupied until the next course. They picked up one of the chocolate hearts and noticed that it had a little unfamiliar logo surrounded by flames stamped into it.
Curious, the Pure Vessel thought, before popping the entire chocolate piece into their mouth.
The chocolate itself was pleasantly bitter yet sweet, but what surprised the Pure Vessel was how quickly it melted in their mouth. It was as if the moment it had touched their tongue, the soft chocolate had become liquid in mere moments. Feeling how easily their snack went by, they ate another piece, then another, then another, then another, then they grabbed the hotpot pot and started to pour all of its contents into their mouth.
“My Knight! What are you doing!?” A retainer rushed to the Pure Vessel’s side in panic, unsure of how to respond at the act of decadence.
Rather than concern, the other vessels at the table had expressed annoyance at the act. Some pouted and crossed their arms while waiting for a servant to come by with a new pot, while others protested the Pure Vessel by finding another table to steal food from.
The Pure Vessel let out a sigh of relief and breathed out steam, patting their stomach in half-content movements. They dismissed the servant with a wave and started to drink from their limitless chalice. Each gulp and glulk of the wine was liquid bliss, making them feel everything much more intensely than before: love, resentment, joy, sorrow, excitement, regret, and most of all, hunger.
The Pure Vessel hadn’t felt desire in such a long time; it seemed almost foreign to them at this point. They wanted to eat more. Not just more food, but of everything. They couldn’t believe that they had ever wanted anything less than a full-on course for their meals before now. What was their father feeding them before this? Nothing but basic slop and gruel to keep them in line! This was how royalty should eat!
Their thoughts began to muddle into a mess of incoherent desires and daydreams and arguments, nothing they’d ever say or do normally.
But-
“My Knight, are you… okay?” The retainer nervously hovered behind the Pure Vessel, adjusting his glasses in a nervous tic.
The Pure Vessel responded by grabbing the retainer’s collar and pulling him in, and let out a strong, steamy gHWuoORRP that washed across his entire face. The sheer force of the belch managed to crack one of the lenses, not to mention fogging up the retainer’s glasses, leaving him stunned and stumbling around and the Pure Vessel alone to enjoy their meal. Amusingly enough, the gesture seemed to drive away even more vessels from the table; more portions for the Pure Vessel to enjoy. They sipped their chalice in amusement, watching as the refugee vessels coalesced at a new table.
The dinner bell rang once again, causing the Pure Vessel to involuntarily drool at the thought of more food.
“Our next course of the night will be hopper-and-mushroom skewer-”
The Pure Vessel grabbed six skewers at once-
“-mawlek egg and moss omelet-
-swallowed the omelet whole-
“-deepnest meat pie-”
-and dug deep into multiple pies with their tongue-
“We hope-”
-but they were still hungry-
“-you have enjoyed-”
-even as they leaned back and let out a loud-
“-tonight’s courses.”
*HrAWruarRUOarOhUUORrP*
“Enough, PV,” one vessel signed, “You want to feast alone? Fine, eat alone. Enjoy your knighthood.” The last of the vessels finally departed from the massive dinner table, leaving the Pure Vessel alone.
“Good,” the Pure Vessel thought, “more for me.” They waved a nearby servant over to them and demanded them to bring out the biggest keg of alcohol for them: mead made with the sweetest of honey from the Hive, stored in a barrel meant to satisfy nearly a hundred nobles. Right now, it would only satisfy one vessel. The perfect little vessel for their father to play around with like a toy.
“Well, I am not perfect!” The Pure Vessel thought as they shoved more of that delicious goam roast whole into their mouth, “I am my own bug! I can do anything I want!”
They grabbed the large barrel of mead, lifting it up with one hand opening the tap with the other. The continuous stream of mead went on and on, but not even that had sated the Pure Vessel. Nothing seemed to. Not the alcohol they were drinking, nor the food they had acquired from their siblings’ plates, nor this party done in their name. All they had wanted was to be free! No longer would they accept being the vessel of their father’s dreams! The thought burned in their mind with every gulp of mead, etching itself into their psyche as the last drop fell from the tap.
The Pure Vessel was close to laying down on the floor at this point, feeling their clothes strain against their gut. They had never indulged in something like this before, not to this degree of indulgence. Father had always made them watch their diet, kept a close eye on them to make sure they were as fit as possible. His perfect little knight.
Of course, no one was perfect. They could attest to that right now; all those meals had take a toll on their once-slim figure. Their stomach grew enough to touch the table, even as they leaned back on their chair. Every breath was ever-so-slightly strained by how heavy they were feeling. Luckily, only a fraction of what they had eaten showed up on their frame; it was merely a nicely plump overhang rather than the width of the table. Being made of Void, they could store a near-limitless amount of anything in their body, but even it had its limits. All of those calories would still applied to them eventually, Father would tell them. Father this, Father that… It was always something with him, right?
They stumbled up from where they sat, chalice of limitless wine in hand, and made their way towards the Pale King’s table. Their vision was blurry and their thoughts were racing, but they were full of intent - so full, in fact, that they didn’t notice when they kept bumping their potbelly into other tables and partygoers. Luckily, their gut was squishy enough to not cause much of a physical impact, even as they fumbled their way across the room.
Eventually, the Pure Vessel reached their father’s table, and stormed up to him, ready to speak their mind. Right now, he was sitting in their mother’s lap, chatting with her about something or other - it wasn’t important. They dragged themself in front of their parents, took a deep breath, and stood up straight, planting their chalice down and raising their hands in front of them to indicate they wanted to talk.
“Ah, our dear Pure Vessel,” the White Lady said, scritching the Pale King’s neck, “How have you been tonight? I know that you don’t attend our parties very often, but I am glad that you are here with us.”
The Pure Vessel began to sign with their hands, “I’ve come to ask of you two-”
“Yes yes!” The Pale King excitedly said, “I have been speaking with my Root, and I wish to inform you that I now know that she indicates that I may have been too overbearing. So, I wish to apologize to you for that. Your knighthood is important to us all-” He paused for a second to look back at his root, but quickly added, “-but nothing is as important as you. So says my root.”
The Pure Vessel’s claws couldn’t keep up with their father’s talking, “Father, I want to say-”
“It is also a sign that Hallownest is more than a collection of towns and cities of bugs, and that your knighthood to a… My Root, what heir title do I bestow upon our Pure Vessel since they do not have a gender? Oh! Perhaps we can get Monomon to create new titles for them to choose from and for Lurien to enforce such a title, because Lurien has been dying to try out that new executioner’s nail of his and he has been getting tired of threatening to use it on the Soul Sanctum-”
“What he means to say-” The White Lady handed off the Pale King to one of his Kingsmoulds, much to his chagrin, leaving the Pure Vessel alone with her, “-is that we are proud of you. I know that you have more ambitions than just following your father, so I grant you my blessing for you to pursue whatever you wish after tomorrow - I am not blind to your desires, dear vessel. I also know that you have been drinking alcohol. From who, I do not know, but it is not my business what you do, not tonight.”
The White Lady leaned across the table and wiped away the Pure Vessel’s food crumbs and drink stains around their mouth. “I only ask that you clean yourself up tomorrow. Your father has worked hard on this ceremony just for you, because both he and I love you very much. We are willing to let you do whatever afterwards.”
Fuck! The Pure Vessel had prepared an entire speech in their head, and now they were paralyzed. It was as if all of that liquid courage in them had evaporated in a flash from their mother’s words. They could only nod awkwardly and sign ‘thank you’ to their mother, before they quickly walked backwards and took a random seat at a table for some nobles that they didn’t bother to memorize the names of. They didn’t care if it was someone else’s, they just needed to sit down and eat right now because by the gods they had no idea what to do now that they’re feeling bad about their thoughts tonight and what they were going to do after and how their father would be so disappointed in them if they just decided to no longer want to be his knight and-
“Oh, it’s the Pure Vessel!” One of the nobles at the table exclaimed, jolting the Pure Vessel out of their spiral. This one wore red like any other of the hundreds of nobles here.
“It’s quite an honor to meet you!” Another said. This one was part of the Great Sentries, wearing the red ceremonial version of sentry armor.
“We were just discussing you, and we wanted to ask about what you plan to do once you ascend as a knight.” The last one seemed to be part of the Soul Sanctum, if the gem on his forehead was any indication. He interlaced his fingers and pointed at the Pure Vessel, as if he were expecting them to answer all of his questions.
The Pure Vessel just nodded and waved down the servants here to order them to bring more food. They couldn’t care less about what these nobles wanted; they just wanted to drown their thoughts in food. Thankfully, the servants were quick to serve food that everyone ordered for the table earlier, though the Pure Vessel was forced to suffer through constant questions as they ate.
“Does the Pale King have an economic strategy?” “Will he divert more resources to building up new towns?” “Has he seen any of the scrolls I sent yet?” “Will the Mantis Tribe be integrated into Hallownest?” And many other questions that the Pure Vessel couldn’t care less about. Since they didn’t want to bother with answering them, they just nodded silently and continued to eat. Maybe if the Pure Vessel nodded for long enough, they could get away with this.
As the questions kept piling up, so did the number of plates, and thus the number of empty plates. Feast after feast was granted to the Pure Vessel, with only some occasionally making their way to the other nobles. Before this point, the Pure Vessel had eaten well over their bodyweight in food; by now, they had probably eaten close to twice their weight in number of dishes. Their waistline strained against their attire, tight from the slowly-but-surely increasing size from every morsel they were eating; they almost had to hold in their breath every time they swallowed. They could feel their pants struggle to hold back the tide of fat, belly spilling over the waistband until finally-
*kr-pop!*
One of their pants’ buttons had popped off of their clothes, flying into the table from underneath. They could feel their belly drop down into their thighs with the free space, and worse, they felt relieved at how much space their gut had to move around now. Luckily, no one else had noticed the sound, but the thought of walking around with their pants precariously loose caused them to blush to no end.
“Well, at least it can’t get any worse.”
*rsharrip*
“Fuck.”
The Pure Vessel’s ass seemed to suddenly expand in one go, causing their hips to spill over the rim of the chair. The newly gained softness was much appreciated by them, but they could imagine they if they gained any more weight, their cheeks would have enveloped the entire upper half of the chair.
The nobles either didn’t notice or didn’t care about the Pure Vessel’s predicament, for which they were eternally thankful that sycophancy was common amongst the nobles.
“My Vessel,” the Soul Sanctum scholar stood up, “I have come with a proposition for you.”
His two companions let out an annoyed sigh. “This again?” “We already said-”
“Enough! Now, the Soul Sanctum is willing to offer our services into further researching the Abyss. Our master has been a vocal supporter of the Pale King ever since our academy was established. We are willing to extend our support to you as well, and have prepared an array of scholars to teach you more about SOUL. The Pale King’s knowledge, forgive my tongue, cannot compare to the teachings that the Soul Sanctum has accumulated. All we ask is access to the Abyss, and to learn more about Void.”
The Pure Vessel stopped trying to dig out the meat of a dirtcarver’s shell with their fork. They looked at the scholar, then at their father sitting on his throne, then back at the scholar, and shrugged, pointing toward the Pale King with their fork.
“I thank you, my knight.” The Sanctum scholar took a bow, and made his way to the Pale King’s table.
“Now that he’s out of the way,” the sentry noble leaned back, “We can get to more practical matters.”
“Yes,” the rich noble nodded, “Like what sort of material the Pale King’s cloak is made of! It seems so soft and supple!”
The Pure Vessel nodded and continued to eat their food in contentment, watching the Sanctum scholar approach their father with undeserved smugness. They rarely socialized with anyone not within their father’s circles, but they disliked the Soul Sanctums’ presence most of all. Besides their arrogance and general misconduct, they were among the worst small-talk conversers they had the displeasure of knowing. Conversing with a Sanctum scholar about any topic was about as fun as trying to talk to a corpse that got trampled over by a stag. They tuned out all over voices and focused on their father’s table, curious to know how this conversation would play out.
“Dear King,” the scholar burst into the Pale King’s personal table, “The Soul Sanctum requests your approval to conduct an investigation into the Abyss! We have already assembled a-”
The White Lady interjected, “Mm-hmm, yes, we know, you have sent over several messages phrased exactly like that. And you thought it appropriate to bring this up during a celebration of our dear Vessel’s knighthood… why?”
“My lady, apologies, but I believe I was talking to your husband.”
The Pale King’s face immediately darkened, and the Pure Vessel nearly choked on their food eavesdropping on the conversation. The Pale King’s arm glowed with godly power as a circle appeared under the scholar. An unpleasant chill was felt throughout the entire room. Everything seemed to go dark, except for the glowing circle under the ill-speaking scholar.
“Uh.”
Suddenly, a warbling noise and a bright light erupted from the circle, blasting and enrapturing him from beneath. The air seemed to thicken and freeze with how intensely bright it was, even if it was only for a second. When the light passed, the scholar stood there, robes burned off and singed all over. He blinked and coughed out a bit of frost, patting his shoulders clean of the burned remnants of his robe.
The Pale King snapped his fingers, summoning two kingsmould to drag the scholar out of the palace.
“Think twice about what you and the rest of your Sanctum wish to say to my Root.”
He clapped his hands, and the band once again started to play a classical tune, returning the party to its previous vibe.
The Pure Vessel giggled to themself at how the entire thing went down. They decided they had enough excitement for one night, and left the party without fanfare, giving the Pale King and the White Lady a quick hug before they left. The celebration could go on without them. Father was insufferable at times and Mother was suffocating at worst, but… they both cared for each other. They loved the Pure Vessel too, they were fairly sure of that. What they wanted was time to think, time away from family, to know what their future was. At least one place here offered a brief respite: the royal bath house.
The Pure Vessel went to the nearest bench to the edge and disrobed, glad to be free of those constraining clothes. They neatly folded their suit and cloak into squares and carefully took off their armor, placing them onto the bench with the utmost care before stepping over to the pool. They took a moment to observe their own reflection as it watched them from the water: tall, lanky, and habitually slouched over, despite their father’s best efforts to curb that habit. Thankfully, their little binge earlier didn’t seem to affect their body all that much, not yet at least; only a soft, grippable muffin top had appeared on their waistline. Void was always odd at metabolizing weight and height for different vessels. Some of their smaller siblings were older than they were, and some of their taller siblings were built like Great Sentries. Maybe they’d get lucky and they’d burn off all of this fat before tomorrow’s ceremony.
They waded into the warm pool, thoughts still rolling around in their head. Laying down and lounging back, their body finally felt at ease after tonight’s events. SOUL began to flood itself into their body, rejuvenating tense muscles and warming up their insides. Their stuffed gut felt even better, relaxing its overworked innards into a more comfortable state. Soft gurgles began to echo around the huge pool room, though thankfully the Pure Vessel was alone. They gave their soft stomach a poke, wondering just how much food was inside. They lost count between the whole goam roast they ate by themself and the several trays of hors d'oeuvres they swiped on the way to seeing their father and the many meals they stole from here and there. And it had only looked like they had simply had an extravagant night of feasting rather than gaining enough weight to break an industrial-strength scale. All they had left to do was just… empty their thoughts. They laid down in the water and let their head soak in the healing spring, feeling their stiff limbs just go limp. If only they could feel this way all the time…
“Do you require assistance, my Vessel?” A silky voice came from above their head.
The Pure Vessel looked up and saw the same mysterious stranger as before, the one who served them their wine. Standing behind them, dressed like any other retainer in the White Palace. He held another bottle of wine, along with a towel. Beside him was a nearly identical twin, but rather than a sleek black, his body was a crimson red. They both shared the same wide grin, staring at the Pure Vessel at their most vulnerable. Then it suddenly clicked - the Pure Vessel knew who they were. Their father had warned about them. The red eyes, the flame motif… the Grimm Troupe. And these were the masters. Avatar and god. Grimm and the Nightmare King.
“We’re here to provide for you, my Vessel, nothing more,” Grimm said with a calm voice, “There is no need to worry.”
“Yes… provide…” The Nightmare King hissed, stepping into the pool with the Pure Vessel and heating the water with his body.
“Relax, my Vessel,” Grimm said, kneeling just behind the Pure Vessel’s head, “We simply wish to help you relax.
The Pure Vessel was frozen in place - they were trapped between the two gods. They couldn’t move their arms to cast a spell to push them back, but… did they even want to? There was an allure to them that they couldn’t resist as they met Grimm’s eyes above their head, letting him raise their head a little and placing it on his lap. They watched as the Nightmare King waded to their side and planted his hands on their stomach, giving it a soft squeeze. Combined with the hot water, they could feel their anxieties further melting away. The two gods seemed to want to help them, so why not let them?
Grimm began to massage their shoulders, “You’re so tense, my Vessel. You must learn to relax.” He snapped his fingers and a tray of delectable chocolates appeared in a puff of flame beside him. Picking one up, he traced a claw across the Pure Vessel’s cheek and waited for their mask to break apart, dropping the chocolate directly into their waiting mouth. “Such a heavy burden…”
“So… heavy…” The Nightmare King pressed his fingers into their potbelly, earning them a cute purr from the vessel. He kneaded and caressed the flab on their waistline, admiring every inch and making sure all of it had been massaged thoroughly. He laughed in admiration over the soft body, and let his tongue hang from his mouth.
The gurgling from the Pure Vessel’s stomach began to intensify, growing in volume until it echoed across the cavernous bath house. Slowly, inch by inch, their belly grew in size, absorbing all of the calories of the chyme pumping into their intestines. The heat coming from their belly was almost unbearable, feeling like they had just swallowed flame, yet it wracked their mind with pleasure. They curled their legs up in response to the intense massage, gripping onto Grimm to brace themselves against the feeling.
By this point, the Pure Vessel seemed to more resemble one of those morbidly obese nobles who had gone to too many banquets than a valiant knight of the Pale King. Despite laying on their back, their belly jutted out of the pool enough to block their legs from view, or at least it would have had their thighs and hips not thickened to the size of an ancient tree trunk. Even their arms had grown chubbier than usual, having some noticeably jiggly flab below their triceps.
Grimm spoke up, still dropping chocolates into the Pure Vessel’s greedy gullet, “Ah, it appears the Nightmare King has favored you.”
“Still… cold… Let us… warm you…” The Nightmare King hissed, letting his tongue snake above the Pure Vessel’s ever-growing belly. The heat around the Nightmare King seemed to intensify, making the water almost boil from his touch. His hands dug deep into the soft void-flesh of the Pure Vessel, like he was attempting to grip snow. As the Pure Vessel squirmed around in pleasure, the Nightmare King let one hand wander over to their navel, circling around its rim for a second, then slid two fingers in, pulling upwards and stretching it out. The Pure Vessel jumped in shock at the foreign feeling, kicking water around with their fat legs. Enjoying their prey’s movements, the Nightmare King slid in another finger, then another, then his entire hand, then his entire arm. It was as if he was wearing their stomach as a sleeve, reaching as deep as his arm would allow before being stopped by his shoulder.
Between being constantly fed chocolates and having their insides be poked and prodded from their navel, the Pure Vessel could barely find a moment to breathe. They couldn’t do anything between Grimm above their head and the Nightmare King by their side, except to feel themselves getting lost in the decadence of excess.
Each piece of chocolate seemed to grow more flavorful and larger as well, growing from bite-sized servings to entire bars of chocolate to even slices of chocolate cakes before Grimm simply moved onto handfuls of full-sized triple-layer cakes being shoved directly into the Pure Vessel’s mouth. Every snap of his fingers summoned more and more chocolate-covered luxury foods, each bigger than the previous summon. Soon enough in the middle of the Pure Vessel’s indulgence, he had to resort to summoning a pair of Grimmkin to shovel what they could carry right into the Pure Vessel’s ever-so-hungry maw, not caring whether or not they had even finished chewing their food before shoving something else in.
The Nightmare King eventually gave up attempting to use his arm to massage the Pure Vessel’s insides from their navel. Their stomach seemed to be growing faster than his arm could support, so rather than use his arm, he instead started to use his lengthy prehensile tongue. The Nightmare King coiled his tongue to take up as much space as it could in the Pure Vessel’s navel, swirling and thrashing around inside of there. Whenever he had the opportunity to, the Nightmare King pulled out his lengthy tongue, licking and kissing all over the Pure Vessel’s stomach. Occasionally he’d bite their soft, doughy folds, leaving behind faint bite marks, glowing red like the Nightmare King was marking what his territory.
“More…” The Nightmare King moaned, summoning a Grimmkin of his own, this one carrying a fountain of chocolate. They tipped the fountain just above the Pure Vessel’s belly, pouring the warm liquid chocolate all over their belly, causing the Nightmare King to lap it up with reckless abandon.
The Pure Vessel was lost in a sea of bliss, no longer having thoughts of doubt or regret or anxiety. No matter how much water they displaced from the pool from their exponentially-increasing growth, they never thought of anything other than to consume more food. Here, they were being serviced by gods who pampered and treated them like a king. Their only needs met by a loyal Grimm who ensured their mouth was never empty of food to chew on and by a Nightmare King who made their stomach *glursh* and *glunk* to process all of those calories. Every bit of food would show up on their waistline as a witness to how beloved they were by these two.
*GlrGrllGRoRUGngl….*
The Pure Vessel’s stomach let out a deep grumble of satisfaction, rumbling like one of those machines within Crystal Peaks. It was nearly as wide as one too - their gut was so engorged and stuffed with food that their corner of the pool was entirely displaced with their belly’s bloated state. It was like they had gone swimming with an elder baldur or two, and they suddenly decided to curl themselves around the Pure Vessel’s midsection.
Suddenly, they felt their stomach grow warmer and warmer; between the amount of food that was shoved into their mouth and the Nightmare King massaging their gut, it was an almost pleasant sensation. It would have been a truly pleasant one if they didn’t notice the fact that there was a red glow emanating from within. They let out a sharp gasp at the sight, watching as it glowed with more intensity with each passing second; even worse, it seemed like their stomach was bloating with every deep gurgle it let out.
“Fit to… burst…!” The Nightmare King laughed, digging his claws deep into the Pure Vessel’s soft hips.
Grimm gave the Pure Vessel’s stomach a soft rub, grinning as he spoke, “Goodness me. My knight, are you feeling well? You look like you could use a-” He suddenly shoved his arm deep into the Pure Vessel’s navel, “PUSH!”
The Pure Vessel let out a silent gasp and sucked in their breath, shocked at the sensation of being pushed into. Before they could stop it, a huge- bWroaUOarRuOuUUoAOPorURp
-escaped from deep within their gut, shaking the entire room. Their gut shrank as their massive belch rang out through the empty halls, reverbing across the marble surfaces. They fell back into Grimm’s lap, exhausted from all that’s happened.
“Sleep, my Vessel… Enjoy this moment…”
The Pure Vessel dozed off into the best sleep of their life.
—--
The Pale King knocked on his Vessel’s door, pushing it open without a care in the world. “It is the morrow of your knighthood, my Vessel! I’ve come to wake you up what happened to you!?”
The Pure Vessel was belly-down on their bed, as large as a boofly after a binge in the grain silo. They were posed like they were sleeping atop a stack of pillows, but it had only been the sheer size of their stomach that raised their body above the mattress. Their fat belly spilled past the edges of their bed, not to mention that the lower half of their bed was entirely taken up by their massive thighs. Their blanket barely covered any part of their body, resting on top of their generously plush derriere, inherited from their mother’s status as a fertility goddess, that accounted for half of their height lying down. The Pure Vessel groggily rose their head up from their bed, and gazed at their father with the look of someone who learned what their limit for alcohol is the hard way. They somehow managed to slide themself out of bed, sitting on the edge (and the rest of the bed, and the floor behind) with a raging headache and a deep pit inside of their stomach, unable to face their father.
“My Vessel, what is this?” The Pale King looked at the Pure Vessel with sad disappointment, making his way to the foot of their bed. He shook his head and gestured at them, “Why would-”
The Pure Vessel flinched at their father’s words. They had disappointed him before and it always stung every time he scolded them.
“-you sleep with your cloak on!?”
Oh. They looked back and saw that they slept on top of their once-pristine cloak, wrinkling it all over and leaving unsightly creases all over it.
“Goodness me, this is unpresentable!” The Pale King let out a sigh, picking up the cloak to observe the mess, “Luckily, we have many extra cloaks for you to wear, but this one was meant for your special day! No matter, we must go prepare now, for the ceremony is soon!” He summoned a retainer to clean the Pure Vessel’s clothes as he dragged them up and out for their ceremony.
This was going to be a long day for the Pure Vessel.
—---
“Our people of Hallownest,” the Pale King announced from his balcony, “Today is a day of celebration! Today, my vessel becomes a true knight of Hallownest! The honor of this comes not from that they are my kin nor that they are merely skilled. No, it comes from the fact that they have shown time and time again their dedication to defending Hallownest!”
The Pure Vessel was straining to stand upright as two retainers had been trying to put on their knight’s armor for them. They were sucking in their stomach for minutes at a time, hoping that they would be able to finish reattaching soon - they were supposed to be done half an hour ago, but with so many segments and with too small of an allowance, it was nearly impossible. Clasps and straps attaching armor pieces together were pushed to their absolute limit from the Pure Vessel’s size, if not outright unhooked or broken apart already. Just as one of the retainers wrapped their arms around the Pure Vessel, the one in front of them pushed in the armor segment a little too hard and caused them to suddenly exhale, causing the unfortunate retainer to fly straight through a wall. The rest of their armor straps cascaded as they all snapped one by one until only their armor collar remained.
“I present to you… The Hollow Knight!”
Well, no time like the present.
The now-titled Hollow Knight stepped out onto the balcony along with their mother and father, listening to the applause of the crowds below. Tens of thousands of bugs alone were in front of the White Palace, cheering along each other in a cacophony of noise. Luckily, the Hollow Knight was not expected to say or demonstrate anything, only to stand there high above the crowd, luckily blocking off any sight to their massive belly. Soon enough, the Pale King’s speech ended, and the Hollow Knight felt themselves relax. After this, they could do whatever they wanted to do. The Pale King clapped as both he and the Hollow Knight stepped off the balcony together.
“Now that that is finished,” The Pale King poked at their belly, “May I ask you about this?”
The Pure Vessel tried to sign some lie they were trying to come up with on the spot, but they couldn’t come up with anything. Seeing no easy way out, they resigned themself to the consequences of their actions. “I… do not wish to be a knight, Father. I feel much more comfortable with a whisk and knife in my hands than I do with a nail and shield. I do not believe I am meant to be the champion of Hallownest.”
“I- what!? Ah- hm…” The Pale King’s words seemed to die in his throat; already the vessel’s mind raced with worrisome, anxious thoughts about how disappointed their father would be, how much of a failure they had turned out as, how they simply could not bear to live up to the expectations they’d been given-
“I may not yet… fully understand you as your father,” The Pale King said as he poked the Pure Vessel’s belly, “But I am willing to entertain your wishes. My dear root has expressed a wish to see you become your own person.”
The Pale King continued to lead the Pure Vessel down the hallway, “In any case, I am obligated by her promise to you that you are allowed to do whatever you wish. Due to your… corpulence, I assume it has to do with food, so-”
He opened up the door to the royal kitchen, with a menagerie of chefs and waiters were lined up along one wall, utensils prepared to work their magic. The Pure Vessel’s heart skipped at beat as they saw a custom-tailored chef’s uniform meant for them (in their new size), neatly laid out on a table nearby.
The Pure Vessel eagerly signed, “Father? How did-?”
“I have foresight, dear child.” The Pale King smugly tapped his temple, “I am able to glimpse into the future when required to.”
The Pale King handed the Pure Vessel their uniform, “I have also elected to have you attend a course on food preparation with the kingdom’s finest culinarians. That, and…”
The doors opened with dramatic flair, revealing Grimm and two of his other troupe members; a burly, broad bug, and a strange, slithering termite queen behind him, all wearing black chef’s uniforms, accented with red trims.
“Grimm,” The Pale King said with uncharacteristic contempt, “I dislike him, but I will not deny his abilities as a culinary expert.”
Grimm sauntered up to the Pure Vessel, mischief in his eyes, “Ah! So nice to finally meet you, dear vessel!” He gave a polite curtsey, as did the other two members behind him. “Wyrm, it’s such a delight to meet you again as well.”
“Yes, I do not wish to say the same of you,” The Pale King huffed, “Now, I asked you here to teach my child proper kitchen procedures, and that is all I ask of you; nothing more, nothing less.”
“Oh, of course, Wyrm, I’d be more than happy to have many hands-on lessons with the Pure Vessel,” Grimm slyly said. If the Pure Vessel could blush, their face would have been red.
“Must you really make such advances? In front of me and my staff?”
“No. I do want to, however.”
“I- never mind, just teach my Pure Vessel without your senseless sexual approaches!”
“Oh, Wyrm, you never did learn to have any fun, did you? Not after all we did together?” Grimm sighed overdramatically, “Alas, I shall acquiesce to you. How about we start off with cake then? Something simple to start this lesson off with.”
Grimm waved for the burly bug to roll in a huge glass tank, full of thick and viscous batter - chocolate cake batter, according to the label. He popped open the top, pulled out a wine bottle, and poured the entire thing inside. “My special ingredient, between you and I.”
“But first!” Grimm snapped his fingers, and the Pure Vessel felt their mandibles open up with his magic. Before anyone could say anything else, Grimm grabbed the hose attached to the tap, and shoved the head into the Pure Vessel’s mouth, “You know what they say about skinny chefs!”
“Grimm! You little-!” The Pale King exclaimed, lunging for Grimm’s throat. He crashed into a protective seal on Grimm’s body, and as he hit the floor, he was caught by his horns and lifted into the air.
“Oh, don’t worry, dear Wyrm…” Grimm purred, “You’ll get your turn soon enough~.”

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