Among the skills in a bounty hunter's toolkit, chief among them was the art of subterfuge. Being a certified, grade-A badass who could wallop legions of goons, never missed a shot, and
could fly starships through asteroid fields meant nothing if the target was out-of-reach. Sometimes, bounty hunters needed to act smart, not strong. They needed to blend into their surroundings like a Space Chameleon. They needed to be like the wind, no, the very air itself! Silent, invisible, but always present.

How else could they ambush targets?

That's why Peril had a plan, a masterful scheme that proved her brilliant genius once again. After a little more digging (and devoured henchmen), she learned the whereabouts of Selachii the Shark. Allegedly, the Ezi Crime Family had acquired a Qwark Bomb, a Class III weapon, and planned to sell it on auction next week. They amped up security to keep the bomb safe, hidden in a warehouse in the Alcyona District, which the Don himself visited every day. You know, for peace of mind; the mysterious disappearances of a dozen goons put him on edge. For once, Selachii's paranoia got the better of him, driving the sharkman into the open and right within Peril's grasp.

She wouldn't let such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip through her fingers. She'd be a fool to do otherwise, and the Green Bolt was no fool. Despite what certain big-booty blue bitches might say.

So, with her hopes high and nerves bundled tight as knots, Peril visited the Alcyona District. She knocked on the warehouse door, greeted the Piscesiod guard who bemusedly opened it, and waltzed right on through. Hands tucked behind her head, the Green Bolt whistled nonchalantly under her breath. The tune was simple, just a jumble of notes, but it betrayed not the anxiety bubbling beneath the surface.

"Act natural, just act natural," thought Peril. She swung her hips from side-to-side, sashaying them like pendulums. This was the walk of confidence. This was the walk of Importance. Nobody questioned people if they looked Important enough. If you looked like you belonged, you did. Even idiots could wrap their minds around such logic. "Nobody suspects a thing! Keep walking."

The Green Bolt fixated her gaze on the ceiling, ignoring the dozens of the goons that darted underfoot like they were ants. Piscesiods readied the warehouse for next week's auction, whether they set up chairs, hung banners from the rafters, or constructed the stage that dominated the back-half of the warehouse. Upon the half-built platform sat the Qwark Bomb, its steely-gray shell tipped with a red warhead. Peril could only imagine the pain and devastation such a powerful weapon could wrought if it fell into the wrong hands. All the more reason to capture Selachii and topple this crime family, really.

As Peril cut through the crowd, she thanked her lucky stars. If she didn't wear this jacket, which bore the iconic Ghost Fish, these goons would rip her apart like a school of piranha. Luckily, the Ezi Crime Family recognized one of their own. Only high-ranking members of the Ezi's wore the Ghost Fish's ghastly visage. More than Peril's calm, if haughty attitude, this jacket protected her like plated armor. It was even big enough to hide Peril's Green Bolt jacket beneath, for only a madman with a pair of pliers could wrestle such sweetness off Peril's back. Even if it meant Perril felt insanely hot under the collar.

"These goons think I'm one of them!" thought Peril, cackling inside her head. It proved a struggle not to belt out a smug smirk. "They don't suspect a thing! I—"

"Uh. 'cuse me, Ma'am?"

Peril's sauntering gait paused but for a moment. She spared only the smallest glance to the Piscesiod in front of her. The tiny sharkman stood only to her knee, but he wore a fine-looking tuxedo, fedora, and red tie. Only a top-notch mafioso dressed so finely. He clearly was no bottom-feeder goon. The Green Bolt also felt the weight of several more eyes upon her, but she wholly shunted them from her mind.

"Yeah? What'cha want, pipsqueak?" asked Peril, her voice a nasally snarl. She oozed oceans worth of arrogance, drowning all anxiety to maintain the charade. "Hurry, speak up! I'm a very busy and Important woman, you know!?"

"S-Sorr' ma'am!" The mafioso wrestled his webbed hands together. "Oi was just wonduhin'... what'cha doin' heres?"

The mafioso waved across the warehouse.

"We's still settin' up shop! Nuthin' much to sees heres!"

Peril rolled her emerald-green eyes, then jerked her head sharply. Behind the stage and high above on the second floor was a set of windows. Although the blinds were drawn shut, the shadows of fishy figures moved about the office. Peril then jerked a thumb over her shoulder, pointing to a portrait of Selachii the Shark that a team of sharkman hastily hung on a wall. The cold, calculating gaze of a bloodthirsty predator glared down upon the shrimp-sized goons.

"I'm here to see the Da Boss! Duh!" Peril cracked her knuckles. "I'm fresh from a job and gotta report back! So don't waste my time, asking stupid questions! Hmph!"

With a snort, Peril shoved past the mafioso, nearly throwing the short sharkman to the floor. Another goon was less lucky; when Peril's meaty thighs firmly bumped him, he dropped a folder full of paperwork. Frosty and imperious as an iceberg, Peril cut through the crowd of Piscesiods towards the office. She was close... so terribly, deliciously close. Nothing would stop the Green Bolt from catching her bounty. Not now, not ever.

"Just a little bit closer... just a little bit closer...!" thought Peril, all-but-screaming inside her head. A gastric growl escaped her stomach. "Once I claim this bounty, everyone in the galaxy will know and fear the name 'Green Bolt! Nehehehe'"

While Peril marched towards Destiny, the mafioso watched her retreating back. A pale blush blossomed across his scaly face. Beside him stood second goon, who's deep-blue cheeks burned with red-hot scarlet.

"Youse thinkin' what Oi'm thinkin'?" asked the second goon. The black-suited mafioso adjusted his collar, if only to collect himself. He stared at his fancy black shoes, shivering from head-to-toe. It felt as though Peril's image was burned inside his eyelids.

"Youse dunderhead! Do youse really wannna end up in that dame's gullet?"

"Hehehe! Sure do! Been months since Mary-Jane broke up with me's! Oi mean, wouldn' youse?"

The mafioso growled under his breath and stomped his shoe.

"Grrr! Of course, Oi would! Any schmuck would wanna be part of them titanic tits and big booty!" The mafioso waggled a webbed finger at his comrade-in-arms. "But if we's don' finish settin' up for the auction, Da Boss is gonna hit our families! Youse wanna sees your poor mum swimmin' with da fishies?"

"No..." said the second goon, bowing his head.

"Then get's back to works!"

The goon obediently obeyed, but not before glancing back at Peril, who returned to whistling not-suspiciously. After digesting a dozen mafiosos, Peril had grown thicc. Her hips were huge, perhaps wide as a space station. Every swing of that mighty dumptruck made her asscheeks clap, which were teasingly hidden by her oversized jacket. She sported a rotund potbelly, large enough to fit a whole Piscesiod, and it stretched her latex leotard taut enough to reveal the belly button beneath. The sides of Peril's green gut were bare; the love handles jiggling with every step. Last, but certainly not least, Peril's chest had swelled in size, perhaps large as watermelons. They jostled inside her tight top, the cleavage exposed to the air. Oh, what a glorious valley of flesh it was to behold. Each breast was bigger than the goon's head, and that ass could crush him whole.

While it was unusual for the Ezi Crime Family to hire any non-Piscesiod, much less a Gem, nobody could deny Peril's beauty. It felt like they swam in the presence of a shark goddess. The goon's heart hammered in his chest like war drums.

"One days, Oi hope a big, prettuh dame like her will eats me too! What a woman!"

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What a sneaky dink Peril is, tricking those goons and waltzing right under their sharky noses like that! Is there no end to her genius? Well, I should hope not, because I'm happy to report that the first art drive has been a rousing success! We've fundraised 104% of the $500 for April's treatment! Nothing has warmed my heart in recent memory quite like everyone's generosity! Thank you, donors, for all your support. As promised, 'Peril's Big Score' will reach its conclusion, with part 4 already well underway. From my friends to my faithful followers, allow me to say a thousand thank you's. My love for you all is immeasurable.

Ah, but I'm being a sillyhead! For those just joining us now, here's the situation: my pet Balthazar the Destroyer of Worlds was recently diagnosed with cutaneous lymphoma. Although CL is rare in cats, this skin cancer does occur and typically kills them within a 5-month period. Naturally, I plan to fight tooth & nail to save my poor kitty, and to that end, Wollygoffy, Delt, myself, and a few other friends have agreed to a collaboration. For every $100 donated to the cause, we will continue this art drive with a max goal of $500. The cancer treatment lasts between 6 months to a year, depending on how well the patient responds, so there will be one art drive every month until Balthazar is cured...

... or the other outcome.

This means the ultimate goal of the art drive ranges from $3K to $6K, but I'd hate to abuse the charity of my fellow Ariyionites by expecting more especially given our current economic uncertainty. Hence why the art drive is segmented into $500 intervals for every month of treatment. So please, if you can, donate to the art drive. If not, your attention, patience, and kind words are appreciated regardless. The last thing I'd wanna see is someone donating money they don't have. These next few months will be a difficult time for Balthazar, myself, and the whole family, but the fact that my friends have agreed to this collaboration fills my heart with hope.

Of course, if we exceed the $500 cap during a certain month, it'll flow over into the next art drive. If an overflow continues post-treatment, or if treatment fails to yield a cure mid-month, then everyone will be summarily refunded. Not an extra cent goes to my pocket. Oh, and one more thing! Some people have been exceedingly generous with their donations, and I've debated how to possibly repay them! My expectations hovered around, like, $5 or $10 per donation! To this end,  delt announced that he'd draw single character artwork for anyone who donates $50 or more, which will be accompanied by original drabbles written by yours truly. All these donors need to do is PM me or Delt on Aryion, send a DM on Discord, or reach out over Ko-Fi. Please provide proof of your donation, and Delt and I will discuss with you what your gift will entail. Provided it aligns with our Will/Will Not policies (please see our respective Commission Status pages), the gift can be about anything. Oh, and please hurry in claiming your rewards! It's possible that we may need to put gifts on-hold as we juggle them alongside this and future art drives, and we'd hate to create a backlog or make people wait too long!

For more information, please feel free to check out my blog post in the link below. Additionally, you can find links to the Ko-Fi fundraiser and my BlueSky account, where I'll be posting updates on Balthazar's condition. She was diagnosed on March 27, 2025, and mercifully, she began treatment last week, April 14, 2025. She'll undergo several blood tests in the following weeks before her next treatment, with the hopes of seeing a reduction in her cancer cell count. Otherwise, thank you all for your time!

The blog post:
https://aryion.com/g4/blog.php?id=85524
Cancer Treatment Fundraiser:
https://ko-fi.com/spider8fiend
Poll for May Art Drive:
https://ko-fi.com/polls/Mays-Art-Drive-L4L11DJ1C9
Social account & Health Updates:
https://bsky.app/profile/spider8dancer.bsky.social

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Art by my wonderful and faithful friend,  wollygoffy
Peril the Green Bolt belongs to  ruler101 and myself

Spider8Fiend: Feel free to share whatever comments you have in mind! If you have any criticism to offer, however, please try to make it constructive. If you have a lot to say, feel free to PM me as well so the comment section doesn't get too full~

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