“You nervous?”
Dwayne squeezed Gris’s hand. The two of them were standing at the door—they had finally reached the address, and Gris was having second thoughts.
“A bit,” Gris admitted.
“Is your brain being mean to you again?”
“. . . Yeah,” Gris mumbled.
Dwayne smiled, and turned to his human boyfriend. “There’s nothing to worry about,” the wolf said. “I’ve talked to some friends, and this place is safe. Sett carefully screens preds and prey before he lets them into the group. But if anything happens, or if you don’t feel comfortable, we can leave. Promise.”
Gris took a deep breath. “You’re right,” he said. He looked at the door. “Let’s go.”
The human reached out and rang the doorbell. Both heard feet stomping, and a moment later, a orangutan opened the door.
“Hey there!” they said, giving the two a huge grin. “You must be Gris and Dwayne! I’m Sett, the Dungeon Master.” They held out their hand, and both shook it; Gris was taken aback by the speed and strength of the handshake. “It’s nice to meet you!”
“You too,” Dwayne said.
“Y-Yeah!” Gris said.
Sett noticed his tone, and gave Gris a comforting smile. “Don’t worry, dude. I know I can be kinda intimidating, but ask anyone—I’m super chill.” They stepped out of the doorway. “Well, come on in! The other players are chatting in the kitchen; we’re gonna get started soon!”
Dwayne walked inside, and Gris followed, looking around the house. It was a cozy little place, with paintings and photos hung up on the walls. The human noticed a few of Sett playing board games with kids. /That’s cute/, Gris thought, smiling.
“I volunteer at my local youth center,” Sett explained. “The kids there are a delight, let me tell you! And Dungeons & Dragons is a great way for them to unwind.”
They walked down the hallway, and the two followed him into the kitchen. Three other players were sitting around the table: a sloth sitting on one side, and a newt and owl sitting on the other. All turned to the doorway as Sett, Dwayne, and Gris came inside.
“These are the new players, Dwayne and Gris!” Sett announced, gesturing to the two.
“Hey!” Dwayne said cheerfully. Gris smiled and gave an awkward wave.
“Hey there!” the sloth said cheerfully. The two sat down at the empty chairs at the table. “I’m Sammi,” she said. “Nice to meet you!”
“I’m Greg,” the newt said, in a rather flat voice. “Hey there.”
“And I’m Peterson,” the owl hooted, giving them a smile. “So glad you guys can join our game!”
“Me too,” Gris said, trying his best to smile. “I-I’ve been looking forward to this.”
“I can’t blame you for that,” Peterson said, smiling. “Sett is the best Group Grub DM I know.”
“Aw, you guys!” Sett said, blushing as they sat down at the head of the table. “You’re too much.”
They cleared their throat. “Alright then. Shall we get started?”
The next thirty minutes were spent discussing character sheets. Gris and Dwayne had already assembled theirs at home: Gris was a human bard named Grayson, and Dwayne was an orc barbarian named Ianus. Sammi played a hobgoblin rogue named Ura; Greg controlled a goblin monk named Red; Peterson personified an elf cleric named Kiara.
And then, the special mechanics of Group Grub were explained. Basic rules, signals, safewords. “You still want to do this, babe?” Dwayne whispered to his boyfriend after Sett finished talking.
Gris nodded. “I do,” he said. “I don’t feel too nervous anymore. . . I actually think this’ll be fun!”
“Good.” Dwayne smiled. And then the session began.
So far, Ura, Red, and Kiara had been tracking a man-eating monster deep into the woods. Two other bounty hunters, Grayson and Ianus, decided to join the group.
“You see smashed trees all around you,” Sett said, pointing to the figurines that represented their characters. “And there are footprints ahead.”
“Must be the monster!” Sammi growled, speaking in-character as Ura. “Let’s go!”
“Wait, I want to check out the footprints!” Peterson said.
“Roll for investigation,” Sett said.
Peterson did so, rolling the D20 dice. It got a 5. “You see that they’re footprints, and they’re big,” Sett said. “Nothing else.”
He turned to Gris and Dwayne. “What would you guys like to do?”
“I just want to smash,” Dwayne said, grinning. He turned to Gris. “How about you, babe?”
“Well, I have a high Animal Handling skill,” Gris said, thinking out loud. “So I might be able to tame the beast when we get to it!”
“Nice!” Greg said, grinning. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s follow the footprints!”
They did indeed find the beast. But the party got smashed. Kiara, Peterson’s character, got a rather bad wound from the “Urzok monster”.
“Looks like you need healing, and you don’t have any potions,” Sett said. The orangutan smiled. “May I suggest healing in a belly?”
Peterson giggled. “Sounds great! Who wants to have me?”
“I’ll take you,” Greg said, a smile cracking onto his face.
“That ok with you, Peterson?” Sett asked.
The owl grinned. “Oh, that’s /fantastic/.”
He turned to the newt, who was already licking his lips. Gris watched as the owl leaned forward, and Greg opened his mouth. And then, the Group Grub began.
Greg snatched Peterson’s head and swallowed, shoving it down his throat. His long tongue licked the owl all over, taking in every inch of flavor those feathers had to offer. And then, he gulped again, bending down at the same time to take in more of Peterson. The newt ate fast, Gris noticed, and Peterson was already poking into his stomach, making a visible bulge on the outside. A few swallows later, all of the owl was inside Greg, causing his stomach to protrude outward to an enormous size.
“Yummy,” Greg said, licking his lips. “It’s for your own good, sure—but for me, it’s quite tasty.”
“Alright!” Sett said with a smile. “Peterson, your character will heal at 2 points per turn while you’re inside Red’s belly.”
“Fine by me!” the owl said, his voice muffled by the layers of the stomach. “Gosh, it’s fun in here.”
“I’m glad,” Greg said, smiling.
“Let’s move on then,” Sett said. He turned to Sammi. “It’s your turn now. What do you want to do?”
“Actually,” the sloth said with a smirk, “I don’t know if I trust these new bounty hunters.” She turn to Dwayne. “I roll to swallow Ianus.”
Sett turned to Dwayne for approval, and the wolf nodded. “Alright,” the orangutan said. “Roll to eat.”
Sammi picked up the D20 and flung it on the table. All eyes were on it as it went around the table and ended at . . .
. . . a Nat 20. Sett gasped, and turned to Dwayne. “Sorry dude. Looks like you’re hobgoblin food.”
“That’s ok,” the wolf said with a smile. He kissed Gris on the cheek, then went over to Sammi and knelt down on the floor in front of her. “Guess I’m your dinner now,” he said with a smile. “All I ask is that you enjoy me.”
Sammi licked her lips. “Oh, I will.” She smirked. “Turn around. I like my prey feet-first.”
Gris rarely got to see the submissive side of his boyfriend, and he leaned forward, wanting to watch every second of Dwayne being devoured.
The wolf obeyed, turning around and lying on the ground, pointing his feet upward toward Sammi. The sloth opened her mouth, and Gris got a glimpse of her maw as it descended toward Dwayne: a variety of teeth, some sharp, some flat, all covered in drool, with a dripping tongue at the center of it all.
She took in Dwayne’s feet, sucking them inside of her mouth and licking them rapidly. Like Greg, it seemed like Sammi was a quick eater, because she quickly swallowed down the first bite, and gulped her way up the wolf’s legs.
When the sloth reached his hips, she opened her mouth to expand her reach, and then swallowed them down. It was like watching a trained runner in a marathon: she moved rapidly, with no signs of stopping, maintaining a clear pace and a steady goal.
And that goal was getting closer. Sammi swallowed down Dwayne’s chest, and his feet poked into her stomach, kicking and making visible dents as they moved. Gris looked at his boyfriend’s face, and saw the wolf’s eyes were closed, and his face was full of bliss.
Sammi reached Dwayne’s shoulders, then his neck, and hesitated at the head. She grinned around her prey, then reached out and shoved the wolf’s head into her mouth. Her tongue dancer around her mouth as she tasted his face and then, tipping her head back, she swallowed the last bite.
Gris watched the bulge travel down the sloth’s throat until it reached her huge stomach, joining the rest of Dwayne. “Oh /fuuuck/,” Sammi said, letting out a burp. “New guy tastes /amazing/, Greg.” She turned to Gris and gave him a wink. “You really know how to pick ‘em.” Gris blushed.
Sett smiled. “You ok in there, Dwayne?” they called.
“I’m great, thanks,” the wolf said, his voice more muffled than Peterson. The tummy gurgled around him, and he let out a relaxed sigh.
“Good,” Sett said. They turned to Gris. “Alright, so your fellow bounty hunter just got eaten—what do you want to do?”
Gris thought for a moment. “Well . . . I’d rather focus on the monster that’s going to kill us. Sorry babe.”
“What? You’re not going to rescue me?” Dwayne called in a teasing voice.
Gris smiled. “I’ll rescue you after we kill this monster.” He turned to Greg. “You ready? I’m going to use Animal Handling.”
“Good luck,” Sett said, handing him the dice. “You’re pretty low level, so you’d have to get at least a—”
Gris rolled the dice.
“—at least an 18,” Sett said weakly, staring at Gris’s 19 roll. “Alright. You’ve tamed the Urzok monster. It’s Greg’s turn. What do you want to do, Red?”
“Well,” Greg said, scratching his chin, “I have a suggestion. Why doesn’t Gris keep the beast as a pet? He can bring it with him on his travels.”
“Nice!” Gris said, grinning. “Can we do that, Sett?”
Sett frowned. “I don’t see why not,” they said, laughing. “What the heck. You’ve tamed the Urzok, and it’s your companion now.”
And with the Urzok’s defeat (and Greg moving to rescue Dwayne and succeeding), the session ended. Sammi and Greg heaved up their prey in Sett’s designated room, and after Dwayne and Peterson showered, all the players sat down at the table to wrap up.
“So, that’s Group Grub D&D!” Sett said, turning to Gris and Dwayne. “What do you think? Will you be joining are party next week?”
The boyfriends exchanged glances, then turned back to Sett and the others. “Yeah, I think so,” Gris said, smiling. “I had a lot of fun.”
“Me too,” Dwayne said. He winked at Sammi. “And not just because I got eaten.”
Sammi chuckled. “I’m glad.”
“I know it’s not the most approachable version of the game,” Greg said, “but I’m happy you enjoyed it.”
“I’m excited to play with you next week!” Peterson said.
Gris smiled. His anxieties were long gone, and the human felt happy.
“Me too.”