Wind rushed through Jack’s jet-black fur as he clung to the smooth wood rails of the sloop. The cat watched as the clouds rushed by him, the hum of Aethurium filling the air. Thoughts filled his mind as the airship crested the swirling clouds, sailing past one of the smaller islands of the Floating Archipelago. Jack briefly wondered if the islet was claimed by anyone… It was in the outer circles of the Archipelago, so it was most likely barren of any Aethurium deposits. Of course, with the Grand Crystal still missing, even the Aethurium dust on floating rocks was invaluable. It was entirely possible that Her Majesty had laid claim to it, either that or the Leper-King had done so…
  As Jack thought about the scenery of the ship, hoofsteps on the wooden deck brought him back to reality. “So, feeling airsick? It happens to everyone on their first flight.”
  The feline rolled his eyes as the voice of William filled the air behind him. The deer had been relentless in his teasing, ever since the start of Jack’s first voyage aboard the Saint Olrech’s Revenge. “I’m betting a coin that I’m handling it better than your first voyage, horn-head.”
  William grinned and leaned on the railing to the right of Jack. The two deckhands were relatively new to the world of flight, but that didn’t stop the cervine from teasing Jack. “Hey, no need to call names, milk-drinker. I know curses damnable enough that your meager teases will look like compliments.”
  “Then why don’t you use them, dimwit?”
  “I am a kindhearted and noble man, not cruel enough to use my foulest curses upon the mentally slow.”
  “With words as flowery as yours, you might as well be a nobleman, if you didn’t smell like the ship’s head.”
  “Compared to you, who looks like a nobleman. Is that the Elsburg Jaw or were you dropped as a kitten?”
  “With how small your horns are, I’d assume you were the dropped one.” Jack responded with instant embitterment.
  “Hey hey hey, low blow with the horns-”
  “Sorry, sorry,” Jack quickly apologized. William probably wasn’t being too serious about taking offense, but the cat wasn’t willing to risk his only friendship in the air… “Hey, speaking of the Elsburgs, did you hear that they pulled out of the Archipelago?”
  “I did hear that. Small ship, after all,” William began, happy to talk to Jack, “I’d say it’s about time. Ever since they lost the Grand Crystal, the Illustrian Kingdom has been faltering. Haven’t seen their banner in three years…”
  “Yeah, plus with the Revolution going on, they can’t divert their firepower to maintain their inner circle claims. Who do you think is going to take Shirechsburg?”
  “Well, my inner patriot hopes that Asyxland takes it, but my inner pessimist says that the Golden Armada may take it.”
  Jack nodded as he listened to Jack speak. “Yeah… Shirechsburg is essentially owned by natives right now, and the Golden Armada works well with them.”
  “Isn’t Golden Hand himself an Archipelago native?”
  “I believe so.”
  “Well, I hate to compliment the devil, but I do wish Her Majesty’s Fleet was kinder to the natives…”
  “Yeah…” Jack nodded in agreement, averting his head down to watch as the clouds washed past the hull of the ship. Everything went silent between the two, as they contentedly felt the wind in their fur. Jack silently rubbed his chin as they watched in silence. It wasn’t that pronounced, right? Nonetheless, it was a quiet day, but not much usually happened when one sailed around the outer circles.
  The silence was interrupted by a bell tolling aboard the deck of the sloop. The feline tentatively walked toward the sound of the bell as the rest of the crew appeared from below deck. There, standing near the ship’s bell was the towering lupine figure of Captain Edward, esteemed Pirate Hunter and leader of a 6-ship fleet. He stood amongst the crew, a good foot taller than even the tallest deckhand, menacing in his stature and grimace. Edward was infamous for his skill and cruelty in capturing pirates who had refused the Queen’s Pardon, and now he was on the trail of his greatest quarry yet, Captain Golden Hand, Scourge of the Skies.
  Edward had been chasing the terrifying Golden Armada for four years, ever since he himself had accepted the Queen’s Pardon and ended his days as a pirate. The wolf was heavily secretive, but even Jack could sense the heavy animosity the captain carried for Golden Hand. His intensity of hatred had only grown with the new trail they had, which was promising to yield a collision with the Golden Hand’s flagship itself.
  The Captain stood tall before the other shipmates, and looked upon them with his rough and grizzled face, a scar across his eye. “Men, we represent Her Majesty and the whole of Asyxland. Sources indicate that we are likely to find the Golden Armada in the upcoming stormcloud, so I expect all of you to be vigilant, expecting anything. The Golden Hand is a devious bastard, vicious beyond belief. Have your swords and guns at the ready, men, but if we see the Hand himself, leave him to me…”
Edward looked upon the crowd as his ominous words settled into their minds, before he spun on his heel and headed to the captain’s quarters. As he did, Jack whispered to William, “I think someone has a grudge of some sort.”
  William rolled his eyes. “What gave you that idea?”
  “No idea, just a hunch…” Jack replied as the crowd dispersed, and people readied themselves for a conflict. Men lined up at the artillery on the sides of the ships, others worked on the aethurium engines, and more than a few got in a line to pick up swords from the on-ship armory. Among the sword-seekers was William, who began to head below deck. “You don’t know how to sword fight.” Jack commented as the deer walked away.
  William shrugged as he ducked his tall and lanky stature beneath a doorway. “Better safe than sorry.”
  Jack himself was left on the top deck, unsure what to do. He was merely a deckhand, not the type to operate artillery, the ship, or even to duel. The best he could really do was to help carry ammunition to the cannons… As he worked, the ship’s bow pierced the thunderhead, and soon the whole six-ship fleet was surrounded by gray mist. As Jack lugged a cannonball onto the top deck, he felt the wind rush through his face, the wooden boards beneath him becoming slick with the airborne water particles… The cat had to focus every bit of his mind to keep himself from slipping as the gray mist clouded his view. All the while, the ship’s crew was tense, scanning all around them for any signs of the Golden Armada… As Jack handed a cannonball to the artilleryman, a loud BOOM followed by the sound of splitting wood filled his ears!
  The feline spun toward the source of the noise, and saw a faint glimmer of orange light within the gray clouds. A ship was on fire, and they were under attack! Men began shouting, and the ship suddenly veered, knocking Jack off his feet as the Saint Olrech’s Revenge twisted starboard! As the cat stumbled to get off his back, he looked up and gasped! Right there, less than ten feet from the ship was an enormous wooden vessel, with an uncountable number of cannons lining the flank of the ship. Among the canons was a yellow painted symbol, one of a circle surrounded by seven broken rings, the symbol of the Golden Armada. This enormous cloud had been where the fleet was hiding, and they had just sailed into their attack!
  Jack watched in horror as people jumped from the side of the ship, landing on the deck of Saint Olrech’s Revenge! The feline stumbled to his feet and fled from the battle as sword fights broke throughout the ship! Gunfire filled the air, and cannon shots echoed throughout the sky. The ship swayed as it attempted to maneuver around the dozens of ships in the Golden Armada… They were hopelessly outgunned and outnumbered, how had they come so ill-prepared for a fight with the Golden Hand?
  As Jack ran toward the helm, he turned his head to look behind him and gasped in horror at what he saw! A snake pirate had disarmed one of the crewmates of the ship, and stood towering over the equine. The serpent licked his lips, and his jaws suddenly split wide open, and he shoved the horse’s head whole into his maw. The feline was horrified, but the image left him staring at the scene as the pirate gulped down the crewmate whole… As he ran, he suddenly bumped right into someone, knocking him back to the floor of the deck. He looked up at who he ran into, and gasped in horror as he looked upon the toothy grin of a Golden Armada bear!
  The ursine grinned a crooked grin, and his maw opened wide as Jack screamed in horror! But before the bear could clamp his jaws around the cat’s head, the pirate stopped with a wide-eyed look, the tip of a blade poking through his jacket! Blood dribbled onto Jack’s white shirt as the bear was shoved off to the side, clenching his belly as a hand grabbed onto the feline. “Jack! Are you okay!?”
  Jack’s bleary eyes refocused, and he saw the hand belonged to William. Filled with relief, the cat got to his feet and replied, “Yeah, but that gave me the fright of my life… Are you okay?”
  William nodded. “I was below deck when the attack began. Do you know how to steer a ship?”
  Jack paused at the strange question, still sort of delirious with fright. “Sort of?”
  “Good! Follow me, the helmsman got eaten by a pirate! If we don’t adjust course, we’re going to crash into one of the islands!”
  This warning brought Jack immediately back to the world around him, and panic filled his heart. Without a word, he complied with William, letting himself get practically carried to the steering wheel of the ship by the adrenaline-filled deer. As they dashed, the cat looked down to see his friend’s sword, which remained stained with the blood of the bear…
  As soon as the wheel was close, Jack grabbed at it, and quickly spun it away from the other ships nearby. “William, go get the flags, signal that the flagship is compromised and every ship in the fleet should try to escape combat. We are not ready to battle, we just need out!” William nodded, and dashed away while Jack steered the airship away…
  However, as he sailed, he began to realize that things had quieted. Gunshots still echoed around him as cannons fired, but he heard no songs of steel against steel… He stared intently into the fog at the rest of the ship, and realized that the uninjured boarders were gone… Had they jumped to another ship? Or had they fought them off? Jack considered both possibilities, before he suddenly saw another ship materialize from the fog, right in front of his ship! He attempted to steer toward port, hoping the starboard side cannons facing the ship would force it to flee, but as the two vessels approached, Jack let out a gasp.
Standing above the bow of the ship was an imposing figure, a tall red fox wearing nothing but a long open-button coat. On one eye was an eyepatch, and atop his head was a captain’s hat bearing the Golden Armada symbol. Dangling from his neck was a necklace, bearing a small light-blue key (possibly made of Aethurium). Upon his bare chest was a symbol painted on his fur, mimicking that of his hat, and his left paw was stained gold like his chest.
It was the Golden Hand.
Jack’s heart pounded out of his chest as his ship drew face-to-face with the Pirate Lord, but as he veered to turn his cannons toward the opposite ship, the fox simply smiled. He drew his side-arm, a simple pistol, and pointed it toward the now-exposed flank of the Saint Olrech’s Revenge. Jack’s eyes opened wide as the tattoo upon the fox’s chest suddenly glowed bright blue, and the energy of Aethurium surrounded him. The trademark golden hand glowed even brighter, energy swirling around the captain as he pointed his sidearm right at the ship and fired.
Blue light burst forth from the pistol and rocketed towards the Saint Olrech’s Revenge as an ethereal beam. Jack could not even react as the beam collided with the ship, piercing the hull of the ship and shattering the wooden planks it was made of! With this sudden destruction of the ship, the bow began to point downwards, careening out of the sky! Jack furiously tried to steer himself up, but to no avail. The ship fell from the cloud cover, plummeting toward the ocean! With no other options, Jack steered the ship toward one of the floating islands below, closing his eyes and bracing himself for impact!
 
  When Jack came to, he was lying on the grass of a floating island, surrounded by splinters of wood and shattered beams. He groaned, and turned to look at the Saint Olrech’s Revenge, which had landed right behind him. It was completely destroyed, no chance that it would ever fly again… As he stared at the broken ship, he suddenly remembered something! “William!” The cat cried out, adrenaline filling his dazed and bruised body, making him limp rapidly toward the broken ship.
  He tore through the wooden planks, searching for anyone who survived the crash… As Jack did, more and more crewmates burrowed themselves out from the rubble, all looking dazed and battered by the impact. Eventually, even Captain Edward emerged from the rubble, but where was William? Finally, after pulling a beam off the ground, Jack saw a familiar body… “William!” The cat cried out once more, pulling the deer from the wreckage, and checking for breathing. Thankfully, the deer was alive, but knocked out cold.
  As Jack let out a sigh of relief and hugged his friend close, he heard the familiar hum of Aethurium fill the air… He looked up, and saw a ship descending from the clouds, pirates staring from the railing at the destroyed flagship. From the ship, a plank landed on the edge of the island, connecting the deck to the grassy floating rock. From this plank, a familiar face descended. The Golden Hand stepped foot on the island, his one good eye looking at the wreckage. As he surveyed the surviving crew, a laugh suddenly escaped his mouth, and Jack heard the voice of the infamous pirate, “Edward? Are you the captain of this fleet?” Jack looked in shock at his captain. The wolf stood proud, despite his humiliating defeat, refusing to stand down in front of the fox. The Golden Hand laughed again, and looked at him with a menacing grin. “My, the Asyx Navy has really gone downhill since the Pardon-”
  Edward interrupted through gritted teeth, “Her Majesty’s Royal Navy has better things to do than deal with some pirates in the outer rings.”
  “Wow, Her Majesty’s? What did they do to you, Eddy? You sound like a damned patriot.”
  “Once you have seen power like the Royal Navy, you can’t go back to scrounging on the street and swallowing people whole for meals.” Edward spat back viciously.
  The Golden Hand raised an eyebrow at this comment. “So now the fabled Prince of the Seas is the leader of a small branch that has barely seen combat?” Edward became silent, staring at the fox with silent resentment. As he stared silently, the Golden Hand turned to the rest of the crew of the Saint Olrech’s Revenge and declared, “For those of you who are not captains, here is how the Golden Armada works. We will take three fourths of all weapons and rations aboard the ships. We will then take every sky-worthy ship in your fleet except one. All crewmates who were eaten will be reformed using some Aethurium magic and then put on this ship, free to go. As for all uneaten crewmates, come forward with your swords and hands. If they are clean, you are free to go. If your sword bloody or your hands are stained with gunpowder,” The fox paused to grin menacingly, “You’ll be coming with me and Eddy here~”
  Jack looked down at William and realized that his sword was bloody! Thinking quickly, the cat kicked the sword under a broken plank, and began to carry the deer toward the fearsome pirate.
  As he walked, people suddenly began to appear with flashes of blue light! Jack had heard of Aethurium magic, but he had never seen it used this much… Where would they even get enough Aethurium to waste it this way? The equine crewmate even reformed right next to the snake who ate him, who then winked at the terrified horse as he was moved toward the one un-commandeered ship, which landed nearby. As Jack and the unconscious William made it through the line, the cat watched as his crewmates were split between the docked ships… The cat stared with pity as the bird in front of him was directed to go with the Golden Armada because his feathered hands had fired cannons at the Armada. However, there was not much he could do as he approached the Golden Hand, and presented his and William’s hands.
  “Alright, and how about your swords?” The pirate asked.
  “Neither of us have one, we’re just deckhands.” Jack lied, hoping he could get out of this.
  “Hey! Wait a second, I recognize ya!” A gruff voice rang out, and Jack looked with horror to see the bear who tried to eat him! “As I tried to eatcha, I got stabbed! Yew ‘ad a sword!” The bear angrily said, moving toward the duo as he held his bandaged belly!
  “I didn’t! You were stabbed from behind!” Jack protested, shrinking away before the Golden Hand stopped the bear from coming closer.
  “Slow down there, Boris. This one is far too scrawny to have stabbed through you, he can barely lift his friend.” The bear grunted, and angrily moved away, but the fox kept his eye staring at the cat. “However, I recognize you. You weren’t a deckhand, you were at the helm as I shot your ship.”
  Jack’s heart suddenly began to beat faster and faster. “Well uh-well, the helmsman got eaten, so I-I took his place, and uh-you know…” The cat stuttered, and tried to look away from the pirate’s piercing eye. His eyes had nowhere to rest, however, as when he looked away from the fox he saw that white-furred belly, which bulged slightly and gurgled gently. Redirecting his eyes again, his eyes saw that the fox was not wearing anything to cover his crotch! He looked away rapidly, hiding his blush.
  “Well, where did you learn to steer like that? Airships take a lot to control, little kitty…”
  Jack’s cheeks grew even more red, and he looked down, at the slow rise and fall of William’s chest. “Well uh-well… I-I had training and stuff, my dad was a captain and uh-he let me steer smaller ships sometimes…”
  “Really now?” The fox leaned closer to Jack, letting him smell the Golden Hand’s alcohol-filled breath. “Who is your father?”
  Jack winced at the smell, and nervously replied, “Admiral Johann Elsburg-”
  The fox drew back in surprise at this. “Really now? What’s an Elsburg doing in the Asyx navy? The Illustrians hate Asyxland…”
  Jack kept his eyes averted from the fox, as well as all nearby pirates. “Well… Since my dad uh-lost the Grand Crystal, he was-uh tried for treason and fled to Asyxland…” It had been a long time since he had thought about his father. He had tried to forget about the downward spiral his father went through after the Crystal was stolen that night, but it haunted his dreams. He was only 11 when they had to flee the Illustrian colony town of Shirechsburg, the town he was born in and grew up in. He was not able to finish his education, as he was now a poor Asyxland peasant, unable to even speak the language. Three years later, his father disappeared. And now, 21-year-old Jack Elsburg was standing trial before a pirate who helped steal the Grand Crystal and ruin his father’s life. It was hard to keep the emotions down, and the Golden Hand could sense this…
  They stood in silence for a minute, before the Golden Hand suddenly spoke, “Well, your steering was quite impressive. Your father was a good teacher.” There was a pause and Jack continued to stare at the floor. “If you would be interested, I would be willing to hire you as a helmsman.”
  Jack considered the proposal briefly. He would never be able to be a helmsman with the Asyx navy, as he was young and inexperienced, just a regular farmer-turned-deckhand. But, could he even work with the man who sent his father down a downward spiral? “I’m sorry, but I will have to decline…” Jack said, without looking up.
  The Golden Hand nodded. “I understand. You and your friend may head over to the free ship.”
  Jack turned around, and began to walk away, not raising his head to look at anyone. He had revealed his status as part of the Illustrian nobility, and he expected he would make no friends among either the Asyxmen or the pirates… But, as it all stood, he was happy that he and William were alive. He marched up the plank to the free ship, and went down below deck, where he sat in silence.
  It would be a long trip back home.
 
 
  It had been three hours since he had been captured, and Edward remained in the brig of the ship. What was that bastard fox up to? The captain was left alone, sitting bound in a chair sitting opposite to an empty chair… The wolf would not have to ponder for long, as heavy steps suddenly filled the lower decks of the boat. A figure approached the lantern-lit room, and Edward immediately recognized the Golden Hand. Although, something was… different about him.
  His 7ft tall stature was significantly fuller now, with a large, gurgling pot belly swaying in front of him as he walked. His hips were also considerably wider, to the point that he almost broke the doorway to the brig! Every step the Golden Hand took led to his wider frame wobbling more and more… The fox had also become significantly more endowed, but Edward did his best to not stare. Nonetheless, the pirate sauntered toward the bound wolf and sat down in a chair opposing him. “Woo! You would not believe the lunch I just had!”
  The wolf remained silent, his hating glower remaining transfixed on the fox’s face. The fox took no notice of this, shifting his weight so the wooden chair creaked heavily. The Golden Hand let out a loud belch as he rubbed his belly, a piece of cloth flying out of his maw and onto the captain’s lap. “Honestly, I have never had a meal that large! You had some intensely loyal crewmates…” The fox continued, “Even when offered a chance to join my crew, most of them still chose to become fox hips instead! 17 prey in all, they really filled out my figure!” The wolf grimaced as the fox leaned against the chair, letting his soft rear squish around the chair he sat in. “But, I think they are all happy to be part of me~”
  “Go to hell.” The wolf replied with venom dripping from his voice.
  “Oh wow, such foul language. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”
  The wolf grit his teeth. The Golden Hand knew how sensitive of a topic this was… “When you die someday, you won’t even go to the Ghost Ship. You’ll go immediately to hell to suffer a thousand deaths.”
  “Well, I remain alive today, and will probably remain alive for a long while, if this is the only force Asyxland sent after me.” The fox grinned a toothy grin. Edward became silent, his gaze piercing and laced with hatred. As he stared, the Golden Hand’s expression softened. “Why did you do this, Edward?”
  “I have never answered to you, and I never will, Valir.” The wolf spat, using the Golden Hand’s real name!
  The fox nodded and looked at him sadly. “But you did answer to Anne-”
  “Don’t you dare use her name!” The wolf responded with sudden vehemence in response to his mother’s name, taking the fox aback. Suddenly, Valir’s facial expression hardened.
  “You were the one that betrayed her, Edward. Mary didn’t sell us out after she accepted the Pardon.”
  Edward spat at the fox. “Fuck her! She saw the power wielded by the Grand Crystal, and still decided to throw her crystal key to it away! She’s a slothful and vain bird who will burn in hell with you too.”
  Valir flinched slightly at the rude comments about Mary. “What happened to you? You used to call her Auntie Mary…”
  “I saw what true and righteous power looks like. Power made with might, not robbery or trickery,” Edward spoke bitterly, “Your might is made with petty thievery, while Her Majesty has the might of history itself.”
  The fox narrowed his eyes at this. “And what of history? ‘Her Majesty’ is just as much a robber as I am! Her heritage is one of crime and hatred of the lesser subjects!”
  “But it is a heritage of power!” Edward shouted back, “Asyxland is centuries old and will outlive all of us! Your ‘Armada’ is nothing but a band of crooks and hungry peasants! My mother may be the Pirate Queen, but I refuse to be the Prince of a throne built on nothing but deception.”
  Valir paused, leaning against his chair. “So is that it, then? You betray your mother and family to serve a monarchy that doesn’t even give you a full fleet to hunt down an Armada?”
  “Better to die a nobleman than live as a sewer rat.”
  Valir closed his eyes and thought for a second. A sigh escaped his nose as he stood up, opening his eyes. “Well, you shall not do either. You die as a traitor.”
  Edward did not get a chance to respond as the fox approached, and opened his jaws wide! The furry face of the wolf entered his maw, and was immediately drenched in the wet saliva of the hungry fox… Even with 17 crewmates digested away in that bubbly vulpine cauldron, Valir could still go for one more. Unable to move effectively due to the bindings around his hands and feet, the wolf squirmed and attempted to escape the voracious maw of the fox, but to no avail! Valir closed his eyes and swallowed down the broad shoulders of the traitorous pirate, his throat bulging out significantly with the addition of the wolf’s shoulders! His head was forced into the tight and warm throat of the fox, rapidly moving him down to that gurgling belly.
  Swallow after swallow forced Edward’s chest into Valir’s talented throat. Even the massive Captain was an easy meal for the Golden Hand’s experienced maw, which had swallowed down all sorts of disobedient crewmates… As that broad chest slipped past the Captain’s lips, Edward found his head entering the wider chamber of the fox’s belly! Although, his space to breathe would not exist for long as Valir flipped his head into the air, allowing gravity to help pull in his prey’s belly! This action forced the wolf’s face against the bottom of Valir’s stretchy belly, making the fox’s furred stomach bulge out! Muffled noises and struggles came from that gurgling gut as the Golden Hand continued to swallow down his newest victim…
  As Valir swallowed down the wolf’s muscled hips, his stomach began to bulge out more and more! Even if he was his eighteenth snack that day, he was also the biggest of the snacks. The fox soon swallowed down the remnants of Edward’s arms, and continued to gulp. The vulpine’s gastric chamber swelled more and more as he slurped down those furred legs, his hands rubbing over the struggling gut as it expanded. Soon, Valir reached the feet of his prey, and he quickly pulled them into his maw, so only the paws remained outside of his maw. His tongue curled up, and pushed the paws down his throat, filling the room with a resounding Gulp!
  A sigh escaped Valir’s now empty maw as those paws slid down his throat, swelling it significantly as the bulging form of Edward filled his gut! A quiet ooourrrrp~ escaped the fox’s maw as the wolf struggled within him. Edward, meanwhile, could feel every touch of the fox against his own belly, his fingers tracing along the bulges of his head and arms. The wolf tried to kick and punch at the walls of his warm, tight, and squishy prison. However, it was to no avail. The Golden Hand’s gut had tolerated quite a bit of abuse from Valir’s many many prey.
  Gurgles surrounded Edward’s ears as digestive acids dripped all around him, rapidly submerging all of his form and making his fur tingle. “Hey-hey! You can’t do this! My mom will be extremely angry if you digest me!” The sounds of bargaining barely made it through the fattened walls of Valir’s belly, and even then they struggled to be heard over the satisfied gurgles of the cauldron.
  Valir briefly considered this, but responded calmly, “As much as she may be mad, she was even more mad when you tried to steal the Grand Crystal from us. At least this way, she can finally hug your form again…”
  “What! No, you can’t!” Edward struggled more, punching at Valir’s touch. The fox withdrew his hand temporarily, but went back to rubbing it as he sat down on the even creakier chair.
  “You were given a lot of responsibility with that key. You were to be a guardian of the Pirate Queen’s Bounty. And you decided you wanted to sell us out. We thought breaking your key would stop you in the future, but you attacked my crew. As much as Anne loves you, she will accept this as a fair punishment…” Valir replied casually, letting out another belch as he rubbed his stomach. Digestive acids began to fill the chamber, and Edward’s form quickly became softer and softer… His protests continued, but they weakened until they were inaudible over the sounds of Valir’s active gut.
  Valir sighed as he continued to rub over his rapidly softening gut, the wolf being reduced into nothing but chyme, a meaty stew for the fox’s intestines… Valir closed his eyes as his stomach shrank more and more, the remains of Captain Edward rushing through Valir’s body. Suddenly, as his belly shrank back to the potbelly it was before, the fox let out a belch, and a strange blue object clattered against the floor! Valir leaned down and picked it up, examining it. It was an Aethurium shard, one which resembled the key Valir had on his necklace! “Hmm… It seems you kept the shattered remains of your key…” Valir commented as he looked down at his now-empty gut. The fox shrugged, and tossed the piece back into his mouth, swallowing it down! His skill as a mage meant he could directly absorb Aethurium pieces, so that shard would be digested in no time!
  Valir sighed and closed his eyes. As much as Edward had betrayed him, the fox still felt sad to have digested him away. The Golden Hand even thought of reforming the wolf, as he had thought of him as family until the day he betrayed them… But, alas. He would have to return to Anne with the bad news of where he had gone. Valir stood up, and suddenly felt a massive weight behind him! Turning around, he blushed deeply as his rump had grown significantly! “O-oh my, you seem to have really gone to my ass!” The fox exclaimed, sinking a paw deep into the doughy surface of his expanded rear. The two cheeks had doubled in size! It was doubtful that the fox could fit through even his widest doorways! ‘Figures he would go there with how much Anne loves my rear…’ Valir thought to himself with a blush.
  A few minutes later, a crashing noise would fill the air of the top deck, and the pirates turned to see the Captain exiting the lower quarters with his new lower quarters! Valir ignored the blush on his face as people stared at him and his door-shattering hips… Literally. That door would not work properly until a woodworker took a look at it. The Golden Hand looked upon his crew, and spoke loudly, “Set sail for the Pirate Queen’s Bounty. I must speak with the Pirate Queen about plans for the Golden Armada going forward…” Deckhands got to work, and the helmsman set course for the Vault while Valir did his best to stand proud with his new enormous rear…
  ‘Well… At least Anne likes it when I eat this much…’ Valir thought with a blush, remembering how the Pirate Queen secretly loved to get sat on by the doughy fox rear. ‘And at least Edward will return to where he belongs… In the arms of Anne.’ Valir cautioned another touch at his own rear as they set sail for the Pirate Queen’s Bounty, the pirate king’s bounty in tow, much larger than before~