“Traveler, Traveler, Traveler, Aether, Traveler…”
 
Aether’s eye twitched, this was starting to get on his nerves, Hu Tao had come to him with the goal of selling him a funeral plan, ha had declined of course, he had no plans of dying anytime soon and he couldn’t age in the first place so he had declined the offer, and after his response Hu Tao had started trying to annoy him into accepting.
 
“...Traveler, Traveler, Traveler, Come oooooon…”
 
Aether felt like hitting his head against the nearest wall, this truly felt like hell, it was worse than when Paimon is going hungry and she won’t stop talking until she gets fed, actually where was Paimon, he hadn’t seen her at all today.
 
“...Traveler, Aether, Traveler, Travel-”
 
“You know what, fine. If it will get you to quiet down then I’ll buy the funeral plan”
 
The director of the Wangsheng funeral parlor immediately quieted down and took out a contract and pen out of her pocket.
 
“Just sign here, here aaaand here”
 
Aether did what she told him to, not even reading the contents, he wouldn’t be needing this either way, and whatever it cost he could probably afford it. His mind was more concerned right now with getting this done and then finding Paimon.
 
“There we go, I’ve signed it, I have other things to do right now soooo…”
 
Aether turned around to walk away, sure he enjoyed spending time with Hu Tao when she wasn’t annoying but finding Paimon was the more important matter here, he had no time to waste, who knows what kind of trouble the pixie had gotten herself into, if only the traveler had not been in such a rush could he maybe have avoided his fate.
 
“Yeah, you can go, there is just one small thing”
 
“And what is tha-”
 
*Glomp*
 
The traveler got no more words out before his head entered the mouth of Hu Tao, the wet cavern was humid and warm, he could barely see in here and he feared if he didn’t resist soon then it would be too late.
 
*Glurk*
 
The traveler put both of his hands on the upper and lower side of Hu Tao’s head and tried to pry her mouth open, well he tried to at least until her ghosts came out and took a hold of his arms.
 
*Glulp*
 
Aether was sent in deeper, swallowed up to his shoulders, his struggles never ceased but as soon as he made a bit of leeway, he felt more hands hold him in place, the ghosts he previously found cute was now a horror for the renowned traveler.
 
*Grulp* *Gulp*
 
'Aaaah, he tastes soooo good'
 
The traveler, hero of liyue felt genuine fear as he was unable to struggle, unable to call for help as well, and Paimon wasn't with him so no one could report this to the Millelith, it dawned on him that this situation was truly hopeless.
 
*Gulp* *Slurp*
 
But he couldn't just give up, he gathered all the energy he had and struggled as hard as he could, the constrictive feeling of the throat made it hard but with the struggling he actually made him slide out a bit, he could do thi-
 
*Gulp* *Grulp* *Glulp* *Gulp*
 
'Ah ah ah~ food shouldn't exit the mouth, it should slide deeper in, let me help with that'
 
The rapid gulps made it so Aether's head had entered the stomach with only his legs outside that he could use to try and escape, the legs kicked around uselessly and hit nothing.
 
'Ok traveler, let's get the rest of you in there'
 
*Gulp* *Sluuuurp*
 
With that the rest of the traveler slid into the gastric abyss, the thick meaty cavern was coated in a slimy green acid, ready to break him down like any other meal who enters.
 
"Aaaaah, that hit the spot, you are really filling you know"
 
Kicks and punches came from within, it was a desperate attempt for the traveler but it was all he could do, he couldn't give up, what about Paimon, what about his sister, no he needed to get out and he needed to do it soon, it was already starting to sting
 
“*Sigh* Where is Paimon when you need her”
 
—-
 
*The night before*
 
Paimon had woken up in the middle of the night, she and the traveler were camping outside this time. Her stomach growled, she really needed a midnight snack right about now but she couldn’t just wake up Aether for that.
 
“Ok, I’ll just sneak away for a short while and find something to eat, then I’ll go right back, no distractions this time”
 
Paimon floated away from the traveler, maybe she could find some tasty mushrooms somewhere or mayb- MORA. Paimon saw the shiny golden coin on the ground, and another, it seemed to follow a path further away, maybe whoever dropped these coins had a hole in their purse.
 
“Eh, who cares, more Mora for Paimon”
 
Paimon was beaming the whole way, maybe with all this mora she could buy herself a meal, oh she could really go for some of Xiangling’s cooking right about now, suddenly the trail of Mora stopped and Paimon saw that she was nowhere near the traveler, oops.
 
“Well if it ain’t Paimon, and I thought it was a tasty treasure hoarder who came this way”
 
Paimon got grabbed by two hands that held her in place, Paimon realized quickly who this was, it was one of her and Aether’s friends Xinyan, she puffed out a sigh of relief, at least she wasn’t in any danger.
 
*Growl*
 
“Well you’ll do all the same really, sorry Paimon but I was really looking forward to a midnight snack an’ you will have to do”
 
“Wait wha-”
 
Paimon’s feet were the first thing that entered the rocker, the tiny fairy didn’t even need to be swallowed down once and she had already entered the maw up to her midriff.
 
*Gulp*
 
“Wait, can’t we talk about this, I thought you were Paimon’s friend”
 
The tiny struggles only served to make it easier to slide Paimon down, it wouldn’t take many gulps at all compared to treasure hoarders, she could hear the fairy cray and it almost made her feel bad, keyword ‘almost’.
 
‘Sorry but you know how it is, a gals gotta eat after all’
 
*Glurk*
 
It truly wouldn’t take many gulps for all that was left outside now was just the head, Xinyan waited for the last swallow, allowing Paimon to savor the last sunlight she would ever witness.
 
“Maybe, I can get you something el-”
 
*Gulp*
 
Not needing to hear anymore the rocker swallowed down the last of Paimon, the bulge traveled through her until it landed in her stomach, it was barely any bigger since the prey was so small.
 
“Phew, ya truly was snack sized Paimon, sorry but I couldn’t wait for someone else to come along, You’ll be a friend right and melt, won’t you”
 
Paimon tried to get the predator to vomit her out by struggling, but the weak punches did nothing more than massage Xinyan from the inside. Paimon tried to think of anything that could help her in this situation, and she actually thought of something.
 
“Hehe, you can’t keep me in here, Ningguang gave us immunity against being eaten. It’s against the law to eat us if we haven’t given consent, and I have NOT given consent”
 
“Uhm, you do know that only the traveler has that immunity right, you were never given anything like that”
 
Paimon went quite real quick, was that actually correct, was she going to digest and nothing would happen to Xinyan at all. Paimon kicked and punched and tried to pry open the way she came from but nothing worked for the weak fairy.
 
“Well if that’s all then I’ll go to sleep, I have a gig early in the morning, night Paimon”
 
Xinyan relaxed, falling asleep to the cries and struggles of the tiny prey within, Paimon cried out for the traveler to save her but no one came to help her from the digestive fate.
 
—--
*Back to now*
 
Hu Tao had taken to walking the streets of Liyue harbor, her huge gut swaying from side to side as she walked around, she smugly threw the contract the traveler signed on up and down, to think someone was really stupid enough to read a contract before signing it.
 
“You have to spit me out I haven’t given my consent, this is going against the la-”
 
*Smack* Hu Tao slapped her belly
 
“Oh shut up, I have your written consent right here, all I need to do is hand it in and I’m all good”
 
Aether was confused, what could she be talking about he didn’t consent to anything, he then realized what she meant, the contract he signed wasn’t for a funeral plan, or maybe it was and this was it, however he looked at it, he had been tricked.
 
*Gurgle*
 
Aether redoubled his struggling, kicking harder and punching with full force, he wouldn’t die here, not before he reunites with his sister again, but no matter how much he struggled the stomach walls possessively massaged him, trying to turn the boy to mush and nutrients.
 
The air was hard to breathe, he almost passed out a couple of times from just that, the pain was unimaginable and his skin was slowly melting off of him, he didn’t dare look at his own body in fear of seeing bones, silent tears flowed from his eyes at the hopeless situation.
 
Hu Tao on the other hand was having the time of her life, she had just handed in the contract so now she had full approval to melt the hero down, of everyone in Liyue, many had tried to get the traveler in their own bellies, but it was her and not them that got to claim him, to melt him down into butt jiggle and stomach pudge.
 
“Mornin’ Hu Tao, how’re you doing”
 
Hu Tao looked over at Xinyan, she didn’t look any different, maybe slightly thicker thighs but nothing noteworthy
 
“Oh you know, it’s like any other day, business is booming like always”
 
As she said that she smacked her belly, weak muffled groans of pain could be heard from inside but both ladies ignored it in favor of their conversation
 
“I can see that, who is it anyways, he sounded familiar”
 
“Hmm, oh no one important really, he’s food now and that’s all that matters”
 
The conversation between the two pred lasted a while longer, Hu Tao’s belly shrinking each passing minute, a break could be heard sometimes but those were also ignored in favor of the rock girl. Both of them later went their own way to continue the day like any other.
 
“Oh, you aren’t moving anymore *Sigh* oh well, I still have one more fun activity for you in store”
 
Hu Tao grabbed a shovel and bag and walked over to a hill in the middle of nowhere and started digging, she later put the bag in the hole to make an impromptu toilet
 
“Gotta make good on my contract and fulfill my part as a funeral director”
 
*Scat Warning*
 
Pulling down her pants Hu Tao squatted over the hole, she relaxes herself as the anal ring blooms open to push out the first log of waste, oh how euphoric it felt to push out someone so mighty out of her.
 
“*Hnng* You should really read the fine print before you sign any *Hrrrg* contracts, glad I could teach you to do so moving forwards”
 
*Splat*
 
The first log fell down into the bag, followed by a second and third, the muck was riddled with bones and bleached hair, the grunts from Hu Tao could be heard far and wide, luckily no one was around to witness this.
 
“But there is no need to *HnnNrg* worry, your soul will be released and join the others in the afterlife… hopefully, sometimes I accidentally digest the soul as well, hehe~”
 
More and more logs joined the others, one time she could feel entire ribs exit her and plop down with the logs of shit, the hero of Liyue had truly been digested into nothing but waste.
 
“*Hmmrg* Come on, don’t be hard on me, be a good hero and exit already”
 
The rest of the brown matter flowed out slowly but surely, and with the plop that came after the skull came out she was finished, sweat had accumulated on her entire person during this moment, luckily for her she remembered to bring toilet paper with her.
 
“And now it is time to add the finishing touches”
 
Hu Tao closed the bag and shoveled dirt into the hole, she then put her hands together in a praying motion
 
“I will thank you all for coming here today, our bellowed Aether was a hero to all, but his fate was tragic, now let’s pray for him to get to the afterlife safely”
 
With the formalities out of the way and being genuinely curious Hu Tao looked around for the ghost of Aether…
 
“Oops, looks like I accidentally melted that down too… I would say see you in the afterlife but you know”
 
Not wanting to stick around any longer Hu Tao walked away, a slight extra juggle adorned her behind with each step she took, this truly was a most joyous day.