Voretober 2022 - BUBBLE

“Is this really the most important spell, master?”

“Of course, young apprentice. The bubble shield represents a perfect defense. It can deflect attacks, both physical and magical, as well as insulate you from other harm.”

Master Felix watched as his robed red raccoon student, Arytos, struggled to generate a bubble shield. Blue light would form in his paws for just a moment before fizzling, and so on. The master himself was an older sheepdog. Long white fur covered his eyes and most of his body, but black fur ran across his limbs and back. Most of this was obscured by his own robes, a rich purple to Arytos’s white.

Arytos groaned out of frustration as the bubble popped in his hands once again. “Ugh. Dammit!”

Felix felt a little sympathetic for the raccoon, even if he should be able to grasp it. It wasn’t like he was that young. He was old enough to drink, after all. “Arytos,” he said, “Watch me.” Arytos stopped trying to generate his own shield and turned his attention to his master. He couldn’t see his eyes, but they seemed like they would be closed in deep thought. He inhaled, then slowly exhaled, pulling his hands apart equally slowly. A blue bubble extended from his hands and grew until his entire body was enveloped in it.

He returned to his normal pose, standing with his hands behind his back inside the bubble. “Just like that.” He let the shield fizzle, and then gestured for his apprentice to try again. Arytos took a deep breath and clasped his paws together. Then he let it out shakily, stretching apart his hands as he did. A bubble grew from between them, growing further than before. For a moment Felix thought he did it, but then the bubble’s border shimmered and shattered.

Felix sighed. “Well, maybe tomorrow. I could go for some lunch now...”

Arytos turned towards him and said, “Sir, please. I can get this. I’m so close...”

His master frowned, but it was hard to ignore those pleading eyes. As well as his own hungry belly. “Hmm... Very well. However...”

“Yes, master?”

“If I may offer another assistance... I know a technique that will help you.” Arytos’s expression brightened, but Felix quickly warned, “It is dangerous, however. With potentially lethal consequences. Do you understand?”

Arytos nodded. “I will do whatever it takes, master.”

Felix smiled. “Good.” He raised a single finger and shot a beam composed of orange bubbles. The beam enveloped Arytos and while he was surprised, it didn’t hurt. It didn’t feel like much of anything. He looked at his own paws, trying to feel if there was any extra power, but he didn’t think so. He looked back up at his master, who was suddenly... taller?

“Master, what’s happening?” He asked, but Felix just stood there with that same patient gaze he always had. The raccoon felt his clothes growing baggier and he realized then who was changing. His environment was growing larger by the second. He went from being as tall as his master to shorter than the desks, smaller than the chairs. He grew smaller and smaller until he couldn’t see anything behind his own pile of robes that were now far too large for his body.

Seeing the process complete, Felix proclaimed, “Come out, young apprentice.” The white pile of clothes shuffled in place until a tiny red raccoon emerged, barely the same height as one of his toes. “There you are. I realize this must be startling, but I promise there’s a good reason for it.” Some squeaking came from Arytos, but he just smiled. “I’m afraid I can’t hear you at your current stature, but you should find it quite easy to generate a bubble shield now.”

Felix’s words reached him easily by comparison. While he was still shocked by the shrink spell, he decided to try the shield again. Inhale. Exhale. Expand. He opened his eyes and found the world filtered through a soft blue glow. One that wasn’t in danger of popping. He threw his arms up in triumph and shouted, “YEEES! I did it, master!” But when he looked up, he didn’t see his master’s face. Instead, he saw black paw pads coming down onto him.

He flinched, but the barrier held. His master’s voice boomed above him, “Well done, Arytos! Your bubble seems to be fairly solid... But I’ll have to test it a little more, if you don’t mind.” Felix’s paw pressed further down with little effort on his part, bending Arytos’s shield but not breaking it. Something the raccoon was thankful for, as he didn’t want to end up a stain on the floor. Finally, he relented, lifting his paw up and allowing the bubble to pop back into a sphere.

“You’ve passed the first test. But don’t let your guard down...” Arytos watched as his master bent down, reaching for his shield. His master picked it up between his thumb and forefinger like one might a candy, gently squeezing it. He came face to face with him, or rather body to muzzle from his size. He trembled at how much bigger his master was, but he couldn’t let go of the force-field now. Especially as he was suddenly launched into the dog’s maw.

There was a moment after landing where he expected to be immediately crushed by teeth. Instead, he found himself, or rather his bubble, safely held between two rows of them. For a second anyway, before he was tossed across his mouth into his cheek. “Mmm. Bubble shields always have a certain flavor to them... Raspberry?” He gnawed on Arytos’s shield for a few more seconds, before once again swapping to the other side. “Very solid, my apprentice... Reminds me of chew toys in my youth!” He laughed, bouncing Arytos within his bubble while he was held in place. “You pass the second test. Now for the last one.”

The dog’s teeth let go of his shield, allowing it to naturally roll to the back of the mouth. Arytos pressed himself against the back wall of the bubble, staring down a bottomless pit. He turned and looked over his shoulder. Between pursed lips, he could see the room he was once in. Then his master’s tongue rose like a mountain to block his view. And a muffled gulk pulled him under.

While Felix was right about him not needing as much energy to maintain the shield at that size, the main thing keeping it up was his desire to not die. He wasn’t sure how much danger he was really in, but going down a giant dog’s throat felt like a lot. Even if he was currently protected. The bubble gave him free space, but he could tell those powerful muscles wanted very much to pop it. Fortunately, the pressure soon let up.

Unfortunately, it was only because he fell into his master’s stomach. The bubble proved to have some buoyancy, but he wasn’t sure how long it would last against the acids. Even through the barrier Arytos could hear the stomach around him growl loudly, hungry for more. Something digestible. He wasn’t sure how long he would have to last. But surely Master Felix would let him out soon.

Felix pressed lightly on his belly, still flat, but he could feel his student’s bubble inside. “For this last test, my apprentice, you must last in there until the rest of my lunch-to-come is drained away.” He wasn’t ever really sure if they could hear him. They usually weren’t around to ask afterwards, but there was always a first time for everything. “Oh, be careful not to slip into my intestines... You might end up having to survive a lot longer.” He chuckled to himself as he walked out of the room.