Been working on other projects recently, but found the time to knock out a fun inflation story! Involves swelling up with mana...in one case permanently :3

Indi learns of the risks of swelling with mana at his initiation ceremony into the Order of the Orb...

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The Order of the Orb
By: Indi

Indi had imagined the initiation ceremony for the Order of the Orb would be a dreadfully solemn thing, complete with the reciting of ancient oaths and everyone dressed in concealing cloaks. The blue zebra always heard mage orders were like that. Instead he felt like he was at a party. It was quite the surprise—though a good one.

Round glow lamps lit up the great hall, hovering above like stars. Or maybe moons. The hall itself was fairly colorful, with murals painted on the walls and mosaics covering the floors. Around Indi were spellcasters of all sorts, from pure mages to rangers who only dabbled in the art. They were drinking, eating, and chatting, and having a wonderful time in general from what Indi could tell. He also couldn’t help but notice how...rotund, many of them were. Round bellies were straining robes and tunics alike. It made him less conscious of his own modest paunch.

“It’s great, isn’t it?” A lean lion laughed as he slapped Indi on the back. A mug was in his free paw, and he drained it of booze in a quick, greedy gulp.

“Yes, of course it is Bacchus!” Indi answered. Bacchus was a paladin, one of the regular customers at Indi’s magical potion shop who’d gradually become a friend. And now he was sponsoring Indi into the Order. Belonging to an organization like the Order of the Orb could be an incredible boon for a mage. They provided access to rare resources, private libraries filled with arcane knowledge, and of course connections with other members. Indi couldn’t begin to thank Bacchus for getting him invited.

“Glad you’re enjoying yourself. But why not have another drink?” The lion rambled off an incantation and gestured with his paw. In the air in front of him a rather large mug appeared, a stream of cider pouring into it from nothingness. Bacchus took great pride in his skill at summoning liquor, even if its benefits to a paladin were questionable at best. Once the mug was filled he pushed it into Indi’s hooves.

“Maybe I shouldn’t be getting drunk at my own initiation,” Indi said. “I mean, I still don’t even know what it involves. You’ve all kept it a secret from me, aside from saying that I’ll be given the chance to turn it down right before it starts.” He didn’t want to admit he worried the initiation was dangerous, that he might back out.

Bacchus smiled. “Oh it’s nothing, really! I assure you it’ll be worth the risk in the end. So drink up!” He magically refilled his own mug and guzzled it all down again.

Indi took a sip of his drink, his nerves calmed some by Bacchus’ words. Then he noticed the paladin looked...rounder. A lot rounder. Like he’d chugged an entire keg since they’d begun talking. “B-Bacchus? You’ve kind of, uh, swollen up a bit.”

The lion raised a brow before looking down at his round middle. “Oh, this?” He laughed and slapped his belly, which sounded like a drum. “That’s just a perfectly normal side effect of my magic. When I use it a whole lot it creates feedback, which blimps me up a little. But don’t worry, I’ve enchanted my clothes so I won’t burst out of them no matter how round I get!” He laughed some and refilled his mug. As he did his middle swelled slightly.

“Oh, I didn’t know.” Once again Indi looked around the room, now wondering if some of the other spellcasters were round for the same reason Bacchus was. He’d heard about inflation-based magic before, but hadn’t considered it might be secretly widespread in a place like the Order. It was an odd practice, yet Indi was admittedly curious about it.

Bacchus dragged Indi from one group to the next, introducing him to the other members. He was also creating drinks wherever they went, practically showering everyone with magic booze. He was steadily ballooning up as he did, his middle going from a pot belly to a ball gut to a sphere so big he was forced to waddle. Just like he promised, his vest remained intact, showing strain but covering his balloon of a belly. The only thing that worried Indi was how drunk Bacchus seemed to be getting in the process.

“You’re getting pretty big. Shouldn’t you be trying to...to deflate, or something?” Indi asked, staring at Bacchus’ belly.

“But the bigger I am, the stronger my—urrrrp—magic is!” Bacchus said with a wide grin.

A white tiger prodded Bacchus’ middle with a claw, hard enough to make the lion wobble. “Just don’t get too big, Bacchus. Would be a shame watching you get rolled to the cellars~”

“Pfft, I can handle myself, Vel!” Bacchus tried to smack the tiger’s paw away, but didn’t even come close. “Weren’t you half-way there yourself just the other day because of a ritual or whatever?”

Vel blushed. “Only half-way! Good luck, blimpy.” He wandered off, leaving a smirking Bacchus and a confused Indi behind.

“What did he mean by the cellars? Maybe you really should hold back a little, just in case.”

“He’s just being a tease,” Bacchus insisted. “And you’ll learn about the cellars after initiation. For now just have fun!”

Indi tried, but it was hard for him to not be concerned about Bacchus’ drunken antics and everything Vel had said.

Shortly after, Bacchus stopped in the middle of the room and cleared his throat. “Attention all! The party has been wonderful as always, but what it could really use is a fountain of refreshing cider!” He got plenty of laughs and cheers of approval, though Indi swore a few were pointing towards the lion’s bloated middle and shaking their heads.

Bacchus cheerfully repeated a long and rambling spell. Kegs appeared, one-by-one, forming a pyramid. Almost immediately the lion’s belly ballooned outward, growing as he cast. The spigots popped off and cider flowed free, pouring down the sides of the stacked kegs like waterfalls.

Even Indi thought it was an impressive display, especially considering how drunk the paladin was. Then he noticed Bacchus hadn’t stopped swelling. The lion began to expand in all directions, his limbs puffing up as well. He giggled and burped as he swayed in place, clearly unfazed by the situation. “Oops. Think I might’ve—bworrrp—overdone it there, hehe.”

Rounder and rounder the lion grew, his body gradually starting to envelop his swollen limbs. Even his cheeks puffed out. He looked like a balloon inflating out of control. Indi looked on nervously, but everyone else just seemed amused by what was happening. There wasn’t the slightest hint of fear amongst them, and Indi couldn’t fathom why.

“You’re Indi, right? The new initiate?”

Beside him was a slim, gray-and-white deer. He recognized him as August, the Order’s archmage. “Y-Yes!”

“Thought so. You’ve probably never seen the effects of the Order’s specialty magic, then, have you?” Indi shook his head as he continued to watch Bacchus swell. “Well, as Bacchus hopefully told you already, his current condition is normal for members of the Order. He’s filling up with mana right now—an intoxicating amount if I were to guess. He’ll be perfectly fine as long as he maintains some degree of control.”

“And...and if he doesn’t?” Indi asked, fearing the answer.

“Well then his role within the Order will change. But that’s a possibility we all accept when we join,” August said.

The deer strolled up to Bacchus, who was nearly spherical. Only the large lion’s paws and head were left jutting from his round body, which gently rocked back and forth. August pressed a hoof against the taut side of the lion, prompting a giggle. “Feels like you’re nearing the point of no return, Bacchus. Would be rather embarrassing for a sponsor to end up in the cellars before his initiate is even fully welcomed to the Order.” He chuckled, poking and patting the helpless lion.

“I’m—braaap—I’m fine!” Bacchus drunkenly insisted. “Just a tiny bit bloated, that’s all.” A loud creak echoed out of his body, causing Indi to wince.

“You’re more than just a little bloated. You’re more balloon than lion right now. A bottle of mana pretending to be a paladin.” August shook his head, but his smile didn’t fade. “You know I’ll tease you relentlessly if you fail to snap out of it. Is that what you want to endure, on top of everything else?” There was far more glee than concern in the deer’s voice.

“Pfft, I’m never gonna—hic—end up in the cellars!” Bacchus laughed and burped. And then swelled.

Slowly the lion’s paws began to sink into his massive body, vanishing from sight little-by-little. His head was getting sucked in, too. His wobbling intensified, and he began mumbling something Indi couldn’t understand. Suddenly his voice was muffled as his muzzle got pulled in, leaving just his aimless eyes visible to everyone around him. The inflation had ceased, but he was still creaking regularly.

“Oh well, guess Bacchus couldn’t handle it in the end.” August shrugged.

“What...what do you mean? What’s going on?” Indi asked.

“It’s all related to the Order’s initiation, so I should explain that first,” August said. “To become a member you have to swallow a small berry grown from a plant that’s been infused and nurtured with magic for centuries. The berry boosts magic considerably, but if you aren’t careful it will also fill you with mana. Of course the additional mana can be a bit addicting and lead to some mages just blimping up completely—like unlucky Bacchus over there.”

Bacchus had been surrounded by other members of the Order, who were busy nudging and rolling the spherical lion. He didn’t seem to mind, though with most of his face covered it was hard to tell.

Indi frowned, still confused. “But you can drain the magic out of him and return him to normal, right?”

“Nope!” August said, rather bluntly. “The mana inside him is incredibly potent and self-regenerating. We’d never be able to empty him faster than he refills. But we can at least tap him for mana, just like all the other members who lost control like he did. He’ll be brought to the cellars and made comfortable. Bacchus will still be able to provide a bounty of precious mana for the members of the Order. It’s a very honorable position.” The deer was beaming. He turned towards Vel, and a hefty owl bard beside him. “Vel. Lane. Please roll Bacchus to his new home downstairs. And do try not to pop him on the way.”

“We’d never pop our paladin friend!” Vel said with a snicker. “He’s too valuable to go out with a bang.”

The tiger and owl rolled Bacchus onto his back and spun him in place a bit, clearly pretending to disagree with how to proceed. There was laughter as the lion was teased. Eventually Vel and Lane went on with their task, leading Bacchus through the crowd. Indi could only watch as his sponsor was rolled off, disappearing behind a corner and out of sight.

Indi couldn’t believe how no one seemed to care that Bacchus had been turned into a permanent ball of mana. It was absurd! Would he end up like that as well if he went through with the initiation? Filled to the brim with mana and stored next to Bacchus, trapped as a sphere forever. He shuddered.

“I understand this must seem very odd to you, Indi,” August said. “You should know that ending up like Bacchus is rather uncommon. As long as you have strong willpower and can show restraint you’ll never be in danger of swelling up to such an extent. I should also mention his condition doesn’t have to be permanent.” The information immediately caught Indi’s attention. “On incredibly rare occasions mages have been able to return themselves to normal. To tell you the truth, I got stuck like that myself for a few years after getting drunk at a party as well. But eventually I broke through the euphoria of the magic and vented it all out...and into a friend who’d taken to teasing me regularly. Now I’m archmage of the Order, and he’s a blissful blimp!” The deer had a good laugh afterward.

“That still sounds like a huge risk to me,” Indi admitted. Though if he did join, then he’d have a chance to help out Bacchus. He’d feel horrible abandoning the paladin after all he’d done for him.

“It certainly is. But the rewards...oh the rewards are well worth it,” August said. “We’ve got a library on par with a mage college and plenty of fantastic workshops. And for someone like you, who brews potions, we can provide the best ingredients around.” From his pocket he pulled out a glowing blue berry. “So, will you fully join the illustrious Order of the Orb?”

Indi didn’t answer immediately. He’d seen the absolute worst case scenario of joining, but the benefits tempted him sorely. And he couldn’t deny Bacchus had tended to be reckless, especially when drunk. He’d be far more careful. “Yes. Yes I will.”

“Excellent.” August grinned. “Now just swallow the berry whole and it’ll be official. You will fill with magic once you do, but not permanently. Do try to enjoy the experience...just don’t get addicted to it.” His smile widened.

Indi accepted the berry and gulped it down quickly. He tensed up as he waited to inflate, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly he perked up, as if he’d just finished a long, refreshing nap. It was a delightful sensation. And a distracting one.

“See, swelling’s not so bad.”

Indi was startled back to reality, and only then did he realize his belly had ballooned to twice it’s normal size. His tunic had ridden up slightly, but the material was stretching to an impossible degree. He guessed it’d been enchanted when he wasn’t looking. He stared in awe at his swelling middle. On instinct he pressed down on it with a hoof, his brain telling him to deflate, that it was dangerous to be so round. And yet he also found it somewhat pleasing, like a whisper in the back of his head insisting he grow bigger.

There were cheers from the other members as he expanded, joking about his stripes getting stretched or how he was becoming a giant mana potion. He began to blush. The swelling was fast, preventing Indi from adjusting to his constantly growing size and leaving him perpetually flustered. He knew it was mana swirling within him, but he couldn’t help but feel like a balloon, inflating more and more with each passing second. August had warned him about getting huge, that’d it’d be safe, but he couldn’t quite calm his nerves.

But as his limbs puffed and mobility became impossible, the zebra’s nervous looks shifted to a faint smile. The immense amount of mana was impossible to ignore, and it felt utterly incredible. With that mana he could stay up all night brewing potions and not feel the least bit tired. And he could make them more potent as well! He wished he were in his workshop that very second. Not that he could even move on his own right then.

He felt his limbs sinking in, leaving only his hooves wiggling free. The curvature of his body lifted him up, causing him to wobble and reinforcing the fact he was essentially a ball. Any attempt at movement merely resulted in gentle rocking or wiggling. Maybe with practice he could wobble around, but for now he was helpless. And he didn’t care.

August had been right, being filled with mana was wonderful, almost beyond words. He didn’t just feel powerful, he felt ecstatic, happier than he’d ever been. He couldn’t quite pinpoint why he was happy, just that he was. Like being in a good mood just for the sake of it. To some extent he even felt jealousy towards Bacchus who was experiencing that same euphoria permanently.

“As you take spherical shape and become an embodiment of our Order, we welcome you as an equal, Indi,” August declared to applause. “May it lead to your growth, both figuratively and literally.” The deer gave Indi a firm pat, enough to make him wiggle slightly from the pressure. Others followed suit, until the blimpy zebra was getting prodded from every side, almost like a drum.

It was pure bliss. Gone were the worries about Bacchus, who was drifting further and further from Indi’s mind. All that mattered at that moment was the seemingly endless mana. He’d find a way to tame it, so he could indulge on it whenever he wanted, for as long as he wanted. And maybe, just maybe, he’d find a way to get even bigger as well.