As time passed, the Orphanage kept going without any serious issue. Naturally, there were the occasional punishments being given to those who broke the rules, the occasional rewards being assigned and a few of the teachers or of the kids who seemingly decided to leave the community and venture in the outside world. Still, as the first half of the year approached, several between the teachers, the workers and the students, noticed that both Laranui and Zandaya seemed to vanish for long periods of time.
A few of them, growing curious about this, started making some questions around but were often answered that both of them were just respecting an old tradition of their clan. A worker, in particular, wanted to know more about that and so tried to get a few more direct answers about his curiosity. He had been reprimanded already several times about his snooping around and yet, it seemed that the lesson never stick to him for long. Even the last punishment he had received, to be the one in charge of eating any residuals from the cooking classes and the kitchen's failures, despite having been terrible at first, as time passed he had grown used to it as was obvious by his larger size.
He was Ceius, an half elf, and as many at the orphanage he had started as a student and, when he reached maturity he had chosen to live there and help Laranui by working with the maintenance crew. Despite that, though, his curiosity had always the best on him and so he had often been punished.
Yet, he never stopped.
Seeing as punishments didn't seem to work, out of the blue he found himself being moved to another crew of workers, although he had never seen anyone else apart himself. Still, as he found himself placed into the position of taste testing incoming and outgoing food of the kitchens, he quickly realized that although the punishment was meant to be a tedious job, he was actually enjoying it. Still, his curiosity was still pushing him forward, making him ask questions that nobody had, seemingly, thought of before.
As he was presented with yet another meal to taste-test, the third of that day, he stopped the chef who had brought him the food and tried to ask him about Zandaya and Laranui, asking him if he had seen them at all since that morning. The cook answered back without giving a clear answer although he informed the portly half-elf that some more food was soon to be brought to him. Ceius laughed at that, as he began eating, while commenting under his voice, laughing at the idea that it was like they were trying to fatten him up.
Despite his vivid curiosity, the constant meals provided to him began to take their toll on Ceius, as he began to slowly grow more interested in his eating than anything else. Even as the food brought to him was, suddenly, doubled, he barely noticed as his hunger grew alongside with the size of his body. After a couple of months of this treatment, Ceius barely cared about anything else but eating.
He himself never seemed to realize how much he was actually indulging himself, as he spent all of his day eating at the delicious food provided to him. Under such a nutritious diet, all it took was another month for him to actually grow himself unable to move without assistance and yet, he didn't care. He needed food, that is all he wanted.
As he was moved into the lower levels of the ancient fortress, where the Orphanage had found shelter in, a rumor was spread all around that Ceius had felt it was time for himself to try his luck in the world outside. Knowing that this was a normal occurrence, most of the staff at the Orphanage thought nothing of it and so Ceius vanished from their minds. But the truth was different.
Ceius had barely any recognition of where he was or which day it was. All he remembered was that he had to eat more and more, to satisfy that empty feeling he had in his gut, even though he had grown so big to be actually unable to move at all. The half-elf, in all those weeks of reclusion within the lower levels of the Orphanage, had done nothing but gorging himself constantly to the bursting point. Often, he had felt some hands soothing his overly filled belly as he kept eating and yet, he never felt in himself the need to see who was helping him.
That day, though, many months after his transfer to the taste testing position, as he kept stuffing himself with food that someone was pushing against his lips, he felt himself being moved. At first he had no interest in this as he was way too hungry to even waste a moment to see what was going on but, as his hunger returned within acceptable limits, as he still kept gulping and swallowing whatever goodies it was given him he began to look around.
He wasn't in his cell, nor was he in one of the lower levels of the fortress that he knew about. He was being carried by several strange creatures, half elf and half goat, which moved his body with such ease he actually thought of haven't changed at all since his last memory of himself. As Ceius tried to move, though, he suddenly realized that something was very wrong.
Slowly, at first, he tried to move his arm but, seeing as it wouldn't budge he tried to move any part of himself, growing erratically in a frenzy as the reality sank in. He couldn't move any part of himself apart from his head. And also moving his head around soon began to tire him out.
As soon as he began to feel breathless, he suddenly felt something being pushed against his lips, mechanically he opened his mouth and chewed, swallowed and opened his mouth for more.
This time though, he moved his head slightly to his right, staring at a face he had known, and loved, for most of his life.
"*Omphh!*...L-Luneriel...?*Oarrp!*...W-why...?"
As the elven girl at his side pushed more food into his mouth with a dopey smile and glassy eyes, forcing him to keep on eating, the voice of Laranui emerged from his other side.
"Oh, Ceius... you should have been more cautious with your curiosity. If you had been an excellent worker, teacher or student, we would have tried to find a different solution but... you have always been average.
Yet, your fiance Luneriel didn't believe our lies about you leaving the Orphanage, but we couldn't afford to lose her. She's the best teacher we have. The kids need her guidance to become the best they can be."
Laranui then moved, standing right in front of the massive lump of lard that Ceius had become, as he kept talking, while playing a bit with the half-elf belly rolls and with his massive moobs.
"...So, we had to indoctrinate her within the Tribe. Then, we made sure she would take great care of you until the time for you to give your contribution to the Orphanage came.
Which is today."
"Con… tri.. bu.. tion?"
This time, the answer came from Zandaya, as she seemed to emerge from the shadows of an alcove, while in front of them all an altar was visible amidst a great gorge in the ground. Ceius, as he was still being fed, could only stare in horror as he saw how massive the altar was... realizing how massive he actually was, and connecting the dots.
"Yes, Ceius. All of you, at some point, wondered how the Orphanage can keep going without fundings and supplies from the outside world. Many speculate about some secret agreements with this or that nation... and we keep you thinking about that by remaining vague and uncertain in our answers. The truth, Ceius, is far different.
Let me present myself and maybe you will understand.
I'm Zandaya, daughter of Zandalaysha, Sorceress and Prophet of the Goddess Glutivix, The Dark Goddess of excess, hedonism and plentiful bounties."
As Zandaya kept talking, Ceius felt himself being moved toward the altar, as a strange reddish light seemed to be pulsating from within the gorge the closer he got to the stone surface.
"When Laranui and I had arrived in this place, we didn't know anything about our ancestry. We had simply thought that this abandoned fortress would be perfect to help all those that had been left behind after the wars.
But as we explored the lowest levels we found the Dark Goddess presence here and, bathing in her presence we remembered about our heritage, and we finally knew that we could both save lives, as well as please our goddess. Alas, there are always those who will bring hate toward what is different. So, we just take those souls and we prepare them to come and meet the Goddess.
So that she can feast on them and provide us with sustenance to keep the orphanage alive.
Usually, it is only me and Laranui, as we offer our excess body fat for her to consume but, she's much more pleased if we have real sacrifices for her to have.
You'll see, Ceius, as you're soon going to meet her delightful presence..."
Ceius, though, was trembling in fear and, despite the food still being pushed into him, he desperately tried to ask the girl at his side for help, but she was still holding that dopey smile upon her beautiful face.
"You are needed, Ceius. you should be honored to be the one meeting the Goddess.
I wish I could be the one to meet her... But I'm needed here."
As Ceius was left, quivering on the cold stone of the altar, the other three elves moved back, outside of the gorge from which the red light was pulsating always faster, as they then kneeled and began to chant in an incomprehensible language.
As this happens...
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