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The dwarves work the grindstone and ax

Since grit gives whatever one lacks.

A baker, though

Will use their dough

For dull heft and softening snacks.

In those days, the Wellfed clan settled in the western Vektige Mountains. Their village carved intricate edifices in those brisk heights. Chilled pastures fed herds of goats. Behind the cliff's face, they worked at sweltering forges. That clan bred many honorable fighters and clerics.

Gurdis was not one of them. The short, stocky dwarf had attempted the arts of the smith and the healer, but she could not shake the call of alchemy. She was good at it, too. No matter what she concocted, her elixirs and meals restored and enhanced all who partook.

Her ingredients came from the clan stores. Everyone was allotted their fair share, of course, but Gurdis made her share just a little more fair.

The clan's dairy stores were situated in a cool, humid cave by a broad field. Its walls housed shelves of cheese wheels. On the floor, large, metal drums stored goat's milk. A damp, earthen scent nurtured the delightful dairy. The late morning sun filtered gently into the north-facing cave.

Gurdis' sturdy, leather boots stood on the cold, hard cave floor. Her legs, short but thick, warmed in a knee-length, wooly skirt. Her plump stomach fluffed like a big bread roll in her leather top. The pitiful shirt blanched over her middle, where serial stuffings had stretched it thin. Above, her heavy breasts rounded farther and broader than her middle. Her bare, chubby arms reached up and grabbed a wheel.

The large wheel, pale and soft, was as big as her head and as thick as her fist. Its smooth, mild scent greeted her nose gently.

With a smile that pushed out her bubbly, ruddy-skinned cheeks, she bit right into the cheese. Her teeth cut easily through the creamy food, and she chewed happily while wriggling her bumpy nose. The soft, mild morsel had a smooth texture and a touch of tang. The dwarves lived rough, rugged lives, so the plush feel and mellow taste of the cheese soothed her. She shook her head in joy, waving her braided, red locks.

The taste was just right. She considered what she could use it for. She swallowed and took a big bite. Maybe she could put it on sandwiches. In her mind, she chewed dense sourdough, tasted peppery salami, and licked luscious mayonnaise. She chomped once more. On the other hand, the cheese would work well in lasagna. Her imagination conjured rich hunks of sausage, a sweet tomato sauce, and wide slabs of tender pasta. After another bite, she thought about what soups she could make with the delectable cheese. She fantasized slurping a hot, salty broth with chewy strips of onion and, of course, a toasted layer of cheese. She ate on and on, and the wonderful taste only sparked more inspiration with each mouthful. It also filled her stomach.

Suddenly, there was no more cheese in her hands. The entire wheel rested in her middle now, expanding her leather top ever further. "Oops... did I really eat that whole thing? And I didn't even decide what to make! If I can just taste it again, I know I could figure it out." Her voice was gruff like a dwarf's, but uncharacteristically high and sweet. She took another wheel and bit right in. Her stomach gurgled as it soaked up more cheese. It had eaten its fill, but the taste excited her mind too much to stop.

A sudden, whooshing gust of mountain air blew at Gurdis' back. It came from the field outside, right by the clan's goat pen.

The goats outside bleated, shouting over one another with loud, wavering cries.

Gurdis turned to see the commotion.

The pen's 30-some goats scattered to the walls. Some tried to leap the fence, only to fall short and thud gracelessly to the ground. Others poked their head through or over the fence, hollering as loud as they could.

Over them, at the back of the pen, loomed a tall dragon. Her maroon scales shone in the sun. Standing on her pudgy hindpaws, her legs spread apart, pushed away from each other by sheer girth. Her chunky calves flared wide in rolling bulges, while her thighs crushed down over them with heavy slabs of lard. A brown cloth tied at her hips, digging into their fat. At her sides, the immodest garment disappeared under her flooding waist, while her hanging belly obscured the front of the cloth. Behind her, her thick tail slithered side to side ominously. Her white-scaled belly draped down over her thighs and sported a deep, puffy navel bigger than Gurdis' head. Above her stomach's adipose apron, her midbelly projected out in a wide, fierce dome. Her breasts were two pendulous orbs curving wider than her shoulders, barely restrained by strained leather around her chest. Her two arms, bulky with blubber, pushed her breasts forward and rubbed her stomach with sausage-like, claw-bearing digits. She wore a necklace around her plump neck, which carried a yellow sphere. It nestled in her cleavage like a crystal ball on a fluffy cushion. Fat girded her snout, wrapping her devious smile in pudgy flesh. Even the bones of her broad wings plumped with fat, bloating against their webbing.

She stepped forward and leaned down, dangling her stomach inches above the ground. Her right arm swept forward, slashing the air with its wobbling bicep and jiggling forearm. Her plump forepaw snatched a goat around its neck. In one fell swoop, she hefted it to her wide, glistening maw and shoved it right down. The poor thing bulged a lump in her neck until she swallowed it down, condemning it to her stomach. Her thin, forked tongue licked her lips. Her deep voice was nonetheless silken and smooth. "Mmm. Not the greatest of all time, but still quite tasty. I could go for another."

Shocked, Gurdis dropped her half-eaten cheese wheel. "Hey! You can't eat those!!"

The dragon raised a forepaw to her chest, squashing her flabby forearm against her blimping boob. She lowered her snout, plumping out her neck rolls. "Oh no, I can't?" As she swiped another goat, her hanging gut wobbled. "Not even like this?" She crammed it into her mouth. The goat filled her snout. She clamped her teeth shut over it, ballooning her cheeks out, while she shot a nasty glare at Gurdis. Her gullet sucked it down with a damp gulp, and she inhaled it whole. Her stomach bloated with its new prey. Her packed gut hiccuped and bopped her boobs. "Oogh... that was a nice meal. I'd like to pick up seconds." She stroked the ballooned contours of her stomach.

Gurdis plucked the lid off of a milk drum. The steel circle was wider than her, making for a good shield. Then, she put one foot back and her opposite shoulder forward. "That's enough!" She charged forward, right toward the goat pen. She grabbed the top of the fence and vaulted right into the pen.

Getting closer, Gurdis realized just how tall the dragon was.

The winged reptile must've been three times Gurdis' height, possibly more.

But the headstrong dwarf couldn't stop. Leading with her hard head and her burly shoulder, she leapt right at the dragon.

The large lizard simply snatched her out of the air. Both of her forepaws gripped Gurdis' rotund middle, and her claws dug into Gurdis' plush paunch. "You're right. Maybe a dwarf would make for a nice dessert instead!" She opened her mouth wide and brought Gurdis to her steaming, savory breath and drooling tongue. Countless sharp canines outlined her long snout.

Panicked, Gurdis kicked the air and pounded her shield on the dragon's arms.

The dragon was unperturbed.

Staring down the dragon's muggy gullet, inspiration struck the dwarf. She flailed a hand out and grasped the dragon's extended tongue. With all her strength, she yanked back.

The dragon howled. With clasped, tearful eyes, she instantly released Gurdis.

Gurdis slammed on her back. Dewy grass welcomed her aching tailbone.

The dragon staggered back. Her ungainly stomps shook the ground and jiggled her girth. "Cursed beard goblin!!" She caught her footing, then lunged forward. She stretched her arms out and caught a goat in each forepaw.

They screamed and kicked.

She wolfed one down with a swift, meaty gulp, and then she scarfed down the other. Her stomach bounced outward, and her scales stretched to accommodate her big meal. Her creaking gut pushed her breasts upward, shifting their fat up and to the sides. It also weighed down on her lower stomach roll, cutting a harsh crease against her cushy pannus. Her belly gurgled and groaned, laden now with four whole goats. She reached forward to rub her gut, and she couldn't touch the bottom of her bulging distension.

Gurdis collected herself onto her feet and held up her milk lid. White liquid dripped from it onto her boot. "Stop eating my friends-slash-dinners!"

The dragon burbled. "No." A belch burst past her lips, hocking a gaseous fireball Gurdis' way.

The dwarf stood her ground. Her well-crafted milk lid dispersed the fireball handily. Gurdis was not a typical, metalworking dwarf, but she still took pride in her clan's skills. "Is that the best you can do?!"

Her fattened foe patted her burgeoning belly. "No." She twirled around to whip her long, hunky tail at Gurdis, sloshing her rotund rump in the process.

Gurdis dodged backward.

Then, the dragon extended her arm to the ground and swept up three goats between her pudgy forearm and billowing bicep. She raised her chin, then her arm, and she slid the three goats into her maw like furry minecarts into a dark, gaping cave. In loud, bassy gulps, her throat pounded wide with each goat. A proper, dragonesque swallow plunged them into her stomach. Instantly, they inflated her even more. The added weight on her front teetered her, and she put one hindpaw forward to catch herself. "Oof. Mmph. That's--quite a bit--more than I'm used to." Her stuffed gut hung low and bulged wide. Her claws stroked at its churning sides, unable to reach the front.

Gurdis saw her opening against the inundated menace.

It was too late. A burp burbled up the dragon's fat neck, and her lips parted, expelling a fiery blast bigger than Gurdis herself.

Again, the dwarf stood behind her shield. The lid received the blast and turned molten red. It burned Gurdis' hand, and she dropped it. "EEyoW!!" The abused metal melted on the ground.

The scent of the dragon's brimstone breath followed afterwards, sweeping around Gurdis and whisking her sweat drops.

By then, a smattering of the Wellfed clan charged from across the field. Stout, muscular dwarves ran forward. The men's long beards blew in the wind, while the women's long pigtails whipped behind them. Some bore axes, and others carried only their clenched fists. The mob of 20 or so dwarves represented just half of the clan's adults.

Gurdis pointed their way. "Ha! Maybe you can take me on alone, but there's no way you can face us all!"

The dragon gritted her teeth. She spun her head to look behind, wringing creases into her fat-filled neck. "Not from the ground. From the sky, though..."

Gurdis crossed her arms over her bulbous bosom. "The sky? You think you can fly with all those goats weighing you down?"

Bearing a toothy grin, the dragon faced Gurdis once more. "You're right! Whatever will I do?" Her necklace's orb glowed, basking her in an amber light. Her fat wings flapped, and she ascended. Her wings rose as she dipped, sloshing her belly fat upward. Then, her wings thrust down. As her body rose, her cushy fat lagged, bouncing around her. Her stomach bubbled and glorped while she flew.

Soon, the others arrived. The clan leader, Tysbera, stepped forward. Her gray hair belied her age, but she still boasted a brawny physique. She raised her ax up towards the dragon. "Foul beast!! Come down and fight us!"

The dragon gripped her goat-gorged belly. "Ooh, I'd love to, but I have a bit of gas!" She belched, spewing flames down to the ground below.

The leader held up a shield, narrowly dispersing the gaseous fireball. This shield--a proper shield--handled the nastiest of dragon blazes with ease.

Still flying, the dragon looked down at the crowd. "Tell you what. I, Gurthraga, will be back. And when I am, I expect to feast on more than just goats, alright? Or else..." She huffed flames from her nostrils. Then, she rose higher.

The dwarves shouted and yelled at her, gathering their collective voices into a furious commotion.

But she flew away, lugging her big gut under her. It swayed as she sailed off.

While Gurdis stared up at the dragon, Tysbera walked past her. She entered the cave and spoke to Gurdis in a stern voice, raspy yet motherly. "Why do I see cheese on the floor of our storehouse?" She picked up the cheese wheel that Gurdis had started earlier. "With a bite taken from it, no less?"

Gurdis wheeled around to face her. "Well,... huh? Did you miss that a giant dragon just attacked?"

Tysbera set aside the wheel and marched towards Gurdis. "I did not. She promised to return and demand more food from us. That is bad enough. But, to add insult to injury, one of my own clanspeople continues to raid our larders."

Gurdis' throat went dry. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again." She hated how stingy Tysbitcha could be, but she owed her clan leader respect.

Tysbera stared her down. "You are right, it won't. You are packing your belongings and leaving today."

"What?!" Gurdis' mind reeled as it tried to refocus from Gurthraga to now, apparently, getting kicked out.

"You heard me. Enough is enough. Our clan struggles aplenty in these trying times, even when everyone pulls their weight. Everyone except for you, that is. What gives you the right to feast on your kinspeople's hard work, without contributing your own? And why are we missing a milk lid?"

Gurdis threw her hands out in exasperation. She couldn't believe it. "You can't say I don't contribute! I'm the best cook we have!"

Tysbera sighed. "Yes, and we're very appreciative for that. But the best cook in all the realms is not enough to excuse a glutton that empties our food stores." She put a hand on Gurdis' shoulder. "I'm sorry, Gurdis, but you need to go."

The young, food-inclined dwarf did indeed gather what was hers. In a modest pack, she loaded her pan, spatula, pot, knife, and spoon. She pondered two possible routes. Boiling with resentment, she wanted to forget her clan. She could try her hand at professional cooking. Perhaps her skill would earn her fame and fortune, replacing the family she had just lost. Wistfully, though, she wanted to bring peace to her clan. Perhaps she could investigate this terrible Gurthraga. To pursue either goal, she would find the most opportunities in a proper city. She set her sights on Altilisium that day.

Tomorrow, I will tell you the story of a brave fighter who saved a delicate princess.