The New Boss in Zul'Gurub

The Gurubashi lookouts deftly crept along the ridge overlooking the intruders. When they moved,
no ferns or bushes were disturbed and naught but the slightest sounds were made, giving those they
stalked little chance of spotting them. There were five intruders in total: an orc, a goblin, a blood elf, a
tauren, and a troll - too many for the lightly armed group of lookouts to take by themselves. What the
Horde was doing here was irrelevant; they had ventured too close to the sovereign city of Zul'Gurub, and
had to be made example of. The leader of the patrol, Zazzek, had sent the lowest-ranking member of the
group back to the holy city to retrieve reinforcements a while ago. By his calculations, they would arrive in
a matter of minutes.

Feeling daring, the captain inched closer to get a better look at the group of Horde. The smallest
member, the goblin, appeared to be wearing mail armor. The shield he wore on his back and the absence
of a pet were telling of a shaman. Likewise, the daggers that the jumpy blood elf clenched in his hands
indicated that he was a rogue. With a tiny Imp almost literally walking between the orc’s legs, it was clear
that he was a warlock. Zazzek had initially mistaken the tauren, with his heavy plate armor and thick
bulwark, for a warrior, but upon closer inspection there was a faint glow in the bovine's eyes that implied
that he was a paladin. The troll, too short to be a member of the Zandalari tribe, was the hardest for the
patrol captain to identify. He wore robes like the orc beside him, but lacked a demonic pet, and could have
been either a mage or a priest.

A silent tap on the shoulder tore the patrol captain away from his observations. As he turned, he
was met by the stony gazes of two of his Gurubashi brethren. A quick look at both of them revealed that
they were much more heavily armored and bore a thicker build than he. A smile spread across his face as
he realized them to be field commanders. Bloodlord Mandokir had sent two full squads to take down the
intruders. "Ah, well met, bruddahs." The lookout said in a respectful whisper. "Dis gonna be a massacre
wit you two here." A bloodthirsty smile spread across his green visage.

"No." The commander on his left said in a deep voice, shaking his head. "High Priest Jin'Toa
wants dees intruders captured alive and brought to his altar."

The captain almost expressed his disappointment, but refrained at the last moment. Concealing
his personal feelings on the matter, he nodded and shifted his weight around. "Right, den. What's de
plan?"

"Our men should already be in position." The other field commander responded. "We will attack
from all sides and strike with overwhelming force.”

“Jin’Toa has ordered us to use blunt weapons only.” The first male added.

Nodding, Zazzek holstered the throwing axes he had been holding and pulled out a mallet that he
used none too frequently. “As de high priest commands.”

“Let’s go, den.” The commander to his left said. “Our prey will not wait forever.”

==========
 Rygen Stonehorn liked to think he was more patient than most of his bovine brethren, but the
constant requests to turn back by Diamid, their rogue, and yammering of Krek’s skittish little Imp had
taken its toll on him. At this point, the usually peaceful paladin would rather be fighting than spend another
moment listening to either of them. Unbeknownst to him, his wish would soon be granted.

“How much further is it?” Scribble, the green-yellow goblin, asked. Much to Rygen’s relief, the
shaman had remained mostly quiet during their survey expedition. He probably would have gone on a
rampage if he had to deal with yet another whiny team member.

The paladin pointed straight ahead to a small clearing surrounded by short ferns. “That should be
it over there.” Scribble craned his neck in an effort to see what the tauren was pointing at, but all he could
see was the foliage directly in front of him. After a few moments, the goblin simply said “oh”, transparently
trying to hide his vertical deficiencies.

“Are you all daft?” Diamid blurted far too loudly. “Don’t you see how close that is to the city walls?
They’ll capture, cook us and shrink our heads! Or some other despicable troll practice!”

“’Ey, mon, dat was uncalled for.” Sul’an said with clear indignation. The unrepentant look that the
rogue gave told him he wasn’t going to get an apology any time soon.

Rygen had more than his fill of Diamid’s bitching. He stomped right up to the elf, standing inches
from him, and stared him dead in the eye. “Unless you want to be tied up and left here for the Gurubashi
to find, I suggest you shut up and—“

A thunderous battle horn interrupted the relative silence of the jungle. Before any of the five knew
what was going on, over a dozen trolls burst from the tree line with weapons drawn. “Thrall’s balls!” Krek
shouted.

“They’re everywhere, mon!”

Rygen drew his hammer and bulwark off his back and placed himself close to the casters to
protect them. Just as the first attacker was about to reach him, a large fiery bolder shot past him and
exploded against the troll’s chest. The unfortunate creature flew back several feet, where it landed on its
back and writhed in pain as the flames consumed him. “Stand your ground!” The tauren ordered, but
through the corner of his eye he saw a tiny creature bolting away.

“Piptip, get back here, you worthless coward!” In spite of Krek’s commanding, the Imp dove
behind a large fern and out of sight.

Naught but a second later, a huge mallet crashed against the paladin’s bulwark, nearly making
his arm buckle from the force of the blow. Rygen grunted and swung his mace at the opening in the troll’s
defenses. The blow caught his attacker square in the chest, shattering the rib cage within. The troll
gasped heavily and fell sideways on to the ground, clenching his side.

Pivoting on his hooves, he turned just in time to see one of the Gurubashi attackers come up
behind Krek and bash him over the head with the pommel of his weapon. The orc’s eyes rolled back as
he slumped forward and fell upon Sul’an’s limp body. Shit. Rygen thought. There’re too many! Despite the
hopelessness of the situation, he continued to fight, swinging his shield around and broadsiding an
incoming troll before it could finish its swing.
 Unfortunately, this also left the tauren wide open to attack. One of the more battle-hardened
Gurubashi saw this opening and struck him between the shoulders. Rygen felt a sharp pain in the hunch
of his back and was vaguely aware that he was falling forward as the world rapidly faded into darkness.

==========

Scribble’s head spun as he slowly regained consciousness. Although he’d woken up hungover
after some wild and crazy nights in Bilgewater Port, nothing prepared him for this. It took him what felt like
several minutes before the dizziness faded to the point that he could open his eyes. He had initially
attributed the sensation of moving to his vertigo, but after several seconds he realized that he actually
was going somewhere. Or rather, he was being dragged like a rag doll by his right arm through a poorly-lit
cave.

Instinctually, Scribble began trying to wrestle his arm free of the troll’s grasp, but as soon as the
large male realized that his captive was awake, he tightened his grip so he could not escape. In the midst
of his struggling, the shaman became aware that the other members of his group were also being
dragged ahead of and alongside him – completely naked. Looking down at himself, Scribble realized that
his armor, weapon and shield had also been ‘liberated’ from his body. The goblin felt a pang of shame and
blushed at his apparent nakedness.

“Let me go! I can pay you!” Scribble pleaded, looking up at the troll carrying him. The blue-
skinned male gazed down at his captive and, after seeing the sincere expression on his face, gave a
hearty laugh.

“Don’t bother. Dey aren’t gonna betray der priest for money.” Sul’an said, his voice rather hoarse
and groggy.

“You blasted cretin! I can make you rich! Rich! Doesn’t money mean anything to—?” Scribble’s
voice trailed off as he looked ahead of him and saw that the cavern opened up into a large hollow with a
candle-decorated altar on the far side. Standing in front of the altar with his back turned was a particularly
tall troll with an ornate and colorful robe.

As they drew closer, the troll turned around to greet the newcomers. “Ah, my prisoners have
arrived.” He said in a malicious tone. “Lay dem before me.” With perfect coordination, the Gurubashi
arranged the naked males in a line several feet away from the altar and released their grip on the ones
already conscious. Scribble rubbed his right arm, which was feeling rather sore from the way it had been
handled and turned around slightly to see his captor holding his axe frighteningly close to him.

“Wake up de othas.” The priest commanded lowly. Scribble watched as the two female disciples
appeared from the shadows of the cavern hollow carrying pitchers of water. One walked over to Krek
while the other went to Rygen and poured some of the water from the vessels onto their heads. Both
males coughed and choked as they accidentally inhaled some. “Welcome, friends, to da sanctum of the
mighty frog god. My name be High Priest Jin’Toa.”

Rygen, finally getting control of his coughing, managed to speak. “We meant your city no harm.
We were after—.”
 "Silence!” The high priest shouted. “De Gurubashi remembers well what trouble you intrudahs be.
Your kind banished de Blood God Hakkar back to de Twisting Nether. It be time to have some revenge, I
tink.” A short-lived silence filled the chamber before Jin’Toa spoke again. “Lord Jub-Jub," the high priest
shouted, suddenly dropping to his knees and raising his hands up to the sky, "fill this vessel with your
essence! Make me your avatar!" Jin'Toa's voice boomed and echoed throughout the cavern, and naught
but a moment of silence was given before the high priest vanished in a dense cloud of smoke, dust, and
light. Scribble was forced to shield his eyes from the intense luminosity, which only made his groggy and
aching body feel worse.

As the light faded, it became increasingly apparent that Jin'Toa was no longer standing before
them, and had instead been replaced by a large frog-like creature that stood well over ten feet tall on two
relatively stubby legs. It had a large, round belly with white spots and markings that contrasted with its
predominantly blue skin. Both its toes and its fingers were webbed and ended in rather large, black claws
that gleamed from the light of the surrounding torches. Interestingly, the troll-frog hybrid kept its three
fingers and two toes, as well as its long and pointy ears, but all traces of Jin'Toa's tusks had vanished on
his enormous, broad head.
For a few moments, the newly-merged creature seemed in awe of itself. There seemed to be an
amazed look in its eye as it gazed down at its thick, spotted arms and the domed gut that obscured its
feet. Then, a terrifyingly wide smile spread across the new Jin'Toa's face. "Ahhhh, tank ya, mighty frog
god, for dis blessing.” He croaked in his new, guttural voice. For the first time since the transformation, he
turned his gaze back up toward the captives, at whom he somehow managed to grin even wider. "Now I
shall punish these fools for intruding upon dees holy lands!"

Scribble’s innate reaction was to turn and get the hell out of dodge, but with the Gurubashi guard
still standing behind him, escape was next to impossible. Both naked and unarmed, he and his allies
would have no way to fight the immense creature. Suddenly, Jin’Toa’s gaze snapped toward the shaman.
A long, deep shiver ran down Scribble’s spine as those burning amber eyes pierced him. “You, little one,
shall be my appetizer!”

Before the high priest’s words could sink in, Scribble watched Jin’Toa rear his head back and
open his mouth before jerking forward, launching his long, pink tongue toward him. The shaman had
barely registered what was going on when he felt the fleshy organ smack into his chest and latch on. Time
suddenly seemed to slow down for him, allowing him to experience his fate in painful detail.

The shaman started to scream but the tongue suddenly yanked him off the ground with
frightening ease and sent him careening helplessly toward Jin’Toa’s open maw. Eyes wide, Scribble
flailed wildly as he drew closer to the creature’s mouth, hoping in vain that it would save him from entering
the dark cavern. He watched in utter horror as darkness filled his view, his whole body fitting inside
Jin’Toa’s mouth with room to spare. Scribble turned just in time to see the creature’s jaws snap shut, the
paltry torch light quickly vanishing behind a pair of slimy lips. Not even a moment later, he was pushed
into the back of Jin’Toa’s throat, where powerful muscles gripped his feet and dragged him deep within
the high priest.

==========
 The four remaining Horde prisoners stood in silence, their eyes wide in both fear and awe at the
horrific sight they had just witnessed. Although the terrified scream that Scribble had given was the stuff of
nightmares, it was the sickening, moist gulp as he was swallowed that haunted Krek the most. He wished
that he had shied away before he saw the goblin-sized bulge travel down the creature’s throat and
disappear entirely into its thick abdomen.

Jin’Toa croaked maniacally as he looked down and rubbed his belly with both of his webbed
hands. “Struggle all ya like, little one. You won’t be getting out any time soon.” He gloated, giving his
stomach a few teasing pats. Although his gut had not stretched or distended with the addition of Scribble’s
body, it clearly moved and jiggled a bit as the goblin thrashed about inside. After a few long moments,
Jin’Toa shifted his gaze back up toward the shivering orc and his allies. “I be in a sporting mood, friends. I
will give ya two minutes to run before I chase after ya and make ya my dinner. I’ll even tell me guards to
not attack. Dat sound good?” The four males, still speechless, said nothing. “Ya bettah get goin’, den.”
The creature said with a wide, toothy grin.

Though the guards behind them had already stood aside, it took the males several moments to
come to their senses and make a break for the exit. Sul’an, who had the biggest stride, took the lead
while Diamid lagged only slightly behind Krek and Rygen. Although the cavern had many twists and turns,
it thankfully had few forks, and soon all four of them felt the warm glow of the sun on their bodies once
more. “Which way, which way?!” Diamid shouted, jerking his head from side to side as he looked for the
city gates.

“I don’t know!” Rygen roared back, unable to find anything resembling an entrance. Krek dully
noted that the Gurubashi outside the cavern had stopped what they were doing and were staring at the
escapees, but none made any effort to stop them. “Let’s try that way!” The paladin pointed straight ahead.
“Maybe it’s on the other side of that big temple!”

“Maybe?! He’ll catch up to us before we get there!” Diamid protested.

“He’s not gonna stop jus’ because we be out of the city, mon.” Sul’an said flatly.

Rygen growled loudly and took off running down the hill in front of them. “Follow me or don’t. I’m
not waiting any longer!” Krek fell in behind him without hesitation. Anything beat standing around waiting
to get snatched up by the high priest. As he charged down the hill, he heard Sul’an and Diamid following
after him. The warlock had barely gotten to the base of the hill when he heard Jin’Toa’s throaty voice
boom behind him. “Don’t exhaust yerselves running away! I like it when my food struggles!” Krek turned to
see the high priest standing on top of the hill. Somehow, he was even more terrifying in full daylight.

“Run!” Diamid cried, turning forward and taking off once again. Krek paused only for a moment to
see the creature begin bounding down the hillside in giant leaps before he continued to flee for his life.
Despite going as fast as his legs would carry him, the warlock clearly heard Jin’Toa catching up behind
him. Both Sul’an and Diamid passed Krek, filling him with a sense of dread that he might be next. It
seemed, however, that the high priest had someone else in mind for his ‘first course’. A slurping sound
filled Krek’s ears a split second before the long, pink tongue shot past him and caught Diamid in his left
thigh. The blood elf fell forward onto his face with a grunt before being dragged backwards. “HELP!”
Diamid cried as he dug his fingers into the dirt.

Krek dove for his ally as he slid past him on the ground, but underestimated the speed that the
tongue was pulling him. The orc landed on his side and watched helplessly as Diamid was dragged
toward his doom. When he was only a few feet away, Jin’Toa whipped his head up, sending the elf hurling
through the air. Diamid flailed and yelled as he returned to the earth, falling head-first into Jin’Toa’s
awaiting maw. In an instant, the elf sank up to his waist inside the creature’s mouth, causing a faint,
wiggling bulge to appear in its throat. Muffled cries for help were heard by Krek and Sul’an, who briefly
looked at each other in disbelief. Diamid’s bare legs kicked wildly outside Jin’Toa’s mouth before the high
priest wrapped his tongue around them and pulled them inside. As soon as they were tucked away, he
snapped his lips shut, silencing the elf’s cries and sealing him inside, before sending him on his way with
a gluttonous swallow.

The bulge in Jin’Toa’s neck grew larger as it accommodated Diamid’s shoulders, and then slowly
shrunk as his torso, waist, and legs slid down the passage. After a few short seconds, every sign of the elf
vanished completely within the hungry high priest.

Krek suddenly felt two large hands grip him under his arms and pull him onto his feet. “There’s
nothing we can do for him now, we need to keep going!” Rygen ordered, practically dragging the orc with
him. Struck speechless once again, Krek followed numbly behind the tauren, glancing back only for a
moment to see Jin’Toa contently rubbing his belly.

“Oh my,” the high priest said in a taunting voice, “your friends were delicious! I wonder how good
you three will be!” Jin’Toa cackled and croaked menacingly, but did not give chase right away. He
seemingly wanted to give his next victim another head start.

The three remaining males panted heavily as they ran for their lives through the immense troll
city, still not sure where the exit was and even if they were going in the right direction. Sul’an once again
took the lead, making the orc envious of his huge stride. “By the Earthmother, where’d he go?” Rygen
asked, causing Krek to turn around and see for himself. Indeed, the high priest had seemingly vanished.
All three looked around frantically in search of their pursuer, but he was seemingly nowhere to be found.
Several tense minutes passed before the trio turned a corner sharply and came face to face with Jin’Toa.

Sul’an, still in the lead, collided with the high priest and bounced off his thick gut before falling flat
on his backside. Both Rygen and Krek grinded to a stop inches away from doing the same and bent down
to pick up their fallen ally. “Haha, you be next, buddah!” Jin’Toa teased, shooting his tongue out and
catching Sul’an in the ankle a fraction of a second later.

The orc and tauren grunted as they struggled desperately to free Sul’an before he became
Jin’Toa’s next meal, but the combination of the high priest’s strength and their exhaustion from running
made it an impossible battle. The creature tugged his tongue back, pulling all three males toward him.
With his arms held up by his allies and his legs caught by the high priest, Sul’an was completely off the
ground. He kicked wildly at Jin’Toa with his free leg, but nothing seemed to faze him at all. “Pull, mon!
Pull!” The troll yelled, but nothing was going to give his brethren the strength to free him.

Seemingly having enough of the troll’s kicking, Jin’Toa grabbed his free leg and held it still while
he pulled his tongue back in even further, drawing his meal-to-be in up to his knees. In spite of their best
efforts, Rygen and Krek could not free an inch of Sul’an from the creature’s grip. They dug their bare feet
and hooves into the dirt as deep as they could, but even still they both were pulled over a yard in the
wrong direction. Krek made the mistake of looking up and seeing just how close they all were to the high
priest’s mouth. Sul’an’s legs had vanished into Jin’Toa’s cavernous maw, and the creature showed no
signs of stopping there.
 All three males were pulled closer as the high priest heaved a swallow. Sul’an’s eyes grew wide
in terror as he felt his chest slip into the hot awaiting mouth. “Don’t let him eat me, mon!” He pleaded, the
sound of his panicked voice ringing in Krek’s ears. Although fear turned his blood cold, the orc was
determined not to give up.

Jin’Toa gave a mocking chuckle at both the paladin and the warlock before he swung a fist at
each of the two and thrust his gut at them, causing them to lose their grip and stumble back several feet.
“No!” Both males cried as they regained their balance and lunged for the troll’s flailing hands, but it was
no use. With nothing left to stop him, Jin’Toa was gulped again, his powerful throat muscles pulling his
meal’s head inside his mouth. “Don’t do dis, br—“ Sul’an’s voice was cut off as the high priest closed his
jaws around him, leaving his flailing arms sticking out between his lips.

Knowing that it was too late, Rygen stopped in his tracks and barred Krek from going any further.
The remaining two watched in horror as the creature gave a final swallow that slowly pulled Sul’an’s arms
into his mouth. Jin’Toa rubbed and patted his gut contently. “Ahh, down he goes . . . another satisfying
meal.” For the first time, the creature’s stomach grew noticeably and faintly showed the shapes of those
within. “Don’t worry, friends, dere be plenty of room left for the both of ya!”

“Let’s go!” Rygen shouted, once again dragging Krek along. He heard the laughing of the high
priest fading behind him as they ran, making him wonder if he would be slowed down by the additional
weight in his stomach. Even with that faint glimmer of hope, Krek couldn’t help but feel that he stood no
chance of escape. With the way things were going, he was almost certain that would be the next one to
make the trip down Jin’Toa’s gullet.

==========

Despite the confidence and clarity that Rygen showed outwardly, he was uncertain and afraid on
the inside. He had witnessed the ease with which the high priest had devoured three of his allies, and he
showed no signs of slowing down. What’s more, there was little hope that he would stop chasing them if
they made it out of the city, and Grom’Gol base camp was so far away . . .

After several more minutes of running, the two males finally made it to the other side of the
temple, where they found what appeared to be the city entrance on the tier above them. Unfortunately for
them, there was still a long way to go. “Over there!” Krek shouted, pointing to the right, where there
appeared to be a hill that led up to the exit. The tauren and the orc took off in that direction without
hesitation and began the task of climbing the steep slope.

Much to the surprise of both males, Jin’Toa did not attack them at this vulnerable point of their
escape, but neither of them dared to question it. “H-hold . . . hold on, Rygen.” Krek panted. “I need to
catch my breath.”

The tauren was exhausted as well, but he knew that any time idling was time that Jin’Toa could
get either one of them. Grimacing and sighing reluctantly to himself, he nodded and put his arm under the
orc’s shoulder. “Not here. We’ll use the cover of those trees ahead.” Though the trees in question were
only a dozen feet away, it felt like much longer to both of them. Finally, they entered the dense cluster and
took their weight off their bare feet.
 “I haven’t seen him . . . or heard him in minutes . . . is it too much to hope . . . that we gave him
the slip?” Krek thought out loud, speaking between gasping breaths.

“Yes.” Replied a voice from above. Both Rygen and Krek snapped their heads up, only to find the
high priest crouching upon a large, sturdy branch. Not a moment later, Jin’Toa flicked his tongue out at
Krek, hitting him square in his chest with a wet thump. Rygen leapt for the warlock, managing to catch
onto his legs as Jin’Toa lifted him off the ground.

The bovine looked up and saw Krek pulling at the sticky organ, but it refused to let go of him.
Even when he bit the vile thing it seemed to do nothing. “I got you, Krek!” Rygen shouted as he, too, was
lifted off the ground. In desperation, he tried to climb up the orc’s body to help him detach the tongue from
his chest, but the drool that dripped from Jin’Toa’s mouth and tongue made getting a good grip
increasingly difficult.

As the saliva became more and more abundant on the orc’s skin, Rygen found himself struggling
just to hold on. Before long, his fingers slipped and he fell back down to the earth. “Shiiii--!” The tauren
yelled, watching as Krek sped toward Jin’Toa’s mouth without his weight to slow him down.

As he neared the cavern, Krek swung his fists at the high priest with all his might, hoping that he
could set himself free. Instead, Jin’Toa shrugged off the blow and responded by pinning the orc’s arms to
his sides with his powerful webbed hands. Without fear of reprisal, Jin’Toa lunged forward with his mouth
open wide, engulfing Krek’s head and shoulders in one motion. The orc’s legs went into overdrive, kicking
furiously at the creature’s gut, but every time his legs just bounced back harmlessly.

On the ground, Rygen could faintly hear his ally’s muffled cries for help – ones that he could not
answer, much as it pained him to admit. Instead, all he could do was stand and watch those amphibious
lips stretch over and across Krek’s shoulders and slide down his chest and back slowly. At the same time,
bulge faintly the size and shape of the orc’s head appeared in Jin’Toa’s throat. It wasn’t long before the
gluttonous high priest had devoured the full-grown orc male up to his hips. By now, all traces of Krek’s
head had faded into the creature’s barreled chest, and its neck now bulged immensely at the width of his
shoulders, making Rygen feel sick to his stomach.

With his hands now free, Jin’Toa gripped the orc by his rear and pushed him deeper into his
gullet. Krek’s legs continued to flail helplessly, now kicking nothing but air and the occasional tree leafs.
Rygen started backing slowly away, too awed and terrified to turn and run. Instead, he watched as a
series of gulps slowly drew Krek’s legs in until only his wriggling feet remained. The high priest then
closed his jaws, imprisoning the orc inside him, and condemned him to his stomach with a final swallow.

Jin’Toa groaned and rubbed his expanding gut contently as his fourth meal sank in to its new
home. “Mmm. Dat hit da spot.” He gave the squirming, bouncing swell several pats. “Only one more to go
now. Don’cha want to be wit ya friends again, mon?” Rygen didn’t answer, he just shook his head and
kept backing toward the exit. “Oh, dat’s too bad. I’m afraid ya don’t have a choice in da matter. I’m gonna
eat’cha either way!”

With that, Rygen turned and sprinted for the exit. Although he could hear the high priest hopping
after him, he dared not to look back, fearing that seeing the creature in pursuit would break his
concentration. There was but one thing – and one thing only – on the tauren’s mind: getting the hell out of
there. Yet, somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew he wasn’t nearly fast enough.
 The slurping sound he had come to associate with Jin’Toa’s tongue rang in his ears. In a
surprising show of agility for his species, Rygen leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the sticky appendage.
The tongue slapped the cobblestone road where his hooves had been a split second earlier, and quickly
retracted back into Jin’Toa’s mouth. “Slippery tauren, you won’t get away dat easily!” He heard the high
priest launch his tongue at him again. Thinking fast, he ducked and rolled to the side, dodging the attack
once again but slowing himself down and leaving himself open.

A third and final time, Jin’Toa fired his tongue out, catching Rygen on the bottom of his hoof. The
bovine tripped and fell forward, hitting the dirt with a thud. He frantically tried to pull his leg away, but the
elastic muscle remained attached to his sole. Panicked, he clawed at the dirt and stone road, crawling
away slowly.

Jin’Toa croaked mockingly at him and began to withdraw his tongue – and the prey attached to it
– back into his mouth. Rygen tried to stomp on the fleshy tether, but only got his other hoof stuck to it for
his efforts. The bovine cursed to himself and dug his fingers deep into the dirt, hoping to stop his gradual
backward advance, but the dirt just gave way under the high priest’s powerful tug.

Rygen looked back and stared with big wide eyes at the cavernous mouth and the bloated,
churning gut that he knew he would soon be trapped in. His instinctual urges to struggle against the
creature proved fruitless, as within a few short moments he could feel Jin’Toa’s heated breath washing
over both his hooves. A second later, they were bathed in hot, sticky saliva.

The high priest wasted no time, pushing the cloven feet into the back of his mouth before gripping
Rygen by the hips and lifting him up off the ground entirely. The tauren tried desperately to dislodge
Jin’Toa’s hands, but they refused to budge. In the midst of his struggles, he felt strong muscles pull his
hooves down into the creature’s throat. He grunted and tried to pull them out, but they only sank deeper
and deeper.

Jin’Toa gave a powerful gulp, dragging him in up to his waist. The hot breath that he exhaled onto
his back made Rygen shiver with fear. Suddenly, he felt something slick worm between his legs and slide
along his rear. The tauren couldn’t help but blush a bit beneath his fur, despite the fear that he still clearly
felt. The tongue wriggled between his crevice and probed what lied at the bottom of it for several seconds
before turning around and working on his fur-covered sheath.

For a few moments, Rygen almost found the attention enjoyable, and for a split second he
wondered if any of his friends had received similar treatment. Then, Jin’Toa snapped him back into reality
as he swallowed again, forcing Rygen’s loins into the back of his mouth. His lower torso, now laying upon
the creature’s lower jaw, was quickly saturated in saliva that would make the rest of the passage easier.

Looking down, the paladin could see the bulge that his thighs made in Jin’Toa’s throat. It was a
terrifying sight to see them silhouetted in the priest’s thick blue skin. It was even worse to see them
disappear into his chest as he swallowed again. As Rygen was dragged further back, Jin’Toa’s jaws
loomed above and below him, filling him with a renewed sense of fear. He flailed his arms outside the
mouth, just as Sul’an had, but there was nothing for him to grab onto.

Jin’Toa tilted his head up toward the sky, using gravity against his immense meal. Rygen felt
himself slowly slipping into the depths and watched as the priest’s jaws filled more and more of his view.
The light began to fade from his sight and his arms were forced more and more above his head. “No, no
no, noooooooo!!!” Rygen cried as he grasped wildly at the air. He watched as the jaws slowly closed
around him, sealing only after his paws had safely entered the cavern.

Rather than swallowing, Jin’Toa let the bovine slowly sink into his prison. Rygen could feel the
creature rubbing the bulge that he made in his throat as he made his descent, savoring the meal. The
sounds of the high priest’s heartbeat pounded in his head and nearly drowned out the sickening slurping
sounds that he made along the way.

In his panic, the tauren hadn’t even registered that his hooves had long-since been squeezed into
Jin’Toa’s gargantuan stomach, and was being forced to curl up inside it along with his friends. He could
hear their complaints as he took up what little room was available, but could not make them out distinctly.
It took nearly a minute before his head and arms were forced into the rubbery sac, which sealed up the
moment he was inside, ensuring that there would be no escape.

*Skip to the alternate ending if you don’t like digestion!*

Jin’Toa’s stomach was intensely hot and humid, made only worse by the four other bodies inside.
Sweat and saliva covered everyone from head to toe, and not a thing could be seen in the perfect
darkness. Rygen struggled and fought to find a comfortable position, but there simply wasn’t enough
room. Frustrated and desperate, the bovine pounded against the elastic walls. “Let me out!”

The only response the high priest gave was a hearty chuckle as he patted the sides of his gut,
seemingly gloating over his complete and total domination over the other males. “Don’t bother.” A familiar
voice said in the darkness. “He’s not going to listen to us. We’re food to him.”

Rygen recognized the goblin’s voice immediately. “By the light, you’re still alive!”

“Yeah . . .” Diamid started. “I-I think he’s keeping us alive somehow, just so he can feel us
squirm.”

The very idea made Rygen cringe. “There has to be some way out!”

“No, mon.” Sul’an said in a defeated tone. “I already tried to make a portal out of here. All me
reagents were taken by da Gurubashi, and it can’t be done wit out one.”

The tauren heaved a despairing sigh. “What about a summoning portal? Could you—“

“They don’t work like that.” Krek interrupted. “It goes in one direction only.”

“Damn it!” Scribble yelled. “We’re going to die in here!”

Rygen bit his lower lip and sighed again. “May the Light have mercy . . .”

==========

Jin’Toa groaned as he finally reached his private chambers and plopped down on his bed. He
groaned loudly as he rolled onto his side and began rubbing his enormous gut. Though most of the
struggling had died down in there, he could still clearly feel them squirm every now and then. “Dere, dere,
little ones. Don’t be worryin’, ya sufferin’ be over soon enough.” With that, the high priest waved his
fingers and dispelled the incantation that prevented his body from digesting those inside. Within minutes
the fleshy sac would start filling with potent acids and turning his meals into nutrients. “It was good havin’
ya in me belly, but now it’s time for ya all to become a permanent part of Jin’Toa.” He said tauntingly.

It didn’t take long before the high priest felt the males struggling inside him once again. A wide,
toothy smile crept across his face as he watched the shapes in his gut shift around, those inside
desperately trying to escape the acids that surrounded them. Muffled pleas for mercy barely reached his
ears, but he paid them no mind.

Over the course of a few hours, Jin’Toa watched as his wriggling gut slowly calmed down and
shrank away. He soon found the strength of the five males becoming his as his body absorbed every
ounce of them. By the next morning, no trace of the Horde intruders was left, save for five discarded piles
of armor in an unattended corner of the holy city.

THE END

===== ALTERNATE ENDING =====

Jin’Toa’s stomach was intensely hot and humid, made only worse by the four other bodies inside.
Sweat and saliva covered everyone from head to toe, and not a thing could be seen in the perfect
darkness. Rygen struggled and fought to find a comfortable position, but there simply wasn’t enough
room. Frustrated and desperate, the bovine pounded against the elastic walls. “Let me out!”

The only response the high priest gave was a hearty chuckle as he patted the sides of his gut,
seemingly gloating over his complete and total domination over the other males. “Don’t bother.” A familiar
voice said in the darkness. “He’s not going to listen to us. We’re food to him.”

Rygen recognized the goblin’s voice immediately. “By the light, you’re still alive!”

“Yeah . . .” Diamid started. “I-I think he’s keeping us alive somehow, just so he can feel us
squirm.”

The very idea made Rygen cringe. “There has to be some way out!”

“If I be havin’ a rune, I could make a portal to get us out of here, but dey took dem wit de rest of
me stuff.” Sul’an said. “Also, mon, ye mind getting’ ya elbow out of me face?”

“Can you try to open one anyway? Even if it’s only a few hundred yards, it’s better than waiting to
be digested!” Krek’s voice came out of the darkness. Judging by the smell, Rygen was pretty sure that the
orc’s nethers were a few inches from his face, but there were far bigger issues at hand.

The stomach began shifting from side to side as Jin’Toa apparently began wading back to his
cavern. “I dunno, mon. Never tried before, but it be worth a shot.” Sul’an replied, grunting as he slid his
arm out from under Rygen and started weaving a spell. A few moments passed before a pale blue orb
burst into existence in Sul’an’s hands. As it expanded, the light of day once again became apparent to the
five devoured Horde males.

“That’s it! It’s working!” Diamid exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. Once the portal was
large enough, the blood elf stuck his head through without hesitation. “It’s outside the city! He did it!”
Diamid struggled and forced his way through the opening as the mage carefully opened it wider. After
squeezing his way to freedom, a second passed before he stood up and grabbed onto Scribble, helping
him to safety.

Several minutes had to pass before the portal was wide enough for Krek to get through. Jin’Toa,
apparently noticing his belly growing lighter, growled furiously and pounded at his gut uselessly as the orc
escaped. Rygen smiled smugly to himself as he followed after the green-skinned male, leaving only
Sul’an left inside. The troll carefully stepped through the opening, careful not to break his concentration on
the spell. After a few tense moments, he set both his feet on solid ground once more and slowly closed
the gateway behind him.

Rygen slapped a heavy paw on the mage’s shoulder. “You did well, Sul’an. Now let’s get out of
here before the Gurubashi find us again. Grom’Gol should be to the west!”

Though weary and without armor and weapons, the five males made it back to the base camp
safely, where they had a hell of a time explaining what they’d been through to the commander, and an
even harder time sleeping the following night.

THE END