Squeezed In A Bubble - $5 Patreon Exclusive - WIP - 4/25/20 (Patreon)

        It was already past noon, the longer she walked the more lost she became. With nothing but her cumbersome basket, and small but powerful magic staff, the young woman had to rely on her wits to get back home. Our unlucky heroine in question is Mezi, a confident but struggling cat girl mage who makes ends meet by taking on simple hunting jobs. The mage carried a simple but beautifully crafted Maple wood staff for her spells, allowing her to use her magic since she is unable to channel spells through her hands. Being refined in the art of magic, she hadn't the need for protective gear, only wearing a strapless light blue dress, complementing the enchanted purple ribbon that she had wrapped around her left ear. The young woman had been slaying slimes to collect their cores till a couple of hours ago before she got completely lost, now left to wonder the unknown woods without a map. Though not in any danger, being more than capable of fighting monsters by herself, she was eager to head back home before it could get dark. Being a catgirl, she took pride in her appearance, wanting nothing more than to get back home to get cleaned up.

        Mezi’s right arm was sore from carrying the basket of cores for so long, switching it over to her left but still having to switch her staff as well, which of course didn't really help much. Letting out a deep sigh, she looked up at the sky, begging god to show her the way home. But when she looked up at the trees surrounding her, she noticed that they were growing pink flowers that she wasn't familiar with. Mezi growled under her breath, nearly dropping her basket in disappointment. “This definitely isn't the right way, I've never seen these trees before.” Walking over to one of the trees, she took a closer look at the foliage growing on them. Each flower was vertically oval in shape with curved petals surrounding the peach-colored orifice in the center. Breathing in, Mezi could smell the sweet sugary aroma, even from just a couple feet away, but suddenly began feeling dizzy. Stumbling back, the mage placed her hand over her mouth as she dropped her basket of cores, struggling to remain standing before regaining her composure. “W-what just happened?” she thought. In those brief moments, it felt like her head was spinning, her thoughts drifting from her as if she was about to fall asleep. But it wasn't just that, she also felt a strange fluttering feeling in her belly. Whatever these flowers were, all it took was one oblivious breath to disorient her.

        "This isn't natural for flowers this small.” Mezi thought to herself. "Someone planted these with magic.” Hastily picking up the cores she had dropped, she started walking back the way she came, as not to risk passing out in the middle the forest. But then, she saw something shiny floating by a few trees ahead, something pink and spherical. Mezi gasped under her breath, keeping her palm firmly over mouth she quietly hid behind one of the trees. It was a bright magenta colored bubble, and a big one at that. Mezi didn't dare take a second look at the risk of being noticed,  waiting for it to pass by until she was sure it was no longer in her proximity. Bubbles were a common type of magic life form, most were just mindless globs of air that floated around in floral areas. Being harmless, the worst that could happen upon approaching a bubble is getting stuck inside one, even so, escape was easy with enough effort. But sometimes these orbs are taken as familiars or pets by those who were fond of them, and among these admirers were the Sucubi, whose magic would always turn them pink. Considering the strange flowers yet just come by which could only mean one thing… 

        "I'm in succubus territory…” Mezi though. "I was so stupid not to bring a map! They even have a bubble patrolling this place.” Leaning over to look past the tree, the stones in her basket clattered against each other, spooking the catgirl as she froze in place. “Eep.” Afraid that she may have alerted the bubble to her presence, she remained completely still, praying that she didn't get its attention. After a few silent agonizing moments, she peeked behind the tree only to see nothing. Relieved, Mezi let out a long loud sigh as she looked up at the sky. “That must've been a succu-bubble. That was my first time seeing one.” she chuckled nervously. "I hope that's the last one I see.” With that, she turned around to head back the way she came, but stopped dead in her tracks as a look of dread washed over her face… 

        Slowly floating towards her was the pink magenta bubble, it's incredibly glossy surface wobbling in the wind like a giant ball of gum. Completely shocked, she dropped her basket and stepped back, the core stones clattering on the ground as she waved her staff out in front of her. “Get BACK!" she shouted. Charging up a spell, she swung her staff at the bubble, but rather than popping it, it just sunk into its wobbly surface. The membrane then tugged on the staff nearly pulling it out of her hands as it quickly sank into its pliable exterior. “HEY!” she shouted pulling back. Mezi desperately hung onto her staff as if her life depended on it, but the bubble effortlessly swallowed up what was left of it, forcing her to let go before the pink surface reached her hands. Quickly stepping way, the helpless cat girl was forced to watch her only means of magic slip into the bubble as it disappeared within its gummy folds, haunting her ears with loud rubbery squeaks. Dumbfounded, she just stood there as the bubble jiggle around tauntingly. 

        “G-g-give it back!” Mezi shouted, too upset to consider that she was yelling at a bubble. The orb just wobbled in place, before spitting the staff out with a soft pop. The catgirl just stood there in shock as her wand clattered to the ground, broken in two useless pieces. “My magic…" she shuttered. Then a smaller more transparent bubble began growing from the orb, stretching out from its membrane-like a bulbous spore. With her only means of defense gone, she ran the other way as fast as she could, not caring what direction she was headed in. Finally, the small bulb separated from the rest of the bubble, wasting no time as it gave chase to the catgirl mage. Mezi didn't dare look behind her, but she could hear the wobbling creaking membrane of the orb gaining on her. Now with nothing but her blue dress, she had nothing weighing her down, but she felt so naked without her magic. “If I had just kept my distance, I could've cast at least one spell.” she wined. Just then, she felt the bubble pressing against her back, nearly causing her to trip. Determined not to let the bubble catch her, Mezi desperately tried to run faster, but she was too late. 

        With a soft squeak, the bubble’s membrane gave way around her body, trapping the poor cat with only her head and arms sticking out. “Whaaaaaah!?” she yelped. A cold shiver washed over her as she was quickly lifted off the ground, the bubble creaking loudly as she kicked her legs against the jiggly inside of her new prison. Unfortunately, all it did was stretch and wobble around Mezi as it kept her suspended off the ground. "L-let me go!” she demanded, pressing her arms against the top of the bubble as hard as she could. The catgirl desperately attempted to push herself out, but her arms only sprung back against the bubbles' jelly-like surface. Again and again, she struggled to free herself, until she finally put her energy into one last desperate push. Miraculously, she was rewarded with a soft pop, as she abruptly fell to the soft grassy ground beneath her. A bit dazed, she suddenly felt a cold breeze on her entire body. Sitting back up, Mezi looked confused as she saw her dress floating on the inside the bubble she had just escaped. Looking down at her body, she was horrified to see herself completely naked! She couldn't believe it, the bubble had somehow stolen the dress right off her back without so much as ripping it.