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The first house in question was quite nice on the inside, just like the other buildings that Gwen and Iris had entered. Decorated and furnished like a log cabin, with a very homey comfortable feel to it. The only off-putting thing being the lack of residents. As the three looked around the house it was clear that the residents had been around not that long ago. Food was still on the table just like the others incidents. Tea was still on the stove waiting to be heated and served.

"How long since they were taken?" Gwen asked.

"Only an hour or so at most." The Captain said as he stood by the table.

"How many lived here?" Iris asked.

"A family of three. And a family of five was taken before them." The Captain said, gripping the back of a chair tightly.

"We'll find them. All of them." Gwen said, "Now let me get a good look around. Rianta a nochtadh."

She thumped her staff on the floor a couple of times, the gem in the head began to glow brightly. Numerous foot and paw prints began to appear all around the floor where the light from the staff touched.

"There we go. Now let's see what prints belong to whom." Gwen said as she looked at all the prints on the floor.

"Isn't that a Ranger Skill?" Iris asked as she looked at all the prints.

"Technically yes, but Learn Skill scrolls don't discriminate on who uses them" Gwen shrugged, "I picked up a few useful Skills in my travels. Not as effective as when used by the appropriate Classes, but useful enough for me to get by on my own."

"Oh, I didn't know that." Iris said, "I should keep that in mind. But not important right now. These are my paw prints. Very distinct from everything thing here."

"Yep, only one big canine lass here, my prints are distinct as well, being small and feline." Gwen said as she thumped her staff again, both Iris and her own prints faded away.

"That leaves mine and the residents prints." The Captain said as he looked around.

"Yep, ye would be the one to notice any other prints that don't belong." Gwen said, "So we'll follow ye."

"Yes of course..." The Captain said as he continued to carefully look around.

He was examining the prints closely, following some of them around the dining table. It was quite a scramble of prints, suggesting a struggle.

"There was a struggle for certain, the prints are overlapping too much to clearly make out." The Captain said as he followed the prints, "Whomever took them cleaned up. There were no signs of a struggle when we investigated, very thoroughly too if only footprints were left behind."

"Can ye point out yer prints and those of yer men and the residents?" Gwen asked, "It'll give us an idea of the intruder's movements."

The Captain nodded, and pointed out several sets of prints, calling them out as he spotted them.

"Excellent." Gwen said as she thumped her staff again, eliminating all the prints relating to the ones pointed out, only one set of prints were left.

"Oh my." Iris gasped as she looked at the remaining prints.

Large clawed prints were all over the kitchen and dining room, and down the hall to elsewhere in the house.

"Those are big prints." Iris said as she knelt down to look at them, "What has feet like this?"

"These were made by Dragonborn paws. I know because I've bedded quite a few of em." Gwen purred loudly and shuddered, "Sooooo big! Ahem... anyway I'm plenty familiar with their race. This is good."

"Good how?" The Captain asked a bit annoyed by Gwen's comment, "So you can get your rocks off?"

"Hahaha, no...maybe... after I rescue the people they took. Definitely after." Gwen's ears and cheeks flushed a bit, "I meant good in that I can track em down more easily, and also tells me this guy is at most a Fourth Tier Mage. Well unless they're directly related to a Dragon, though if that were the case they'd have just attacked directly. So yes this is good. I'll have no trouble takin' em down, probably have some fun with em too while I'm at it."

"So that is good news then? So, we don't need to look at one of the other houses?" Iris asked.

"Nope don't think so, just need to follow these prints to where they got in." Gwen nodded as she started following the prints backwards, "Also I'll deal with em alone. So, I don't need to hold back for fear of gettin' anyone else caught in my spells. Plus, the kidnapped folks will need armed escort to safety and a proper healer."

"Once you have a location, I will gather the Guard." The Captain said as he and Iris followed Gwen.

"Good lad, now where did you get in from my big scaly friend?" Gwen mumbled as she followed the prints down into the basement, where the tracks simply stop in the middle of the room, "Huh they can Teleport, or possibly Blink, hmmmm..."

"Something wrong?" The Cleric asked concerned.

"I need a map, of the town or at least the area. I may be able to find his location with a little scryin'." The Witch let her staff float out of her paw and over where the tracks ended (or began if one wanted to be technical).

"I'll get one." The Captain said quickly as he ran out of the basement.

"Alright then I'll get to work while he's gone. Just plop the map under my staff when he brings it." Gwen said as she held her arms up and started mumbling in a strange arcane language.

The bottom of the staff slowly started to sway like a pendulum as the Witch mumbled her chant. Iris watched her with curious interest. The Captain came running back in with a map, the Cleric took it from him before he could say anything. She quickly laid it down on the floor under the swaying staff. After swaying for a few more seconds the staff's point stopped and pointed at a spot on the map. The entire staff moved until it hovered directly above that point before touching the map directly. Gwen stopped mumbling and looked down at the point her staff marked on the map.

"There we go! So where is this?" Gwen asked as she scrutinized the map.

"I don't know what that is." Iris shook her head as she looked as well.

"I know that place." The Captain said as he looked it over, "It's a set of caves out in the swamp. Formed from a sinkhole a decade or so ago. We surveyed the area not too long ago. Nothing in there aside from moss and mushrooms. I can give you a map of the caves."

"Ah, perfect, not an ideal place for a Dragonborn, but close enough to ye for him to slip in and out." Gwen said as she took hold of her staff, "Probably got a fire goin' in there to keep it dry and warm. And a map would be lovely. I'll head right on in once I have it. Just have yer men ready nearby to escort the people to safety."

"I'll gather the men and provide a map of the caves. We'll meet at the Eastern Gate." The Captain said before leaving.

"Right then, let's go on ahead and wait for him." Gwen said as she headed up and outside as well, Iris right behind her.

"Are you sure you want to go in alone?" Iris asked as they walked.

"Oh yeah, it'll be pretty messy... not in that context...yes not in that context." Gwen shook her head, "I mean that the caves might collapse durin' the battle. So better I go in solo."

"Right...just be careful then." Iris said.

"Oh, I'll be fine. I can out cast an Arch Mage. I can handle a Dragonborn just fine." Gwen said confidently, "I'm no stranger to fightin' other magic users."

"Okay. Good luck then." Iris said.

"I don't need luck. I have Mana, and potions, lots of potions." Gwen said with a wide grin.

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"This is...ewww." Gwen scrunched up her face in disgust, "Gonna take hours to wash this smell out of me fur."

The Nekonitan sighed as she squished her way through the thick mud of the swamp to the cave entrance. The mud was thick, sticky, and smelled horrid, like rotting flesh and vegetation. It clung to everything, the stench especially. Gwen sighed happily once she got out of the mud and onto dry stone.

"Bleh, my nose is gonna be useless in here. Well played my scaly foe, well played. Scaird Aqua." Gwen pointed her staff to her paws and blasted them with a stream of water, washing the mud out of her fur.

"Still stinks though. Damn..." She groaned a little to herself before proceeding into the cave.

As she expected the smells from the swamp had essentially burned out her nose. She couldn't smell a thing aside from the stink. Instead she relied on her sharp eyes and sharper ears. Just as she had been told everything was covered in a thick layer of moss, mushrooms were also sprouting along parts of the floor and walls. The air was damp too, Gwen could practically taste the moisture in the air. It was also pretty dark, no visible signs of activity. Some small tracks from local animals, but nothing recent.

"Didn't even bother walkin' through the front door eh? Fine. We'll play 'Cat & Mouse'" Gwen mumbled aloud as she walked deeper in, map in paw.

Her ears picked up the sound of water dripping here and there. But no sounds denoting activity, possibly masked by a subtle spell of Silence. This Dragonborn seemed fairly clever and covered their bases quite well. The Nekonitan kept alert for any signs of traps or hazards that were left for any intruders. However, the deeper she went the more obvious it became that there were none. Were they that arrogant to not bother? Or simply stupid for not thinking someone would figure out their lair's location. Gwen stopped at a fork in the tunnel, she glanced at the map to figure out where each led. One led to a small tunnel ending in a modestly sized chamber. The other led through a longer tunnel with several chambers attached. Gwen studied the map carefully.

"Hmmm... One way leads to the baddie, the other to the missin' people. Which way should I go first?" Gwen mumbled aloud as she looked at the map, "Save the people first, then catch the baddie."

With a nod to herself she put the map away and took the left path. After walking a bit, she came across one of the first adjoining chambers. She took a peek inside and nearly gagged at what she saw. There were several tables arranged in a U shape. Crates were scattered about; alchemical and medical tools were arranged messily over most of the tables. Numerous bladed tools, flasks, powders and jarred fluids were all left as if recently used. Another table was set up in the center, and laying atop it was a corpse. Or rather what was left of one. There was blood all over the table and soaking into the moss on the floor. And the smell was horrid! Even with her burnt out nose Gwen could smell the rotting flesh, a sickly disgusting odor. Flies buzzing around the remains as Gwen approached for a better look. She covered her nose as best she could, examining what she could see. The corpse was barely identifiable, a few dark gray feathers suggested who or whatever it used to be was of avian origin. Aside from that it was impossible to say if it was humanoid or not. The limbs were severed from the body and lay in pieces around the torso. The skull also seemed to be absent, along with most of the internal organs. The Nekonitan left quickly after her examination, not even bothering to check the crates she was so disgusted.

"What kind of sick monster would do that!? The poor creature..." Gwen gagged a bit as she tried to clear her nose and lungs of the horrid smell, it didn't really work.

Her fist clenched more tightly around her staff, more determined to find this Dragonborn and take them down. Gwen continued down the tunnel stopping to check the other chambers along the way. All she found was some basic food storage in one, another seemed to serve as some form of rudimentary bathroom facilities (the smell didn't even faze her at this point), and a few were empty entirely. There was one last chamber to check. Gwen hesitantly peeked inside. To her relief there was nothing disgusting or disturbing inside. Instead there were several large sturdy cages all occupied. Gwen had been expecting Elves of some kind, instead she was greeted with the sight of several avian creatures. They could almost be mistaken for Kenku with their dark greyish plumage, were it not for their much larger size and almost boat shaped beaks. All were dressed in some form of gypsy-like clothing, the colorful clothing dull and muted with dirt and such. But they were alive, if scared, a few were in pretty poor condition. Some even seemed to be children, judging by their smaller size and more downy feathers. They all recoiled in fear when Gwen approached.

"Sshhh it's okay. I'm here to rescue ye." Gwen said quietly, "The Guard from yer town should be outside waitin' to receive ye. Just keep quiet and I'll get ye out of those cages."

They remained quiet, but hesitantly agreed with silent nods.

"Several of us are missing. Did you find them?" One spoke up in a soft raspy voice.

Gwen hesitated for a moment as she answered the question, "I...I... found one. But... there wasn't much left of them. If I had to hazard a guess the other missin' people met a similar fate. I'm sorry. I'll get the bastard who did this. I promise."

With that said Gwen was quick to getting the locks open, she smiled a little as she picked the locks with a claw (Some stereotypes die hard it seems). The locks were pretty simple, so she picked through them in no time.

"Okay yer free. Follow me down the tunnel quietly. I'll point ye in the direction out of here." Gwen said as she opened the cages and waited outside in the tunnel.

The avian townsfolk hesitantly left the cages and filed out into the tunnel as well. Gwen did a quick head count. Eleven scared individuals were waiting for direction. The Nekonitan quickly turned and headed down the tunnel, waving for them to follow her. It was slow going with the injured and scared. Much as Gwen wanted to heal their wounds right away, she didn't want to give away her presence just yet. At the junction she pointed the way out and watched as they quietly shuffled their way out of this nightmare of a cave.

"Alright time to pay this arsehole a visit." Gwen growled as she headed down the short tunnel.

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"Solas Tintreach!"

BOOM!

The simple wooden door exploded into a hail of wood chunks and splinters as Gwen stepped through ready to throw down.

"Knock, knock!" Gwen exclaimed as she stepped through the ruined threshold.

"Well that was quite an entrance." A deep voice exclaimed, followed by a slow clapping applause.

Standing at the far end of the mostly barren chamber (a large fire was burning on side of the space) was indeed a Dragonborn, roughly over six and a half feet tall. With a broad muscular build, and dull orange colored scales, and dressed in flowing black robes. This fellow was built like a wall, smiling toothily as he held what looked to be a Spell Tome.

"So, what brings you to my little hideaway?" He asked in a rather smug tone.

"I'm sure ye can guess why I'm here. Yer a real sick bastard ye know that mister...?" Gwen said as she stared up at the Dragonborn.

"Qelrinn. Qelrinn Thimted is my name. And I'm here for new magical knowledge, and I certainly found an abundance of that. Have you seen what these townsfolk are capable of? Isn't it amazing? The wondrous applications around the world! Just think of it!" The Dragonborn grinned and chuckled enthusiastically.

"Oh, I've thought about it. And I think it's high time ye leave these people alone. Ye butchered enough of them as it is." Gwen growled angrily as she pointed her staff at Qelrinn, "Yer makin' it mighty tempting to simply kill ye were ye stand. BUT I have to bring ye back with me in one piece so be grateful. Doesn't mean I'll show ye mercy though."

"Oh, that's just adorable little girl. Having a fancy staff isn't going to intimidate me. A third-rate Mage like you isn't much of a threat. I'd be happy to let you go even! Just walk away." Qelrinn said his words dripping with arrogance.

"Boy ye'd do well to check yourself. The only third-rate Mage here is ye!" Gwen said confidently, "I was gonna praise ye for being a talented one. But Gods above are ye full of yerself. I thought ye'd be smart. But yer just an arrogant little shite, not a single bit of security in yer little lair. Didn't even put effort into hidin' it! Yer nothing but an incompetent eejit!"

"Alright, I'm just going to kill you then." The Dragonborn frowned, "No one insults me like that and gets away with it. NO ONE! NOW COME AND MEET YOUR DEATH!"

He snarled as he raised his clawed hands up and outstretched, the book he carried floated in front of him, opening on its own.

"Hit a few nerves, did I? Good. Makes it all the more humiliatin' when I kick yer arse into the ground." The Nekonitan grinned as she stepped forward.

As she stepped forward the ground underneath her sudden lit up with a bright orange light as a large circle full of arcane symbols and writing appeared under her paws.

"A Nullification Barrier!?" Gwen asked with shock and surprise.

" HAHAHAHAHA! YES! Did you really think I was totally unprepared? It was a simple lure of false expectation!" Qelrinn chuckled loudly as he looked down at Gwen, "And now you're trapped and at MY mercy! So, I get to take my time killing you."

"Well I'll give ye credit for this, but yer still an eejit." Gwen said as she quickly calmed down from her surprise.

"Shut up you little brat! Now how shall I dispose of you. Immolation? No that takes too long, acid? No, no too messy." Qelrinn started mumbling to himself as his book turned pages on its own.

"Look nice as it is to watch ye be indecisive, I got better things I could be doin'. Can we move this along lad?" Gwen crossed her arms impatiently.

"I said shut up! Do you know who I am!? Do you have any clue!? Any at all of whom you are angering? I am QELRINN THIMTED! I am not to be trifled with! I'll reduce you to nothing! Insolent child, you won't even live to regret drawing my fury upon y-" The Dragonborn trailed off.

Gwen was covering her mouth as she yawned in a long-exaggerated manner, "Look I hear these rants all the time. Can we just skip to the end already?"

"Grrrrrrrr! That's it! Liathróid dóiteáin!" Qelrinn growled as he unleashed a large fireball at the Nekonitan.

BOOOM!

The cave shook and vibrated from the impact of the spell, the air heated up and much of the moss in the room was singed as a cloud of smoke rose up from the impact.

"That'll teach you." Qelrinn huffed as he closed his Spell Tome, "Now to prepare my next subject for analysis."

"Turraing!" A female voice rang out from the smoke and a jolt of electricity shot out and struck the Dragonborn.

"Gyaaa! Wh-what? HOW?!" Qelrinn snarled as he shook off the painful shock.

"Ye really think a Fire Ball is goin' to kill me?" The smoke cleared revealing Gwen completely unharmed, "Not so smart of ye to think a single spell would be my undoin'. How sad."

"B-but the barrier...?" Qelrinn gawked in confusion, "You should be ash!"

"See here's the thin' about such spells. They only work on magic of the same Tier or lower. I'm sure that's blatantly obvious to ye. Ye used a Third Tier Nullification Barrier yeah?" Gwen raised a brow as she casually stepped free of the barrier without effort, "A smarter Mage would have tried to cast a Fourth or even a Fifth Tier one instead. Those are much harder to get past. For most people anyway. A simple deflection spell and I'm perfectly fine!"

"Fine if one isn't going to do it then try some more! Liathróid dóiteáin!" The Dragonborn quickly opened up his book and held out a hand firing off several more of those fire balls at the small feline.

Gwen just smirked as she was surrounded by a translucent purple bubble. The fire balls just bounced off and hit the walls and ceiling, stirring up more smoke as the chamber shook from the impacts.

"That's more like it! Still not quite good enough to get past my Borg Sphere." Gwen said in a mock approving manner, "I'll let you get one more freebie before I get serious."

"Who's the arrogant one again?" Qelrinn said as he looked down at the Nekonitan smugly.

"Still ye. I can at least back up what I claim." Gwen replied simply, "So hit me with yer best. Unless that was yer best?"

" HOWS THIS!? L** Á ***MHA CLOICHE*!" The Dragonborn shouted as he raised his hands.

The ground shook and rumbled as two giant hands made of stone erupted from the floor and slammed into Gwen's Borg Sphere.

WHAM! KZZZZZZZT!

The stone hands pressed in hard on the sphere, bowing it inward slightly. Jolts of arcane energy sparked out from the sphere as the stone made contact. It seemed to be holding up without issue, in spite of the crackling energy.

"Ooooh, so ye know a higher end Fourth Tier Spell? Bravo!" Gwen grinned as she clapped slowly, "Still haven't landed a blow on me though."

"You think being in that little Borg Sphere is going to save you? We both know the fatal flaw Borg Spheres have. A simple application of pressure and they shatter." Qelrinn chuckled and grinned, "You're essentially trapped and about to be crushed! HAHAHAHAHA!"

CRACK!

Just as the Dragonborn said the sphere started to crack in a few places. He grinned toothily and increased the pressure the stone hands were exerting.

"Thanks for the magic lesson lad, I really needed that." Gwen rolled her eyes, then grinned wide, "I was gonna just take ye down a peg after this spell. But honestly this is just too hilarious to me. I think I'll play with ye a bit longer."

"Just shut up already. Your voice is starting to annoy me." Qelrinn growled as he continued to put the squeeze on Gwen's Borg Sphere.

It continued to crack and splinter, bowing inward more as the pressure increased. Gwen remained calm and collected the whole time. A playful little smirk on her face as well, infuriating Qelrinn to no end.

"Grrrrr... I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face brat!" Qelrinn snarled.

"Okay that's the third time ye referred to me as a child. I wouldn't be surprised if I was actually older than ye." Gwen frowned, "Yer startin' to get on my nerves."

"Welcome to the club you little bitch!" Qelrinn hissed as he glared at Gwen, "I'll admit your Borg is pretty tough, it should have shattered by now."

"Ye mean like this?" Gwen asked as she jumped forward through the sphere allowing it to shatter and collapse as the stone hands came crashing into each other.

The Nekonitan rolled forward and onto her paws as she looked up at the Dragonborn, "So, what else ye got laddie?"

Qelrinn growled as he clenched his fist in a grasping manner. One of the stone fists moved and mimicked the motion snatching the small feline up in a vice-like grip.

"Is that what you meant?" The Dragonborn asked.

"Ooooh not bad. Would be much more impressive if I was actually bein' crushed here." Gwen critiqued, "But this stone hand is just too big. It can't clench down tight enough to do much to my small frame. Not that I could get out of it either. So, ye'll just have to figure out something else."

"Fine by me. I'll make sure you suffer!" Qelrinn grinned, "Tóg!"

He held out his hand and Gwen's staff was pulled from her grip and right into his hand, "Can't have you trying to cast any more spells, now can I?"

"Oh, wow ye even have a Thief Skill? Yer just full of surprises, aren't you?" Gwen grinned, "Yer fun, annoying but fun."

"You won't be smiling in a moment." Qelrinn hissed as he opened his jaws wide, inhaling deeply.

Gwen could sense it as he did so, the flow of magic shifting concentrating in his throat, "Ooh, the breath weapon! Bout time!"

" RAAAAAH!" Qelrinn roared as he exhaled a plume of bright blue flames at Gwen.

"Sféar Hidreafa!" Gwen shouted as she held up her free paw and unleashed an orb of water at the Dragonborn.

It pushed through the flames creating a cloud of steam before partially blasting through fully and nailing Qelrinn square in the face with a splash knocking him flat on his back. He sputtered and spat out water as he quickly sat up with utter shock and confusion.

" NYAHAHA! Ye should see the look on yer face!" Gwen grinned as she giggled loudly, "Didn't see that one comin' huh?"

" YOU...! You shouldn't be able to cast more than First Tier spells without a Staff or Tome!" Qelrinn shouted as he quickly stood up.

"Not entirely accurate. If yer skilled enough ye can still cast yer spells without a Staff, Tome, Wand, or whatever else one would use as a focus. It just takes more effort." Gwen said still giggling a bit, "If ye didn't know that I shudder to think of yer actual skill level. Yer not really a Fourth Tier Mage are ye laddie? Ye just know a few spells in that Tier?"

" I AM Fourth Tier! I'm a powerful Sorcerer! You'd do well to remember that with what little is left of your life!" Qelrinn growled angrily.

"If I wore boots, I'm sure they'd be shakin'. But let's be honest here. Ye tried to kill me several times already. And it's not workin' out for ye." Gwen said calmly, "So I think it's obvious that this is heavily weighted in my favor. Save yerself further embarrassment and just give up now."

"So, you can cast spells without your staff. Big deal I still have you in a vice. So, I'm pretty sure I still have the upper hand here." The Dragonborn said with a growl.

"Okay, y'know what. I'm done playin' with you now. Yer not as fun now." Gwen said with a frown, "Pléascadh."_ _

WHOOSH!

There was a rush of wind that burst outward from around Gwen with enough force to shatter the stone hand holding her. The rush also stirred up a lot of dust obscuring the feline briefly.

"Sféar Gaoth!" Gwen shouted as she unleased an orb of wind, blowing away the dust before hitting Qelrinn square in the chest.

The spell sent him flying backwards into the far wall with a solid smack, even cracking the wall where he hit it. Gwen slowly walked forward as he recovered, holding her paw out. Her staff immediately flew into her grasp.

"Are ye going to reconsider surrenderin'?" Gwen asked, her tone not remotely playful this time, "Or am I goin' to have to do worse?"

"You little bitch..." Qelrinn growled as he stood up towering over the feline, "I'm not going to surrender to a tiny thing I could punt across the room!"

"Very well then. Sféar Tintreach!" Gwen pointed her staff at the Dragonborn and hit him in the stomach with an orb of lightning at near point-blank range.

KZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!

" GYAAAAHHH!" Qelrinn roared in pain as he was electrocuted and knocked into the wall again before dropping to his knees.

Steam or smoke wafted off the Dragonborn, his robes and scales singed pretty badly. He was in a daze as he recovered from the shock.

"Had enough? Or should I take this up a notch?" Gwen asked staring at Qelrinn's face with him closer to her level now.

The Dragonborn was silent for a few seconds before growling and lunging at Gwen with a roar, " I WILL KILL YOU!"

"Laghdú!" Gwen stepped back as she pointed her staff at Qelrinn and hit him with a bolt of bright purple energy.

The Dragonborn fell back on his rump as he recoiled from shock. He didn't feel much aside from a brief tingling sensation but still it startled him to be hit by a spell so suddenly.

"What spell was that?!" He demanded as he glared at Gwen, "What did you do to me?!"

"Ye'll see." Gwen said as she cracked a smile again, "This fight is over now, yer done."

"In your dre-" Qelrinn stopped mid-sentence as he noticed something, "Wh-wha-?"

Did she get taller? She was now eye level with him in his seated position. He was visibly confused, then noticed that his robe felt looser than it normally did. What was going on? What did she do? It took a few more seconds before it dawned on him what she had done. He could actually see it now. The small feline was steadily getting larger, in fact it was happening faster and faster as time went on. He started to panic now, his heart rate shooting up as he was visibly shrinking! His entire body was getting smaller and smaller while his clothing remained normal sized. In less than a minute Qelrinn was now Gwen's size, his clothing falling off his child sized form, leaving him with just his bare scales. Being a reptile, he wasn't exactly exposed, still he let out a shrill scream. At his current size he sounded like a child having a meltdown. The most likely reason for the scream was the fact that he was still shrinking than anything else. Gwen all the while grinned more and more as he continued to get smaller. In no time he was only up to her knees and still getting smaller! Before he knew it, he was only six inches tall! The shrinking finally stopped and he was only ankle height compared to Gwen and surrounded by his now gigantic robes.

"Ye look adorable now." Gwen teased as she loomed over the now tiny Dragonborn.

"Change me back!" Qelrinn demanded in a squeaky voice, "I demand you to change me back right now!"

"Ye really think ye can order me around my tiny little reptile? I'd think very carefully before openin' that mouth of yers again." Gwen said as she stood up straight and stepped closer.

Qelrinn squeaked as she moved towards him, trying to escape his clothing and not making a lot of progress before Gwen lightly stepped on him. Not enough to hurt him in any way. But just enough to keep him from getting away.

"See my point?" Gwen asked with a purr as she wiggled her toes atop the little Dragonborn.

The Nekonitan had him right where she wanted him. She smiled and continued to purr as she enjoyed the struggles under her paw pads. His scales offering a pleasant texture as she let him struggle and squeak. As much fun as she was having with him, she was still considerably angry and disgusted with him. The things he had done to the townsfolk was unforgivable. It would have been so easy to just apply some more pressure and put an end to him. But she had been hired to bring him in alive. So, she had little choice but to spare him. The job however didn't specify how to bring him in. Meaning she could really have some fun with him, and throw a bit of torment in as well until she released him to the proper authorities.

"Mercy! Mercy! I give! I give! Just change me back please!" Qelrinn squeaked out.

The tiny Dragonborn finally cracked under the pressure (both literal and metaphorical).

"Didn't yer 'test subjects' beg for mercy? Did ye grant it to them? Seein' yer little lab or whatever ye want to call it is quite tellin." Gwen said with a growl, "So, no mercy will be granted to ye other than livin' to see tomorrow."

"Wha-what are you going to do to me? What more could you possibly do to me!?" Qelrinn squeaked out with fear.

"What more could I do? Well since ye asked, I'll just have to show ye won't I lad?" Gwen said grinning and purring once more.

Without another word the Nekonitan leaned down and grasped Qelrinn in two fingers before removing her paw from atop him. She lifted him up to her face examining him closely with her keen eyes. The little Dragonborn squeaked with fear as he tried to cover himself with his hands not that it really mattered being a reptile.

"Don't bother trying to cover yerself up. It's nothin' to be ashamed of, nor anythin' I haven't seen before." Gwen said with a giggle, "I've bedded many of yer kind in the past."

Qelrinn didn't relent though, continuing to squirm in her grasp. Gwen rolled her eyes, scoffed, then held him to her nose as she sniffed him lightly. She had to make sure he wasn't filthy, or toxic, or any of that nasty stuff, after all. Thankfully by now her nose wasn't as burdened by the stench of the swamp outside. She took another long sniff of him to be sure, but he smelled nice and clean. In fact, he smelled faintly of apples. Seems the Dragonborn had excellent taste in soap. Gwen smiled as she slowly licked her lips. Qelrinn was quick to notice the gesture and squeaked loudly.

"Oh no! Gods no! Please don't do what I think you're going to do!" He begged in that squeaky little voice of his.

"Hehe, figured it out, have ye? Good. I have to make sure ye don't try to escape as I brin' ye back with me after all. Besides I am a cat after all, and ye may as well be a mouse." Gwen grinned toothily, "And ye know what cats do with mice."

"Please I beg of you! ANYTHING but that!" Qelrinn continued to beg as he wriggled in her grasp.

"Nope sorry lad, we already went over that. Beggin' won't change a thing. Just as it didn't for the people ye butchered." Gwen said with a purr, "Ye reap what you sow as they say."

With that said the Nekonitan grinned toothily for a moment. And then opened her mouth as wide as it would go. Qelrinn squeaked in horror, and struggled all the harder as he saw those fanged jaws gape open waiting for him. He struggled in terror and tried to cast several spells fruitlessly. Without his Spell Tome he was defenseless! He continued to squeak and struggle as Gwen tilted her head back and held him over her open maw.

"Aaaaahhhh..." Gwen exaggerated the sound as she finally let Qelrinn go.

" NOOOOOOOO-!" Qelrinn screamed as he was dropped, his scream cut off as Gwen shut her jaws and purred loudly.

The Nekonitan closed her eyes as she enjoyed the struggles of the tiny Dragonborn. Mushing him up against the roof of her mouth with her rough tongue. She purred loudly as she savored his flavor. He tasted just like he smelled! His flavor was crisp and sweet just like apples!

"Mmmmmmm..." Gwen shivered a little in delight as she sloshed Qelrinn around in her mouth, soaking him in her drool.

In the darkness of Gwen's maw Qelrinn squeaked and struggled against her tongue. The rough texture irritating his scaled hide as he tried to claw and even bite at the surrounding flesh. But with his shrunken state he couldn't really do any damage. All he could do was flail about and struggle as he was thoroughly soaked in Gwen's hot sticky drool. He gagged at the scent of whatever the Nekonitan's last meal was. Kicking at her teeth as he was forced to look down at the even darker void that was her throat, eagerly awaiting his arrival. The entire time Gwen was just having a blast teasing her little snack. Rolling him around with her tongue, sucking on her scaled treat. She smiled a bit as she shoved him into her left cheek, sloshing him about a bit there before pushing him into the other cheek. His apple flavor was really pleasant and had her craving apples. Perhaps she'd pick up a few when she turned him in? Or some hard apple cider? She couldn't make up her mind, instead she focused her attention on her little prisoner. The Nekonitan was debating on how long she'd torment the Dragonborn, a few more seconds? Minutes? Maybe a whole hour even? A few seconds of thought and she made up her mind.

"Please...bleh...st-stop!" Qelrinn sputtered and shouted as he was sloshed about and toyed with.

Gwen ignored his muffled pleas as she sloshed him about a bit more making sure he was nice and soaked in her saliva. Then she pressed him firmly to her palette keeping him from doing much aside from a light squirm. She held him there for a good minute before easing up, slowly tilting her head back with a smirk.

Qelrinn squeaked as he felt the tug of gravity, slowly pulling him closer to her throat, " NO! NONONOOOOOO!"

All his struggles were pointless as Gwen tilted her head back fully and relaxed her throat. That dark void opened up ready to accept the Dragonborn.

GLUCK!

Qelrinn let out a muffled squeal as he was pushed headfirst down Gwen's throat. The strong muscles quickly clamping down around his head, neck and shoulders. The surrounding flesh vibrated around him as the Nekonitan purred. He wiggled and squirmed as hard as he could, all rational thought long abandoned at this point, his instincts took over as he fought for his life.

GULP!

There was a strong tug downwards as peristalsis kicked in with another swallow. Gwen purred as she ran a finger over her bulging neck. If she had a mirror, she likely would have been able to make out the somewhat detailed bulges of the Dragonborn as he squirmed in her throat. The sound of her purring was near deafening as the tiny Dragonborn struggled, waist deep in her throat at this point. He could feel her tongue brush against his feet as if playing with them.

GUUULP!

Another stronger swallow dragged Qelrinn fully into her throat, he let out a heavily muffled scream. He squirmed and writhed as the surrounding flesh clung tightly to his form, squeezing him down to her waiting stomach. Her beating heart and gurgling stomach could be heard over her purring now. Gwen smiled as she traced the squirming bulge down her throat, quickly using a finger to pull her choker open a bit more to allow Qelrinn through. She didn't want to choke on the little reptile after all, that would be horribly embarrassing!

"Aaaaah! Have to say Qelrinn for such a despicable man, ye tasted pretty good." Gwen giggled a bit as she felt the Dragonborn finally drop into her stomach.

Qelrinn squeaked as he was dropped into the humid, rancid smelling pit of Gwen's stomach. It was pitch dark leaving him totally blind as he flailed about in the muted fluids of her stomach.

" LET ME OUT!" He screamed as he struggled, pounding on the stomach walls.

Gwen purred and smiled as she felt Qelrinn struggle and pound on her stomach. A paw slipped under her shirt feeling over her belly. He couldn't even push her stomach out, not a tiny bit. But she could still feel his little fists from within. Trapped inside her as he was no one could hear his screams and pleas, except for Gwen herself. She could still pick up on his voice as it resonated within her stomach.

"Sorry little Qelrinn, but yer not goin' anywhere until I say otherwise." Gwen giggled as she rubbed her belly a bit more before stopping, "Now that yer dealt with let's see what ye were workin' with."

Gwen easily tuned out the protests from her belly and picked up the Dragonborn's Spell Tome. She scrutinized the leather-bound cover carefully. It looked decently old, by at least a few decades. Older than Qelrinn for sure, likely bought or stolen. The Feline opened up the book and leafed through the spells written on its pages.

"Nice book, probably should have gotten yer money back though. A lot of these spells are pretty rudimentary. Sure, it's got a few powerful ones, but still this is rather sad even for someone at yer skill level." Gwen said with a giggle, "Still be pretty fun for amusement. So, I'll keep it in my personal collection."

She smiled as she closed the book and stuffed it into one of her pouches easily (Pouches of Holding were amazing). And with that done she left the cave to meet with the Guard.

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Outside the cave the Guard were waiting, Iris was also there busy tending to the former captives. The Guard had all removed their glamour, or perhaps this far from the town it couldn't be maintained? The Captain took notice of Gwen's presence as she emerged from the cave and walked up to her right away.

"I see ye came out in force. Excellent timin'!" Gwen said as she looked up at him.

"Is it done? Where is the culprit?" He asked simply.

"Right to the point again? Yeah he's been dealt with. He's been.... locked away somewhere secure. He won't be a problem for ye or anyone else again." Gwen said proudly before frowning and removing her hat, "That said I'm deeply sorry I couldn't save everyone. I don't know what yer funerary rights are. But it's not pleasant in there, if ye plan to reclaim the remains."

"I see. Thank you for helping us, and... putting up with our suspicions." The Captain nodded, "The losses are a tragedy. But you brought home more than we could have hoped for."

"It's all forgiven Captain. And yer very much welcome, hopefully the people recover from this ordeal without too much trouble. Now if ye don't need me for anything else, I must be off. Got a criminal to turn in and a job to get paid for." Gwen said with a grin, "Not bad for a day's work I think."

"We can handle things from here yes. And we also appreciate the scrolls you gave us. We will put them to great use." The Captain said as he handed over a thick leather-bound book, "This is for you, as requested. And as our payment for what you've done for us. Thank you."

"R-really!?" Gwen gasped as she quickly grabbed the book and looked through it.

It had everything she had asked for and more! It would need a great deal of study, but she could make great use out of it!

"Thank ye!" Gwen mewled as she jumped up and hugged the Captain around the neck.

He stumbled back and hesitantly returned the hug, "You're welcome?"

"Yes, I really needed this. It's goin' to be a huge help for my project, truly thank ye so much for this." Gwen said as she dropped back down on her paws (she was a cat after all).

"I still can't believe you were able to take care of him on your own!" Iris exclaimed as she walked over now done with her tasks, "Wish I could have seen it! Thank you for what you've done here!"

"Trust me lass ye weren't missin' much. He was a pretty inept magic user." Gwen grinned as she felt a faint kick or punch from within her stomach, "He only got away with it as long as he did through sheer luck, nothin' more."

"Oh, I see. Is that the information you asked about? It must be really important to you huh?" Iris asked as she saw the book in Gwen's paws.

"Yes, far more than ye could imagine." Gwen nodded as she stowed the book away in one of her pouches, "Now then, everyone safe and sound?"

"Yes. Everyone is safe and being taken care of. Someone will be making use of those scrolls shortly as well to help prevent this from happening again." The Captain reaffirmed with a nod.

"Great, I'm happy I was able to help with that as well." Gwen said with a smile, "But time to go."

"You're leaving? You won't at least stay the night?" Iris asked confused.

"Nope sorry lass. Sooner I leave, sooner I can hand Qelrinn over to the authorities and get paid for the job. If I wait too long, they'll just hire someone else. And I'd hate for someone else to waste their time." Gwen explained, "I'm off then, and Captain I'd suggest a different look for the town. The way it is now would make most adventurers curious as to why people are still livin' in such conditions. Something more normalized would probably work better. And maybe tryin' to set up a trade route or somethin'. Integrate with neighborin' towns, far away as they are. Blendin' in is better than isolation."

"Noted, we'll have to consider it. But know you'll be welcome here any time." The Captain said in a more friendly tone.

"I just might make a point of doing that sometime." Gwen said, "As long as I can avoid the swamp. I'm pretty sure I still reek."

"Not that much actually, the smell doesn't last very long." Iris giggled.

"Tell that to my nose. Anyway, this has been an interestin' trip. Keep safe!" Gwen said with a smirk as she rubbed her nose for a moment.

"You too Gwen." Iris smiled back.

"May you have a swift and safe journey to your next destination and adventure." The Captain said as he gave a slight bow and left to resume his duties.

"Thanks! Goodbye lads and lasses!" Gwen exclaimed as she started on her way.

"Goodbye!" Iris waved as the Nekonitan left.

"Well this has been an interestin' adventure." Gwen said aloud to herself, "Now to get back to Aempleforth and get paid. And also drop ye off. Ye'll have a lot of explainin' to do."

Gwen smiled as she felt the struggles in her stomach start up again, he was a feisty one. She rubbed her stomach a bit as she walked. It was going to be a long week getting back. But at least it would be worth it. Besides now she had a new plaything at night for a while, whether he liked it or not.