Warning: This story involves scenes of oral vore and graphic digestion. If this is not your thing then stop reading now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gunfire Reborn. Gunfire Reborn is property of Duoyi Games.

Swallowed by the Abyss

She was getting close, she could sense it. She had followed the demonic aura though the Longling Tomb, Anxi Desert, and now it had led her here to the Dinghai Bay. But it seemed there was one last obstacle standing between her and her final destination. An ominous storm was brewing, and the demonic presence in the area was outright oppressive. To top it all off, the Peddler and Craftsman had set up shop on the docks, just like they had with the previous powerful foes she had encountered. It was as if they had a sixth sense for when trouble lurked just ahead.

Tao checked the clip on her SMG, ensuring that the weapon was fully loaded. To those unfamiliar with the world, the sight of a pink and white rabbit wearing light samurai armor while wielding a sub-machine gun might have seemed quite odd. But this was a land where magic and technology had developed side by side. So seeing things like sword wielding catfish and spell slinging kappa fight alongside machine gun toting octopuses was not an uncommon occurrence. And this was part of what made the impending battle so intimidating. Who knew what kind of monstrous mixture of magic and machine she would encounter? So after topping off her health and ammo at the Peddler and upgrading her weapon as much as her copper would permit at the Craftsman, Tao steeled her nerves for the battle ahead.

She made her way to the edge of the seemingly empty dock. At first things were quiet, a little too quiet. But there were no enemies in sight. Was her intuition wrong? Was she just being paranoid? No sooner did she have those doubts when thunder cracked nearby and the sea began to stir. Looking into the restless waters, Tao could see shadows swirling below the surface. Something was lurking in those depths, something big. The shadows grew rapidly, approaching the docks with supernatural speed. Tao's eyes grew wide with shock as not one, not two, or even three, but four massive serpent heads broke the surface of the water. Each head possessed three eyes, all aglow with malevolent energy. Tao backed away from the dock's edge, overwhelmed by the monstrosity before her. Only the demonic aura could have revived such a beast.

The closest head peered down at the lone rabbit, its eyes narrowing as it spotted the tiny morsel. Tao's fur bristled, the serpent's gaze triggering a primal terror deep within her. But she quickly suppressed that fear. She never would have made it this far if she hadn't learned how to control her baser instincts. The monster seemed to sense its prey's resolve, letting out a demonic shriek before diving back into the raging sea. The battle had begun...

A single head rose up and reared back, poised to strike. Tao had only a fraction of a second to react, dashing to the side just in time to avoid the lunging serpent. She quickly unloaded her clip into the scales on its neck, causing the snake the yowl in pain and retreating back into the depths. Moments later, another head emerged in the distance. At first Tao wasn't sure what harm it could do from so far away, but when the serpent opened its mouth she could practically see the torrent of energy rushing inward. Again she was forced to dash out of the way just as the snake unleashed a massive bullet of water right where she had been standing. She would have loved to follow up with her own barrage of bullets, but her clip was empty, and she had to take the moment to reload. By the time she was finished and ready to fire, the serpent had already descended back into the safety of the water. Another splash caught Tao's attention, except this time instead of a head, it was a tail that came crashing to the surface. Tao held her fire; The target was small, wily, and likely wouldn't inflict much damage to the serpent. So she remained on the defensive, saving her bullets for something more worthwhile. The tail swung a horizontal arc along the water's surface, sending a small wave washing over the dock. Dashing wouldn't help her this time; Her only option was to jump, or risk being swept away in the current. With a leap worthy of her species, Tao soared into the air, allowing the wave to pass harmlessly under her.

These seemed to be the beast's primary methods of attack. Tao had learned how to best avoid each one, and fired off rounds whenever she had an opening. As the fight continued, the only real difference was that more of the serpent's heads joined the fray, unleashing various attacks in rapid succession. Though each individual strike was not that difficult to dodge, the flurry of attacks were enough to keep Tao on her toes, and it was starting to wear on her stamina. She feared if this battle drew out much longer, fatigue would cause her get sloppy, and it would only take a single mistake for her to become serpent chow. But she still had one last trick up her sleeve; Her ace in the hole. She could feel her royal flying sword trembling in its sheath, letting her know that she had accumulated enough energy throughout the fight, and that the blade was hungry for blood. She just needed the right moment to strike.

Fortunately such an opportunity soon presented itself. After dodging another string of attacks, one of the heads was left wide open. Tao held out her paw extending her index and middle finger to channel her chi. Her other paw reached for the hilt of her blade, unsheathing the sword in a practiced fluid motion. But rather than drawing a single blade, dozens of swords erupted from the sheath, all completely composed of chi. The barrage of blades shot straight towards the beast's head, striking it square in the eyes. The serpent shrieked in agony before collapsing into the sea, and for a moment, all was quiet. Had she finally won? Such hopes were quickly dashed though when another head suddenly sprung up and reared back. Tao could tell it was going for another lunge, and quickly dashed to the right. However, as if predicting her move, two more heads shot up, one on each side of the first, preparing their own strikes. She had to change directions, and fast. She skidded to a halt and ran back towards the first head just in time to squeeze into the narrow gap between the attacks. But just when it seemed like she was safe, she saw another set of heads rise up, ready to lash out. The two heads flanking her quickly retreated to make room for the new ones to strike, but also leaving Tao with a brief opening to escape. Unfortunately her rapid change in direction had caused her to lose her footing, preventing her from doing another dash. There was nothing the rabbit could do, except stare in wide eyed horror as the serpent's gaping maw rushed towards her...

Everything changed in an instant, and Tao suddenly found herself in a world of flesh, saliva, and darkness. She immediately began to struggle out of pure instinct, wresting against smothering folds and a writhing tongue. But her feeble punches and kicks did nothing to deter the beast. She needed something with more firepower. She grasped around frantically, searching for her missing weapon. But the gun was nowhere to be found, either knocked away the moment she was snatched up, or lost among the churning mass of maw flesh. She was completely powerless to stop the monster from suckling her vulnerable form and sampling every inch of her body with its invasive tongue. The slimy appendage slithered along her face and ears, slathering them in sticky mucus. It even managed to work its way under her armor, forcing her to endure the unpleasant sensation of her now sloppy fur trapped against her skin. And her torment didn't stop there; The tongue slid down between her legs, brushing across her inner thighs and sensitive feet. Was the serpent simply tasting her or was it actually trying to taunt her?

This treatment dragged on and on, leaving the poor rabbit sputtering up saliva and choking on the snake's putrid breath. It was like torture, and Tao found herself wishing for it just to be over. Unfortunately for her, she would soon get her wish. The tongue's relentless assault slowly came to a halt, finally giving the winded rabbit a chance to breathe. But her reprieve was short lived. Suddenly she felt a shift in her surroundings. Though she was still disoriented from the constant fondling, she could sense the pull of gravity on her body, and could swear the ambient stench was getting stronger. The haze hanging over mind lifted as she managed to put two and two together, reminding her of where she was and the imminent danger she was in. She scrambled to stop her descent towards the abyss, her feet searching desperately for footholds while her paws tried clinging to anything she could get her hand on. Ironically the tongue, which moments ago had been the bane of her existence, was now her only lifeline. Unfortunately the appendage seemed hell bent on vexing her until the very end. Not only was it too slimy to provide any traction, it was actively ushering her to her doom. She felt it slap down over her head, pushing her down and back towards the eagerly awaiting gullet.

She tried to hang on, tried to resist the forces dragging her downward. But her efforts were all in vain. No matter how hard she fought, her saliva slicked body slid inexorably towards the back of the throat. Suddenly something clamped down around her ankle, causing her to yelp in distress. Her struggles grew all the more frantic as she tried to free her foot from the serpent's greedy gullet, but it was even more fruitless than before. The throat had ahold of her now, and it had no intention of letting her go. A powerful slurp pulled her deeper, trapping her other leg along with the first. A second gulp consumed her torso, leaving only her upper half free of the fleshy tunnel. Finally her struggles were brought to an end as a third swallow sucked her in all the way past her scalp, forcing her arms up above her head. All that remained was her ears and hands, like a pink blossom sprouting from the soil of flesh. But those too were quickly slurped up, and the rabbit disappeared completely into the serpent's gullet.

If Tao had thought the mouth was cramped, the throat was downright smothering. Powerful muscles squeezed her body from ever angle, preventing her from making all but the tiniest of moments. Her wild thrashing was reduced to nothing more than meager squirms. It was like she was encased in a full body suit made of flesh. There was nothing she could do except endure the constant ripples slowly pushing her along. Her ears were filled with the sounds of squelching flesh and the rhythmic beat of the serpent's heart. It was sort of hypnotic, and could almost be described as relaxing. But soon another sound joined the chorus, one that was more distressing. A distinct gurgling noise was growing closer and louder. She knew that sound all to well, the sound of a hungry stomach eagerly awaiting its impending meal.

It wasn't much longer before her feet pressed up against some kind of barrier, and it didn't take a genius to know what lied on the other side. Tao's heart pounded in her chest, her fear climbing to new heights as she anticipated the horrors that awaited her. As vile as the throat was, she now wished that she could just remain here.

But no amount of wishes could stop the course of nature. Soon the sphincter stretched open, and with one final violent contraction, the rabbit was forced into the stomach. The area was slightly more spacious than the throat, but that was the sole blessing in the sea of nightmares she now faced. Every other aspect about her new abode was far worse. Her ears were assaulted by the gurgles and squelches of the active stomach, a constant reminder that she was nothing more than food now. Her body had come to rest in a pool of viscous sludge, allowing it to seep into her armor and soak her fur. The stench was unbearable; an otherworldly mixture of snake innards, acid, and partially digested meals that made her nose scrunch in disgust. And the taste... Of course she would rather not have tasted it, but the initial push had allowed some of the liquid to slip into her unprepared mouth. The slimy texture and bitter flavor made her retch, nearly adding her own stomach contents to the unholy concoction.

This was every prey's worst nightmare, and it was becoming harder and harder to suppress those prey instincts. But Tao used every last ounce of her training and willpower to avoid spiraling into full blown panic. Even if things looked grim, she had to remain in control if she was to have any chance of escaping this hell. She reached around her pitch black prison, trying to find anything she could use to help her escape. She carried the faintest hope that she would be able to locate her gun. If she could get her paws on that, not only would she be able to pump the serpent's stomach lining full of lead, she would also be able to charge the energy necessary to unleash her mystic sword again. But it seemed she would have no such luck. No matter how hard she looked, all she could feel was flesh, chime, and chunks of stuff she didn't even want to think about. And with no way to get her bearings she had no idea how much of the chamber she had covered, or where she had already looked.

With her search efforts coming up in vain, Tao resorted to the only option she had left. She punched and kicked the stomach walls with all the power she had, but the flexible flesh just stretched around her limbs and snapped back into place, leaving the snake unharmed and her further coated in gastric acid. She didn't give up though; She had nothing to lose, and wasn't just going to sit around waiting for her demise. So she continued her relentless assault for as long as her stamina would allow her. Despite her tenacity, by the time she exhausted her strength, she had not managed to inflict even a single bruise on the serpent, while the poor rabbit was left sweating and panting for breath. The acrid air burned her aching lungs, making her almost regret her reckless outburst.

Fortunately that was the only part of her body that was burning so far. Most any adventurer worth their salt knew how to subconsciously project their chi into a barrier in order to defend themselves from harm. And so far this shield had been protecting Tao from the harsh stomach environment. However this defense wouldn't last forever. The barrier was complex and had to be delicately woven, so it was nearly impossible to repair while it was being damaged. Tao wasn't sure how much time it would buy her, and though it protected her from direct harm, it didn't spare her the other unpleasant ordeals of her gastric prison.

Even if the digestive sludge could hurt her for now, she still had to deal with the incredibly unpleasant texture. The muck was constantly sloshing around, finding its way into every nook and cranny of her body. Over her ears, under her arms, between her toes, no place was safe from the viscous ooze. And then there was the smell. There was no getting used to the ungodly odor invading her nostrils. No doubt the stench had worked its way into her fur so thoroughly that she would reek of rotting fish and snake guts for months. Just the thought of being subjected to these noxious fumes for more than a few seconds was enough to make her regret ever having a sense of smell. Keeping her shield up would likely only prolong her suffering, as her hopes of rescue were frighteningly low. But as horrible as it was, it was a risk she was willing to take if it meant any chance of avoiding the alternative; a very slow and very painful death.

In the pitch black darkness of the stomach, there was no way of knowing how much time had passed, nor how much of her shield remained. But though she couldn't see it, there was one aspect of corrosion that she could sense. Over time, the ropes and straps keeping her light armor in place began to weaken and deteriorate. It was both a relief and concern when the corroded pieces of metal fell away from her body. On the one paw, no longer being laden with armor did make the space feel slightly less claustrophobic, but on the opposite end, it left her feeling very exposed. Even if the armor didn't provide her any real protection in her current predicament, it still provided a degree of mental security. Without it, she felt like there was nothing standing between her and the slurry of digestive enzymes. On top of that, she felt a bit conscientious about not having any clothes. It was a silly thing to worry about at a time like this, but she couldn't help feeling a sense of shame at the thought of her rescuer getting an unobstructed view of her nude form. She was supposed to be a fierce warrior, a master of the flying sword. And yet here she was, powerless and naked, nothing more than food for a primitive monster. How pathetic she must have looked in her current state.

As she lied there, wallowing in self pity, her paw reached down to scratch at her thigh. It was a subconscious motion, one she didn't even realize she was doing. But soon after she went to scratch her arm, and then her leg. Why was she so itchy? Her eyes grew wide with horror as the realization struck her. No, no, it couldn't be! It couldn't be time already! A new wave of panic washed over her, sending a surge of adrenaline through her system. She pushed through her exhaustion, once again struggling frantically to free herself from the serpent's stomach. No, no, no! She wasn't ready! She had known the chances of rescue were small, but she didn't realize just how much she had been clinging to that faint hope. She didn't want to die like this!

But it didn't matter what she wanted. Despite her renewed efforts, they proved to be just as fruitless as before. Except now, without the protection of her shield, the acids and enzymes were biting back. With each blow that she landed, clumps of weakened fur were pulled free by the stomach walls. By the time her second wind came to an end, only a few patches fur remained. Tao hissed in pain as her already irritated skin was directly exposed to the caustic stomach environment. Dear lord it burned! Every part of body was on fire, and there was no escaping it. During her journey, she had experienced her fair share of pain, and yet none of it seemed to compare to what she was feeling now. And this was only the beginning.

The agony slowly increased as the acid and enzymes destroyed her cells one by one. It peeled away her skin like the layers of an onion, exposing the soft muscle tissue underneath. Tao couldn't hold it back anymore. She arched her back and let out a cry of pure anguish as blistering pain erupted all over her body. She began to trembled violently, both from agony and her spasming muscles. She continued to shrieked and screamed, voicing her anguish until her throat was hoarse. But even if she could no longer vocalize her pain, it was still there, assaulting her from every direction. Her nerves cried out as they were destroyed, leaving behind phantom pains while new layers were subjected to the same torment. Tao was already begging for death, but unfortunately it was not to be. The stomach was agonizingly slow at stripping away her flesh, and there were many layers of muscle and sinew to eat through before her more delicate innards would be exposed.

The pain warped Tao's sense of time, making the already slow process stretch on for what felt like an eternity. It was like she was already boiling in the pits of hell, and she might have believed she was actually there if it wasn't for the perpetual darkness plaguing her vision. Though even if there had been light in the hellish abyss, by now she had likely been blinded by the vicious stomach acid. But maybe that was for the best; she wouldn't want to see herself in the shape she was in now. She was hardly recognizable anymore. Just a bloody lump of dissolving flesh and bones. Her long floppy ears, corroded as they were, were the only feature left that identified her as the rabbit she once was.

Only her innermost chest cavity had yet to be reached, the final bastion keeping her alive in this hell. But even that could not hold out against the stomach's relentless assault forever. After several excruciating days of slowly churning away in that accursed gut, her last line of defense was finally breached. Acid, enzymes, and chime seeped into her chest, quickly going to work on the delicate tissue within. A new form of pain washed over Tao as her vital organs were subjected to conditions they were never meant to see. Her heart, her lungs, her stomach; everything was burning, both inside and out. And yet at the same time a deathly chill began to run up her body. It actually came as a relief to the tortured rabbit, like a rising tide slowly dowsing the flames of her anguish. She felt more and more distant, her mind and body growing numb as death's grip tightened around her. Finally her nightmare was over, finally she could have peace...

At last her spirit left her body, leaving nothing behind but a lifeless husk, its bony fingers clutching a now corroded pendant given to them by the inn keeper. Challenge Failed!