“Bet your Book.” PM Dolan said.
Troy opened his mouth to reply-
“No,” Xarxos said firmly. The minotaur’s eyes were hard. “We’ll decided when to face you. Your original proposal said we have a week to bet our Books.”
“Tch,” PM Dolan rolled his eyes. “Alright. Well, it was worth a try.”
“Wow, giving up just like that?”
“You’ll be facing me eventually.” The Pine Martin shrugged. “I’m just going to have to deal with the Old Man’s bullshit. Other Dolans are going to issue the same challenge.”
“Show us to our rooms.” Xarxos said.
PM Dolan eyed the minotaur, scowling. “Fine.”
The Pine Martin guided them through the labyrinthine casino to the hotel area. They checked in and he led them up to their rooms, answering questions curtly. Xarxos had clearly pissed him off. Troy wasn’t sure if that was the best move to make.
Rok and Rusty had their own VIP room-well appointed, huge. Troy hadn’t expected anything less than sheer opulence after seeing the casino area, and the Dolans didn’t disappoint. Troy and Xarxos were assigned an adjoining suite, much to Troy’s dismay. The minotaur was a fun sucker at his core, a nagging Nancy that seemed hellbent to make a fun and exciting (albeit dangerous) casino adventure into a chore.
Rok and Rusty were going at it in the other room, as they had been doing for the entire time Troy had grown up. While the walls were thick, the door adjoining the rooms wasn’t, and so Xarxos and Troy had stared awkwardly at each other for half an hour, waiting for their companions to clean up so they could investigate the casino more thoroughly.
Troy was beginning to wonder how he’d ever fallen in love with the minotaur. The bull man hadn’t touched him sexually at any time in the last month. Technically, for most of the month it was illegal…but still, Troy was an adult now, had been for a week, and still their relationship was cold.
“You, um, wanna…?” Troy ventured, tugging at his pants.
“No!” Xarxos grabbed Troy’s hand. And cleared his throat. “Ahem, I’m…not comfortable with that right now. I know I told you we were married, but raising you…it’s a little awkward. Like grooming or something, you know like that actor Woody something or other and his adopted daughter.”
“Xarxos.” Troy felt rage began to build inside him. “This isn’t going to be the last time I die and resurrect, you know that, right? Every hundred years or so, I’m going to have to grow up again with limited memories. That’s how I work. Why turn me into a phoenixkin if you aren’t down with that?”
“I didn’t realize the realities of the situation, Troy.” Xarxos hissed. “I was trying to save you! It’s…squicky.”
Troy huffed and sat quietly on the couch, surfing the web on his phone.
“So, what’s the plan?” Troy asked finally.
“We make copies of our chips and start betting.” Xarxos held up a finger. “However, under no circumstances are you allowed to bet your Body.”
“Why?”
“Because there are no other phoenixkin in the world. That means your Body Chip is priceless. Rusty has the same rules.” Xarxos sighed. “ You and Rusty are targets. We save those chips for big bets we need to gain an advantage over the Dolans.”
“So what am I allowed to do?”
“Anything except Body.” Xarxos snapped his fingers. “I know! There’s a magic show tonight! It’s a fight between two master magicians. Deng-Long and Akita. They were sold out, but I bet we can get some box seats if we pay enough.”
“A magic show…” Troy stared out the window. He could see the Vegas Strip. “Well, it is Vegas. Magic shows are a thing to see. Real magic?”
“Hybrid show.” Xarxos nodded. They heard the shower in the other room start. “As soon as they’re done, we can go wander around and buy some chips. Show starts at 8 pm. Deal?”
Troy sighed. “Deal.”
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Troy wandered the Floors, Chips in hand. He had three Chips of Body-not to spend, but just in case anything untoward happened to him, he wouldn’t lose immediately. The games were awe-inspiring, interesting, and the whole casino had a whimsical atmosphere-until you noticed those unfortunates who lost, turning into Blanks and carried away. Other failures were not so obvious-changing genders or becoming inanimate.
But that risk was what made it thrilling. He watched a man get his first win and jump for joy, using his newly-earned Body Chip to transform into an Anthro-Ram. There were very few humans here, aside from the servants. Most who wandered, looking for a challenge, were various anthros or myths or fuckbots.
He turned, and saw Xarxos standing near a poker table, furtively watching Troy.
Troy rolled his eyes. He’d tried to evade Xarxos several times already. The minotaur, of course, was supremely difficult to evade. It was like he knew exactly where Troy was at all times. Troy found a bench on the Floor of Body and sat down, eyeing the game that had caught his eye when he first entered, the sex game. It looked like an arcade game, though with the privacy curtain drawn, he had no idea what it did.
“Ah, the sex game.” A buttery smooth voice spoke next to Troy.
Troy turned and beheld and anthropomorphic Eastern-style Dragon sitting next to him, stroking his whiskers. Troy cut his gaze to Xarxos, who was busy watching the poker game.
“Oh, he won’t notice us. I’m as powerful as he is. A simple memory charm to keep him preoccupied while we talk.” The dragon smiled, showing sharp teeth. “My name is ED Dolan.”
“Pfft. Another Dolan.” Troy shook his head. “You guys don’t know when to quit, do you? Let me guess, you want me to gamble my Book.”
The eastern dragon tisked.
“No, boyo, I’m not so crude as that.” The dragon rolled his eyes. “And that game you’re considering playing? Well, if you want to stay a male anthro phoenix, and…bisexual? Gay? I wouldn’t use it. Every game has it start a scenario where it tries to convert you into something else. If it wins…it takes your chips and replaces them with new ones. You can’t actually, you know, LOSE, but if everything about you has changed…well, it’s technically a loss.”
“I have copies.” Troy shrugged.
“Will you want to change yourself afterwards, though?” The eastern dragon stroked his whiskers. “Who knows?”
“Being me kind of sucks right now.” Troy stared at Xarxos’ large form.
“Is it you…or is it him?” The eastern dragon slid a claw over Troy’s talons. “Honey, believe me. I’ve been used by men too. My life and Prime Dolan’s life are very different.”
“Stop it.” Troy jerked his talons away from the dragon. “I’m not that easy to manipulate.”
“Really?” The dragon smirked. “Coulda fooled me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Troy snapped.
The dragon shrugged and let the silence stretch.
“I just wish…” Troy swallowed. “I wish he was fun. We’re supposed to be married. He doesn’t act…loving. It’s weird.”
“So change him.” The dragon held up his claws. “No, no, wait, just hear me out. He’s a minotaur, sure he’s strong and sexy, but minotaurs aren’t worth all that much. They’re common. Why not make him into something more useful?”
“I can’t do that because…” Troy glanced down at himself. He was strong, athletic, and youthful in comparison to the thousand year old minotaur. Why Xarxos had chosen to make him something so youthful and comparatively fleeting was beyond him. “…I don’t know. All I know is that I was human before all this Book business but that's it. And Xarxos…” Troy hedged. “I mean, he does care, in his own ways.”
“It’s my understanding that you were rich, owned several companies back in Myth City.” ED Dolan stroked his whiskers. “You could have rejected our invitation and lived a very successful life. This place is obviously a trap, forcing us to go to war with you would only be to your advantage and yet…here you are.”
Troy swallowed.
“Let me guess, Troy. He trained you to beat the major games in our casino. He let you walk in with a completely unique Body, ensuring you would be the target of every patron here.” The dragon finished with a satisfied smile. “And you obeyed him like the good little birdie you are. Yes, I think avoiding the sex machine is a good idea. You do come across as highly suggestible.”
“Stop it!” Troy hissed. “I know what you’re doing! Divide and conquer, it’s the most trivial play in the book.”
“And it works. That’s why it’s still in the book.” ED Dolan smirked. “What if I told you that you aren’t simply obeying him out of the goodness of your heart, but because you CAN’T say no to him?”
“I’m listening.” Troy huffed. “I’m also sniffing whiffs of bullshit.”
“The best lies are half-truths.” ED Dolan shrugged. “But I’ll stick with some truths. Here’s a few questions you should be asking yourself. If he’s such a good guy, why is he using the Familiar spell on you?”
“What?!”
“Ah, you know the spell. Well, once you get enough Books, the spell upgrades and you can have more than one Familiar at once. And the rules get more broad.” ED Dolan smiled. “Think about it. Two legendary creatures and a Cyclops who can see the future taking orders from a measly minotaur? A minotaur who would rather you die than risk breaking his moral code.”
“He broke the Familiar spell.”
“Can’t break a Familiar spell, you can only close the mental link. It can always be reopened again. But, see he doesn’t want it opened. Then you’d remember your past.”
“You have no proof.”
”No proof? The Familiar spell is a stronger version of the one we use on our Blanks when they get an owner. Even if a Blank becomes fully sentient, they are still bound to their owner’s will.”
“It’s still not proof!”
“Bet your Body. He told you not to, right? Prove me wrong. Get in that sex machine right now. You can’t claim ignorance because I’ve told you what it does.”
“Fine!” Troy got to his feet and moved towards the machine.
And he stopped just before the curtain.
He wanted to move, draw the curtain back, step in. But his body had frozen in place. Troy clenched his talons, panicking. He could not move a single step closer to the machine.
Troy whirled, movement easier now that he wasn’t actively walking into the machine.
“Okay, I believe you. How do I remove the spell? I’m a Book owner, there’s got to be a way!”
ED Dolan shook his head. “Sadly, boyo, there are only two ways to stop the spell. He becomes an inanimate object or loses his sentience or dies. Or he transfers his hold on you to someone else.”
“There’s no other way?”
“I mean, no.” The dragon laughed. “It spells it out for you right there in the page. Permanent. It’s one of the most dangerous spell your Book has, if used correctly. But as I was saying earlier, there’s a way to alter Xarxos into a more…exciting, understanding lover.”
“How?”
“Change him into something exotic. Something that fits your style-young, rich, someone not so risk-averse. Someone less boring and controlling. An actual lover.”
“I don’t know…” Troy mulled it over. “He was very adamant about not changing himself. And even if it did work, he’d still remember his old self.”
“True. True.” The dragon nodded. “Unless…”
“Unless what?” Troy rolled his eyes. “I’m listening to your proposal. Spit it out.”
“Transform him in his sleep. Just make sure his Book is not on his person and his Chips are out of reach except for the original combination. Keep that one combination on him.” The dragon leaned in. “Once he’s been changed, his old self will be in those chips that are out of his reach and his new self will be on those chips. Then you can switch him out. Old Xarxos, new Xarxos. You’ll be the one in control.”
“This is a ploy to rid us of our best planner.” Troy scoffed. “We need him.”
“The same way he needs you.” ED sighed and held up an orb. “Let me show you the past. Oracle.”
Troy stared into the orb, beak agape, as mists within it swirled.
Two thuggish-looking anthro dogs, a roided-out Doberman and a chubby rottweiler and a twunky anthro skunk were in the living room of a large house, clearly in the middle of sex. The skunk was getting his ass eaten out by the chubby rottie, while the Doberman plowed the rottie’s ass. They seemed happy and content.
“Am I the chubby rottweiler?” Troy asked as memories of his old life began to resurface. “Why didn’t Xarxos tell me about this?”
The scene shifted, showing the chubby rottweiler handing his Book to an anthro bull that strongly resembled Xarxos. The bull promptly transformed the rottweiler into a normal-if overly muscular-guard dog. Then he transformed the dog again, this time into a puppy, and dropped him off at an anthro-bear’s house.
“Wait, he actually did that to me?” Troy clacked his beak in horror. “The reality shift from that alone!”
“Yes.” ED Dolan nodded. “Effectively erased you from existence. Your husband, Rusty and your neighbors completely forgot you existed. The bull’s name is Tex, but you know him as Xarxos now.”
Troy’s talons clenched angrily as he watched further. He’d been happy! Worse, the shop had completely changed, making Tex the new owner.
“Wait, he erased me, turned me into a guard dog and STOLE MY COMPANY?”
“Oh, there’s more.”
Troy watched as he was changed again, to a muscular dog with a head injury. Essentially, he became a farm hand instead of a guard dog for the hog that owned the property. Even the hog had changed, transformed into a hotter version of himself. The cynical part of Troy realized it was to make Troy complacent as the inevitable happened. And it did. They had a simple life, but a happy one on the farm.
Just as the farmer and overly muscled dog fell in love, Tex came in and ruined everything. Again.
Forced to abandon his new lover. Forced to go fight a Book owner in a war he had forgotten with a group of people who couldn’t remember being with. Tex had done all of it and claimed it was the right thing to do.
“Everything he says.” Troy shook his head in horror. “He clearly thinks he’s doing the right thing, but it always involves me making sacrifices.”
The scene shifted to LA. Troy watched as Rusty fell for an obvious trap and got transformed into a Cerberus. Rok, who’d gone by the name RK, was transformed into an orc. Even the wolf they were with got captured. Only Troy made it out of Studio Village in one piece.
“What the hell happened there?” Troy mumbled.
“He let you wander into a trap so he could get closer to the Book of Myth’s owner.”
“I believe a lot of things, but that’s a damn lie.”
“Oh, I see. Let’s cut back to Tex and see what he was doing while you struggled.”
The mist in the orb shifted. Tex, now Xarxos, was in a sex dungeon. Troy recalled that Xarxos did own a nightclub called The Maze. He was carrying a rather handsome elf holding the Book of Myth. Instead of taking the Book from the elf, he started fucking him.
Troy’s heart broke. He had no idea who the elf was-the owner of the Book of Myth was Sebastian and Sophia, as far as he knew. Why hadn’t Xarxos told him about any of this? There had clearly been a reality shift at some point. Xarxos was being selective with his information.
“What happened to me?” Troy asked.
“I mean, I’m surprised you have to ask. I’d assumed if he told you anything, THAT would be the one thing he’s need to explain.”
“I had a heart attack. Because I was…old?” Troy shook his head, feathers ruffled. “But I’m young. Did I get aged by an audit?”
“Oh boy.” The dragon sighed. “Keep watching.”
The mists swirled again, and suddenly Troy saw himself in a pool. Xarxos and the elf were banging while Troy was clearly snoozing. Then Xarxos asked the elf to turn Troy into an old bug bear. He’d become dumb and horny, reality shifting, and grew even older. Tanaka appeared as a part of the shift, making a deal with Xarxos to help Troy ‘settle’ into his new life, relieving his joint pain. And Xarxos made a deal with a devil.
Then they were fighting Sebastian. Xarxos killed gorgons with no mercy whatsoever, actually a bit badass. And then he murdered Sebastian with a stone dick. Sophia revealed herself to be the true owner. A man appeared, saving them from Sophia, and Xarxos turned him into a chew toy-the same one their pet, Nessie, loved to play with. Worse, he watched them heal Sophia and then traded her away to the same demon Xarxos had made a deal with. The elf was transformed into a lion turtle. No, THE Lion Turtle, the foundation of Myth City.
And then Troy watched himself die, transformed into a phoenixkin by Xarxos with the help of Tanaka.
“No.” Troy breathed, tears rolling down his beak. “That’s impossible! You’re…you’re tricking me!”
“All true. He killed you and transformed you into this.” ED Dolan said solemnly. “Not to save your life but to reset you, make you more easily controlled.”
“Stop it…” Troy ground his beak. “There has to be an explanation!”
“An explanation?” ED Dolan chuckled. “I just gave you the simplest one. He needs a blank slate. Why else would he remove you from your happy life multiple times? Oh, and he inherited Sophia’s estate and company as well, did he not?”
Troy nodded. “Yeah. He basically runs Myth City.”
“But…you won. You beat the Book of Transmutation. You beat Myth. Shouldn’t you also be the one in charge?”
Troy tried to stop himself from crying, but he couldn’t.
“There, there, boyo.” ED Dolan pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at Troy’s eyes. “It isn’t easy confronting the truth. If you want true freedom and happiness you need to change him! Because sooner or later-likely right after you win, if you win-he’ll hard reset you again. Take the casino. And then he’ll send you after the last three Books. You can see that, can’t you? His pattern of behaviour speaks for itself.”
“Wait.” Troy blinked. “How do I know this isn’t a trick? You could be showing me the past of a different timeline or this could be an illusion.”
“Oracle is a spell that shows the target his past or future. It’s showing your past, Troy.” Dolan shrugged. “It’s too detailed to be some kind of trick.”
"You want him eliminated." Troy snuffled accusingly.
“No, I want a challenge. And so far, out of all of you, he seems to be the most dull sociopath I’ve ever met. And besides,” ED Dolan nudged Troy’s side, “Don’t you think the Book of Myth’s Owner should be something a little more creative than a basic minotaur? With a better Body, winning challenges against us should be easier, don’t you agree?”
Troy squirmed, unsure.
“Heh, you think I’m tricking you? I know you have magic resistance, same as I do. And as we’ve just proven with the sex machine, you ARE his pawn as long as he has that Book.”
“I’ll agree that Xarxos is a liar. But you’re my enemy. Why should I trust you?”
“If I wanted to trick you boyo, I would have let you get in that sex machine and not said a word. Besides, in the casino, you can only use your Book to change someone into something better than it was before.” The ED smiled. “You can’t turn me into a newt and I can’t turn you into a normal, brainless phoenix. It’s a rule we put into place to prevent people from cheating and turning their opponent into a dog before a bet.”
“Ah. So if I’d tried turning PM Dolan into a regular Pine Martin…”
“No dice. Actually, it’s a relatively new rule we had to implement after the magic show incident a week back. Entire audience got turned into doves during a vote count.”
The dragon pat Troy’s arm and left. Troy stared at the dragon as he smoothly glided through the crowd. Then he spared a glance at the minotaur, who blinked, as though snapping out of a trance, and shot a look over at Troy. Troy smiled and waved. The minotaur snorted and walked over.
“How’s it going?” Xarxos asked.
“Better.” Troy smiled, wondering just what form Xarxos would be taking tonight.