Five minutes earlier…
Troy ran out of the bathroom angrily. He was furious. How the fuck could the others trust Feng so easily. The kirin had been tampered with, transformed by Dolan, then, in turn, he’d transformed Troy himself into a mob boss. And despite all of that, he’d still managed to turn the situation around in his favor! It was fucking unfair!
The farther away he got from the bathroom, the angrier he got, stewing over the conversation they’d had. All he’d wanted was to change Xavier back into his perfect boyfriend. A loyal, loving companion who wouldn’t betray him. But no, he was stopped by Feng and that ridiculously overpowered bodyguard of his. As long as Feng or his familiar had even one of the Books, he was untouchable.
What he hated the most was that even after he warned the others of Feng’s (or Xarxos, he supposed that was his original name) countless misdeeds they still followed him! Troy, on the other hand, made one mistake and now everything was his fault. He couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Dolan!” Troy shouted. “Where the fuck are you? You’re right about Xarxos. He’s a fucking monster. Help me, please!”
Tears trickled down the angry phoenix-kin's beak. If none of his friends would listen to him, then he’d use Dolan. It wasn’t his first choice, obviously. Dolan would help him because he wanted his Book. Troy still hadn’t quite worked out what his end goal was. But if he wanted to make an extra-dimensional casino, have at it. The games were fun and some of them were really hot.
He clenched his fist and waited. Only now did he realize the casino was dead silent. No patrons were gambling on the floor. It was like the building was holding its breath.
“Hello my lovely caged songbird. You called?” Eastern Dragon Dolan’s claws alighted on Troy’s shoulders.
Troy turned.
Robo Dolan and someone else…Mind Dolan, perhaps? Were all standing behind him. Pine Martin Dolan stood off to one side, idly cleaning a nail.
“Help me…” Troy struggled to come up with the right words. “Help me fix my friends! He’s turned them all against me!”
“Who? Xavier? I thought you turned him into a jockstrap.” Robo Dolan droned.
“I did, but the fucker made a clone of himself!” Troy hissed and clacked his beak.
“What?!” The Dolans exclaimed.
Pine Martin looked up from his nails, beady black eyes narrowed in sudden interest.
“Yeah, he and that kirin…uh, Feng or whatever, he was the real Xarxos the whole time. I turned the clone into a jockstrap instead.” Troy found himself crying again. “He fucks everything up! I try and I try to enjoy myself from the bar to the Musk Game to…everything! He ruins everything! I’m through with him.”
“That would explain how you were able to cast a spell on him without any resistance.” ED Dolan stroked one of his whiskers.
“Wasn’t me. It was Todd. He has a whole set of, like, 8 Books.” Troy explained.
All of the Dolans’ eyes widened.
“That’s…interesting. I’ll inform the others.” Mind Dolan placed a finger to his temple and closed his eyes. His mouth moved silently, clearly in conversation with someone. “Thanks for the information Troy. Don’t worry, we’ll punish them. They’re housebreakers, after all.”
“Wait, what? Who’s a rule breaker?” Troy looked around, alarmed.
“Todd attacked and transformed a guest. Rusty and Rok were in a fist fight. Xavier transformed you.” Mind Dolan explained.
“Please, don’t hurt them. It’s all Feng’s fault, I swear!” Troy pleaded.
“Unfortunately, after reviewing the security tapes, we believe equal blame is placed on everyone involved save you. You’re the first victim.”
“So, uh, what happens to them?” Troy looked around.
“They’re in the bathroom, right?” Mind Dolan asked. Troy nodded. “We’re going to transform them into pure bred horses. They’ll spend the rest of their lives on a farm.”
“Is it…possible to buy them from you?” Troy asked.
“Why would you want to do that?” Mind Dolan asked, eyes narrowing.
“If I buy them, I can get my friends and husband back. All I ask is that when they become horses you make sure that they end up trustworthy and loyal. And…that Xavier loves me as me and nothing else.”
“What about Feng?” Mind Dolan asked.
“I don’t care if he stays a feral horse for the rest of his life! Fuck, if you can, turn him into a mare so he knows how it feels to get fucked.” Troy spat.
“I see…yes, I suppose we can use you.”
“Use me?”
“We can’t find the Other Xarxos. The fox. Todd’s boyfriend. You’ll be meeting with Prime Dolan. If he thinks you’re trustworthy, we’ll accept your demands.” Mind Dolan explained.
Troy took only a moment before nodding. It was a scorched-earth measure, but perhaps that was what was a necessary at this point. He might even get to save Rex and Xavier from Xarxos’ clutches.
“Alright. Musclebound Dolan will meet you here in a minute. We’re going to handle them before they have a chance to leave.” Mind Dolan said.
The Dolans headed towards the bathroom. Troy breathed a sigh of relief. He could see them all now, his friends pot-transformation. Powerful, well-hung horse anthros, each eager to please him. They’d be his sexy entourage, following him everywhere. Troy would finally get to enjoy his vast wealth, live however he wanted. Sit out on his porch and watch as the mare that was all that remained of Feng getting reamed.
The Dolans started to cast a spell on the bathroom. He watched, eager to see how it worked. Troy had never tried group magic. Unfortunately, his observations were interrupted by a finger tapping on his shoulder. He turned and found MB Dolan towering over him.
“I’m sorry ya had to see the real Xarxos, boyo.” MB Dolan’s wide hand pat Troy’s back, making him grunt. “Follow me. Prime wants ta see ya.”
Troy nodded and walked besides the huge man. He spared one last glance behind him and noticed the door to the bathroom started looking more like a barn. They walked up the stairs past the Mind floor. There were tons of people at that DND looking game. It was absolutely packed.
“Man, that game is running hot.” Troy murmured.
“Yeah, they’re getting so many players now that it’s almost impossible to book a slot. Hell, even with us using magic to accelerate time inside the simulator, people keep coming back. “
“I tried to join them earlier-Other Troy and his friends-but they were full.”
“Apparently, they planned this big event or something. Robo Dolan is monitoring their progress.” MB Dolan pointed. “Up here.”
The giant man touched a place on the wall and it slid open. Troy and MB climbed up a dark, winding staircase. They emerged into what could only be called a control center. Thousands of monitors lined one side of the room. They automatically zoomed in on the faces of the people in the hotel, and a display next to them gave out biometric data.
Prime Dolan was a rather plain looking redhead. He sat in a large leather reclining chair, smoking a stogie. The Irishman stood when Troy walked in. MB Dolan left, shutting the door behind him. It was only after he left that Troy noticed the old man standing in the corner.
Prime walked over to the liquor cabinet.
“Scotch or Bourbon?” Prime Dolan gestured to two lead crystal flasks.
“Uh…bourbon.” Troy said, smiling as Prime poured him the glass. The older man just watched them. It was eerie.
“I gotta admit, Primes are something else.” Old Man Dolan shook his head. “So, do you want to watch your friends transform? I asked for some cameras to be placed.”
“...Sure.” Troy shrugged.
Prime Dolan picked a remote off his desk and pressed a button. The TV came out of the wall. It flickered to life, and Troy watched in fascination as his friends started becoming more horse-like. Their clothes faded away. They appeared to grow more afraid when they stepped out of the stalls and into the arena.
A large, muscular anthro horse dressed in cowboy gear walked out into the arena.
“Who’s that guy?” Troy pointed at the horseman.
“That’s Chawhee. He’s the only friend I had left that stuck with me through thick and thin. He always dreamed of owning his own horse ranch. I’m always willing to give him all the horses he wants.”
“Right. But you only have the Book of Time. How did he get transformed?”
“PM Dolan did it, at his own request, might I add. Unfortunately, that’s when we discovered what happens when two different timelines too dissimilar from each other use their spells.”
“And what’s that?” Troy kept his eyes affixed to the screen. Feng was losing himself, becoming a stallion. The others are already done with their transformations.
“Once the changes are completed, there is no past point to recover from. No old you anymore. Essentially, when PM Dolan changed Chawhee-and despite him hearing the spell-he erased human Chawhee from existence. Now every Chawhee is a horseman. I, myself, am only vaguely aware of his status.”
“So why us?”
“Something big happens in 6 days.” Old Man Dolan spoke, finally, voice stern and wise. “We need six Books capable of working outside, in the real world. Your friends have five of them.”
A loud neigh echoed from the screen. Troy looked up just in time to see Feng become a stallion. Chawhee pocketed his chips.
“And there we go. He’s truly gone. None of his familiars have Books.”
“Why are you so determined to take him out?” Troy asked, frowning. “I hate him, but what’s your motive?”
“He’s a Prime. Primes are templates for the rest of the timelines. Anything that happens to the original in the Nexus happens to all versions of them. That’s why I’m not on the floor much. If I change everyone changes.”
“Huh.” Troy said, “Very interesting.”
He was far too busy watching the events play out on TV to pay too much attention. As Todd fully changed, the ever-present weight of the Familiar spell around his neck fully faded. Troy gave a sigh of relief.
“I want to ask you, will you be by my side?” Dolan said.
“What? Why?” Troy asked, turning from the TV
“Because with Todd’s Books we both will have a copy of all the Books. I’m inviting you to join me. Let’s have the time of our lives, playing games and living the life of luxury with no limitations.”
As Troy considered his offer, the phone rand. Dolan picked it up and put it on speaker.
“Hey Chawhee, are our new tenants ready to be sold?” He gave Troy a smile.
“I’m not Chawhee, sir.” There was a crash over the intercoms. “ We need help ASAP! Someone is here and they have a Book.”
“Who?”
“A muscular red fox. He’s a strong caster. He’s changed back a ton of our horses and they aren’t happy….wait, stop, get off of me!” The call cut off.
“Chawhee!” Dolan shouted.
On screen, Dolan’s best friend was broiled alive. Chawhee's charred corpse crumpled to the sand of the arena. Dolan’s fist clenched, breaking the glass in his hand. Blood poured from the wound. He ignored the pain, body shaking in paroxysms of anger.
Troy gasped. The chain on his soul were still weak, but there. He could feel the bond growing tighter with every second that passed.
“Damn that motherfucker!” Prime got up and focused on the band of thieves “Code Red. Cod Red.”
“Wait who?”
“Xarxos! Well, Other Xarxos, I suppose. He's ruined everything! Now we must go on the offensive.” Dolan's voice had gone cold.
Old Man Dolan stepped out from the shadows.
"Come with me, Troy. You'll need to be kept safe." OM Dolan gestured for Troy to follow him.
OM tapped a wall and it slid away, revealing an elevator. Troy joined him and the Old Man tapped one of the four buttons. Penthouse.