Oswin led the group down the corridors and chambers to where the taxidermies were.
Charlon seemed to be taking charge, the other party members falling in line. It struck Oswin as rather odd. In fact, Charlon himself seemed somehow out of place. Oswin had the strangest idea that the rogue barbarian was supposed to be a black-furred wolf, not a huge, incredibly handsome and attractive wolfdog.
Ugh, why did he have to be so handsome?
He shuddered at the very thought of it. Oswin could practically feel the pit-wolf’s eyes trained on his ass. His Rangers were already setting up camp in the center of the room by the lever. Tents, bedrolls, every thing they would need, along with a magically smokeless campfire. Taking no chances, Oswin waited until the rest of the group was inside the room before pulling the lever.
Obviously, the golems had a different way to transition between chambers, they wouldn’t be going through here.
As soon as the exits were blocked, the palpably tension in the air was cut and everyone relaxed. Sure, the taxidermies were still ringing the room, as creepy and threatening as ever, but they were dead. The idea that they had been people and this was a gory display of their corpses crossed Oswin’s mind more than once, however.
As everyone began to settle in for the night-er, well, for sleep, at least-Oswin decided it was the right time to assert his authority.
“Alright, we’re going to take a long rest and make sure we can handle the golems through that door tomorrow. All of us are tired, and hopefully, Rodrigo isn’t gonna die while we sleep.” Oswin announced.
Everyone looked up as he spoke save for Palseks and Geoffrey. Oswin didn’t really have a problem with it because they appeared to be servants anyways. And they were busy preparing dinner. He was hungry at this point. However, as he turned his attention back to the rest of the group, he noticed Charlon staring at him.
They locked gazes for a few moments, the pit-wolf grinning, his yellow eyes glinting with intensity, causing Oswin’s cock to stir. Oswin blushed and quickly looked away.
“S-so, *ahem*, everyone should get some rest and have something to eat. Before we fully settle in, let’s go over what we know and what lays ahead.” Oswin quickly put the speech back on track. “Ein, what are we looking at with the Trim spell?”
“Yes, right.” The muscular cougar stood and smiled. “Trim is going to come in handy when we inevitably get hit by those ray attacks.”
“Are they ray attacks or gaze attacks?” A wolf Ranger asked.
“Not sure yet.” Ein replied. “But they do need line of sight and it fires from their eyes. It might be both.”
“Are there any other spells aside from mudslide that can block their line of sight?” An otter asked.
“As far as I know, it appears they have True Sight, which means they can see through Darkness and other vision-obscuring spells. Mudslide works because it is actually physically blocking their sight with mud.” Ein explained.
“Are there any other ways to deal with the golems?” the beaver asked.
“Not at our timescale.” Ein replied. “Currently, every townsperson who goes through the Trimming and Indoctrination Sequence is erased from your memories. In fact, I bet if I asked any of you right now how many people lived in Diamond Hollow it would be one hundred people less than this morning.”
“Shit!” Oswin slammed his hand against the wall. “The people! We can’t-!”
“We have no choice!” Charlon growled, standing. “We’ll be of no use if we all get Trimmed into nonexistence along with them.”
Oswin snarled but Ein held out a paw.
“He’s right, Oswin,” Ein’s voice was sorrowful. “And there may be no way to recover them, but it won’t matter if we die or get Trimmed. I need the rest.”
“Our families are…” a Ranger’s face fell. “Oh no!”
Oswin rushed over to the Ranger before he could panic and slammed him to the ground. “Stop! We’ll sort it out!”
“How?” the wolf cried, his eyes wide and teary. “Once they’ve been Trimmed, we can’t tell the pitbulls apart!”
“Ein will think of something,” Oswin said soothingly. “And if you can still remember having a family, then they’re fine. Calm down.”
The wolf nodded once and looked at the magically smokeless fire.
“Time on the cook?” Oswin asked Palseks.
“Half hour.” Palseks chirped back. “Needs to simmer.”
“What is it?” Gregory asked, sniffing the air as the smell of a svory broth filled the air.
“It’s a Beef Stew with potato mash.” Geoffrey replied. “We’ve magically sped up the cooking time so it doesn’t have to simmer for hours but it still requires some simmering to get right.”
Oswin’s tummy growled as did many others.
“Charlon,” Ein asked carefully, “Why were you in that coffin?”
“I’m curious as well.” Geoffrey inserted as the big polar bear cleaned his cutting board. He started setting up the party’s camp site. “My liege, this spot should be fine.”
“Great find, Geoffrey! I’ll be there in a bit.” Gregory, the lithe mink, stayed near Ein and waited for Charlon’s answer.
“Ein asked you a question, Charlon.” Oswin said.
Everyone turned to stare at Charlon expectantly.
“The golems actually caught me and put me in there, but something happened and I was left alone for enough time to escape!” Charlon grinned as he remembered hearing the crash in the East Wall. “Managed to see how the machines work. The red beam turns victims into pitbull warriors, and the disc device brainwashes them.”
“And how did you manage to walk past the golems without being caught again?” Camden, a wolf Ranger asked as he set up bedrolls. The others were intently listening as well.
“They actually managed to put the disc device on my head, but it only managed to reawaken memories of my past.” Charlon grabbed the symbol of Ajax from his collection of trinkets, showing off the pit bull. “Apparently I was Charon, a powerful warrior of Paranor, who was then tailored to forget and become Charlon. Somehow I can’t be fully tailored. Once the machines recognized my connection to Ajax Kinderschredder, my status as a warrior of Ajax was registered.”
Seeing the fear creep up the faces of everyone nearby and some even taking up arms, Charlon quickly assuaged them. “Truth be told, I apparently betrayed Ajax and got him sealed here.”
“What?” Oswin asked in disbelief and Charlon suddenly received wary looks from him and the rangers.
Veles, Palseks, and Geoffrey and Gregory looked unperturbed. As far as they were concerned, nothing was out of place about Charlon. Oswin took that into consideration. He wanted to kill Charlon, but not fight his entire party.
“Yep, I betrayed the one who hired my services, got him trapped in here, and left to get tailored to live a life without remembering my past with Paranor.” Charlon crossed his arms to raise an eyebrow at anyone still challenging his truth.
“Charlon won’t betray party?” Palseks said as she finished setting up her own bedroll.
Charlon softly grinned. “With how much we’ve been through? Hell, I’ll gladly use my original memories to help you all with defeating Ajax.”
Bowls were ladled.
The bowls were filled to the brim with a rich, hearty beef stew, simmered for hours with carrots, onions, turnips and savory herbs and spices until the meat was fall-apart tender. The aroma alone was enough to make a man's mouth water, nothing short of intoxicating, filling the air with the comforting scent of home and hearth. The sight of the chunks of succulent beef and colorful vegetables bobbing in the savory broth was nothing short of tantalizing.
But what truly set this dish apart was the bed of creamy mashed potatoes that served as its base. Each spoonful of stew was lovingly ladled over the velvety potatoes, soaking up their buttery goodness and providing the perfect balance of flavors and textures. It was a dish fit for a king, or perhaps even a queen.
“We’ve got some purified water,” Geoffrey said, passing around and filling cups from a jug.
“Where do you people store this stuff?” Camden, the wolf Ranger, asked.
“Bag of Holding,” Palseks replied. “Some people fill theirs with treasure, we fill ours with camping and cooking gear and supplies.”
Everyone dug in, hungrily devouring their food. The water was ice cold and refreshing. Oswin marvelled at just how good these adventurers had it. It was like everything they prepared was for their own comfort-and it was quite comfortable.
When he took a moment to glance over their tents and bedding, he realized every item there was enchanted in some way.
He had no doubt that lying in a temperature-controlled tent on hyper-soft and stable bedrolls like the ones they were equipped with made adventuring easy. Glamorous, even. It made him sick with how weak they must be, but also more than a bit jealous. Oswin wished he’d had this gear his whole life…
As dinner came to a close and everyone was done with their second or third bowls, Geoffrey and Palseks began ‘washing them while the others settled down for sleep. Oswin had to admit he was feeling just as exhausted as they despite only having been awake for 8 hours at most. Fighting took a lot out of him.
With the clean-up done, Palseks began playing a song on her lute while everyone sat and drowsed.
Charlon was sitting comfy in the back, looking like a king with Gregory, the lithe mink, snuggling against him. Even the big polar bear, Geoffrey, was there, massaging Charlon’s shoulders. It was getting Oswin hot under the collar so he turned to ask Ein to do the same for him and caught the cougar staring at Charlon.
Ein was blushing fiercely, staring at the pit-wolf’s incredibly thick, veiny bulge. The modest scrap of leather that Charlon used as a loincloth did little to hide the root of the red rocket. Oswin clenched his fists in anger. How dare that stupid pit-wolf turn Ein’s gaze away from him!
Charlon noticed the cougar’s attention and spread his legs wantonly. “Come, Veles, let’s settle down for the night.”
“His name is Ein, potential betrayer.” Oswin growled.
“He’s Veles to me, and has been longer than you did.” And fucked him longer than you did, too. Charlon left the last part unspoken, but Oswin could feel it there, taunting him.
“Can’t you all see that he is Ein?” Oswin turned to his Rangers and found themselves nodding at him in agreement. “He is a cougar now, and I’ve made sure that Ein was resurrected into the Veles you knew.”
Charlon, Gregory, Geoffrey, and Palseks stiffened upon hearing Oswin’s confession. Ein himself was abashed standing there being talked about. Oswin didn’t care what they thought. He had eyes only for Ein.
“Oh? Let’s ask Veles.” Charlon growled, looking at the buck with equal parts anger and lust. Then he turned to Veles. “Are you Veles or Ein?”
“I am Veles, Charlie,” Ein admitted to it easily. “I did get transformed and was almost replaced by Ein. The spirit of Ein is inside me. But I’m in control.”
Charlon grinned and looked back at Oswin smugly. “You obviously failed. He’s still the Veles I know.”
“No, he’s just lying so that his old party helps him defeat Ajax.” Oswin said, disgruntled, he himself was having difficulty believing it, now. Had Veles somehow survived the power of the Temple? Impossible! No, the more likely explanation must be… “Or maybe Ein is under the mistaken impression that you’re stronger than me. Is that it, Ein?”
“No, I’m not, Oswin-” Veles tried to say, but the buck shushed him.
“I know Ein, you died because you tried to fight alone. I…I failed you. So you turned to Charlon for help.” Oswin turned back from Veles to Charlon, eyes glinting with anger despite his tiredness. “I challenge you. Winner takes Ein.”
Charlonlooked taken aback at first, but then his gaze hardened.
“I accept.” Charlon said.
Around them, the Rangers and Charlon’s party moved out of the way, clearing space for the two fighters. The air was tense with anticipation.
The two fighters made their way to the middle of the cleared space and stared off at eachother.
The intense yellow of Charlon’s eyes glared at Oswin’s as the pit wolf grinned at the growling stag. Oswin, a skilled ranger with years of training in hand-to-hand combat, was known for his swift strikes and strategic fighting style. Charlon, a fierce barbarian rogue, relied on his brute strength and agility to overpower his opponents. It was anyone’s game and it would likely be lost within the first few moves.
The pit wolf stayed his ground as Oswin growled out, “Come on, you’re going to just stand there?”
Charlon leaned back, his muscles aching but his grin wide. "I don't need to be the first one to throw the hit," he said, his voice low and confident. He knew he had the upper hand, his body pulsing with raw energy.
The two men circled each other, their eyes locked in a fierce battle of wills. Charlon could see the strength in Oswin's massive frame, but he also knew that his own power could crush the stag if he got in a good hit.
As Oswin charged forward, Charlon moved like lightning, dodging the antlers and delivering a powerful punch to his opponent's stomach. The force of the blow made Charlon grunt, but it was enough to weaken Oswin's defenses.
The two combatants traded blows, each landing solid hits on the other. Oswin's agility gave him an advantage, but Charlon's brute strength kept him in the game. As the battle raged on, both men showed signs of exhaustion, but neither was willing to back down.
Finally, Charlon saw his opening and seized it, countering Oswin's feint with a devastating right hook. Oswin stumbled back, dazed but still standing. He launched one final attack, but Charlon grabbed his antlers and slammed him to the ground with a fierce thud.
As Oswin lay gasping for air, Charlon held him down with one arm and demanded his surrender. "Yield?" he asked, his voice rough with exertion.
Oswin struggled to catch his breath, but he knew he was defeated. "I yield," he gasped, his eyes fixed on Charlon's triumphant grin.
“Good! Now for the winning ritual.” Charlon growled out, unbuckling his pants.
Oswin saw the musky leather hit the ground. The strong arms holding his antlers like handlebars lifted him to face a big red rocket already hard and smelling of strong, masculine musk. It dripped with precum and seemed to throb with anticipation.
“Suck it.” Charlon demanded.
The buck didn’t want to, trying to struggle.
Oswin was a leader! He was a dominant top. But the scent of the beast in front of him wafted into his nose and assaulted his brain. He panted and struggled, but the pit-wolf’s grip on his antlers tightened and forced his muzzle closer and closer.
The hot rod entered his mouth as his mind muddled out.
Charlon starting to piston into Oswin’s mouth.
At first, Oswin choked and gagged on the massive meat that stretched his jaw wide.
“Mmmrrf! Mrf!” Oswin tried to scream out over the huge cock.
“Shh, relax and take your dicking like a buck.” Charlon grinned. “Savor it.”
Oswin growled over the luscious, juicy dick but could do nothing as it slammed against the back of his throat. All he did was gag, precum trickling from his nostrils. The world started to go black around the edges of his vision as he suffocated.
“Fuck, you suck good.” Charlon groaned as he facefucked the buck, slamming his whole length into him.
The other Rangers were getting hard looking at their leader getting humiliated, but anger was brewing in them.
“Hey, you won, let him go already!” Oswin heard Camden shouted out.
“I dominate whoever I defeat, that’s how I do things,” Charlon replied without a break as he thrust into the buck. “Always been.”
Charlon’s cock bucked just before it erupted, spurts of virile cum filling the buck’s mouth. The pitwolf shoved Oswin’s muzzle further as his dick spasmed. Oswin felt oddly weaker as the pitwolf’s cum poured down his throat. All he could do was swallow the stinky spunk.
Unnoticed by anyone, Oswin's muscles shrunk by a small margin as Charlon flexed his arms holding the antlers, his muscles staying flexed and slightly bigger.The big wolfdog had a blissed and aggressive expression on his face as he pressed deep into the stag.