Commission: Roguish Charms Part 2
#56 of Commission Works
Here it is, the promised second part of the commission for kaleemmcintyre, and I even got through it in less than a year! ...That's probably not actually something to celebrate. Fair warning, this gets significantly more violent than most of my fare. Even in justly deserved revenge, it might be a little rough if you're averse to graphic descriptions of death.
OBLIGATORY CONTENT WARNING: This story contains sexual acts between three males, incest, double-penetration, and graphic brutality.
"Are you mental, Draz? Is there seriously something wrong with you?"
"Brother, really, you must learn how to live life a little. A spot of fun with a Bunnelby streetwalker would do you some good, you should really try it sometime."
"Your fornication habits are a matter of your own, as I have told you many times before. But it's one thing to bring a whore home, and quite another to LEAVE HIM ALONE WITH ROJIANI! What were you thinking? Do you have any idea what could have happened?!"
"Nothing DID happen. And I was rather disappointed, I was hoping he would at least give the pup a tumble. Really, one needs to work harder for that extra coin."
Galan's clawed hand smacked his head. "Fuck's sake, Draz! Have you forgotten that the boy is the subject of a violent manhunt by a mad king? We have to be CAREFUL! We can't let people in that we don't trust, who might discover who he is! I can't stop you from bringing in harlots but you have to watch them at every moment, and certainly not let them alone with him!"
"Really, Galan, you're getting overworked about this." Draz's voice took on a tone of clear asperity. "One, Porcepros hasn't done any searching in this area, and has no reason to. Two, I don't see how it's any less safe than him going out and running errands for us."
"I don't know, all the blue diamonds maybe? You know they're all over his room, that would be much more of a giveaway than just seeing a Riolu on the street with no sign of anything unusual!"
The heated discussion between the two Lycanrocs continued, neither one aware that the subject of their contention was overhearing them and trying not to feel terrible and nervous over their anger. Rojiani, the Riolu they had rescued from captivity, had become a part of their little family over the months - to him, the only family he know, thanks to the mind wipe that had been inflicted on him by Porcepros. And he never liked to see either of them unhappy, much less both of them, much less at each other.
He retreated to his room, taking deep breaths and trying to keep from shedding any tears. The source of all his woes...there were days where he wished he could just gouge his eyes out, that way he wouldn't have any more tears to shed. It was because of those diamond tears that he had lost everything, had been kept as a slave, and even now had to be so extremely careful about where he went, who he talked to...and he knew it was a burden on Galan and Draz, even if they refused to say it was. Why wouldn't it be hard on them? They already had a ton of secrets of their own, secrets that put them in constant danger already. And here he was adding to that...
The worst part was there wasn't really anything he could do about it. As long as he was what he was, he was a danger to anyone around him. But he didn't know how to survive on his own, so he couldn't run away. Much as he hated being a cause of stress for Galan and Draz, he needed them totally and completely...they were trying to teach him some skills to help him, and he was eager to learn so that he could be of some use to them and repay them for all they'd done. But it didn't feel like enough, not yet, and he didn't know what he could do to really make things better.
What I really want, what would really help them more than anything, is if they didn't have to worry about me being captured again. But I don't know if that will ever happen...I wish it would. I don't want to spend all my life being scared of it happening all over again...if only I knew how to make myself safe again...
Safe he might not have been, but he couldn't sit inside the entire time. Roji was given a few tasks to do by Galan and Draz - nothing complicated or strenuous, and nothing that required a lot of exposure, but which did get him outside and into town. Vereil was a large town, easy to go unnoticed if one wasn't trying not to be, and it worked well for Roji - so long as he didn't tear up, he was seen as pretty much another normal Riolu. Which he had longed to be anyway, so it was some comfort beyond just being useful.
Today it was another very basic errand, picking up a couple foodstuffs from the local grocer. Who happened to be a friend of the Lycanrocs and part of their 'network'; it turned out that the two weren't as isolated as he originally thought they were. The two thieves spread a lot of their takes around to certain places around Vereil, which allowed them to offer their goods and services at a clandestine discount for those who were of lesser means. The nobility seemed none the wiser, perhaps because they were very good about keeping the whole thing a secret...a very good thing considering that it was that very nobility that this was meant to be a silent stand against. The Rocs were the ones labeled thieves, but with the way the rich demanded more and more, they were the ones who seemed more appropriately labeled that way.
Roji had been one of their victims. Porcepros had stolen quite a lot from him. He tried to avoid thinking about the Grumpig as much as possible, because doing so gave rise to an unfamiliar and frightening feeling within him. Anger...he had thought he had lost his ability to be angry during his captivity, that it had been stolen from him as well. But apparently not...and he wasn't sure he wanted to express that anger, even as he felt it start to return to him. He'd seen what some people did in anger before...sexual dalliances weren't the only things he'd witnessed from that cage.
That, too, he didn't want to think about.
He reached the grocer, a gruff-looking but friendly Chesnaught who smiled at him through his bushy beard. "All for you today, Roji?"
"Yes, sir."
"Heh, you're never gonna call me Phineas like I tell you to, are you?"
"Ah..." Roji flushed a bit. He wasn't used to people being friendly and welcoming yet...honorifics were just what he naturally defaulted to.
"It's fine, perhaps you'll get there one day." Phineas's expression dropped as he looked around a bit - the building seemed empty, which was enough for him to go ahead and lean in. "Listen...I need you to send a warning to the brothers."
"A...what?"
"The one didn't get away as cleanly from the Delphinium heist as they thought. There were some out-of-town soldiers in here...they were talking about a bounty for his capture. He needs to lie low for a bit, make sure he doesn't draw any attention. I don't know how many are here, but I wouldn't want them to see me."
Roji's eyes widened, stricken. The Lycanrocs were good, but they had always said that this sort of thing carried a huge risk with it...he couldn't let them be in danger. "I...I'll let them know."
"Thank you. You're a good pup, stay safe out there." Phineas ushered him off, looking no less unnerved...if he was worried, then Roji knew it had to be serious.
He did his best not to let it show - fear could bring tears, and tears would bring attention, and attention was bad. But it was hard not to think about unpleasant things as he walked back towards his home with them...what happened if they got caught? He couldn't survive on his own...who could he trust? Maybe some of the people in the network, but he didn't know all of them...would one of them see him and get greed in his mind? Or would he be captured as well, and delivered to the hands of another arrogant noble who would see him as an object of wealth?
"Ill fates are often the result of a lack of courage." He nearly yipped as he hear a voice from his right, breaking in through his thoughts. He stepped away defensively, but the cloaked figure wasn't pursuing him - he was leaning against the wall, almost casually, semi-bathed in the shade. His clothing was non-descript but looked as if it was concealing more than it outwardly appeared. But he saw, clearly enough as if it was being deliberately shown to him, the back of the fingerless glove with a distinctive crest patched onto it.
Hydragil.
The famed, feared coven of assassins. Draz and Galan had warned him about them - they were ruthless and brutal when one had a target. Very little was known about them, because they operated in such secrecy and loose organization that they couldn't be pinned down. What was known was that they were VERY good at what they did, and they picked their targets VERY selectively. Nobles feared them far more than the thefts, which was both a blessing and a curse for the Lycanrocs - it kept them from getting as much attention, but the security in place to keep out assassins was also an impediment for them.
The assassin looked at him out from under the hood; Roji could see enough to see that it was a Zoroark. "Fear is a killer. You die when you freeze at danger. Those who survive...act."
"Who..."
"Names are a weakness. Call me Z. It is meaningless to anyone but you."
Roji didn't react - he didn't understand.
"I can sense the turmoil in your heart. You have a deep fear. It overwhelms you. You don't know what to do. Allow me to provide clarity...when you are faced with a terror that grips you, the only correct course of action...is to snuff it out." He clapped a hand into a fist for emphasis. "It cannot torment you if it does not exist."
"You...what? That's..."
"You know precisely what I mean. Your mind rejects it, as the normal mind does. But don't forget it. Your normal mind cowers...the part of you that has the instinct of our ancestors knows what to do."
Suddenly Roji felt very scared. It sounded like this man was encouraging him to...kill. What if he said no? What would he do? He backed away and then scurried off, heart pounding in the fear and exertion...he still hadn't built back up good stamina from his time in captivity, but when he looked back, no one was behind him. Shakily, he took up a more normal pace, trying to rein in his fear and terror. He needed to keep the tears from coming, no matter what brought them...and hope that he wouldn't have to think about that Z or anything he said...
"Bounty? Pshaw. We probably both have a score of bounties on our heads, it's not that big a deal."
"No, we WOULD have a score of bounties on our heads if we were noticed. They usually are seeking information on our identities. If we have a bounty, that means they KNOW our identity."
Roji wouldn't have considered himself smart or worldly, not in the slightest. But by this point, he really did more or less expect the reactions he saw. Draz was dismissive, Galan was far more serious. And he was tense, wondering which personality would come out on top this time. He never liked these clashes...
"Brother, really, you're going to worry yourself into a complex," Draz remarked. "We've evaded bounties before, you can't claim otherwise. What makes this any different?"
"Because they're HERE, Draz. They're not just here for the hell of it. Whatever bounties we escaped before were localized to the area of the crime, they never came hunting for us in our hometown."
"...Mmph. I don't like having to concede that..."
"You're going to have to. And that means we have to take extra precautions. Which means you stay in."
"Brother-"
"NO." Galan scowled in a way Roji had only seen once before - when he was declaring a death sentence on Porcepros. Even Draz shied away from it. "This is not a matter of debate this time. There are too many people who would be devastated if something happened to you. Not least of which would be myself and Roji."
The Sunroc let out a dismal sigh. "You may be right...but that doesn't change that this is going to be a sucky time."
"Rotting in prison would suck more."
"Damnable truths. What about you?"
"I wasn't on that outing, so hopefully they won't be able to divine anything about the connection between us. All the same, I'll be keeping as low a profile as I reasonably can. As will you, Roji. I don't want to run any risks with you...even if they don't know anything about you, they might see you as someone to take their frustrations out on. I want you to stay in as well."
Roji nodded. It wasn't his idea of a good time, either, but he was more used to it, at least. And with trouble wandering around, it wasn't necessarily a bad idea...especially because he didn't know if that Z was still looking around for him. Yes, inside sounded good for a while...
Well, to him, anyway. But Draz was doing everything in his power to make it intolerable.
"I'm so borrrrrrred. When are these jerks going to leave us alone?" The Sunroc was almost never this whiny, but clearly he had no resistance to cabin fever. "I wanna go outside already, bathe in the sun, breathe in the air, find a nice toy to play with..."
"I thought I was helping you with that."
"You're not a toy, Roji, you're a fulfilling and satisfying experience that I gorge myself on. I don't want you ever thinking it's the same thing...you mean a great deal to myself and Galan. The streetwalkers are merely release, quick and relieving rather than full and intense."
Roji wasn't entirely sure he understood the difference, but maybe that was due to his inexperience. Draz had a great deal of carnal knowledge, easily eclipsing Galan...the Moonroc would occasionally indulge, but not with the frequency that Draz did. The exception was with Roji, with whom the brothers took fairly equal attention...almost as much by Roji's will as their own. The Riolu didn't want to favor one over the other, they both took care of him and he wanted to show his appreciation in kind.
He might have a touch of making up to do with Galan, but it was certainly going to have to wait - he was off doing the normal errands that Roji would do. None of them knew whether the hunters were still around - they hadn't actually seen anyone that had clearly been out of place, though Roji and Draz weren't able to see that much through the windows besides their own area. But they were playing it safe for a little while longer.
"I wish I knew where I had been spotted," Draz continued, not responding at all to Roji's silence. "I was as careful as ever, and I never saw a single guard. Not to mention it was pitch black out at night. Hmph, I never like when I can't see my mistakes, how can I correct them if I don't know what they are? And really, why is Delphinium so overwrought anyway, the amount I managed to nick was barely a pittance to her."
"...I guess more is never enough. Porcepros seemed that way...he wanted every blue diamond I could produce."
"Sadly, you know too much of that way of the world. Too many of the rich have no end to their desire for largesse. There are some who are different, but they are few and far between. It is a sickness, no different from the toxin hounds that seem to have no purpose in life but to degrade their bodies for some illusory pleasure. The moment you have some, you can never be content unless you have more and more and more, until there is no one in the whole world who has anything other than you. We can do little about that pestilence, except to reduce the burden on those who suffer for the greed of another."? Roji had heard the two talking about something like this before, but they usually weren't talking to him about it. Draz must have been REALLY bored. "But they always come after you for it."
"Well, they don't WANT to be liberated of their unearned riches. And the law has decided that it is a greater sin to steal a thousand coins from one who has a million of them than one coin from one who has ten. The idea of burden means nothing to them...their farcical notion of 'equal treatment' is no more reality than the mad hallucinations induced by Psychics."
The Riolu wasn't sure how to respond to that...but it seemed that he wouldn't have to, as he saw movement through the window. "Galan's coming back."
"Praise the sun. Now I can badger him." Draz moved to the window as well. "He seems to have a healthy bounty with him, perhaps some good food will soothe my mood...uh?"
Roji saw it just as soon as Draz did. Without warning, two guards appeared, a Rhydon and Aggorn, flanking Galan and walling him off. The Moonroc seemed guarded, engaging the two in conversation, looking defensive...they couldn't hear what was being said from there, but it didn't look pleasant. Suddenly, one of the guards punched Galan in the stomach, making him stagger and drop the bag. The other socked him in the jaw, sending him down to the ground; he wasn't completely knocked out, but he wasn't able to put up much fight as the two guards grabbed him and started dragging him away.
"Brother!" Draz was scrambling for the door. Roji barely managed to grab him.
"Wait! If they're after you, then they'll do the same thing to you!"
"I can't let them take him!"
"They're huge! You can't stand up to them all on your own!"
"Grrr...dammit." Draz slumped. It was true, there was no way he was going to overpower them...he would have to prepare some tricks. "You're right...but I have ways. I'll have to make sure I can get him free. Let me go, I have to prepare."
"But can I-"
"NO. This is far too dangerous for someone who has no experience. It's far too dangerous for ME, but I will do anything to bring Galan home safely. But I will not throw an unprepared pup in the line of fire." He pulled himself from Roji's grip and closed the door behind him, leaving no argument for the Riolu. Not that Roji could have comp up with much of one...he was an unprepared pup, there wasn't really much he could think of that he could do. And that meant he would only be a burden...but as he lay down on his bed, he couldn't keep the diamond tears from flowing this time. Everything was falling apart...what could he do?
Galan was a mess as he was tossed unceremoniously into a dimly-lit room. He wasn't entirely sure where he was, he'd been half-conscious when he'd been brought into some sort of room, where he'd been forced to lay in constant pain until someone grabbed him and dragged him into this other room. His arms were securely bound behind his back - Tethervine bonds, a nightmare for the kin of Diancie. He was in deep trouble, and he knew it, but there was little he could do about it.
"Well, well, well...so we have a worthless rogue in our midst." The haughty voice was unfamiliar, but Galan already knew it had to be a decadent dandy. No one else grated against him like that. Unfortunately that corner was shrouded in a bizarre, unnatural darkness...they were trying to hide themselves, for whatever reason.
He rose to his knees, panting hard, wincing at the pain in his gut and jaw. "Less worthless...than a lazy noble."
"That is where you are of course wrong. I'm worth more than you ever could be in your entire miserable life. Thieves like you sniff riches and want a taste, but you will never be worth what one who can WALLOW in wealth will be. And your ill-gotten gains will scarcely be a source of satisfaction for your empty lives."
"I've done nothing wrong."
"You've done the worst kind of wrong...you've befouled the air of one who deserves better."
"I didn't steal anything from you. And I don't know what your deal is with Delphinium, but you can't just have your thugs going after random citizens on the street. You'll be in big trouble for this."
"Hmhmhmhm...why should I care anything about this Delphinium? No, I'm here because of what you stole from ME. And I WILL be taking it back." The figure stepped out of the shadows, and Galan's blood ran cold. This had nothing to do with the bounty at all.
It was Porcepros.
Stealth was everything. Draz knew he couldn't risk being caught as well, but he also had to move quickly, because who knew what they were planning to do to Galan? The only option was to put his stealth tricks to the ultimate test. The conditions were about as far from ideal as possible - he was in the city, where hiding places were limited and open areas were too common, and while the sun was on its way to setting, it was still providing ample daylight. But sometimes you didn't get to choose the conditions you had to deal with. And for Galan, he would go through anything.
It seemed like most things were stacked against him. The conditions were bad enough, but he didn't know who he was going to have to deal with - he'd very deliberately avoided getting too close to Delphinium's guards for obvious reasons - and he didn't know where they were taking Galan or what they were intending to do with him. He'd never even been there...maybe the guards simply were looking for a Lycanroc and had made a crucial mistake. Or maybe they had learned about the relationship somehow...that was a worse prospect, he knew Galan wouldn't give him up but that would put him in a lot more danger.
But there was one thing he had going in his favor. His eyes had latched onto a nondescript path of scattered pebbles...to most they would have been completely inconsequential, but his eyes were blessed with the grace of Diancie and he could see the offerings of another gifted for what they were. Galan must have been giving him a path to follow, and that would give him a chance...one little ray of hope, he could find where they had taken his brother and plot out his next course of action to free him. It did leave him a bit more exposed, he couldn't just hide away to follow it, but the benefit more than made up for that hitch.
He kept tracking it through the city, towards a storehouse area near the district where the nobility congregated. It was a location familiar to Draz, who had lifted more than his share of goods from the denizens there, and he supposed it wasn't especially surprising that Delphinium would set herself up around here. It would be a lot harder going incognito amongst the laity, and some of the nobles might even sympathize with her and give her a place to set up; they tended to like to unite against their common enemy of good and decent folk who didn't have money.
Darkness was starting to take its place more emphatically as Draz ducked into an alleyway. The trail had ended, but Galan had to be around here somewhere, he was sure of it. Now was a good time to take in slowly and try to listen; a shrill voice like Delphinium's would stand out, the Vileplume had grated on his ears before. All he had to do was sneak around, put an ear against the wall, and try to hear it.
On the third building, he heard something. But it wasn't what he wanted to hear...or where. Instead of being that characteristic high-pitched voice from inside the building, it was a scratchy, grating one from right behind him.
"Heh...all it takes to bring an ant to a trap is a little bit of sugar."
Sometimes, fleeting moments were enough for something. In the few moments Draz had to register the imposing presence of the Aggron behind him, he had enough wherewithal to curse himself out for being so focused on finding Galan that he had neglected to be properly aware of his surroundings. And then he had a moment to come to the horrid, sinking realization that it had NOT been Galan laying the trail, and berating himself for failing to realize that there were others blessed with the gift of Diancie in that capturing party. And he had just enough time for another invective to escape his mouth as his attempt to pull away was stopped by the fact that the Aggron's heavy foot was firmly planted on his cloak. All of this came quickly, and fortunate that it did as the impact on his head rather cut off any further time for thought for the nonce.
Roji's heart was racing. Terror hadn't gripped him so tightly since his days of imprisonment. And he knew exactly why, even if he couldn't truly know - his heart knew, and that's why it was so wound up.
They're in trouble. They're hurt. They're trapped. Something bad has happened to them...
Anyone who would have been around to ask wouldn't have been able to get a reason out of him that he was so certain of it. All he knew was that he WAS certain. And he was alone, weak, and horribly scared, and didn't know what to do.
But he couldn't stay there. He had to find someone...ANYONE who could help him. Maybe Phineas. Maybe one of the other points of contact the brothers had. He didn't know if they could do anything to save Galan and Draz from whatever danger they faced, but they could keep him safer than just sitting here alone...
His terror took another turn as he heard voices outside the door, just as he was about to leave. Deep voices, unpleasant ones...ones he knew he couldn't trust, ones that would turn his life back into a nightmare. Frantically, he searched around, and then dashed for the back window. Hurrying it open, he scrambled out, landing hard out behind the house, then leaping up to shut it again. He scampered away just as he heard the sound of a door breaking down...with any luck they wouldn't realize he had been there. With worse luck, they would be waiting for him if and when he came back...
The evening was dim, barely any light left to see by, and there was a cold gale whistling past him, in chilling foreboding. No one was walking the streets, it felt almost like the town had been abandoned. He wondered if whoever was after the brothers had gotten to them, too...he felt all alone in the world, and every step he took brought him a tinier bit closer to panic.
Footsteps. Behind him. He dove into an alley, hoping that whoever it was wasn't someone who would care about him. Crouching down, he huddled against the wall, trying to remain invisible in the darkness. But the icy grip of terror closed in on him...no, he felt it, whoever that was was zeroed in on HIM, and he could swear he could FEEL the evil pulsing off of him. He jerked up, ready to run, but a large arm barred his way, and he snapped back against the wall. His eyes went wider as he was caught in the twisted gaze of a triumphant Rampardos.
"Looks like it's the luckiest day of my life...and the unluckiest day of yours."
Panic had seized Roji, frozen him in senseless terror. Gelb. He knew Gelb. Gelb was one of HIS dogs. And the worst of all that he had seen. He was the most violent of the guards who had used Roji's prison room for his own devices. Beatings, rapes, even slaughtering a couple of prisoners right before the Riolu's eyes. The scent of blood entered his nose unwillingly at the memories...and as bad as that was, it heralded worse. HE was here. HE was the one doing all this. And HE must have been the one who now held his saviors...intent on making them suffer for freeing Roji from him.
"The king has been pining for you, thing." Thing...Gelb loved to call him that. He wasn't a person, he was a thing to the Rampardos, below even an animal. "Someone stole you away from him. He wants you back. And he promised whoever found you would be rewarded beyond their wildest dreams." That sadistic grin widened as he leered down at the trembling Riolu. "He'll put me in charge of the dungeons...oh, it'll be so much fun, no one will EVER leave. The only shame is that I can't punish YOU, thing, for daring to let yourself be stolen from him...hrm, or maybe I can..."
Roji was almost trying to merge with the wall; no other path of escape seemed possible. Gelb could do anything he wanted to him, right here and now, so long as he left Roji alive and able to produce the tears that that damned king lusted for so badly...he knew all sorts of tricks Gelb had for making people suffer. He wanted to try to run, try to do something, but his shaky legs refused to cooperate.
"Heh heh heh...tiny little thing, you know...I've always wondered what it'd be like to fuck you...to tie you up, stretch your legs apart and savage that little thing-twat of yours. I wonder, how many tears could I get out of you before I was done? Maybe if I show how much I can make you produce, Porcepros will let me do it all the time. I think it's about time I do a little TEST of that..." The Rampardos grabbed the Riolu's cloak and jerked him up against the wall, pinning him and stepping in closer, his other hand reaching for Roji's trousers. "Your screams will be the most delicious thing I've ever heard..."
As that hand reached his garment, something broke. Roji's unbridled terror snapped into something fiercer, the desperate lash of the trapped animal raging through him, and in a split-second choice he followed it. A screeched "NO!" rang through the air as his hand whipped out, a brilliant silver sheen enveloping it in his act. Claws he barely even knew he had sliced through the air, until meeting something more solid...but even that solid barely slowed them, tearing through that rocky flesh like a dagger through a fern. Gleb's eyes went wide in shock as the vital blades tore through his throat; he dropped the Riolu and staggered back, choking on blood and gagging and hacking as his hands met his mortally brutalized throat. In seconds he collapsed, writhing in the ground in nothing more than mindless shock, his movements gradually slowing until they ceased entirely, his ones sharp and intense eyes taking on the glass of death.
Roji was frozen stock-still, unable to look away as the consequences of his desperate action took their course. As Gelb ceased, he felt a whirling, a spinning in his head...he fell to his knees, hacking, heaving, horribly nauseous, the scent of blood and stone and metal mingling in his nose. He mind caught up in the current, the magnitude of what he'd done, what he was capable of, a screeching mandragora cascading through his brain, he wanted to scream but had no breath, any bit of air went right back out as he teetered on the edge...
...And then...everything righted itself again. The pounding in his head faded away, the nausea and dry heaves receded. His ears no longer rang, the chaos faded into stillness. He heard nothing, felt nothing but the quiet, cold wind as it slipped into the alley around him.
Gelb was dead. And the world went on.
Slowly, Roji stood up. Somehow, he was calmer than he had been before. Surely, they couldn't blame him for defending himself...right? That person, that monstrous Rampardos, had been intending to harm him, rape him, take him back to a torturous imprisonment. He had tortured and killed others before, and would certainly have done so again. He had...he had done the right thing, by stopping him. It was defending himself...but it was also right. His heart grew just a bit steadier, the guilt fading away just as the light in the thug's eyes had. One monster was gone...he would have no more victims.
"Good show, pup." Roji yelped and twisted around. Somehow, someone was BEHIND him in the alley. And there was no mistaking that figure. Z.
"Death claims all of us in the end...but some should perhaps be deprived of such a lovely privilege sooner rather than later. Those who would use their lives for evil...when one abuses a privilege, normally it is taken from them. Of course, this one...is far harder to get back." He stepped past Roji, kneeling near the body of Gelb. "You remembered what I said...it saved you from a dismal fate."
"Ah..."
"Hmhm. Yes, that wasn't enough, was it? You have a weight on your heart...even as you free yourself, you can only think of another. One who you fear is in a worse position than you are." Standing again, Z turned towards Roji, stepping up towards him. "And you are at a loss what to do...except, are you truly? Or do you refuse to see the answer in front of your eyes?"
Roji wasn't sure what he meant. What could he do? He was a pup...a pup who had just savaged someone in the heat of the moment. With nothing but his own power. A power he had within him...he hadn't even realized it. No...no, he was right, it was clear what he could do. Porcepros...he had taken so much from Roji, taken even his former self, the life that he had once lived. The anger welled up in him again...but this time, he didn't fight it. He embraced it. The Grumpig...he was no better than Gelb. No, if anything, he was worse. Why shouldn't he suffer the same fate? And why should good people like Galan and Draz have to suffer at his hand?
"That's right...feel that heat within you. It's dangerous...but all great power is." Z was up close to him, hand on his shoulder, and before Roji knew it a knife had been pushed into his hand. As his hand closed around it, he could feel a pulsing power within it...the obsidian blade and hilt were thick with darkness.
"You know what to do. And you know what you can do...but there is more potential yet in you. Your bond with others...that is a natural force of strength within your kind. You seek to rescue someone, do you not?"
"...Yes. I want to save the two who mean the most to me." It was almost stunning how resolute he sounded to himself...it barely sounded like him. But he couldn't say he didn't like it...it felt right. It WAS what he wanted. More than anything else. And those who stood in his way...they would feel his anger and tremble.
"Good...now, allow me to give you one final gift. Close your eyes, concentrate on them, feel them within your heart and your soul...feel their power and their hope welling up inside you..."
Roji complied. His focus was entirely on Galan and Draz...the two who had saved him, delivered him from the evil he had slaved under. The two who had helped him relearn how to live, how to be someone. The two who had shared themselves with him. Who had saved him from a morass of misery and given him the first happiness his mind could ever recall...every bit of it pulsed harder and harder within him, he didn't even notice the slight sting in his nose as he inhaled the powder Z blew in his face. But only seconds after that started, the power suddenly grew, suddenly RAGED...the thoughts and the desires and the determination and the anger swirling together and ballooning until erupting into a ferocious geyser that made his mind go white.
"You made me go through a great deal of work to find you...far more work than I should have to go through. No one seemed to have any idea what had happened to my precious Blue Diamond. I had to pry very invasively into the minds of my guards to catch tiny fragments of your images, and then try to determine who you were and where you were hiding out. Months of time and effort which I could have used to grow my collection, months of time lost gaining precious jewels from my treasure. You, in your worthless and feeble life, could never hope to make up for the fortune that could have been."
"You foul swine." Galan spoke through clenched jaw, and it wasn't all because of the pain this time. "You erased a boy's entire life and identity and used him like a tool. You destroyed a person's life for selfish ends!"
Porcepros waved a dismissive hand. "The notion of personhood is given far too charitably. So many wretches in this world are unworthy of that status. He is good for one thing, and that is making me the most enviable royal in the entire world, the only source of the rarest of treasures, the blue diamonds his eyes create. He IS a tool, and he should be glad for it...it's not as if his life would be of proper worth to anyone else. Personhood should be for those worthy of the title, such as myself."
"YOU? You think you're more of a person that he is? A despicable creature who thought nothing of erasing the mind of a conscious, thinking creature? That's a crime that even the gods said was punishable by death!"
"Hah! The gods? You think they scowl upon me? Look at my wealth, my fame, my power! These are the very proof that the gods deemed me worthy of my greatness! I am one of their most favored, I can do whatever I wish and have their blessing to do so! Those rules are only for the unworthy, the lesser, for whom no such favor is granted or justified. You who wallow in the scraps of this world, who are little more than animals compared to my lordship...I need not concern myself with such trivialities as your rules."
Galan growled viciously. "No wonder your kingdom is such a shambles. People starving in the streets, scant food even in the larders of those that try to serve them, hardly any coin to be found in anyone's pocket, even the thieves give up trying to steal from them. The most hopeless and disheveled kingdom I've ever seen."
"You simply cannot see the beauty. Why care about them? They are nothing. The worth of my kingdom is in my glorious jewels. I would cast them all to the pits of hell for a few more gems, they haven't nearly the value. Have you ever tried to sell one of those lowly creatures? I could scarcely buy colored glass with the proceeds."
Galan almost felt like retching. Even your average asshole noble wasn't this level of depraved...damn the Tethervine, if not for its hold on him he could try to strike. Words were wasted on this one...but it was about to get worse. The door opened again, and hurled inside was Draz, bound in much the same way, also looking like he was just returning to consciousness. "Brother!"
"Oh-ho, perfect! I knew if we brought in one rat the other would surely try to follow!" The gloating tone in the Grumpig's voice was sickening. "Now I only need the prize...and you two will tell me where you stashed it."
"Mmph...that horrid voice...can it please stop?" mumbled Draz as he slowly rose to his own knees.
"Mind your tongue, wretch, or I'll pull it right out of your mouth."
Draz finally saw who was speaking, and his eyes darkened. "You...I suppose there's no mystery about why you're here. You're lucky I'm bound and my head is pounding like a smith's hammer on an anvil."
"Oh, please, like you could ever hope to even touch me," scoffed Porcepros. "My power is beyond anything you could ever hope for. You are of no consequence to me, except for your theft of my precious Blue Diamond. And for that, I must make sure you pay a suitable price, once I've extracted that information from you."
"We're not going to tell you where he is," Galan stated resolutely.
"You will. I can set your tongue wagging, one of you two. And once I have him back, I'll make sure he never wishes to go again...clearly it was a mistake to let him be able to think, so I'll simply remove that from him, make it so he is capable of nothing except following my commands. And you two, I think that would be a proper fate for yourselves as well...with your brains emptied of all independent thought, utterly subject to my every desire, perhaps I can make use of your skills to acquire some desirable pieces that others have refused to allow me. At least until someone finally does you in, but that is of no concern to me, if I get even one success then I will have profited from it."
It was a cold, brutal threat, and both Galan and Draz knew their hopes were scant. Even if someone knew where they were, would they dare defy a king, even one as mad as Porcepros? Their only hope was that Rojiani would remain hidden, that they would hold out until the king tired of playing with them and then have some time to cook up a possible way out...but the odds were so long...
"Now then...let us get down to business. I'm going to ask you nicely...where is my Blue Diamond?"
"Go to hell," the brothers snarled in tandem.
"Ah, brotherly bonds. Such a distasteful thing, completely bereft of monetary value...but very exploitable. Let's see how long you keep quiet when witnessing the agony of your kin!" Porcepros's eyes glowed, and suddenly Galan was wracked with a violent, intense pain, burning all throughout his body. Draz jerked back, stricken as he watched Galan suffer an untold agony...there was no wound, but he knew, the mind of a Psychic could touch every nerve, elicit the worst pain imaginable. He wanted to look away, but of course Porcepros was making him see it all, keeping his head facing Galan and his eyes open. It pained him, so severely, to be watching helplessly...but he couldn't betray Roji. He had to try to hold out, to keep that wracked cry from twisting his heart...
It felt like an eternity before Galan was released from the pain. He slumped forward, almost keeling over, panting hard, the reverberation of agony searing every muscle, every organ, it felt like even every hair on his body. Ragged breaths in and out, that was all the more he was capable of and even that felt like an enormous effort.
"The shame of it is, pain applied for too long at once dulls the response...I have to pause to ensure that it doesn't become even the slightest bit tolerable." Porcepros's voice didn't sound disappointed at all, though, and both brothers's stomachs dropped as they divined his intentions even before he stated them. "However, I have TWO toys to play with..."
Galan shut his eyes hard as the sadistic Grumpig turned on Draz, hitting him with the exact same ferocious pain. The Sunroc's cries were weaker, perhaps because of the wounds he'd taken more recently, but no less agonized. Galan had to clench his jaw, try to fight the tears...it was awful, horrible, he was failing to protect the person that meant the most to him, but he had to do it, had to hold out for Roji...if they gave him up, all was lost for all of them. It was Porcerpos's only miscalculation so far, revealing his hand that all their fates lay together...but the more they were tortured, the more likely it would be that their minds would allow an opening.
Back and forth the horrible treatment went. A half dozen times Galan was stricken, a half dozen more on Draz. They fought both the induced pain and the sympathetic pain, trying to keep from yielding to the mad king, trying to keep from failing themselves, each other, and their precious charge. But it was getting harder every time, their bodies not recovering as quickly, their stamina draining more and more with each assault. They had no idea how long Porcepros would keep this up, how much longer they had to endure...it was impossible to tell if they could.
"Let us see if you have loosened up any more." The absolute glee in Porcepros's voice made no illusion of how much he was enjoying what he was doing. "If you wish to avoid your fate, give me your answer! Where is my Blue Diamond?"
Nary a peep from either Lycanroc. Vocal defiance was beyond them, but quiet resistance was still available. For the first time, the pig looked outright unhappy. "Hmph. Well, perhaps this wasn't enough...let's see how it is when you can't breathe, either!"
Galan seized up again as the pain hit once more...except this time, no sound came out, his airway sealed up like a vault. His brain was in emergency mode as the agony was compounded with the panic of his vanishing oxygen...this was a cruelty and a torture he knew he couldn't endure! He writhed in despair, eyes rolling back in his head...Draz watched on, even more horrified, was Porcepros going to go as far as to kill him? He couldn't give in, but Galan was looking like he was outright dying, it was so much, almost too much! Desperately, he wracked his brain for anything that would help him escape the nightmare, and found nothing...
Gods save us, please!
A violent crash rang through the room as the door was bashed in. Porcepros leapt back, breaking the psychic attack on Galan, who collapsed forward, barely conscious, heaving air into his tortured lungs. Draz had jerked back, rapping his head against the wall, and was seeing stars, but even in his swimming vision he could see what had happened. The door to the room was on the floor...laying underneath the motionless body of an Aggron, the same one that had played a role in capturing both of them. A hole had been blown open in his chest, blood still leaking out of the ruined cavity. And stepping on the body, slowly entering the room, was another terrifying sight: a Lucario, covered in blood, with eyes that burned in the same crimson hue, radiating an aura that drove absolute terror into his heart, and a gaze of the purest hatred directly fixed on Porcepros.
Said pig had quickly been reduced to a babbling child, only barely coherent. "What...what is this...no...no, this...this can't be...you...you are...you cannot be my Blue Diamond! Those ugly red eyes, they...no! I can't accept it!"??Draz could...not that there were many other options. The radiant pulses of aura coming from him, it was like they rang in his heart and soul, he could feel them soothing the pain and giving him new energy...but there was something very dark in there as well, something that was scary on the deepest possible level. Roji...it's him...by the gods, that anger, that hatred...thank everything it's not directed at me...
Every step Roji took took him closer to Porcepros, who was backed against the wall now, eyes wide in utter terror. "No! No! Stay away! You can't do this to me! I...I owned you, you're mine, you rightfully belong to me! I'll...I'll show you!" His eyes glowed again, trying to force a psychic pulse...Draz started, he could actually SEE the backlash as the sheer wall of emotion repelled the psychic force, Porcepros recoiling as his focus was savagely disrupted. He could also see Galan rising up, mesmerized by the sight of the Lucario on his march towards the blubbering king. Neither one could truly move...neither one felt like they safely could.
One powerful hand slammed into Porcepros, ramming him harder against the wall. In the other flashed a dark dagger, rising up above the Grumpig's head. Sheer terror gripped Porcepros, his voice quailing. "No! NO! I don't deserve to die! I'll pay anything! Everything! Every gem! It's all yours! Please, I have so much money, you could live like a king!"
Not even a word came from Roji as he plunged the dagger down into the Grumpig's head. It pierced right through the jewel, and as the blade sank in a violent explosion of psychic energy ripped into Procepros's brain. His gaze went blank as his mind was utterly obliterated, moments before his heart stopped cold. The lifeless form collapsed like a doll onto the ground, sliding off the dagger and leaving it dripping the red essence it had collected. The room was otherwise dead silent, completely still, as if time itself was at a loss at what had just been witnessed.
And then Roji swayed, and fell back, hitting the ground, the aura fading away as he was utterly spent and out like a light. Suddenly Galan and Draz found themselves the only ones alive and awake, and still not entirely sure what all had happened. They had been delivered from their promised horrible fate, but what had happened with Roji was not something they could understand, not until they were able to talk to him, to free him from that grip of fury...the keys to their bonds were quickly found on one of the bodies, and with nothing left restraining them, they each lifted Roji and walked him out, leaving behind the slain. The death of the mad king, his lust for his jewels the engine of his own demise, would create an enormous mess that would not be cleaned up any time soon...but they had a far more important focus.
Waking up didn't bring much relief to Roji. His body felt so tightly wound up that he might break in half...there was a mild ache over all of him just from how tense he was. He wasn't sure what it was that afflicted him so, but what it was was second to getting it out of him.
Just as he started to move, though, he felt a hand on him. "No no...let us take care of you." The Lucario blinked...he was back in his room. The house. Was it safe? What had happened? But it was the voice of Galan that slowly settled his heart - Galan wouldn't have taken him back here if it wasn't safe. That alone eased the tension a little bit, but not enough...
He gasped a bit as he felt a tongue lapping at his sheath. His eyes darted downwards, spotting the gray fur of Draz in front of him, pleasuring him...dimly he picked up on the cleanness of his body, before he'd passed out he had seen it covered in blood, they had taken care of him...how long had he been out? He squirmed a bit, all these questions were making him uncomfortable, but there was that hand on him, not forceful but stilling him just with its presence. "Just stay there and relax, Roji...we'll help you feel better."
The hand left his arm, but returned to his side, trailing down towards his rear end. A few seconds later, the Lucario gasped again as he felt another tongue, this one tantalizing his tailhole. Now his body was torn between pushing into one or the other, and settled the debate by not moving at all, letting the two Lycanrocs work their magic on their own. It felt good, he was achingly tense, just being able to stay there was relaxing...
Slowly he began to harden, his cock pushing out of its sheath, his first arousal in this new body...he felt his heart quicken, the experience was familiar in tone yet novel in its intensity, it seemed to hit harder than it had before his change. Despite this, though, he still felt himself getting less tight overall, the pleasure countering the animation and instead simply providing him relief, little by little.
As he got harder, Draz was taking action on it, his mouth moving from lapping over the Lucario's sheath and balls to slurping and engulfing that needy shaft. Bigger than he'd had to deal with in a while, but not beyond his ability by a long shot, and he lavished as much attention and love as he could over it. Every drip from that tip was a little bit closer to his goal, and he didn't let up for a second, his arms wrapping around Roji's thighs and holding himself close to the Lucario, stroking his fur in a gentle and comforting manner.
Galan was helping things along as well, his rough tongue delving into Roji's pucker, deeper and deeper to saturate him and pleasure him as much as he could manage. It took a bit of searching, but he found the Lucario's pleasure button deep within him and starting focusing his tongue's efforts on playing with that spot, making Roji moan out louder. That passage was clutching tight to his tongue, but with every lap he felt it get just the slightest bit looser. He hoped that the rest of Roji was experiencing that same slow relief, the gradual freedom from that tension that had gripped him endlessly since they had brought him back.
It was certainly working - Roji was feeling the ache recede as he slowly unwound. Not too much yet, but enough to relieve him of the discomfort, freeing him to start to properly enjoy the treatment. His cock finally pulsed a pent-up load of precum into Draz's mouth, making the SunRoc moan and slurp over him more, swallowing what he had to give and using his throat to massage Roji's tool as his tongue slunk along the underside of him. Behind him, he felt Galan's tongue move more freely, and welcomed the pleasure that the wet organ brought him, the soft pressure on his inner walls that warmed him and unraveled him.
When he moved again, it was more looser, much less distressed. He simply couldn't keep his hips still...his cock was throbbing, he needed to get this release, more than any other time he could remember. He was pushing into Draz a bit, letting the SunRoc's tongue dance out to caress part of his sheath and balls; he was clinging to the MoonRoc's tongue in his rear, but more deliberately and strategically, trying to maximize the contact and bliss it was bringing him. This was undoubtedly what he needed, the comfort of the brothers that had brought him so much, the knowledge that they were fine, that he had freed them, and that they were happy to have him back with them...above all else, that assurance was what he had been needing, and that was helping to salve the tightness that had built up in his body. The brothers he loved, and who loved him...
A soft cry escaped him as he released, pulsing his sweet cream into Draz's mouth, clutching to Galan's slurping tongue as it prodded his special spots to drive more out of him. Each shot felt much more freeing than anything else, like all the tension had gathered down there and was now being expelled, leaving him much looser and calmer. His arms moved more freely, clinging to the covers as his head arched back, spilling all his desire into that covetous maw which suckled down every drop and kept working his staff over as if angling to start him back up as soon as possible.
And then he felt it stop, his cock once again being exposed to open air, his rear being deprived of that glorious tongue. He mewled a bit in disappointment, wanting more, needing more...but he wasn't left wanting for long. He felt Galan lay behind him, arms holding to him protectively, his own thick shaft rubbing up against the Lucario's pert rear. And then Draz was in front of him, joining the embrace, his face in front of Roji, his eyes full of concern and warmth as Roji had ever seen, with his own shaft sliding underneath the younger canine, stroking his balls and taint and teasing his rear just as Galan's was. Slowly he realized what they were proposing to him wordlessly...and he knew he wanted it, even needed it, just as their actions suggested. With a quiet moan, he gave a slight nod, pleading with them to share their love with him together.
They moved around him, slowly working into position as their hands caressed and stroked his body, giving Roji as much comfort and sensuality as they could provide, Roji almost melting under their touch. He wished he could hold them both, but he settled for them both holding him, and taking them both within him when they were ready...they both had slid into the right spot, each tip nestled against his tailhole, intent on entering at the same time and sharing him between themselves. He let his breath go, trying to relax and make himself amenable to this...he had wanted it before, but the brothers had been too worried about hurting his smaller body...maybe now he was ready.
A quiet cry left his muzzle as he felt them push in, spreading him wide even at the very start, and wider still as they slowly worked inside. His newly reshaped body felt as tight as he had been the first time as a Riolu, but he wasn't in pain, it felt good to feel that stretch, a tension that was somehow relieving his other tensions so much more effectively. Their slightly rough shafts felt perfect against his walls, making him clutch onto them and try to push them in further. But they were in control here, and effectively set the slow, tender pace, and he soon relaxed into them and let them take it as they pleased.
Galan's hand rubbed over the Lucario's chest, his fingers kneading around that spiky protrusion on Roji's chest, getting a shiver out of the younger male. He was panting quite hard himself now, the passage would have been tight enough with just him but he had his brother's cock stroking against his as well...not the first time he'd felt that, but it was as desirable as ever, a perfect friction that nothing else could match. He kept a very steady motion in and out, getting slowly deeper and licking at Roji's neck and shoulder as he held the precious Lucario so close to him.??Draz, as was his nature, was going off of the slow and steady pace a bit, losing synchronicity with Galan as he maximized the pleasure to all three of them with his offbeat thrusting, not wild by any stretch but certainly gaining a little more vigor. His hands found the Lucario's glutes, fondling them and cupping them as he pushed against Roji, letting that freshly-revived tool rub against his coarse fur and leak onto him. That spike scratched lightly against him, but certainly wasn't a major obstacle, the contact actually felt pretty good as light as he kept it. He let Galan focus on the Lucario's neck and spent his attention licking at Roji's face, even inside his muzzle a little bit, enjoying the taste of Roji and the warmth of his tongue against his own.
This was about as close to heaven as Roji thought it was possible to get. The warm, comforting bodies of the two he cared most about around him, inside him, providing him with all the warmth and compassion he could possibly have asked for, making him feel so wonderfully good to his very core...it was bliss, pure and utter bliss, and he wished it could last forever. The heat within him, the stretch from those two Lycancocks brushing against his anal walls and spurting their hot warm precum inside to slide around and slicken him up, making him shudder at the sudden enticing sensation, he did all he could to provide them their own delight, tensing down and shifting around to make it better for them, return all the care they gave him to them as much as he was able. His own shaft was back at the tipping point, leaking and shooting preseed onto Draz, ready to express yet more relief and release...
But it only came properly when he felt the two brothers sync up again and start to thrust harder and faster. He could feel it, the thick bulges at the base, trying to gain entry at the same time. He clung to Draz, trying to push into them as they humped into him, relaxing as much as he was able to to grant their knots access to him, to take all of their love for him. And finally, as he felt his rear part to accept those thick knobs into his body, he cried out once more as his body expelled another load of pent-up seed, pasting Draz's fur with his lust and tension. As he emptied himself out, the two brothers sought to fill him right back up, their combined essence flowing into him, filling him with wet warmth and comfort from the inside out. They rubbed against each other, against him, trying to give up as much as they were able, to fill Roji completely and leave him wanting nothing more.
The Lucario was spent, panting hard, moaning in contentment as he felt that last bit of tension slip away from him, leaving him tranquil and relaxed in the arms of the brothers...his brothers. They remained in place on the bed, in a tight ball of embrace that kept them close and warm, allowing a quiet and peaceful sleep to claim them all.
At first, it seemed like the wind might be whistling through the branches of the dense woods, sweeping by with barely a hint that it was ever there. But if one looked closely, they would be able to see the blue streak whipping through them, swiftly slicing through while barely being grazed by the multitude of stray branches. Passing through barely being touched seemed almost an impossibility...but to Roji, it was little more than a trivial obstacle. He had faced down much worse.
He leapt up, landing on branches that looked far too light for him, dancing gracefully through the foliage, his eyes keened on his target - the dazzling red jewel in the midst of everything, obscured to all but his aura vision. He didn't let the prize distract him, though - it meant far less than the experience. Each brush of a branch against his fur was a flaw, each slowed step a mistake, all of which he could iron out as he attuned more and more to his body. The more he worked, the more new ways he found to move, to better escape the grasp of every stray twig that tried to mar him.
It was cathartic, in a way, with the only downside being that it ended too soon. Almost before he knew it, the jewel was right in front of him, and with one last move he leapt for it, snatching it on the move and diving forward out of the crushing grip of a rock hand that closed in almost the moment he appeared. He rolled and steadied himself on one knee, panting, but feeling exhilarated...there was such a RUSH in this, he wondered if it would be the same when he actually started working with his brothers. Probably not, it was unlikely he'd be able to move so quickly for those jobs...
"Splendid work, Roji." Drax stepped up to him, holding a hand out, which the Lucario took to help him stand up. Off to the side, Galan dissipated the rock hand into the collection of scattered stones it had once been. "It's getting very difficult to be ready for you, you come through the trees so quickly."
"I can still do better."
"Pace yourself, lad. You might just disappear if you get any more fleeting. None of us are perfect, but we clearly don't have to be."
"I know. But I'm still going to work at it."
It was perhaps not the most ideal training ground, but options were limited for them if they were to get Rojiani into the 'family business.' It wasn't as if there were thievery tutors all over the place, seeing as it was something that was frowned upon in polite society. But the woods seemed to work well, all things considered - many of the hazards were already there, in the form of the thick brush that threatened to slow and scratch, and Galan's skills could make for a few more interesting additions. There was a lot that couldn't be learned just from this course, but it was also far from the only tutelage the Lycanrocs were giving their new brother.
And without question, it was going to be worth it. Roji brought something to the table that they didn't have - neither Galan nor Drax was exactly a lumbering lummox, but Roji was on a completely different level. He had learned very quickly that he could move with a grace and swiftness that was hard to match, and it was only getting harder the more he got used to his new form. His lithe figure appeared to be built for this sort of activity, and he found himself quite enjoying pushing himself to new heights of agility. It almost felt like a dance sometimes, one that had to come to him at a moment's notice and did so with ease.
"If ever we need to beat a hasty retreat, at least one of us will certainly be successful," Drax remarked as he patted Roji's shoulder. "The sun is bidding us its farewell, though, so I believe we should be getting back."
"Ah, yeah, I guess." Roji could have done more, but they were right, he knew he shouldn't push himself too much. That would only bring pain, and he'd had too much of that in his life already. His eyes locked with the jewel in his hand...one he'd formed with his very own hands and his very own eyes. The pain and anguish he had cried out over several days following his termination of Porcepros and his release from that grip of tension that clung to him, once everything had hit him properly...all those tears had come fast and hard, but they had been release, the true final freedom from all that he had suffered and kept within him, that which he no longer needed to carry as a weight upon his heart. He had fashioned it into the vibrant jewel he now held...its value as a gem was hardly calculable, but to him was priceless. It was the symbol of the weakness and suffering that had been finally excised from him, the haunted past he still remembered but no longer feared. Looking at it motivated him to keep moving forward, beyond those awful days and into the better life he had. Those had been the last true tears he had cried...with any luck, it would be a long, long time before he had any more to shed.
"We'll have to start taking you on the real jobs soon," remarked Galan approvingly as he joined them in stride. "We have one coming up, Sendolphus has been trying to gouge merchants again...it's such a pain when they don't learn their lessons. It's just supposed to be a quick in and out, and quick seems to be where you excel."
"Maybe...I'm nervous about what might happen if I get caught."
"Understandable. We'll go over some techniques to escape, hopefully with as little violence as possible."
Roji nodded. "I'll try to be careful. We don't want to hurt people just for the sake of hurting them, right?"
"Right. If you have to to survive, that's one story...but we made a vow to try to cause as little harm as possible. For people with such largesse, losing some money is hardly painful for them...for someone who has little, it would be a grave insult. But physical damage harms everyone equally, so we do our best to avoid causing that whenever possible."
"Our goal is to help as much as possible," agreed Draz. "That's why we focus on making people's lives easier by giving them the means to keep going. Taking up arms...well, that tends to cause more trouble than it relieves. And that sort of thing can weigh on your soul...the threat of harm or death is one that we try to do without, unless circumstances are so extreme that we can't avoid it. And even then, as little as we can manage while accomplishing our goals. Of course, when you have enough skill, you can avoid being detected at all, which makes everything easier."
"That's why I keep working on it, more and more. I don't want to let any of them lay a finger on me."
"Good show. I'm sure you'll be fantastic at that, and that'll help make sure that at least one of us gets through and gets the prize. You'll have to split it with us, though."
"We don't keep most of what we take," Galan admonished, more to Draz than to Roji. "Enough to sustain ourselves, but there are many with greater need, it's meant to go to them."
Roji giggled a bit. "I know...don't worry, I won't let Draz hoard it all."
"I'm wounded!" the SunRoc gasped in exaggerated fashion as Galan let out a snort of laughter. "What did I just say about doing as little harm as possible?"
Roji just smiled. I'm so thankful for them...Galan, Draz...you've done so much for me, I want to make you proud. I swear that I'll become as good as you, and help you as much as I can, and show you I've learned well from you...
...But I'm sorry...I can't be as merciful as you are.
A flick of his wrist made the stiletto blade appear, and in one rapid, fluid motion, he wheeled around and thrust it forward. Had it been a live target, the devastatingly accurate stab would have severed the neck artery and put them on the fast track to death...for the dummy, it was just another hole to be patched up. For other monsters he had sought out, it was the last pain they ever knew...if he had successfully made it that quick.
"Nicely done, pup...you're getting good at that." Roji would never say he didn't find Z creepy; however, he'd come around to trusting the Zoroark assassin. After all, it was thanks to him that everything had gone the way it had...if not for him, Roji and his brothers would have faced a fate worse than death. And that was why he'd sought out the Hydragil slayer and asked him for tutelage...he hadn't really expected Z to agree to it, but he was very glad that he did, it seemed unlikely to Roji that he could get such experience anywhere else.
As much as he respected Galan and Draz's stance, Roji knew much more starkly what kind of savagery some were capable of. The damage they did, merely losing a few coins wouldn't deter them or spare their victims. Just like Gelb and Porcepros, some needed to die. And he would be the one to bring that down on them, if he deemed it just. He would keep his eyes and ears open, ready to strike the next foul monster who abused his time in this world in such an evil manner...and the last thing they would see before their end would be the very blood they had shed reflected in death's eyes.