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"The Citadel"

The midday sun laid across the land above the canopy. A perfect blue sky above made the forest's floor lighter than usual, the sunlight escaping through the leaves casting shadows in and spots of light which danced across the path as it weaved its way along the forest road like a spider web. Using his keen eyesight, Evandral stood at the very edge of a branch high in the trees, aiming his bow and arrow toward a herd of Etok; bison-like creatures that had inhabited the land centuries before. As he stared, his eyes seemed to focus, to zoom in on his target until there was absolutely no doubt at where he was aiming before he let the arrow fly. It tossed his dark hair forward with its displacement and vanished into the trees.

Down below, his traveling companions waited for him to return to the forest floor. Fadran was an orc and the pride of his clan. A massive man in a belted harness left little to the imagination on his chest, various battle scars and ritualistic markings across his flesh left more decoration than a tunic or cloak could ever make up for. He wore dark pants that fell loosely around his ankles and he wore oddly enough leather sandals on his feet to protect them from the rocks on the road. Beyond this, Tursey, their other companion saw nothing more of him than a brutish orc. But Evandral saw differently, he could see that Fadran was quite a bit more intelligent than he often led on; not that it made much of a difference in his own suspicions, to Evandral, intelligence meant dangerous to the wrong person.

Edwin Alexander Tursus, or "Tursey" as he preferred to be called was a Paladin who had stumbled into this fool's journey two days ago when the three of them happened to cross paths at an inn. After several drinks and a bar brawl, Fadran had mentioned about the citadel that was their destination. Tursey had been charged with finding and securing the location for occupation of the northern queen's army. He was dedicated to her service and was often suspicious of other peoples' motives. He was dressed a bit more elaborately, white mail gauntlets adorned his hands, leaving his fingers free. The gauntlets stopped halfway up his forearms and immediately broke into a thick metal breastplate. His chest plate, his codpiece and leggings all matched while his boots returned to the white coloring of his gauntlets. He was rarely seen without his armor, but his helmet he almost always kept in his bag unless a battle came to them. His blond colored hair was already thinning with age, he was probably closer to forty than to thirty and he had a thin, wiry beard that wrapped around the frame of his jaw and up and over his lips in one smooth connection. He'd lost an eye in battle, the black patch that covered his left eye was framed in a way by a fleshy burn scar, though it didn't go much outside of that, it was as though it was caused by a magic spell or a fireball that just struck him dead-center in the eye. His appearance was more grizzly than his personality, which shifted between suspicion and righteousness depending on how much he'd had to drink that day.

Evandral fell softly to the floor of the forest, landing directly behind his companions so lightly they wouldn't have noticed if they weren't watching him. The elf's shoulder length dark hair was thick and partly curled in the body, giving it a bit more of a bounce than most. His pointed ears prominently displayed as he turned them toward where he'd sent his arrow. Evandral was dressed mostly in leathers, a thick tunic obscuring his lithe frame while his pants clung to his figure tightly giving him more range of motion his boots came up just barely to his shins and were brown, caked with the least amount of mud either of the other two had seen.

"Four hundred yards to our meal." He smiled widely. "I trust you two can keep up with me?"

"Lead the way, elf." Tursey said, pressing his beard back with his index and middle fingers, but not really looking at Evandral. "Don't worry about this old codger, where there's food, I'm not far behind."

In a flash, Evandral was gone, having darted into the thick brush, he vanished off the road, leaving the other two to look at each other in shock before tumbling toward the forest themselves. They could barely keep an eye on the elf who hopped and rolled over and across obstacles in his path, his keen eyes had allowed him to see these well in advance, but nothing warned the other two, who began to find stones hidden in the longer grass, Fadran struck his elbow with an excrutiating cry against a log which quickly split in half at the weight of his strike. It took several minutes before they were able to catch up to the elf, who had already claimed his kill and was fashioning a small pile of stones to use as a campfire circle.

"Now that you two have caught up. We eat, and we continue onward. We should be at the citadel by nightfall."

"Per our arrangement, you two are only there for old relics that would be of no use to my queen." Tursey asked, pointing between the orc and the elf conspicuously.

"Of course." Evandral said. "We're merely treasure hunters; nomadic treasure hunters. We seek riches, not a place to put down roots. Though why your queen would want to have a citadel in the middle of this gods-forsaken forest I will never venture to guess."

"Still your tongue." The paladin warned by waving a dagger at the hunter. "She is a kind ruler and well loved. I will not have you speaking poorly of her, do you understand?"

"Of--of course, sir. No worries." The elf grinned nervously. "I would never hope to offend you, especially when you say you have the key to opening the gate on the outside. It would make things much easier to ransack."

There was a crack overhead, a shower of branches rained down on the group, immolating suddenly in the fire they had sparked to life. A screeching scream echoed through the area and a figure fell from high above. He bounced several times before coming to a stand still; it was a boy, no older than seventeen, eighteen at the most. Dangling over the fire, only inches from being cooked by its heat by a rope that had somehow twined itself around his leg. The rope was tied to some of the sturdier branches near the top of the canopy, but it would not last for long. Fadran was the first to respond, grabbing the boy by the head and pulling him so his leg would unravel. It did so with a tight pull and a springing noise.

"Hey! Watch it!" He shrieked, pushing Fadran's hands away as he righted himself. He had short black hair that was a mess, most of it had fallen over his eyes, which he pulled back to look at the others cautiously. He had the green skin of an orc, a pair of short tusks came from behind his lower lip, but he was too scrawny to be an orc.

***

I didn't like being prodded like some catch of the day, but I couldn't help it when I ended up on my feet again I tried to hide the nagging ache in my leg from the fall. I was only curious about these travelers. They were such an odd compilation; an elf, a human and an orc. It sounded like a bad joke, but the meat they were cooking smelled so good, I supposed I leaned a little too far over and the branch gave way, now I had three men looking at me like I'd fallen out of a crib.

"He's a half-orc." The orc snorted and shoved me with the palm of his massive hand.

"That's right." I answered, trying not to sound offended. "My father was human."

"That's an odd twist, usually it's the mother." The elf said. "Well, you'll have to forgive the lack of pleasantries, but you did kind of drop in on our meal."

"I'm sorry about that." I said to the man, bowing and bringing my fingers to a triangular point together. "I just smelled meat being cooked so I was curious--"

"What was that, boy?" The human asked me gruffly. I looked up and noticed the man's armor and knew immediately that he was a paladin in service. That only made me more nervous, I delayed my answer. "Eh? That was a Paladin's bow, don't tell me they brought on a young pup like yourself..."

"I'm not a child, sir." I answered, suddenly finding my brass. "I turned eighteen last week."

"Puh." The man shrugged. "So? I'd still consider you just a boy."

"You'll have to forgive Tursey." The elf said. "He's not a very sociable type we've discovered. I am Evandral, and that's Fadran."

I liked Evandral, he seemed to look at me as more than a mere child, which was more than anyone had ever done for me. "I am Zakai, Paladin of the third order."

"It's hard to believe the armies of the north could use a boy like you." Tursey said sarcastically. "They must be growing thin in ranks."

My heart was pounding hard, that anger from my mother's side wasn't always so easy to suppress and I stormed over to him. "Will all due respect, sir. I am here to help you on your quest."

"By what?" He asked. "Stalking us?"

"Would you have let me join your quest if I'd just come up and asked you?"

"One of the things about a Paladin, boy, is a dedication to the truth. Subterfuge is for sorts like Fadran." He said pointing at the orc. "Climbing through the trees in order to seize an opportunity to impress your queen is not how a paladin should act."

"Why do I feel like you're avoiding my question?"

"It is also rude to answer a question with a question." Tursey took a slug from a small silver container he'd pulled from the pouch on his hip. "And no, I probably would have turned you away the moment you asked."

"Well, he's with us now." Evandral sighed. "We may as well let him join us. We could use the help should there be trouble at the citadel."

The meat was a little charred for my tastes, but as my teeth peeled back the blackened flesh to the softer interior I really began to enjoy myself. Fadran was staring at me, I couldn't keep myself from noticing that he was glaring. Orcs didn't much care for half breeds like myself, but he said very little as Evandral and Tursey talked about the strategy of our destination. I only wanted to help Tursey to claim it for the queen, but every time he looked at me, I felt like he was judging me like a parent would judge a child. Eventually after finishing off my third serving and feeling particularly full I spoke up.

"So how long until we reach this citadel?" I asked.

The men looked at each other a bit and then Evandral spoke. He seemed to be the only one who cared to acknowledge I was here which worked more on my nerves than I'd expected. "We should reach the citadel sometime tonight, well after the sun sets." He said.

"The local legend says that evil inhabits that place." Tursey added. "That is why the queen sent a Paladin to claim it for her. We, above all others have the power to drive out the evil spirits there. But it is no place for you."

"I am a paladin as well." I answered, making my offense known. "Two of us should stand a better chance in a place like that than one."

"You're barely out of your training diapers." He scoffed at me, making my cheeks burn with anger. "Leave this to the professionals."

"Patience is a virtue." I had to remind myself. Maybe this Tursey was testing me, making sure I had the mettle to venture into this place of darkness. I gritted my teeth and spoke again. "Then where do we start?"

Tursey chuckled at that. I wasn't sure if he admired my foolheartedness, or was just amused that a man of my age hoped to outdo what a man of his age could. But he didn't respond and went back to his maps. There was a rough slap on my back that felt like it shook my internal organs, making me grunt and partly gasp for air as Fadran seated himself next to me.

"Such confidence." The orc said. "Your mother's spirit, no doubt. A human couldn't hope to have so much pride."

"It isn't pride." I clarified, embarrassed. "I just don't like being told what I can't do."

"That would be bull-headedness." Evandral smirked. "Another orc trait it seems. Get some rest friends, we will be on the way within the hour."

Whispers filled my ears waking me from a short rest. I had found a comfortable spot next to a large tree beside the fire and I figured that the warmth had put me to sleep. Fadran and Evandral were asleep across from me on the other side of the fire. I yawned a bit and looked around when I heard the sound of tapping somewhere nearby. The wind picked up a bit, making it somehow difficult for me to stand up as I did I could tell the sound of tapping was coming from behind me. As I looked, I could see Tursey stabbing a dagger into the trunk of the tree.

"Tursey? What are you doing?"

The human didn't look at me, he spoke as he continued to jab into the tree. "Got to get rid of the evil." He said. "It approaches." He looked at me. "Or we're approaching it..."

My skin crawled as a cold wind brushed over the back of my neck, I put my hand to it before realizing something was wrong with it. It felt rough on the palm and the tips of my fingers, my nails felt strangely sharp too. As I pulled my hand away I gasped as I looked at it; it was no longer the hand I knew, it had grown in length, my fingers were longer and tipped with sharp talons. The green flesh having been replaced with a reddish brown fur and a golden cuff that was wrapped around my wrist. It trembled as I felt nervous, and my nerves quickly turned to terror. I looked up at Tursey who stared at my hand and quickly dropped to his knees, running the top of his head along the tips of my fingers like a dog being petted by its master. Looking up at me, his eyes had become pools of black.

"Teach me." His voice was now several octaves below his normal speech and sounded like something growling in my ears. The shock terrified me.

I awoke with a start, but I didn't make a noise. I felt a hand on my shoulder and Evandral was staring down at me with concern on his face. "You okay?" He asked.

"Fine." I shrugged as I sat up and returned to my feet. "Are we leaving soon?"

Evandral nodded. "Just waiting on you, unless you prefer to travel alone."

A breeze across my back made me more nervous than I should have been, I shivered. "Ah- n-no I'm fine. Let's go."

I'd always heard the journey through the forest was treacherous; wild snakes, poisonous spiders, and deadly bears possible around any corner, and it was true the more I walked the colder my skin felt, I had a creeping sensation of evil slowly washing over me that made my heart beat just a little faster. Just me and Evandral were on foot, a wolf companion of his had joined us, as well as a beautiful hawk that settled on his shoulder. I'd heard many things about the elves, but the thought that they were so close to animals was a bit of a surprise. After a few hours of walking, my legs were beginning to burn again, perhaps it was because they wanted to run the other way, but I pressed on. I had to make myself move forward, I had to prove myself to Tursey. Maybe then my fellow paladins wouldn't look at me like some child half breed and actually allow me to prove myself in the queen's service.

That was when we saw it, catching up to Tursey and Fadran on a rise that overlooked a forested valley below. It seemed darker down there, I watched as grey clouds seemed to swirl overhead, almost as if they were being held in place and allowing the white shadows of fog to flow along the floor of the woods below. A strange, almost onyx black tower stood in the distance, it was at least a mile in height, tall enough to throw a shadow onto the cliff we were standing on provided it was the right time of day. My throat went dry as I looked at it; an evil presence emanated from this tower and it terrified me beyond belief. When the group started moving again, I had to will my feet to move and even had to rest my hand on one of the horses just to calm my nerves enough to climb down the cliff. I sighed and continued on down one step at a time.

"You know, boy." Tursey said as he looked at me, flashes of green in his eyes reflected in the lowered light. "If you are to confront evil, if you are to face it down, then you must strengthen your resolve. Do not fear that which you fight, it only makes it that much stronger."

"I-I'll try." I said as we continued down the path.

It was dusk by the time we'd arrived at the citadel. If it were possible, the air had grown heavier, Tursey and Fadran's horses seemed to tire unexpectedly fast as they grew nervous by the new surroundings. The chill crawled up my spine, and when I reached out to touch the black stone at the base of the stairs I pulled away suddenly as a burning sensation stung my hand.

"Beware in this place." Tursey said. "It is soaked in evil. It will take much of my power to eradicate it."

"It does not want to be eradicated..."

The voice whispered in my head like someone standing beside me had spoken it in my ear. I turned and saw nothing over my shoulder. Turning the other way Fadran was dismounting from his horse and Evandral had walked up to join him.

"Who cares about some superstitious nonsense." The elf scoffed. "I hear there is a great trove of artifacts to be found right in here."

"Is that all you care about?" I asked him. "Riches? Treasure?"

"It's the reason we've come along on this fool errand, boy." He chuckled.

I hated the fact everyone kept calling me that. I was young, but I wasn't a "boy" by any means. My eyes resisted the urge to roll and I followed behind Tursey who sloppily dismounted his horse and hitched it on one of the outer hooks next to the stairs that led up toward the temple's courtyard. "This should be fine for the night." He said assuredly as he stepped aside for the orc to tie his steed beside the human's. Casting his hand forward, a golden glow shot from Tursey's fingertips, illuminating the citadel's edges before shooting around in a rather impressive display of lights. I could move again, my hand penetrating the invisible threshold that stopped me a moment before.

"You did it." I observed. "Did you destroy the evil in this place so easily?"

"Oh heavens no." Tursey waved his hand at me dismissively. "I simply unlocked the door, we've much work to do before the evil is gone from this place."

"Of--of course." I said as I placed a foot on the first step and immediately felt a bit dizzy.

"Zakai, are you alright?" He asked in concern.

"I'm fine." I answered, suddenly feeling better as I steadied my feet. I glanced around. "But where are Fadran and Evandral?"

He too noticed that the pair had disappeared. "Likely they are wasting no time. And neither should we. Do you know how to conduct the cleansing ritual?" I scoffed at the question, cleansing was one of the first classes a paladin is trained in. He must be ready in a moment's notice to ward off evil spirits, demons, whatever afterimages dwelled in a place like this. I'd always been sensitive to the presence of evil, which made me quite a nice fit for these duties. But something about this place choked me and made me feel nervous about even trespassing in this place.

"Go back, fools."

"Did you hear that?" I asked, but Tursey looked at me like I'd lost my mind. I paused before realizing he hadn't. "I--I thought I'd heard something." I said, shaking my head. "But I guess it was nothing."

The other paladin nodded at me, but it was more of a slow nod that I had lost my mind and he'd lost his faith in my help; but he knew probably more than I did, that he needed my help with this.

"Come, come Fadran!" Evandral said as he darted across the yard outside of the temple. The sound of loose stone under his feet, the sound of it kicking up and being thrown back by the elf's hurried pace while the larger orc lumbered behind him.

A light flashed through the sky like lightning, but when the pair looked up they noticed they couldn't even see the sky from the dark clouds looming overhead. As the area grew darker, Fadran began to grow a bit uneasy. The pair of them stopped at the corner beside an old statue and Evandral pulled a small, rolled up scroll from his back pocket. "This is it..." He said, unrolling the scroll and reading the writing on it. He pressed a finger on the statue's sandaled toe. It glowed blue for a moment and then faded out with a loud clicking noise. The statue shook and rotated out of the way, sinking into the ground as it turned until it revealed a set of stairs that led to the interior of the temple. "Come on then!"

"Evandral... wait..."

Evandral paused, the orc was a man of very few words, but the sense of urgency in his voice was enough to make him stop. "What is it?"

"I... feel like we are being watched."

The elf scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Is that all you had to say? Fadran, you and I are partners in this, it's all or nothing, right?"

The orc sighed and looked around before returning his gaze back to the elf. "You are right." He said after a moment's pause. "Let's go."

After a few steps down, Evandral felt himself overcome by a shocking cold sensation that shot throughout his body. It was enough to almost make him fall the remainder of the flight down, but he caught himself at the last moment and the orc's massive hand pulled him upright once again. "What was that?" The elf asked, feeling winded all of a sudden.

"I am not sss--sure." Fadran sounded like he was letting out a hiss that made Evandral's eyebrows raise. "We are continuing this, are we not?"

Evandral smiled a bit, regaining his confidence. "Yes, I suppose we--" He paused mid sentence. Looking down the stairs he could swear he'd just seen a flash of silvery light. "...are."

The steps crumbled slightly under their steps as they descended into the darkness. The further down they went the colder the elf's skin seemed to grow until he felt like he'd stepped into an early morning fog. But as he reached the bottom of the stairs he found there was no moisture in the air, just the cold that made him rub his bare arms unconsciously. Fadran stomped to the ground on the last step, which made the elf nervous. "We will have to come up with some sort of a system where you DO NOT DO THAT AGAIN!" He shouted making the orc recoil slightly at the sudden volume increase.

"Sorry Evandral." He said. "This place does not frighten me as it did up there though."

"Yes, well it sure as hell is creepy. Please, watch your step, we are supposed to be professionals here, yes?"

"Whatever you say." Fadran said as he ran his hand along the wall, watching the old stone fall to the floor like rubble. As he ran it back he noticed a golden sheen that caught his eye. He scratched a thumbnail into the stone, peeling more and more of the stone away to reveal a golden trim beneath it. "Evandral, look at this." He said trying to contain a sense of excitement. "We've found gold!"

Evandral stared at the trim for a moment and pulled a pair of small spectacles from his pouch. He placed them on the bridge of his nose and looked down at it. Their normal eyesight was so keen that the greatest hunting birds paled in comparison. Even at night, elves could see as clearly as they could during the day, as the elf pulled on a thin pair of glasses who knows how deeply into the gold he could see, it only took a few moments of prodding before he sighed in disappointment. "This isn't true gold." He said matter-of-factly. "It's fool's gold. Meant to distract a lesser treasure hunter." He scratched at it and some of the gold coloring peeled away to reveal a green coating underneath. "You see?"

"Ah, yes."

"No, these people were far cleverer than we would give them credit for. Their real treasure can't be far off though, I would wager at the heart of this place we would find--" His voice trailed off again.

"Find what?"

Evandral remained silent for a few moments longer, when Fadran looked in the same direction, all he could see was the wall on the back corner of the room. "The artifacts we seek." He said as if he was finishing the sentence he'd started moments before.

Nervously, Fadran tugged at the collar of his shirt and swallowed, a strange sickness had settled over his stomach and it felt like it was crawling through his body. Looking at his fingers he could see a strange reddish orange color that was showing through the tips of them; for some reason this didn't strike him as odd, but he was certainly feeling impatient that they were taking so long here...

"Zakai!" Tursey's voice shocked me from a daze. I wasn't sure what had distracted me, but he was certainly not happy with my lagging at his commands. "Light the damn brasier!"

I looked down at the silver disk in my hands, it was curved up at the edges, making it a bowl with a powdery residue in it. "Oh... r-right." I said as I ran my fingers across the center of the powder. "Illumis." There was a white flash and suddenly a blue flame was flickering in the center of the braiser. Lowering myself to a crouch I placed it solely in the center of the markings the other paladin had drawn into the stone. A flash of light from above me turned my attention to the black sky. "It seems we'll be in for some weather soon." I said. "Perhaps we should move this inside?"

"It's much more dangerous in there than it is out here. I'd rather a little water down my back than the bowels of hell at my neck."

"Of course." I understood him, but something made me uneasy about this place. I scratched my scalp again, it had been itching and I kept having to put things down from the ritual in order to attend to it.

"What is it you're doing?" Tursey asked.

"Sorry." I apologized again as I picked up a piece of chalk and began to scrawl runic symbols of protection into the stone under our feet. That itching returned and I had no choice but to scratch at it again. I growled in frustration.

"Will you stop that!?" He said. "I have to concentrate."

"S-sure." I said in exhaustion as I continued to draw.

"Must you continue to listen to that prattling dolt?"

That voice whispered to me again, and again I turned around expecting to see someone behind me that wasn't there. "He isn't a dolt." I whispered back. "He is my superior and I want to help him..."

"By getting rid of the soul in this place? Why ever would you be a party to this, Zakky?"

I felt my eye twitch. "Zakky"? I couldn't understand what this voice was and how it seemed to feel so familiar to me.

"Zakai." Tursey's voice was miles away, I'd barely heard it the first time, but I couldn't miss the shove to my shoulder that nearly knocked me down. "Zakai! What is wrong with you, boy?"

"Don't call me a boy!" I shouted. I gasped immediately after, I hadn't expected an outburst like that. "I-I'm sorry..." I said. "I--I just..."

I couldn't stand it anymore, I just turned around and began to run. I couldn't hear if he was calling after me, I didn't want to hear him if he was. I was suddenly filled with so much fear that it felt like my chest was going to burst open. Soon, I found my way to the stairs that led back down toward the forest floor and I was about halfway down when I suddenly stopped in my tracks. I stood there for a while, staring at the last steps and going over and over in my head what I was doing. Was I abandoning my duty? Was I letting Tursey... and my queen down? How could I ever hope to prove myself if the feeling of evil sends me running like this? Surrendering to my thoughts I instead seated myself on the stairs. I picked up a piece of the stone that had broken off the steps and tossed it down to the grass below. I leaned back and sighed before noticing Tursey sitting on the stair behind me, taking a long, generous slug from his silver flask.

"I'm surprised you stopped." He said. "Any weaker man wouldn't have until he reached civilization again."

I hadn't realized until that moment that I wasn't sure if I'd stopped because I wanted to or because I couldn't take another step without some invisible force trying to get me to stay. I closed my eye and rubbed my forehead, brushing my hand through my hair. "I... didn't want to abandon my post." I said, feeling it was honestly how I felt.

"If it makes you feel any better, when I was younger I was the same way." Tursey said.

"Really? How'd you get over it?"

Tursey let a laugh escape like air through his lips. "I didn't. I am still frightened in places like this, but I learned to confront my fears and face them. Now they don't trouble me so much anymore."

"I will not fear such things." I said, removing the trembling sound from my voice. "I've dedicated my life to destroying the darkness, nothing is going to turn me from that path now."

Tursey chuckled. "Now that's the spirit, boy!"

"Stop calling me that, why do you call me that?"

"Have you ever even had sex, Zakai?"

I raised an eyebrow. "N-no... when I swore to become a paladin I took a vow of chastity. I'm sure you did as well?"

"I did." Tursey said, scratching his chin. "Though there were many troubled years before that I sought out a warm bed and a hot girl to share it with."

I tried not to laugh as my eyes scanned the man, his codpiece was riding a bit close to him, his backside was almost too visible even to my untrained eye, I'd doubted from the first moment he was truly interested in women. "That must have been a hard time." I said, keeping my opinion to myself.

"Aye, it was." Tursey nodded. "I drank heavily, much moreso than I drink these days." He raised his flask. "One day I'd hit rock bottom, I was broke, even my horse left me for the hills and I ended up in a monastery for their free boarding. That was when I was first approached about having the potential of becoming a paladin. The told me that if I had the strength to fight my own inner demons, I'd have the power to destroy those outside as well. So I trained... and I trained." He took another swig, finishing off the drink and tossing the flask aside he reached in for another one. "And I overcame my demons."

I grabbed the flask from his hand. "Some demons still haunt you, it seems." I said, shaking it in front of him.

"I need that to calm my nerves." He told me defensively.

"If your nerves were any calmer, you'd be dead. Let's say you and I finish what we came here to do then?"

He smirked at me. "Kid, I like your attitude."

He helped me up, and I steadied him as he about toppled over. As I followed him back up toward the citadel's grounds, my mind wandered. Sure I'd thought about sex before, sessions I'd experienced with myself, even though they rested only in my mind, filled me with a sensation of pleasure I thought could only be surpassed by the real thing. I felt a shiver crawl down my spine and I scratched at my scalp again, that irritating itch seemed to just follow me everywhere I went.

The roaring could be heard loudly as Evandral tore through the massive labyrinth of tunnels that existed below the citadel. He had been running aimlessly for some time now from the orc that had suddenly snapped and tried to punch him, only ending up punching a sizeable hole into the wall of the tunnel. Stone, reinforced by the metals in the wall should have at least broken his hand, but it only seemed to make him fly into even more of a rage and he tried to attack him again. Fadran's loud footsteps could be heard echoing through this place, but there was no telling from what direction he was coming.

Turning another blind corner, the elf had quickly ducked to avoid any possible encounter with the orc, when he saw Fadran wasn't there he ran hard along the straight passage, searching endlessly for an exit of some sort to escape through. He couldn't keep this up forever, he'd already shot an arrow into Fadran's neck, and it didn't even slow him down. He had some sort of a fever, something that made him act this way. Sweat was already pouring down Evandral's brow as he skidded to a halt and made another turn, this time into a less curved tunnel that he could see several feet in front of him. but good gods, where was he?

Suddenly a massive figure exploded through the wall as Evandral ran past and wrapped his large fingers around the elf's shoulders, flinging the both of them through the adjoining wall and into a larger room. Evandral cried out in terror as he hit the ground and rolled away. Looking up he quickly got to his feet and looked around.

Somehow they had found the chamber that they were looking for, goblets, chests, pearls, gold, all lined the walls of the room. Alcoves were filled with them, shiny diamonds and emeralds littered the floor, old scrolls that would be worth millions of gold to a scholar sat practically undisturbed in slots specifically designed for them. But all of that he would have given up to see Fadran look normal.

He wasn't entirely formed like he was before, more like some sort of a twisted half transformation. The orc's green skin had been mostly burned to an orangish-red color, his eyes now an ambient silver that glowed so brightly it illuminated his cheekbones that had fallen sharply jagged in formation. His mouth had slipped outward from its normal formation becoming a bit more of a rounded muzzle than a flat face. He sneered, exposing a row of razor sharp teeth, the stretching of his mouth filling the room with a terrifying crackling noise as the bones continued to migrate as he moved. His muscle mass had grown smoother, it wasn't as ripped as it was before though the size was there; it had increased some as a matter of fact. He opened his mouth, a trail of saliva dangled from his teeth and he inhaled and exhaled so heavily that his body went up and down again with each breath. A single horn had erupted from Fadran's skull and stood upward to the left while a massive bulge of flesh had risen to the right, indicating a second horn about to prominently display itself.

"Fadran, please. I know you are in there... what has happened? What have you become?"

Fadran opened his mouth, but only a feral roaring noise could be heard as he fell forward and dropped to his hands. The final shreds of his clothes had torn apart, a large formerly orc cock was still undergoing a transformation, becoming a point while his shaft had grown several distinctive bumps along its length. Nervously, Evandral stepped back and bumped his arm against a torch holder, causing it to swing clockwise and the wall slid open behind him. Quickly stepping backwards, the growling from Fadran grew steadily louder. As the wall began to close, Fadran lunged forward suddenly, extending his claws just as the wall closed and released Evandral into a dark, warm room. He gasped as he heard the raging orc... or whatever he was now, pounding at the walls, screaming to be let into this new room. Evandral stood and started running, he knew that the wall wouldn't hold Fadran in for long and he wanted to be as far away from there as possib--" His thought trailed off as he saw some strange silvery light disappear around the corner he was approaching.

"Hey!" He shouted as he ran toward the corner. "Hey! Wait!" He ran around the corner to see the silvery light now standing before him. His eyes focused and he gasped. "Kodan?"

The animal he saw was none other than a wolf he had tamed long ago, one of his first pets, the canine looked almost spectral, his silver fur shining in time with the glow he gave off making him look almost invisible. But those eyes, those soft amber eyes and the scar above his eyebrow, there was no mistake.

Trembling, Evandral fell to his knees. His eyes were watering a bit as he remembered. "I... you died ten years ago..." He said as the spectre stared at him, strutting almost obnoxiously in front of him. Back and forth, back and forth, his tail flicking as he eyed the elf.

Another sound could be heard from behind him, the screeching of a bird made the elf jump in surprise and he turned to see a golden eagle standing behind him. He too was bathed in the silver light like Kodan. "S-Skull!" He exclaimed. "You were my first pet when I was a child, but how... how did you--?"

Suddenly, a cold sensation washed over his back, Evandral couldn't even let out a cry as the wolf behind him suddenly wrapped his body around him and cut off his breathing. His bones felt like they were going to bend and break as he looked into the soft knowing eyes of the wolf as it wrapped around him. Looking toward Skull, he couldn't say much else as the bird flew at him...

The headache was growing worse, I placed a hand on my forehead and could feel the touch ripple across my skull and down my spine, I was sweating like I was getting sick. Tursey looked up at me with a bit of concern etched across his face.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm f-fine..." I stammered, feeling woosy as I spoke. "Just tired."

Touching the ground, golden rings emanated from Tursey's hand that shot across the ground, he hummed a bit. "This is strange. It's as though the darkness itself is centering in on us instead of dissipating. I've never seen a power this strong before."

I was about to speak, but my throat suddenly filled and I vomited my dinner onto the ground. A sudden cold chill shot through me and I could barely stand, whatever it was, it was fighting against me and my powers were resisting it.

"Do not fight... run... run, boy!"

The voice was ringing in my head, I put my hands against my temples and felt Tursey putting his hands on my shoulders, his very touch burned. I couldn't hear him over the sudden throbbing in my mind, but I could see he was trying to talk to me. My heart was beating so fast that my ears were flooded with the sound. I threw Tursey back and got up to run. I could hear a voice calling after me, but I couldn't stop, I didn't want to stop. The entire time, I could still hear that voice in my mind; "Run. Run! RUN!"

Evandral collapsed in the corridor, he screamed in pain as he felt his arm crack and extend. Muscle boiled onto it, his flesh expanding out. He could see that there were claws developing on one hand while the other was twisting into the crooked shape of a bird's talon. His eyes were burning and his face felt as though it was going to melt off it hurt so badly. He crawled across the ground, giving off muffled moans as he tried to lay down and stop the feelings that shot through him. The more pain he felt though, the more it was followed by a sensation of pleasure that aroused him. He couldn't understand how so much pain would lead to this kind of pleasure, he was completely erect under the tatters of his pants. Somehow the ghosts of his former animals, his beloved pets were causing this. White smoke poured off of him as he felt his neck pop and expand a bit, his body some bizarre twisting of fur with a few feathery spots interlaced. He couldn't use his back legs, he'd lost all feeling in them some time ago, but he had a feeling that this was far from over.

The elf hated to be right sometimes, he looked up, and through the teary blurs in his eyes, he could see another silvery light spawn before him; this one of the last pet who died on him; Rothgar the tiger. He stood tall in front of the elf, his long, beautiful feline tail swishing as he looked on in a mix of curiosity and a strange sort of gentleness that Evandral had grown used to in their time together.

"R-othg-ar..." Evandral managed to utter, though his tongue and the tightness in his throat made it impossible to really converse.

He brought a pained arm forward and he tried to crawl toward the tiger, his need, his want to be with his tiger again overwhelmed his thoughts that this too was some sort of a trick. The tiger bowed down playfully, then raised his head to look the elf in the eye, letting out a deafening roar, Rothgar then ran and leaped into the air. Evandral gasped, but realized he couldn't move as the tiger's body shimmered and fell into Evandral's back. A new screaming pain erupted through his back as it cracked and his body jerked up immediately in response. He looked back and could see that his shoulders had hunched up and the fur lining it had been covered in a tiger's stripes which crawled down his spine and a tiger's tail was now growing just above his ass. He twinged helplessly as the remainder of his clothes shredded apart and fell free, leaving him naked.

There was a thudding noise further down the corridor that got Evandral's attention, his eyes narrowed and he found he could see clearly in the dark. He sniffed the air and could smell the stench of some creature he didn't recognize, and the smell of leather was incredibly sharp to him now. Despite the pain still wracking his body, Evandral silenced himself and remained completely still as a creature came into view:

Its body was covered in a reddish orange scale with a golden colored chest and belly. Large wings bobbed and dipped with his steps as they clung to his back, and he moved mostly on two legs, though he occasionally used a fist or two to move forward a bit faster. He had a thick tail that ended like a whip, which whistled in the air as it swished back and forth while he moved. Nothing remained of the orc he was before, two tall ivory horns came from the top of his head and his rounded muzzle fell sharply like a beak, his nose was visible in the glow of his silvery eyes, it was quite obvious he was hunting for something, but Evandral wasn't ready, not yet. He could move his legs again but not quickly enough.

His mind was growing cloudy; Evandral found himself trying to remember how he had gotten down here, but he was having trouble remembering *anything* that had happened five minutes before. He scratched along the ground and staggered to his feet, his weight and the pain in his back made standing upright impossible now. He winced and bayed softly, where was he? What was this place? The more he tried to remember, the harder it was for him to think. His voice trailed off into a slurred gurgling sound as he looked up to a newly illuminated animal; a large bull that was never his pet, but his family owned as a child. Its soft eyes grew hard and it let out a sharp yell before charging at him.

I'd finally stopped running and collapsed on a path that bridged across a small courtyard at the back of the citadel. The bridge only really served the purpose of going from one side to the other without having to go down and through the complex. I was still feeling quite sick and my nose had started bleeding, the cold crawled through my skin and I could feel every muscle in my body tighten and some of it even enlarged some.

"Give in, Zakky." The voice entered my mind again.

I rolled over on my back and stuck my palms into my eyes. "N-nooo... I won't." I moaned, then I heard myself shriek in surprise as it felt like large hands were now grabbing my body. I opened my eyes and looked, but I could see nothing there.

"You desire much more than you seem, give into your needs..."

"Leave me alone." I muttered and curled up slightly. "I won't--won't listen."

"The paladin seeks to disrupt our fun, we must stop him..."

"No... stop... stop this..."

He could feel the cold fingertips slide over his body, Zakai's armor was coming loose as he struggled, the buckle of his belt slipped open and popped apart, he could feel something clawing at his pants, tugging at his shirt as his cloak unclasped he could feel the invisible hands cupping his balls his pants pulling further down. "Give in..." The voice repeated.

"NO!" I threw myself upright and slammed my back against the side of the bridge, almost tipping back and falling from the passageway. I sat there, panting. There was that burning feeling on my scalp again, I scratched at it, but the itch wouldn't stop, it kept spreading. Now it was going back as far as my ears. "What is ha-appening to me?" I stammered and pulled my hands away. Terrified I could see that I had actually scratched away handfuls of hair and skin which embedded into my nails. "No! I won't give in! I can't!" He whimpered and buried my face in his hands.

A loud explosion across the courtyard grabbed my attention suddenly and I looked up to see two large beasts tumble out into the open. They were monstrous; one of them looked like a dragon, he was large in his arms and chest and staggered around using his knuckles as a third and fourth leg, his skin was the color of a sunset and his eyes glowed a great white light that reflected off any surface like a torch. His horns were white and his belly was a golden yellow, obviously male an external black cock swung between his legs, waving almost as violently as if it were a club of some sort itself. The other beast was primarily four-legged, it's front legs were the claws of different animals, one looked like a canine of some sort while the other looked like a bird's talon, it back legs were thicker and sturdier, they looked like an ox or a bull's legs while it had a pair of massive horns coming from the sides of its head pointing forward, several times he came very close to goring his opponent with them, but the dragon continued to veer the head away. The second creature also seemed to have the back musculature of a tiger and the snout and back claws of a bear which even showed in the shag around his back legs. It had several tails; mostly he could see a bull's tail, a tiger's tail, a bushy fanned bird tail and a green tail that looked like it was a snake; in fact, it was a snake, a cobra head rose up and tried to strike the dragon, but he quickly avoided the attack and wrestled with the chimera.

I couldn't move, I could only sit and watch these combatants attack each other and hurl one another across the yard. There was something... attractive about the dance, my mind wandered, for some reason I wanted it not to end in bloodshed, but in domination. The very thought of it sent shivers down my spine. I grabbed the tent in my trousers, the anticipation of the big moment was giving me the strangest erection, but I... I couldn't give in to this..."

Suddenly Zakai screamed loudly and threw himself back. He put his hands on his face as his body curled up some so his feet were almost above his head. "Wha-aaat is happening to me?!" He screamed even louder, running his hands back along his face, feeling the flesh push back like a crumpled piece of paper. The night air grew cold on his skin, he could see flashes of lightning above him, even as the flesh coated his eyes with blood. He could feel his eyes sink in some his face popped so hard that his head bounced off the ground. He could feel a nasty, painful burning as his flesh began to cook and peel off the bone. Another shock down his back, he could feel the nub of a tail shoot out from the bottom of his spine, making him roll over. He rolled onto his knees and sobbed, doubling over where he stood. "AHHA! AHHHH!" He screamed again grabbing the collar of his shirt and tearing it apart, the clothes were growing tighter and they were burning him more than his face. He crumpled onto the ground and rolled around again, putting his hands on his face, but he couldn't feel his face anymore, all he could feel was bone on the top of his head straight down and then out as he blindly followed a muzzle to the end before bringing his fingers down and feeling a growth of fur that existed on his body straight down. His jaw popped and he realized that too had been stripped of the flesh, a pair of curved horns on the top of his head fell away to a pair of ears that were not his own.

"Ggchk! GAAAHHH!" He felt his throat tightening down, he could hear the voice that was tormenting him earlier, the voice that bade him to change. He knew that Zakai... the weakling, the child was no more and he convulsed on the ground, feeling his feet crack and pop as they exploded from his shoes, the last layer of clothing on his body and he laid there completely limp.

There was the sound of thunder overhead, a heavy rain had started to fall, cleaning this new demon from his bloody transformation. The rain washed away the skin of the man he was and drained along the exposed skull of his face. Zakai was no more, but he did enjoy the name "Zakky" that he'd tormented himself with earlier. Opening a pair of blood red eyes, Zakky found himself facing the dark clouds overhead, feeling the cold rain coat his body. He was a simian now, he brought his hand up and looked at it, curling the off-tan skin and spying the reddish brown fur that covered his knuckles and his arm before slowly sitting up.

Running his hands down the skull he could still see the two massive beasts battling each other and quickly he leaped to his feet crouching rather precariously over the edge of the bridge as he watched. His erection had returned almost immediately as he began to feel the desires flooding in from watching them chase each other down; this was a bizarre mating ritual, that's all. A show of dominance to see who was the better fighter, the monkey ran his tongue along a tooth and grinned in anticipation of who the victor would be. The chimera's cock was clearly in view now, this was a face off of two males which made the prize all the sweeter. Zakky chuckled and stroked himself without concern to anything else. Trails of precum made him pick up the leftovers and lick them off his finger. He looked down to notice he had a piercing in his cock, and one in each of his nipples that he hadn't noticed before. Maybe it was part of the change, the burning had distracted him from other pains after all. He tugged at one of the nipple rings and let out a cry, not out of pain but a storming sensation that made his cock twinge on the verge of erupting. He did it again with his other nipple, only to be granted with a more intense reaction. He tugged at the end of his cock as he stroked, eyeing the beasts who continued to circle and make feinting blows at one another.

"Oh come on now, must this take forever!?" He shrieked before hopping down from the bridge. He seemed to float to the ground, but still hit it with some force before he darted over to the beasts.

They were both taller than him by two heads or so, their mass alone was equal to an elephant's size, but that only proved to be more of a mouth watering challenge. They glared at him, both the chimera's hawk-like eyes and the dragon's silvery glowing eyes. He grinned as he stepped between them. "You two need to find other ways of getting along than beating your heads in!" He snickered. He eyed the firm chimera cock and approached him first, stopping an attacking bite with a palm placed confidently against the beast's lips. A horn on each side of his body made his fur tickle for a moment as his hand slid down the chimera's chest. He ducked under the horn and slid his hand even further as he did so until he found the cock. The dark pink flesh lurched in response. It had a canine point to it a long slippery waterfall of precum had soaked it already and he grinned as his hands wrapped around the male's orbs and he gave them a squeeze, making him jump instinctively. "Oh, Evandral, you feel like you're ready to go at anytime, don't you?" He cooed into the chimera's ear. "I am anticipating you being the victor." He whispered. He circled his finger around the thickest point of his shaft, a trail of gold light following behind his talon as he encircled the flesh with a glowing ring before releasing his finger. "And as for you..." He said to the dragon as he started toward Fadran. The orc-turned beast cringed slightly at the ape's approach, obviously nervous about his skeletal features. He took the impressive shaft into his hand and set five golden rings by the touch of his fingers in a circle around the dark ebon cock. "You were an orc, would you prefer to dominate the chimera as he would dominate you?" The dragon stared at him, a puff of warm air escaped his nostrils and the rings around his shaft responded by glowing. Zakky saw the ring on the other beast began to glow as well as the chimera howled at the dragon and the both of them threw themselves at one another.

The collision was impressive, it fluttered the ape's fur, making his hair fly back a moment as both beasts tried now not to kill each other, but to rut with one another. The rings Zakky provided them, using his twisted paladin skill increased their sex drives exponentially and as they fought he was pleased to see that their cocks crossed like swords in combat, especially when the quadruped jumped up and struck the dragon on the shoulders with his foreclaws. The dragon staggered back and pushed back, using his more dextrous hands to grapple the chimera's weight and horns. The chimera rebounded back though, dropping to all fours, then jumping again, knocking the sides of his horns across the dragon's face. Losing his balance, the dragon fell and the weight of the chimera crashed down on him. His claws dug into the dragon's shoulders as he hissed at the beast adjusting its hips to ride along with the dragon's kicking legs.

There was a cry from the dragon as the chimera adjusted himself and pressed himself in between the cheeks. The flesh folded in a bit as the dragon's head fell back, a look of pleasure crossed the chimera's muzzle as they came together. He reared up, slowly releasing the dragon before craning his head down and biting the golden chest as he again thrust in, making the dragon's toe claws curl.

"Oh, yessss." Zakky said as he stroked himself at the sight. His precum was dripping over the length of his flesh as he watched the two beasts breed, the brightly colored ring on the chimera's cock vanishing into the dragon, then reappearing again. As the light began to vanish and reappear faster, he could see the dragon's head turn, his maw of razor sharp teeth opening and closing slowly, he was really getting into it. "Yes, finish it my beasts, finish it!" He almost cackled at the idea.

It was almost on command, the chimera pulled himself completely from the dragon's hole, his twitching cock suddenly began to spew his fluids and he howled in lust as he pushed back in. The pressure was too much for the dragon who let out a low, rumbling growl before suddenly firing off streams of cum all over himself. He really seemed to enjoy being dominated, especially at the sounds he made when the chimera began to lick at the leavings across his chest as he pressed their bodies together. Deeper, and slower.

Zakky looked down at his throbbing erection, he wanted to cum with them, but a single thought had entered his mind during the beasts' throes of passion and he couldn't possibly do this until he had him too. "Tursey..." He said.

The rain had subsided, allowing Tursey to continue his work. He slowly drew the symbols onto the stone, sealing each one with a touch from his finger that added a golden glow to them. Lightning flashes filled the sky above, causing him to look up on occasion. He hadn't heard from Fadran, Evandral or Zakai in hours and he was growing a little concerned. The citadel had grown quiet, its tall, ebon towers looming down like the grip of a hand ready to snuff out the light. He muttered a spell over a small pile of powder and it ignited in a brilliant purple light; a shadow out the corner of his eye alerted him that he wasn't alone.

Whirling around he spotted a strange creature perched on the upper level of the citadel's main door. A pair of blood red eyes that glowed in the dark stared back at him, a skull faced creature cocking his head at him, crouched there naked as a jay bird. "What'cha doing?" He asked in a rather deeper voice than the human had expected.

"I have little patience with the denizens of this citadel." Tursey said, casting more spells and lighting another flame. "Once I finish lighting these last three fires, the cleansing ritual will be completed and the evil will be driven from this place."

"So, ahh..." The creature hopped down from the door and landed in a crouch before standing and starting toward the man. Tursey couldn't help but notice the girth of the creature's penis, the gold piercing reflected rather oddly in the light he was surrounded by. "You are not afraid of this place?"

"No." Tursey answered sternly as he continued about his business.

"Many people are frightened. It's only natural."

"I am a paladin." He said aloud, trying not to pay attention to the creature. "It is not in my job description to be frightened of anything."

"Ah, but... paladins make for such interesting prey in places like this." He chuckled. "They can be quite enjoyable when they're tamed."

Tursey looked up from the book he was holding, another flash of lightning illuminated the sky as he turned to the simian. "What do you know of this?" He asked. "The men who were with me, where are they now?"

The monkey giggled playfully and shrugged, bobbing his head from side to side. "They are no longer here!" He said. "But what they are now is a better question."

"Then what are they?" Tursey asked, his voice growling with impatience.

"Oh well, one is rage and another is many. The third is corruption incarnate, looking for his pet dog!" He cackled and bounced around. "Oh, but it's a lot more fun than that! It's a lot more fun!"

"Oh? And why is that?"

The creature's voice grew dark, his eyes flashing red as the paladin took a step back. "Because you're next." He said in utmost seriousness.

Without warning, the creature leapt at the paladin, but was quickly thrown back by an invisible barrier formed by the writing on the stones. The monkey bounced back and blinked, stunned momentarily at the shield. "Zakai? Is that you?"

"Nope. You see, I've already explained it, they aren't here!" He said. "But you can call me Zakky. I know your name, it seems fair that you know mine."

Tursey swallowed his shock as he watched the skull money move in a circle around him, searching for some way in, some sort of weakness. There was another flash of light from the simian's eyes that made the paladin feel uneasy and he began to feel a cool sweat rising on the back of his neck. "What do you want from me?" He asked, unable to control ignoring the creature.

"Aw, Zakky wants to play, that's all." The ape frowned. "You can't say I don't tempt yooou!" The sing song voice grated the man's nerves and Tursey growled, trying to continue his chore. He had the northern brasier lit. The placed his hand over a second pile and spoke an incantation, a white flame appeared and flashed brightly. Eastern flame. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Tursey! You sure I can't tempt you with a drink of water?" He asked, holding up a glass of iced water and waving it at him.

Tursey blinked and rubbed his fingers in his eyes, when he looked again, the water was gone. Oddly enough he was growing rather thirsty. "No, I'm fine. And once I finish with these fires, you'll be fine too, Zakai."

"Noooo no no! I won't be fine! And the name's Zakky, not Zakai! He was a child! He was weak!"

"So goes the weak link." He said as he crouched down and lit the southern red flame.

Zakky groaned and rubbed his bare scalp with a finger pondering the best way to approach him, he could see into mens' hearts and he gasped as the paladin lowered his hand over the final brasier. "What about Benjamin? Were you tempted by him?"

Tursey froze and looked at the monkey. "How did you know about that?"

"Ah! Hahaha! Zakky knows all matters of the heart!" He cackled and threw himself onto one of the pillars. "Benjamin tempted you, another half-orc yes? Oh but much more than that..."

"Tursey, I've decided to leave the order."

The massive beanpole was standing at the doorway to the tent, his arms crossed, his yellowed eyes fixed in determination.

"What?" Tursey asked. "Benjamin, you can't be serious! I thought this was what you wanted! You wanted to become a paladin, the first of your line to join the forces in a hundred years!"

"There are more important things, Tursey." The half-orc sighed as he approached the man and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Being a head shorter than Benjamin, Tursey resigned to a sigh and wrapping his arms around his waist. "Such as love." He said. "I've wanted to be with you from the moment I met you. But we have vows that--"

"That teach us that the battle for greater good is more important than the pleasures of the flesh." Tursey said. "Our duty is to our queen, not to ourselves."

"Well perhaps we should put ourselves into consideration before we go running off and getting killed before we've really begun to live."

Tursey turned his eyes away. "I don't know."

Curling a finger under Tursey's chin, Benjamin turned his eyes to him and smiled. There was an odd red glowing to his eyes that quickly faded from the man's memory. "This is all I need to know." He said with a whisper. "Join me, leave the order, and we can have a great adventure."

"Ben..." Tursey whispered a bit and leaned in.

Blinking, Tursey could see the skull face of Zakky in front of his eyes. He was standing on his tail to give the illusion of height and the paladin recoiled in shock and in horror. He fell and returned to his feet.

"Damn it, why is it all the paladins have such good resistances?" He asked.

"That wasn't funny!" Tursey glared at him.

"Oh come now, Tursey!" Zakky giggled. "One little kiss and we can call it even!"

Tursey knew what Zakky was trying, if he were to break a paladin's solemn oath of chastity, the vow he had taken to become a paladin, he would no longer be able to ward off the demons, he would not be able to cleanse the citadel, but it wouldn't work. No, he had to resist.

"Crawl back into your hole." Tursey said, taking his flask from his pocket. "I will be there to collect you when you've become normal." He tossed back a swig and suddenly tasted something that wasn't right. Quickly spitting the contents of his flask he threw it to the ground and staggered back as the monkey grinned wildly at him.

"Temptation begets temptation, little paladin." He said with a chuckle. "I hope you don't mind that I added a little something extra to your drink while you were making puppydog eyes at me." He laughed in a shrill voice as Tursey staggered out of the circle trying to clean the taste of seed from his tongue.

"What tempts you?" Zakky asked making his way toward the paladin, stepping into the shielded area that had been weakened by the paladin's leaving it. He kicked over the first brasier. "Power?" He asked as he stepped to the southern brasier. "Money?" He kicked over the second one and continued onward. "Sex?" He asked as he kicked out the third fire and then his eyes lit up in the realization. "Or perhaps... a bit of all three?" He asked. "A desire to be dominated is in your heart, Tursey. Why not let it out?"

"Get. Away from me!" Tursey shouted as he stumbled backwards and fell to the ground.

The monkey would do no such thing, he was almost gleeful as he threw himself at Tursey, landing with is feet square on his chest, he grabbed the man by the head and stared him directly into the eye. "In the depths of your heart lies a desire beyond all belief; the desire to be dominated, to be controlled. You have an unabashed lust unfulfilled and your heart yearns for it."

"N-no! Get off me!"

His hands were trembling the simian grinned as one of his dexterous feet reached back and unhitched the paladin's belt. Slipping it just past the opening, he could feel a trail of human hair ending with a very profound erection within. "If I lie to you, then so does your body." He said with a smile twisting further on the skeletal face of his. "Give in... give in to the temptation in your heart." He spoke as waves of heat came off his breath, his burning red eyes invading all of Tursey's sight as he tried to pull away, but he couldn't find the strength to tear himself away. "Give in." He repeated firmly this time, watching as the man's mouth fell open, unable, or unwilling to speak anymore. His eyes began to shimmer in the same red glow that came from the monkey's eyes, he could see himself reflected in the dark pools the longer he stared into them.

"I... do what you say..." The human said after a few moments.

"Then stand, human." Zakky said slipping off the man's waist and allowing him to get up.

Tursey was dazed as he sat up and returned to his feet, he wobbled dizzily and by the time he stood, his pants had fallen down around his ankles, leaving his cock and balls exposed to the cool air and a rather impressive looking backside hanging onto a bit of the belt that hadn't fallen completely yet. He stared blankly, not even realizing that his pants weren't even up, a dull, unintelligent gaze. The simian's work was almost too well practiced. "Now, fall to your knees and bow to me!" He commanded.

Instantly, Tursey dropped dead onto his knees, letting out a cry in pain as his knees struck the cold stone. But he didn't linger on it long as he fell forward, putting his hands out before him and burying his head between his elbows as a sign of surrender and of respect. Zakky laughed at this and reached forward to tear the shreds of the human's clothing off his back. The white skin was too light for him, even as pure as a paladin as he had been, he never really found time to tan, had he? A rather interesting idea had crossed Zakky's mind and he crouched down in front of the man, pushing his chin up with a finger he smiled. "Oh dear human. How would you like to become my personal pet?"

The man winced, trying to ponder what he was asked. Even some of the simpler questions seemed to elude him. But the monkey reassured him of the question by gently stroking his hair. "I... like that... very much..." He said with a satisfying smile on his face.

"Very well, then let's start here." Zakky said, stroking the man's cheek.

The color change in that spot was instantaneous, it started as though Zakky had wiped a small grey smudge into the man's cheek and suddenly it began to spread. Tursey reacted with a delayed pain as he felt his jawbone crack and pivot outward, then downward, making a jagged point that began to stretch back. His face began to change, his hair started to pour off of his head as the slate smudge came across it. "AHH!" He opened his mouth and his teeth suddenly dropped from his mouth, his jaw accommodating in space for a new set as his face began to form a muzzle. His neck began to thicken, making sickening, squashing noises as the neck bulged outward. He bolted up onto his knees and his mouth gaped open. The back of the jaw on his other side had grown a hornlike extension on the back, and now his eyebrow ridge and the top of his head were both forming more bonelike areas.

"Very good. Very good, my pet." The simian assured the beast as he trailed golden circles around his nipples which shot a slightly whiter tone of skin clear down the center of his body. Further rings around his biceps and ankles only sped up their growth and explosive transformations as well. He could see the beast's cock engorging, pulsing with precum and drew another line around it, locking it in like a cock ring to prevent him from orgasming too soon. Tursey's breathing began heavier and harder, waves of heat pouring off his breath as the transformation continued. His neck arched and his shoulders shot up, causing bones to shoot erect along his spine and two winglike growths to spout suddenly from his shoulder blades, but no membrane followed, these wing bones were merely for show.

"AAHHHH Muh-muh--master!" He cried out, his voice becoming far more distorted with the changes in his throat.

Zakky pulled the beast in by the underside of his chin and rested his head on Tursey's forehead. "Yes, my pet."

"I fuh-feel no... p-pain."

"This is how it should be, my beloved gargoyle." He grinned, locking his red eyes on the beady crimson eyes of the beast as he continued to grow upward. "But all pets must be tamed." He said as his other hand slid along the gargoyle's neck and an iron collar appeared. Beams of light came pouring off the collar's inserts fashioning a net above them which came down to clasp on Tursey's growing tail, keeping it from swinging wildly around.

"C-Can't... move..."

"All part of the pleasure, pet." Zakky answered, pulling the gargoyle's head back into his hand as his other hand began to stroke his shaft, leaving a rather messy trail and puddle down Tursey's sprawled hand.

"C-can't... cum..." He said. It was obvious that the gargoyle's cock was twitching and draining heavy amounts of cum, but that explosive release would not come until the rings around the shaft had been removed. Zakky chuckled at the gargoyle's seeming discomfort. His fingers climbed down the slate gray body and Zakky crouched beside him, gently sliding his hand, then both hands, along the length that was now soaked right down to the base with his seed. "M-Muh--master, please..."

Zakky's hands slowly climbed from base to tip, then back down again as he admired the gargoyle's newfound mass, the glowing golden lights of their twisted paladin magic lighting up the night as Zakky returned to his feet, holding his prominent erection. "I have a treat for you, Tursey." He said, rubbing the warm tip on the gargoyle's forearm. "I want you to drink me, to bond with me forever, it's your right to give into your desire, Tursey."

Tursey stared at the cock, the small golden ring didn't seem so small anymore now. He trembled and realized that he couldn't get away. Something so small had trapped something so large, and there was nothing he could do about it. He silently obeyed, wrapping his lips, then running his tongue around the wet shaft. He was careful to avoid using his new teeth and Zakky let a long drawn moan out as the gargoyle's hot muzzle enveloped him. Zakky's tail swung hard to the left, then back to the right as he took his other hand and guided Tursey onto the shaft. From what he had built up, Zakky was somewhat surprised he didn't cum immediately. The wet warmth of the gargoyle's mouth made his tongue fall from his skull as he closed his eyes, taking in the warm red glow from his pet's own inquisitive gaze.

"Oh, yes. Yes Tursey... do it, drink my seed... drink my--AHHHH!" He cried out suddenly as he felt his cock fire off into the warm mouth. Tursey didn't recoil, in fact he closed his eyes and moaned, enjoying the sudden injected flavor his master had to offer him. He exhaled and inhaled sharply taking in every shot, every flavor that he could take in. As Zakky finally came down from his overload, he slowly extracted himself and admired the mess that Tursey had made on the ground from every one of his near-orgasms.

"Do you want to see something amazing, my pet?"

"Wh-what is amazing?" Tursey asked, a heavy coating of cum still caught between his lips, that the simian rubbed off with a thumb.

"Sit up my pet." He said, releasing the collars enough for the gargoyle to do his bidding. Tursey sat back and slowly Zakky began to run his fingers along the massive, pounding erection the gargoyle held between his legs.

Tursey writhed and wiggled at the touch, feeling the foreskin of his cock being pulled back, then forward again. He freed one of the rings near the tip he'd placed there, wrapping his fingers around the cock and pulling it up a bit so the hood almost wrapped itself around the shaft. Then he pushed it back ever so much slower. "Mas-master... pl-please stop, it hurts. I want to cum so bad... it hurts."

"Do you want it to stop hurting?" Zakky asked with a grin. "Then I will be the only one you cum for, for anyone, for anything else that tries, they will not be able to give you this. Do you understand that you're mine, Tursey?" He asked.

"Y-yes... Tursey understand-understands..." He paused and gasped between strokes.

Finally the ring around the base of Tursey's cock flickered out and disappeared, there was a swelling in the flesh and Tursey barely had a chance to let out "Oh, no!" Before suddenly unleashing a roar so loud that it echoed for miles around, it was so deep that the citadel's walls had started to crack and chip away. The seed that shot from the gargoyle disappeared for a few seconds into the sky before coming down hard on the ground next to his knees. He fell back onto his back, not really caring that his wing bones had caused him some pain when he did. The seed spurted out of him like a missile, coating him heavily in the cum he shot.

"AHHH! AAAAHHHH!" He convulsed and shook for a good ten minutes before his ordeal allowed him to fall flat into a more curled position than he had been before.

"Very impressive, my pet." Zakky said, wiping off some of the drenching cum that had showered on him. He laughed. "You see? I knew you would be fun! Did I not tell you?"

"Ye-yes..." Tursey's voice trailed off. "Master is... fun."

"That isn't what I said..." Zakky's voice trailed off slightly as he turned to see a slight glow on the eastern horizon. "And it is about time we go to get some rest. Come, let's gather the rest of our band and go for a nice, long sleep."

"Yes... master."

The queen had never discovered what happened to Tursey, or to his traveling companions who she was told had met with him at the inn only a few days before his disappearing. The citadel continued to ward off those who sought to seize it and its land, though according to the locals, despite the fact that it had been abandoned for hundreds of years, one day several new statues had appeared on the four corners of the place; To the north east side, the massive stone statue of the legendary red dragon, the northwest side was a chimera; a creature made of many creatures. On the south side was an imposing gargoyle that reared a roaring head toward any possible intruders. And seated above all the others, at the top of the temple was the statue of a monkey, sitting upright on its tail a few inches above where it was perched, completely naked and adorned with a skull instead of a face.

These statues were seemingly indestructable to any who tried, and any man who tried soon vanished mysteriously, and following shortly after more statues appeared to protect the citadel. Eventually the developers and the kingdoms stopped trying to take the forest and it was forbidden for any outsiders to set foot in the woods. The natives claimed that the statues moved around nearly every single full moon, and if you're careful and quiet, on those nights you can hear the sounds of sex, and roaring, and a monkey's laughter filling the forest.

THE END