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Hetroth woke with a start, shaking and wide-eyed, only to find himself in darkness. His frantic survey of his surroundings revealed he was sitting on a soft bed, next to a sleeping buck. Varikas continued to slumber unaware, sprawled out wide-legged, his modesty mildly hidden but still protruding from under the thin wool sheets. It brought to Hetroth's attention that he himself was also naked, his possessions stowed away somewhere, hidden in the dark.

The hyena began to calm, now struggling to remember how he'd gotten there in the first place. He hadn't come here of his own volition. Or at least he didn't remember such a possibility existing. He could remember his mind being set on returning to his own guild, following a meeting with the buck on the neutral grounds of a tavern. His current position suggested the meeting had taken place, but didn't end in a way he'd have liked.

He remembered the events of the battle and its rather draining aftermath. While Neccado had taken his bump to the head quite well once he'd regained consciousness, Ketronius was somewhat worse off after the heavy assault to his maleness. It made their pace of travel excruciatingly slow, even with the painkilling concoctions at work. He was likely still feeling it now, Hetroth thought. Not quite as badly as the wolf they'd fought, however.

Their fallen adversary required some medical attention before he could even move, a procedure that churned Hetroth's stomach at the very memory. They had to remove what was left of the wolf's manhood, and it was bloody. That day, Hetroth thought he wouldn't be able to look at a man's body in quite the same way again. But the feeling slowly passed as they travelled on and Het began looking forward to seeing Varik again, the wretched, gory memory an increasingly distant one as a result.

The lupine had either ended up a slave or a prisoner. Hetroth did not know which, as either option was in discussion during their return trip. As was the prospect of simply killing him, but Hetroth had insisted he'd seen enough death that day. He still found it regrettable they'd just left the other wolf's body lying there in the forest. But he was well aware they couldn't afford the time to bury her, not with the prospect of more of their kind prowling the area. They were lucky enough to have gotten away with performing field surgery on a screaming and unwilling prisoner.

His thoughts temporarily shifted towards more corporeal matters, as he realized his throat felt incredibly dry. Conveniently enough, there was a cup of water on the bed-side table nearby. He quenched his thirst in several greedy gulps. For something as simple as water, it tasted better than the finest honeyed milk. It made him wonder how long he'd been out.

Straining his mind further, he recalled the plan he'd formulated beforehand. He'd wanted to return to the guild and confront his superiors. He first wanted to make sure he'd have somewhere to go once he'd most likely gotten expelled from the guild, hence his prior meeting with Varik. And that was apparently how far his plan had gone. There was little doubt in his mind it was Varik's doing. He must've slipped him something in his drink and then brought him back here. He couldn't quite recall how the conversation had gone either, although he suspected Varik had disapproved of his plans.

Hetroth sighed heavily, now thinking how his superiors would look upon him wandering off to a rival guild with his male fling. The meeting with Varik was risky enough, and the result of his last self-assigned mission likely hadn't done his reputation any favours, but this made him almost certain he'd end up expelled. It also aggrevated him that the buck had made that decision for him. Looking over how he slept spread-eagle, he decided to repay him in his own way. He was basically asking for it, after all.

Whatever he'd been drugged with was still having some effect, as he crawled over the buck unusually clumsily, as if drunk, nudging him in a couple places. The stag's heavy, rhythmic breathing suggested he remained asleep, however. Het gave himself a couple more minutes, letting the drowsiness pass. Feeling up to task, he positioned himself over the sleeping buck and pulled the sheets down below crotch level, revealing his sagging, heavy-looking prick and orbs. The days spent apart from him almost made him want to do something else entirely, but he mustered up all the annoyance and grievance he was feeling, prepared to violently wake him instead.

With a deep breath, he leaned back and cocked his right leg back before bringing it down with a resounding thud. Varik's eyes and muzzle shot open in a silent scream, his hands attempting to cover his crotch, but getting hung up against Hetroth's own arms. Giving the buck no chance to correct himself, Het quickly pulled back and struck again, this time eliciting a yelp from the stag's lips. Finally Varik managed to shove the vengeful hyena off to the side, instantly rolling onto his own into foetal position, cupping his horribly hurting genitals.

"Nnnnnnnnngh.... bastard...", Varik whimpered.

"That'll teach you to abduct me.", Het replied, watching the stag squirm in agony. Varik left the remark without answer for a couple minutes, too focused on his pain to form a coherent answer. "So what now? I can't go- ACK!", Het began, but stopped abruptly as Varik reached forth and roughly grabbed him by the sac.

"You little brat.", Varikas sneered, tightly gripping the hyena's testicles with one hand and his own with the other.

"L-let go!", Hetroth stammered, wrapping himself around the buck's considerably stronger arm as his thumb pressed into the hyena's testes.

"I did you a favour. You can hardly be blamed for where you go since you're now my 'prisoner'.", he said, continuing to harshly squeeze Het's manhood between his fingers.

"Alright! Alright! I give up!", Hetroth now panicked, the pain between his legs still growing. He'd forgotten what it was like to get on Varik's bad side, and this was quite a painful reminder. Finally, however, the buck let up and released him, allowing him to roll onto his side and cup his balls. Varikas wasn't feeling much better either.

"Ugh, I'm gonna be feeling that for the rest of the day.", Varik said, gently cradling his gonads.

"Wouldn't have happened had you consulted me on what you intended.", Het countered, rising up on his elbow.

"Suppose I could have. Though were we watched or listened in on, the ruse wouldn't be worth much.", Varik replied.

"I guess... sorry.", Hetroth said, now sitting up, his balls still aching.

"Ngh, that was harsh.", Varik groaned, continuing to grasp his nuts. He collapsed back onto his pillow.

"Uh... so what's the plan now? Where do we go from here?", Het asked.

"Well, I intend to go back to sleep... once my balls stop hurting. And I suggest you do the same.", Varik replied wearily.

"That's not...", he trailed off in exasperation. "I mean what do we do tomorrow? You don't expect me to just sit around here for the rest of my life, right?", he asked, mildly annoyed.

"Would that be a bad thing?", Varik countered.

"I... don't know. I just need to know where I stand with my guild.", he said.

"I have something planned. We have a long trip ahead of us, so be sure to get some rest. We set off in 2 days.", Varik said.

"Uh- where? I thought we would handle things here.", Het asked, somewhat distressed to find the buck's plans drastically differed from what he had in mind.

"Primum.", the stag announced plainly.

"Why? What purpose could that hold?", Hetroth asked on in disbelief.

"You'll see.", Varik concluded with a sly smile and rolled over onto his side. "Best get some sleep. I imagine you're tired after your trip.", he added.

"That's not-... I don't really feel like sleeping anymore. I've had enough. And I've been having these vivid dreams lately.", Het explained. Although at the same time he realized the 'nap' he'd just had had been quite dreamless.

"Oh? What of?", Varik asked.

"Various strange events. Some of them I know from stories and history, others unfamiliar to me.", he said.

"Interesting.", the stag said, sounding genuinely interested. "Do try to get some sleep, however.", he said and pulled the hyena down to lie next to him. "You'll have plenty of time to tire yourself out tomorrow.", he added and briefly locked lips with the hyena, before collapsing back down.

Seeing little alternative, Hetroth complied and laid there for a while with his eyes closed, but found it difficult to sleep, having lost over half the day to a knockout drug. He was also somewhat disappointed their activities hadn't turned towards more intimate matters, although he had mostly himself and the way he woke Varik to blame for that. Eventually he ended up just laying there with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling, contemplating his current position some more. It felt like the uncertainty would never end. Every time one problem ended another seemed to arise. And every plan of his seemed to go opposite the way he intended.

He rose up to his paws and stepped over to the window, looking out into the abandoned city streets. He wondered how Primum compared to the cobblestone roads of Tertium. He'd find out soon enough. Time felt agonizingly slow as he stood there in the window, his exposed maleness seemingly out in the open if not for the dark that enveloped the room. He must've spent an hour lying awake and another just standing there in boredom. He felt he had to do something. He decided satisfying his curiosity would work well enough.

Turning his attention back towards the room, he began to look around for his clothes. Despite the dark, he managed to find a loincloth, although as he brought it to the light of the lanterns outside, it turned out it was Varik's. His own clothes were nowhere to be seen. Likely taken to cleaning like last time. What he found would have to do.

He strapped the modest bit of clothing over his hips and slowly pushed the door ajar, peeking through to make sure none would notice his unsanctioned venture. With another look back to make sure Varik was asleep, he slipped out of the room and into the reasonably-lit corridors of the guild hall.

***

It felt somewhat odd to be wandering the great open hallways of the All Knowing without someone to guide him. He wasn't even sure what he was looking for. He just really needed to do something. Finding out more about the guild he'd potentially be joining seemed like a worthwhile endeavour. And a bit of reserved disobedience after how Varik had approached his situation felt good.

He felt apprehensive to be travelling through the empty corridors in only a loincloth, however. Despite Varik's apparent efforts, he'd remained modest in his choice of cover around strangers. Although considering he probably wasn't supposed to be wandering around this freely, he already felt as though naked, strongly hoping no one would catch him like this.

He explored the top floor, occasionally peering at the bright swarm of stars visible in the skylight above. He began by recalling the training room he'd been to before, trying to imagine which among the other rooms could potentially be something other than private quarters he wouldn't want to intrude upon. At one point, much to his alarm, he thought he'd heard someone else's steps echoing through the hallways, but that passed as quickly as it'd come, and the corridors continued to echo only with stillness.

Despite his intentions, he did end up intruding on a few bedrooms, only to find their occupants fast asleep, unaware of his transgression on their privacy. But finally, he did find something more notable - a prayer room, filled with shrines to various gods.

Chief among them was a large bronze statue of the god of knowledge, Zelethon. His visage was that of an unnaturally tall yet thin caprine, a quill in his lowered hand, and an unfurled scroll hanging from his outstretched arm, its contents held aloft for all to see. Another aspect put out on display was his nearly emaciated body, the seemingly undersized genitals between his legs leaving no doubt as to his gender. Compared to most other gods, he seemed almost plain in his bodily anatomy. The one feature that truly separated him from mortals were the 6 eyes nestled upon his long, stern, equine-length face. Upon the scroll itself engraved were the words "Fear no knowledge. Honour the enlightened. Pity the ignorant.". Shame there was no mention of arrogance, he thought.

A somewhat less prominent but still eye-catching shrine was devoted to Timir, deity of lust and fertility, a rat-like being in possession of elements of both genders, featuring a set of breasts, and an oversized manhood with 4 equally prominent gonads underneath. Supposedly also female genitals, but that wasn't very visible from where Het was standing, and he wasn't about to go peeking up the statue's hind quarters. Much like the god of knowledge, this statue stood completely bare, its 4 arms splayed apart in a welcoming gesture, a warm yet lewd smile upon its features.

Third among them in terms of size was the statuette of the god of combat, Pafridin, a 6-armed eyeless reptilian mountain of muscle, clad in pieces of plate armour protecting his more vital areas and wielding a variety of weaponry. Two of its right hands held a sword that dwarfed even its bearer in length, the third held a javelin, ready to be thrown from over-head. The lower-left one held a tower-shield, the two others an axe and a warhammer respectively. To add to the over-zealous level of armament, he held a dagger in his snarling maw, and a number of spikes protruded from parts of his armour. He looked like he could murder an army simply by walking into it. And were he to manifest in this realm, that's likely what he would do. Thankfully, the gods only ever acted indirectly, the height of their intrusion being individuals said to be manifestations of their will.

Hetroth looked on towards the others. The goddess of mercantile, the god of festivity, the goddess of nature, goddess of art, god of mechanics. Just about every deity outside of the daemonic under-gods. Then he finally found the one he'd subconsciously sought. The one god his guild put above all others - the god of order, Tavat.

The Artificers kept a shrine devoted solely to him, made of white marble, adorned with plate armour and longsword of real iron. The statue of the white wolf was just about the most lavish thing present in their halls. It was strange to see worship of much else, let alone seemingly everything but. The statuette he found, barely greater than a figurine, was much less prominent than what Het had always seen of him.

The many gods were a contradiction to true order, it was said, and thus worship of others was frowned upon, although permitted in private. Here it seemed as though the All Knowing didn't hold much faith in Tavat's ideals. Never the less, Hetroth went down to one knee and recited a small prayer towards the statuette. It wasn't the appointed time of prayer, however. He may've been earning more ire than favour from the god of order. But he did it regardless. For himself, more than anything.

***

Hetroth continued his search for places of interest on the second floor of the guild hall, every once in a while getting the feeling he was being observed, perhaps on account of the 3-eyed symbols staring out from the walls and columns.

Once again, he paused as he heard someone's steps in the distance, more clearly than previously. This time, he decided to follow the noise.

His search lead him deeper into the back halls of the second floor, the lighting within seemingly dimmer. It took him near to where he remembered the library was, from his last visit. He found an area even less lit than the already dim corridors, with only small oil lamps scattered around the sides.

He gave a couple single doors a cursory glance inside, only to find them holding private quarters. One of the doors he opened revealed an exposed couple lying on the bed within, the light from the corridor illuminating enough of the scene to make Hetroth blush and look away. He decided to cease looking in the single doors further.

Eventually he ran across a double door yet unknown to him, although the journey had left him wanting to return to bed already. Whatever lay beyond the door, he decided he'd turn in for the night once he'd looked at it.

As he pushed the door ajar, within he found a broad, open room, scarcely lit by two oil lamps placed at opposite tables. The walls were lined with shelves occupied by books, jars and vials upon vials of colourful substances, most likely used for enchantments. In the middle was a flat stone floor, its surface strewn with the familiar ashes of enchantment residue.

Het almost jumped when he suddenly realized there was a figure standing at one of the shelves, facing away from him. He'd failed to notice it up until then. It was wrapped in dirty bandages, a simple tabbard worn over them. It was the same figure he'd seen in the training hall during his previous visit. It slowly turned to the side, the glowing green of its right eye gleaming in the dark. Managing to contain his fear, Hetroth closed the door swiftly yet silently, his presence possibly left unknown to the strange figure.

He began to move away urgently, careful to stifle the sounds his steps made. He couldn't hear any signs of pursuit, yet he still felt as though he was about to get grabbed from behind. Adding to his panic, he found himself confused by the long stretch of corridors, the way back seemingly not quite the same as the way forward.

He broke out into a light run, but soon froze in place as he saw one of the doors in front of him creak open. Despite all rationale, he fully expected the wraith to emerge from behind it. But it didn't. Instead he was met by the unfamiliar face of a robed grey canine.

"Are you lost, friend?", the canine asked, looking over the troubled-looking half-naked hyena. Hetroth hesitated for a moment, still in shock.

"Uh, I was looking for the lavatories.", Het said, not even entirely lying. He did feel a pressure on his intestines after what he'd just seen, and felt he could use a trip there.

"Oh. It's on the bottom floor. Next to the right stairwell.", the dog explained, completely dead-pan.

"Thanks.", Het said and went past the dispassionate robed dog, who went the other way. Only after he'd dropped out of sight did Hetroth begin to wonder what he was doing up at this time of night. Although it was hardly a priority in his mind right now.

***

He let the borrowed loincloth drop to the floor as he climbed back onto the bed, finding an empty spot next to the sprawled out buck. Laying there with only the sounds of Varik's heavy breathing, his thoughts were fixed on the green-eyed being he saw again. He'd wanted to ask Varik about it before, but then something got in the way and he'd forgotten all about it.

Although would he actually answer truthfully? The wraith-like being could very well be the result of dark magic. The sort of magic banned in most nations of the world. Magic involving blood sacrifices, mutilation, murder. He couldn't shake the feeling they were hiding something. Something dark. Perhaps shameful. Although he wasn't sure if the concept of shame was at all familiar to them.

The room he'd found. It seemed like that'd be where such rituals would occur. He'd have to seek it out again. Although he wondered when he'd get the chance next. The day after, they'd be setting out to Primum, and he wasn't about to miss out on sleep prior to travel. Plus it was equally likely the true place of such acts would actually be the depths beneath the building. Then again... Primum. If there was a place where they would be exercising their power beyond the law, there was a good chance it'd be in the capitol.

He sighed silently and rolled to his side, giving the unconscious deer's torso a gentle stroke from neck to groin, stopping to give his saggy testicles a fondle. He was very warm. Too warm for the weather they were experiencing. Hetroth decided to maintain some distance between them, only his hand resting over the buck's shoulder.

***

He woke in the early morning, barely past dawn, as the buck rose away from his grip. His sleep had been light and the minor movement was enough to stir him out of it.

"Morning.", Varik whispered as he rose to his hooves, looking slightly confused at how his loincloth got misplaced.

"Mrmn.", Het mumbled through the pillow, only to roll over onto his back. He sat up and looked around the now bright room, seeking his clothing.

"Your things were in cleaning. They should be dry by now.", Varik said, putting on his own loincloth. "Come. We'll go get them.", he said.

"Like this?", Hetroth asked, looking down at his nude form.

"Why not?", Varik asked back, a smirk upon his face.

"I... don't really feel like showing off my privates to everyone. Would you?", he countered.

"If I had an excuse, yes.", the buck said with a grin, making Hetroth tilt his head in bewilderment.

"I don't even know what to think of that.", Het said.

"So, coming? We can get breakfast along the way.", he goaded on.

"No.", Het responded simply.

"Very well. It's cute how bashful you are.", Varik said with a smile, moving towards the door.

"And it's questionable how devoid of shame you are.", Het countered with some uncertainty. Varik merely snickered in response.

***

"With the training hall again?", Hetroth asked as he realized where they were going. He was now dressed in a similar set of clothes as when he was here the first time.

"I thought you'd like that. Reading doesn't seem your idea of entertainment.", Varik said.

"Sure... just that I'd prefer not to be left alone again.", Het said.

"Oh, worry not. I intend to stay with you this time.", the stag said with a smile.

They walked into the training hall to find the weapon's master overlooking the sparring session of a wolf and a mutt, both of them looking rather under-experienced, their swings wild and reckless, much to the chagrin of the ram, who continued to shout instructions at the two trainees. "Bernig, stop leaping around! Siviri, lighter swings, you're throwing yourself off-balance!", he shouted. He briefly paused to trade nods with Varik as they walked past.

They approached one of the wall-hanging weapon racks. Varikas picked out a wooden mace and a shortsword, handing the latter to Hetroth. "Care to spar?", Varik asked, to which Het nodded with a mild smile. He'd been wanting to get another attempt at besting the buck in combat.

They moved out onto the training mat, taking their positions sufficiently far away from the other pair of trainees. They began with a series of swings and thrusts, warming up before the proper combat. Hetroth couldn't help but notice that it didn't exactly take prying eyes to get a decent look at Varik's manhood when he moved, at least when looking from the side. He also couldn't help but wonder how the buck would make up for his lack of armour. He relied on his arm guards during their previous confrontations, and they didn't seem that far apart in sheer combat skill.

Once they both felt ready, they turned to face one another, and assumed their combative stances. Hetroth approached with some caution, his wooden short sword held out in a testing manner. He threw a few quick thrusts, which Varikas answered by backing away and swatting at the sword rather clumsily. Emboldened by this, Het went in with a hard swing, wanting to shove the stag's weapon away, but as their weapons clashed, Varik managed to halt the sword's momentum through his superior strength.

Using the hyena's temporary surprise, Varik grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him in close, only to stick a leg behind Het's own and shouldered him hard, sending him slamming into the matted ground.

Het rose back up slowly, feeling stunned by how he'd been outmaneuvered, before reassuming his fighting stance.

This time it was the buck that approached first, throwing hard, wide swings, which Hetroth dodged with relative ease, albeit backing away in the process. Suddenly, Het evaded one of the stag's back-handed swings and went in for the "kill" beneath the mace. Instead of the anticipated opportunity to strike, however, he received a heavy kick to the left pectoral that floored him hard.

Cussing under his breath, he pushed himself back to his paws. He could hardly believe he was being this out-fought by the cervine. The buck kept drawing him in with false defensive gaps only to counter unexpectedly. He decided he'd hold off from attacking this time.

Hetroth threw a half-hearted swing, prompting their bout to resume. It continued for a good while with no real offensive from either side, merely cautious strikes that managed only to let their weapons clash. Seeing the fight was going nowhere this way, Varik began to fight more aggressively, closing the distance between them only to have Het move away in turn, preparing to counter some more clumsy attack. His chance never came, however, as the stag leapt in hard, blocking with his mace and kicking at the hyena's left leg, dropping him to one knee.

Desperately Hetroth thrust his sword at the buck, but Varik parried the attack and grabbed his arm with his free hand, finishing the attack with a knee to Het's solar plexus. Hetroth dropped to the floor, wheezing and grasping at his abdomen, the strike having robbed him of breath.

"I guess that's enough for now?", Varik asked. Hetroth nodded reluctantly.

"H-... how?... I thought we were pretty even...", Hetroth panted out between his laboured breaths.

"Oh, I just worked on a lacking of mine I've noticed.", Varik explained with a smile. "I barely used my free limbs to strike last we fought.", he said plainly.

There was truth in what he'd said, Hetroth realized. Each of the buck's attacks in their sparring session had employed some unarmed maneuver to gain an advantage, whereas he himself had utterly foregone the use of his fists in favour of his weapon. To his recollection, their first two fights were seemingly the opposite of that, with Hetroth employing his limbs freely and Varik using his mostly to defend. Perhaps Roeterick's effectiveness had influenced his tendencies. He'd bested Hetroth with ease, and never employed bare strikes at all.

On the other hand, he questioned how it was that Varik had gained such skill in unarmed techniques so soon after their encounters. Had he actually employed some enchantment to give himself an unfair advantage in a simple sparring match? He did have the red beads in his hair he used to ready and store his enchantments.

He climbed back up to his paws, ready to resume their sparring, but Varik raised his open palm, requesting pause. "I think you could learn a thing or two from some unarmed training.", the buck said.

"Pf. Fine. If you say so.", Het said, feeling the buck was toying with him. He could scarcely believe the buck could actually know as much on the matter as he did. Just that he needed to change his stance and start employing such moves. He threw his wooden weapon off the side, just off the mat. Varik snickered and walked off the mat, putting their weapons away onto the rack. It was irritating to Hetroth. He stood there, impatiently burrowing into the buck with his eyes as he slowly walked back towards the mat, only to stop at its edge. "Well?", Het asked, clearly impatient.

"Oh, you won't be fighting me. He's the trainer here.", Varik said, pointing behind the hyena. Hetroth didn't even need to turn around to know who he meant. His irritation quite suddenly turned to fear as he realized the great towering ram was standing right by him, somehow having crossed the distance towards the hyena without him noticing. For that matter, Varik hadn't even given a clear request. Het turned to face the half-giant of a man, his own face seemingly dispassionate about the coming bout, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Uh. I. I don't think I feel up to it, Varik.", Hetroth said, clearly intimidated by the much larger male.

"Calm yourself.", the ram spoke up, his voice deep and booming. "I intend to train you, not give you a beating.", he said.

"Ah-... I... very well...", Het stammered, fearing the ram would break him in more than one way.

"Come. Show me how you hit. Try not to hurt yourself.", the ram said, now stern faced and seemingly prepared to fight back. Hetroth assumed something of a fighting stance, although he didn't know enough not to feel ridiculous next to the apparently much more deliberate and hardened stance of the caprine.

Het swallowed hard and leapt in with as hard a punch as he could muster. It got deflected easily by the ram's right forearm. He immediately backed away, fearing retaliation, but found that none came.

He repeated his assault, this time throwing a series of three hits, each deflected or blocked with ease. It seemed the ram was allowing him to practice hits on a live target without greater repercussion. Although hitting at the ram's rock-like musculature provided a repercussion of its own, in the form of hurting knuckles.

His following attempt he threw a couple kicks, as high up as he could manage, which reached up only to the considerably taller male's abdomen. Much like the other attacks, these were blocked and dodged without worry. He attempted a front kick, putting his entire bodyweight behind the attack, but managed only to bounce off the ram's block and fall onto his rear. He quickly got up from his less than dignified position and resumed his attempts with renewed vigour, trying harder and harder to get past the muscular caprine's defences.

He threw a series of punches only to be blocked. He tried kneeing, only to have his leg deflected off to the side. He threw a hard elbow with his weight behind it, but the ram caught it, and then finally countered with an open-handed slap to Het's face.

Hetroth stumbled away, stunned by the sudden blow. It wasn't a particularly hard strike, at least coming from someone the size of the ram, but it stung. "You're supposed to be training your skill, not trying to beat me down. Don't get reckless.", the ram said plainly. Het was hesitant to go again, his cheek still prickling after the hard smack he'd received. "Now, try to kick higher. You could barely reach my chest with those flimsy kicks.", he goaded.

Het obliged, trying his best to throw high kicks against the mass of muscle. Tartagan was taller by at least a head, rather unusually considering his species, and as such, the best Hetroth could muster were side-kicks that reached up to his bicep and front kicks that barely went above his midsection, each attempt nearly ending in yet another collapse by the lackingly experienced hyena. The ram had actually let a few such kicks go without response, the strikes to his arm and legs apparently too insignificant to warrant a reaction. It was beginning to annoy Hetroth, despite his wariness of the intimidating caprine.

He threw a high front kick, wanting to at least reach up to the ram's chin, but he botched it hard, his attempt propelling him into the air, only to have his lowered paw lift forward slightly as well, sending him plummeting downwards. He barely noticed it, but as he fell, his attacking paw flew in a downward arc, and as luck would have it, knocked the ram's bulging manhood. It took a second to register for both of them, and as the ram doubled over mildly, gripping his hurting crotch, Het felt a renewed sense of terror as he saw the shock in Tartagan's eyes turn to anger. He dared not move an inch.

"Ah-heh. I think that's enough for now!", Varik stepped in, hoping to defuse the situation. "You alright, Targ?", he asked, pulling the paralyzed hyena to his paws while looking over towards the pained ram.

Tartagan scoffed, clearly too irked to answer in a non-confrontational manner. Instead he simply backed away and sat at a nearby bench, letting his ache pass in relative comfort.

"He'll be fine.", Varik whispered and pulled the shell-shocked hyena away.

"Uh. What about me?", Het asked in a hushed tone.

"Only if you give him time to cool down before you come here again.", Varik assured, smirking. That wasn't particularly comforting.

***

They moved down to the bottom floor, and deep into the far corridors. "Bath time, I assume?", Hetroth asked as they went.

"Yes. Thought you'd prefer to get clean after sparring.", Varik said.

"I do.", he admitted, feeling mildly heated and sore following his recent failures as a fighter. He still couldn't get over how easily he'd been bested by Varik. The way his training with Tartagan went, on the other hand, made him nervous about his future encounters with the ram.

"We'll be heading into a different bathing room today.", Varik noted.

"Oh? Something fancier?", Hetroth asked.

"I suppose you could say that. Bigger, for one thing.", he explained. He seemed somewhat evasive, Het noted, although without realizing what it meant, his thoughts still fixated on his failure in training.

They entered a rather spacious room, regular indentations decorating its walls, in which small piles of clothes laid. Echoes of splashing and shouts resonated from further beyond. Hetroth caught a brief glimpse of a nude brown canine leave through the other door. Only then did he realize what this was.

"Have you lost mind? I can't go out into a public bath.", Het said, looking shocked at the very suggestion.

"Why not?", Varik asked, smirking again. He knew all too well why.

"It's embarrassing.", Het said, blushing at the very thought, only to have a short, brown stallion enter, a curt nod shared between him and Varik before he began to disrobe. Hetroth couldn't have gotten any redder in the face.

"Come now. It's not as if you have much to be ashamed of.", Varik assured as he unstrapped his only article of clothing with a sly smile. The 'much' part made the statement only deepen Het's fears.

"Couldn't we go for something more private?", Het pleaded, trying to avert his eyes from the surprisingly under-endowed equine as he walked past. Varik strode over to the trembling hyena, his maleness swaying wildly with each step.

"Here, let me help.", he said and began to unbutton Hetroth's shirt. Despite the heat pervading the room, Het felt chills go down his spine. Eventually he took over in getting undressed, resigned to his shameful fate.

He tried to convince himself it wouldn't be that bad. He'd been in a public baths before. Just that he'd steered clear of them ever since. At least he'd only be naked among males. Although he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not considering he took a liking to the male form. Varik did as well, but he likely wasn't as excitable as him.

"Alright. I'm ready... I think.", Het said, covering himself.

"Good. Follow.", Varik said, a sly smile plastered on his face as he grabbed a pair of fresh wash cloths from a pile near the doorway. "You merely draw attention to your shame by covering yourself, you know.", he added. Hetroth decided not to protest and tried his best to remain bare.

As they crossed into the pool area, Hetroth froze for a moment, realizing things were even less as expected than he thought possible. Not only was the large open bathing room full of nude people, it was people of either gender. He had little time to dwell on this, however, as Varikas pulled him on.

"Don't just gawk and dawdle.", Varik chuckled, finding the hyena's ever rising embarrassment adorable.

"I... didn't expect there to be women here.", he admitted in whisper, uncertain whether to consider that something obvious or another sign of his own ignorance he should be ashamed of. Instead he just felt somewhat stunned.

The area was a huge hall, more wide and long than tall, a square pool of considerable size taking up nearly half its surface, the rest divided up between a number of smaller pools. Its walls were lined with statues and reliefs, mostly nudes of various sorts, as if the hall didn't see its fair share of those regardless. It was bereft of any windows from all sides, instead the noon sunlight poured in through an iron-secured clear glass skylight. Were it not for the circumstances, Hetroth would've been highly appreciative of how beautiful it looked.

Just about everyone looked fit, some downright chiselled. It seemed somewhat strange considering All Knowing normally came across as the scholarly types. Here, most seemed to engage in more physical activities than was normally associated with their kind. For every figure lazying about, two others seemed to be busy cutting and leaping through the deep waters of the pool.

Very few of them seemed to have noticed them enter, although some of the ones that did seemed to give them their full attention. Hetroth kept close behind the considerably more confident buck, hoping to be shielded from the piercing gaze of those around. Unfortunately for him, their focus wasn't directed at the stag.

The murmur and splashing continued to resound as it had before they'd entered, the sounds of their steps mostly masked by the ambiance of the scene, despite the acoustics of the large room. They made their way towards one of the unoccupied smaller pools, its depth barely enough to submerge up to the neck while sat in, even to one of Het's size. Hetroth was pleased to find the water was rather warm, despite the lack of any apparent heating. A single, big half-way step around the pool's edges provided them a relatively comfortable place to sit, although the depth to which it elevated them made for very clearly visible nethers.

"Why are we even here?", Hetroth whispered, looking around apprehensively for any gawkers.

"To get clean. And for a swim if you wish.", Varik said, handing Het one of the wash cloths he brought with him from the changing room.

"Couldn't we have done that in private?", Het asked, sounding mildly bitter.

"Can't exactly go for a swim in one of the private rooms. And I rather enjoy the atmosphere here.", he said with a pitying smile, beginning to firmly run a wash cloth through his fur. Het soon followed his lead.

"I can't say I share the sentiment.", Hetroth murmured, still occasionally glancing around with how watched he felt.

"You'll warm up to the idea. I would imagine you'd like to have a good look at some of the other males from time to time. They usually don't mind. Much.", Varik teased.

"Uh, I'm not like that.", Het assured, uncertain which alternative was the less desirable in the eyes of the buck - that he was a prude or that he could like staring at someone other than him.

"Of course.", Varik chuckled, suddenly running a hand up the hyena's thigh. Hetroth jumped slightly, shocked to have the stag engage in lewd acts out in public like this.

"S-stop!", Het pleaded in hushed yet elevated tone. But Varik's hand continued, grabbing him by the sac and straddling its contents.

"I thought you liked me touching you there.", Varik teased, stifling laughter.

"Not around others!", Hetroth protested, his face achieving a brand new shade of beet red.

"Oh? Are you ashamed of me?", Varik teased.

"Right now? Yes!", Het said, maintaining his hushed tone, even as his length slowly hardened. He wanted to flee back out of the pool hall, but even that was now an undesirable prospect with the erection between his legs. Their little scuffle hadn't gone entirely without notice, as Het realized some of the other bathers were throwing glances at them. "People are watching.", he whispered pleadingly.

"So? Let them.", the stag said and locked lips with him, releasing only after a couple seconds. "It's not like others don't get friendly with each other here. Well, not at the moment, but you get the idea.", he whispered, now gently squeezing the hyena's engorged maleness.

"I'd... I'd rather we stopped.", Het protested on, somewhat regretting it with how good it felt, and how it'd been the first intimate contact they'd shared in over a week.

"Very well.", Varik smiled and finally moved off, Hetroth breathing a small sigh of relief. Although his excitement hadn't died down at all. "Guess that'll leave more for tonight.", he said, giving the hyena a peck on the cheek before returning to cleaning.

Het said no more, and began cleaning as well, trying to ignore his hard-on, hoping no one would come up and get a closer look. Unfortunately for him, it didn't seem to be going away. Then Varik grabbed him again, this time through his wash cloth.

"Here, let me help.", the deer said, firmly tugging and rubbing at Het's rod, renewing its excitement.

"Oh gods, no.", Het pleaded again, annoyed with the buck's persistence in embarrassing him.

"Sorry.", Varik snickered and put away his wash cloth, deciding to instead enjoy the sight of Hetroth cleaning himself in shame for a while. "I think I shall go for a swim in the deeper pool. Care to join me?", Varik asked. Hetroth was troubled to find an appropriate response.

"Uh. I think I'll just stay here for a while.", Het said. "Don't really want to try swimming with a 'rudder'.", he added, inciting a snort from Varik.

"Alright. I'll go by myself, then.", he said, barely able to contain his amusement, and lifted himself from the shallow pool. Hetroth stared after him, watching him strut shamelessly with his wet manhood dangling freely, only to drop out of sight as he slipped into the bigger pool.

Hetroth sighed, feeling even more exposed with the buck gone. He wanted to come with, but the prospect of revealing himself in his current state was too much for him. He decided he'd try and wait it out, letting his arousal die down. He began to idly look around, wanting to find something to take his mind off of less savoury thoughts. He quickly found that looking at the other patrons yielded the opposite effect. Glancing towards the artwork around the walls was no better considering what they represented.

With a sigh, he leaned his head back and looked towards the sky, past the glass skylight. It was clear for the most part, the occasional cloud passing by on lazy winds. This was a considerably more helpful sight for his purpose, and he quickly entered a pleasant daze. He snapped out of it just as suddenly, however, when a commotion turned his attention towards somewhere behind him.

There, upon a mat he hadn't actually noticed till now, he witnessed two figures, male and female from the sounds of it, nude as all the others, grappling. Grunts and groans of exertion accompanied each maneuver. It was enough to stir his imagination in directions currently undesirable to him.

"Gods under.", he cussed to himself, wanting to simply dip his head somewhere he wouldn't be able to see nor hear what was transpiring around him. He imagined it could not get any worse, yet somehow it did.

"Enjoying yourself?", an unfamiliar, female voice called out from in front of him. In a slight panic, he bolted upright and pulled one of his knees up to his chest, desperately wanting to cover himself in any way possible.

"Uh. I guess.", he stammered, only now getting a look at who'd walked up to his pool. Although he failed to connect the face to anyone he'd met thus far. She was a short-haired grey wolf, young, not far from his age most likely. Her attire was no different than that of anyone else in the area, making Hetroth's blush re-emerge from under his fur. Somewhat similarly to Varik, her body beheld a series of scars, although to a lesser extent. Only once he'd finished inspecting her visually did he realize her words may've had a different meaning than he initially thought, likely on account of the tell-tale sign he was trying to rid himself of moments earlier.

"So you're Varik's boy, huh?", she asked before Hetroth could expand on his initial response. She crouched down and sat at the pool's edge, leaning back on her arms and dipping only her legs, her legs spread wider than Het would've wanted. It made maintaining eye contact somewhat awkward for the troubled hyena.

"Y-yes.", he stammered, immediately regretting his clear embarrassment. "Hetroth.", he added, trying to ignore their current shared lack of modesty.

"Niridith.", she answered. "Heard you've had a run-in with my sister.", she said with a smile. It took him a moment to recall whom she meant.

"The... brown wolf? The librarian?", Hetroth asked, unable to recall her name. Although what she'd walked in on was a pretty vivid memory.

"Yes, Merada.", she said, her smile widening as she noticed the look of realization on Hetroth's face. "Were it me walking in on that, I'd have asked to join. Or at least watch.", she snickered, her words inciting further surprise in the cowering hyena. Hetroth hesitated, glancing towards the pool where Varik swam, as if hoping the stag would come to save him from the increasingly awkward conversation.

"Uh, that's... flattering?", Hetroth said uncertainly, readjusting his raised leg to cover himself better.

"I'm glad you think so. Does that mean you would accept my request?", she asked, moving her legs slightly further apart, the suggestion quite clear.

"D-don't think Varik would approve.", he stammered, quickly regretting he didn't just state that as his preference.

"I meant with him as well. I know he isn't interested in women, but he'd likely allow me in if you asked. Though I doubt he'd mind you having some fun on the side without him either.", she suggested, winking.

His mind was racing on how to escape this line of questioning. He wasn't even sure what he'd thought of it all. Suddenly he realized he wasn't even sure if this wasn't something he wanted to try, having had no real experience with women. The very idea of more than two people participating in a sexual act was sufficiently baffling to him. And then came the suggestion that Varik would allow a fling without him even participating. He wanted to be honest, but he wasn't certain what the truth was. All he knew was he was confused.

"I-... uh...", he tried to answer, but failed to form a coherent sentence.

"I can see you're somewhat taken aback. How about you give it some thought and decide later?", she said, still smiling.

"Uh, not sure when that'll be. We're heading off tomorrow.", he said as she slowly rose back up to her paws, barely able to withhold a sigh of relief.

"Well, we're all headed for Primum. Why don't we resume this conversation there?", she suggested.

'Please no.', he thought to himself, but simply nodded meekly instead.

"Been a pleasure talking to you.", she said with one last smirk before setting off out of the pool hall towards one of the changing rooms, leaving Hetroth to contemplate what'd just happened.

He knew his face was red enough to shine through his fur, and he felt hot enough to send the surrounding water into a boil had the conversation gone on much longer. He submerged his head in the water once and twice, wanting to cool the heat from his cheeks. He found that the rush of water in his ears was preferable to the still continuing sounds of the two wrestlers.

His mind was postponing the inevitable, however. The conversation troubled his thoughts in more ways than one, multiplying the questions he'd have going through his head for the following days, maybe weeks. Was this sort of behaviour normal among this guild? So far everyone he'd gotten to know to any extent certainly made it seem that way. And what was that about allowing sex with someone other than your partner? Was it a common occurrence? Or was he just being goaded? And finally, perhaps most troubling of all, was he actually interested in what the wolf had offered? He preferred males, he knew that much. But was he completely disinterested in the opposite sex?

He sighed, frustrated with the many questions he now had, some of which he wouldn't even know whom and how to ask. Although suddenly he realized the problem he'd been dealing with before the lupine had come over to him had died down by itself during their conversation. Perhaps that was one of his questions answered, he thought to himself.

"I see you had a talk with Niridith.", Varik said, finally bringing Het's chaotic stream of consciousness to a halt. "Made arrangements for a fling, I assume?", he added, half-jokingly, but it proved quite effective at making Hetroth jump regardless.

"N-no!", he assured, although the inconclusiveness of the previous exchange made that feel like a half-truth. Varikas chuckled and lowered himself into the small basin, next to Hetroth.

"Worry not, I jest.", he said, pulling the hyena to lean on him. Hetroth merely rolled his eyes.

"It was a rather... troubling talk.", he said.

"Oh? Afraid I'd be jealous?", Varik asked, raising a brow.

"I don't know anymore. Have... have you been with anyone while I was away?", he asked uncertainly, fearing the question would prove hurtful.

"No.", he said simply, as if it was merely a question of curiosity. But he quickly picked up on Het's concerns. "I take it you're a bit concerned as to what passes for faithfulness here?", Varik asked.

"You could say that. The way Niridith put it, it sounded a fair bit unlike I envision it.", Hetroth admitted.

"You likely shouldn't assume Niridith's idea as the standard here, but yes, some of us here have a different idea of what a relationship allows.", Varik said, considering his words carefully. "I don't consider it a crime to occasionally bed someone else, or to invite a third party to participate... but I wouldn't do it without your consent.", he assured.

"I see.", Hetroth said, seemingly losing himself in thought for a moment.

"And what do you make of it? Does the idea bother you?", Varik asked.

"I'm... not sure.", Het said, trying to imagine the concept at work. "So you'd want to involve Ketronius? Or Neccado?", he asked.

"Want is a strong word. Wouldn't mind. Might even find it an exciting bit of variety. If only to see how you'd react.", the stag snickered, running a hand through the hyena's damp hair.

"I think I can see some appeal in it.", Hetroth admitted, feeling a mild tingling in his loins at the thought. "But I don't know if I'd actually want to go through with it.", he added, not wanting to give the buck the wrong idea.

"I understand. At least you're open to the idea.", Varik said with a smile.

"And would you be open to the idea if the third party was a woman?", Hetroth asked, half-jokingly, earning an apprehensively raised brow from the buck.

"Ugh. Niri's gotten in your head, hasn't she?", he asked, shaking his head.

"No. It's not that. Well, maybe.", he said, realizing his sudden line of thought, thus far mostly unexplored, hadn't come from nowhere. "I guess I'd never met one as open about it.", he said, blushing somewhat.

"Well, don't take it as a compliment. She tends to be appreciative of anyone who isn't a canine.", Varik said with a smirk.

"Huh? How so?", Het asked.

"Well, she enjoys the more carnal pleasures as much as the rats, but she's also not looking forward to starting a family, if you get my meaning.", he explained. "And, as rotten luck would have it, the seemingly most willing candidates in the guild happen to prefer men.", he added.

"Oh. Rotten luck indeed.", Hetroth said, considering how it was pure luck that he'd ended up where he was now. "Wait, Tartagan as well?", Het asked.

"No. Unfortunately no.", Varik laughed. "Just tied down. And very strict about it.", Varik said.

"I see.", Hetroth said, followed by a moment of silence.

The noises of the pair of wrestlers continued to resonate throughout the hall, seemingly even louder now that they'd stopped talking. Not even the sounds of chatter and water splashing could rival them anymore.

"So. No intention of going for a swim?", Varik asked.

"No. Not today at least.", Het said.

"Very well. Ready to leave, then?", Varik asked on, rising to his hooves.

"Yes.", Hetroth said, openly eager to leave the troubling setting. As if to serve as further incentive, Tartagan walked in the room just then.

Hetroth followed after Varik, keeping close to maintain some semblance of cover without revealing his shame by covering himself.

"To be honest, I was getting tired of those two wrestling.", Hetroth said quietly, not wanting to announce his displeasure too openly.

"Oh? Why?", Varik asked.

"It's just... started to sound like they were doing something else entirely.", Hetroth said.

"Oh, they've actually been fucking for quite a while now.", Varik said, the shocked look on Hetroth's face as he glanced back towards the mat bringing a toothy grin to his own.

***

Hetroth was a bit surprised to learn of their new destination for the day. They would be travelling out of the guild, somewhere in the city the buck wanted to show him.

"Do you think it's wise to be travelling around the city with my guild potentially watching?", Hetroth asked as he pulled his pants on, bringing some relief to his sense of modesty.

"Well, not to alarm you, but they've yet to come looking.", he said, pulling his arm guards on. He wanted to look somewhat more presentable than usual, apparently. "I don't think they're putting much weight to your 'abduction'. I strongly doubt they're paying attention.", he said.

"Huh. I see.", Het said. "Well, they didn't react instantly last time either.", he noted. "Are you sure this trip is worth the risk? We're setting out tomorrow anyway.", he asked.

"Not really. Call this irrational, but I find the risk preferable to seeing you bored.", Varik explained, smiling.

"Wouldn't have to be bored. Could get busy with each other.", Het suggested with a smirk.

"That wouldn't last us till night. Come. We'll check up on the rats along the way.", Varik said. Hetroth protested no more.

***

During their return trip, Ketronius couldn't stop gripping at his gonads. He'd even foregone wearing pants at some point, continuing his journey in loincloth only. His testicles had assumed a deep shade of purple, and had swollen to twice their already prominent natural size. Not even the pain numbing drugs they employed were enough to entirely dim the ache. Still, he seemed to have been slowly getting better. Or just used to it.

As they entered the rats' room, they got an eye-full of Ketronius' engorged pair. He was lying on their joint bed, spread-eagle and trying to sleep apparently, only to raise his head at the sudden visit. Perhaps were it not for his recent experiences and the fact that he was looking at the result of a painful injury, Hetroth would've found the lack of cover more than troublesome to his sense of decency. Instead it was merely distracting, if not sympathy-inducing, but Het still tried to keep looking at the rat's genitals to a minimum. Neccado was sitting next to his injured brother, holding a book in a manner surprisingly careless considering the value they represented.

"Greetings.", Neccado welcomed them with a smile. It seemed almost uncharacteristic for him.

"How do you fare?", Varik asked, looking over the other rat.

"Not too bad.", Necca said.

"Speak for yourself.", Ketronius interjected, sounding tired.

"Still hurting, I see.", Varik commented. "You did consult the healers, yes?", he asked.

"Of course. Applied salves and ointments and all. Ketri's just whining.", Necca teased, although sounding cautious in his jest. "The bruising's gone down quite a bit, at least.", he said. Indeed it had, as it had gone down from a dark purple to a much lighter one, almost gone.

"It still hurts like you wouldn't imagine.", Ketronius added, sounding bitter.

"But getting better, right?", Varik asked.

"Yes.", Ketronius answered with some reluctance. "But as much as I'd normally like the attention, I'd rather you stopped talking and staring at my balls.", he added, looking annoyed.

"Right. Sorry. Get some rest.", Varik admitted and moved back towards the door. "Necca, a word if you may.", he said as he opened the door. Neccado followed.

Once out the door, Varik turned away from Hetroth and whispered something to the rat. Necca glanced over to Hetroth, then stared off into the distance thoughtfully before nodding with a smirk.

"What was that about?", Hetroth asked as Varik returned to his side.

"Guild business.", Varik snickered. For some reason it seemed like he was lying. Hetroth shrugged as they went down the stairs.

"Think Ketronius is going to be alright?", Het asked after a while.

"Yes. Although he won't be able to attend our trip to Primum. Consequently, neither will his brother. A shame.", Varik said.

"What's so significant about Primum anyway?", Hetroth asked. By now it was apparent there was something more to it, considering they weren't the only ones going there.

"Other than being the capitol?", Varik asked.

"You know what I mean.", Hetroth said, annoyed with the evasive counter-question.

"Well, that's for you to learn once we get there. Much like our current destination.", the stag said. "Enjoy life's surprises while they last.", he added with a smile. Hetroth rolled his eyes. He had little idea why the buck was being so evasive, and he didn't like it.

***

They made their way through the busy city streets, occasionally weaving and shoving their way through the small groups of passers-by, although at most times the very sight of Varik was enough to make people alter their course on their own. Hetroth kept an eye out for someone from his guild, wary that some might come after them to get him back.

At one point he thought he saw the familiar form of Ivid, but that quickly passed as the ferret-like shape disappeared amongst a crowd of market-goers. Eventually he gave up looking, figuring he was being paranoid. Although the thought that he'd been abandoned bothered him a fair bit.

They travelled North, a long ways away from the comfort of the All Knowing guild hall, into areas somewhat less reputable, but still far from the sorts of dregs one could find at the very outskirts. Here they came upon an oval-shaped establishment, made of stone, a downwards stairway leading to its entrance. At the doors stood a pair of lightly armoured guards, canines both. Without a word, Varik produced the necessary coin and dropped it in the palm of the one on the right. They entered.

The inside they found to be a large, round, open hall, dim around the edges, bright in the middle. Hetroth quickly realized they'd come to some sort of fighting arena. There were 3 floors apparent - at the very centre laid the combat pit, relatively steep slopes surrounding its edges leading up to the ground floor, where most of the patrons stood or sat in simple chairs, some next to small tables. Above them was a second storey, its floor giving way around the radius of the pit. It was slightly tilted towards the middle, to better serve as an observation deck.

The other patrons seemed a mixed crowd. Some looked fairly influential, donned in finely decorated robes and jewelry, often accompanied by what looked like a bodyguard or two. Others ranged from commoners to thuggish looking types, ready to punch someone for looking at them funny. Hetroth wondered how he and Varikas fit in this classification.

They found a pair of seats not far from the middle of the ground floor. Apparently it was quite sparsely populated this time of day. The pit itself was currently vacant of combat as well, some menials wiping down the polished wood that made up the floor.

"So, an arena.", Hetroth remarked as they sat. "Not quite what I was expecting from your excitement.", he noted. "Is this even legal?", he asked, looking around with some apprehension.

"Of course. I just wanted to show you a kind of fighting I have a special fondness for.", he said, smiling mischievously. "Tartagan showed me this place. Didn't think much of it at first, but then I saw some of the day-time amateur fights.", he explained.

"If you say so.", Het concluded, figuring it couldn't be too bad. Just as their talk concluded, two fighters entered the pit at opposite ends, an arbiter standing off to the side between them.

"Aw, damn. They're doing a women's fight now.", Varik said, looking disappointed for some reason Hetroth couldn't quite fathom. "I'll go fetch us some food and drinks.", he said and went up towards a counter where a keep stood.

"Fight!", the pit arbiter called out.

Hetroth observed as the fight started, two female mutts, one brown and long-haired, one black and short-haired, both wearing only pants, gloves and vests, going at each other with fists and paws only, their grunts and yelps accompanied by the odd cheers and leers of the few spectators around. He could certainly see why Varik would see some appeal in such fights, considering his recent interest in unarmed combat, but he was still curious to know why a women's fight in particular wasn't of interest to him. Did he get off on seeing men fight it out? It certainly seemed a possibility, although an odd one.

"Here you go.", Varik said, handing the hyena a cup of what looked like honeyed milk, setting aside two plates of food on their table. At the same time, the brown mutt had landed a particularly harsh strike to the other one's face, blood spilling from her opponent's nose.

"Thanks.", Hetroth said, taking a sip, finding it to be at least mildly alcoholic. "Not drugged, is it?", Hetroth asked, cynically rather than jokingly. Varik chuckled and shook his head. "So why is this fight not to your satisfaction?", Het asked inquisitively.

"Oh, well... they don't land the kinds of blows I like to watch. You'll see.", Varikas said with an innocent smile, just as one of the fighters punched the other in the left lower back, as if to punctuate his words. The brown mutt fell to the floor, reeling and groaning in agony. "Although that was a good one.", he admitted, snickering. He briefly put his cup away to give the battered and bloodied victor a reserved round of applause.

Hetroth wasn't sure what to think of that. But sure enough, once the fallen mutt got carried off, next came two males. Fairly average looking, a grey wolf and a white mutt, both looking to be in their early 20s. They were dressed in much the same way as their predecessors.

"Fight!", the arbiter shouted, much as before, the two assuming their fighting stances and beginning to circle each other.

It didn't take long for them to start flinging wild punches and kicks at each other, initially finding little success due to both of them maintaining caution. The fight quickly began to escalate, however, as they landed increasingly severe hits to each other's limbs, the pain pushing them on to retaliate harder and harder until finally, the wolf managed to land a hard kick that floored the mutt.

"There we go!", Varik cheered, obviously entertained. At first it seemed as though the kick had landed in the mid-section, but the way the dog rolled into a ball suggested he'd certainly earned a blow characteristic to a male combatant. Hetroth cringed in sympathy.

"So this is what you meant.", Hetroth said with some concern, observing as the canine continued to roll around on the floor while the lupine strutted around him dismissively.

Varik nodded with an almost embarrassed looking smile. "Yes. A guilty pleasure of mine.", he said.

"So you really like seeing men getting hit down there.", Hetroth said, wanting a confirmation of what he'd assessed.

"Yes. I have a particular... fascination regarding that.", the stag explained. "And the amateur fights are ideal in that regard. The fighters usually can't take a hit there, so they go down easy. Makes for an entertaining spectacle.", he said, a sly smile on his face as he watched the mutt slowly drag himself back up to his paws.

"That's somewhat concerning, I have to say.", Hetroth noted, just as the mutt began to wail at the wolf, attempting to gain revenge, only to have most of his attacks cut through the air.

"Oh, worry not. It's not like I've ever hit you there without provocation.", Varik chuckled. "You were usually the one more eager to injure me that way.", he added.

Hetroth considered this for a moment, thinking back to their encounters. "True.", he realized aloud. Although he still felt some unease at this revelation.

They observed on for a while, watching as the wolf countered some of the mutt's wild attacks, until finally, one of his dodges slipped and the mutt fell on top of him, the two tangled together on the floor.

Their grapple quickly devolved into trading blows, until partially by luck, the mutt brought his knee between the wolf's legs hard, merely in an attempt to regain his footing. The lupine seemed to weaken at this, as he now struggled to try and throw the dog off of himself and tend to his obviously hurting groin, instead earning another knee for his efforts, then another, until he finally tapped out.

Varikas applauded the fight strongly. Hetroth joined in to a lesser extent. He certainly had to acknowledge their willingness to go through such brutal hits just for the sake of entertaining some miniscule crowd.

"So you want me to do that to you next time we're in bed?", Hetroth asked, semi-jokingly. Who knew what the stag actually wanted at this point.

"Not particularly. I find it somewhat exciting in retrospect, but normally I prefer to be spectating. Or on the giving end of things.", Varik said, his currently cheerful demeanour not waning in the slightest.

"I see.", Hetroth said with some concern. He certainly didn't feel like being on the receiving end either.

"Besides, it's not quite the same without mutuality.", Varik said. "Not to mention you've already tried something of the sort today.", he added with a smirk. Het didn't answer, feeling somewhat ashamed at his nightly assault.

***

They'd stayed for several more fights, steadily downing more of their drinks until the fights picked up in quality and thus reduced Varik's interest. Although judging by the stirring of Varik's loincloth, he'd gotten his fill of male-specific injuries for the day. It was late afternoon by the time they'd left, the sun's final rays peering over the roof tops, just out of reach to them.

"The most that ever happens when the bigger guys fight is grazing hits.", he complained on the way back. "Although it's fun to imagine what'd happen if one of those titans struck another between the legs.", he added, his eyes lost in an image unseen to any but him.

"Somehow I imagine it's not a thing I'd like to see.", Hetroth said, thinking back to the forest battle he and the rats had gone through. He wasn't particularly proud of the way he'd ended it. He downright pitied the wolf he'd neutered, and who knew where he was now.

"For all the musculature they've built up over the years, down below didn't get any tougher.", Varik continued on, seemingly ignoring what Het just said.

"You're really obsessed with this.", Het said, looking concerned over the thus unknown aspect of Varik he was getting to know. Much like with just about everything else he'd learned recently, he didn't really know what to think of it.

"I'd call it a hobby.", the stag said with a grin.

***

They returned to the guild hall just as the street lanterns were being lit. Varikas seemed particularly in a hurry to get them back to his room. Het figured the sights and sounds of the pit had gotten him riled up. As he was led into the buck's chambers, however, he was met with a less expected surprise.

Within, sprawled out atop their bed, he found a completely nude male grey rat. The short, messy hair and pair of earrings in his right ear identified him as Neccado, sure enough. But even in his half-hearted attempt at looking away from the astonishing sight, he noticed the rodent's right ear wasn't the only part of him adorned with piercings.

"Took you long enough.", Necca said, sounding annoyed, yet maintaining a sly smile.

"I think we appear to be right on time, as arranged.", Varikas said, revealing it was his idea. "Het, you were curious about inviting a third party. Well, now's the chance to explore.", he said. Hetroth walked forward, stunned and limp-legged.

"Uh. This is a bit sudden.", Het said, seemingly in shock.

"Worry not. We'll take it slow.", Varik assured, beginning to unbutton the hyena's vest from behind. Neccado remained on the bed, his legs spread apart, presenting his maleness to the gawking Het. His balls were no smaller than Ketronius' massive pair. His cock, on the other hand, looked a fair bit over the average, almost long enough to stand up to the size of his testicles. The small golden ring at its tip, an adornment Hetroth was surprised to see attached at such a sensitive spot, only served to accentuate its length.

"I can handle it from here.", Hetroth said as the buck helped pull his shirt off. Varik nodded and began to pull his own raiments off.

As he let his trousers fall to the floor, he could see the rat beginning to get excited, his considerably longer tail swishing from side to side along the sheets, his toes parting and digging into the mattress in anticipation. It made Hetroth somewhat nervous.

Once down to loincloth, he faltered for a moment, debating whether to actually go through with it. Like many times before, however, Varik made the decision for him, unstrapping his loincloth from behind, a rush of chills going over him as he was suddenly exposed before the impatient rodent. "Come, let's get comfortable.", the stag whispered, leading the hyena onto the soft bed.

Just as Hetroth sat down, the rat darted up behind him and embraced him close, temporarily robbing the hyena of breath as he gasped at the suddenness of it all. Varikas seemed content to watch as Het got acclimatized to the feeling of Neccado's caress over his shoulders.

Next the rodent's soft, furless hand slid downwards, from chest to lower abdomen, his fingers merely brushing Het's tuft of pubic hair as they detoured towards the outside of his left thigh, only to shift towards the inner side of his knee and slowly begin to creep up towards his eagerly awaiting manhood. Hetroth shivered with each movement, as Necca's hands steadily neared his most private parts. They never quite got there, as the rat instead pressed himself closer, gently running his hands over the hyena's quivering body, teasingly avoiding his groin, allowing Het's length to slowly grow and harden on its own.

Hetroth could feel the rat's limp yet prominent genitals rubbing against his backside, every movement of his tail seemingly managing to tease the increasingly horny rodent's cock and testes. They were soon both hard and eager, in spite of Het's nerves.

The prodding of Necca's penis against Het's rump gave him an idea of what would come next. Instead, the rat dove in under the hyena's right arm and dipped down towards Het's throbbing maleness, bypassing the rod and directing his attention towards the testes. He gave the hyena's sac a couple testing licks, a steadily diminishing flinch accompanying every wet touch, before widening his maw enough to engulf the two orbs.

Het stifled a pleasant sigh, the tension of the new experience giving way to moist yet warm bliss. Glancing back towards the buck, he found Varik sprawled out, idly stroking his own slowly hardening member and gazing right back at the unfolding scene with lustful eyes. Looking towards the little rat working on his gonads again, he found a similar gaze looking up at him. The rodent began to teasingly nip and tug at the hyena's sac, sending light shivers through him.

Just as abruptly, the rat let the hyena's gonads drop out of his mouth. He then gave the shaft a long, firm lick, stopping just before the glans. Then, having determined the hyena was pent up enough, he rolled over and pulled at Hetroth's shoulder, planting him on his back before swiftly bringing himself up to sit on the hyena's chest, Necca's saggy soft parts hanging heavily right in front of Het's nose, their fragrance flooding his senses with a strength greater than even the buck's. For someone his size, the musk he emanated was incredibly potent.

Then, Neccado lightly lifted his rump, shoving his genitals right into the pinned down hyena's muzzle, and began to gyrate his hips. He wasn't actually trying to get his dick and balls in Het's mouth. He was smothering him, leaving his male scent all over his face. Hetroth finally took what little initiative he had and opened his maw, extending his tongue to lap at the impressively sized gonads as he thought was expected of him.

"Just don't bite, alright?", Neccado teased as he lowered his cumbersome testicles into the hyena's gaping mouth. His cock was quickly getting hard by now. Hetroth had a little trouble fitting the two massive orbs in his maw, and initially could only really continue to lick at the rat's nuts, his teeth occasionally unintentionally nipping at the sensitive skin. Eventually he managed to close his lips around them, easing the pressure of his fangs on the sac's neck as the two testicles aligned themselves on his tongue, the left taking precedence before the right. He tightened his chops and sucked on the two plums, pulling back as far as his head would allow.

Just as he began to really feel the tension in his stiff rod, Varik came in and roughly grabbed Neccado's dick, pulling back the foreskin as he did so. "You look ready.", he commented, gripping the rat's dick as if checking his pulse.

Necca nodded with a smile and lifted himself gently, Hetroth's lips parting as the now damp, fuzzy orbs slipped out of his maw. The rat then turned around, maintaining the position of his dick and balls over Het's face. He then presented Hetroth with his stiff prick, poking him in the nose. The scent was now so heavy it was intoxicating, and made the hyena feel almost dizzy. He opened his mouth once more, permitting the stiff, pulsing length to enter. At the same time, the rat now lowered himself face-first towards the hyena's eagerly awaiting girth.

While not even comparable to Varik's, the rodent's cock still presented a considerable challenge to take in all at once, one Hetroth doubted he could accomplish. His thoughts temporarily drifted elsewhere, however, as the buck finally joined them, his own member hard and ready. He positioned himself behind the rat, granting Het a close-up view only partially obscured by Neccado's testes resting on his nose, as the deer spat in his hand, lubricating his dick, before rather roughly shoving it into the already pre-occupied rodent. Necca gave out a pleasant gasp as his rear was quite suddenly and roughly stretched, a hold maintained on his tail to keep him in place and keep his motions from getting too uncomfortable for the hyena beneath.

They became a single writhing mass, gyrating and panting in pleasure. Hetroth's eyes were fixated on the two pairs of gonads, one of them slapping rhythmically into the other, both moving nearer and farther from his nose. His hot breath streamed heavily into Necca's still damp gonads each time they lowered onto his nose. Having realized his hands were free, he slowly reached up and grabbed both pairs, one in each hand. It made Varik pause for a split second in surprise, but he quickly continued his efforts, the hyena's touch adding to the pleasant sensations. Het really liked the feeling of holding the two sets of manhoods in his hands as well, their furry pouches stretching and tensing against his grip as they moved. As if taking a cue from him, he felt Neccado begin to grip and gently knead the hyena's balls. This quickly brought him to the edge.

Hetroth gave out a loud whimper, hoping to warn the rat of his coming climax, but Necca's experience let him notice the coming flood of seed just by the tension of Het's muscles. He swallowed the spurts of semen as they came, continuing to bob his head up and down the hyena's length. Once Hetroth's orgasm finally died down, Neccado let his still hard but slowly softening prick flop out of his mouth and onto the hyena's belly. He continued to gently lick and nudge the hyena's parts as the two other males continued to work him. He came soon after.

Hetroth wasn't as prepared for the rat's climax, and almost choked in surprise when the first spurt came. The rat quickly eased his task, however, as he pulled out of the hyena's maw and quickly began to stroke himself hard, sending the rest of his seed splattering all over Hetroth's torso. The taste of what little went into his mouth he found strangely more pleasant than either his or the deer's. Somewhat sweeter. Still just tolerable, however.

The buck continued to plough into the rat for a while longer, his pace steadily quickening as he neared his own peak. Both out of curiosity and wanting to help, Hetroth tightened his grip on the deer's nuts, mildly but firmly pushing his thumb into them. It certainly didn't stop the buck, as he came seconds later, filling the gasping and moaning rat with his essence in wild thrusts.

With his high finally waning, the buck lowered himself onto the rat, before gently pulling out. Once freed, the rat moved off of the hyena and collapsed to the side, running his hand up and down the similarly spent hyena's sticky chest, looking quite satisfied. Varik did likewise, dropping to his back onto one of the pillows, gently fondling his spent maleness.

They laid motionless for a while, basking in their afterglows. Neccado fondled Hetroth's now limp member and balls a couple times, as if wanting to remember the feeling of them. Perhaps just to tell Ketronius all about it.

"Well, hope you had fun.", Neccado said and gave the hyena a peck on the cheek before rising to his paws. With a slight sway to his walk, he slowly strutted towards the door, stretching along the way as though after a good night's sleep. "Maybe next time we can make it a foursome?", he asked sheepishly as he turned momentarily, before disappearing out the door. He hadn't taken any clothes, Hetroth noticed.

"So, how was it? You can be honest with me.", Varik asked with a sly smile.

"Uh. Different, certainly. Kind of exciting.", Hetroth said as he crawled up to lie beside the buck.

"So you think we could do it again? Maybe invite Ketri?", Varikas questioned on.

"I guess. Just... not too soon.", Het said, still not quite certain which he preferred.

"Alright.", Varik said with a smirk and moved in to kiss the hyena, only to pause mid-way. "You smell of rat.", he snickered in realization. Indeed, Necca had made sure his scent would pervade Het's nostrils for the following night.

Hetroth shrugged and gave the buck a kiss himself.

"Taste of one, too.", Varik chuckled as they pulled away.

"Tastes better than you, at least.", Het rolled his eyes, inciting another snicker from the buck.

As they rested there in content silence, Hetroth thought of the day ahead. They would be setting off again, bringing forth a new slew of pains and troubles. He knew neither why they were headed to Primum, nor what awaited him in his own guild once they'd returned, whenever that might be. But for the moment, these prospects seemed strangely foreign and distant to Het, as he laid there, holding his buck close in a pleasant daze.