Becoming Master Chapter 32:
Keith struggles to lead the Oasis and remain the man he wants to be, but he finds himself becoming what the spirits and men in the oasis think he is: Their Master.
Dreams, Spirits, Human, Bear-Men, Internal Conflict,
Chapter 32
I woke from my dream state of the night before, watching Joshua successfully lift after another muscle-bound man had failed to press the additional weight. Two thousand seven hundred and fifty pounds had become the benchmark.
Joshua spoke to the man leaving the stage, but I couldn’t hear what he said. The man’s expression was one of confusion. ‘Master, if you wish, I can tell you what Joshua said,’ Omega offered.
‘If it was meant only for the two of them, then no. I shouldn’t interfere in private matters that don’t affect the Den,’ I replied. Turning back to the stage, I realized the man Joshua had spoken to was one of his spotters, and I regretted not finding out what they had exchanged.
Joshua was a Bear-man, sporting a muscular gut. He reclined on the bench and gripped the bar. With every breath, his chest expanded like a balloon. Suddenly, he pressed upward, veins bulging in his neck and throughout his muscles. Each fiber of his abs was visible, straining as he worked to reach his goal. His short, dense fur flared out from his powerful frame as he pushed the weights upward. With a last push, he locked the bar in place, and Cetus signaled he had succeeded. The crowd erupted in applause.
The next thing I remember is someone grabbing my shoulder. I turned to find Joshua standing there, his muscles gleaming with sweat. "You said you liked muscle furs, so why not come and see for yourself?" My gaze wandered longingly over the contours of his bulging muscles.
"Like what you see?" Joshua asked, wrapping me in a warm, inviting hug that enveloped me in his overpowering strength.
Suddenly, I found myself asking Joshua to flex for me.
"Nothing excites me more than serving you, Master, especially when you ask me to show off my muscles," he replied with a big, flirtatious smile. Without hesitation, he put on a display reminiscent of the bodybuilding competition, showcasing his physique for my entertainment. The great Muscle-Bear-man flexed his biceps, tightened his abs, and bounced his massive pecs.
"Wait, this isn’t right. I’m not his master. I love Jesse." My mind swirled with conflicting thoughts, blending fragments from my dream with memories of Jesse. I struggled to clear my head.
"Hey, what’s wrong? You’re all sweaty." Jesse loomed above me on the bed, looking into my eyes. "You okay?"
His words broke through my confusion. "Yeah, just had a strange dream, that’s all."
"Wanna talk about it?"
"You know I love you, right?"
"I do, and I love you with every fiber of my body." Jesse’s sincerity shone in his eyes, grounding me at the moment.
"I sometimes dream about other men, particularly the big, muscular guys in the Den. I don’t intend to; they just occur. Recently, I dreamed about Joshua winning the bench press competition. Afterward, he approached me, addressing me as master and professing his love for serving me. He flaunted his body, trying to arouse me.
"It’s just a dream. I occasionally dream about being intimate with one or two of the guys," Jesse said, as if that would ease my mind.
"It’s not the same—we always have sex with the guys."
"Hey, if it helps, we could invite Joshua and Grey to join us one night. Just the four of us. I know you’re really into Grey. I don’t mind sharing you, as long as I’m still your main man."
"It’s just, I feel like I’m cheating on you," I admitted.
"I understand. You’re the head man here, the one who made all this possible. Everyone wants to win your favor. Just remember, I'll always love you more than any other." Jesse looked at me, his eyes asking for confirmation.
"You’ll always be my number one. No, my only one true love. Let’s invite Karl too, then. I feel that he’s my number two," I confessed.
"Of course, I feel the same about Karl. He’s close to both of us."
Jesse went to invite the three men to a private gathering. Karl was here but could leave while Joshua was likely to leave even sooner. I headed out to the field to check if the issue with the new soil had been resolved. What I saw was unexpected.
Omega appeared in his spirit form. ‘We have a surplus of enriched soil and need to clear it from the mine to keep expanding the caves. I’ve instructed men with free time to help improve the soil around the Oasis, especially near the cave opening.’
"It looks like you’re improving much more than that," I said. "How do we keep this a secret? When the rains come, the area will be overrun with wildflowers and weeds! We want the outside world to see our garden, but this is too much and too fast."
‘There’s nothing to worry about. We can lock the soil so that it doesn’t interact with nature. When you give the word, we’ll release the areas you want to show, and we’ll do it only when instructed by you until the entire land is complete.’ I didn’t know Omega could look like a scolded child, but that’s how he looked to me now.
"Alright, have some builders erect a greenhouse next to the field. Just build one section; it should take at least a week to complete. Understood? No adding to it or finishing it in a single night. It has to look like we’re struggling to accomplish our goals," I instructed Omega.
‘Yes, Master, it will be as you command,’ Omega replied in a normal voice, rather than his usual deep rumble.
‘This is so unlike me. First, the dream about Joshua, and now, what I ask omega to do is an order. I don’t want this. Is this what power does to men?’ I thought to myself.
‘Master, we may have a solution.’ It was the same blended voice that Arstone and Rangmer had used before they became bound to Jesse and me.
‘You’re listening in on my thoughts!’
‘It was such a powerful thought stream we couldn’t help but hear it,’ they replied.
‘Okay, tell me your solution,’ I conceded.
‘You are taking too much upon yourself,’ was their answer.
‘Tell me something I don’t already know.’ I was getting annoyed with the two spirits now.
‘There is a way to make equals of you,’ they offered.
‘What does that even mean? Are you suggesting I could create more of myself like you spirits can? I want none of that.’ An uneasy feeling was overcoming me.
‘No, Master, choose four or five other humans—humans that you trust. By having ten spirits under your direct control and performing a long-unused ceremony, your powers would largely be shared with the humans you select to take part. You can only do this once, so ensure you have enough humans to assume the duties you will give on them,’ the two explained.
‘Do I still have control over the spirits, or is that control now shared with the others I choose?’ I asked the two, hoping for some clarity.
‘We understand you still don’t fully accept us as you do the others. Ask them for your answer. You’ll see, we speak the truth and have your best interests at heart,’ was their only response.
"Are you alright, Mr. Keith?" I heard someone inquire, breaking through my thoughts.
"Uh, what did you say?" I realized I hadn’t caught their question.
"I asked if you’re okay. You’ve been standing here for a while, and I was worried." It was José, in his Muscle-Bear form, looking genuinely concerned for me.
"Yeah, I’m fine. Just lost in thought. I have a lot on my plate, and sometimes it gets overwhelming. Thanks for checking on me."
"If there’s any way I can help, just let me know. I mean it. I understand how difficult your position is, and I’m here to lighten your load if I can." His conviction nearly brought tears to my eyes.
Once I regained my composure, I replied, "Thanks. I may take you up on that offer someday."
*****
That night, my dreams grew even stranger. I woke up and thought to Ursus_, ‘I need to talk to you, just you and me, right now.’_, I found myself standing in front of Ursus. He was kneeling with his head bowed so low that it touched the ground. "Did you bring me here?" I asked him.
"I didn’t bring your body here; you’re still in bed with Jesse. I’m in your mind; this space is separate from the part the other spirits access, so only you and I can speak freely. No one else will hear—not even Omega. May I rise, Master?"
"Yes, of course, I’m sorry. I’ve been struggling lately. These issues are consuming my thoughts, and I feel myself changing, becoming more demanding, like I am truly becoming a Master. I considered loving other men as I love Jesse. It’s not something I desire; it just happens, and I can’t stop it. I need to stop it!"
"We heard your conversation with Rangmer and Arstone. What they discussed is a ceremony long sealed away."
"Is it because it’s dangerous?" I asked.
"No, it is not dangerous to you. However, if you do not use precise wording, it could alter this world’s reality. They are correct in saying it would divide your responsibilities. The men you choose would be subordinate to you, while the spirits would be subordinate to them. Your commands would still hold authority over all. Jesse would share equal power with the men you select," Ursus explained.
"Are you saying that all those men would be like Jesse to me? They would be my mates?"
"If the ceremony is not worded properly, yes, it could lead to unforeseen consequences. However, if done correctly, Jesse would remain your only mate, possessing power nearly equal to yours. The others would hold limited positions of authority and would be very close to both of you, but they would not be equals in the same way that you and Jesse are. Their bond would be different, more akin to family. It’s challenging to describe: you and Jesse share the mate bond, while the others would have a unique relationship, resembling that of children or cousins—not in a literal sense, of course. As I mentioned, it’s hard to articulate."
"They said I needed to choose enough men now because I could only perform the ceremony once. What would happen if I don’t select enough the first time?"
"You may find yourself in a similar situation to what you face now—overwhelmed and becoming someone you don’t want to be. The only difference is that you would become an overlord to everyone beneath you, including Jesse."
"How can I prevent that from happening?"
"Choose wisely and select many. We can assist you, but I need to inform the others about your choices first. Things could change rapidly if we proceed. Initially, you’ll need to accept Arstone and Rangmer, along with three more, as the ceremony requires ten spirits. We will be your first five. This will alter Omega, but we do not know how. It may also change us, potentially leading to our ascension once more." Ursus ensured I understood the challenges I might face if I chose this path.
"You have control over just over two thousand members. The current energy being sent is just enough to satisfy the spirit world, but it won’t be sufficient in the long term. We are not operational, so to speak. Once we are, the energy could significantly increase. Therefore, you will need at least five times the number of men you currently have. To be safe, ten thousand would be necessary."
"Wait a minute, we can’t sustain ten thousand men here!" I was incredulous; Ursus’s numbers were far beyond what I had expected.
"Master, we can support that number and more."
"The men need sunlight and fresh air. Every day, thousands of them would be outside the Oasis. We would be discovered." I tried to explain the issues with having that many men in one place.
"Just as the men can alter their bodies to their liking, they can also change to resemble one another. Anyone outside the cave will look like one of a thousand men, with only one of each type allowed above at any time. You can enforce a uniform dress code for those above ground, perhaps robes similar to those worn by monks." Ursus continued, "If ten thousand feels excessive, then we will need to establish a second site. With your responsibilities divided among eight others, not including Jesse, you will effectively have five to manage a second location."
"What you’re saying is that I need eight others before I perform the ceremony?" I asked.
"No, Master. What I’m saying is that you need to determine how large the Pack/Den should be and whether it should be divided into multiple sites. The more sites you have, the more... let’s call them lieutenants you need. For ten thousand members, you will require at least five others besides Jesse. If you add another two thousand members, you’ll need one more lieutenant. After reaching twenty thousand members, you’ll need to add one lieutenant for every additional thousand."
"Okay, let me make sure I understand this correctly. For a site with ten thousand members, I need Jesse and eight more men. If I establish two sites, each with ten thousand members, I will need five men for each site, as well as an additional five for each site beyond that. Conversely, if I choose to grow this site to twenty thousand members, I would again need five more men, but afterward, for every additional ten thousand I add, I would need ten more men," I reiterated, reflecting on what I believed Ursus had explained.
"That’s correct, Master."
"Creating more sites allows me to have fewer men under my command. You mentioned that if the Den can produce more emotional spirit energy, we may only need ten thousand members to satisfy your world. How many would we need if we do not produce any additional energy when we are fully operational?"
"You misunderstood me, Master. Ten thousand members would be sufficient based on our current output. It’s uncertain if our spirit plane will require more in the future. I foresee we will only ever need twenty thousand. However, there’s no way to predict what the future holds."
"I give you permission to notify the others, but do not inform any humans about this. I don’t want a stampede of men trying to join my family."
"Understood, Master. It will be as you say," Ursus replied.
I lay in bed with Jesse spooning me. I loved how my mind gradually calmed down, and I did my best to appreciate the wall of muscle that surrounded and comforted me. Although I couldn’t fall back asleep, I felt calm and protected. Sleep was a luxury, not a necessity anyway.