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The Pendant and the Imp Chapter 2: The Hermit's Task For bbbuuu By Draconicon

Having covered half of the distance to the hermit's hut the day before, Allard and his company arrived at their destination some hours before noon. With the imp hanging over his shoulders, constantly hard dick grinding against the back of his head, the horse was already in a bad mood, and was hoping that the hermit wouldn't make it worse.

"Strange place for a person to live," Callix said behind him.

"People pick different places for different things."

Allard shook his head. Might not have seen that many people as a sell-sword, but he knew enough about the habits of mages from his time as a knight. Anything that lived removed from civilization like this was something that either had enough power to back up their solitary lifestyle, or hadn't been able to make it any other way. He hoped, for the sake of himself and his group, that this was the former.

He dismounted, his hooves sinking into the marshy ground beneath him, and pulled a small stake out of his saddlebags.

"No point in taking the animals closer. Stake them down."

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, sir."

As he stomped the stake in and tied the horse to it by the reins, he looked down the way. Boggy lands and a light decline led to the hermit's hut, just barely shrouded in mist that didn't look particularly magical. No path, though, so he imagined that this one didn't get that many visitors.

"Hehehe, are you thinking that he can get rid of me? Get rid of the mark the pendant left?"

Gritting his teeth, the horse looked over his shoulder at the demon. Amoro floated on silent wings behind him, the demon stroking itself constantly. The little imp was so proud of his oversized cock that he just seemed to flaunt it at all times. The horse had to move his head to avoid getting nudged by it as the little guy came even closer.

"You know he's either going to see me and blow your cover, or just be too weak to be of any help. Why don't you just give in? You let me fuck that ass of yours, you give in to me, and I'll be nice. Maybe let you have that rabbit that you want so bad. Give you a chance to use his hole, like you were fantasizing about last night..."

It was sheer willpower that kept his cock soft in his armor at that point. Willpower, and a fair bit of leather straps that kept the damn thing where it belonged.

Last night had been a moment of weakness. He'd seen his comrade, Callix, getting undressed, and the rabbit had been...more appealing than he'd expected. The spellsword had the body of a young man, lean and willowy, with just enough padding in the right places to get his attention. A bigger man wouldn't have done it - otherwise he might have been tempted by Fergus long ago - but Callix...

Amoro leaned on his shoulder, chuckling and whispering in his ear.

"You know what you want. What shame is there in being a good little bitch if it gets you what you desire?"

"Shut...Up..."

"Aw, but you know what you want. You want to jam that big, thick cock of yours into that tiny little ass. Feel that fluttering little bit of fluff against your crotch, feel your heavy balls smacking off of his. Show him the power of a horse while he shows you the sluttiness of a rabbit. You want it so badly. You won't take it...but I can make it happen. I have the power."

Shaking his head, Allard waved at his men. Fergus jogged over to him as Callix continued to hammer away at the stake.

"Join us when you're done, Callix. Fergus and I are heading down."

"Yeah, yeah...you know, it's not fair that you two have hooves for this while I have to go with a hammer."

"It's not our fault that you were born a rabbit."

And it would be so much easier if you were something bigger and beefier. Then I wouldn't have this temptation.

He shook his head, putting the thought out of his mind as he descended towards the hut. The ground was slippery and hardly packed down at all, and several times he slipped along the earth when it gave way beneath his hooves. Fergus had it worse, and the bull hit the ground twice, muddying his armor in the process.

Eventually, however, they made it down, and Allard tapped his hand against the door to the hut. A short scuffle and crack was heard through it, followed by a voice.

"Gah, who's there? Speak up, speak up, what's out there?"

"Visitors," Allard said. "Visitors that want to talk to the hermit about magic."

"Yeah? Don't care. Don't want to talk to anyone today."

"We want to talk to you. It's important."

"Not talking to anyone! Nope, nope, not a talking day. Bed day. Rest day."

The horse looked at the bull, and the bull looked back with the same impatient expression that he knew was writ large on his own face. Sighing, he took a step back, gesturing for Fergus to do his work.

A single punch later, the door was down, flopping onto the earth in the middle of the hut, and the voice screamed at them.

"What's that? Why? Why? That's my door, no reason to hurt it, didn't hurt you!"

"We need. To talk."

"Ugh. Not fair. People coming by, breaking things. Should break you back for that."

Allard lifted an eyebrow, peering around in the shaded hut. There were many bits of debris, and more pieces of experimental materials. Books lined the shelves, half-hidden behind glass vials of who knew what, and there were several circles scrawled in the dirt floor between them and the other bits of furniture along the walls. Yet, no sign of the hermit himself.

The horse stepped inside, pulling his sword from his hip before laying it down on the ground.

"I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you."

Amoro chuckled at his shoulder.

"Not that you need that sword, when you got the bigger, meatier one between your legs."

He ignored the demon, shaking his head a few times as he looked around for some sign of the hermit. This had to be the place, so far from the village and without anyone else in sight. Otherwise, why would the hut and all this magical material even be here?

Yet, there was no sign of the dweller. Allard grumbled to himself.

"Are you going to come out, or not?"

"Depends. You talking? You offering something?"

"...I need help with...something important."

"Sir?"

He looked over his shoulder, mouthing 'Trust me' to the bull, before turning back to the empty hut.

"I'm looking for some information. And I'm willing to do work for it."

"..."

Before the hermit could answer, the spellsword called down the hill.

"Alright, the horse is tied up. Now, can someone please tell me what we're here for? And why we have to kick down doors?"

"I'd like to know the same thing," Fergus said.

This was not how Allard had imagined this going, though the horse would be the first to admit that he hadn't thought this through as well as he should have. The idea had been that he'd come down here and talk to the hermit, get the information on how to get rid of the mark, and then leave. He hadn't thought about the small lies coming back to bite him in the ass, particularly with how Fergus felt about dealing with magic users in general.

But he was in it now. He'd just have to do his best to get out of it again.

"Callix, could you come here?"

The rabbit walked through the door, and almost instantly went wide-eyed. Considering Callix's magical background, he couldn't entirely blame the rabbit. It was probably like walking into some sort of wonderland, for him.

He pulled the spellsword forward, pushing him until he was in the middle of the room.

"I'm used to working with magic users, hermit. Just come out. We need to talk about something."

"Like that on your shoulder?"

Allard froze, particularly as Callix looked back at him. Fergus was grumbling in the doorway, the big bull likely wanting some sort of explanation as to what the hell was going on in general, but this was the bigger problem.

"Let's say yes. I need -"

"Mmph. Cursed. Lots of curses. Big problems."

"Hey! Leave Allard alone on that," Callix said. "We just dealt with a big-time sorcerer, so if there's some curses -"

Groaning, the horse shook his head. Things were spiraling out of control faster than he'd expected, and now Fergus had stomped into the hut as well, the armored bull grabbing him by the arm. He was face to face with the big guy, and he saw trouble in those eyes.

"What the hell is going on, sir?"

"It's...private."

"No, not when you're dragging us along with you."

"I'm not! I gave you the option to leave."

"Yeah, and you said we wouldn't be doing anything with mages without voting. You lied!"

"You voted!"

"Because you said it was a quest, not because - you still lied! What the hell is going on?"

"Oh...gods..."

Callix's mutter got to the soldier in both of them, and they whipped around. Standing up from the shadows was a tall, gangly reptile of a thing, wrapped in swathes of half-rotted cloth that barely covered it properly. Allard could see the signs of a southerner in the face, jaws closing around the teeth in that scaly snout rather than exposing them, and slowly shook his head as the creature reached for a staff. It stared back at him.

"Threatened? Scared?"

"Wizards with a staff always worry me."

"Should be scared of other things. Smaller things."

"Probably."

"What you here for? That thing?"

The alligator pointed directly at his shoulder, where he knew Amoro was. He shivered as Callix and Fergus looked back at him, both of them demanding an explanation.

There was no getting out of it. He sighed, and began the story of the pendant, the mark on his palm, and Amoro's appearance...and only left out Amoro's current 'weapon' against him.

Two hours later...

The hermit - who they learned was named Suwo - stood outside the hut, chanting to himself. Fergus kept a watch on him, while Allard and Callix sat inside the hut, the horse staring down at the ground.

The story had gone over better than he'd expected. Neither of his companions had threatened to kill him, and Callix had been sympathetic rather than eager to report him. That was something. At the same time, he knew that it was only a matter of time until one of them freaked out. He knew shock when he saw it, and he doubted that either of them would continue to be sympathetic forever.

Suwo had agreed to help them, considering the threat that came from Amoro's master, and was working on summoning something to get information. The alligator had mentioned a price, but had declined to say what it was.

Whatever it is, it's better than doing nothing.

"Sir?"

He looked down at the rabbit.

"Something on your mind?"

"Kind of, sir. Why did you lie?"

"To you, or Fergus?"

"Both."

"To him, because he was already angry. If I pushed him, he'd go along with it, but there's always be the risk of getting a blade in my back sometime. Fergus is a good man, loyal, too, but he hates any sort of magic. If I told him from the start, he would have been against it, and I would have to let it go rather than pushing it. If I dragged him into it, then there was a chance he'd go along rather than just fighting me every step of the way."

"And me?"

"...I was afraid that you'd see the imp, and then report it."

"Why? Did you think I was that much of a rat?"

"I thought that you were that eager to be a spellsword, with all the rules and regulations that go with it."

"Yeah, but that's mostly about the money."

The rabbit chuckled a bit.

"Besides, if I get to help you guys take down some big demon lord, that's all the better for me. I get to make a name for myself, get nice and famous, and then people will be lining up to hire me. There's nothing like a big quest like this for getting my career into the heavens right from the start."

Looks like he's got the mercenary outlook, alright, Allard thought, chuckling a little to himself. He shook his head. Always gotta remember that a spellsword is nothing more than sell sword with an extra letter and extra ability.

He looked out the doorway of the hut again, watching as the alligator hermit stomped around his circle. It was starting to glow, which meant that the summoning was getting close to completion. They probably didn't have a lot of time until they would need to be out there.

Amoro hovered behind him, chortling and giggling, and the horse resisted the urge to reach back and strangle him for a moment. It didn't help when the imp shifted around, pelvic thrusting at the rabbit, imitating what he himself would like to do...

"Sir?"

"Hmm?"

"I asked another question."

"Sorry, I was...distracted."

"What kind of demon are we actually dealing with? You didn't say."

The horse looked down at his hand. The mark from the pendant was still there, a near-brand of black against his brown skin. The shape was embarrassing enough, looking like a cock sliding into a puckered asshole, but the fact that it was essentially seared into him...

"From what I've gathered, it's some sort of lord of lust. Something that brings a mind down to a bestial level, allowing it to be ruled because it can no longer think, making one loyal as long as one's needs are fulfilled."

"So, we'd be like rutting animals all the time if it came out?"

"Something like that. Only with collars on our neck and a master that gets to use us all the time."

"Perverse..."

He wasn't sure if the rabbit felt it the same way as he did. Many in the country would have said that two men together was perverse, though he had different thoughts on that matter. He felt the robbery of free will was worse, though he wasn't sure if that opinion would carry any sway with anyone else.

Another glance outside, and he saw Fergus waving at them.

"Looks like it's time."

He got to his hooves, and Amoro and Callix followed him out of the hut.

The ritual circle had spread pretty far, compared to where it had been when they'd arrived. It covered a good twenty-foot radius, mostly in boggy ground, and it glowed with a crimson light. The horse paused, staring at it, before looking at the hermit.

"Suwo, what is this?"

"This the ritual. Calling information."

"It's hell."

"Perceptive."

"I already have one demon! I don't want another one!"

Amoro was laughing at the top of his lungs, and he wanted nothing more than to punch the imp. However, it would serve no purpose. Instead, he advanced on the alligator, grabbing him by the shoulder.

"Why are you bringing out another one?!"

"Higher one. Bound by conditions. Beat it, information on how to live."

"What do you mean, beat it?"

"Single combat. One on one. You guys win, you get information."

"...And if it wins?"

"It gets a prize. Not life, or soul. Strong enough to stop that."

"...Humiliation?"

Suwo nodded, pulling away and turning back to his ritual. Fergus and Callix looked at him, and the horse sighed under his breath. Things were getting more and more complicated. Amoro wasn't helping, either, the imp whispering in his ear.

"And my lord of lust is going to have a different sort of demon than you're used to fighting. A simple thing, seductive. Oh, you won't have a chance. But you can send someone else in there. Make them lose to him, get something of a show. You'll never see it, otherwise."

Something of a show... He shook his head as the words echoed around in his skull, shrugging the demon off of his shoulder.

"Look...I think..."

He took a deep breath.

"I think Callix should face the demon first. He'll have some magic on his side, and if nothing else, he'll have a chance to do something we can't."

"What kind of demon is it, sir?" Callix asked.

"From what this...thing...tells me...some sort of incubus."

Rather than paling, the spellsword and the bull tossed by their heads and laughed. Allard stared at them, rather taken aback.

"What? What's so funny?"

"An incubus? Allard, I thought we'd have to be scared," Fergus said. "If it's just a gay demon, there's nothing to worry about. Any of us could deal with that. Gay stuff ain't that appealing."

"Yeah. Sir, I can handle that, easily."

The horse looked back and forth between them, slowly shaking his head. The fact that neither of them took it seriously told him that they'd never expected anyone to be able to pleasure them, if they had a dick between their legs. They'd never had the experience of another male, one that knew all the ways that a male could get off, teasing them and working them into a frenzy. He still remembered the lord's son, his own first experience, and shuddered as his cock tried to lift up, tried to get hard at the idea.

They're doomed...and there's nothing I can say that can warn them without giving myself away, he thought.

He stepped to the side as Callix walked to the edge of the summoning circle. Suwo told him to get undressed, removing his weapons for a one on one fight, and the horse looked away, not wanting any further temptation.

His imp was relentless, as well, reaching down and patting his armored crotch several times.

"You know what's going to happen, don't you, my little mare-to-be? Your little rabbit is going to lose his mind, groaning and panting as he is taken for my lord's servant. A little bitch of a slut, rather than a proud warrior. Then again, I bet you'll love seeing that. Seeing his tight little ass bouncing on a demon dick...

"I could still give it to you, you know. All you have to do is submit right now, and I'll give you all the power to rut that ass that you need. All you have to do is let me in..."

His breath was coming in harsh, fast pants, and his hand tightened into a hard fist before he could stop himself. He wanted to flail, wanted to lash out against the little imp, but there was nothing he could do. The ritual was already finished, and the light faded, revealing the summoned demon.

It was a bigger one, so his own lusts were not pushed by its appearance. Brutish and muscular, with thick arms and legs, and a dick that hung down by over a foot between its legs. Allard looked it over, taking in the sight of the muscular male, and figured that he could probably take him in a straight fight. In a sexual one, even...

But the order had already been decided. Callix would go first, followed by Fergus. And today, they'd see the temptations that came from a male.

He watched as Callix stepped forward, his cheeks burning as he realized that even the rabbit's underclothes had been taken. The spellsword was bare from his head to his toes, looking like some...some angel, to the horse, an angel that was begging to be fucked and corrupted.

The fight began, and Allard watched with a keen eye. A short blast of force erupted from the rabbit's palm, knocking the demon back a pace, but he could see the playful sparkle in the brute's eyes. It was showing off, taking a hit that it didn't have to. The magic wasn't going to be enough.

He watched as Callix leaped forward, following up the blast with a kick to the demon's face, and a punch to its guts. The rabbit was fast, and quite dexterous, dodging the couple of return blows that the demon managed to make. He kicked again, bouncing off of the demon's chest, and Allard...

Allard barely noticed. His eyes were on that round, lean butt, those bouncing balls, that bare body that was just perfect. He bit his lip as he watched the exchanges, watching the muscles flex in that ass, imagining them squeezing down on his cock, and he could feel the leather wrapped around his private straining at the effort his body was putting into getting erect.

It was more than a little painful, when one got down to it.

The fight continued, Fergus cheering while he shook his head. The imp whispered to him.

"Heh, you can see it, can't you? My fellow demon is waiting him out. Seeing his speed, measuring him, watching him. Studying his body. He's going to strike, soon. Right...now!"

And just as Amoro had predicted, the rabbit's next kick was intercepted. The demon grabbed Callix by the heel and whipped him upwards, holding him upside down in mid-air. The spellsword flailed around, but the demon grabbed his other foot and -

"Oh gods..."

Fergus stared and so did he as the demon brought the rabbit to his face. Nose and lips dipped between the rabbit's legs, and just like that, Callix started moaning. The horse could guess what was happening. A thick, slippery tongue pressing right against his ass, flicking over it, teasing it and making it damp and wet.

Before their eyes, the rabbit's cock slowly started to rise, his toes curling over the demon's shoulders. Callix's eyes were closed tight, but Allard saw enough for the both of them.

He restrained himself in reaching for his cock; it was a hard effort, but he managed it. The demon kept on rimming the rabbit, driving that cock to a harder and harder state, until the rabbit was hard as a rock, throbbing, twitching.

I wonder...would he be like that if I were - don't think about it, don't think about it...

But that was next to impossible. The demon lowered Callix to the ground, kneeling on the rabbit's legs and parting his ass cheeks. Even there, the spellsword moaned, his head thrown back as his ass was fingered, filled with two thick digits, parted and penetrated again and again.

The demon chuckled, looking out of the ring.

"This one has already lost. I claim my prize."

A flicker of red went over the rabbit, momentarily turning him crimson before fading away. The pulse rippled over him, and Allard panted as he watched the smaller male arch his back, the spellsword cumming on the spot from the magical shimmer. The demon pulled back, laughing, and as Callix came back to the world, he ran.

Allard caught the rabbit as he left the circle, holding him as the smaller male shivered and panted for breath. Looking down, he could see that the little white tuft of fur on the rabbit's rump had been stained a devilish crimson.

"How...it....it felt so...so good..."

"A male knows what a male wants."

"How...it...I'm not...I'm not into that...why did it..."

Confused. The rabbit would be confused for a while, now. He should step forward, take a turn, but Fergus was already stripping off his armor. The bull snorted.

"Should have guessed that a rabbit would be a pervert. Damn...shouldn't have even gone into it. A real man doesn't get all wound up by a tongue up his ass."

Was he like that, though? Or did the demon do something...

Amoro could tell him, but he wouldn't speak to the imp. Not about this. Not when Callix was already broken down and hurting, confused and worried. He reached out, trying to stop his companion, but Fergus was already at the edge of the ring, throwing his sword to the ground. And then it was too late.

The demon was faster, this time. There was no measuring; with someone bigger, he imagined that the demon didn't want to risk taking blows that it didn't have to. This time, fists flew for ten, twenty, thirty seconds, before things started to change.

A red leg swept the bull's out from under him, and Fergus went down with a crash. As soon as he hit the ground, the demon was there, a mouth slick and wet sliding down the bull's body. Allard watched it sweep the bull's sheath and dick into the demon's mouth, and in short order, Fergus was groaning.

"What...what the...fuck..."

The bull kicked, knocking the demon back, but Allard could see that the damage was done. His warrior friend was already hard as a rock, and getting firmer with each passing second, red pulsing along the edge of his shaft. The demon smirked.

"You are already tempted..."

"Tempted to put you in the ground!"

A charge, swiftly blocked, and the demon swept the bull down again, this time to all fours. Again, that tongue and mouth went to work, pulling the bull's cock back between his legs and sucking along the head. Fergus gasped, and Allard groaned. The temptation to look away continued to grow, but he hadn't done it with Callix, and he wouldn't do it now.

Back and forth the battle went, alternating between hard blows where Fergus had the upper hand, and sensual ones where the demon was winning. Back and forth, back and forth, Fergus getting harder and harder, his cock throbbing up in the air as his balls swelled.

Finally, the demon grabbed the bull by the balls, holding him pinned in one place.

"You're right on the edge, mortal. Bow to me, and maybe I'll let you go over."

"Let me? Let me?!"

The bull roared, swinging his leg up. The demon couldn't let go in time, and took the blow right on his own testicles. He collapsed with a grunt, gasping and holding his crotch.

Rather than pulling away to take another shot, however, the bull lunged forward, shoving the demon onto all fours before grabbing his cock. Allard's eyes went wider than they ever had before as he watched the bull slam his dick against the demon's ass cheeks, smearing them with spit and pre.

"Let me get off?! Fuck you! I'll show you how a real man gets off!"

And just like that, the bull slammed in. By then, Callix had turned, and the two of them stared at the sight of the lady-loving bull using the demon like a bitch. It was hard, it was rough, and it was definitely the most homosexual thing that Allard had ever been witness to as the demon started to moan beneath the bull.

He looked over his shoulder, and for once, Amoro had nothing to say. The imp just watched, smiling to himself as he jerked off, and a small idea started to form in the back of his head. Allard stored it away for later, not wanting to do anything that would give him away, and turned back to the display.

The bull had whipped his opponent over, stomping a hoof into the demon's face to keep him pinned while fucking his ass in a standing position. In, out, in, out, that cock went, and Allard swore that it was getting bigger, thicker. The demon moaned out loud, its own cock throbbing and dripping all over its face.

"You bitch! You thought you could beat me? You thought that I'd fall for your gay tricks? You thought I could be beaten? You thought wrong!"

In, out, in, out, leathery balls clapping out a beat that was getting faster by the second. Allard shook his head slowly, and realized that something else was happening.

Callix, pressed up against him, was getting hard.

He looked down, seeing the rabbit's cock growing up against his hand again, and resisted the urge to grab it as it started to throb and twitch. Something...something had definitely happened to the spellsword, changing him, altering his tastes. He doubted that Callix would have gotten erect to this before, but now...well, it seemed to appeal to the smaller male as much as him.

It didn't take long for the bull to blow his load, but it was as messy as they all expected when it did happen. Fergus pulled out, splattering the demon in seed, only to ram a hand up that ass and force the demon over the edge, too. The incubus collapsed, still streaming seed over himself, as Fergus stomped over to the edge of the circle.

Nobody said a word as they looked at the bull. His cock was stained bright red, looking almost demonic in color, and Allard wondered if it had been permanently corrupted. It was beyond anything that he'd expected, but if this was what Fergus was, now...

The bull pulled on his armor, and Suwo walked up to the edge of the circle. The alligator whispered a few words, and the demon groaned as he was suddenly surrounded by magical light.

"He's bound. Beaten. Ask questions."

After making sure that Callix was alright, Allard walked over to the edge of the circle, sitting down by it. The demon glared at him, but didn't make any threats, or any offers. Taking a deep breath, the horse began.

"Who is your master?"

"The demon lord Takapata."

"And how can he be stopped?"

The demon growled, but the magic forced him to answer.

"He...can be stopped...at the tower of the wizard Veshath."

Veshath. The one that had employed them to steal the pendant in the first place, and the one that had set up the rings and circles to try and contain the demon lord in the process. Not a place that he wanted to go, by a long shot, but if it was their only chance...

"Are there any other places?"

"No."

"And what would going there accomplish?"

"...You either kill the wizard, make him stop the summoning, or beat Takapata on your own. If you can defeat the demon lord before he takes his full power, he will not be able to take you."

"Spoilsport," Amoro muttered over his shoulder.

"Is the corruption on my companion permanent?"

"Heh...it will last for a month, if he doesn't sink it into another demon, or one of you. The more he indulges himself, the more he will change, until he will never fuck a woman again. He will be rough, dominant, powerful...everything that he wants to be, in his heart of hearts, except with something he'd never want without me..."

That was something he'd been afraid of, but there was little he could do about it. The only thing he could do was make sure that Callix and Fergus didn't fuck for the next month, and keep an eye on the bull during their nights in town. Past that...

Well, he'd just have to hope.

"What is the weakness of the Lord of Lust, Takapata?"

"Heh...there is no weakness, mortal. If you think that you can find a target to destroy him instantly, you are wrong. He has as many forms as have been imagined by the world. He will come, and he will destroy your mind and enslave your body. You will belong to him, and Amoro, as a plaything for the rest of your days."

"Seal weakening. Must release soon."

Allard nodded, and slowly stood up. As the alligator released the demon, banishing it from whence it came, the horse walked off to stand on his own for a moment, his thoughts running at a mile a minute.

The demons were coming, and there was little he could do to stop them. The only path forward was to return to the man who wanted the pendant in the first place, the man who wanted it to control and enslave a demon lord, and hope he could win in a fight against a powerful wizard and whatever else he summoned.

The odds weren't great...particularly with the temptations he had now.

Callix is at least a little gay, he thought, looking over his shoulder at the rabbit. Even as the spellsword put his armor back on, he could see that there was a slight swish to his ass, now, something that had changed and only added to his attractiveness. I could...maybe...push it without the demon stopping me. Or helping me. It...would feel so good...

No. It wasn't the real Callix, only a demonically altered one. And if he pushed that, it might set up some sort of permanence there, just like what would happen with Fergus if he indulged himself. He had to be the responsible one. He had to be a knight, even if he no longer had a lord.

"Thank you, Suwo," he said quietly. "Men. We're heading to the Tower of Veshath; the demon lord will emerge there...and we either have to kill the wizard, or kill him, if we want to get out of this without a demon master."

"...Fuck, sir, that's going to be a job and a half."

"I'll do my best, sir."

"Will come, too."

He blinked, turning to stare at the alligator. The hermit shrugged.

"Demons intrigue me. Plus, keep eye on you three. Corrupt people, bad people. Need watching."

"Great, a chaperone," his imp muttered.

"Know it, demon."

The horse took a deep breath before nodding. At least this would give them something more in the way of magical firepower than just Callix's spellsword skills. Considering they'd be assaulting a wizard's tower, he'd take anything he could get.

The End