Chapter 3

The Elite Gallery

Galen came down from his blissful afterglow after six minutes, Master Egad lying next to him, cuddling with the lion. After Galen's afterglow had subsided, Master Nob rang for the guards. When they knocked on the door, Nob got up off the bed and went to the door, opening it. Galen then saw the dungeon head, leading a trio of scantily clad guards as they walked into the room.

Galen recognized the dungeon head as the dark-furred rat warrior that had come to feed him while he was being broken in and edged for all those months in the dungeon. Galen was able to recognize him due to the multiple scars that were visible on his chest, back, arms, and legs. Along with the one glazed-over eye that had gone blind on the left side of his head.

Other than that, the black hood and loincloth with the small utility belt that held some light dungeon gear for the other slaves, along with the metallic black manacles around his wrists and ankles. That, and strange metal collar he wore was also a dead giveaway.

For the first time, Galen was able to get a good look at the scarred rat. He was surprised to see that the rat looked as equally built and muscular as he was, if not slightly more... Galen estimated his height to be about three to four and a half inches taller than himself and packing at least an extra one-hundred seventy-five pounds of muscle on his frame!

Galen knew for a fact that he was eight feet and three inches tall, packing six-hundred pounds of muscular proportions. That would make the dungeon head at least eight feet and seven inches tall, along with having a total physique weighing in at seven-hundred twenty-five pounds total! Something Galen couldn't help but admire from what he was seeing...

The rat and the guards kneeled at Egad's feet, bowing their heads like loyal knights in service of royalty. "What is thy bidding, Master Egad?" The dungeon head spoke.

"Nothing too cumbersome Amon, my loyal dungeon head." Egad replied smoothly. "You and the guards may rise."

Amon... Galen couldn't help but be fond of the name. It fit the former rat-warrior like a glove.

Amon stood up with the guards at his flank, awaiting further instruction from Master Egad.

"I need you and the guards to prepare to accompany me and the new slave in my service, Amon." Master Egad's tone was as smooth and succulent as honey and butter. "Galen has been fully broken in, and I have decided after breakfast today that I shall have him drafted into my Elite Gallery of slaves, alongside you and the others, Amon. Of course, he will have to be initiated first and fitted with the inhibitor collar, just as you were with Zarch, Chaos, and Hatred before you. But first we must cleanse his body. After all, it won't do to have him go to the dining hall to meet the others in his current state."

"I understand, Master." Amon took a Japanese-style bow of respect to his superior. "If I may ask, Master Egad: When we first caught Galen and were breaking him in... He was very resistant and showed intense... dislike towards you. He was also desperate to escape." Amon took a side glance at Galen from the corner of his eyes. "He has not given you any more trouble, has he?"

Egad stroked Amon's arm, radiating reassuring relief in his voice. "No, my loyal Amon. You no longer need to worry: After his defiance and will was destroyed and rebuilt in the dungeon, he has shown to be quite dedicated in his new service. For example, even though he awoke fifteen minutes before me today, he did not make any effort to rouse me from my slumber, staying as still and quiet as a statue on the bed. He has also shown great devotion to bringing me pleasure, as you can tell from the semen covering his body. Galen has very impressive fertility and virility, along with showing intense control over his libido, second only to what I've seen from you: He held himself back from release for a full hour, even going so far as asking my approval for him to cum."

Amon nodded, giving a grin to his master. "Very well, Master. It brings me relief that you were able to tame him without being harmed."

"Yes, Indeed." Master Egad said with a smile.

"I shall unhook his cuffs from the bed's frame and have him escorted with you to the bath house, just give the command." Amon spoke.

"Very well." Egad said, his grin not fading a bit as he motioned towards Galen and the bed. "Let us begin."

Amon motioned for one of the guards to cover the balcony, and the other to hold up near the door. Amon then walked over to the bed, towering over Galen like an intimidating shadow for a few moments, studying him carefully, as if to make sure he would not show any signs of aggression or flight. Once Amon was content with his examination, he fished a key from a pouch on his belt and reached up to the connector that secured Galen's metal cuff on his left arm to the elastic wire. Amon inserted the key into its slot with care, turning it clockwise.

With a click and a small metallic pop, the elastic cable was disconnected from Galen's shackle, falling onto the bed. Galen didn't make the slightest move of hostility, letting his arm lazily drop onto the sheets.

Amon repeated this process on the rest of Galen's tethered down limbs. Eventually, he was free from his elastic shackles, but still wore the manacles around his wrist and ankles, though the manacles were not uncomfortable.

"You may rise." Amon said, still eyeing Galen carefully with a look that screamed 'try anything to harm the master and I will snap your neck.' Galen knew he had a lot of trust to earn. Not just with Amon, but with the rest of the Elite Gallery and Master Egad.

Galen slowly sat up, feeling a breeze slither over his naked body from the open balcony door. He then swung his legs over the edge of the bed with care and stood up. He did not show any signs of hostile intent, malice, or flight. This surprised Amon, Galen seeing him raise an eyebrow at this.

Egad however, just gave an amused chuckle. "See? What did I tell you, Amon?"

Amon gave Galen a grin of approval, his hands behind his back as his stood in a butler-like pose. "You have passed your first test, Initiate. If you had shown any aggression, or had tried to bolt for the balcony, you would have failed, and I would have personally dragged you back to reconditioning in the dungeon. I am impressed, and can now see what Master Egad sees in your devotion... You shall now follow me and Master Egad to the bath house, where we shall clean you. The guards will be watching you and the Master from your flank. Remember that." Amon's last sentence rang with firm, cautioning authority.

Amon took the lead with Master Egad at his side, Galen following them with the guards at his back as they exited the bed chamber.

After going down a long set of stairs, then through several halls in the castle and down a few more staircases, Galen saw other guardsmen and servants tending to the other conditioned slaves that would be taken off to auction, all of them giving Egad and Galen warm grins. The group exited out a door, walking down a covered pathway in the castle grounds. As they walked on the pathway, passing the grounds and gardens on their way to the bath house, Galen felt the morning sunshine on his fur, warming his fur and skin. He had never ventured though any area outdoors in such a fashion intentionally, with others watching him. It exited him a little...

A short time later, they arrived, stopping in front of the bath house. Smells of mountain-scented soaps, relaxing lavender incense, along with winter-fresh smelling shampoo and conditioner, filled Galen's nostrils. He never noticed before how good the bath house's scents smelled as they assaulted his senses. He couldn't help but let out a slight, satisfying purr at the smells, like a giant housecat.

Master Egad turned to Galen, grinning with a raised eyebrow. "See, or smell something you like, Galen?"

Galen looked down at Master Egad. "To be honest, Master... I've never paused to take in the scents last time I was here. They are most delightful and satisfying... I'm not sure how else to explain it further."

Master Egad gave a warming chuckle. "The scents from here always have delighted the slaves, especially those in my Elite Gallery. Do not worry, Galen... You shall always look forward to returning to this place." Master Egad stepped forward a pace towards the bath house steps, holding out a welcoming hand. "Shall we?"

Galen slowly, but graciously took Master Egad's hand, letting the fox start to lead him into the bath house. Egad then turned to face Amon. "Would you care to join us, Amon? You have been working very hard lately, and I feel you could use a nice, relaxing bath."

Amon stepped forward and gave another bow. "It would be my pleasure, master."

# # # #

Galen carefully stepped into the large, extravagant bathing pool, careful not to splash. He felt the warmth of the water start to surround and envelop his body as he continued to step deeper into the bathing pool. Egad and Amon, who had disrobed beforehand, were already sitting in the water, their bodies submerged up to their necks as they sat on stone benches carved into the bath itself, cleaning up.

Once Galen was waist-deep in the warmth of the pool, Master Egad motioned with his hand for Galen to sit next to him and Amon as he sat on the rat warrior's lap. Galen walked forward and sat down, again careful not to disturb the water and unintentionally splash. Once he sat down on the stone bench, his torso was submerged in the bath up to his neck. The water's comforting warmth washed over him like a passionate heat, relaxing his muscles as he leaned back against the wall of the pool with Egad and Amon.

Egad motioned over to Amon, giving him a wink. Amon, knowing what this meant, reached up to the edge of the bath with care, retrieving several items: A bar of body soap wrapped in a cleaning cloth, a bottle of combined shampoo and conditioner, and a small bucket for water to rinse. Egad slowly took the shampoo-conditioner combo from Amon, then gently tapped Galen on the arm, getting his attention.

"Let us start by cleaning your mane, Galen. Scoot forward slightly and lean back please." Egad said, squeezing some of the cleanser into one of his palms. Galen willingly complied, scooting up and leaning back to give his Master easy access to his mane as it was mostly submerged in the water. Egad then raised his arms up, and like Galen, being careful not to splash, started to slather the cleanser into his shaggy, leonine mane. The cleanser started to gradually foam up, washing away any dirt and debris, along with some of the seed that Galen had managed to cover himself with during his last session with his Master.

Galen couldn't help but let out a purr as Egad worked his hands through Galen's mane, massaging his scalp, along with the back of his neck and shoulders. "Master... This feels so good..."

Egad couldn't help but let out another warm chuckle as they continued to bathe themselves...

# # # #

The bath session passed by without any incident. Though Galen purred a lot as his mane was washed. He even let out a few low moans of pleasure as Egad washed his mane, massaging his scalp and back of his neck, along with the top of his shoulders. It gave the fox many warm and fuzzy feelings, which were not limited just to his nether regions.

After the bath, Egad presented Galen with the clothing he would wear in his service to his Master: A black-colored, snug-fitting spandex thong with red suede embroidery on the pouch. The thong not only showed off the bulge from his impressive glands, but also fit in such a way that it exposed the attractive curve of his waist, from his thighs all the way up his glutes, leaving most of his chiseled rear-end bare, clearly showing off his butt cleavage. But that was not all: The outfit also was complete with a black arm bandanna added to his red one, both tied around his elbow, along with a pair of soft, leather, fingerless gloves that were also embroidered in red suede for his hands of the same color, and matching supportive athletic anklet socks that left most of the surface area on his feet bare, the sides also bearing embroidery. A set of identifying dog tags going with his crescent moon amulet completed the look with his metal cuffs on his wrists and ankles, along with his new inhibitor collar, all colored a bright silver. The collar, which had a few strange gems embedded into it wasn't snug or tight, therefore it wasn't uncomfortable to wear. But it was still small enough to basically form-fit his neck, as if he was born to wear it.

Galen looked over himself in the large wall-mirror of the bath house, alongside Amon and Egad. Amon was once again dressed in his now clean Dungeon Head attire, looking fresh and sharp. Master Egad now wore a set of regal-appearing pants and a nice shirt, with a Victorian-style overcoat completing his outfit. The pants and shirt were colored black, while the overcoat was colored a royal purple with red suede trim decorating the edges. While Galen looked over his new outfit in the mirror, he couldn't help but flex his arms and legs, showing some nice and sexy bodybuilder poses in the mirror as he looked himself over with a satisfied grin. Egad couldn't help but express a lustful grin of his own as he watched Galen flex and pose.

Shortly after the trio wrapped up their short, self-admiration in the wall mirror along with Galen expressing how he loved his new outfit from his Master, the trio set off with their guard escort to the dining hall.

As they stopped outside the doors to the dining hall, Galen felt a blush form on his face. He suddenly felt nervous.

Master Egad noticed this and rubbed a hand over Galen's arm. "What is troubling you, Galen? You suddenly look anxious."

Galen turned his head to look at his master. "...I'm nervous, master. What if the rest of your Elite Gallery doesn't like me? ...What if they don't find me worthy of being in their presence, nonetheless yours?"

Egad took Galen's massive hand into his own. "Galen, you need not worry. Every member of my Elite Gallery has gone through the jitters that you are facing now. It's completely normal. I assure you; they are more accepting and open than you may think. Besides, all of them, despite their individual personality quirks are understanding, and very loving once you get to know them. Trust me, you will fit right in."

With that, Egad slowly opened one of the double doors to the dining hall, guiding Galen in as he was followed by Amon.

Galen willingly followed his warm-smiling Master into the dining hall, Amon bringing up the flank. As they stepped in, Galen was taken aback by the dining hall's aged yet beautiful appearance: Torch sconces lit the high walls, illuminating what light could not get through the large, stained-glass windows that let brilliant sunshine through as the light illuminated the designs etched into the colored glass. The pictures in the glass depicted mighty, musclebound warriors wearing skimpy sets of armor with crusader, barbarian, nordic, and knight-like helmets covering their faces, all dawned in loose-flowing capes, each a different color. All of them were standing in battle poses, under a dramatic depiction of a guardian phoenix. There was a large table in the center of the hall, with a very healthy, yet tasty looking spread of food and drink adorning the tabletop. Seated around this table, were some of Master Egad's most loyal servants, as well as the rest of his Elite Gallery.

As Galen approached the table with Master Egad and Amon, he saw the rest of the Elite Gallery: Three wolves of different height, size, build, and color. The first of them was the tallest of the three, with even more granite-carved muscle mass than Amon! He had curved back horns protruding out of his forehead, curved like a ram's, his eyes colored a fiery golden orange. His fur, adorned with various tattoos on his upper arms and chest, was colored a two-tone; black all along his back, arms, and legs, while what was visible of his chest and abdomen was colored a light ashen gray. Though the shade of the wolf's darker fur was much lighter than the shade of Amon's fur. The wolf also had a pair of large wings, folded up around his shoulders like a cape. Galen could also tell that the black wolf was taller than Amon as well. Galen estimate the wolf's height at nine feet minimum minus the horns. As for his powerhouse weight: Galen could only rough guess as slightly heavier than Amon, at seven-hundred seventy pounds, maybe even a bit more. It clearly fit the wolf's beefy, buff physique.

The wolf was adorned in a long yet narrow, regal-red see-through loincloth that hung from his waist down to slightly below his knees adorned with a gold-like pattern in the fabric. The loincloth itself barely covered the wolf's private parts, where the rest of his modesty was concealed by a solid red colored fundoshi. The wolf also wore some nice jewelry and accessories that complimented the loincloth: On his right arm, he wore a short, thick belt with embedded gems that wrapped around the wolf' s biceps on that arm. Around his neck, besides the matching inhibitor collar, he wore a tribal-like necklace with a golden chain, adorned with pearly-white teeth that Galen theorized the wolf had taken from a successful hunt long ago. Golden-colored restraint cuffs matching the color of the collar, along with some golden horn rings and a thin, silken cape that went between his shoulder blades and wings completed the look.

The second wolf was clearly shorter than Galen at seven feet and two inches height, but nearly as well-built as the lion. Galen estimated his weight at about five-hundred twenty-five pounds, his fur colored a vibrant crimson. Like the first, this wolf also had horns coming out of his head, though they were curved back differently, going along the shape of his head towards the back like a dragon's. The wolf' s eyes were also unique: The sclera of the eye, which on any other being would be colored white, was instead colored a shade of pitch-black on both the shorter wolf's eyes. If it weren't for the ruby-colored irises that were visible, Galen would have sworn that his pupils had over-dilated. A set of bat-like wings completed the wolf's physical features, the wings currently wrapped around his shoulders like a cloak.

The crimson wolf also wore a very dark-themed looking outfit: He was adorned with a loincloth as well, though this one was shorter, colored a dark tan, stopping at halfway up the wolf's thighs and secured by a belt with a decorative skull-shaped buckle. The wolf also wore gun-metal colored restraint bands, though these bands also had rounded decorative studs embedded into them. A long, scarf-like tan bandanna around the wolf's neck completed the look, which partially covered his inhibitor collar.

The third wolf of the trio was the shortest at six feet and nine inches in height. However, unlike the first two wolves the third had a slender, svelte body build that was a mirror of Master Egad. He most likely weighed around three-hundred ten pounds tops. The blue wolf was dressed in what appeared to be cream-gray, monk-style robes. Although these, like the rest of the slaves' outfits, was very skimpy and revealing: The robes around the blue wolf's waist were secured by a small, drawstring-like rope, and didn't fully wrap around the wolf's waist, showing a good portion of his lean-looking legs. The torso part of the outfit went over one of the wolf's shoulders, like a sash of sorts. Though this, like the rest of the outfit, did little to conceal his upper body: The wolf, despite not being as bulky as the others, still had a muscle tone set in his body that appeared as if it had been sculpted out of clay by a renaissance artisan, with visible definition on his abdominals and pectorals. He also wore restraint bands and an inhibitor collar, though his were colored a pearly white. This wolf's eyes looked much more normal, apart from both being different colors: one blue, and one red.

Master Egad showed Galen where he would sit: On the right side of Amon, which gave Galen some distance from the other members of the Elite Gallery. As he sat down next to Amon at the table, he looked over at the three wolves, who were also looking over the new addition. The crimson wolf shot Galen a lusty grin of admiration, along with a wink. The black wolf was also looking over Galen from where he sat, also looking impressed with Galen's build and outfit, although showing more personal restraint. The third was also looking him over, though he had a shy, nervous-looking expression as he did so.

After Master Egad took his seat at the head of the table, everyone turned in his direction as the heard him sit down. "It's a good day to be with all of you, and a very joyous occasion as well." Master Egad spoke. "For as you can now see, we have a new addition to the Elite Gallery, and our closely-knit family, the Phoenix Coven." Egad graciously motioned with his hand to the new arrival at the table. "Everyone, I would like you to meet Galen Dhaelos, our newest addition."

Everyone happily gave Galen a quick round of applause and appreciation, everyone voicing out words of welcome. By the time it had ended, Galen felt elated. His anxiety before had completely melted away. He genuinely felt like he belonged...

After the applause for Galen, Master Egad spoke once more. "Now that introductions have been made, and Galen welcomed into the coven, we can now continue to fulfill our roles in this circle... Now, without further ado, let us eat."