FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"I'm gonna kill that fucker," growled Crius.

"No you're not."

"Why shouldn't I!?"

"Because breaking a pot is not a good reason to kill someone."

"He upset Filia!"

Baal smirked. "Then shouldn't she be the one down here screaming and raging?"

"It's... I'm... That's not the point!" growled Crius. "That bitch and her sorry excuses for enforcers came in here and disrespected our craftsmanship, started trashing our shop, and yes, upset my daughter." The lizardman crossed his arms angrily over his chest. "Those fuckers need to be taught their place. And besides, whoever she has crafting over there has no idea what the fuck they're doing! Everything they make fails after a couple of uses, even things that should be able to handle years of use by adventurers. That kind of crafting is a disgrace."

"Now that I agree with." Baal held out a black-scaled hand. "Pass me that flask, will you?"

"Sure." Crius grabbed the flask from the table behind him and passed it over, and Baal began filling it with some bubbling concoction he was working on. The other male's personal lab was isolated from the rest of the shop, which was just as well because Crius knew just enough about alchemy to know he shouldn't be messing with this stuff. "But I still don't see why I shouldn't do something about this."

"I never said you shouldn't take action," said Baal. "I just mean you need to be smart about it. Sneaking over to their shop and attacking them will only cause trouble. And certainly, you could kill the them-"

"Thank you!" said Crius.

"Or..."

Crius looked at him, confused. "Or what?"

A sinister smile spread over Baal's face, his yellow, slit-pupiled eyes glinting in the light.

"Or you could do something worse."

The lizardman considered that for a moment.

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

Baal's smile grew larger.

"I know just what to do."

*************

"Good evening, gentlemen," said Vic cheerily, welcoming the group of men as they stepped into the bathhouse. "Welcome to Draco Balneum."

"Yeah, hi," said an akita that was looking around rather nervously as he walked in, quickly closing the door behind his group. "Hey, uh, mind telling us how much it costs to use the bathhouse? It's been a shit couple of days and we could really use some time to relax where that bi- I mean, where our boss won't follow us."

"Of course," said Vic. "Entry to the baths is five coppers per adult."

"Fuck," groaned the brown wolf standing behind the akita. "I told you this would happen."

The akita sighed. "Alright, sorry for wasting your time."

"Is something wrong?" asked Vic.

"It's too much," said the akita.

"Our boss hasn't been paying us properly," said the great dane, the tan-furred canine towering over the rest of his group, though still hot reaching Vic's height. "That's more than we can afford for a bath."

The fourth and final member of their group was a young lizardman. The skinny lad's scales were a deep green, and he was obviously the youngest of the group, his skinny body a sharp contrast to the muscles of the others. He'd been staring at Vic since they walked through the door, but he finally found his voice.

"We're crafters at Penni Road," he said. "We were hoping to try out the bath and enjoy some peace. But our boss hasn't been paying us commissions like she's supposed to, so money is kind of tight right now and-"

"Ocoro," said the great dane. "You shouldn't be saying things like that to strangers."

"Sorry Brutus."

Vic thought for a moment. "My partner is an alchemist, so I can understand why you'd be frustrated working for someone like that. Tell you what; if you promise not to tell anybody, I can let you boys in for a discount tonight. Five coppers for the lot of you."

The men's eyes lit up.

"Seriously?" asked the wolf.

"Happy to help fellow crafters," said Vic. "Besides, it's been a pretty slow night. We could use the business. You'll have the men's side all to yourselves."

"We would really appreciate it," said Brutus, as each man pulled out a copper piece and passed them to Vic.

"So cool," Ocoro, whispered under his breath, looking the other man over.

"If you gentlemen will just follow me, I'll show you to the baths. Normally I'd have an attendant do this, but for fellow crafters tonight I'll give you the personal touch." Vic rang a small bell sitting on his counter. In a few moments a curtain nearby parted and a human woman appeared. "I'll be attending to these gentlemen as friends of the owners tonight. Would you mind watching the desk for me?"

The woman bowed her head slightly. "Not at all, sir."

"I don't think I introduced myself. Name's Victus, but please call me Vic." Vic stepped out from behind the counter. "If you gentlemen will just follow me."

There were three corridors behind the main desk, each one blocked off by a curtain. The left side entrance was red, the center was purple, and the one Vic led them down was blue. As the group followed him down the corridor, Vic was glad his friends had built this place with even the largest of clients in mind, otherwise working here would have been murder in his neck and back from ducking under so many doors.

Victus - Vic to his friends - was easily the biggest of his group. Lizardmen like him typically didn't get quite that big, but thanks to a bit of magical experimentation he'd been subjected to in his youth. Vic was far from your average lizardman. His scales were a lustrous purple, growing a bit paler under his snout and along his chest and the bottom of his tail. He typically kept himself hunched over a bit to avoid scaring others with his size, even though Vic was the very definition of a gentle giant. While his yellow eyes were typical, the mohawk of orange hair that stretched from his head down to the base of his neck definitely wasn't typical for lizardmen. He was dressed in comfortable pants and a black sleeveless shirt that ultimately covered very little, but that was just as well; the baths could get pretty humid, and Vic liked to be able to move freely.

"We've got three main baths," said Vic, trying to keep his tail from hitting any of the others as he led them down the hall. "We're heading to the men's bath now. The red hallway leads to the women's bath, and the purple is for mixed bathing, which is usually families that want to stay together."

"Typically?" said Ocoro.

Vic smiled. "Well, certain nights we have more... adult activities taking place, and on those nights that bath is open to everyone looking for mixed bathing and some fun with the opposite sex. The men's and women's baths are always split."

"So this place really is full service, huh?" said the akita, looking eager.

"Forget it, Reuben," said Brutus. "We can't waste money on that right now."

"You and I have very different ideas about what counts as waste."

Emerging into the baths themselves, Vic stepped aside to let the rest of the men through. This first area was meant for the customers to strip and dress, compartmentalized shelves lined with baskets ringing the room, along with a handful of benches carved from wood polished to a smooth shine. A wardrobe was packed to busting with fluffy towels, ready for use. Looking over the shelves - which only came up to about stomach height on most people - one could see the dressing area giving way to the bath itself. There were spouts and spigots around the walls, allowing guests to get themselves probably clean before entering the main bath, a large pool of steaming water. The washing and dressing areas could be closed off during colder weather, but it was such a nice evening the whole space was open, a bit of handy magic keeping most of the noise from the bath and the streets just beyond the walls isolated, creating a feeling of isolation rarely found in the city.

"We have private rooms and baths available as well, but since we have no other customers right now, you gentlemen should be able to enjoy a soak in peace." Vic gestured to the baskets. "Please leave your clothes here, and wash off before entering the bath. Would anyone like a drink, or something to eat?"

"That'd be great," said the wolf, pulling his shirt off to reveal his fluffy, brown-furred chest.. "If we had any more money."

"Lucky for you, I'm the chef here," said VIc. "I can whip you up something simple, no charge."

"Well, you heard him, Kurt," said Reuben. The akita turned to Vic. "Some food and drink would be wonderful."

Vic grinned. "Then I'll be back in a few minutes."

The large lizard turned to leave, kicking himself for not making an excuse to stay and watch them get undressed. But on his way out, just before the curtain closed, he pointed a finger towards the men when they wouldn't notice, and whispered under his breath.

"Detect Sexual Orientation."

That spell was a handy little number, and had served Vic well during his time working the bathhouse. Now that he had what he needed, the large lizard moved towards the kitchen. It wasn't as nice as his private one, but it was close, and more than enough for what the bathhouse needed. It was designed with bulk in mind, not experimenting and refining new flavors. But before he started on refreshments for their guests, he went to find Crius. The other lizard had told Vic to come find him immediately if workers from the other shop came in. They just hadn't expected it would happen so soon.

When he returned a few minutes later, Vic was pushing a cart with some simple snacks and several mugs of ale, setting them out for the guests. When the men saw him approaching, they rose out of the water and strolled over to him, helping themselves to a drink without the slightest hint of being bothered with their nudity. The water had left their fur clinging to their bodies, highlighting every curve, water dripping off of sheaths and furry sacs.

Except for Ocoro, of course, the water slid off the lizard's scales smoothly, and as usual there wasn't much to look at. Lizardman weren't big on clothes anyway, and given that all of their anatomy was internal, tucked safely and discreetly away in their slit, there was little reason to worry about modesty. The skinny lizard seemed far more nervous about Vic seeing him naked than the big lizard would have expected from another of his species. Of course, given that Ocoro was hopelessly attracted to males, it wasn't terribly surprising that he would react that way. Vic wasn't always the brightest guy, but even he couldn't miss the fact that the youngster had practically been drooling over him since the moment they walked in.

The men ate and talked for a bit, moving back to the water with their ale, sinking back into the water with a sigh.

"Fuck, I needed this," said Reuben.

"Is it always like this?" asked Ocoro. "I know I'm new, but this doesn't seem right."

"It shouldn't be, and it's not," said Brutus. The big dog had moved to the deeper area of the spring to let the water cover him a bit more. "Never worked in a shop like this."

Vic refilled their ales, and after they'd made their way through most of the second mug, he spoke up.

"What's going on that's got you boys so stressed? I know shops can get crazy but it seems like more than that."

"It's our bosses. The shopkeeper and that Paerindon bitch," growled Reuben, gulping down more ale. "They're overcharging our customers, and aren't even giving us a cut of the profits! Beth the Bitch pockets it all for herself!"

"It's worse than that," said Ocoro. The boy looked pretty upset. "They keep pushing us to make items beyond what we can do, and they aren't working right. I heard an adventure got hurt because two of the items we gave him stopped working. It's awful! That cat was so polite when he came by our shop."

"If it's that bad, why don't you go somewhere else?" asked Vic.

Kurt sighed. "We can't. Not only has she got contracts for all of us, she told us that if we tried to leave she'd make sure word got out that we couldn't make it as crafters because our goods keep failing. Never mind that it was her fucking fault in the first place." He added with a growl.

"This is my first job as a real crafter," said Ocoro. "I have to make it work! But Lady Paerindon has been stressing me so much my back is nothing but knots."

Vic nodded his head sagely. "Sounds like what we have here is a classic case of working too much and enjoying yourselves too little. I think we should do something about that. Let me check something in back real quick; be right back."

He left the bath, heading back into the kitchen where a kobold was waiting for him.

Ictus was all of four feet tall (not counting his horns) and only just managed to come up to Vic's waist. The kobold's purple scales had more of a red tint than his partner's did, his neck, belly, and the inside of his arms being a faded pink, just like the flaps of his fin-like ears. Red tribal markings surrounded his yellow eyes and stretched across the top and sides of his snout. Vic could just see the ones on Ictus' chest peeking out from underneath the shirt he wore, dressed quite similar to Vic save for the alchemist's apron. The kobold was an accomplished alchemist, and always seemed to have supplies with him, constantly brewing and tinkering and experimenting with new concoctions.

"Did they drink it?" asked Ictus, rinsing out a now empty bottle and slipping it into one of the many pockets of his apron.

Vic nodded. "You sure it'll work?"

"Of course," said Ictus. "That potion's never failed me yet."

"I think I can get more information from that lizard boy. Do you have any more of your special oil?"

Ictus grinned a lecherous grin. "So my big guy's been eyeing that little twink, huh?"

"More like he's been eyeing me," said Vic. "He is cute though."

"Imagine he'll look even cuter once you get your claws on him," said ictus, chuckling. He pulled a bottle from another pocket. "Freshly made this morning. Should work wonders on a horny youngster like him."

Vic went to take it, but Ictus pulled the bottle back for a moment.

"Don't get too worn out, big guy. I'm going to want a ride or three myself tonight as a reward for my hard work." He handed the bigger lizardman the bottle.

Vic knelt down, giving Ictus a quick kiss, pushing his tongue into the kobold's muzzle.

"Promise," he said, standing up and heading back towards the bath. "I always have energy for you."

Returning to the bath, Vic approached the men as they enjoyed their soak.

"If you're that tense, why don't you try one of our famous massages?" said Vic, looking at Ocoro. "I personally guarantee you won't possibly be able to feel stressed by the time you've finished."

"Oh, um... I suppose that sounds really nice," said Ocoro.

"Wonderful." Vic held out his hand to help the reptile out of the bath. "Then please come with me and I'll get you what you need."

Ocoro was barely able to mumble out a thank you as the big lizard helped him from the bath, hurrying over to grab a towel and dry off, wrapping it around his waist.

"As for you gentlemen," said Vic, turning back to the canines in the pool. "I think I have just the thing to help you unwind."

The lizardman clapped his hands, and three women walked into the baths, each of them in nothing but their fur. The sight of three naked canine ladies had the men's full attention, and as the females approached three red canine cocks sprung from sheaths, groans escaping the craftsmen's muzzles as the girls pressed against them, starting to fondle their dicks and sacs.

"Ladies, I trust you to keep our guests entertained," said Vic. "Ocoro, if you would follow me please."

The pair left the bath just as the akita began to moan, the collie girl kneeling in front of him taking his dick deep into her mouth. Victus led Ocoro to a new, smaller room with a padded table dominating much of the space. The lizardman lit some incense that gave off a pleasant, relaxing aroma, closing the door and gesturing to the table.

"If you'd just lay down on your stomach, we'll get started. Oh, and it might also be more comfortable to undo the towel and just drape it over yourself."

"Wait...you're going to do the massage!?" squeaked Ocoro, his blush visible even through his dark scales.

"I am," said Vic. "Unless you'd rather I left."

"No! No, you can stay," said Ocoro, carefully climbing up onto the table and laying down, fitting his face into the opening at one end.

Taking off his shirt, Vic uncorked the bottle.

"My partner made this oil," said Vic, pouring some over the lizard's back, and a little more into his hands. "Really helps you relax, and works wonders on scales. The luster will last for days."

Vic got to work, his hands easily dwarfing the other lizard as he worked them over his shoulders and back. Ocoro was groaning and moaning almost immediately as Vic's strong hands did their work. The young reptile hadn't been lying; he really was quite tense, and Vic could feel the knots in his muscles as he worked to relieve them. He was clearly under a lot of stress, but he was visibly relaxing under the touch of the big lizard. Ocoro's moans got especially noticeable when Vic massaged along the length of the boy's tail, especially around the thicker base at his lower back. He worked down each of Ocoro's legs, making sure not to miss any of them tender spots along the way, smiling to himself at the happy noises the youth was making.

Once he was satisfied with his work on Ocoro's back, he stepped away from the table to get more oil.

"That side's done, so if you'd please roll over onto your back."

He couldn't help but notice the way the other male froze up for a moment.

"Problem?" he asked, playing dumb.

"N-No," said Ocoro. Taking a couple of breaths to steady himself. "I'm fine."

The green-scaled lizard rolled over, keeping himself well covered with the towel, apparently forgetting that Vic had already seen him naked more than enough already. Ocoro's eyes went wide when he saw Vic had removed his shirt, but he didn't say anything, laying back on the table. He did keep watching Vic, however, until the lizard had to ask him to close his eyes.

"I'll be starting with your face first," said Vic, "and I wouldn't want to get any of the oil in your eyes."

Ocoro did as he was told and shut his eyes as Vic stepped around to stand at the head of the table. Spreading the oil on his hands, the big male started working his fingers gently over the other lizard's head and snout, careful not to use too much pressure. He did the same to his neck, then poured oil over Ocoro's chest and started working it in. He could feel the smaller male's breathing and heartbeat picking up, watching him squirm when Vic's fingers pressed into his belly.

But the thing that really had Ocoro squirming and whimpering with embarrassment was the steadily growing tent in his towel as Vic's hands got closer and closer to his covered area. Just as Vic's fingers brushed the edge of the towel and he thought the younger male was going to say something, Vic pulled away, walking around to the end of the table, starting to work his way up the boy's legs. It was only when Vic reached the towel again that he finally said something.

"Would you mind removing the towel please so I can finish?"

"Wh-What!?"

Vic chuckled. Clearly this kid had spent more time in the city around other species than he had his own. Most beastfolk wouldn't think twice about something like this.

"Don't be embarrassed, it's a perfectly normal reaction. Happens all the time. Besides, we're bother lizardmen, so it's not like I don't know what you've got down there anyway."

Ocoro was blushing madly, but did as Vic said, pulling the towel off and letting it drop to the floor. For such a skinny guy, Ocoro wasn't lacking in the dick department. Vic had been wrong about one thing though; they were more different downstairs than he had expected. Ocoro's cock was the same bright pink, but his tapered length was smooth, curving slightly up towards his stomach. It also said a lot about how much Ocoro was enjoying this that he was already leaking a bit, precum starting to bead up at his tip.

Unseen by Ocoro, who had his eyes shut still and seemed to be trying to will away his erection, Vic removed his pants, leaving him just as naked as Ocoro was.

Vic returned to his massage while breathing in the scent of an aroused lizardman. As he worked his way over the last part of Ocoro's thighs and up to his hips, the boy's breathing sped up again, his cock throbbing in time with his racing heart. He seemed like he was finally going to calm down when Vic finished the massage, but that quickly became impossible when he felt the big lizardman's hand close around his cock and start to stroke.

"Whh-What...mmph... what are you d-doing?" gasped Ocoro.

"You're still too tense," said Vic, stroking the other man's dick like he didn't have a care in the world. "Need to make sure you're completely relaxed."

Ocoro's body jerked when Vic gave him a strong squeeze.

"This kind of seems like the opposite of relaxing."

"That's because we're not done yet," said Vic, climbing up onto the table. Good thing they'd made sure those things were really sturdy. "You've got one more spot we haven't seen to yet."

Vic grabbed Ocoro's ankles and started to bend him over on himself. Using one hand to hold the smaller male's legs together, Vic took the oil slick fingers of his other hand and started rubbing around the slit of Ocoro's tailhole, getting him good and slick before pushing two fingers into the squealing, squirming lizardman, listening to the skinny male squeal as he felt something inside him for the first time.

"Don't worry, I know just the thing to make sure you enjoy every bit of this."

Muttering under his breath, Vic cast a spell, sending his magic surging into Ocoro's body.

"There," he said, removing his fingers. "Virgin tight with the stretch of an experienced bottom. Now we can both enjoy ourselves with having to worry."

"W-Worry about what?" asked Ocoro.

Vic grinned. "Worry about how it's going to feel when I give your ass the deep massage it needs with this."

Grabbing one of Ocoro's legs in each hand, Vic bent the other lizard back until his ankles were pressed by his head. More importantly, he let his enormous penis slap down against the reptile's taint, showing the younger male why he'd felt the need to use magic to get him ready.

Will Ocoro's cock may have been smooth, Vic's was very much not. Lined with ridges and barb-like protrusions around the pointed head and just above his slowly swelling knot, Vic's penis looked more like a weapon than a cock. And given how much bigger Vic was than him, to Ocoro it certainly felt like one. Or at least it would have if the young lizard wasn't so fucking horny. A large part of that was his own, but his arousal had been helped along quite a bit thanks to the special oil Vic had used. It never failed to get a reaction from the customers.

"Don't worry little man," said Vic, lining himself up. "Those barbs are malleable, and I've never had a complaint from anybody once the knew how they felt inside. You're in for quite a treat."

Vic started pushing down using his strong legs to easily get past any resistance Ocoro's body might have had. For a virgin like him, taking such a big dick on his first try would probably have been rather unpleasant, but Vic never was one to enjoy hurting his partners. No, when he fucked somebody he wanted them to enjoy it. Thanks to his spell, he'd have no trouble fitting every last inch of his thick cock under Ocoro's tail, and that was exactly what he did. The young lizardman was practically wailing by the time Vic's hips pressed flush against his ass.

Ocoro couldn't believe this was happening. This behemoth - who was quite possibly the sexiest male he had ever seen in his life - was giving his ass the pounding he had always wanted. His moans sounded hopelessly slutty as Vic started thrusting in and out of him, the big dick stretching him deeper than he would have ever thought possible, and hitting things Ocoro didn't know he could feel. Every thrust into his ass forced the breath out of him, a high pitched wheeze of pleasure that grew into a moan of need when Vic pulled out, just to repeat the process all over again.

It was always amusing to Vic, seeing a virgin guy taking a dick for the first time. That initial nervousness giving way to blissful pleasure as he realizes that it isn't as uncomfortable as he thought it would be, and those pleasurable feelings washed over him until he could think of nothing else but how good it felt to get fucked. It was obvious Ocoro was going through the same stages, his toes curling every time Vic pumped his hips down, pushing the lizard firmly into the table. Vic couldn't hold back a grin at the way Ocoro squealed when his barbs plucked at the young man's insides, teasing his pucker every single time.

As Vic picked up the pace, Ocoro was grunting and moaning as he was nearly folded in half, completely at the mercy of the other reptile and loving every moment of it. He gave a gasp of surprise when he felt something pressing against his stretched out pucker; something even larger than the dick already inside him. Ocoro knew exactly what it was, too. It was Vic's knot. He may not have one, but working with dogs that like bragging about their sexual exploits meant he was well aware of what it was. And what the big lizard planned to do with it.

Vic braced his legs, grinding his knot against Ocoro's tightly stretched tailhole.

"Hope you're ready, cause here it comes."

Vic started thrusting even harder than before, slowly stretching Ocoro's ass more and more with his knot, listening to the younger man wail in bliss before the dam finally broke. Ocoro cried out as he came, painting his chest and face with his spunk, every pulse of his cock making his whole body spasm, squeezing down on Vic so hard it was like he was trying to crush his cock. Vic slammed down one more time and his knot pushed into Ocoro, locking them together as the big lizardman growled and hissed, emptying his internal balls into the other reptile's ass, his knot making sure not a single drop had anywhere to go but deeper into the squirming male beneath him.

Ocoro practically collapsed once his orgasm stopped, his heart pounding and chest heaving. Vic lifted the other lizardman up, spinning him around on his cock so Ocoro was facing away from him, laughing at the way the other male squealed at the sensation. Sitting down on the table, Vic grinned at the way Ocoro was rubbing at the obvious bulge in his belly the bigger man's cock was making.

"Holy fuck," gasped Ocoro, his body nearly numb for pleasure. He giggled. "I can feel your cock."

"We're gonna be stuck together for a bit," said Vic, rubbing the other lizard's thighs. "Hope you don't mind."

Ocoro laid his head back against Vic's chest. "Not one fucking bit. This is heaven."

"Now that you're nice and relaxed, do you want to talk about what had you so stressed in the first place?" asked Vic, his tail moving to wrap and intertwine with the smaller male's in a comforting gesture. "Sometimes it can really help to get things off your chest."

"It's my boss, and the owner, Lady Paerindon," said Ocoro. "They've been pushing us really hard lately, and it's started affecting our work." As he said it, Vic could feel the smaller male tense up a bit against him.

"Isn't it normal for craftsmen to get some pressure from the owners? Kind of comes with the territory." Vic offered, nuzzling into the smaller male's neck. He felt Ocoro relax slightly at his touch.

"Maybe," said Ocoro. "This is my first real crafting job, so I wouldn't know. But what I do know is they've been pushing us to craft things way beyond what we're capable of, and making promises we can't deliver on. Those magic items we've been selling? Some of them are fine, but a lot of the high priced stuff... It's embarrassing but none of us have the skills to make things like that correctly. They only work a couple of times, if we can get them working at all."

Vic's brows went up. "Are you telling me your employers are knowingly selling faulty magic items to adventurers?"

"Not just adventurers, but they get the worst of it," said Ocoro. He covered his face. "It's been awful! Faulty gear can get people killed! But Lady Paerindon threatened to ruin us if we tried to leave. We have contracts with her shop, and she said if we left she'd blame all the problems on us! We'd never be able to get crafting work in the city again!"

Vic could tell Ocoro was getting agitated again, so he gave a playful growl to pull the male's attention from his worries, his large hand reaching down to tease around the edges of the young man's slit, the smaller male's still rock hard cock letting out a needy twitch, in no small part thanks to the pulsing knot wedged against his prostate.

"Sounds like you need a bit more to help you relax," said Vic, stroking Ocoro's cock and listening to him moan. "And once my knot goes down, I know someone that might like to talk with you."

*************

The craftsmen had left thoroughly relaxed and much happier than they had been before they'd arrived at the bathhouse. A hot soak and a strong fuck tended to have that affect on people. Thanks to what had been slipped into their drinks - and the enthusiastic attentions of the girls that joined them - the dogs didn't even notice how long Ocoro was gone before the young man came stumbling back into the room, a very pleased look on his face. The group had staggered out some time later after promising to return as soon as their finances would allow.

It had been quite a productive night all around. After talking with Ocoro and Vic, Crius and Baal had everything they needed to set things in motion. It wouldn't be long before Beth Paerindon and her lackeys got exactly what was coming to them.

Two days later, a wagon heavily loaded with crates and bags or goods rolled up outside Stellio Fabrica, and under Crius' direction, the delivery was unloaded and moved into the store rooms beneath the shop. It took a while to get everything inside, but nobody seemed to be in that big of a hurry. The large presence of city guard on Merchant Lane made it extremely safe, and it was unlikely anyone would try to steal anything. Especially considering all the crates were sealed and fairly heavy, making it even harder to try running off with something.

Across the street peeking out of an alley between two shops, Beth Paerindon and the beagle man that ran her shop were eyeing the wagon covetously.

"Is that the delivery you spoke of?"

"Yes ma'am," said Max. "Ocoro said he overheard them discussing a delivery of valuable materials."

The chocolate lab growled. "I still can't believe those peasants disobeyed me and actually visited that trash heap."

Max rolled his eyes but knew better than to say anything. Even after losing almost everything, the Paerindons - the two he'd met anyway - still viewed themselves as the height of nobility. It just didn't seem to cross her mind that others might not see them that way. But as long as he kept getting the protection of nobility and a cut of the shop's profits, he was willing to bite his tongue and keep unpleasant opinions to himself unless absolutely necessary.

"I want you and the men to get in there, tonight. Take everything you can carry," said Beth imperiously. "We'll teach those mongrels not to cross their betters."

"As you command, ma'am."

And so later that night, under the cover of darkness, the small pack of dogs waited until the guards had moved past the shop. They snuck quickly across the street, picking the lock on the front door and slipping inside before anyone could see them.

"Get to work," whispered Max, looking around the shop. "Those crates have to be around here somewhere."

The group began searching, and while there were many interesting items scattered around the shop, none of them were what they were looking for. Max was fighting the urge to growl in frustration when something caught his eye. Towards the back of the shop, a soft light was shining out of a door that hadn't closed all the way. Moving closer, Max spied stairs behind the door. Getting the men's attention, he motioned them over to join him.

"This must be their storeroom," said Max. "Let's get this over with before somebody finds us."

The would-be thieves moved down the stairs quickly and quietly, emerging into a large space. It had clearly been carved out for storage, with shelves and crates and sacks filling much of the space. It was several times bigger than what they had at Penni Road, and the possibilities had Max positively drooling.

Splitting up to continue the search, Max moved towards a row of crates on one aisle, sliding the lid open and peering inside. What he saw took his breath away.

"Guys!" he called. "You have to see this!"

The other dogs hurried over to him.

"What?" asked Claudius. "The fuck has you all worked... up...?"

The german shepherd's jaw dropped when he got a look inside the crate.

"Sweet fuck! Is that what I think it is!?"

Max nodded. "Mithral ingots. Just one of these is worth five thousand gold, easy!"

Bran, the youngest of the group, looked into the crate.

"There's got to be a couple dozen here, at least," said the rottweiler. He looked around. "They're not even locked up. What other kind of stuff do they have in here to leave something this valuable just sitting out like this."

"I say we take this crate, screw the rest," said the bulldog. "Even if we just sold them off, we'd make a mint. Wouldn't even have to bother crafting anything."

"Use your head, Rob," said Max. "If we suddenly started flashing around mithral, how long do you think it will take these guys to figure out who stole it?"

"Who fucking cares?" snarled the pitbull. "Let's just grab it and go." He reached into the crate and grabbed one of the ingots. "This one's mine, though. There's still plenty enough in there for the mistress. Besides, after seeing how upset that scalie little bitch got when Claudius broke that jar, I can't wait to see the look on her face when she realizes her daddy's gonna have to go out of business! Hahahaha -urgh!"

An angry, snarling growl split the air as a dark shape flew past them in a blur. The pitbull went down hard, tumbling head over tail until he slid to a stop. The dog wasn't moving. The creature that had attacked him slowly stood up, turning to face the other dogs. The lizardman was dressed only in a loincloth that hung down between his legs, and his blue eyes flashed dangerously as he stared them down. The horrified canines could only stare at the blood coating his jaws and running down his face. A perfect match for the deep fang marks torn into the pitbull's neck, his once white fur now stained red as the last flicker of life faded from his eyes.

"Sergio!" cried Bran, looking horrified by the sight of the dog's body.

"You'll pay for that you fucker!" snarled Claudius. "Emiel! Let's kill this fucking lizard."

The doberman took up a fighting stance, drawing a short sword from his belt, while Claudius pulled out a pair of daggers.

"A gentleman should know better."

The dog's looked up as Kilian's deep voice rang out from overhead, and the cat leapt down to join them, standing beside Crius. The lizardman had barely moved, his eyes never leaving the german shepherd even as the cat continued to speak.

"Drawing weapons to fight two to one against an unarmed opponent is the move of a thief. Though to be fair, I suppose you are. Not that I should judge." Kilian's hand drifted casually to his side and drew his rapier. "But if you gentlemen are truly looking for a fight, then I will be happy to oblige."

"W-We don't want any trouble," said Bran, backing away slowly. "Why don't we just leave, and we can pretend like all this never happened?"

"Oh, I'm afraid that's quite impossible."

The dog's heads whipped around trying to find whoever was speaking, but they couldn't see anyone.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" said Rob.

An annoyed hiss filled the room.

"You dare come into my home, and presume to give me orders? There are few who would dare to do that. Most would know better."

"I'm not afraid of some little bitch that has to hide in the shadows," Rob scoffed.

"So you want to see me? Very well then. On your head be it."

With a heavy thud, something very, very large dropped from the ceiling just out of range of the torchlight. In a flash, something thick and dark lashed out, wrapping around Bran and Rob, pinning them together and tightening around them. It was only when they got a good look at what was holding them that they started to realize what they might be up against.

They were locked in the coiled embrace of something with dark scales and a very powerful grip. Eyes wide, the two dogs began to whimper as Baal slid forward, his humanoid torso moving into the light, revealing the yuan-ti abomination to the unfortunate thieves.

"You should know better than to come into a snake's lair."

At that moment, several things happened at once. Recognizing there was nothing he could do in this situation, Max bolted, running for the door as fast as his legs would carry him. He'd expected Baal to try and stop him, but the serpent seemed content to watch him fly, a smug smirk on his face.

Emiel and Claudius surged forward, each trying to attack one of the men standing before him. Kilian jumped back gracefully as Emiel took a swing at him, avoiding the dog's wild sword swings with such fluid grace he could have been dancing. When the dog tried to get his footing, the cat lashed out with his rapier, hitting the doberman's right ear, taking a notch out of it.

"There," said Kilian, gesturing towards the dog's left ear. "Now they match."

"I'll kill you cat!" Emiel roared angrily.

"I can say with certainty that better men than you have tried and failed my friend. But do what you must." Kilian raised his rapier. "Assuming you can actually land a hit."

Emiel tried to charge him again, but Kilian was faster. He attacked the dog with a flurry of strikes; none of them deep enough to do major damage or hit anything vital, but plenty to slow the dog down and leave him feeling the sting of Kilian's steel. Sweeping the doberman's feet from under him, the cat was on him in a flash, his blade at the canine's throat.

"Looks like you lose, my man," said Kilian. "But you won't be dying today, so be grateful. Now don't move, or I might have to show you what this weapon can really do."

Claudius was faster and stronger than Emiel, but it didn't do much to make the german shepherd's situation any better. He swung his daggers quickly, trying to take the lizardman out of the fight quickly, but the reptile was damned fast. He wasn't even armed! The fucker just struck with claws and tail, and even a glancing hit knocked the dog back.

"The fuck is wrong with you!?" said Claudius. "All this because we broke in."

"You made a rather serious mistake, my man," said Kilian. "Upsetting his little girl was unwise. Crius can be rather... overprotective."

"I'm not afraid of some psycho lizard," Claudius scoffed. "I may be bloodied but this fight isn't over yet."

Crius let out a bellowing snarl. He raised his hands and motioned for the dog to come at him.

Claudius let out a roar of rage, charging at Crius and swung both daggers for his neck. The lizard dodged back, flipping and swinging his thick tail up to whack the german shepherd under the muzzle, making him stagger. A powerful kick to the gut sent the dog sprawling, his weapons skittering away across the stone floor. He tried to get up, but Crius was on him in an instant. The dog's head hit the ground when Crius tackled him, the reptile's claws digging into his arms and his teeth around the canine's neck, pinning him down.

"That's enough, Crius," said Baal. "He's clearly unconscious. The fight is over and the prey is yours."

Crius' breathing gradually started to slow, and the lizardman slowly released the shepherd, standing over him as he lay sprawled on the floor. Whimpering and yelping came from the stairs, and a moment later Victus appeared, holding the beagle in the air by the scruff of his neck while the dog tried to get away, kicking and struggling against the big lizard's unbreakable grip.

"Put me down you overgrown lizard!" cried Max, trying to pry Vic's fingers open with no success. "You can't do this to me! Guards, Guards!"

"They won't hear you from down here," said Baal. "Victus, be a dear and shut him up."

"Sure," said Vic. He raised his free hand and delivered a swift hit to the dog's neck, leaving him hanging limply in the air. "There we go."

"You didn't kill him, did you big man?" asked Kilian.

"No," said Vic. He looked down at the beagle. "Uh... hang on." He lifted Max up to listen to his breathing and heartbeat. "No, he's fine."

"Oh stop struggling. It's pointless," said Baal calmly, giving the dogs in his coils and amused look. "You lot won't be going anywhere."

The yuan-ti raised his hand. "Sleep!"

As the spell washed over them, Bran, Rob, and Emiel all fell asleep, the rottweiler and bulldog going limp in his coils.

"Vic, would you mind giving me a hand with this one?" said Kilian, sheathing his rapier with a flourish.

"You bet!" said the big lizard, cheerful as ever, before lumbering over and throwing the doberman over his shoulder and tucking the beagle under his arm.

"This one's mine," growled Crius. He hauled Claudius up and started walking towards the stairs.

"Been quite a while since I've seen him cut loose like that," said Kilian.

"Just be thankful he didn't kill him," said Baal. "Last time he got that angry it took days to clean all the blood up."

"What do you want me to do with them?" asked Vic.

"Oh, you can come with me," said Baal, moving towards the door. "We can put them in storage until it's time to deal with them."

Kilian returned the mithral ingot to its crate and closed the lid, putting out the torch as he followed the others out.

Outside the shop, a cloaked and hooded figure stood in the shadows, impatiently tapping her foot. Her men had insisted that Beth stay behind to avoid being seen, but they had no business telling nobility like her what to do. Frankly, she had little confidence that they could handle a job of such importance without her supervision. What in the hell was taking them so long?

Scoffing angrily, Beth raised her hand, activating the ring she wore around one finger. In moments the canine noble had completely vanished from view under an invisibility spell. Storming across the street in a huff, she moved through the door her men had opened and closed it behind her as the spell faded. With nobody in the street seeing her arrival, there was no one to call the guards, and she could find her servants in peace. That had been the plan, at any rate.

A plan that lasted about seven steps into the shop.

"Sorry sweetheart, but we're closed."

Beth spun around to find a kitsune leaning against the door. Where the fuck had he come from!? She hadn't seen or heard him as she came in.

"Next time you want to steal from someone, I suggest you hire people who actually know what they're doing," said Kyoji, his arms crossed casually across his chest as he leaned against the door. "Not that there will be a next time."

"Are you threatening me?" said Beth.

Kyoji shrugged. "Take it how you want. Point is, after tonight I doubt you'll ever want to try crap like this again."

"How dare you!" screeched Beth. "Do you have any idea who I am!?"

"Yeah," said Kyoji. "You're the bitch that tried to threaten and rob our shop."

"I'm leaving, right now," said Beth. "Otherwise I'll tell the guards you assaulted me. They'll never believe your word over mine."

"You may be a noble, but I am royalty," said Kyoji. "I don't give a flying fuck what you tell the guards. It changes nothing."

"We'll see about that," snapped Beth. "Ring of Invisibility!"

She held up her hand to activate her ring, but rather than vanish from sight, the ring only sparked and glowed for a moment before going dark.

"What the fuck!?" she cried. "Why isn't it working!?"

Kyoji was on her before she could blink. His katana was drawn, the blade pressed against her throat, daring her to move.

"That's what you get for making such shit equipment," said Kyoji. "It always seems to fail at the worst possible moment."

"You can't threaten me like this!" said Beth. "I'll have your head."

Kyoji lowered his sword, and Beth gave a sigh of relief.

"That's better. Now get out of my way, I'm leav-uunf!"

Kyoji thrust the hilt of his sword into her stomach, sending Beth doubling over and falling to the floor. Just before she passed out, she could have sworn she heard an amused, hissing laugh coming from the darkness.

*************

Beth slowly regained consciousness, her stomach still sore from where Kyoji had struck her. She tried to sit up, but the moment she did she felt the cold metal around her wrists and ankles. Her eyes shot open wide, taking in the scene around her. She was strapped down on a table; Max was on the table next to her, held down the same way. They appeared to be underground, the walls of the room lit by torches, the firelight playing off the stone.

"Ah, you're awake. Excellent! That means we can begin."

Beth's head snapped around, and she screamed as she saw the yuan-ti standing at the end of the table, the black scale monstrosity smiling softly at the two dogs.

"None of that now," said Baal. "You really are much too noisy. Crius, Vic, if you wouldn't mind?"

Beth's scream was cut off when a large, scaly hand wrapped around her face, holding her mouth shut before pulling a leather muzzle over her head. Max was getting the same treatment, the beagle flailing his head furiously as he tried to shake the muzzle off. It was not good though; the two lizardmen were clearly practiced hands at this, and it took only moments to reduce the two dogs to nothing but muffled whimpers and attempts at pleading for mercy.

"Oh, would you relax?" said Baal. "If we were going to kill you we'd have done it already. No, this is a golden opportunity for us to all help each other."

Beth glared at the snake. Was he out of his fucking mind!? Like she would ever help a monster like him!

"You, my dear," he said to Beth. "Have been a naughty little shit. Selling faulty products and trying to move in on our business? That just won't do. And overworking your staff like you do, Max? I know you were doing as she instructed, but an employer really should know better. Giving your workers a task you know they can't complete, and then punishing them when they fail?" His eyes narrowed. "That's just pitiful. Lucky for you, I know a way to correct all this unacceptable behavior."

Baal slithered over to a desk nearby, and picked up two objects, holding them up for the dogs to see. They looked to be circlets made of silver.

"Do you know what these are?"

Beth shook her head, but Max nodded slowly. A shiver went down her spine at the way the beagle whimpered when he saw the circlet.

"These are Crowns of Morpheus. A delightful bit of illusion magic. Once donned, they cause the wearer to experience an illusion of such vivid detail that one could be forgiven for mistaking it for reality. They're an excellent way to train people, for workers to slaves to soldiers. Since they don't actually cause any physical change to the wearer, you program them with all sorts of things without any actual danger to your life. Personally, I find they are especially useful for instruction."

Baal moved around to the head of the tables, setting a crown down beside each of them.

"Here is how this is going to work," he hissed. "In a moment, I am going to put a crown on each of you. When I do, you will get to experience the true horrors of pain that only the dead should have experienced. You won't actually be hurt, but oh, you will certainly feel like it. Once these have corrected your attitudes, my associates and I will give you instructions for how things will work moving forward. And remember this - everything you are about to experience may be an illusion, but we are more than capable of making it a reality."

The dogs tried to plead with him not to do it, but Baal ignored them, casually slipping the crowns into place. The moment he did, the pair went still, before starting to scream, thrashing in their bonds, eyes wide at horrors only they were seeing. Baal grinned, moving away from them and making a note in his experiment log. A few hours with the crowns should be more than enough to thoroughly break the two dogs. In the meantime, Baal had his own fun planned.

When Rob came to, the bulldog couldn't move. He could feel himself hanging in the air, arms over his head and feet unable to touch anything below him. Opening his eyes, he was met with the gaze of a dark scaled yuan-ti, a pleased expression on his face.

"About time you woke up. I'd hate for you to miss the fun."

Rob started to struggle, the rattling of chains above and below revealing him to have been strung up in what he could only describe as a dungeon, despite the large crystals providing the room with ample light, making the snake's dark scales shine.

"Let me go! Let me go, you monster!"

"Now that's just rude," said Baal. "Not unexpected, but rude nonetheless. Since you seemed to take pleasure in insulting me, I decided I would take my pleasure with you."

Baal slowly moved closer to the struggling bulldog, reaching a hand out and pressing it against his chest. Without warning, Baal tore the dog's clothes from his body, shredding them until Rob was left completely naked, his chubby body laid bare for the snake. Baal reached out and cupped the dog's balls, rolling them around in his palm and watching the other male squirm.

"Not bad, all things considered," said Baal. "Not my usual taste in playthings, but you'll do." He eyed the dog's sheath. "What's wrong, not happy to be here?" He started squeezing and jerking Rob's sheath, feeling it slowly firm up under his touch. "That's better."

Baal wrapped a coil around Rob's legs before reaching down to undo his shackles. Clearly the snake was experienced enough to predict the bulldog would have tried to kick him the second he was released. Slowly working his way around Rob, Baal continued to wrap him up until his legs were very secure before raising himself up to grip Rob's arms tightly, undoing the chains holding him to the ceiling. As soon as Rob was loose, he tried to break the snake's grip, but the yuan-ti was too strong. He had little trouble holding Rob's arms down by his sides and coiling around him, leaving the dog completely helpless. When Rob started to whimper and beg Baal to let him go, the snake rolled his eyes and produced a length of leather, using it to gag Rob and keep him quiet.

"Much better," said Baal. He reached down again, teasing the dog's cock as it started peeking from his sheath. It didn't take much for the snake to work Rob up to a full erection, loving the way the dog whimpered and twitched at his touch. "You really shouldn't have insulted me like that. When I feel disrespected, I have trouble fighting the urge to put others in their proper place. This is yours."

As he spoke, Baal used his powerful tail to bed the dog over, making the bulldog thrust his ass back and present it to the snake, only for Baal to grab his plump cheeks and knead them with his hands, revealing the dog's untouched pucker.

While Rob whimpered and whined, he suddenly felt something poking against his rear. Or rather, two somethings that were hard and slick. There was only one thing that could be, and it made the dog panic. He couldn't really intend to...!? The touch of one of the snakes dicks against his tailhole told him otherwise.

"Don't worry," said Baal. "I guarantee this will be the most pleasurable experience of your life. You see, I can do much more with my venom than just poison someone. I can also use it as an aphrodisiac so strong it would have the most celibate straight man on the planet bend over and beg me to fuck him. Let me show you what I mean."

Baal opened his mouth wide and sank his fangs into the dog's shoulder. It only took a moment for the yuan-ti's venom to flood his system, causing Rob to moan loudly around his gag as his doggie dick shot to full erection, his knot swelling up to full size right away. He tried to get some relief, but all he could do was try to hump futilely at the air. Laughing at the bulldog's predicament, Baal took hold of both of his cocks, pressing them together and lining them up with the man's tailhole before thrusting in. Normally taking both his dicks in an untrained hole would have been quite uncomfortable, but with the venom coursing through his body all Rob could do was push back, trying to beg for more and push the snake even deeper inside him.

Baal held onto the dog's hips, humping the squirming male's ass hard and fast, enjoying the tight grip around his dicks. His toys tended to be smaller than this one, but it was nice to have his coils around something with a bit more substance for a change. And what came next would be a delight as well. For one of them, anyway.

The venom had him so worked up, Rob was pushed through three separate orgasms before Baal finally came, pumping the dog full of a heavy load of snake spunk. When he pulled out, Baal happily watched his load leak for the bulldog for a moment or two before wrapping the male in his coils from ankles the shoulders, making sure to trap the dog's dick between two of them to continue teasing him, loving the way he whimpered and whined from overstimulation.

Rob was too far gone to notice what happened next. Which for the dog was all the better. Baal's body began to shift, his arms retracting and humanoid torso thickening, growing until an enormous black serpent was coiled around the dog, easily dwarfing the helpless canine. Rob continued trying to hump Baal's coils, never noticing as the snake tilted the dog towards him before spreading his jaws wide and slowly starting to descend.

Tonight, Baal was going to eat well.