Triumph
I had no chance to edit this story, but I have a good feeling about it. You may recognize that my good friend Logan is in there, which was a split second decision at the last moment by me because he fit the role I needed.
This is kinda long for me, and because of that I can't edit it, but do please tell me what you think about it!
Martiq worked hard with the sword, swiping and thrusting and shifting from movement to movement as swiftly possible. Today was the final exam for his swordsmanship, and with the bladed longsword as his favorite weapon- the weapon he had come to the academy to learn to use -it was a matter of personal honor and pride that he ace it the first time.
Beside him three trainers were present; master Jamblague, his trainer for the sword; master Huit, his next trainer for the body; and master Loune, his previous trainer for the spear. All three were there to judge his abilities with the weapon during his exam and determine if he was good enough with the blade to move on to the next instructor. At the moment they looked very impressed, but Martiq wanted to blow them away; 'out of the water' as master Jamblague would say, being a dragon from the western coasts.
He knew just how to pass with distinct pride- he had been training for weeks on how to incorporate his signature move. Master Jamblague had often reiterated that 'signature moves' were only made by fools that decided they looked cool if they stumbled around in a certain way while killing people, but after he saw Martiq's move he would truly bow down and ask to learn how to perform it..... Ok, maybe that was an exageration, but the lion student had all confidence that they would all be very impressed.
The time to perform it was drawing close now. He had to concentrate hard to not mess it up- not that he wasn't good at it, but if he made a careless err here the trainers would surely fail him. It was one thing to go directly against instruction in a final test; quite another to do it in a way that showed how much of a master the one taking the test was at the material. His breathing suddenly changed from panting to slow deep gasps, his feet dancing as if in slow motion.
Suddenly he finished his performance, leaping up in the air with his swordheld backwards in his hand, the blade's dull edge resting against his forearm and side. He spun on a pin-wheel, one leg barely an inch off the ground and the other jutting out, striking at the invisible target just after his blade sliced air. The hardest part was the landing, turning his momentum into a full-force spinning kick before bringing his sword up in front of him to block his would-be attacker, had he survived.
He held his pose for five seconds and then relaxed, standing up straight and sheathing his sword to signal the end of his performance. Sweat dripped down his brow and soaked into his mane, making him look haggard, but his chest pulsed and expanded with the energy and life of his breathing. He was sure that had he been wearing clothes they would be soaked right now.
The time as he stood watching the instructors began to drag on, and he quickly grew nervous at their blank expressions. His final performance for the spears had taken all of thirty seconds, and that was counting the praise and talking they gave. This was going on for close to five minutes.
He wished that a breeze would float through, some cool air to whip the heat from his body, but the testing grounds were known for their indomitable heat and lack of drafts. He forced himself to remain still, the tip of his tail flicking left and right despite his mind's commands. Maybe using his own move had been a costly mistake. He hoped not so badly.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity of waiting, master Loune lifted his head from thought and spoke up.
"Although the use of moves not taught here can be a deadly mistake, I do believe that that performance could very well land you an engraving in our finest halls, despite your lack of battle experience."
The canine trainer stepped forward and placed a paw to his chest, a signal that he believed Martiq was competent enough to go on. "You have my vote for acceptance."
Master Huit was the next one to speak, thirty seconds later. "The control you used to handle the sword and your own feet is great, the discipline, speed and ability to change grips and multitask is only exagerated by your knowledge of when to use all your strength and when to keep your power in check."
The black tinted naga's hand rose to his chest. "You have my vote for acceptance."
Martiq swallowed and turned his head to master Jamblague, waiting for his personal trainer for four months to speak his opinion. He didn't have to wait long; it seemed he was simply waiting to be the last to speak.
The leopard took a step forward and nodded to Martiq. "Although it is my strongest lesson to impart on you, I do believe that having moves of your own, so long as they are of the same skill level as this one you just used, can add unpredictability and win you any bladed battle you are in. A tactic like that is only used by someone of the highest skill, and I believe you are more than good enough to use it."
The black feline's paw rose to his chest. "You have my vote for acceptance. You will find your new materials on the bed in your quarters, as well as the time and place for your new trainer. Congratulations."
Martiq's smile was of pure happiness; it seemed the sun couldn't outshine his teeth. He turned and moved to the edge of the training grounds, walking to the edge of the cliff. He remembered how nervous he was when he first came here, how careful he was to stay away from the edge. He had no qualms about standing with his toes hanging over the edge now. His roar was loud and rebounded off the edges of all the other cliffs, a clear message of his dominance for all to hear.
Three days later he walked through the ancient training grounds in search of master Huit, to learn how to control his body. Whatever that meant. Some asking around had only resulted in soft chuckles and long sighs, and anyone that didn't exactly go to the naga's course had no information at all.
Things were very odd about master Huit's room; for one thing, it was deep in the desert valley's tunnels. For a reptile to permamently stay indoors when the heat of the sun was out begging was a very odd occurance. What's more, how would a naga be a master of one's body? Also, the class was just about as far out of the way as could possibly be, a good five miles from Martiq's quarters.
There was only one way to find out what went on in there, however, and Martiq was not one to quit just because some things became odd. Much the opposite, in fact.
He clammored into the building and felt the cool shadows block the fiery heat of the sun from baking him alive anymore. He wasn't complaining about the heat, but the thought of all the classes being indoors for a while was something he felt very optimistic about.
Not a sound was heard as he walked through the halls, counting doors until he reached he new trainer's room. He eagerly opened the door and stepped in, his tail flicking around behind him.
Master Huit was sitting in a large pile of his own coils, a large book in one of his giant hands. He barely looked up before he spoke.
"You were much too loud coming in. I could barely read with all of the racket you made; those claws scraping the floor are enough to make a mouse grimace!" His odd accent had seemed funny to Martiq when they had first met, but there was nothing funny about the venemous look the serpent gave him now, and the exotic speech only made his new master seem unpredictable.
He had to show respect to his master, though. He had to start things off correctly, otherwise this would be a very bad few months for him. He bowed as low as he dared and spoke softly to Huit.
"I'm sorry, master Huit. I did not mean to disturb you or your reading; I was not aware that I was to be quiet on entering. Please forgive my transgression." His tail flicked annoyingly behind him, and he closed his eyes. Come to think of it, the note had truly said nothing about being stealthy or quiet; was this trainer specifically trying to start things off the wrong way.
"I'll believe you are sorry when you stop telling me you are angry." Master Huit said, closing his book with a dull thud and beginning to slither to a wall. The entire rock building was a large library, the walls serving as shelves for books older than Martiq's own family lineage. Master Huit slipped the book in carelessly and turned back towards him.
"You are here to learn how to control your body. That includes your body language, expression, and your mind. You will not talk at all unless given permission to do so. Are we understood?"
Martiq straightened out with a sigh and brushed some dust off of his fur. "Yes sir."
Instantly Huit's face took a deadly form. "Do you believe me stupid, or is this some sort of childish joke? I said no talking."
Martiq's face reddened as he realized the mistake he had made, and the blush was big enough to be seen through his facial hair. So much for a good first impression.
Huit kept talking, slithering forward towards the feline and inspecting him. "Furthermore, if I hear you walking down the hallway again when entering or leaving, you will spend the entire day running through the desert with a winter coat on. You have been warned."
Martiq nodded quickly, waiting until the serpent nodded back before he stopped.
"Do not worry over whether I saw your response- if I do not know your answer I will ask again."
Martiq nodded softly and took a deep breath, another sigh coming from his nostrils. This might be harder than he initially believed; he had thought that training the body would include punching and sparring. Now that he thought about it, black naga were more about stealth and spying than open combat.
Master Huit looked over at the feline as he sighed, then turned around to face him. "You have great power and rudimentary discipline with your body, and I would say a little less of both with your mind. You have a great influence to learn and grow better, which is always good, but I am not sure that this course will be what you expect."
Martiq tried to remain still, holding his hands legs and tail in place. It was no use, though; he jumped in shock when master Huit suddenly leaned in and began speaking.
"Did you notice that? If you are trying to be passive, then you failed immediately." Martiq caught himself just before he began asking questions.
Huit chuckled and turned away. "You were curious as to what this class is- even if I were too stupid to not know that already it was all over your features; the tilted head, the way your ears splayed out, the way your jaw clenched and your tail twirled...controlling your body can seem at once the most simple and the most time-consuming thing to do. It can be absolutely useless for many people you meet, but for others it will make-or-break your plans with them."
The naga slithered to the right, circling around Martiq's body as he spoke. "Using what you know of your own body, you can easily figure out what someone is thinking, what they are about to do, how they are about to do it. You can confuse them by making contradictory movements, differing emotions, affect their thoughts with your implied emotions. You can convince people that they are in pain, that they are in danger, that they are safe."
Huit's last word was drawn out for too long for Martiq's comfort, but he reminded himself that the naga was a celebrated teacher.
"You can make people concentrate on things you want them to, make them ignore things that they should notice." Martiq followed his teacher's voice as the nage continued inspecting him, making laps around his body. It was amazing how little the reptile's face gave away as he talked.
"There is much that you can do when you understand how the body works. Much to learn for you, too. You might be excellent at swinging sharp bits of metal around, the best, even, but it is all worthless if the opponent you are facing knows exactly what you are going to do before you do it."
Martiq kept watching the naga as he spoke, until suddenly his new teacher stopped and stood right in front of him.
"Remember when I said that you can make others concentrate on something, make them disregard things they should be noticing?"
The lion nodded his head, wondering where this was going.
"I don't have legs." Huit hissed in his face.
Martiq took two seconds to think and looked down. Then he gasped and leaped back, seeing the naga's coils ready to squeeze and tighten in around him.
Master Huit sighed and unravelled his coils, slithering away from Martiq and picking something up off of a desk, bringing it to the new student and then sending him off out of the room.
"I'll be here reading. Your assignment today is to look in the mirror and maximize how long you can keep the same face. Think about as many different things as you can, but do not change anything about your face."
Martiq entered his room and immediately flung himself onto the bed. His body didn't hurt, it wasn't covered with welts or bruises, he muscles didn't burn from the strain of prolonged training. Yet he was still about as tired as he had ever been in his life.
It was amazing how boring it had been to sit still and not move a muscle, and yet it was amazing how hard it had been at the same time. Martiq's natural instincts to move were hard to supress, and to do it for hours on end was like trying to spar with a partner and remember a series of random numbers at the same time. Still, he wanted to pass his course and be one of the best, so that meant going through with this training.
He woke up refreshed and ready for a new day, but unfortunately despite his best attempts at sneaking into the hallways somehow the serpent had heard him. He got another scathing remark about how loud he is, this one calling him the equivalent of a egotistical emporer's orchestra, and was given a heavy fur-lined coat.
After eight hours of jogging Martiq realized that he may just end up running in the heat more than taking lessons with the naga.
The next day he was caught again, given a scalding report on the futility of his attempts to not make a sound, and had to run again. And the next. And the next.
A month passed before he snuck by the serpent once, where he was again given the mirror and told to practice standing still. Martiq really wished that he had practiced sneaking around more when he was younger. Or at least remembered what he had done to not get caught this time.
The next week straight he was caught again.
Slowly he began to get within the classroom without alerting the serpent, although he knew that the snake knew he was there by the way ne never was able to make his master jump in fright. It became a game for him, trying to sneak around and make the naga jerk. He never won.
After a few times of being caught, master Huit gave Martiq the mirror when he was caught, telling Martiq to keep his face expressionless while he ran. As if that were even remotely possible when running in hundred degree weather with a heavy fur-lined coat on. Whenever he somehow managed to sneak his way past the naga when going through the hallways he was given books to read that described how different creatures responded to different motions. Body language. Whether they were good at concentrating on things in motion or things standing still. How to act to get the desired effect on them. Although he would have done something else given his own time, Martiq did agree that they were informative. Probably what master Huit did all day; read about how to trick all the species in the world.
Days and weeks passed by in a haze of running, standing still, and practicing different techniques from reading in his room. Hopefully Martiq could pass his final test without any trouble and move on to the next course.
He did notice, however, that he became more well-known and liked around everyone else. He never tired as much, didn't sweat. His tail began to listen to him when he told it to stay put. He realized that his actions were coming from the books; he was subliminally acting the way the books told him to in order to get his wanted response. Maybe there was hope that he could be good at this. He could even tell which way people would go before they turned and walked- it was just a matter of watching which way they leaned to twitched.
The final test day snuck up on him, and with an anxious heart he snuck through the empty quiet hallways again. Somewhere along the line he had begun spending more time in the class than running, it seemed a simple habit now for him to even his breathing and step lightly.
When he entered the classroom, however, master Huit was nowhere to be found. A note was left on his table. 'Run the desert trail for your exam.'
Martiq nearly raged. This was his final test? This was one of the hardest training facilities in the entire world?! This is what seventy five percent of all those who apply drop out of!?
Maybe the next master would actually know how to train his students.
Still, he had to obey his master, so he ran out and began along the trail. The sun beat down on him as if he were the hot metal put in a furnace, yet he didn't need to wipe the sweat from his brow. His mane was clear and dry the entire time.
Halfway through the course, however, he noticed a small party of people by the track.
It was master Huit, with a group of different species, all of them young and fit. Martiq was purturbed, but when he looked at his master the naga stared back at him.
"Not suprised?" The serpent asked questioningly. Martiq jumped and nodded, even more curious now. Did master Huit seriously not know that Martiq was confused?
"Never mind that." Huit went on, motioning to the group of people around. "This is your final exam. The ultimate test in self-control, both in body and mind. Strip down."
Martiq hesitantly began removing his clothes, and then watched as all of the rest began stripping down as well. Martiq knew that he had just apparently gotten through a class about self-control, but some of those men looked....interesting, to say the least. He would not have minded bedding with any number of them, and his body let everyone know it.
One man in general almost immediately caught his eye, and didn't let go of it for a long time. A young dragon, small and thin, seemed to be perfectly proportioned for Martiq's tastes. The reptile even bent over deeply, his tail flashing a glimpse of his rump for Martiq's pleasure and attention. He would have to find that dragon's name, one way or another.
"Your final test is to keep control under the most intimate of acts, and to keep yourself from giving in." Huit began, watching Martiq carefully.
"Choose the person in this group that you find the most attractive."
Insantly Martiq's hand shot out, a finger pointing past muscular bulls and thin avians and aiming straight at the light blue dragon. A blush came onto the young dragon's face as he realized who the student was choosing. Yes, Martiq could enjoy making that reptile squeal with pleasure at any time.
"Hensley." The naga's voice stretched out the name as he spoke. "Logan Hensley. You are Martiq's final test for controlling his body. Step forward."
The dragon gulped and walked forward, obviously shy and nervous at being chosen by someone of Martiq's rank. The way the dragon's eyes were squinting, how the tail waved about...Martiq's own body stood boldly out, his tail slowly wagging back and forth, side to side, emanating dominance to calm the other male down.
Huit turned towards Martiq and began speaking. "This test is different from all the others. There is no judge, the others will not be present. To pass, you must mate with this man until sundown, and not once are you allowed to rest or spill your seed. You may begin now."
Martiq, although not exactly prepared, believed he was ready. This was quite the challenge...it crossed his mind that he might need to fail once or twice just to have the pleasure of mating this dragon more than once, but he quickly dismissed it. He was ready to win, and after his challenge was complete he would take this dragon to his quarters and show him what it was like to experience the end as well as the beginning.
He gripped the dragon's shoulders and turned the reptile around, hearing a faint squeak come from the other's muzzle. Already squeaking was good, he could barely imagine how the other would act near the end of the test. His pride needed no more preparation; it was ready to be inserted and any moment that it wasn't was a moment of pleasure lost. Martiq needed to remember that this wasn't about pleasure, though.
His paws gripped the other's hips, and with one slow stroke he implanted himself into the dragon. Whimpers and groans came from the others mouth, Martiq could feel each part of the dragon's rear squeezing and milking him. It would be a tough test. Logan's knees wobbled beneath the both of them, and to ensure that nothing went wrong Martiq all but picked up the small reptile by the hips, beginning his final test slowly and cautiously.
The yips and moans slowly faded away as the dragon became accostomed to Martiq's girth, but they quickly came back when the reptile began feeling pleasure from his cock too. Martiq kept his pace slow and controlled, but he knew that a consistent rythm would be the cause of this dragon's pleasure.
Time went on, and it began to be a pain to continue without speeding up. Martiq's hips longed to impact the blue dragon's hips with force, and it took a force of will to keep from roughly ravaging Logan's ass right there and then. Martiq did his best to keep the same pace, bit his lip, and continued his thrusting.
Then, halfway through, the real problem came up; the dragon reached orgasm. It happened too suddenly for Martiq to truly see it coming, one moment the dragon was sighing in pleasure, squirming faintly here and there, then next the reptile was panting heavily, his rump squeezing and milking Martiq's cock for all it was worth.
Before he knew what he was doing, Martiq felt his hips increase their pace, hell-bent on making this male take his fluids. Only at the last moment, through sheer concentration, did Martiq stop himself from planting his hips against Logan's ass and cumming. He felt a drop or two of the dragon's seed trail down his leg and into the sand.
The dragon came three more times throughout the test. Martiq bit his lip each time and worked through it, listening with longing to Logan's loud moans and desperate mumbles. Whenever he looked around, when he had presence of mind to notice he wasn't alone, he saw less and less people until finally it was just him, master Huit, and the dragon he was mating.
The sky was violet with red stripes, darkness creeping in on one side, and Huit was counting down the minutes until he was finished. Martiq was so close to the finish now. He licked his lips and rubbed against the dragon's body, letting the reptile know who was in charge. Master Huit began counting down the seconds.
"30....29....28..." Martiq's thrusting increased, causing Logan to suddenly yelp and squeeze over his cock. "20....19....18...." Martiq let his breathing get out of rythm, quickly beginning to pant as he exerted himself with fucking the dragon's ass. His paws dug their claws into Logan's rump, dragging the reptile forcefully into his harsh thrusts.
"10...9...8...." This was it. Martiq started thrusting as hard as he could, slamming his hips against the dragon with as much force as he could muster. The orgasm he had been holding off for so long was nearly there...
"3...2...1...Time up."
Martiq's roar of triumph was well deserved this time. He had never had an interest in how other's behaved, but now that he had studied it he could use it to his advantage. He growled his dominance over the squirming dragon under him, holding his hips flush with the whimpering reptile's rear end, and dumped his seed deep into Logan's insides.
"Congratulations." He heard master Huit say behind him. Moving on with his training was a secondary prize for now, though. He picked up the dragon and slung him over his shoulder, turning towards his quarters and beginning to trudge home.
This dragon was the main prize.