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Up the spiraling staircase and through another hall, Shine and Mist had led Zerrex - with Cindy and Cherry following behind, the latter female grinning stupidly - through a pair of double doors similar to the ones leading into the harem downstairs, except they were much larger and inset with the profile of two large Drakkaren, made out of blue metal. And the room they had stepped into left Zerrex staring - white tiled floor, wide, gigantic circular area, and then a single, cushioned step leading up to a raised area, upon which sat a huge red and gold wooden throne and two smaller black and light blue chairs on either side. Leading to the curving step was a dark purple carpet... and on either side of the purple carpet were ten large, black leather cushions shaped almost like marshmellows, filled with some soft material that let the occupants of them sink comfortably into them. And eighteen of these were occupied... then all twenty when the twins finally detached themselves from Zerrex to sit in the empty seats on the right.

For a few moments there was silence... amazed from the three reptiles that had just entered, interested and serene from the onlookers. Ten females and ten males sat, watching them... all the females in the same uniform, and all the males wearing the same sort of thing as well. A white loincloth with golden trim the same style as the one worn by the females, white coverings over the forearms that were trimmed in gold as well, but they all had black, tight collars on instead of scarves, and their sandals were plainer.

Zerrex noticed one other thing, staring over this group that was apparently assembled just for his "relaxation" purposes... six of each gender were Drakkaren, and then four were Dragokkaren. The female Dragokkaren were all very tall, at that, and very well-shaped and large breasted... and the male Dragokkaren were all built with powerful, thick bodies, huge, hard-as-rock musculature, and probably all about four feet taller than Zerrex was. Not to say that the male Drakkaren weren't unimpressive either... most of them were around the Boss's height, with one or two taller, and although all of them were lither in build, their bodies where chiseled and their hides of scales tight.

Then the twenty Iuratus kneeled low, putting their hands out in front of themselves as they bowed from their sitting positions towards the Drakkaren and said in one clear, strong voice: "We are at your command, Lord and Master Zerrex, to do with as you wish."

"Dude. And I thought I was never going to get to go to Heaven." Cherry said dreamily, and Zerrex glanced at her, noted one hand was on her breast and the other was delving into her pants, and he cleared his throat loudly. She blinked, coughed, then grinned sheepishly and removed her hands from herself before prancing cheerfully into the room and down the carpet. Then she paused at the step, turned, and jumped forwards as the Drakkai slaves all rose back to their sitting position, one of the males jumping with and looking startled as she landed in his lap and wrapped an arm around his neck, tickling under his chin with the other hand as she asked teasingly: "Are you my guardian angel?"

"I will... do anything you ask?" the dark-scaled Dragokkaren replied uneasily, and Cherry paused, muttered something that sounded like 'close enough,' and then reached a hand down below the large male's loincloth. The huge male looked perturbed, but not embarrassed, and then Cherry paused before ducking down as Zerrex slapped a hand against his forehead and Cindy covered her eyes before the muscular female popped up from her examination of the Dragokkaren's crotch with a grin like a lucky child at Christmas.

"Holy shit, I've hit the motherload! This dude's gotta be like, bigger than you... I bet all these guys are hung like fuckin' stud horses... fuck that, stud... elephants!" Cherry cackled, electing several stares from everyone around the room as Zerrex walked down the carpeted path between the males and females, then reached out and snagged her collar as he passed her, jerking her back from where she was currently molesting the Dragokkaren male and causing her to choke and splutter as she fell out of his lap and landed heavily on her ass. She whined loudly, rubbing at her buttocks, then mumbled something before standing up and glaring at Zerrex. "What?"

"Show some dignity. Or at least restrain yourself for a few minutes." Zerrex replied mildly, form where he was standing up on the top platform, beside Cindy. Then he paused as he realized there was an odd silence in the room and looked around at the Iuratus, who were all staring at him. Cherry caught onto the same sensation in the room before she could reply, and she immediately calmed and turned serious as she glanced uneasily around. Oh. Shit. Half these guys are armed with... kwaibars, and ball and chain things, and those twin bitches got those fucking cleaver head-chopper-offers... don't tell me I pissed them all off...

But then she realized where they were looking, and she followed their gaze to Zerrex's hand, which had idly reached out and touched the golden throne as he'd scolded his own first slave and right hand soldier. And their eyes weren't angry, but more... expectant? Even excited? And the Boss was looking calmly around at them all, but his eyes were uneasy... and Cindy and Cherry both recognized at the same time what they wanted the Drakkaren to do, and what the implications of it was.

Cherry knew that Zerrex could take control when he wanted to... and was excellent at it. But she also knew that he didn't always want that... and she could understand. Despite being so aggressive, bitchy and... generally chaotic herself, she... loved nothing more than laying in Zerrex's arms, and not as an equal. As his lesser, and feeling that. Feeling him as a powerful, almighty being, knowing that no one could ever surpass him... that made size, time, space, everything, cease to matter. She was his bitch... and gods, it felt so fucking good to be controlled, dominated, even hurt by him... because it was his command, and she had absolute faith in him. And she couldn't imagine how lonely it must feel at times, with no one there to ever hold him or protect him, because there was no one who had ever been there for him like he could be for her.

Likewise, Cindy knew that her father and husband was sometimes just as scared by his power and cruelty as he was enthralled with it... especially ever since Marina had come into the world. Their child, their little girl, had brought Zerrex an untold happiness that had been alien to him... the wonder of raising a daughter who was born from a bond of deep forbidden love. And she knew the softer parts of Zerrex that Cherry didn't so much deny as just avoid... not because she thought it was weak, but because Cherry was utterly terrified of facing her own emotions, and letting herself recognize that even Zerrex had to break down and cry sometimes would likely make the dominating female fill her pants in terror of what it implied for everything about him, her, and the world.

And Zerrex didn't want to bring back the darkness that existed in him, even though it was always standing just outside the window or on the doorstep, waiting to be invited inside to play. Zerrex had always tried to balance himself, find a neutrality if he couldn't discover or be a creature of the light... and he'd always seen Cherry as the darkness - because she still played pretend that this was the Goth Legion - and Cindy as the light - because she liked to pretend the world was really a good place, and that evil didn't pay. And it had never been a secret that Zerrex had a terrible hunger inside him, almost an addiction to power and the need to get more... and taking in that position would mean giving the monster more meat to chew and make it even stronger, and perhaps he even feared what that power would lead him to do. Which was why he preferred to control from the shadows... even Cindy had to admit that she didn't know what would have happened to Baskin's Grove if Zerrex had taken complete control instead of simply guiding Lone alone on the path to better, if not goodness.

But then the white-haired Drakkaren closed his eyes and slowly sat down in the throne, then he glanced up and there was an audible sigh through the room. Cindy quietly took her place in one of the other chairs, and Cherry smiled faintly as she looked at Zerrex with quiet apology. Zerrex merely gave the slightest of nods in return, knowing that Cherry wanted only to remain under him at all times, never to share the same power and prestige... and then the mood was broken as the female cleared her throat and said loudly: "So, can all ten of you guys fuck me at once?"

The female then proceeded to have her question answered, as Zerrex sat in the throne... but he didn't pay much attention, despite the fact Cherry screamed a lot and even Cindy stared with a mix of arousal and utter amazement at the sheer size of the males and the fact that Cherry actually managed to get all ten of them in on her... and then proceeded to wear them all flat, until she was left naked, covered in seed, panting roughly and sitting on the floor in a mix of fluids - including blood - and rasping: "Hey, I thought you guys knew how to fuck! You're all just bitches... three times, four from the guys with the most stamina? Fuck that, Zerrex can do ten! You got the cock size but he's got the power!"

"You've ruined sex for me forever." The male Drakkaren said mildly, tapping his fingers on the throne as he rested his muzzle on his other hand, elbow propped on the other arm. Cindy, meanwhile, was sitting on the floor with some of the females and enjoying a light massage. Then Cherry turned a look of such comical, amazed horror on him that the reptile couldn't help but snort laughter before shaking his head slowly and leaning back into the hands that were working his bare shoulders.

The twins were gently applying their own skills to his body, and Zerrex was thankful that Shine and Mist recognized the fact he wanted to work his way into the position before actually starting to use them as slaves... that and he admittedly didn't want to let down his guard. He'd taken his shirt off and the belt that still had his .52 handguns on it, but that was about it... and more as a show of faith than anything else, and maybe because all the looks he was getting from everyone were starting to annoy him. So he'd taken his shirt off to reveal his own musculature... but his pants stayed on, along with his combat boots... and the giant revolver strapped to his leg.

He had no worries about the twins... they were still armed, but they'd talked to him while Cherry was busy in her gangbang with seeing how many cocks she could get shoved into one place at once - and admittedly, he'd been rather amused and slightly-hard when he'd seen penises that put even his to shame jamming their way into the bitchy female who was usually able to take anything without trouble... and a bit of sadistic joy at watching her choking, shrieking, and even bulging all at the same time - and discovered they were the heads of household. The fact they were in charge of everything in the manse... and that... well... no one could fake the kind of fawning they were doing over him, which almost made him wish they were evil or something... ruled them out as suspect. The rules here, after all, were different, and Iuratus were locked in so hard and fast to their training to obey a given master that betrayal was almost impossible for them. Only a truly abused and neglected Iuratus would ever turn on his or her master... and only then if given no choice or were scum to begin with; the psychological conditioning, strength of tradition, and moral obligations so deeply ingrained from birth that it would be like going against one's own nature. And the last thing he felt these twins would do would be to betray him or the simple rules of courtesy.

But three others in the room made him nervous... one male and two female, who were tossing him unpleasant looks every now and then, and keeping back a bit: the male somewhat obviously, because he'd only done his sexual duty with Cherry once after she'd glowered at him for not joining in the gangbang, so she could prove she could take all ten shafts without any major problems... which, of course, she'd done, and cackled about before Zerrex had given an idle order to rape her again and been rather impressed as the males immediately jumped on her and shut her up by shoving certain large, thick, and fluid-stained appendages into her mouth and down her throat... and every other orifice available.

Maybe one or two others also gave him a chill... they looked and were acting... well, normal for this culture, he supposed, but for whatever reason, he got an uneasy feeling about them. The expression too perfect, the movements a bit odd and fluid, the accents perhaps the slightest bit off... it was the same strange feeling he'd gotten from the suicide bomber wolf in the hospital.

He sighed and shook his head... then blinked as Mist slipped in front of him and gazed into his eyes, taking his hands and lacing their fingers together. She squeezed them gently, then said in a soft, loving voice as she met his eyes: "You're worried about something."

"Please tell us..." Shine's hands slid up to work through his hair, and Zerrex's eyes slipped closed as her fingers scraped gently against the thinner scales of his scalp, the reptile letting out a soft breath as Mist quietly kissed down his chiseled abs to his waist, before she straightened and nuzzled his neck tenderly. Even as they continued their light affections, the Drakkaren's mind remained as calm as ever through the slow pleasure, but then he figured the best thing he could do could be in fact, to at least see their reactions.

He nodded, then opened his mouth... and Mist silenced him with a light kiss. Her lips worked against his, and her tongue danced with an expertness though his maw that made Zerrex feel like a horny teenager as Shine leaned down beside him and then whispered two words that made his emerald eyes spring open in surprise: "We know."

There was no question; if they said they knew, the Drakkaren was sure they wouldn't lie, as Mist pulled away and smiled softly. Then she stood and sat gently down in his lap, as Shine's hands slid down from his head to squeeze and massage his shoulders slowly. He felt the Drakkaren in his lap release his hands, then move her own to massage his masculine breast as he gripped her waist lightly, and she gazed down into his emerald eyes and said in a quiet voice: "Some of the scum pelts downstairs have been planning a revolt against Lord Hellabos for some time now... they act all sure of themselves and cocky, demanding the same rights... in anonymous letters and by yelling at us from a distance in the yard, from places where they know we can't identify them. We all know they're too scared to make a move... but they have supporters in our ranks as well, idiots who think we, the superior species, should bow down with the weak and insult ourselves by acting as their equals... that we should move on from the past, forget that they raped our land, defiled our people, and tried to crush us out and use us as nothing more than weapons..."

As Mist spoke, her hands slid down to open the fly of Zerrex's pants, and she ground her hips expertly down against him, making the reptile's breaths become a bit harder as he felt his own thick length twitching in his pants: and then her quick hands someone managed to pull his pants and boxers down without shifting her body off his lap - in fact, while grinding against his crotch - and take his girthy member into her hands. She looked at it with a deep murr of interest and surprise as she began to stroke it slowly towards erection with both hands, as her sister continued the story, whispering into Zerrex's hair as her hands slowly massaged along his broad shoulders and thick, muscular arms. "But we know they'll do nothing to us, or you... even Lone will be safe. One of them will milk him for information... and they'll shout to each other about how they're going to kidnap you or something idiotic like that... and then they'll wait until you leave and lament to each other that they missed a golden opportunity because of whatever excuse they can think of.

"The real problem... is the Unseen..." Shine continued, and Zerrex nodded before tilting his head back with a soft groan as he felt himself reach his full, thirty-two inch length, Mist's hands expertly working up and down the huge cock with an ability that put even Cherry to shame. But at the same time, he continued to listen intently, filing away the information even as he enjoyed the sexual teasing: he loved and hated that it reminded him of the Goth Legion, of what he'd done in the past there. "The ones with the strange aura... the feeling of... I don't know the word. It is bad, though..."

"Yes..." Zerrex murmured softly, nodding a bit, then he paused and glanced up at Shine, who was looking down at his huge length with a deep, captivating lust. He reached a hand up and touched the back of one of hers gently, and then gave a silent command with his eyes when she looked down at him in surprise... and then she smiled slightly before sliding carefully around to join her twin sister. Zerrex looked down at the two, and for a moment, their discussion halted so they could tend to the need they'd originally used to mask their hidden talk.

The twins pushed their bodies together and kissed each other lovingly, muzzles working slowly, one arm wrapping around each other's waist as the hand of the other settled on either side of the massive shaft of the reptile, stroking lightly up and down in perfect rhythm. Then the kiss broke, and Shine pushed her muzzle down against the base of the male's cock, lapping at it teasingly as Mist rose and dragged her tongue slowly up along the upper half of the hot black flesh until she reached the rounded head... and then she grinned a bit before standing up and slipping forwards, straddling her now-master with her legs on either side of the throne and the massive shaft between them, saying softly: "If only you had two of these... so my sister and I could share you..."

"There's still a way you can..." Zerrex smiled slightly, and then he reached up and grabbed the hips of the female before pulling them forwards, and Mist almost toppled forwards, awkwardly half-standing on the throne before feeling herself easily steadied by the male's strong hands upon her hips, and then he pushed his muzzle up between her legs, nosing her loincloth aside and placing her crotch in easy access of his muzzle, and he began to lap slowly at her vagina, making her groan in quiet pleasure as she looked down at him with a deep flush, reaching up to quickly remove her massive cleaver from her back and tossing it aside.

It clanked to the ground at the same time as her sister threw down her other massive cleaver for easier movement, and then Shine slowly lapped up the massive shaft of the huge male with a pleasured smiled before she finally stood and turned around, reaching a hand back to grasp the huge obsidian member. She guided it between her legs, rubbing the large, bulbous head against her vagina with a soft sound of pleasure, then she slowly began to descend, lowering herself back onto the reptile with her eyes clenched shut in bliss, her legs spreading wider the lower she went and knees trembling with the ecstasy of feeling the huge cock burying into her hot, tender sex, hands out and grasping the arms of the throne tightly to steady herself.

Her sister, at the same time, was massaging and playing with her own firm, large breasts, back arched and head tilted upwards, as she bucked her hips slowly and rhythmically against the thick muzzle of the male Drakkaren, her eyes closed in deep pleasure. The reptile's tongue was still only lightly, teasingly licking at her, more tasting her than anything else, but she had never dreamed that any master would give her oral sex... and especially not a royal lord. She groaned softly in pleasure, then twitched a bit with a sharp breath when he suddenly flicked her clit with his tongue and dropped his muzzle a bit at the same time, letting his front teeth nudge along the sensitive nub of flesh with a teasing, long-practiced ease.

Shine had also managed to hilt the huge shaft of the Drakkaren into her body, and she was currently trembling with ecstasy at feeling the huge, throbbing rod of flesh buried inside of her, her head rolled back, jaw agape in a wide expression of what could only be called primal ecstasy. The muscles on her arms were bulging from the tightness of the grip she had on the arms of the throne, and her legs were spread wide as she sat back slightly against the male's powerfully-muscled body, letting herself adjust to the thick meat. Then, with agonizing slowness, she began to draw herself back up the huge member, dropping her head forwards with a long moan of pleasure as it scraped against the tight walls of her passage, lips of her sex squeezing along the thick cock.

Then the female stopped before letting her weight fall, dropping back down the huge black-fleshed member with a grunt, large bosom bouncing lightly as she slid back down the reptile's obsidian tower of flesh until her lips once more kissed his crotch, then she began to rock herself powerfully up and down, head tilted forwards, jaws wide in a moan of pleasure as her breasts jiggled, arms flexing as she used them to help support herself and aid her movements up and down the large cock of the Drakkaren. Her juices were already sliding down the black-fleshed member, lubricating it and making it easier for her to impale herself on the massive length again and again, shamelessly began to pant the male's name with a deep, passionate hunger.

At the same time, Mist's legs were bucking harder against Zerrex's face, feeling utter bliss rolling through her form as Zerrex's hands clenched into her waist tightly and kept her steady. She bucked again and again against him, her cries rising in tandem with her sister's as she felt the reptile's thick tongue pushing into the folds of her sex. He rubbed his muzzle forwards against her at the same time, almost as if trying to force that too into her vagina, and every now and then he flicked his maw upwards to nudge her clitoris or roll against it as his tongue continued to delve and twist inside of her passage, making her spasm against him with amazing bliss.

Finally, she felt herself flushing deeply as her hips began to buck uncontrollably, almost attempting to pull away... but the larger male held her steadfast, and she couldn't help but throw her head back and release a long, drawn out moan as she felt her orgasm hit, releasing her fluids down her shaft, vagina contracting hard again and again against his tongue and the lips of her sex squeezing the top of his muzzle. She bucked against him over and over, her hands squeezing her own large swells firmly as she felt her fluids rolling down into the lizard's muzzle and his tongue eagerly licking them up between hard, grunting pants that washed hot breath down her sensitive passage. She blushed deeply, then tried to pull away... but then the Drakkaren simply slid his muzzle upwards and lightly nibbled at her clit before suckling back on it lightly, and her sensitive crotch flexed as she let out a gasp at the thrill of pleasure, her hands reaching down to tangle tightly in his hair.

Her body flexed as she bent forwards, beginning to buck her hips harder than she had before, but at least managing to maintain a rhythm as she rubbed her labia against the reptile's large maw and hungry mouth, feeling his tongue rolling back down and then once more pushing into her vagina. He began to tease her again, apparently not yet satisfied, and she bent forwards, her musculature flexing as she squeezed into his hair and rubbed his scalp, body bent forwards a bit as she felt one of Zerrex's hand reach up and move her so she was almost sitting on his face, one leg awkwardly put over his shoulder, his hand under her buttock and supporting her easily.

The male couldn't help but grin to himself as he toyed with the female orally, feeling the other beginning to rock up and down his hard shaft even harder than before, thrusting lightly up into her now at the same time. His muscles were bulging, body flexed as some of the sweet juices that had spilled out the female's passage earlier dripped down his muzzle, and he continued to work his maw against her, now pushing his mouth forwards to work against the lips of her sex in a hard, passionate kiss, forcing his jaws forwards against her at the same time as he trailed his tongue over every bit of her passage he could reach. She moaned and bucked against him, and it only added to the growing bliss through his body as Shine continued to rock hard up and down his cock, her voice rising as well in loud cries, feeling her passage beginning to clench against his rock hard and beginning-to-throb black cock.

The female was almost shoving herself up and down the huge meat, her body flexing, bent forwards, jaws open as she almost shrieked Zerrex's name over and over again, feeling him beginning to piston his huge flesh harder and harder into her passage. She could feel her orgasm rising rapidly, the pleasure doubling, trebling, her breasts jouncing hard up and down as she slammed herself along the hot flesh as fast as she could, and then she finally arched her back and tilted her head back with a long cry of ecstasy as she hit her own orgasm.

Her vagina clenched tight against the giant cock of the male as she felt him thrust into her even harder than before, barely having to move against him now as the great cock slammed up into her over and over, her passage clutching the huge member and squeezing it rhythmically as her orgasm spilled her fluids down the massive cock in a long, sweet flow. She could hear him squelching in and out of her even over her own shrieks of pleasure, feeling his thrusts drawing out her orgasm as the black cock thudded up into her vagina again and again, stretching her and penetrating deeper into her than many other males had ever managed, and her bliss only increased tenfold by the sound of her sister's own once-more rising cries.

The ecstasy Mist was enduring was almost torturous, feeling herself losing control of her body as she rocked hard against the male's face again and again, and the sound of her twin sister's cries only caused her own bliss to skyrocket. The reptile's tongue was hitting every sensitive place in her already-sensitive passage, her body responding to him as she massaged his scalp and dug into his hair, and his thick muzzle was teasing her, pushing against her erogenous zones like a so-thick cock; it was Heaven, and it was amazing. And it seemed to last forever, before the male's hard panting roughed even further, and she felt him moving his muzzle harder against her vagina, the hand under her buttocks slipping down before she twitched and arched her back with a surprised but pleasured cry as one of his large fingers found her rosebud and simply shoved in without warning.

He pushed his finger to the hilt in her, then pulled back entirely and traced along the ring of her back door before she felt him then slowly push two large fingers into her tailhole, and she spasmed a bit, rocking harder against his face as he began to thrust them in and out of her, leisurely for a few moments, then with rapidly-increased speed. She moaned hungrily, feeling heat rising in her cheeks as her orgasm once more started to rise with unstoppable rapidity, groaning his name as she bucked her hips hard against his face again and again.

Shine, on the other hand, had already had another orgasm, almost right after the first, and was no longer making any attempts to restrain herself, sliding her body up and down the huge shaft with primal, unashamed cries of complete submission and pleasure, screaming the name of her master as the huge black penis ripped deep into her body again and again, the male thrusting with renewed ferocity into her as her legs spread wide for him and her arms flexed. Her breasts almost ached from how hard they bounced against her chest, but she could feel the massive meat of the Drakkaren starting to stiffen up inside of her body, could feel the pulsing heat and the coming orgasm from the male that she was sure would fill her to the brim and beyond.

Mist, however, first had her own next climax against the face of the male, bucking her hips hard, leaning backwards and clinging onto his white locks with shrieks of pleasure as his fingers continued to shove in and out of her anus and his tongue greedily lapped up the fluids, the reptile panting harder as he felt her contracting against the thick muscle. His pleasure was rising rapidly from his crotch, as well, and he could barely resist the climax he felt coming up from the depths of his body.

Then, finally, he could resist no more, and he let out a long, hungry roar of pleasure, his eyes closing, head tilting back as he felt Mist half fall down against his chest, catching her in his arms and supporting her with her legs out on either side of his body, his huge muscles flexing as he felt his orgasm hit. He slammed his cock into Shine brutally again and again, making the female shriek in pleasure as she jounced up and down his shaft by the sheer powerful pistoning of his hips and huge member, feeling him releasing the first few volleys of his seed into her.

She could feel his seed pouring into her and then squelching out the sides between his black penis and her tight lips, as blast after blast of his load shot into her again and again, the Drakkaren male moving with surprising speed and power, jouncing her body like a toy as she shrieked her pleasure and her new master's name. Then, finally, he began to slow, and she slumped backwards as the huge male let Mist slide lightly down his thick chest, resting back in his throne with a sigh as the twins rested back-to-back, both of them panting and groaning quietly in admiration.

Then, they both slowly rose - Shine's legs trembling and the female releasing a long, low groan of ecstasy as the massive cock slid out of her with a spill of their mixed fluids - before kneeling in front of the throne and murring softly as they both turned towards the huge male, hands massaging over his body as they moved their heads to begin lapping at his gargantuan length. Zerrex grunted quietly, rolling his head back in a wave of pleasure, eyes closed as he felt his body still rollicking with the aftereffects of his orgasm, and then he opened one eye and looked through a curtain of white, sweaty hair at the two females as they finished cleaning his member, and he said softly: "Why don't you clean up your sister, Mist?"

"Yes, Master." Mist replied warmly, as Shine lay back and pulled her loincloth up to reveal her stretched sex. Then the twin slowly descended between her sister's legs, and began to lap hungrily at her vagina and legs, cleaning up the spilled seed and any other fluids she could find with her maw, causing Shine to twitch and whisper soft words in her own tongue in dreamy pleasure.

Then, finally, they were done, and Zerrex shook his head to free his eyes of his hair before glancing out over his court, most of whom were watching - Cindy with amusement, Cherry with an interested grin despite the seed streaking her own features and body - and he couldn't help but smile a bit as he straightened in the throne. Then he cleared his throat and asked in a slightly-teasing voice: "Who else wants to meet their master, up close and personal?"

Several hours later, Zerrex was sitting in his private quarters, slowly cleaning the huge revolver and resting back in a comfortable wooden chair that was for once too big for him. His magnum handguns lay in neatly-organized pieces on the desk, waiting to be reassembled after the Drakkaren had carefully oiled them and checked them over for any damage: an old habit. Maybe it was a bit paranoid, but you never knew what kind of activity might cause what kind of problems.

The room was lit, again, by the strange crystal lanterns that hung from above, which Shine called a 'startrap,' or eternal blue lantern. They were composed of a solid, clear crystal around a core of reactive gases, which was what caused the light inside to seem blue, if one looked hard enough. But the light shining from the strange bright gas inside was filtered by the clear white gem-like stone cage, and made it seem just like natural daylight instead of blue effervescence.

Cherry and Cindy were seated on his bed, Cherry reassembling her enormous rifle and Cindy checking over their other gear from the duffel bags, making sure nothing had been tampered with or taken. And Zerrex didn't have to go outside to know that the twins were standing guard outside the door: when the three had left, they had said they would send the slaves around on their usual chores, and change into some cleaner clothes - most of the uniforms of the Iuratus had been rather messed up after the literal orgy of fun that had occurred - and then they would go about their own work.

Zerrex had chosen this room as his bedroom because of the odd way the quarters had been designed... well, odd for any outsiders. For him and knowing the Dragokkaren culture, it made perfect sense. This bedroom was the only way in and out of a hallway that led into several other rooms and a few cells that were probably meant to be slave quarters and storehouses, and all the other rooms were much more luxurious... but this one also had a large weapons rack and several large hooks out of the wall at above head level for the reptile. Some of these he'd already used to put up Blackheart... and several of the rifles had been placed ready in the rack, with clips taped to the bodies of the guns and every weapon already loaded and cocked.

This room was for a personal bodyguard... and the large bed was actually a very long, folding mattress that could unfold out into multiple ones so that it could be used by even a full military platoon for rest and sleeping. And since Hez'Ranna culture encouraged bisexuality and fully accepted homosexuality, it meant that a lot of males could be squished in and even cuddling up with each other for added heat or simply for comfort without any problem. It was probably one of the ways that made their forces superior, in fact... the males offered solace and consoled each other without any hesitation or worry about how they might appear to others, or that it would cost them their macho façade. Tight hugs, cuddling tight body-to-body, sleeping in the comfort of another's strong arms after a hard battle... even if you had been shot or watched your friends die in horrible ways, even if you'd suffered or were dying yourself or aware that the next day came a mission that you would lose your life on... when you had another person with you, who understood because they were there with you, when they wrapped their arms around you, they found Heaven even in the darkest pit of Hell.

But Zerrex felt... more at home here then staying in the back rooms, safe, secure, and luxurious. And it meant that Cindy and Cherry could have their own rooms, and maybe Lone if he ever decided to show up from where he'd apparently taken residence in the 'lesser harem.' The lupine was definitely settling in... perhaps a bit too nicely actually, for the reptile's liking, but it all seemed to be going alright. It was better that he ended up fitting in and being welcomed there than they had to drag his ass out and teach him the proper etiquette for the different culture over and over again.

Then Cindy glanced up from her work, as she slid the slide back onto one of the plain 15mm handguns they'd brought along, and she smiled slightly. "Well, at least they haven't tampered with any of our stuffs..." A pause, and she glanced over at Cherry, who was mumbling as she attempted to refit the scope onto the top of the rifle. "You having a problem there?"

"Fuckoff." She muttered, screwdriver held in her muzzle as she fumbled to place the huge, high-tech scope back into the fitted rings atop the rifle, stumpy screws dangling between her fingers. Zerrex paused in his own work to watch her with mild amusement for a few moments, as she finally managed to get the scope resting properly and the other end of the metal ring over the scope, then she pushed one screw into place from between her knuckles and kneeled down with a mumble to attempt to use the screwdriver with her muzzle to fasten the loop around the scope.

Then the male Drakkaren rolled his eyes and went back to work, putting his eternally-rusted revolver aside to begin reassembling his massive handguns, as Cindy snorted amusedly. When is she going to learn to do things the easy way... or that just because she can do whatever she wants, doesn't mean she has to.

By the time Zerrex's hands had reassembled his weapons with the ease and speed of long practice, Cherry was just putting the last screw into the loops that held the scope in place, then she rose it to her shoulder with a grin before giving a loud yell of "Fuck!"

Immediately, Zerrex and Cindy looked up in surprise, and the twins leaned in from the doorway, hands on the hilts of their massive cleaver swords and both staring into the room. Cherry, however, ignored all, instead throwing her rifle down against her knees and glaring at it before she mumbled: "I put the fucking scope on backwards."

The male Drakkaren groaned and rolled his eyes, and both Mist and Shine quickly withdrew from the doorway as Cindy scowled at Cherry. The muscular female paused in her mumbling to look up, pausing at the expression, then glaring back and snapping out loudly: "What the fuck're you lookin' at, bitchface?"

"A stupid ass, apparently." Cindy responded flatly, and Cherry growled before tossing the rifle aside and tackling the female beside her. Cindy fell over with a squeak of surprise, automatically reaching up to grab the stronger, larger femme's shoulders as she was pushed down, and then the two fell on the floor and began to yell at each other loudly, rolling back and forth as Zerrex sighed and reached up to put a hand against his forehead for a few moments before finally standing up and carefully stepping past the two as they wrestled on the ground.

Cherry immediately perked up as he walked past them, idly slamming Cindy flat on her stomach and jerking one arm behind her back, the other hand on her skull and holding her head against the floor, muzzle flat to the ground, as she asked: "Where the hell're you headin' off to, master bastard."

"Just gonna check out the rest of the manse. I'll be back later." Zerrex responded mildly, glancing over his shoulder at Cindy, who was struggling weakly on the ground and wincing in pain, with Cherry straddling her upper back. He paused, then added idly: "Ankle throw."

Cherry stared in confusion, then she squawked as Cindy suddenly bucked her body hard forwards, kicking her legs back at the same time, her body almost forming a C before her ankles locked around the bigger female's throat and dragged her forcefully backwards. She hit the ground with a loud thud, head whacking against the stone tile as she gave a screech of protest like an angry bird, her arms and legs kicking in a childish tantrum. "Fuck you, fuck that! I was playing, ow, my fucking head! Fuckity fuck fuck fucking fucker motherfucking fucknuts!"

Zerrex rolled his emerald irises again as he walked out of the room with a sigh, closing the heavy black walnut door behind him and glancing to either side, at the twins who were currently looking blandly forwards, as if trying to ignore the racket inside - the screams, crying, and various colorful curses of Cherry. Before he could speak to either of them, however, a figure rounded the corner down the hall, and Zerrex felt both twins tense up slightly beside him as he glanced down impassively at the Blind Girl.

She was dressed in the same uniform as earlier, walking easily, and a slight smile bridged onto her muzzle, as if she knew that Zerrex was gazing at her. Then she stopped beside him and tilted her head slowly, inviting him to follow, before she began to move sinuously forwards again, hips swaying teasingly and arms moving lightly at her sides. And again, the Drakkaren heard the whisper of voices as she walked onwards, and he couldn't resist following slowly after her.

He stepped up beside her, and she 'glanced' at him before her smile spread into a wider grin, revealing small, sharp teeth for a moment before they were once more concealed inside her maw. Then she stepped in front of him with a fluid, liquid grace that he didn't think Cherry could even match and ground back against him, her hands reaching back at the same time to grab his wrists and pull them down around her body. Her body was unnaturally warm, almost hot, even through her clothes, as she pushed back against him, but not in a way that aroused him at all; and as she slid her body back to spoon perfectly against his form, from heel to head, he heard the voices rise up again in his head.

They whispered a million things... and Zerrex closed his eyes, concentrating and pushing back with his own mind with a gentle firmness, testing his will against her seduction. Against him, the Blind Girl twitched and let out a soft breath, as if surprised... and then she released his wrists from her tight grip, and stepped forwards, turning around and 'looking' up at him with an intense, interested grin. She seemed to study his face, seeming to stare into his eyes even with her blindfold covering the dark, unknown pits below, and then she reached up and grasped his cheeks.

Zerrex stayed still, breathing softly, a slight smile on his face as she trailed her hands gently over his features, feeling out the ridges of his face, the length of his muzzle, and moving up to slide into his hair. Her fingers played ever-so-gently over his scalp, combing through his ivory locks as she seemed to continue to gaze up into his eyes, leaning up closer, closer to him... and although her muzzle pressed gently against his, she only breathed softly instead of kissing him. They traded breath, breathing softly in and out as his eyes locked on her blindfolded, hidden ones, trying to see through the dark cloth and into the pits beyond.

She tempted him, and he resisted: and then he reached down gently and squeezed her at the waist, pulling her suddenly close, flexing his body and letting her know who was in charge. She twitched a bit, and pressed her mouth against his, without meeting him in a kiss... and then she slid back, sliding her hands lightly down his face and then down his muscular arms, her smile returning with interest and now a strange, calculating coldness. Then she lightly took one of his hands, lacing their fingers together and then leading him off down the stone hallway, and he allowed her to take the lead down the corridor, keeping himself as calm and collected as possible despite the voices that whispered senseless words to him. Just like he knew from how hard she was gripping his hand she wouldn't let go or let him pull loose without a fight.

A few minutes later, he found himself back in the main hall, walking in from one of the far wall doors and glancing up as he saw Brute, the giant Dragokkaren, standing in the center of the hallway. His chains rattled as he looked towards him, and he seemed to size up the Drakkaren before saying in a deep baritone: "Greetings, Lord Zerrex. I see you've been able to resist the lady devil. It seems that my Lord Hellabos may be right to place such stolid faith in you."

Zerrex approached the giant with the female, still holding the hand of the Blind Girl, and Zerrex and Brute met each other's eyes for a few moments before the female Drakkaren finally released the male's hand and slid calmly away, heading towards the main doors and letting herself out, leaving the two tall males standing together. They paused, then Zerrex put his hands in his pockets and said mildly: "I suppose I was invited here for a reason other than just to test if that succubus could turn me into a drooling idiot?"

"As the philosophers have said, God gives the most trials to the ones he loves most. But most of those religious morons are full of shit." replied Brute eloquently, and Zerrex couldn't resist grinning a bit as the giant rattled the chains attached to his body idly with one hand. "As it was, however, I was told by one of the upper council that serves to advise my king to put you through two of the old traditional trials of knighthood of old Hez'Ranna, to prove you are who he believes you are and to test your worthiness."

"A battle of spirit and emotional, and now mental and physical?" The Drakkaren asked mildly, tilting his head curiously, then he gave a slight smile as Brute straightened and crossed his arms in slight surprise. "The military unit I used to serve in phased us through all sorts of different traditional trials, and I did grow up learning about Hez'Ranna, the customs and culture."

"My apologies then, for speaking to you as if you were ignorant." Brute bowed slowly to the male, then he straightened again to his full height, the giant seeming to fill up the room before putting his hands behind his back, spreading his legs slightly so his feet were spaced at about shoulder width, his body set as he looked down at Zerrex mildly. "The traditional game we'll play is strike-for-strike. You may strike me as hard as you wish, and I will return the blow with equal force."

Zerrex nodded thoughtfully, then he smiled slightly. "And the power of my blow, and whether or not I survive the return strike determines if I pass the test?"

"Exactly." Brute responded with his own slight smile, and Zerrex met his eyes again, unsurprised to see the transformation the lighter expression made to the twenty-plus foot Dragokkaren's face: it almost made him handsome, and at least more so than his Drakkaren opponent. "Whenever you're ready, Lord Zerrex, I am set to receive."

The reptile nodded in return, then he set himself slowly, drawing one foot back and bringing himself into a ready position, one arm raised straight with the palm out towards the giant, the other bent in front of him, hand curled into a fist. Brute faced him without fear, his eyes focused, that small, respectful smile on his features and his hands still clasped behind his back, chain gently swaying from his neck. The two faced each other evenly, then Zerrex tensed himself before the two once more exchanged nods, and then the smaller reptile moved quickly forwards, drawing his extended arm down in an L, palm facing out towards the Dragokkaren still as his other arm stayed up defensively, and then he leaned forwards and shoved his hand out hard in a single hard palm thrust aimed at the giant's abdomen.

Brute tensed up slightly, but he didn't wince or twitch away from the reptile: he did find himself surprised, however, as instead of a hard blow, the only force he felt was a light pat against his armored vest. At the last moment, the Drakkaren had halted his powerful blow, and Zerrex was smiling slightly, head bowed forwards, hand lightly pressing against the body of the behemoth, feeling his musculature and body thrumming beneath his hand, before he drew back and straightened, placing his own hands behind his back and saying pleasantly: "I await your return blow."

The Dragokkaren looked down at him for a few moments, then he laughed quietly and smiled slightly before stepping back to bow deeply to the reptile, massive body flexing before he stood straight once more and rose both hands in front of him, palms out, in a strange ready pose. Zerrex looked up at him evenly, then Brute's hands suddenly crossed, left behind the right, and the giant's muscles flexed as he slammed both hands hard down and towards the Drakkaren's muzzle.

But at the last moment, the powerful forwards thrust halted, and only the weakest of breezes from the forceful movement washed over Zerrex's features, the tip of his nose gently touching Brute's palms. Then the giant drew back, and Zerrex nodded to him respectfully and asked softly: "Did I pass?"

"I admit, I didn't expect you to do so well... but yes, you've certainly resisted both tests." Brute responded with a warm smile, his chains jangling as the enormous Dragokkaren crossed his arms over his chest. "Loyalty and mercy, are far more important even among us than one's raw physical strength... the test sees if you can use your mind to think, and if you are just here to show off... or if you truly are one of the Lords of Hez'Ranna, and lineage from the lost bloodline."

"I'm no Hez'Rannan king." Zerrex replied with a quiet laugh, glancing down and away, then he looked back up as Brute gave a soft chuckle, the Drakkaren tilting his head. "What?"

"That's like me saying I am not a living weapon, as the 'civilized' people would say. The fact I don't like it... makes it no less true." Brute replied softly, rolling his shoulders and causing his chains to clink quietly. The Drakkaren made a slight face at this, and Brute shrugged before turning and lumbering towards the heavy main doors. He easily opened them, powerful muscles flexing as the wooden almost-gates swung silently on their long hinges and revealed a reddish sky hewn with black clouds that were floating lazily overtop the profile of a jungle that stretched from city to horizon, and then the Dragokkaren turned around and bowed deeply one last time. With that, he slowly stepped backwards, still staying low and almost kneeling on one leg, then he straightened and reached up to close both doors, leaving Zerrex standing alone in the hall.

The Drakkaren frowned slowly, reaching up and rubbing the back of his head as he thought about what the hell the giant had just said. It was a mystery to him... after all, the Narrius bloodline had no connections to Dragokkaren royalty or the Hez'Ranna monarchy, except for the one night that Requiem and Ifret Narrius, his father, had slaughtered the royal families almost a century ago. He shook his head slowly, then glanced up as he heard footsteps, and smiled a bit as he saw one of the Drakkaren slaves walking towards him; one of the females who he thought had giggled and blushed earlier as she'd carried in his luggage. In her hands she was carrying some folded towels, and she blushed a bit when she saw him. "My apologies, if I intrude, sir. I am going to... clothing room?"

He nodded; her accent was a bit thick, and she couldn't speak as well as the twins or the other higher-ups could - he guessed they'd learned the language of what they mockingly referred to as the 'civilized' world just to prove they were superior in every way - but he had no problem understanding what she probably meant. "I'd like to walk with you there, if you don't mind. Then perhaps afterwards you could give me a bit of a tour of the rest of the manse and the grounds outside, if you have nothing else more important to do."

The female lit up with a bright smile, and Zerrex guessed that meant she didn't. She nodded rapidly, almost dropping the pile of towels she held, then blushed and quickly did a curtsey without the dress and her arms loaded - I admit, I love the whole respect thing... but... they're more hardcore than I am about this stuff. "Pleasure sir, would be my pleasure, Lord Zerrex! Clothing room is this way, please come, yes, and follow?"

"Of course." Zerrex replied, then he smiled and quickly took half of the load of towels from her, making her flush deeply and babble something in her own language, but he quieted her with a slightly-amused look and then nodded. "Let's go."

So for the next forty minutes or so, Zerrex wandered around with the Iuratus, finding himself rather impressed with how massive the manse was. And the Drakkaren only noted a few major bits of technology; everything else was either done by hand or some hand-crafted instruments, and the slaves performed all manner of chores. The only places where technology seemed to be prevalent was the kitchen - and it had an amazing assortment of things that ran off a generator system, which was hooked into its own special solar array that was apparently set up outside somewhere - and in the basement, which was actually a private barracks for security and militia. It had everything from bunks to storerooms to weapons lockers and a target range... and a heavy, sealed door that the slave he was currently touring with told him was an emergency exit. Glancing over the black steel, keypad-locked vault door, Zerrex guessed it might also be a special storeroom as well for valuables, but he didn't want to push his luck the first day here with questions.

Then they'd toured the grounds outside: a wide field out front with armed sentries patrolling and manning the gates, and out back a massive, long yard with two large pools. Most of the male Iuratus were currently out here, lighting torches along a stone path as dusk began to darken, and putting away various tools in the shed as they finished up the last bits of outside chores for the day.

Then they'd gone back inside, and Zerrex had thanked the pretty girl who'd spent her time with him and kissed her cheek, and she'd left with such a level of elation, the rest of the slaves would probably think he'd ask her to bare his children or something. The thought made him grin a bit as he worked his way back towards his private quarters, getting lost once down the wrong hall but quickly retracing his path and taking the right fork, then pausing as he realized the twins were no longer guarding the doorway.

He walked slowly forwards, then looked into the room, and rolled his eyes a bit as he saw Mist and Shine standing inside and arguing with a dark-blue scaled Dragokkaren in a military uniform. He was gesturing angrily with one hand, the other holding one of the huge drum-loading assault rifles that Zerrex had spotted earlier on the Dragokkaren that had formed the lines; then he paused, and turned towards Zerrex, revealing a long red double-line tattoo over one eye on his right side, and he gave a strange, twisted grin as he looked at him and said in an almost patronizing voice: "Pleasure to meet you, Lord... Zerrex. Lord Hellabos has gushed lots about you..."

"Watch your fucking mouth, vermin!" snapped Shine, reaching up and grasping the handle of her sword, and Mist's own hands reached out and seized the neck of the much-larger reptile's coat, hauling him upwards as she glared at him angrily. The dark-scaled Dragokkaren glared back down at her - he wasn't exactly hefted that high, being almost three times as wide and perhaps thirteen feet tall - and then he easily swatted her arms aside and stepped back out of her reach, glaring at the two furiously.

"You have no authority over me!" He said angrily, then he reached back and rested one hand on the hilt of his kwaibar, which was sheathed at his back, glaring at the twins for a moment. They glared back, then both of them slowly relaxed, still obviously fuming but calmer, and the Dragokkaren scowled before removing his hand from his sword and tossing Zerrex a disgusted look, eyes roving up and down him. "I am High General Fayvin, Commander of the Royal Hezrow's military forces. I've been investigating you and king Hellabos, who is suspected of crimes against the Hez'Ranna nation and high treason. I demand to perform a search of your rooms and all luggage and persons you brought with you."

"On what authority?" Zerrex asked softly, but his eyes were narrowed and arms crossed, feeling a deep anger brimming inside of him. Fayvin's behavior was all too familiar to him, with the way he gestured with his gun and tried to force his way through others... he was a bully, pure and simple, and he was also a power-abusing tyrant. And in his actions, Zerrex saw the very things he feared coming from himself... and that only fed his rage all the more.

Fayvin smirked at him... and it was a smirk. The one expression that Zerrex hated above all others, because it was arrogant... cruel... stupid... and the one most often worn by the weak-willed filthy maggots who thought they were ten steps ahead of everyone else, but were the first to cry and run home to mommy. The pencil pushers who planned wars and yelled at soldiers for being cowards when they stay in military bases, driving desk ten miles away from the front line. And even though Fayvin was huge, his military uniform - and now Zerrex could see the slight differences between his uniform and those under Hellabos's command, the coat of arms on either shoulder and that his was actually composed of a heavy vest overtop a lighter, cloth jacket - was loose on him. It meant he wasn't as big and muscular as he acted... or that he was wearing it purposefully loose to hide his size, which meant he was either thin or fat. "The authority of the Hezrow and Hezanna royal councils. And in case you are unaware, these are the two other royal families in Hez'Ranna... and much more powerful than that idiot Hellabos."

The snide tone of his voice made Zerrex want to crush his skull between his hands... but instead he forced himself to remain calm, before asking coldly: "Didn't Hezrow disown two of their sons? Twins, because they were runts. And they were happy to leave, I remember."

Fayvin twitched as if slapped, his eyes widening... and then he snarled angrily, almost looking as though he wanted to bring the massive assault rifle up that he was carrying. "Like you know anything of our culture! And that was a long time ago, and Hellabos only has three kids himself, the impotent weakling! Three daughters, all of them diplomats in other cities because they can't stand his cowardly-"

"Speak again of our master that way in our presence, and you lose your head." Mist said coldly, and both she and Shine reached up and grasped the handles of their huge cleavers. This time, when Fayvin looked at them, he saw the anger and resolve in their eyes... and he faltered before stepping back again, then realizing he had no quick means of escape: the twins blocked the doors leading into the inner sanctum, and Zerrex was still standing in the doorway and looking angrier by the moment.

But he hadn't yet learned his lesson, either, and instead he simply snorted before looking squarely at Zerrex, then forcing a grin despite the fact he was obviously starting to sweat, taunting him cruelly: "So you need to take cover behind two girls and a King of Hez'Ranna to cover up the fact you might have had something to do with the strange disappearance of our lords, you half-breed-"

In a flash, Zerrex had moved across the room, and before Fayvin could do anything, Zerrex snatched his assault rifle from his hand in a smooth turning motion, his back to the Dragokkaren, before he swung the huge gun backwards and upwards by the body, slamming the stock into the underside of the general's muzzle. He staggered backwards with a rasping hiss, eyes shutting with pain, and then reached for his kwaibar... only to find it gone. A moment later, he opened his eyes as cold metal touched his throat and he found himself half-sitting against the wooden desk, his chestnut irises betraying his terror. He trembled, seeing Zerrex's cold emerald eyes looking up at him, sword held steady against the scales of his throat so firmly that with every breath, the Dragokkaren could feel the sharp edge rubbing against his neck... and he knew without having to check that his sidearm was already gone as well. In the moment that he'd been consumed with pain, staggering backwards, Zerrex had thrown the assault rifle to Mist... then snatched both sword and his handgun from their respective holsters and put one against his throat...

And then, shifting, the Dragokkaren realized with horror that the long-barreled, Dragokkaren Enforcer special issue magnum handgun was pressed against his crotch, and he trembled violently as Zerrex said in a soft, cold voice: "I am half Dragokkaren... half Drakkaren... and purebred demon. And even though I recognize that in Hez'Ranna, the Dragokkaren are seen superior above all others, including the Drakkaren... you will never again infer that my mother being a Drakkaren makes me less than what I truly am. It is my father who is scum, a Dragokkaren like you... arrogant, weak, cowardly, and a pathetic maggot."

Then the Drakkaren closed his eyes before suddenly drawing the kwaibar across Fayvin's throat, and the Dragokkaren shrieked in terror as he felt it cut into his neck, eyes bulging and his bladder letting go, piss pouring into his pants as he grabbed at the shallow cut along his neck and fell to his knees. Then he looked at his bloody hands, trembled, and screamed: "You killed me!" before his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he simply fainted.

Zerrex looked down at him in disgust, then he glanced up at the twins, who both had similar looks on their faces. Then he threw the kwaibar aside and shook his head slowly before heading past them towards the door, pausing just long enough to glance over his shoulder and say softly: "Get that piece of trash out of here, and throw him out onto the streets."

"Sir." Mist said crisply, then she pulled the clip out of the assault rifle, and threw both it and the gun onto the stacked folding mattress before she grabbed Fayvin's feet, and Shine his legs. Then the two hefted his unconscious body with a grunt and headed quickly about their task as Zerrex pushed through the door and into a short hallway.

He glanced back and forth at the four doors he had to choose from... but then the furthest left door opened and Cherry stuck her head out. She took one look at him, and her grin faded from her face into what was her version of a concerned expression: a strange, curious hardness, before she swallowed and mumbled: "Let's um... come here. Cindy and I and you... can talk."

"Okay." Zerrex said quietly, and he walked slowly down the hall and entered the room, Cherry gently closing the door behind him before reaching up to squeeze his shoulder. The room, thankfully, was fairly homely, with a large futon-style mattress that seemed to be the Hez'Ranna version of a luxury bed, and furnished in black maple... but before Zerrex could look around and inspect things closer, Cherry slipped her arms beneath his legs and actually hefted him up into the air.

Zerrex blinked, but then he laughed faintly and silently wrapped his arms around her neck, feeling much of his rage dissipating in sheer surprise out of the change of roles, as Cherry smiled a bit down at him and carried him over to the bed, where Cindy was looking at the two with concern. Then the muscular female sat down, and the male Drakkaren shifted so his body was sprawled across the laps of both females, resting his head against Cindy's bosom as she wrapped her arms around him, his lower body and legs across Cherry's own as she quietly rubbed at one of his knees, the strong femme leaning gently against Zerrex's wife and daughter.

For a little while, there was just quiet, as they all lay there and Zerrex tried to pull himself together, sort out his emotions, and once more cage that darkness in him that had lashed out at Fayvin - sure, the arrogant prick had deserved it, but it didn't change the fact that the Drakkaren had lost control... hell, if he actually was a high commander or whatever he'd called himself, the attack on him could cause problems between Hellabos and the other royal families as well... and that just made Zerrex feel guilty as well as upset and pissed-off.

But as if reading his mind, Cherry reached up and hit him firmly in the crotch, making him jump and grunt before she said in a hesitant, almost-stammering voice: "Well. Um. You... you better not be feeling... shitty over um. Something dumb, because I'll beat the fuck out of you and then fuck the beat out of you. But um. I'm sure... you got no reason to be so... angry and guilty with yourself - shit, that came out wrong - and whatever you got pissed off for is good and justified too and... fuck, I'm no good at this." She coughed, then turned a pleading gaze to Cindy.

The other female took the hint, then looked down at her father softly and quietly stroked some errant strands of hair from his face before saying gently: "Daddy... please tell us what happened, because we want to help. You look very upset, and it makes us worried for you... and I have an idea of why, with how much of a jerk that General guy was out there. Mist and Shine barely managed to stop him from barging in here, after he'd yelled at us in that room for a while, accusing us of all sorts of weird things."

"What did he say?" Zerrex asked, then he paused, seemed to fumble for a moment, before glancing from Cherry to Cindy and added another question quietly: "Are you two okay?"

"Fine as fuck, Boss, don't worry about us." Cherry said firmly, before Cindy could say anything. Then she blushed a bit before finally saying: "And... we... had our... own talk and stuff and stuff, too, and... stuff... and so um. We wanna help you out. Then after we get you... talking and stuff... maybe... we can all discuss that shit that Fayvin was talking about."

The last bit came out in a rush, and Zerrex couldn't help but smile a bit before nodding and closing his eyes as he pressed his body a bit tighter against the two females. For a few moments, though, he simply remained silent, only enjoying the presence of the others, where he was resting on their laps like some overgrown child, and trying to get his thoughts in order... and then he finally glanced up and laughed faintly, saying quietly: "He... he reminded me of my father."

Cherry looked down at Zerrex with a sudden deep sympathy and compassion that Cindy had never guessed she had in her body... but then again, Cindy sometimes forgot that Cherry was a real person with real deep feelings, despite how she always acted like an invincible, constantly-horny superbitch. The only difference between the two females was really just that Cindy could face her feelings... and whatever horrors Cherry had gone through in the past, and the pain she'd had in trying to deal with her emotions had made Cherry Blossom terrified of ever revealing her feelings except on a few discreet occasions, or with a few major things. And with the expression on the muscular female's face right now... Cindy had to guess that Zerrex had just said something equivalent for her to: "Well, the doctor told me today I'm going to die of an unknown disease in the next week."

Cindy, however, had never really heard anything about Zerrex's father, Ifret Ark Narrius, apart from a few stray bits and pieces of information here and there. Her father rarely talked about the past, and the most she'd ever learned was when she'd been kidnapped by Requiem. Markus Narrius, though, had apparently been a whole different person than his older brother, and Zerrex had even hinted sometimes that he'd looked up to his uncle as a father figure and more of a parent and mentor than Narrius had ever been...

But again, she hadn't learned all that much about Narrius himself, other than that he was likely immeasurably, unbelievably cruel and callous. And that Zerrex had hated him... but she knew few of the details of that. She'd always meant to take her father aside, and get him to tell her all of his past that she could force out of him... but then she'd become pregnant with Marina, and after their daughter had been born, they'd been so damn busy that she'd ended up forgetting to ask... and when she did remember, they never had the time or privacy to talk about it.

Then Cherry squeezed one of the male's knees silently, and Zerrex glanced from one to the other before laughing a bit and closing his eyes, continuing to speak softly: "I guess it's obvious that's not what set me off, though... but he called me a half-breed, since I'm not pureblood Drakkaren or pureblood Dragokkaren, but a mix of both. In Hez'Ranna, that's... often a no-no amidst the nobles, because even though the Drakkai are superior here... you should recognize that even then there's another higher pecking order, that places the Dragokkaren above Drakkaren.

"And it was just like... I was hearing Narrius talking about my mother again and..." He shook his head quietly for a moment, then closed his eyes and pushed his head against Cindy's bosom, and she squeezed him comfortingly close as he sighed softly. "So... I disarmed him and drew his own sword on him, then gave him a nick at the throat. He fainted... and I realized that he was just another arrogant asshole." A pause, and a rueful smile. "Narrius would have met my eyes and kicked my ass."

"You don't know that, Boss." Cherry replied gently, and she smiled a bit when Zerrex glanced down at her, as Cindy stroked through his ivory hair. "You've changed a lot over the years, and you've gotten a lot stronger, too... hell, you even... defeated Requiem."

Cindy had to admit she was surprised at the other female's tact: she'd actually for once not used the word 'fuck' in a sentence and also been polite and almost gentle with her words, as well. She felt Zerrex slump and rest a bit against her, and when she glanced down softly at him, she knew how thankful he was for that as well... and she smiled up at Cherry with a quiet nod before leaning down to kiss his cheek gently and asking softly: "But what about that other stuff he was spouting, huh?"

The male nodded, his eyes still closed as he rested one hand on his stomach, reaching the other down to lightly take one of Cherry's. She squeezed it lightly, glancing up at the reptile with her own eyes more focused now, and then the tall Drakkaren nuzzled his daughter's neck quietly before finally opening his emerald eyes and looking up at Cindy, saying softly: "I think Marina's safe... but we're being tested... even played with, by someone who might have something to do with her capture and got cold feet at the last moment."

"What's got you thinkin' that, Boss?" Cherry asked, squeezing his hand gently as Cindy tilted her head and frowned slightly. Zerrex seemed to hesitate for a few moments - fuck, I hate it when he hesitates... fuckin' Captain ravenlight should never hesitate, and when he does, means it's either some seriously nasty or complex shit goin' down - and then he finally sighed and shook his head a bit.

"On my way out of here, I ran into the Blind Girl... and she put me through a test of my emotions and willpower." he said softly. "An attempt to seduce or control me with... whatever strange powers she's got... but once I resisted, she took my hand and led me back to the main hall, and I played through the Knight's Test with Brute, that giant Dragokkaren we saw earlier." He paused a moment, then added reflectively: "He referred to me as a royal once I passed... mentioned something about the Narrius bloodline that didn't make sense to me.

"In any case, I think this puzzle is bigger than we thought. The fact all these things are happening at once - some war between the royal families, our daughter's kidnapping, Hellabos diverting our flight to Uroboros, and these accusations from that asshole general - means there might be something bigger going on out there. And Hellabos has done a lot of research on us too... he knows his stuff, and the people he has working for him, from the twins to his bodyguards..."

"They're genetically superior." Cherry finished for him, nodding with a frown, then glancing up at Cindy and smiling a bit. "Like you and us, girl. Obviously, the Blind Girl has some strange powers... Brute is either a genetic experiment or a mutant from the size of that fucker... and every soldier we see workin' for Hellabos is built like a fucking tank. Even these Iuratus of his are bigger and badder-looking that a fuckload of soldiers from back home... and sure, yeah, I get it. Physical activity is important to these people, they spend their lives training and shit... but not one of them is lazy? There ain't one fatass in the bunch? Everyone's actually good at their job? 'Scuse me, but when the hell'd I step off the bus from Hell and land in paradise?"

"We get it." Zerrex said drolly, and Cherry squeezed his hand firmly, glaring at him, but smiling a bit despite herself. Then he glanced up at Cindy, who was looking anxious, and his expression softened: "What is it, darling?"

She looked away for a few moments, then finally glanced down and asked nervously: "Do you... think they want Marina because... she's... part of us? Because she has that same... genetic superiority, but because she's our child, not because she's a science experiment? Do you... think... do they want her genetic code to add to whatever test tubes they got that they're growing their soldiers in, if that's what they're doing?"

Cherry made a bit of a face, then she paused and closed one eye, tilting her head upwards thoughtfully before looking back down at the other two with a shake of her head. "I won't lie to you, girl. They might want to extract her genetic code... but all they need for that is a bit of blood, not her whole body, and they would have left us pissed off but still at home, busy dealing with our friend's death and making sure Marina's safe instead of giving chase like we did. They want her whole body for something... but from what Hellabos said, they aren't going to harm her, whether he's talkin' the truth or not. And these soldiers are all more likely on some special steroid than grown in petrie dishes... you see their faces? They all look different, all got different scales and built up different. If they were cloned or built on the same strands of DNA, they'd all look the same. Like those soldiers in those fuckin' sci-fi movies with the lasers and robots and shit."

"You're a nerd." Zerrex blinked, and he knew that Cindy was just as surprised as he was as Cherry glowered at him... but then she snorted and looked a bit pacified at his next words: "But you did make a good point there."

"Thanks." Cherry said, then she shook her head a bit. "So Boss. What's our next move then? Who can we trust - if not, y'know, with sensitives, but at least not to pour some poison in our fuckin' figwort tea or whatever the hell they serve here? What's our next move?"

Zerrex paused, looking down thoughtfully, then he glanced back up at her and smiled slightly, wrapping his other arm around his daughter and laughing faintly. "Same rules as you always love, Cherry. We don't trust anyone, even though most of the Iuratus seem stable. And for now... we should probably key things down a bit, get some rest, and then tomorrow we'll take a walk around town and see what we can find out."

"Sounds good to me." Cindy said softly, and Cherry grunted in approval as she glanced over the two before squeezing the male's legs lightly. And from that point on, the three tried to shift the topic, but despite whatever lighter conversation they made, there was always the secret undercurrent running through of what they were to do next, if they would ever find Marina... and how the bastards who had started up this deadly game with them would suffer.