FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hetroth walked hurriedly, following the pair of rats from Varik's guild, now guiding him along the busy streets of Tertium. He slowed his pace occasionally to lock sights with someone he thought recognized him from the day before, but quickly continued on his way each time, blushing lightly.

It was nearing noon, and he was being escorted back to his own guild building. The morning had gone over uneventfully, at least compared to the night. Following a bath to clean away any signs of their love-making, Varik sent him off under the protection of the rats, adorned in their usual gear of high-collared tunics underneath azure tabards bearing the symbol of the All Knowing. Their farewell was rather brief, although the buck promised they'd do something special next time they met, as if he needed any further incentive. He only hoped he wouldn't be coming back out of necessity.

His thoughts were now firmly ingrained in what was to come. How much did his family and guild mates know exactly? How would they react? His hands shivered and his legs felt wobbly. It terrified him, but at the same time he wanted it to be over with considering it was inevitable. Be what may, it was the wait that truly unnerved him.

They finally reached the front of the Artificer's guild. Compared to that of the All Knowing, it was much more bulky, made of heavy, dark brown brick, the bottom floor windows mere slits and the upper ones barred with iron. The entrance was an iron-studded wooden door with a metal gate hanging in front of it, ready to drop at the first sign of danger. Its rooftop was adorned by merlons along its edges, further adding to its defensiveness. The only decorative element to speak of was a pair of banners at its entrance, each red in colour, bearing the symbol of the Artificers - a golden orb held by a simplistically illustrated disembodied hand. The building looked more suitable to hold off a small siege than to be lived in.

At its entrance stood a pair of mutts, one considerably bulkier than the other. Het immediately recognized the smaller as Roeterik, a colleague sharing his current rank. His fur was a creamy white, his ears pointy and his muzzle thin. His slightly darker hair was of shoulder length, combed back with a ponytail held by a bow. In fairly standard fashion, both he and his greater companion wore half-plate, making them look somewhat bulkier than they truly were. Hetroth's own usual set was fairly non-standard, as he preferred speed and stealth over the protection heavier armour provided. Being one of the best swordsmen in the guild, Roeterik carried a longsword at his side. The heavier canine Hetroth eventually remembered was named Nidret bore a halberd, befitting one of his bulk. His features were concealed under helm for the time, but Het recalled he was rather dark furred underneath.

The two dogs caught sight of the approaching party, and Rette stepped forward to address them. "State your business.", he called out. A formality, considering he recognized the person ahead.

"This belong to you?", Ketronius replied, nodding his head towards Hetroth, a cocky grin on his face. Neccado shared his smugness, although to a much smaller degree. Rette simply rolled his eyes, and with a shake of his head, prompted the hyena to enter.

"I hope you weren't expecting entry.", the mutt said towards the rats once Het had walked past them, a visible dislike towards the rodents in his facial expression. The hand ever on the hilt of his sword gave no reason to expect hospitality either.

"Why? You inviting us?", Ketri teased, forwarding the side of his hip with a flick of his tail, even though he knew this audience wasn't interested. Rette shook his head and followed Hetroth in, leaving Nidret to maintain guard. Done with their task, the rats went their own way, snickering to each other.

***

"You're to immediately report for arbitration.", Rette said as they crossed the doorway.

"Immediately? Do you know why?", he questioned, hoping to get an idea of how much was known of the events that had transpired.

"I would guess to explain why you've failed to retrieve the artefact.", he said.

"Don't the seers know?", he questioned.

"They do. But they want to hear it from you.", he said. They walked on in silence for a while, moving through the most open space of the building - the main hall. Even though the height difference was negligible, it felt much more cramped compared to the All Knowing's hall. It was more dimly lit as well, as instead of a glass dome, it had a regular, raftered ceiling with only small, barred side windows permitting daylight within.

"How much did they say?", he finally asked, almost immediately regretting it.

"Hm? What do you mean?", he questioned.

"About my failure. Did they say what happened exactly?", he asked, hoping they hadn't.

"Just that you lost the artefact and were captured by an All Knowing. Why?", Rette asked as they ducked into one of the slim corridors at the back of the hall.

"Just want to know what I needn't mention again.", he lied. Roeterik raised a brow at this and continued on.

"Best you start from the beginning and leave nothing out.", he advised, climbing the stairs. Eventually they reached a door, seemingly no different than all the others in the hallway, and Rette reared it open, revealing a humble room with a single, simple seat before a table lined with a number of chairs. "Go on in. I'll go notify the arbiters.", he said, letting the young hyena enter. He closed the door behind Hetroth and left to go gather the higher ups.

A trial run such as Het's warranted a group of arbiters, usually consisting of a high artificer and a seer, to determine how well he'd dealt with his task, although he hadn't expected it to be this immediate. While he had little doubt that his performance would be considered a failure, he hoped that at least he'd be given lenient arbitration. Even though the main subject of his judgement would be whether or not he qualified for advancement, it was also possible for him to be demoted or even cast out.

With a sigh, he pulled off his backpack and sat down on the chair in the middle. He took a moment to straighten out his clothes again, wanting to at least look somewhat presentable, even if most of it wasn't actually his. At least they were nice enough to clean and give him back his insignia-bearing loincloth, although it was now a bit crumpled and didn't look as appropriate in tandem with his plain clothes as with his armour... or even wearing nothing else.

He nearly leapt up to his paws as he heard the door open again, and in came three figures, the last of which made his heart skip a beat. The first two were a high artificer and a seer. The high artificer was a burly brown mutt that looked more bear than canine, clad in half-plate, only his short-haired head truly bare. Hetroth knew he was named Eigeroth, and was known to be strict. The seer was an elderly looking black, female cat, hooded in robes of white with a line of red running down the middle. This one Het did not know, but few among the lower ranks knew the identities of the seers at all. The one that truly made him sweat now was the third, a near mirror image of himself, except 20 years older, short haired and bulkier. His father, Geudren.

They positioned themselves behind the table and sat down in near unison, a gesture from the canine high artificer prompting Hetroth to sit as well. Now came the hard part of explaining what had happened.

***

A recounting of his misadventures later, albeit missing certain embarrassing details, a silence fell upon the room for a while as the three listeners now looked at him, weighing his words.

"I couldn't help but notice you've omitted a few things. Such as what happened between you and the All Knowing after he'd subdued you.", the mutt said.

"I... was hoping I wouldn't have to repeat what you no doubt already know from the seers.", he answered, looking at the ground and blushing profusely.

"We wanted to hear it from you. But the fact that this troubles you will suffice.", his father finally spoke up, a glare from the canine indicating he wasn't in agreement with that.

"It bears mentioning that he did not resist convincingly.", the cat interjected.

"And you would know of such matters.", the hyena countered.

"Yes. I would.", she said with annoyance, punctuating each word.

"Well, he may yet do better then. He has over a month to handle it as well as you did.", he mocked, apparently referring to an incident that required some time to resolve.

"Regardless...", the canine boomed, loud enough to silence the other two. "...he lost a valuable artefact to an All Knowing. Higher ranking or not, we should be outclassing them in combat.", he said.

"Now you will feign ignorance? Varikas is not the typical All Knowing and you know that.", the hyena said in response.

"It's not his loss in combat that's the problem. It's his clear compliance with what happened later. All the seers would agree, including your wife.", the cat argued again. Geudren hesitated for a moment, as though wanting to disagree, but failing to find a viable argument, and instead simply sat back, his arms crossed, looking contemplative. He glanced towards his son, making Hetroth shirk in response, looking away as though in shame.

"I still say what happened afterwards was beyond his control. His consent was meaningless.", he finally said. "He tracked down and fought the All Knowing as second time in an attempt to regain the artefact-".

"Or as an excuse to give in to his lusts with him.", the cat interjected.

"I don't know how your relationships usually look, Sarien, but I don't consider attempting to maim or kill to be a proper start to one.", he said in turn.

"This is pointless. Nobody's convincing anyone here.", the dog spoke up. "I vote for demotion.", he announced.

"What? How do you justify that?", Geudren protested.

"Failure in combat.", he answered plainly. Geudren sighed in disbelief.

"I vote promotion. I do not imagine this encounter having an end result any different had any other of his rank participated.", the hyena said, crossing his arms in frustration. It elated Hetroth to know his father would back him, although he was uncertain whether he did it based solely on family ties or because he truly felt it just. Regardless of his show of support, however, a second vote for demotion would see it so. The system they abided favoured change over maintaining the status quo.

"I vote to withhold promotion.", the cat announced, somewhat to the surprise of both the others.

"I thought you said he willingly fraternised with an enemy.", the dog said with a growl.

"Indeed I did. But as Geudren pointed out, it happened after combat. And unlike you, Eigeroth, I'm not thick enough to think anyone below high artificer could likely best that barbaric brute.", she explained with derision.

"Pfeh. Were Geudren not here to cuddle his deviant son, you would say otherwise.", he scoffed.

"Were he not here, I would vote promotion just to invalidate your rambling.", she countered, leaving them silent for a while.

Hetroth barely stifled a sigh of relief, a long exhale taking its place. He'd avoided the worst. It meant at least half a year more of remaining at the humble rank of guardian, but at least he wasn't worse off than before. And he got to keep his own room, as small as it was.

"Well, if there's nothing left to add...", Sarien began, rising to her feet, the other two following example, with Hetroth scrambling to stand as well. "Hetroth Sersa, in the light of your unsatisfactory performance, you hereby maintain the rank of guardian.", she announced. Without further ceremony, the three walked out as they'd entered, leaving the young hyena standing there. Alone, he stood there for a while, not really certain what to do. The previous times he'd been considered for advancement he'd received gratulations, some sense of acceptance. This left him cold. He'd hoped that at least his father would've stayed and said something.

Slowly and uncertainly, he walked out the door.

***

"Hm? Oh, come in.", Geudren said, returning to his current activity. He was packing, getting ready to leave already.

Hetroth stepped into the chamber and closed the door behind him. It was a room meant for visiting important personas, much like the high artificer currently residing within, and while it was very spacious compared to what he was used to, it was somewhat smaller than Varik's, not to mention dimmer.

"Uh, you left in a hurry.", Het noted, still uncertain as to his father's view of things.

"I need to return to my own branch. Didn't expect the day's worth of delay.", he said, seemingly barely paying his son any heed.

"I see.", Hetroth said, now struggling to think of what to say next.

"Did you want something?", Geudren finally asked.

"Just wanted to talk. About what happened.", he answered awkwardly.

"I think I've said all I needed to say.", he said, now turning to face his youthful counter-part.

"You're... you're not mad?", he asked, his voice quivering.

"Mad? No. Disappointed.", he answered, sending Hetroth's heart sinking into his stomach. "I had considered whether to force you to marry anyway, but decided you would cause problems afterwards. Hopefully Keiren does not share your deviancy.", he said, genuine distaste in his timbre. Keiren, Het's younger brother. At least he would find the turn of events fruitful, now becoming the favoured son.

"And yet you defended me during arbitration.", he murmured, looking at the corner of the room, if only to avoid his father's bitter gaze.

"Because you bear my name. And I will not be here to do it upon your next.", he said. "I suggest you leave no doubt as to your capabilities next time.", he added and resumed his packing, gathering stray belongings that only came to his mind in the last few moments. Without a word more, Hetroth backed out the door, a deep feeling of disbelief and rejection slowing his steps. "And son... steer clear of that All Knowing. At least until the air calms.", he added.

Het could've sworn he heard concern in his voice. But whether it was genuine or driven by fear of him further damaging the repute of their family name, he didn't find out, closing the door shut behind him.

***

Sitting at the edge of his bed, he began to dig around his backpack, wanting to take his mind off of the day's unpleasantries. Varik had given him a little something as a parting gift - three books. The thickest among them was the one he'd been given to read the other day and never got to finish. The other two were more of interest to Hetroth, not only because of their subject matter, but also the prevalence of imagery over words. The first was an instructional book on sexual acts, even possessing a smaller but still prominent section on male on male acts. Varik had mentioned the books were very dear to him, to the point where they were quite worn, although were it not for his mention, Het wouldn't have noticed the wear. He'd also mentioned it was meant to bring memories of their time together while apart. Hetroth decided he would leave reading it for the night, when he would be free to work out whatever stimulation the imagery brought.

With the other book he couldn't fathom why the deer considered it so precious. "An Effective Guide to Effective Fighting", it was called. A tacky title, even for someone as ill-read as Het. He opened it up carefully and took a quick glance at the index, swiftly locating a possible reason for why the buck favoured it in particular. A section devoted to fighting nude. The very thought made Het's own loins stirr, but he decided he would similarly leave it for the night.

He instead took the already begun book and began to read from where he'd finished. Within, the long-dead All Knowing, Barrot Revi, described how his success had suddenly garnered interest within the guild and it became somewhat easier to acquire the reagents required for the ritual. He displayed hopes of earning advancement through his discoveries, possibly even becoming head of his branch. Another prospect that never came to pass.

Just as his reading began to pick up pace, a knock on the door alerted him. He quickly shut the book and stowed it underneath his bed, along with the two others. "Come in.", he called out, once again sitting at the edge of his bed. From beyond the door, a familiar ferret named Ivid reared her head.

"Still here, I see.", she remarked, alluding to the better, more spacious room he would've gotten with advancement. Or possibly not being expelled or demoted back to a group sleeping quarters.

"Yeah.", he confirmed, uncertain of what else to say. He wondered as well as dreaded what she would say, if anything, of the events of 2 days ago.

"How are you feeling?", she asked.

"Fine. Shoulder's still a bit sore, but otherwise I'm fine.", he said, prompting a moment of uneasy silence. "Anything new happened here?", he asked in turn, trying to keep the conversation going. It'd never been this difficult.

"Not really. Uh, your retrieval was pretty much the most interesting thing to have happened.", she admitted. "You up for a round of sparring?", she offered. Het smiled at the prospect, a practice session usually being a good stress reliever.

"Sure.", he said and got up. "Although first I want to stop by Hermund.", he added.

***

The training hall was much more lively than that of the All Knowing, the cacophony of battle near-deafening to the ears of anyone who entered. Combat abilities were considered of greatest import among lower ranking Artificers. All they needed to know for the time was how to gain and maintain possession of artefacts, a rather challenging aspect considering how all who sought power stood in their way. Only once they'd gone past rank of guardian would they be schooled in the language and true workings of artefacts, the use of such not being a priority to them.

Hetroth had been one of the more studious among his peers, finding little entertainment in drink and women, and had become a particularly effective combatant among them, as well as a decent dabbler in spellcraft. For this reason, few could doubt his abilities, but also due to it, as he'd learned from the ferret, he became the subject of many suspicions among his peers. How could one so skilled have been brought so low by an All Knowing? Unless he let him, that is. Rumours of his likings had already begun to circulate, either overheard during one of his conversations or wantonly spread by one of the less accommodating higher ups. Likely Eigeroth. Ivid hadn't specifically asked if it was true, but chances were she knew already.

Few took note that the All Knowing in question was of considerably higher rank than that of Hetroth, or that the buck made much better use of spells than any of them had a right to. It wasn't unheard of for an All Knowing to best an Artificer, usually involving more underhanded tactics and indirect combat, using advantage in spells, alchemy and even technology rather than any sort of combat skill.

Hetroth swung his training sword with something reminiscent of glee, a sense of elation at finally being able to do something he knew well. Ivid struggled to keep up, mostly lying on the defensive. She wasn't as skilled as him in sword-play, and it usually showed, but not to the same extent as now.

"Ugh!", Ivid grunted, dropping to her side following a hard hit to the shoulder and stomach. "Damn it, Het.", she remarked, nursing her bruises. The sleeveless tunics they wore in sparring provided little protection, their arms left quite uncovered.

"Come on. Another round.", Hetroth said, offering a hand to help stand.

"Oh, sod off.", she said, swatting the offer away, and got up by herself. "I'm not a damn training dummy. Find someone else to wail on.", she exclaimed, skulking off to sit at a bench, still gripping her stomach.

Only now did he realize that perhaps he'd been over-zealous in his efforts, striking without restraint. Whether it was a bad habit from his recent experiences or his frustrations with the day's events getting to him, he wasn't sure, but found it didn't matter. He turned to approach her, wanting to apologize, when someone else crossed his path.

"Hetroth.", he heard a call from behind.

"Roeterik?", he responded as he turned, now seeing the mutt, no longer donning the half-plate from before. "Thought you were on guard duty.", he said, eyeing the white dog with some suspicion. He knew him mostly by his skill as a swordsman, second to none among his peers, and a formidable combatant among all Artificers. Het could only hope he wouldn't find an enemy in him following the rumours surrounding his failure.

"My shift ended at noon.", he explained as he approached. "Spar with me.", he said dryly, making it sound more like command than request. Although it wasn't an unusual tone for him.

"Uh, very well.", he replied, puzzled as to the sudden need to spar with him in particular. Maybe the dog was feeling chivalrous and wanted to get back at him for mistreating a lady. Ivid would've taken offence to that. But perhaps she would still languish the sight of him getting beaten by the superior swordsman. He had little hope of standing up to him, but he would humour him none the less.

They took up positions, their weapons at the ready. The cream dog's long sword would grant him greater reach and weight behind his attacks, but it would make him the slower combatant. Or at least it would be so with equally skilled combatants using real weapons. With mere wooden imitations, the weight difference wasn't as prominent. Hetroth knew somewhat what to expect of the canine swordsman as well, his attacks typically consisting of thrusts and lunges, a strategy seemingly more suitable for a rapier or foil. Yet even when presented with the opportunity, he refused to part ways with the long sword, claiming it to be the more versatile weapon. Few could argue with one of his skill.

Rette was the first to attack, lunging with a long thrust, his entire form strung out in an effort to stab at his opponent's belly. Hetroth responded near instinctively, deflecting the blade to the side with his own and moving in to close the distance between them. But the mutt backed out of his lunge more swiftly than the hyena thought possible, forcing Het to forfeit his counter-attack in favour of ducking a sidewards slash. It clipped his ear, signified by a painful jolt, but he pressed on, knowing he would have no chance if the dog maintained distance between them. He threw an upward slash at the canine, hoping to get his torso, but Rette parried the blow with a back-handed slash, once more nearly connecting with Het's face, but this time only ruffling fur. Using the momentum of free hand, he waded in a punch right in the dog's stomach, but it didn't leave much of an impression, as Rette's abdomen felt hard as wood. At the same time, however, Roeterick managed to twist his sword around and throw a counter-attack of his own. With his sloppy unarmed attack still in progress, Het only took notice of the strike once it landed, the hilt of the wooden long sword planted firmly on his shoulder. With a pained hiss, he leapt out of reach, shielding his injured arm with his sword hand.

Much to his dismay, Roeterick leapt after him, throwing thrust after thrust with his longsword, giving the hyena no time to breathe. His senses dimmed by pain, Het struggled to keep the dog at bay, the distance between them giving little opportunity to counter-attack. The fight was clearly not going his way, and unless he did something risky, it would end as anticipated. Seeing a narrow opportunity, Hetroth charged in past yet another lunging attack, moving in quick to close the distance between them. Rette was already backing out of his last attack, readying to defend, but Het's reckless charge gave him the edge, an unexpected kick at the dog's leg suddenly dropping him to one knee. He followed through with a hard slash, deflected with little effort by the canine, but leaving him open. Once more, he threw a punch, this time putting his entire weight behind it. However, Rette careened his head out of the way, his sword already turning to strike his opponent.

Somewhat fortunately, the force of his own strike sent him stumbling forward. The dog's dislike of using unarmed attacks was almost his own undoing, as the hyena fell atop him, sending both crashing to the padded floor, although not before Het received a tap on the back from Rette's sword. He took a moment to realize what had just happened, quickly scrambling off the mutt once he did.

"Uh, sorry.", he said, flustered. Having been recently revealed to like men, he thought it must've looked questionable, to say the least. Yet the mutt seemed unfazed.

"What for? I won the bout.", he said plainly. Hetroth wasn't sure whether the canine knew nothing or simply didn't care. "Another round?", he asked, offering the hyena's dropped weapon back.

"Uh, yeah. Just give me a few seconds.", he said, gripping the wooden sword uncertainly. "Why the sudden interest in sparring me?", he questioned, rubbing his sore shoulder.

"I've heard that a real fight can grant more improvement than any amount of training. I keep wanting to test that theory.", he said, standing comparatively stoically.

"And what would our bout suggest to that?", he asked.

"My training still trumps your experience.", he said, a small but smug smile forming on his lips. "Although I see some form of improvement.", he admitted.

"Well, sparring is somewhat different. I'm afraid my fights involved some tactics I'd rather not employ in mere sparring.", he said, immediately afterwards realizing it sounded like an excuse.

"Oh? Then I'll tell you what. Why don't you fight me as in a real battle? You can even use that bracelet.", he suggested, looking at the trinket over Het's sword arm, another "gift" of sorts from the buck, even if it was merely the returning of an item previously taken. The mutt was perceptive. He noticed it was enchanted before Hetroth even thought to use it.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to hold a grudge afterwards for it.", Het asked uncertainly.

"Yes. If you don't show me what you can really do, your boasting just makes you sound like a ponce.", he said.

"Very well, then.", he said, gripping the bit of metal. He began to murmur the incantation of the spell, not knowing the meaning, yet having memorized the pronunciation near perfectly. Just as he finished, his breathing began to accelerate and his entire form began to twitch and shiver. Roeterick had already assumed a defensive stance when the hyena came at him, his movements unnaturally swift yet utterly lacking grace. The mutt didn't even have the time to start with his usual stab before Het was upon him, the range between them closed in what seemed like the blink of an eye. Yet he did not falter.

Hetroth slashed wildly, his perception not keeping up with the sheer speed of his own movements, disabling him from taking proper aim, yet for all his speed with the sword, the dog was keeping up with astounding grace, seemingly blocking and parrying by sheer instinct and muscle memory. If this was within his capabilities, then had he been holding back during their last bout? It made Het feel amateurish and naive, and he didn't like that. He began throwing punches and elbow strikes in between his sword swings, hoping to become less predictable to the canine swordsman, but while Rette did seem to struggle a bit more with such strikes, the most Hetroth truly accomplished were occasional glancing blows, not even hard enough to knock him off balance.

Feeling the incantation beginning to wane already, Hetroth decided to try a move he hoped would shift the fight in his favour, at the same time hoping it would not impact his standing with the dog too negatively. With a hard strike he deflected the canine's wooden blade off to the side and stepped in close. Rette attempted to move away, but while his hands moved with blazing speed to match a hastening incantation, he couldn't move his entire body weight fast enough to avoid the shin that struck him directly between the legs. With a gasp, he collapsed backwards, yet instead of remaining there, he rolled away, maintaining a grip on his longsword.

Not wanting to let the advantage slip, Hetroth moved to pursue near immediately after, the steadily weakening incantation still allowing logic-defying speeds. He proved too eager to close the distance between them, however, as Rette entered a lunge as soon as he stood once more, his sword ready to stop the oncoming foe. Whether it was Roeterik's doing or pure chance, Het seemingly ran right into the waiting weapon groin-first, just barely stopping in time not to castrate himself against the dull yet pointy blade. With an inaudible squeal, he fell back and immediately rolled into a ball, dropping his weapon in favour of cradling his newly agonized gonads. He expected laughter from whoever was watching, more because of how he'd achieved his newest injury than anything else, yet outside of some stifled chuckling, he thankfully heard none.

Roeterik knelt next to him, cupping his own crotch with one hand, but not showing nearly as much of a reaction as the hyena. "I take it you won't be up for another bout?", he asked, sounding satisfied with himself. Hetroth merely shook his head, only occasionally taking a breath on account of the pain and not really wanting to speak. "Come. Let's get you up.", he said and dragged Het up by one of his arms, pulling it away from his aching testicles. On unsteady legs, they made their way towards the benches where Ivid sat. Or at least was sitting a few minutes ago. A cursory look around the hall revealed her to now be wildly striking at a training dummy. Perhaps some of Het's frustrations had poured over onto her in their sparring session. He still wanted to apologize. Just not now.

***

Swollen again, just when it seemed like they'd get a bit of a rest, he thought, looking down at his naked balls. It was as if a day couldn't go by without him getting his balls beaten lately. With a sigh, he entered the wooden tub of lukewarm water. Perhaps it was for the better that it wasn't hot, as it was usually recommended to treat bruises with cold. He'd put a cold stone there prior to the bath, but it seemingly hardly helped with the swelling. He imagined tomorrow's task wouldn't do his berries much good either. Then again, there was a good chance nothing would happen during, at least this one time.

He began to run a wash cloth over himself, particularly over parts that were damp before he'd begun to bathe. Having taken a bath that very morning, he only really needed to rid himself of the stink of exertion. Yet even in that he would not remain uninterrupted, as the door to his cleaning chamber suddenly swung open without warning. He instinctively put the cleaning cloth over his male parts, only afterwards noticing it was Roeterik who'd entered, bearing only a towel over his lower regions, his hair loosely draped over his shoulders and still dripping wet. Although that hardly eased Hetroth's need to cover himself.

"Still hurting?", Rette asked, letting himself into the room without question.

"Uh. Yes.", Het stammered at the invasion of his privacy. "Probably going to ache for a day or two, actually.", he added, blushing. "What're you doing here?", he quickly turned to ask, remembering he was not the one that needed to explain himself.

"Just thought I'd reveal something. It's only fair that you know in case we spar like that again.", he said. Hetroth wasn't sure where this was going. Although the fact that he'd barged in like this and hadn't seen issue with the hyena laying on top of him before gave him reason to suspect something. And while his musculature was quite impressive, Het wasn't sure he wanted this conversation going in that direction. "Aren't you curious how I took that hit below the belt so well?", he asked. That was not quite the subject Hetroth imagined would be touched upon. He'd dismissed the lack of reaction as simply being better adjusted to resisting pain, much like Varik had during their encounters.

"Uh, I-", he begun, but any further sound froze in his throat as Rette yanked his towel off, a subtle but cocky smile on his face. Hetroth both wanted to avert his gaze and look at the same time, finding the situation awkward yet also exciting in a way. But once he actually did get a good look at the dog's nether regions, he found something amiss. "Oh.", he finally blurted out, a look of surprise plastered on his face. The person before him was certainly "male", as signified by the modest length hanging between his thighs, but lacking a part that seemingly made one male.

"It still hurts to get hit there. Just not quite as much.", he said, sounding almost smug. It was very unusual for Het to see the canine this open with anyone, particularly himself. Although he found it to be a strange kind of openness.

"I actually thought you were going to say you're into men and come onto me.", he finally said, somewhat regretting that that was his first response.

"Oh, gods no.", he chuckled. "Well, I don't discriminate. I mean, I don't really find the appeal in either gender.", he added, looking mildly bemused.

"Really? I've heard you could take some concoctions that'd help with that.", he said in turn, somewhat surprised at the ease with which it came. There was something about the dog's mannerism that made it feel acceptable to talk about such matters. Perhaps the fact that he was chatting about the lacking between his legs whilst proudly displaying it.

"I didn't feel the need. And chances are it'd come between me and my advancement. Somewhat like your balls seem to have in your case.", he said, his smile growing to almost a grin, making Hetroth blush in response. Perhaps he had a point.

"So, why did you decide to show me this?", he finally asked, not entirely certain how to proceed.

"Why not?", he said, wrapping the towel around his hips again. "Just a fair warning that hits down below don't work as well on me. For future sparring sessions.", he said. "And to show you've been bested by a eunuch.", he added.

"I wouldn't have tried it had you not suggested it.", Het said.

"I see. Either way, next time you're in the training hall, talk to me if you want to spar. And bring an incantation better than what you've tried today.", he said, turning to leave. "You'll be needing it.", he said, opening the door.

"Uh, sure.", was all Hetroth could respond with as the door creaked shut again, leaving him alone. He wasn't sure what to think of the mutt's mannerism. Perhaps lacking balls made one lacking in etiquette as well. Then again, he himself wasn't one of high social standards either.

Wanting to get his mind off the uneasy scene, he returned to running the wash cloth over himself.

***

It was late in the afternoon once he'd finally returned to his room. He'd spent most of the day wandering the dim corridors, as if checking to see if every stone was still in its place, taking multiple opportunities to see if Ivid was at her room, but no answer ever came. He hadn't had much luck in trying to get in touch with some of his other friends either, although there he could've sworn they were avoiding him. After a visit in the great hall for dinner, he decided he'd had enough pointless wandering for the day and went back, wanting to finally take a closer look at his books.

Now, back in the relatively quiet confines of his ground-level room, he could dig out the two tomes he found more interesting. Hopefully he would remain undisturbed during his time alone. He now looked over the two books, considering which to go with first. Deciding it was a bit too early to go with that kind of stimulation, he chose to diligently look over the combat manual first, hoping its length would see him into the night. He opened it carefully, skipping over the index and deciding to go over the sections in order.

The preface was a long-winded justification for use of such tactics, using arguments such as honour being of use only when both sides abide by it, or that battles were to be won, not fought fair. Hetroth's views weren't as extreme on the subject, believing only dishonour warranted dishonour, unless lives were at stake. He wouldn't strike at overly damage-prone areas when the fight involved merely friendly competition unless attacked in that manner first. Or unless he was goaded into it by a certain dog. Or when he wanted to get back at a certain buck. Perhaps he'd been making too many exceptions to his own rules recently.

A small text at the end explained how the book was built upon the authors' experiences, either based on their own personal ones or having been witness to such dishonourable attacks. In particular they noted how every illustration in the book was based on an instance the artist had seen with her own eyes, sometimes as a result of favours asked of their guild mates, some of which were listed below, others preferring anonymity. In smaller lettering at the bottom of that same page, he noticed one other written notice - "In particular, we thank Dirina, Gogrin and Tedrith, for their collective sacrifice of an eye, finger and testicle respectively, in process of providing real life examples for our artist.", it said, making Hetroth cringe already.

The first section he came across after that went into detail about the various body parts they would be targeting. Eyes, ears, back of the head, breasts, lower-abdomen, larynx, kidneys, knees, elbows, paws, wrists, tail, and of course groin. They went on to describe the effects of strikes blunt and sharp alike for each part, a few of them getting special subsections for gender differences. Apparently a sturdy hit to the groin could be debilitating regardless of sex, although they did note that a pair of externalized internal organs being there made it more painful for males. On the other hand, they described the pain as primarily psychological, and that an adrenaline fuelled opponent could potentially carry on regardless of hits there. 'Pity it didn't work that way for me', he thought, cupping his still sore jewels.

They also went on to note that armoured opponents usually wore protective cod-pieces, an article Het recently began to regret was not part of his usual set. He would have to look into that. They then described the possible consequences of a sufficiently hard blunt hit to the gonads, these signified by a pop, crack or squelch, leading to the lessened male feeling extreme nausea and likely passing out. He shuddered to imagine it, either as a witness or victim of such an event. Somewhat less seriously, or at least he hoped it was meant as such, they added that they did not encourage getting rid of nature's less fortunate gifts for better combat efficiency, noting that they held many benefits besides the ability to procreate. They also noted that, while painfully so, the testicles helped somewhat soften the blow to the pelvic bone, the fracturing of which would have somewhat more dire consequences.

He went on to read of the rest of the parts, occasionally feeling uneasy with some of the descriptions of how a forcible blow in the right place could lead to much pain and injury, possibly even death. He took a mental note of some of the more obvious ones, deciding he might try some the next time he faced a potential threat to his life.

Moving onto the more illustrated chapters, he looked at the pictures with curiosity. They presented a number of different people of various species, although primarily feline, giving him a hint as to the origin of the book. The various inked drawings presented pairs of fighters, one in the process of hitting the other unarmed, followed by one showing the reaction to the hit. Considering what he'd read earlier, there was little doubt of the authenticity of the illustrated reactions, pain etched in intricate detail on the faces of those struck.

Shuffling on through the pages, the pictures seemed to become more and more disturbing, the effects demonstrated in them more and more lethal, limbs breaking the other way at the joints, eyes plucked, tails fractured. The only thing that seemed to remain relatively tame so far were the groin hits. That is, until he came upon an image presenting a male on his knees, clutching his groin and vomiting profusely, the not so necessary description underneath confirming he'd just lost both eggs to a hard mace strike. It made Het himself feel slightly nauseous, his hand once more drifting down as if to reassure himself that no such danger threatened his own testes.

Not wanting any further such imagery to haunt him, he began to shuffle through the pages, skimming to find the section that could possibly interest him. Figuring it was now getting rather dark in his room, he paused for a moment to light the candle in his room. He continued on ruffling through the book until finally, he found what he was looking for, his member already hardening at the very thought. His minor elation was broken just as quickly, however, as a knock on the door made him slam the book shut. "Gods under, not now.", he hissed, putting the books back in their hiding place.

"Enter.", he called out, sitting over the bed. Hopefully his currently rigid arousal would go unnoticed to whoever it was. It was Ivid.

"Where have you been?", she asked, sounding annoyed.

"Uh. I left the training hall after that hit I took. Didn't you see?", he asked in turn.

"No. What hit? I was busy.", she said.

"Nevermind, then.", he said, not really wanting to recount the painful and embarrassing memory.

"Where have you been after that? Couldn't find you anywhere.", she said, her arms crossed. Het felt like he was being interrogated, and he didn't know what for.

"I was just wandering the halls. I stopped by your room a few times, but you weren't there.", he explained, before suddenly remembering why he wanted to find her again. "Uh, listen. Sorry for being so rough in the training hall.", he said.

"You'd better be. You fought like you were trying to kill me with that wooden sword.", she said, sounding annoyed.

"Yeah. I am. Had a rough day. Sorry.", he said, not really knowing how else to put it.

"Yeah. Sure. Though I think I'll stick to sparring Fobrin and Patia for now.", she concluded, still sounding bitter. "Maybe Roeterik can show you what an abusive sparring partner feels like.", she said, as if making point.

"I said I'm sorry. And you could say he already did.", he said, feeling frustrated with the accusing tone.

"Oh really? Don't see any bruises on you. Besides the shoulder, that is.", she said.

"Uh, he didn't strike at the most modest area imaginable.", he said, hoping she would realize what he meant.

"Oh.", was all she said at first, knowing what he meant. "Well, you deserved it.", she added, although without much conviction. He wasn't sure if he agreed with that, but decided not to argue. "Anyway, I intended to ask this between bouts, but... what happened between you and the All Knowing? I mean, what really happened?", she asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"I'd rather not talk about it.", he murmured, futilely hoping that'd be enough.

"I don't mean the details. I mean if you really allowed it. Or enjoyed it.", she asked, determined to get an answer.

"W-why? Does it matter?", he asked in turn, now unnerved by her confrontational tone. She said nothing, awaiting a proper answer. Hetroth sighed, deciding he would have to indulge her curiosity. "Not at first...", he admitted, expecting backlash. "And I did my best to get the artefact back. I did not fail on purpose.", he assured, somewhat nervous what she would make of it, but also feeling dismayed at her lack of faith in him.

"I see.", she said, looking thoughtful. "I just wanted to hear the truth. The rumours going around are less charitable.", she added.

"Uh. And where does that put us?", he asked, uncertainly.

"Meaning? We're still friends.", she said.

"Thanks.", he said with a sigh of relief.

"You doubted it?", she questioned, looking somewhat insulted.

"I don't know.", he said, prompting a moment of silence. Most so far seemed to have had a rather negative reaction. Barring Roeterik, who's behaviour was something else entirely.

"Well, it's late now. We'll talk tomorrow.", she concluded, turning to leave.

"I'm heading out tomorrow.", he said, making her freeze for a moment.

"What? Already? Where?", she asked.

"I need to go retrieve my armour. I left it near the ruins. That's what I went to Hermund for.", he said.

"Oh. Why did you leave it there?", she asked on.

"Wanted a better chance at catching up with the All Knowing.", he said.

"I see.", she said, looking as though something was amiss. "The All Knowing. What was his name again?", she asked.

"Varik. Why?", he asked in turn, puzzled as to how it matter right now.

"Just curious.", she said, giving him a suspicious look. "Good night", she said and slid out the door.

"Good night", he said back, although it felt like she wasn't listening.

He took a deep breath, feeling as if he'd been holding it for the several minutes they'd spent talking. That was the tensest he'd ever been around Ivid. Her tone felt downright accusing to him. Perhaps she resented him for never confiding in her during the years they'd known each other. Or maybe she just actually resented him for his likings. Or, just as likely, he was imagining it all. Either way, tomorrow he would be gone again, giving rumours and temperaments time to blow over. He looked forward to it, wanting to escape the accusing stares and whispers, not to mention the seemingly confrontational talks with people he knew. So far he'd only gotten to speak to Iv and his father, and that was torturous enough for him.

More than to get away, however, he felt as though he really wanted to go back to Varik. It was an irrational need, he thought, and just about the most suspicious thing he could do right now was venture right back into the All Knowing's guild hall. His father was quite right to have dissuaded him from it. But at least he had something to remember the deer by.

Once more, he pulled the two books from under the bed, albeit immediately putting back the combat manual, having decided he'd seen and experienced enough that day to fuel his nightmares for the night. He decided to get somewhat comfortable first, and began to strip till he was wearing only his loincloth. Hopefully his other acquaintances wouldn't walk in on him feeding his desires. He pulled back the covers of his bed and slipped in, making sure the book wouldn't open and get crumpled in the process, and without further delay, he began to skip through the pages, seeking the part that interested him.

The first thing that struck him as he opened on the chapter of interest was that the two figures in the pictures were rats. It made him think of the two All Knowing he'd met, an association he thought would make it tricky to find the illustrations arousing. A closer look made him realize these probably were the very same rats, their hair and piercings matching their actual looks. He closed the book for a moment, as if he'd walked in on a private moment, before reopening it at the start. He looked through the names credited, and sure enough, Neccado and Ketronius were there. As was Varikas, although not in a performing role.

For a moment he questioned if he should be looking through these, not even sure if it would bring him the sort of excitement he was hoping for. But then he realized he was already hard, perhaps more so than usual. It felt shameful, but he was getting aroused by the very mental image of those two in their love-making, their efforts put on public display in this very tome. He re-opened the book, now wanting to see what it was they were doing, only to find they had their dicks pressed together, one of them arching his head back while the other pressed his muzzle into his brother's chest. Hetroth couldn't help but wonder what the creative process looked like. Had they stood like this for the time it took to get the drawing done, or had they given a show, which only later was transferred to paper from memory? Either way, it appeared they didn't mind an audience.

He went on to look through the next page, getting to see a few positions he'd tried with Varik, some he wished they'd done, and some that looked more painful than pleasurable and made him hope Varik never got the bright idea to try them with him. Turning over a page once more, he paused as he noticed something odd. Traces of a splash of some kind of liquid. He giggled as he realized what it was, and that this was probably what Varik meant when he spoke of wear. He could just imagine how troubled the buck felt when he realized he'd let his passion spill over the book, marking its pages forever.

Feeling satisfied with the imagery now fuelling his imagination, and not wanting to similarly leave his mark on the book, he put it away, letting it join its more violent counter-part under his bed, and turned towards the needy length between his thighs, unstrapping his loincloth. He pulled the covers off just low enough to leave his plums bare, and began to slowly slide his hand up and down his length. His mind drifted between memories of his time with Varik and fantasies of trying the methods from the book with him. Occasionally, however, he couldn't help but picture the two rats, much more vividly than the illustrations he saw, particularly considering he'd unwittingly gotten to see Ketronius up close.

He continued to stroke his cock, pulling the foreskin on and off, using his free hand to fondle his balls in turn with caressing the underside of his glans. One of the positions he'd seen made him pause for a moment, considering whether or not to give his rear some attention, but he decided to leave it be for that night, not particularly convinced he'd enjoy it. Perhaps he'd try it some other time, when he'd have more free time the next day... and a bath nearby to keep it clean. Dismissing the idea, he began to strengthen his efforts, moving his hand up and down faster and faster, till suddenly, he felt that familiar tension cease him, the intensity in his pelvis almost painful.

With a subdued, pleasured yelp, he came, ropes of his cream shooting out of his tip and splattering his muzzle and torso. He continued to tug at his dick wildly, as though trying to tear it off, until finally it died down.

Dropping flat onto his back and panting, he licked off what had fallen on his muzzle, now thinking how best to proceed with the mess. He ran two fingers over the coating of his chest before bringing them up to his maw to lick them clean. As much as he disliked the buck's taste, he couldn't seem to get used to his own either, at least not after orgasm. Feeling drowsy, he let arm drop back down, figuring he'd handle it in a minute, after he'd closed his eyes for a few moments.

***

The horizon was orange with the rays of the late afternoon, dark clouds covering the entirety of the sky above, only the red of the sun giving them any colour. Buildings aflame collapsed as they burned away, their vapours fuelling the reek of ash all around. Flames blazed everywhere, slowly spreading across houses of wood, seemingly long since abandoned. Weapons and pieces of armour lay strewn across the dirt, but their owners, dead or alive, were nowhere to be seen, only traces of blood giving reason to believe they did not part with them willingly.

The buildings yet untouched gave him little idea of where he was, outside of one very familiar to him. It looked the same in design as the guild hall of the Artificers in Tertium, yet he couldn't be sure if it was the same city, as he knew the design to have been reused everywhere as early keeps centuries ago. The foreign surroundings also suggested this was not Tertium. It was difficult to surmise anything else from the area, most of what lay farther being beyond sight, either because of thick, black smoke, or buildings that had yet to crumble. Unable to find anything else of note, he turned his attention back to the still standing keep, its gates barred, scorched banners unfamiliar to him hanging at its sides.

The gates suddenly raised, the sound of iron cranking accompanying their ascent, shortly before the bulky studded doors opened, revealing a wolf of purest white fur, albeit visible only in the face, as the rest of him was covered in heavy steel plate engraved in runic writing. His eyes were a deep azure, so bright over his shaded face they seemed to shine. He wielded a great sword, its hilt silver with strands of gold, the blade a bright steel, writing not dissimilar to that on his armour running along its length.

The figure slowly walked forth from the keep, his steps firm yet reserved. He turned his gaze towards the horizon ahead, as if oblivious of anything else around him. But as Hetroth turned and peered into the smoky ruins behind him, he began to see what the lupine apparently sought. A red shape, larger than any building around, writhing and moving through the city, deafening sounds of timber cracking and splintering marking its approach. As it came closer, Het began to notice more and more of its grotesque details. Hundreds of tentacles slithering and flailing, seemingly without order, yet moving the gigantic horror ever forward, its bulk overcoming and crushing buildings in its path. More disturbingly so, he could see outlines of faces and bodies intertwined in its form, smaller tentacles seeping out of all possible orifices, natural ones and borne by mutilation alike.

As it broke down the final structure standing between it and the keep, the canine resumed his stride, now going straight for the abomination. Mere steps away from the monstrous mass of tentacles, weapon brandished at the ready, he lit up in pure white light.

***

He woke with a start to the feeling of being shaken, only to find Ivid standing over him. "Finally, you're awake.", she said, before moving away. Hetroth rubbed the sleep from his eyes and slowly began to asses the situation around him. It dawned upon him that he'd dozed last night, yet he found himself covered. The light blush on Ivid's face and the dirty look she seemed to be giving him suggested he hadn't done it himself. He still felt like he really needed a bath, though.

"Uh, morning.", he spoke up, remaining as he was, fearing to uncover himself to any degree.

"I just wanted to speak with you before you leave.", she began, as if preparing to confront him. Hetroth stifled a sigh, knowing another cautionary talk awaited him. It felt like there was no end to them following his mishap. "I hope you don't give the seers any more reason to suspect you. That means don't go near the All Knowing, especially that... buck.", she said, that familiar distaste in her tone Het was getting to know recently.

"Not you too.", he said, a look of disappointment on his face. Ivid stood for a moment in silence, as if trying to recompose herself.

"I don't mean it like that. Well, not in regards to you. That All Knowing took you without regard for your consent. What if you did not enjoy it? What if you didn't find him attractive?", she asked critically. "You've got feelings for a rapist. And I'm willing to bet you're not the first man he's forced himself upon.", she added, not giving him a chance to respond. They were all valid concerns. He'd even resented the stag for a while for having done what he did. Yet he'd seemingly utterly forgotten, having become enamoured with the handsome deer. "I just don't think he's the right person for you... or anyone, for that matter.", she added after a moment of silence.

"I see.", he finally said, carefully considering what and how best to put into words. "I appreciate the concern, but...", he trailed off. The ferret sighed in resignation before he got the chance to respond.

"I just hope you don't get into more trouble because of him.", she said, now moving back out the door. "Good luck on your journey.", she added.

"Thanks.", he said, prompting her to leave the room.

***

Finally past the city gates, he breathed deep in relief. At least for the duration of his new journey, he would be free of the suspicious looks and indiscreet rumours circling around him. Whether it meant postponing it or that it'd be a less pressing topic by the time he got back, he cared little for now, satisfied with being able to carry out a task he was confident he could do without issue.

He ventured along the paved path that soon turned to dirt as he neared the bridge he'd crossed on his way back with Varik, from there turning to move in a straight line towards the ruins where they'd met and fought. The memories from the last few days resurfaced, fuelling his considerations of what Ivid had said that morning. The way she put it, Varik didn't seem as desirable as he'd felt it. It made him question whether it was at all rational to pursue a relationship with the stag or if it was simply lust clouding his judgement.

His journey did not remain undisturbed for long, however, as soon after leaving the main road, he realized he was being followed. "Again?", he hissed under his breath, annoyed that seemingly nothing could go without a hitch lately. This time, he decided to cover his tracks, hide and try to see who it was following him.

Within a few minutes, the two stalkers came by, their pursuit reckless and loud despite their lack of any real armour, mostly due to their rather noisy banter. Even from the still distant sounds of them, he began to recognize their voices.

"You sure we're going the right way?", he heard the second in tow say.

"Yes. For the fifth time. Yes. What's the matter with you, Ketri?", Neccado answered, clearly annoyed.

"We're sort of short on time to catch up with him.", Ketronius said.

"I know. But as long as we're near, we'll hear where he is in case he runs into something.", Necca said, maintaining sight on their path.

"Unless it happens too fast.", Ketri said.

"Well, what do you suggest we do? Call out to him? That might send him running from us.", he said, breaking concentration only for a moment to answer his brother.

"And who are you after?", Het finally said, moving out of cover. The two rats froze, then turned to face the hyena.

"Well, this is awkward.", Necca remarked, looking somewhat surprised.

"Uh, you.", Ketronius admitted.

"What do you want? You're not doing me any favours letting me be seen talking to you.", Hetroth answered sternly.

"No, we're doing you a two-fold favour.", Ketri began, crossing his arms. "Most importantly, we're here to warn you. There's Desolators roaming the woods near the ruins now. You do know what those are, right?", he said.

"Yes.", he said, ignoring the insult. He could barely mask his surprise at the knowledge given, however. No warning came from their seers. Had they not known? Or perhaps it was a test? Or, more worryingly, had Hermund sent him out knowing he would fall to them? Suddenly the seemingly menial task of getting his armour became somewhat more complicated.

"The other thing we're here to say is Varik wants to meet.", Ketri added.

"Why didn't he just come here himself, then?", Het questioned, looking over the two.

"He had matters to attend to. Also, your seers might react poorly to his presence near you, and they might just be watching now. He wants to meet at an inn for more personal time. The Spring Raven, five days from now. He'll be waiting.", Ketronius explained.

"I see. Tell him I'll be there.", he said, surprising himself how little he hesitated after his previous considerations. "Now, I must continue on my task.", he said, turning from the two.

"Afraid you're not going alone.", Ketronius interjected.

"Aren't you supposed to be going to tell Varik of my response? And haven't you just mentioned something of being seen with seers watching? What do you think they'd make of an escort of two All Knowing?", he asked in turn.

"There'll be time for that once we're back.", he said. "Varik wanted us following you for protection. You can't take on a Desolator alone. With us you'll have a better chance. And we'll keep our distance from you, just enough to run in in case something happens.", he explained, leaving Hetroth to consider the offer.

"Fine.", Het finally said, once more turning on his toes and moving off into the forest. "Just maintain your distance unless necessary.", he threw behind himself. The two rats smirked between themselves before moving on, their pace slow enough to let the hyena gain some ground ahead of them.

***

The journey had gone by without issue, the two rodents letting Hetroth go undisturbed for the most part, although their night time encampment had been placed close enough for Het to hear their nightly passions. He couldn't complain much, as that actually made his self-pleasing all the more easy that night. On the other hand, the laughs he'd heard from them that evening made him realize something. He hadn't had a real laugh for days, neither with Varik nor Ivid, and while he couldn't say he knew Varik well enough to know his sense of humour, he'd often shared a joke with the ferret, at least before these events. He found that he just wanted things to be as they'd been before, and could only hope it would return to being that way, at least to some extent.

His sleep hadn't been particularly sound either, as a dream similarly foreign as the one from the previous day plagued his mind, albeit lacking the sorts of horrors he'd seen then. He saw an elderly, brown badger, his apparel similarly coloured, a heavy looking backpack on his back, a naturally grown looking staff in hand, and a wooden mask on his face. Most of him was covered in small writing, tribal looking fetishes hanging off of his staff, neck and backpack. He was walking down the centre of a primitive village nestled within an ancient-looking forest. In similar fashion to his previous dream, he could hear the sounds of timber creaking and cracking in echoes, as though something massive was moving through the forest towards the frail badger, yet this time his dream ended before anything came of it. He found these dreams to be another recurring annoyance, their imagery haunting his thoughts throughout the day.

Now, however, night neared once more and he was at his goal, the ruins standing dormant nearby, his stashed armour before him. Only now did he realize how naked he'd felt without it, having spent most of his guild life bearing that armour, specially bought and tailored to him at his parents' request. He would yet have to get somewhat naked, having to pull off his current clothes and stow them in his backpack, and while he hoped the rats were far enough not to be watching, he found that he wouldn't exactly mind all that much, considering the rats' own liberal stance on nudity.

Having stripped down to his loincloth, he began to pull the armour on, fastening all the assorted straps as he went. He was still one pauldron down, its plating bent inward to the point where it was cumbersome to wear after his first confrontation with Varik. He began to hear the rats shuffling towards him through the foliage, their movements seemingly even more noisy than before. But just as he finished stowing his unused items in his backpack, a savage snarl suddenly turned his attention the other way, blade drawn in an instant.

Before him was an unnerving sight. Two figures, impossibly bulky and tall, lupines both, albeit of opposite genders. They stood hunched over, their sex features not particularly visible, but still discernible due to their blatant nudity. Each had a metallic, silvery collar around their neck, heavy looking weapons of iron in their hands, a two-hander in the male's, and a battle axe in the female's. Desolators. Cultists of the undergod Atranus, a being who's prime purpose was to lead the world into a state of barren equilibrium through sheer destruction. It took a truly pathetic mind to follow such ideals, Het thought, but he wasn't about to taunt the threat. They were beastly and overgrown, an effect of their intricate looking collars, as cultists themselves were usually rather frail.

They slowly began to approach, their weapons at the ready. Hetroth took up a readied stance, his sword ready to impale whoever came close, although he questioned if he stood any chance. Despite being rendered all but mindless by blinding rage flowing from their strengthening collars, they were said to be a horror to fight. Their immense strength was immediately apparent, the two wielding blatantly two-handed weapons as though they were short swords. Worse than that, despite their bulk, they were known to move at great speeds. Het couldn't be sure how such claims related to one of his own skill, but cautiously he moved back, hoping to postpone their encounter till the rats came and could support him.

"Face us, coward!", the female roared with rage, growing impatient with the hyena's evasive stance. As if on cue, the two rats suddenly revealed their presence, moving from between the trees behind Het. Before the two Desolators could even react in any way, the rats brandished and took aim with a pistol each. With a loud yet muffled crack, they fired in unison, thick white smoke billowing from their barrels. The two bulky figures froze in shock, and shortly after, the female among them dropped to her knees, a shot having gone through he throat and another having punctured her lower-left side. Gripping her throat in shock, she doubled over, unable to breathe, her life draining from her in a wet pool below.

"You were supposed to shoot the one on the right.", Necca whispered, letting the spent pistol drop to the ground.

"There's a tree blocking my sight of him. You should've.", Ketri responded in annoyance, likewise replacing his pistol with his melee weapon.

Just as suddenly, the female's collar unfastened, seemingly of its own accord, clattering to the ground next to her. Bereft of the empowering artefact, her form began to diminish, her immense musculature fading till she returned to her original shape, only to finally collapse in a less than dignified position as she finally stopped moving. Her death was met with an immediate angry reaction from the surviving Desolator.

Roaring unlike they'd ever heard a canine roar, the wolf bound for them, his sword now brandished in two hands, a feral need to murder in his yellow eyes. He came down upon them, swinging side to side with such intensity he seemed to stumble as Het ducked it, but the attack seemed to go on, going into a second swing at the rats. Necca leapt away, the slash only just barely nicking his tabard, but Ketronius tried to block, holding his warhammer at the ends. It seemed as though it might break at any moment, but it held, instead sending the rat stumbling backwards at the heavy impact.

Wanting to stab at the wolf's back, Hetroth leapt in, his short sword ready to plunge into the canine's liver, but the Desolator followed up his last attack by swinging wildly again, this time the other way. Het ducked it just in time, although not without getting his ear protector clipped, momentarily deafening him. He wanted to use his lowered position to his advantage, but before he could even re-allign his sword, the lupine's massive thigh struck him in the muzzle, sending him tumbling backwards, tasting blood, albeit earning a decent cut to the paw in the process.

Giving the three no time to overwhelm him, the bulky lupine swung once more, his great blade cutting the air with perception defying speed. There was little grace or technique in his attacks, purely titanic strength and blazing speed on account of his unnatural physique. Had the rats not immediately taken out the other, they would've likely been dead by now.

Necca and Ketri attacked simultaneously, ducking the swing from the gigantic male. Ketronius managed to plant his hammer in the wolf's thigh, although with the intent of striking areas more vulnerable. Necca didn't have as much luck, his stab at the canine's torso sending him stumbling forward. Giving him no chance to avoid retaliation, the Desolator immediately brought his free hand down upon him in a fist, striking him hard in the temple, his sword arm already beginning a swing to fend off the other rat. Neccado stumbled shortly before dropping like a rag, unconscious.

Het cursed under his breath as he realized he'd been too late to prevent the effective loss of one combatant on their side. He ran in again, this time with more caution, once again trying to surprise the huge canine, but once more did the monstrous male swing around, forcing Hetroth to avoid a hard swing. Ketronius attacked again, turning the lupine's attention back towards himself, but the stocky canine somehow managed to grab hold of his hammer and kick him away, sending the rat reeling up against a tree with his hands over his torso. Seeing opportunity and desperate to change the course of battle, Het dived right in.

Thrusting his sword, he could only tell he'd scored a grazing slash at the wolf's side before the world turned into a ringing haze to him, his body dropping heavily to the leaf-strewn soil below. Only moments later did he realize the wolf had used Ketri's hammer to strike him hard in the head. He watched near helplessly as the canine now approached the lone, unarmed rat, discarding the hammer along the way. Rather than immediately strike him down however, he took Ketronius by the throat and lifted him up against the tree, watching in sadistic glee as the rat's life slowly drained from him.

Struggling to break free, Ketri kicked at his attacker, striking him between the legs, yet earning little reaction. Sneering in anger at the hit to his pride, the wolf responded in kind, planting his heavy knee into Ketri's groin, a silent scream escaping the rodent's lips as his large rat balls were pinned between the hard, muscular flesh and his own considerably softer pelvis, unable to ease the blow with the tree behind him. His hands now shifted between cupping his jewels and clutching at the massive arm slowly strangling him to death.

Barely able to maintain balance, Het rose as fast as he could, the threat of his ally dying driving him to one last effort. His own sword had flown out of his hand and into the nearby foliage, leaving him unarmed, yet he saw a different weapon right at the wolf's paws. The canine gave out an angry yet satisfied growl as he continued to suffocate Ketri. Perhaps for this reason he didn't notice as Hetroth dived in and slammed the previously discarded warhammer right into the massive wolf's descended eggs. A crack accompanied the hit, the lupine's eyes and jaw flying wide with realization, only a second strike finally making him give in to the horrendous agony now twisting his guts.

With a deafening, unnaturally low yelp, he let both Ketronius and his greatsword drop to the ground, followed shortly by himself as the pain of both his gonads rupturing hit him. Ketri fell similarly, clutching his crotch, but also coughing and sputtering at the lack of breath. The Desolator, on the other hand, was now busy heaving his lunch onto the earth below. Hetroth readied himself to end his misery, when he suddenly realized the canine was shrinking, his collar unfastened and lying on the ground, much like his companion had in her final moments. Was he dying? It seemed unlikely. More likely the enchantment broke in their moment of weakness.

Uncertain how to proceed with the fallen lupine, Het instead pulled off his badly dented helm and walked up to Ketronius. "Are you whole?", he asked, crouching next to the sitting, curled up rat.

"...yes.", he answered after a brief pause, agony and lack of breath impairing his speech. "Check on Necca.", he added through clenched teeth.

Het did just that, looking over the unconscious rat. He was bleeding from his brow, but otherwise there seemed to be no other signs of damage. He wasn't sure whether it was prudent to try and move someone who'd gotten knocked out, so he decided to let him rest for now. Perhaps Ketronius would have a better idea.

He sat down on the ground between the two rats, only the occasional pained moans of the now timid eunuch to break the silence. His heart was still pounding heavily, the realization of how closely he'd avoided death yet to fully sink in. This had been something else entirely compared to his fight with Varik. Whereas there his opponent sought merely to disable him, here he'd fought one intent on ending him, a beast quite capable of doing so at that.

Looking over his disfigured helm, he realized it would be yet another article of armour he would need repaired. But at least this time he wasn't the one clutching his pained privates. And he'd avoided a fate far worse that day. One that he'd seemingly been sent to.