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"The Paladin's Carapace?" Ampulas echoes, the sage stroking his chin as he started ahead, as if looking out towards the horizon. Impossible, as he was currently standing in the Farrogaian Royal Library, old tomes on military histories under one arm as he reshelved them into a proper order. "That sounds familiar, yes; but just let me think for a moment. An old man's memory is full of so much useless clutter, it takes some time to track it down..."

Sir Tav remained impassive, trying not to laugh: Ampulas was certainly older than him, and quite significantly, and he did have grey streaks in his hair. But older certainly didn't mean old; the sage just seemed to relish playing the role of an old, crotchety windbag. "Or perhaps," the young, recently-knighted paladin-hopeful thought, "that's just what is expected of sages around here."

A light turned back on in the sage's eyes, and he smiled like a contented cat. "Oh yes, that's right. The legend states it's an old artifact of the Cantou family. A set of golden armour, inscribed with powerful hieroglyphs that made the wearer indefatigable."

Tav bit his lip briefly; he hadn't journeyed to this cold, desolate land to hear what he'd already knew. "Yes, that one," he answered, forcing a smile while wondering if perhaps he should have chosen a better quest to go on to prove his devotion to the Church. Fighting "heathens" was starting to sound good; he wondered if he could count Ampulas one if he decided to choke the silver-haired sage out of frustration.

"Well, if you're after that particular artifact, I'm afraid you're probably out of luck," Ampulas replied, almost apologetically. "You're not the first the Church has sent down to recover it. Not that they're the only ones, of course. I've had adventurers through here, wanting it for glory. Although, I'd imagine I'd have heard about someone clad in gold stomping around the countryside by now."

Gesturing for the knight to be seated, the sage placed the books he'd been carrying on the table in front of him. Placing his elbows atop the books, Ampulas tented his fingers below his chin, and began his long-winded explanation, "But, of course, if you insist on tracking it down, I should explain a few things. First, nothing that good comes without certain side-effects. The Cantou line was decimated - the family name is completely gone.

"Lapis Cantou was the last, completely insane by the end but it was still a struggle to get him out of it. Drowned him, I believe; a few men died ensuring that happened. Horrible, just horrible. After that happened, it was decided it was best to seal the suit away. It was held in the royal treasury, until a suitable location was found.

"Eventually one was found: deep in the northern mountains, the miners in the Caladin Iron Mines had uncovered the ruins of an ancient civilisation. A guarded transport was arranged to take the suit of armour there, seal it away forever, and post guards at the entrance, just to be safe.

"However, the plan went awry at the last: there was a cave in, and the men assigned to the transport were entombed along with the armour. Magic of that sort tends to be a little unpredictable; there's a good chance that whatever was left of the men have turned into something terrible. Ghosts, revenants, or even more terrible creatures, stalking about in the dark for decades; and that assumes that one of the men didn't simply just don the armour, using his time to tunnel out, and escaping to travel the land. Not very likely, of course, but certainly possible."

Sitting at the table in his formal clothing, Tav tried to absorb the story the sage had told him. Ampulas looked back at him, eyes curiously alert, watching him intensely. Something started to bother Tav, and he quickly replayed all he had known and just learned. After a few minutes of thoughtful silence, he asked, "You're having me on, aren't you?"

Ampulas, looking a little surprised, raised one eyebrow and countered, "What do you mean?"

"If the armour was that powerful," Tav reasoned, "then why didn't someone else try it on, even if it meant stealing it from the treasury? If it was that dangerous..."

"...why not try removing the enchantment, or melting the armour down?" Ampulas' serious expression dissolved into a wide grin. "Why risk transporting the armour at all, when it could be stolen by bandits, or even by one of the men assigned to the transport? More importantly, how did a civilisation come to have ruins still standing deep under the surface of a mountain?" Leaning back in his chair, apparently satisfied, the sage answered, "You're right. That's almost completely made up!"

"But, why make up something so patently -" Tav wondered. He couldn't help but return the smile; this joke Ampulas had started seemed to have been going on for quite a while, becoming almost infectious as it built up inside the sage's mind.

" - ridiculous?" Ampulas laughed. "Because people need to hear something, and usually that type is gullible enough to believe anything. The story's great for getting rid of constant pests. No offence intended, but usually the knights the Church sends my way aren't the sharpest minds in the world."

"So," Tav asked, more curious than ever, "was the armour even real?"

"Oh, certainly," Ampulas explained, stroking his chin out of habit. Tav found it odd; perhaps the sage just wanted to play the role so convincingly he forgot his "beard" stopped less than an inch from the skin of his face? "The description of the armour is accurate in a sense, if a little incomplete. Do you want the real story?"

"Of course!" Tav answered, grinning back as he felt himself relax.

"The armour wasn't made by the Church," Ampulas explained, "because the hieroglyphs weren't. Kind of curious they'd use an ancient, dead language for an artifact that isn't the same as the one they deliver prayers in, isn't it? They're not after it to reclaim it as such; they mostly just want to destroy it."

Tav accepted this; it wasn't unheard of for the Church to want to destroy pagan artifacts in an act of sanctification.

The sage continued, "They claimed they made it, in order to make an untiring soldier of the faith. Instead, they just stole an even older ancient artifact that they believed had done that long ago. Only whoever they got to translate the runes was a complete imbecile and screwed up some very important words out of their own warped bias." Catching himself, Ampulas smiled apologetically, "No offense meant, of course."

"None intended," Tav replied. He found himself liking Ampulas' company; though he was still dedicated to the Church's cause. His plan was to be understanding, and hopefully learn the truth about the armour.

"I've been working on the translation myself," Ampulas added, "in what spare time I can grab between advising the King on manners of state and trying to keep this place functional."

Tav, who had been watching him closely, quickly caught the twinkle in his eyes. Something slid into place in the knight's mind; he guessed, "You have the armour, don't you?"

Ampulas grinned again, verifying, "It's in my chambers. It's not surprising for there to be a guard outside the chamber of the Royal Sage, and if anyone managed to carry a heavy suit of armour by through castle from the top of my tower without being noticed by someone, well, they'd deserve it."

"But presumably," Tav wondered, "if someone were to wear the armour..." His lips pinched for a moment; he might have accidentally revealed a good plan on stealing the armour from the sage.

"What better way to stop someone unwanted from wearing it," Ampulas suggested, "than to get someone wanted to wear it instead?"

Tav asked, disappointed, "Someone's actually wearing the armour now?"

"Not right now, no," Ampulas noted pointedly. He smiled; Tav smiled back. The knight was pleased; the Church would be amazed by his success when he returned. "I don't mind giving it to you; you seem like you'd be a good fit, and you're quite frankly too good for the Church. But if they're going to have men of your calibre joining them, then maybe they can have their gold."

Getting to his feet, Ampulas offered a hand to the knight, who also rose. Leading Tav to his chambers, Ampulas asked him questions: what he did when not performing his Church or knightly duties, why he had joined the Church and decided to become a paladin. Tav was a little surprised to learn the sage had briefly visited his homeland, and Ampulas seemed to enjoy the company.

"What made you decide to go after the Carapace?" Ampulas wondered.

"I wished to see the world," Tav explained, "or at least some of it. This way meant less bloodshed than leading a small crusade against pagans." The answer seemed to impress the sage, as they travelled through the castle.

Ampulas warned Tav that it was quite a trek up the tower; Tav quickly appreciated the fact he had worn his formal attire, and not his armour. Even though he was in excellent physical condition, the knight was breathing heavily when they reached the door. Before the door stood a tall, muscular guard stood to attention, hand on the hilt of his sword; the guard stepped to one side as Ampulas waved him away, "He's with me; don't worry, he's from the Church so it's quite alright."

"Yes, sir," the guard replied, nodding curtly and opening the door for the men.

"We might need your assistance later," Ampulas added, allowing his guest to enter the chamber first.

Whatever Tav was expecting of the chamber of the Royal Sage, this wasn't it. The furniture was spartan: a shelf of books above a desk covered in parchment, bottles of ink and quills, strange alchemical paraphernalia, a small cot and stools for Ampulas and a guest to sit upon. It was almost like a monk's chamber; devoid of most comforts aside from those that enabled their service. A fire burned low in a small fireplace, and as the door shut behind him, the sage walked over to add a log to the fire from a small pile that sat next to a bucket of ash and charcoal.

Within this nearly-bare chamber, was a huge golden statue: the Paladin's Carapace was as heavy and ornate as described, pictographs pressed into the soft metal, lined with multicoloured fragments of various gemstones. The artisans who had built this armour must have worked for years to make the object of perfection. It was ostentatious to the point of garishness. "No wonder the Church wants it destroyed," thought Tav.

"I probably should have asked if you wanted some kind of refreshment," Ampulas replied, patting down his brown robes. Picking up the long nightshirt draped over his bed, he apologised, "I'm afraid I wasn't expecting company this evening."

"That's quite alright," Tav responded. He'd been in enough priest's chambers like this one, the disorder didn't bother him in the slightest.

"Well, perhaps we should get started then," Ampulas suggested. "I'll need to collect my notes together, of course. Feel free to touch or otherwise examine it; metal this soft wouldn't have made good armour at all if it was immune to damage. It - and by extension, its wearer - become practically immortal while wearing it."

"Fascinating," Tav said, admiring the armour. After its ornateness, he judged its weight: the suit was massive, and gold wasn't the lightest of elements. "I imagine some of these hieroglyphs make wearing it easier?"

Ampulas nodded, saying, "Oh yes, most of the Cantou family were the result of incest, so negative traits tend to reappear. Thankfully, I've stopped that here. I have some interesting notes on heredity here somewhere. But that's for another day." Exclaiming in surprise, he pulled out a sheet of densely-written parchment, quickly scanning the indecipherable sheet. Still examining it, he knocked on the door.

Immediately, the guard opened it. "Hello," Ampulas stated, "we need your assistance in putting this armour on our guest here."

"Uh, yes, sir," the guard answered, clearly concerned that the sage was letting anyone put on the enchanted armour. "If you think that's wise." Stepping into the room, the guard nodded at Tav, giving a curt "Sir," in greeting as he shut the door behind him.

"Well met," Tav answered, offering his hand to the guard in friendship.

The guard inquired, after shaking the knight's hand, "Should I call for another guard, sir?"

Ampulas chuckled, answering, "It's probably for the best that as few people know about this as possible, uh..."

"Horse, sir," the guard introduced himself.

Tav, curious, asked, "Isn't 'horse' a type of animal?"

The guard began to grow flushed, until Ampulas interrupted the awkwardness by suggesting, "Tav, why don't you strip off your clothes. Completely; the armour's enchantment doesn't work if you're not naked."

Now it was Tav who blushed; he'd undressed in front of other men before, but he felt slightly alien disrobing before foreigners. Nevertheless, he assented, removing his clothing; he did after all, wish to become a paladin, and a little embarrassment was a paltry price to pay for such an honour. Ampulas headed towards the fireplace, taking a moment to whisper into Tav's ear, "Bastards here tend to be given animal names, I imagine Horse it is quite a sore subject for him."

"Ah!" Tav answered understandingly, carefully removing his formal gear, folding it and placing in on the - hopefully - clean cot. Men born on the wrong side of the sheets tended not to fare well where the Church was involved; it always struck him as unfair: why should an innocent child be punished for the sin committed by his parents?

Sighing quietly, he removed his undergarments, folding them and placing them on top of his uniform. Stripped bare, he covered his manhood; though Horse had already stared at him. Ampulas chuckled, "No need for modesty here. We've all seen men naked before, I'm sure. Horse probably expected you to have three cocks or no testicles or something."

Tav guessed that was the case; he'd travelled far enough to know what most of the stares meant: curiosity and fear of the unknown. However, he was now slightly curious as to why the otherwise studious - and rather open - Ampulas had only given him a cursory glance, when he seemed the type to be interested in learning anything. Remembering the sage had visited his home country, Tav wondered what exactly the man had been getting up to there.

"Now," Ampulas explained, gesturing to Horse to assist him, "the armour needs to be disassembled very carefully."

Tav watching Ampulas' actions carefully. He touched particular hieroglyphs upon each foot piece, quickly noting it was the same order each time: the ruby snake, the emerald star, the amethyst ankh and the sapphire figure of a man holding a book. The armour, initially stood still; when the sequence was pressed the piece slipped out, the rest of the armour somehow floating, almost undisturbed. Entering the same pattern of symbols, the sage removed the pieces protecting the leg from bottom to top. "This isn't the same order that armour is usually put on," Tav noted.

Ampulas nodded, "It's to do with the rituals defined by the runes. I could really talk to you about how clever and intricate this design was, but I don't want to bore you with the prattlings of an old man. Anyway, here we are."

Tav gulped: the armour had contained a plate worn between the legs, straps wrapping around the hips. The armour was far more complete than it had first appeared. Immediately, he asked, "How do I, er..."

Chuckling, the sage answered, "The enchantment eliminates the need for waste. One of the reasons the suit became so notorious was the mistranslation of 'clean' as 'chaste'. At a guess, I'd say whoever translated that did not get out of the monastery often enough."

Despite feeling a little nervous, Tav stretched out his legs; Horse helped to support him as Ampulas slipped the armour between his legs. The sage coughed, and said, "If you stand with your limbs as far apart as possible, Tav, that would be for the best."

Blushing again, he obeyed, the cool metal sliding into place around him. Horse quickly tightened the straps, making Tav feel a little better. Ampulas' manner, which at times seemed to imply ease with lewdness, hadn't taken advantage of his position. It seemed to continue as the bands of metal were fed through his legs, Horse having to lift them at times to allow the pieces to slide on. They toiled for quite some time - Ampulas took a small break to add fuel to the fire, spilling some ash on to the floor - but at last he was standing in the heavy legs of the infamous Paladin's Carapace.

Ampulas preceded to enter the combination in reverse, sealing Tav's legs into the armour. He couldn't move - with the enchantment inactive, it felt just as heavy as a suit of thick gold would feel. The armour was also far too big for him; Tav hoped that the enchantment, when activated, would alleviate that as well. He thought of asking, before realising that it must, else the armour would have been useless to all of the descendants who had worn the armour.

Glancing over at the rest, Tav felt unnerved: it was very unnatural for it to float there, despite there being nothing to hold it up. "How is it that the armour can hover?" he inquired; it wasn't as if he had anything else he could do.

"One of the enchantments," Ampulas explained, "there's a lot of them, each of them can be set or unset if you know the correct sequence of hieroglyphs to touch."

Tav nodded, starting to feel the strain of having to support such heavy armour. Granted, it was just the legs and he was remaining still, but he definitely found himself eager to be completely encased inside it, unable to feel the weight as much. Awkwardly, he found himself starting to get slightly aroused by the idea; mumbling a short prayer to remind himself of his vow of chastity. It didn't help immediately, of course, but he knew if given enough time, the sensation would pass as it always had.

Ampulas and Horse were busy removing the arms, so as to unlock the two pieces of armour that constituted the torso plates: unlike most armours, the join seemed to be in the front. Tav wondered about that; it seemed like a tremendous weakness, even though the join stuck out in front. Besides, his mind was being distracted; he grunted awkwardly as he felt his prayers go unheeded, his erection growing to full thickness. He wondered if, perhaps, it had been a mistake: God may have been punishing him for his pride in getting the armour where others had not. Or, perhaps, it was simply to test him, tempt him with lust the same way the armour would tempt him with power. In any case, he was now at least glad the other men were distracted, and that the armour was large enough to hide his arousal.

"...hot." he heard Ampulas say; Tav blushed, realising the sage was now looking in his direction. He felt the eyes staring at his naked form, judging him, lusting for him. Biting his lip to keep from groaning out of excitement, he closed his eyes, and shook his head to try to clear his thoughts.

"Sorry," Tav apologised, "my mind was elsewhere."

"I asked if you were feeling too hot," Ampulas repeated. "You're sweating rather profusely. Perhaps I should get you some water after all? Or maybe just get something to wipe you down a li-"

"No!" Tav exclaimed, quickly licking his lips; he didn't want to be tempted further by rubbing his body. "I - I would much prefer it if we just continue, and let the enchantment revive me." His face seemed to burn with embarrassment, and he keenly felt the rivulets of sweat running down his form, training-toned body.

Ampulas looked at him curiously, then chuckled, removing the right forearm and placing it neatly beside the rest of the parts that had been removed. "Why don't you get someone to bring some water for our guest," the sage suggested to the guard. "I know you have your orders, but I don't think anyone will be going far with the armour while I'm here."

Horse, looking warily at both the sage and the foreign knight, nodded his head, and with a "Yes, m'lord," departed the chamber.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Ampulas quizzed. "You aren't, say, finding yourself being tormented with feelings of lust, are you?"

"What?" Tav cried, mouth falling open. His swollen manhood seemed to pulse as if excited by its tumescence being acknowledged.

"It's been a hypothesis of mine," explained Ampulas, "that the 'indefatigability' wasn't exactly martial, but marital. The Church tends to deliberately ignore the fact a lot of men would strongly desire to have increased sexual prowess. Not necessarily of this type, however." He chuckled, and said, "I assume the confusion - or wilful ignorance - on behalf of the translator came about because it involved two men."

Tav wondered what was keeping Horse so long, fighting to keep himself from moaning. He wondered whether he'd been tricked by Ampulas, to put on this cursed armour. If it was as he'd said, perhaps the sage had wanted him to submit to the curse, turning into a willing sex slave? He found himself staring at the sage, wondering whether he was one of those men who slept with men.

"I'll admit," Ampulas confessed, "I've been a little curious as to whether my hypothesis about the translations was correct. I would have tried on the armour myself, but I prefer to know the temperature of the water before I jump in the bath, so to speak. But thank you for proving me right."

"Do you want to..." asked Tav, watching the sage struggling to move the heavy pauldrons by himself.

"Do what?" asked Ampulas.

"...have your way with me?" Tav finished feebly, his body writhing, thrusting his groin into the armour. He leant back, the armour supporting him as his cock throbbed inside it. His tip rubbed up against the gold, feeling a sticky warmth drip out against it.

The sage did not hear him, however; the door groaned loudly as it swung outwards. Horse re-entered the room, explaining, "I've sent someone for some water, sir."

"Thank you," Ampulas answered, groaning as he settled another heavy piece of armour to the ground. "I'd appreciate your assistance with these larger pieces." The guard moved over towards the sage, who stood up and began to unlock the two breast pieces.

Tav gritted his teeth, pulling himself upright again: he was letting the curse get to him too easily. Magic of this sort could always be fought through willpower, he'd learned; praying again, he tried his best to force himself into stop thinking of the two men disassembling the armour in an erotic manner.

It was easier said than done; the two other men's groans of effort sounded almost sensual to him as they shifted the breastplate into position, the sage's arms shaking as he entered the locking sequence into the symbols to activate the enchantment. The breastplate was massive, reaching up over Tav's head. Ampulas stared, and suggested, "Perhaps we should do this side first, otherwise our brave knight here won't be able to drink the water when it arrives?"

"Yes, sir," Horse agreed. Tav watched the two men panting under the strain of lifting the armour. The guard's body was massive, a huge triangle of muscle that strained his leather as he gasped for air, having had to carry the burden of the load on his thick, powerful arms. Tav found his attention wandering lower, wondering whether Horse was as hung as his namesake.

Turning away in self-loathing, his attention fell onto the sage; his body was far more mysterious. Although he was clearly neither overly muscular nor obese, the brown robes he wore seemed to confuse the eye about the smaller man's physique; it seemed to make him all the more attractive. Tav watched as he gave a signal, summoning Horse to his aid; his fingers gripped tightly on to the edge of the armour as he peered out, trying to keep them from disgracing himself in front of the company.

It was quite a relief when Ampulas requested that he thread his arm through the hole in the armour. "Even though it's not a great fit," Ampulas observed, "I suspect the enchantment expects everything to be more or less in the right place." It was a strain, but Tav agreed, angling his arm upwards, then downwards through the plate as the armour was placed into position. The muscles began to throb, the sinews angry to be in such an awkward position, but at least it provided a timely distraction from the lust.

They were halfway through building the arm when a polite knock was heard at the door. From his position, Tav couldn't see what was happening, but guessed it was the water. He gulped thankfully, his throat feeling rough and hoarse. That didn't seem surprising: between the sweating from the well-insulated armour and the sticky, clear fluid dripping stubbornly from his cock, no matter how he tried to will himself to think of anything else, his body was being dehydrated. Thankfully, the armour hid his body's shameful erection when Horse opened the door; Tav would have hated some page boy or maid seeing his arousal.

Horse brought him the water, pouring it slowly into Tav's mouth, letting the knight drink. The water was tepid, a trickle sliding over his lips and down his strong body. That sensation was enough to make him moan, coughing and spluttering; Horse moved the jug away in response, setting it down on the floor near the desk, before returning to help Ampulas with moving the rest of the armour's arm into place.

Tav's fingers disappeared long before the gauntlet was locked into place. Ampulas asked, "As much as I would enjoy seeing the results of assembling the armour around someone, I'm not going to force the issue if you feel uncomfortable. This will be the last chance you have to get out easily, so I feel I should ask: are you certain you want this?"

Hesitating slightly, Tav prayed for the strength to continue his mission, before answering, "Yes."

A brief smile flashed over the sage's lips, calling out to the guard to aid him with the rest of the armour. Tav busied himself, continuing to pray; his mind constantly teetering between his own feelings of chastity and honour, and the baser needs being enhanced by the curse placed upon the gold plate.

Grunting and breathing heavily, Ampulas and Horse slid the final side piece into place. Tav was plunged into darkness: light only coming in through the hole made for the neck, which sat well above his own, and the remaining arm hole. Through the latter, he threaded his arm: left alone with his thoughts as the other arm was assembled. It was hard to hear what was going on now, though the two other men had fallen into a routine that no longer required much speaking.

Tav shuddered: inside the armour, he almost felt physically cut off from God as much as everyone else, the plates so thick and heavy. Sweat ran down his body; the water had come in just in time. As another piece of the remaining unassembled arm was clicked into place, he shuddered a little. A faint feeling of claustrophobia gripped him, unable to displace his arousal but giving his body another excuse to tremble.

Grinding into the immobile armour instinctively, Tav's erection ached. It throbbed, his mind pulsing alongside with images of young, strong men baring themselves, engaging in all sorts of depraved behaviours. He'd never had much imagination for such thing; one of the appeals of becoming a paladin was the purported ability to focus on his faith, to get away from those baser emotions. But now, alone and magically tormented, it was almost as if a lifetime of repressed lust was being released in the most perverted way possible.

The second arm went on much faster: he couldn't see what was happening, but could feel the warmth of his arm increase as more parts of the armour were attached, trapping him in place. "Will I be in this armour forever?" Tav thought, trying to remember the sequence of symbols to press to escape. Trying and failing: he could not spare the mental energy, having to summon all his willpower to repel the curse that even now willed him to seize his manhood, stroking it to release the pleasure it promised into full bloom, allowing his seed to be spilled.

He looked down through the shadows of the armour's interior, his cock glistening under the halo of light that shone down through the last remaining opening in the golden shell. Tav's sore arms twitched, unable to move. He stared down, transfixed, watching as it bobbed about, throbbing as his body's sexual lubricant flowed down the shaft, dripping audibly onto the crotch plate. "Nobody would ever know," he thought, "if I indulged myself just this once..."

"Hello," Ampulas interrupted, the light obscured as the sage's face filled the hole. He disappeared for a moment, cursing colourfully, "Be fucking careful, you clumsy oaf!" Returning with a tight grip on the opening, he peered in, informing him, "Once I put the helmet on, I'm going to activate the major source of the enchantment, otherwise you'll quickly suffocate to death. When that happens, you should - if my translations are more accurate than the Church's - allow you to control them through your mind."

"So," Tav wondered excitedly, "I could remove the curse?" That would be a relief, he thought. He could easily forget about this tortuous lust if the end result was him becoming a paladin. Stubbornly exerting itself, his penis throbbed again.

"Possibly," Ampulas considered, "but there's only one way to know for sure. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Tav squeaked, trying to reply while muffling the pleasured moans that struggled to escape his body.

Ampulas replied, "Very well then; just remember that it was you who wanted the armour."

Resolute, Tav nodded, closing his eyes and clenching his jaw as all light was removed, entombing him in gold. The warmth seemed to increase, his entire body quickly becoming almost as well-lubricated as his cock. The chamber echoed as, Tav guessed, Ampulas entered in the activation sequence for the suit of armour; with all the strength that his throbbing erection allowed him, Tav prayed for guidance and the power to withstand the curse long enough to turn it off once the armour was under his control.

Suddenly, an electric pulse flowed through the armour - and Tav inside of it - as the armour was activated. A moment later, and he felt strangely unpleasant, shaking from side to side as the armour's enchantment came into effect. Words spoken in an ancient, dead language resonated through his body, forcing their way into his brain through the increasing number of armour parts that touched the golden armour's inner layer.

Heart pounding like a war-drum, the panic he felt exacerbated by the nonsense echoing inside his skull, Tav flailed about as the pocket of air trapped in the chamber slowly began to fill with a warm liquid, rising out of the inner gold lining, running down to collect around his feet. It seemed to pulse as it filled in the gaps between his toes, almost tickling them. The liquid itself wasn't too unpleasant; in fact, as he shifted his feet about, it really felt rather nice, the ripples seeming to almost quiver through his skin.

Distracted, Tav yelped out, the sound reverberating around the chamber. A hard protuberance had formed out of the gold, near the rear of the crotch plate. Due to the size difference between the giant whom the armour was originally designed for and himself, Tav's back was pushed forward; he started to fall, his cock landing against the stream of fluid that filled around his feet. It sucked his penis in, a shuddering jolt of pleasure arcing through his body; the sensation of a warm, sensual mouth encompassing the tip. The fluid dribbled along his shaft, slowly spreading to encompass it as it had the rest of his toes. Moaning, Tav felt it gently suck his manhood, feeding off of his own fluids that still dribbled from the tip; in fact, as the thin rivulets spread along and over his penis, it seemed to coax out even more than the knight thought possible.

The pleasurable contact had the effect of pulling him forward, allowing the oozing growth behind him to move around. With his toes and cock ensnared, the armour could start to position Tav however it wished, guiding the protuberance close to his tightly-constricted hole. As though it could sense it, a thin tendril quickly fired out, the effort pushing his aroused cock somehow deeper into the armour, the fluid coating the rest of the shaft, leaving Tav unable to resist as he was stroked. "God, give me strength," he prayed, "it feels so good, but I know I must resist!"

Tav's prayer seemed to go unheeded: by now his feet were entirely encased in the liquid, the odd sensation rippling through him. "Are they... are they growing?" he wondered; it was hard to tell, he seemed to be able to feel through the fluid, the ripples on the rising surface just as real as the sensation of his dick sliding and thrusting into the armour as the inner lining warped around him, or the ticklish sensation as fluid dribbled in between his firm, muscular buttocks, slowly prying them apart as the insistent protuberance followed the tendril towards his hole. The tendril had slid into his body, pumping more of the fluid inside him. His tight ring relaxed involuntarily, Tav left whimpering and squirming, trying to resist stronger now that his body started to betray him.

The fluid encased his genitals, tickling his inner thighs as it merged with that dripping down the crease between the two round, thick gluteal muscles of Tav's combat-trained legs. The sensation of his feet swelling continued; he started to feel a coolness against the edges of his feet. His toes throbbed, feeling jammed together as though packed into a too-tight shoe. As the fluid raised up his shins, the swelling seemed to follow behind them, a strange power throbbing out of the bones in his lower legs.

The protuberance began to force itself into Tav's body through his anus, pushing against the loosened ring, eager to enter the warm, slick intestines. He gasped: it felt odd, though not as "wrong" as he had expected - he wondered whether that was due to the curse or it did, in fact, not feel unpleasant - and the warm fluid filling his insides excited him as the edges of the protuberance expanded, straining his sphincter.

To distract him, Tav's cock bucked, and with a loud cry, he felt it slide out. Some of the fluid had worked its way into his shaft, somehow working its way into the tumescent flesh and causing it to expand further. Erotic power pulsed throughout his body; leaving him gasping as the fluid spread throughout his body from two entry points. His balls, coated and dripping the warm liquid, started to swell. He thrust outward, and the sensation of - something - peeling away, his cock still warm, but released, and still growing.

Breathing heavily, Tav's head began to swim; the words of the strange tongue were echoing through his head, and he had used up a lot of his remaining air. It made him giddy, finding it harder to resist the pleasures that his body was experiencing. He remembered his vows - or tried to - but his body thrummed, the need for the sin of the flesh growing and swelling along with his member. Something, or someone, touched it; it was only for a moment, but it made the muscles in his leg twitch.

A heavy thunk filled his ears: even though the sound had come from outside the armour, he could hear the unmistakeable sound of hard metal striking sturdy wood. Light dawned in Tav's mind. "Of course!" he realised, "The armour probably has to allow for differences in the wearer!" A brief, unpleasant feeling passed through him, but was quickly displaced as the protuberance did something to some organ just behind his cock. It felt so good, he shifted both legs.

Tendrils sprouted out of the ooze, spreading up through his body; Tav barely noticed at first, at least until the strange gibberish started to make sense. Much like the language of the hieroglyphs on the outside, the ancient tongue was pictorial in nature: he was immediately presented with the unmistakeable form of a man, legs sprawled out while his anus was penetrated by the long, hard cock of what was unmistakably a demon of some kind. Hairy legs ending in hooves, the penis bestial in size and shape, the blood-red skin, the pointed, fleshy tail and thick horns framing an unearthly handsome lust-crazed face.

Tav shuddered, overwhelmed by the message; he thrusted frustratedly into the air, annoyed by his inability to reach out and caress his length, causing the fluid to slosh around his knees. He flexed his calves, surges of power coursing through him, making him feel even more frustrated. For a brief moment, all he wanted to do was to be that man, writhing in lust as the demon penetrated him, pumping and thrusting away at him until he was filled with the infernal seed that would forever damn him.

"No!" Tav willed himself to back down, "I must resist!" But his voice sounded weak, his claims ringing boastful and hollow in his ears. His heart ached, wondering if he had indeed damned himself, believing in his own power to withstand such an ancient curse. He would have to try to keep fighting, of course, but with every passing minute it became harder.

Flexing his calves, he heard the unusual sound of metal creaking; another cold realisation hit, causing him to squirm a little out of pleasure. The "armour" wasn't that at all; it was, in fact, some kind of second skin. Erotic images flashed past his eyes: a cavalcade of demons, held by paladins sacrificing themselves - their bodies slowly warping the longer they touched the demonic flesh - to keep the demons inside the armour. It was made to be a prison, but the demons were able to refashion it into the skin, to continue living forever, feeding human beings their energies until they, too, had become demonic.

Tav wondered if Ampulas had known. Upon thinking of the sage, his thoughts immediately wandered to thoughts of him disrobing; a form - not quite muscular or toned, but still strong and handsome - sliding out, a devilish lust replacing the mirth in his eyes. He imagined him ordering Horse to disrobe, the guard uncertain but duty-bound to follow orders, particularly of someone as powerful and self-assured as the sage.

Licking his lips, Tav felt hands pressing against his leg. Initially annoyed they weren't against his cock, he quickly realised what was happening: he was still in Ampulas' chamber, now a giant magical beast stomping around blind. He chuckled; it would almost serve the sage right for allowing him to wear the armour.

The demontongue - Tav had learned that had been the original source of the language crudely copied by the ancients for their hieroglyphs - continued to feed his mind. Ancient memories filled his mind; the sexual forays of millennia filling his mind, his eyes watching as generations of men rose and fell around him, always on the hunt for one to bend over for him, or one wanting him to bend over.

The remainder of his legs had filled quickly; as though the pent-up sexual fluids of the demons had nowhere to go but inside. His cock had already expanded, and now he felt his scrotum - each testicle as large as a man's head - slip out through the shell of the armour, making Tav bellow in lust like a bull caught in the scent of bestial desire. Fluid had soaked into his organs, permeating his whole body. It was growing, under the demonic influence, to fill his new skin. Power rippled through his muscles as the swelled, his bone creaking as his head starting pushing up towards the helmet, the aching in his arms lessening as they grew to match the rest of his outer shell.

He opened his mouth, more of the demonic fluid trickling out of it. His resistance to the corrupting influence had weakened. He thrust backwards and forwards, chuckling at what Ampulas and Horse probable though of the armour sporting huge golden genitals, fluid leaking from the tip, running along the shaft visibly, absorbing back into his body. A voice whispered in his head, "The human body is simply a machine; it is easy to upgrade to something better with the proper equipment and commands." The metal cock - for that is what the protuberance was - implanted in his ass stretched further, filling and merging into Tav's guts.

That's when he felt the demon reach into him and scoop himself out: it only took a fraction of a second, but with his mind fragmented it seemed to last forever. He floated around, unseeing and barely thinking; his main sensation was that of lust, the final barriers his faith had given him shattering, as the demons claimed his soul.

After a few brief moments of sweet oblivion, Tav's eyes opened as his body's memories flooded back into the demonic mind encased in the still-human skull. "Tav" was now just a part of him; a larger, demonic whole constituting the original demon's memories and those of all of the humans foolish enough to want to be completely embraced by him. He quickly flicked through Tav's memories, chuckling at how foolish human beings were to devote themselves to a religion that stopped them from enjoying one of their only true pleasures. Although, the demon had to admit, as a base of a body, he had had worse. It was interesting - exotic - and the warrior training had made his body sharp and lean. Some of those rich pompous idiots had almost not been worth absorbing, although the power of their title did come in useful.

The demon felt his arms slide into place, his power able to just twitch the fingers of the gauntlet. The head had been a tricky thing, but soon he was wearing that as well. He would have to wait, of course, but not much longer now. Pressing the human's face into the metal, he hurried the fusion along. He was curious to know the effect of his transformation had on the two humans in the room. Letting the fluid gushing from his mouth connect to that sliding around his head, he opened his eyes, now two enchanted diamonds, glowing red, as the outer shell of the armour continued to distort into the outside of a bald, male humanoid head.

"Here I am, again!" he announced, chuckling deeply, the sound reverberating through him as though he was hollow. Quickly, he glanced down, looking over his body: the old golden plates covered in runed were mostly still there - he had only distorted a few essentials, to let him sense the world and of course release his genitals - but he'd soon fix that, once he'd gotten his bearings.

The sage - Ampulas, the demon remembered - had been rather prudent, using some of the ash from the fire to quickly build a circle of protection around himself. Ampulas was excited: eyes twinkling, heart pounding excitedly, and there was even an erection sending a masculine musk into the air; not only that, but he seemed incredibly satisfied. "The smug bastard," the demon thought; even through the circle of protection, there was some signs that could be read from someone with several lifetime's worth of experience at luring men.

Turning his eyes to one side, the demon quickly noticed that Ampulas had not extended the courtesy of protection to Horse, the bastard guard. The demonic magic had overwhelmed him: he stared dully ahead, scruffy jaw lowered, breathing slowly. Reading him was simple: at first, he'd been scared when things had started to happen, but the demonic magic had spilled out, and he hadn't been particularly bright or well-trained so had quickly become transfixed quickly. Reaching out, he felt around: Horse had indeed been quite an apt name; the demon thought idly of ways of making it even more so, clenching and unclenching his gauntlets, getting used to the feeling again.

"Sir Tav?" Ampulas asked, "Or is it someone else now?"

"Tav is a fair enough name, if somewhat inaccurate," the demon agreed, grinning and adding, "But I will call myself that for now, and you can do the same. Unless you'd prefer to call me 'master', of course?"

"No, I get quite enough of nonsense titles in my daily work to want to hitch my wagon to another master too quickly," Ampulas laughed. "Not that I'm against the idea in theory of course; I just didn't really like the idea of ruining a budding friendship with, er, complications."

Demon-Tav laughed as well, his voice booming around the modest chamber, "You know, I'm almost disappointed you didn't try on the armour. Absorbing you would have been one hell of an experience!"

Ampulas smiled, but Demon-Tav caught the steely resolve when he asked, "So, how much of Tav is still... there, I suppose?"

"Enough," Demon-Tav sighed, "I have his memories - and more, besides - though I don't think we feel exactly the same way about a few things any more. But more experience with life tends to do that to you, and I've had many lives' worth."

The throbbing in his cock stole his attention; Demon-Tav looked over to Horse, still enthralled, and suggested, "Why don't you relax a little, soldier, and get out of that confining armour?"

"Yes, master," Horse mumbled, the muscular guard quickly tugging off his helm, unleashing a closely-cropped head.

Watching the guard disrobe, Demon-Tav probed Ampulas, "You don't object, do you?"

Laughing, Ampulas stated, "No, I sort of gathered a 'sacrifice' may be in order, and before I knew what I was dealing with I didn't want to play that role myself. Do you want me to turn around?"

"It's your home," Demon-Tav grinned, "I wouldn't dream of putting you out. I'm sure you've very 'curious' about how these things work. Purely academic, of course."

"Of course," Ampulas agreed.

"I will make some adjustments, of course," Demon-Tav explained, "It's not exactly the most mobile of bodies." Immediately, he moaned in pleasure, as the change once again came over him. Now that Tav's human body had been completely absorbed, Demon-Tav was completely malleable. The first necessary change was the skin; the plates of the armour fusing together. Hieroglyphs became demonic tattoos upon a more "typical" golden skin, curves following the outlines of strong, golden muscles. He shrank - about the same height as Horse, but a svelter physique - though didn't lose any of his strength or power; demons were notoriously tricky after all. He also still retained the gigantic genitals: scaled down to his size, but still well beyond what a normal human could manage.

Once he'd gotten a roughly humanoid shape down: toes, fingers, and all the requisite other parts, he started working on a few embellishments that Demon-Tav thought looked good. A long thick, prehensile tail was a must for what he had planned for Horse and himself. Insect-like mandibles burst painlessly out of his golden cheeks, forming into hard, usable shapes in moments.

Noticing Ampulas eyeing him curiously, he says, "You try having vanilla human sex for a millennia; even a demon gets bored, and there's so many interesting things to try!" As he talked, his new mandibles waggled back and forth, as if to emphasise his point.

"Oh no, I was just curious if all demons had such control over their forms," Ampulas answered; Demon-Tav caught the strained tone underneath his voice.

"If you're a fan of changing forms," Demon-Tav offered, "I'm sure I could show you a few tricks, for the right price."

"I'm sure you could," Ampulas answered quietly. It unnerved Demon-Tav, to have a human so close and in some ways so easily readable, yet beyond his power. He moaned, stroking his cock as he reshaped it into a more bestial pointed shaft; even the gentlest stroke of a demon's shaft would overwhelm a human's mind, Demon-Tav knew the Tav part of him now appreciated that didn't happen.

Horse, by this stage, had discarded his armour; hunched over and breathing heavily, his massive - for a human, that was - cock throbbing and leaking, arms sloping on either side of it. He looked, Demon-Tav thought, like a beast ready for the rut; that's just where he intended to have him.

Easing himself onto all fours, his shape flowing into a quadrupedal stance fluidly, the demon opened his mouth, extending out a giant, almost tentacle-like tongue and beckoned, "You're very pent up, aren't you, Horse? Why don't you come over here and allow me to pleasure you?"

Nodding dumbly, Horse stumbled forward, lurching towards Demon-Tav as horns curled out of his head. The human's hands seemed almost magnetically drawn to them. Demon-Tav enjoyed the strong grip, the salty, sweaty taste of Horse's throbbing penis so close, his body oozing out a cloud of musk that the demon drunk in, tasting like a delicious wine.

Parting his lips, Demon-Tav took the fat cock tip into his mouth, eliciting a shudder of pleasure in the human that reverberated through his body. He'd learned unfathomably many years ago, that giving pleasure could be made equally as pleasurable for himself as for the recipient, while giving him the control. Power, of course, was like honey to demons, but for him, the idea of another receiving pleasure from him was amazing. Combined with Tav's willingness to serve others, and - at least for this iteration as Demon-Tav - would enjoy his time seducing men, giving them unimaginable pleasures.

Stroking Horse's shaft with his mandibles, Demon-Tav adjusting them on the fly as he learned his way around the guard's generous manhood, he tasted the human's pre-cum. He'd tasted worse, of course: many men could not afford to eat well, which certainly improved things; but there was certainly room for improvement. He analysed the flavours, wondering how best to season Horse later. The guard squirmed under his ministration, absent-mindedly stroking Demon-Tav's horns; the demon's shaft felt these as though he was being stroked down along his shaft. A moan rattled his throat, finally able to drip out his own seed freely; demons were indefatigable, and their balls made so much fluid that their seed and natural lubricant were one and the same..

Demon-Tav's dexterous tongue wrapped around Horse's shaft, dragging the human closer. He felt the guard's strong heart pounding, gently searching his mind, probing for how he would feel outside of the hypnotic suggestive state into which he had been placed. "So much anxiety and fear," thought Demon-Tav, perusing through the memories of shame Horse felt about himself. He'd hated being a bastard, his rough life and the seed of his father had combined to make him a formidable fighter, limited only by his own lack of confidence; he could never be a knight in this human realm, nor even a soldier. There were whores, of course, but never any woman he loved.

Demon-Tav eyes flashed green; this all seemed a little too well-planned. He wondered, exactly, how much Ampulas knew about his own tastes; he suppose the human was smart enough to figure out the bastardised demon tongue well enough to guess. Snorting in frustration, he turned his focus towards Horse once again; if he didn't know any better, Ampulas was a demon in disguise, but there'd be plenty of time to deal with that later.

Horse bucked, his body close to orgasm; Demon-Tav quickly slowed down, curling his tail underneath him, feeling its smooth, almost tentacular shape creep along his chest. His mind had already settled on how best to use Horse: it wouldn't take much to convince Horse - Demon-Tav suspected he could do it without hypnotism - to give over his soul in exchange for a lifetime of amazing pleasures beyond mortal understanding.

"Horse," Demon-Tav whispered into the human's mind, keeping him needy but releasing his mind enough so that it would be his choice to give up his soul, but not so much that he'd panic or do something foolish. "I know your life has been hard, so hard and unfair. Let me take you with me: give me your seed, and soul, willingly, and in exchange I will take you to a much fairer world, where you can be free from your past and all the limitations of humanity." It wasn't exactly a fair deal: men's minds were often clouded in the heat of passion to the more immediate instincts, but for demons that was the moment of pure truth.

Moaning, Horse thrust into his mouth; the pact was made. Using the tip of his tail, Demon-Tav worried at the ring of muscle clenched between Horse's sweat-slicked buttocks, intent on getting entry. He would get it, of course: he could feel the first traces of Horse's soul dripping out of his shaft, binding the guard to his service for as long as the demon wanted. He intended on taking it all - he had a perfect plan in mind of what to do with Horse - but he wanted to taste the human's seed first, feeling his mortal body shuddering in ecstasy before refashioning it.

Sliding his tail in sent a pulse rippling down his own shaft, a large puddle spreading across the floor as Demon-Tav ejaculated. Winding the middle of his tail around himself, he milked it, enjoying the feeling of it as it swirled around his fingers and toes. Guiding it, he made it flow towards Horse, preparing his fluids to work its magic on the human's body. Horse's cock couldn't take much more, and he needed to be ready. He wondered if he could use it to wipe out the protective circle Ampulas had constructed; but no, that one needed something special.

"Ung! Ung! Ung!" Horse moaned, as the demon's tail forced its way into his anus, massaging through the lining of his guts to push him over the edge. More demon seed gushed out, the tail and shaft sharing the same sensations. Demon-Tav felt the salty liquid burning his throat, observing the pounding heart and ecstatic mind as Horse orgasmed. Wanting more, he pressed his face deeper, the human's cock sliding down his throat. Using his magic, he reached in, ensnaring Horse at the moment where his pleasure was highest.

The puddle of demon seed flowed over the human's tanned, bare skin; like Tav's before him, Demon-Tav started with the toes, but worked much faster. Unlike with the knight, the guard seemed less willing to fight for his memories or his desires; he had yearned for a fresh start at life, and the demon was only too willing to provide that in exchange for having a thrall of his own. The feet grew - but only slightly; Demon-Tav knew the chamber had limited space for growth - curls of goo hardening into nails, a maze of fine lines outlining where the scales would eventually be.

Demon-Tav continued to drink, tail sliding in deeper, enticing the man's prostate until all his fluids had drained out. Using his mandibles, he forced the rest of it out into his mouth, Horse's cock now swollen and sore, the human's lust fully sated. But that wouldn't last long with the rate his body was absorbing the demon seed: his feet were already covered with scales, hardening to black as they finished reshaping from human to reptilian, three claws clacking freshly on the ground, the remaining one twisted around to the back, allowing Horse to grab things with his talons.

As the guard's body reshaped, Demon-Tav reverted back to a bipedal stance: not that he wouldn't have minded, but the room limited the practicality of two large, four-legged beasts roaming around. Plus, the demon wanted to feel Horse's body and his pressing close together, and he wouldn't have the chance with this human for long; already, the sinews and bones in the legs were altering Horse's gait. He still retained the tail, however he shrank it down, slipping it behind him in case it was useful later.

Demon-Tav grinned: Ampulas seemed to be enjoying things very much, dangerously close to being too quickly. He'd remained quiet, but the demon could tell the sage had a thousand questions waiting for the right time, along with his throbbing erection.

Reaching his clawed hands around Horse's wide body, Demon-Tav pressed his seed-moistened lips to the human's his mandibles disappearing. The guard opened his mouth, wordlessly mouthing the excitement he felt, their meaty tongues sliding against each other. Continuing to embrace, the demon relished the warmth as their bodies pressed tightly against one another. Between their tight, muscular bodies - one large and powerful, one even stronger but appearing more lithe - Demon-Tav's cock oozed, the demon's mind turned towards pleasure, enjoying the feeling of the human's hairy chest smoothing down, the front of his body becoming more aerodynamic as scales hardened around the human's flesh. Muscles retained their strength, while their contours filled with the magic fluid flowing from the demon's shaft.

Fluid flowed between their mouths: Horse's body would soon need magical reinforcement from the changes, and this may Demon-Tav could continue kissing him a little while longer, though would of course hasten the transformation of his mouth. Thrusting against the body, they continued to kiss and rub up against one another.

Feeling indulgent, Demon-Tav coiled his tail around himself, relaxing his rear and allowing the tail to slide up inside, toying with his body. He mentally chuckled, "Imagine what that poor boy who wanted to be a paladin would think of himself now, pleasuring himself and another man, slowly turning him into a demon." The idea alone made him moan into Horse's stretching mouth, his jaw pushing out of his face as demon seed escaped out of the lips, locked together in a passionate kiss.

Against his chest, Demon-Tav felt it stirring: vitality was pulsing through Horse's cock as his member stiffened once more. He didn't have to look; the demon could already feel the tip changing, the flat head pushing out as it ran up his thigh, touching and squirting as it came into contact with the golden-skinned sack hanging between his legs. It stretched, becoming more; Demon-Tav groaned - it was almost as good as when it happened to him - and he splattered another thickened load against the scaled chest in front of him.

They parted, Demon-Tav stepping away, retracting his tail out of Horse's rear to get it out of the way. The human's legs had completely reshaped, and he could no longer comfortably remain supported upon them. Besides, the new creature Horse was becoming would need time to acclimatise to his new shape. He'd be made bipedal later, of course; but he liked to show off for an audience as receptive as Ampulas was, and fully intended to travel back to the demonic plane riding a Horse.

There was more work to do, although the changes were now fuelling themselves; Horse's organs were changing now, and it would only be a matter of time before the rest of his body followed suit. Looking into the glazed eyes, scales forming around them, Demon-Tav stroked Horse's head, the hair coming out in clumps in his claws. The black draconic snout had come in nicely: thick and wide, with teeth that could easily slip behind his thick lips when other oral pleasures were required. The large cock, growing barbs and bulges, slapped up against his chest, splashes of dripping scales being left behind on the ever-decreasing human skin that had not been covered.

Jerking himself off slowly, Demon-Tav toyed with his immense shaft; his legs bucked due to the pleasure, and Horse licked his chops hungrily, his now-glittering-green eyes watching him lustfully. The demon sensed the dragon side had taken over now, slowly losing the painful memories of his life, embracing his fresh start with gusto. Collecting enough demon seed to continue the corruption of the remaining human parts, Demon-Tav ran his hands down the lengthening neck, massaging the back. Fingers past through, scraping against spiked ridges that sprouted out of the freshly-scaled back.

The real treat, however, was reaching the buttocks; Demon-Tav gave them a wet slap, digging his claws into the firm muscle. Black claws sprouted around his fingers as he pried them apart, eagerly pushing his shaft into the hole. Warm and pliable, Horse's ring tightened around his length, forcing out his seed as he eased himself in. The newly-formed dragon tilted his head back, growling as the floor quickly flooded, Horse's draconic shaft emptying out its first demonic load over the floorboards.

His wasn't the only cock which twitched; Demon-Tav chuckled as the mute sage ejaculated. Even though dragon seed covered the floor, it was still demonic. The seed from the beings of this realm was something else entirely, easily detectable as much as any beast knew how to get the food that sustained it.

Demon-Tav continued to watch the transformation, even though fucking the dragon's tight, warm ass made him want to just close his eyes, and enjoy this conquest for hours - even days or weeks - before he grew hungry for some different pleasure. But he mostly did it to watch the wings: starting out as buds, tendrils grew out of it, extending into the air to waggle about. Then they thickened and extended into a light framework of fingers barely held together by webbing-like black translucent skin stretching between them, which slowly thickened, filling in the giant wingspan, knocking over the desk of notes and equipment into a messy pile on the floor.

Then it was time: both Demon-Tav and Dragon-Horse knew it through their shared bond. The time all remaining human traces from both of them were to be purged. The thrusting became more intense: the stone walls shook, the floorboards creaked alarmingly - Demon-Tav was surprised they still stood - and bits of the roof started to rain harmlessly down upon them. Ampulas curled up into a ball to avoid being thrown out of his protective circle, or get knocked out as his chamber started to shake apart. Their breathing intensified; Dragon-Horse belching out a sheet of fire that licked around the walls.

Both demons and the sage's chamber erupted all at once; a final thrust, and the room disintegrated, demon seed gushing down the sides of the tower as the men and women below ran for their lives. Demons didn't normally orgasm properly in the mortal plane - everything was too fragile - but for both demon and human memories of Demon-Tav, the wait had been long enough.

Smoky breath billowing out of his own mouth, Demon-Tav laughed, his cock sliding out wetly; he was eager to go again, but their antics were gaining too much attention: he could hear bows and bolts being loaded. They wouldn't be hurt, of course; but the had been rather rude guests and he didn't suspect the sage of being protected from mortal weapons in his circle. Quickly returning to his human shape, he climbed aboard the back of the large, black dragon, and suggested to the beast, "Why don't we take Ampulas, and get out of here?"

Nodding in approval, the dragon started to beat his wings. Hearing a surprising grunt as Ampulas was seized in Dragon-Horse's front talons, Demon-Tav gripped onto the tight ridges as the dragon rose into the sky, soaring out of range of the weaponry gathering below, and soon out of sight of humans altogether.

They didn't fly far or too high - their abductee wasn't suitably prepared for that, after all - so once they were sufficiently far from the castle, they settled down into a field near to a cliff that plunged into the ocean. The wind blew a strongly salty scent off of the sea; Demon-Tav thought it smelled a bit like semen, which made him chuckle as he watched Ampulas dust himself off.

"Well," the sage noted with resignation, "I think I'm out of a job. Oh, and it was such a wonderful library, too."

"You don't have to stay here," Demon-Tav offered. "You helped me out - and Dragon-Horse here, in a way - it's only fair if I do the same to you."

Ampulas chuckled, "Thanks, but I think I've had quite enough excitement for now." He paused, quickly thinking, "Hmm. How is it that you haven't enthralled me, yet?"

"Because I just found you too fascinating a specimen to want to handle that way," Demon-Tav answered, before adding with his own chuckle, "I also turned it off while working on Dragon-Horse here, and forgot to restart the enchantment."

"Well," Ampulas countered, "this demonic power of yours is intriguing, but I'd rather be an equal than a servant, as charming a master as I'm sure you'd be. I... I would rather like to have some way of becoming one myself, with no obligations to anyone else."

"There are always obligations to someone or something," Demon-Tav pointed out. "How about this, we trade truth for truth. Did you choose Horse deliberately to assist? He seemed oddly pliable for an average human."

"It was more being able to take advantage of an opportunity," Ampulas confessed. "I don't know all the guards personally, but he's often charged with protecting my chamber as it is - or was, until you spirited us away - as a rather boring, unpleasant assignment. I've never heard him mention family or a wife, or other lovers, so I assumed he was at least lonely."

"And not easily missable?" Demon-Tav pointed out, petting the dragon's head.

"No," smiled Ampulas.

With a groan, Demon-Tav reached into his chest, the gold flowing around as his claws dug painlessly into himself. Making an almost orgasmic grunting, he imagined and made real a heavy, leather-bound tome. "Well, as promised, I shall tell the truth: I apologise for destroying your wonderful life's work, so here is a book that should give a clever person like yourself all the knowledge you'll need to come visit us in the demonic plane."

Ampulas smiled, genuinely happy as he accepted the tome. "Thank you," he said, "and thank you for not forcing the issue of me joining you, at least not this time." Demon-Tav climbed back aboard Dragon-Horse's body, as Ampulas added, "Will you be off, then?"

"I'm pretty certain a dragon's quite difficult to hide," Demon-Tav pointed out, "plus I want to show a fellow demon the way back to our home plane. It'll be nice to see the old place again; really get to have fun without ruining towers and whatnot."

"Well, I certainly hope you visit," Ampulas laughed. "Between all the wars and political intrigue, things get terribly dull around here."

Willing instructions to the dragon underneath him, Demon-Tav saluted as he and his mount rose into the air. Ampulas waved, clutching the book tightly against his chest as he staggered back against the draft caused by the rising demonic beast. Gliding out towards the ocean, Demon-Tav sighed, before slowly aiding Dragon-Horse in opening a new portal, plunging through the smoky tear across the planes, leaving only a heavy cloud of warm, spicy musk behind them.

He'd always wanted to ride into hell on a Horse.