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The line between genius and madness was often quite blurry. Wevin had often heard this, but he was getting a much more personal demonstration of the principle right now. He was also figuring out that some people thought they were on one side of that blurry line while others were quite sure they weren’t. Or that the line was even in sight.

And yet, here I am going along with it. Who does that make the real mad one? ...Nope, still him. I’m just desperate.

“Ah, good, you’re here! Excellent, let’s get down to business!” Bordy Gluthman, his client, was a rotund fellow with a bushy mustache that looked like it was his entire mouth and a perpetual squint that was readily visible behind his glasses. He seemed to be a fairly amicable sort, but Wevin wasn’t sure how much he trusted that - rich people were rarely rich without making it happen off the backs of others, and you had to be a certain level of ruthless to be able to abide that. Wevin wasn’t that ruthless...well, that was probably why he was in need of a big payday.

That and the multiple fines for pickpocketing and unlawful transport.

“Yes, let’s...because I need to make sure that I really know what’s going on here. Because the proposal you provided was...well, calling it wild would be an understatement.”

“Oh, I know what it sounds like, but I guarantee you, this is as necessary as it gets! Ah, here we are…” Bordy opened a small box and rummaged through it, pulling out a small vial and a small pouch...a lot of small things for such a big fellow, Wevin observed to himself. His interest was much more piqued when he saw what was in the pouch, though - it might have been small in terms of absolute size, but compared to the normal ruby, it was ANYTHING but small.

“This is the most fabulous ruby I’ve ever laid my eyes on,” Bordy said, and his voice certainly seemed to back up that sentiment. “It’s shape is perfect...maybe beyond perfect! And without any refinement of my own...I don’t know its history, but something about it gives me this feeling that it barely needed any shaping at all. And running through it is a power I can hardly fathom, whatever magic is in it is potent, to say the least!”

“That has to be worth a fortune,” Wevin remarked with a low whistle. “I’m surprised you’re willing to part with it for any price.”

“It’s certainly valuable, but I’ve always been a little leery of magic...I much prefer those that just look pretty! Whenever I get gems that have some extra quality to them, those are the ones I’m happy to turn around. And Lazloh Scurrilman happily paid a pretty penny for it...I know he likes the magical gems, for whatever reason!”

It probably wasn’t any good reason, if Wevin had any inkling. Those with a fascination for magic objects that wasn’t academic usually had nefarious interests. But that wasn’t any business of his - he was merely the deliveryman. “And Lazloh is the one who’s going to pay me as well, I presume?”

“Indeed, upon delivery! We made special arrangements, and both of us funded it, but of course it’s contingent on the ruby getting there. But that, of course, is one of the sticky things, and why we came up with our brilliant solution!”

“Yeeeah...that. You want me to smuggle the gem out...in my soon-to-be vagina.”

Bordy put a hand on Wevin’s shoulder, having to reach up a bit for it. “My boy, you needn’t sound so reticent! Surely a minor, temporary change will be well worth the pay for such a task! The apothecary made clear that there should be no significant unintended effects, so you should not be concerned about your health.”

That might not have been the first thing on Wevin’s mind. “Why such extremes, though? Surely I could use a passage that already exists...I doubt I’d find that pleasant, but it wouldn’t require a change like this. I mean, I’m not sure why I need to sneak it out inside me as it is...”

“Ah...I take it you’ve never delivered around Lakion before?” Wevin shook his head, confirming Bordy’s suspicions. “I suppose it would be something I would encounter more. Baron Durthwite is a rather underhanded fellow, and has his guards search people on the way in and out. If they get suspicious, they can be VERY thorough...and once Durthwite gets his hands on confiscated property, no one is getting it back. They are not even above checking inside the anuses of people, regardless of whether they suspect something in there or not...but, after a rather scandalous incident with the Baroness, he ordered them to not intrude on the female delicacy. Thus, the only way to ensure that you will be able to get the ruby out is to give you one!”

“You don’t think they’ll be suspicious that a guy has a pussy?” pointed out Wevin.

“Perhaps they will be, but the edict is enforced from power up above - they literally CANNOT touch anyone there. So they will let you pass no matter what. I have already tested this with a different volunteer, and with great success. You will need to keep it hidden along the way, as Redlin Dale has some crooked guards of their own, but they do not intrude on the insides of travelers. Lazloh will provide you with the draught that will return you to normal.”

It still sounded well out there to Wevin, getting himself changed like that seemed like it put him at risk, and how much could he trust this Lazloh to hold up his end of the bargain? Eccentric rich people were hardly the most reliable mortals in this wide world. But...here he was, nearly flat broke after paying his fines, he had enough for maybe two or three more meals and then he was done. This payday would put him back in good shape, and there wasn’t another opportunity this good coming along any time soon. Sometimes you had to take what life gave you. “All right...let’s get this over with.”

———

The hardest time to not look suspicious was when you knew you were suspicious. Wevin was trying his best to remain calm and collected in the line out of Lakion, but he was sure he was giving off some vibe that gave him away. It didn’t help that he was dealing with very unfamiliar feelings, and some discomfort from something hard being all up in his business.

It would be a story to tell later, that was for sure.

The change itself was an adjustment, though thankfully the process had been painless. He hadn’t had much time to get used to it, though, as he needed to get that ruby in and in deep...pushing it in with the help of a tool had been without a doubt one of the most bizarre feelings he’d ever imagined, though he had to think it would be less weird if he had been a woman and had this part normally. But it would still have to be odd, most women didn’t put gemstones in there, unless his conceptualization of female self-pleasure was WAY off-base. The ruby was hard, not the most comfortable sensation, though it was oddly warm, which was...good, in a way, but also mildly disconcerting. There was magic in that gem, was there going to be transfer? It was impossible to tell which magic items leaked and which ones didn’t just by looking, there was some risk there...but he was committed at this point, so he just had to hope for the best.

Now he was just trying to pretend everything was normal, as he approached the guards. Bordy wasn’t kidding, they were pretty mean and he’d seem a couple of people get stuff taken from them on grounds of the items being ‘suspicious.’ Any protests were quelled with the threat of violence, which effectively ended the debates. Wevin was almost glad he had nothing left on him to take apart from what he was smuggling through - a traveling courier with no permanent home, he didn’t have much to begin with, and he had sold what little he had on him to make sure he ate, including his combat knife. Going out defenseless was not exactly the wisest thing, but bandits generally didn’t bother with people who didn’t look like they had anything of worth - taking on random strangers was a risky idea when some of them could pull out godlike powers at a moment’s notice, you definitely didn’t want to do it for nothing more than a few random coins. He could get some better supplies with the money coming to him.

As he passed the guards, they stopped him and examined him, head to toe. He tried to keep his expression even, though a little nervousness was allowed - after all, these were bigger men and well-armed, it would probably be a bit more suspicious if he wasn’t intimidated. There were some scrutinizing looks shot his way from the gruff-faced individuals, decked out in full armor so all he could really see were a few facial features - all clean-shaven men with few distinguishing attributes, only a few details separating them from suspicion of them just being one guy cloned a bunch of times. None of them seemed to think much of Wevin, particularly the one poking and prodding him, clearly trying to see if there was something to find. But finding nothing, he gave a grunt and let Wevin by. He didn’t hesitate, but didn’t rush, either, certain they would be suspicious if he went TOO quickly...it wasn’t until he was beyond easy reach of the guards that he breathed a sigh of relief. They didn’t try to get too invasive with him, either they didn’t detect anything or they decided anything on him wasn’t enough to care about...maybe it would have worked fine without the change after all, but at this point it wasn’t worth going over that in his head. He just needed to get to Redlin Dale and everything would be fine.

———

Redlin Dale was two days away from Lakion by most people’s standards. But Wevin could get there overnight. It was a matter of taking the road or taking the shortcut through Valus Woods. Going off the road was always more chancy, especially for someone who wasn’t a fighter and wasn’t equipped. But in his experience, there were a lot of overblown dangers. He’d been a traveling courier going on ten years, and he’d been attacked maybe once or twice a year on average, by anything. And most of that anything were either bandits or wild animals. The fact of the matter was that someone like him just wasn’t that interesting to more sinister figures - he did nothing but carry packages, and it was rare that those packages were anything of vital import.

There were other good reasons to go through the forest as well - better access to resources. Food and water especially, which Wevin definitely wanted. One had to be careful when foraging, but he had a good bit of experience, and food gathered out here cost him no money. So after a good sleep and a drink from the stream he was halfway tracking to get him to Redlin Dale, he was searching for trees and bushes with edible delights. It wouldn’t take long, he knew it was only a matter of time…

He licked his lips as he caught sight of what looked like an apple tree. Those were tasty, and it looked like there was a branch hanging low enough that he wouldn’t even have to do any climbing. Perfect for him, since he was antsy enough just walking with this ruby inside him...climbing probably would not have been a lot of fun.

Eagerly he stepped up to the branch, grabbing and tugging at the lowest-hanging apple. The branch pulled, but the apple didn’t break off...he tugged again, a bit more firmly, with still no luck. Well, sometimes it was harder to dislodge them than others, so he pulled down even harder.

Something did happen then. But not the something he was looking for.

He heard a snap, and thought at first that he’d broken the branch, even though that shouldn’t have been feasible given its girth...but it took all of a second for him to realize that wasn’t it, as bands whipped down painfully around his wrists, strapping him tightly to the piece of fruit. After a yelp of pain, he tried to pull away, but that thing just refused to move, and that meant his hands were trapped there. Wevin was aghast, what could be going on? And then he froze, as he heard a smug laugh from nearby.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit. It was a trap.

He didn’t fault himself for falling into it - this was a very weird trap, along a fairly poorly-traveled location and using an unusual form of bait and mechanism for catching prey. Only now was he realizing that the fruit was probably a decoy...it felt real enough, but perhaps it was artfully crafted, and it was certainly attached far firmer than the real deal. And that left him helpless to whoever had laid it, and he knew it had to be someone, the straps around his wrists were not vines, they were crafted, this was a person-laid trap.

“Had a feeling someone might be crossing here...the woods always knows.” Wevin managed to twist himself around towards the figure, and cursed inwardly again. It was a lizardman, standing tall and looking quite pleased with himself. He was an emerald color, with a frame that was nothing but lean muscle, not as bulky as lizardmen came but clearly possessed of significant strength. He wore no clothing, but had a bevy of accessories, including a bow and knife and a couple pouches on belts lashed to his body. “What does our trespasser have on him, now? Any trophies for me to take?”

“Ngh...I don’t have...anything on me.” It was true from a certain point of view. “I’m not a trespasser, I’m a courier, my name is Wevin. Let me go, please.”

“Nice try. You may be a Wevin and you may be a courier, but you’re a trespasser all the same.”

“I’m not...what’s this trespassing business? Valus Woods belongs to no one.”

“Ah, but a trespasser is an uninvited guest to those who live here. I live here, and I didn’t invite you, so you must be a trespasser.” The lizardman stepped closer, and Wevin got more nervous...even for a leaner lizardman, he was still pretty large, at least a foot taller than Wevin and Wevin was on the taller side himself. “Lucky for you, I don’t kill trespassers...but I do take trophies.”

“Sorry, bandit, but I don’t have anything of value on me. If you want to take the few coins I have, fine, so long as it gets me freedom.”

The lizardman let out a laugh. “Bandit? Don’t lump me in with those savages. I’m a THIEF. Scalatrasso’s the name. And I don’t go for money, money isn’t a trophy. Interesting things, THOSE are trophies. I’ve swiped more than my share, some of which their owners have never noticed they’re even missing. When they finally realize that the legendary scourge that’s bested them time and time again is a lizardman...hee, it might just fatally wound their pride.”

Scalatrasso! That was a name Wevin had heard before, indeed associated with a few high-profile thefts. But a lizardman? No wonder he’d never been caught, they didn’t even know what they were looking for. It could have been a bluff, but Wevin didn’t think so - he spoke with too much pride and surety to be acting. “Well, uh...that’s...great. But like I said, I don’t have anything on me worth taking.”

Scal grinned at him, in that telling way that suggested he was certain that was a lie. “Oh? That’s not what that aura about you says. There’s a magic here, one that can only be from an object. And I suspect it won’t take me too long to find.”

“You’re...you’re mistaken!” It wasn’t a very good counter, but Wevin was getting panicky. He couldn’t do anything to fend this lizard off, maybe he could kick out or something but the best-case scenario was him being trapped like this, and he didn’t think he could work his way out of those straps. And it was dawning on him, this change had been to avoid the guards at Lakion and Redlin Dale, who wouldn’t or couldn’t search intimate places...there were no such restrictions on Scal.

“Well, I may be, but I’ll be the judge of that.” The lizardman’s knife was out in a flash, and Wevin’s shirt was rapidly reduced to rags. He yelped a bit feeling it brush slightly against his skin, though it didn’t cut at all. His pants and trousers were next to go, obliterated despite his more vocal protests...and once his change was revealed, the reptile’s grin got even broader. “Oh-ho, what do we have here? A fancy little hiding spot for goodies?”

“S-stop! Don’t...don’t touch me there! That’s perverted!”

“Oh, a little lewdness never hurt anyone.” Scal thrust a finger in, and Wevin jerked in his bonds. That touch was electric! His own finger hadn’t felt half as intense as this, even the tool he’d used wasn’t so provocative! He couldn’t stop a strained moan from escaping as a second finger joined in. “Heh, seems you enjoy my perversion, Wevin. And I suspect that’s the key to my prize.”

“N-no, don’t-!” But it was too late - another spasm, a rush of fluid, and he reflexively relaxed from the hardness inside him, allowing it to slip down into those intruding fingers. A groan loosed from his lips as the lizardman pulled out, beaming at the glinting, soaked ruby.

“Goodness! This is QUITE the gem! Such a fascinating aura, I’ll have to see what this power is. But it’ll make a fine trophy for my collection, for certain.” Scal flashed a triumphant grin at Wevin, who felt his heart sink - it was rare for him to fail to deliver what he promised in the first place, and it hurt especially bad with the stakes as high as they were. And he couldn’t do a damned thing about it.

“Please...that’s not mine, I have to bring it to someone...I need it back…”

“Now, now, begging isn’t a good look for you. Although...you do seem to be awfully desperate to have this ruby returned to that dripping pussy of yours. Or maybe you just want something to fill it up?” Scal snickered deviously as Wevin’s eyes widened. “Oh, my, that must be it...well, don’t you worry, I’ll make sure you get something even more substantial in there, and it’ll probably be more comfortable than a pointy rock.”

“Th-that’s not-!” Wevin’s reply was cut short as the lizardman’s knife came out in a flash, fearing momentarily that he’d pissed Scal off and he had rethought that whole not-killing thing...but the knife instead cut the piece that was holding Wevin to the tree, causing him to suddenly tumble to the ground. His wrists were still held tight, and his sore arms couldn’t really come up to defend him as the lizardman bore down on him, still holding the ruby in the hand he used to pin the human to the ground.

“You have a delectable scent, Wevin...far superior to females, that’s for sure. I’ll make sure to give you a ride you’ll never forget.”

That was a subterranean bar to clear - Wevin already wasn’t going to forget this encounter for the rest of his life, even without the prospect of sex. But it looked like he was getting it whether he wanted it or not...and once his eyes caught sight of that lance emerging from the lizardman’s slit, that prospect was unnerving him even more. A bulbous, thorny head encircled with a ring of the slightly spiky flesh, followed by a shaft mottled with shallow textured bumps, and coming in at a length and girth that put to shame anything Wevin was normally packing...he wasn’t even sure it would fit inside him. Though he’d heard enough salacious stories to know that such obstacles had been overcome before, it was a different thing facing it down, especially when he hadn’t asked for it! But his tongue stilled all objections...reality was a harsh master, and the fact of the matter was, he was laying naked on the ground without the proper use of his hands, at the mercy of a creature who outclassed him at his best, much less now. He was getting fucked, without question, and that was the best possible outcome for him at this point in time…he surrendered, spreading his legs and whining in embarrassment, face flushed as red as it had probably ever been.

“Hee, that’s what I thought. Nice and eager...this is a prize I’d love to claim a lot more often. Before long those squeaks will turn to lovely thrilled wails…” Scal had ample confidence in his prowess, apparently, though Wevin was a lot more doubtful. But as that spiky head brushed against his nether lips, the human had to stifle a gasp - he was NOT expecting it to feel that good! It looked a lot more threatening than it felt...and now he was starting to wonder if he was going to embarrass himself further by enjoying his rape.

And then Scal thrust in, and he no longer had to wonder.

Just about half that lizard dick was driven in, with no consideration for Wevin’s inexperience or the unnaturality of the situation for him. He knew, without a doubt, that it should not have felt good at all, it should have hurt, it should have put him in pain if not outright agony. What it did, instead, was trigger an instantaneous climax, or at least something that felt like one, as the sudden jolt of pleasure crashed through him. He jerked and cried out, gushing fluid onto the intruder, making it feel more than welcome as he clenched down on it and rocked against it. A budding warmth was spreading through him, radiating from his loins through the rest of him...with a secondary source through the gem pressed against his skin by Scal’s sturdy hand, that he didn’t quite pick up on in the heat of things.

“My, my! I didn’t realize you were THIS eager!” Scal exclaimed gleefully. “Well, then, let’s give you the treat you’re seeking!” He started to thrust, and if nothing else, Wevin had to admire his energy - he was taking things pretty fast, a lot faster than Wevin ever did in his fortunate encounters. He wasn’t sure which one of them was ‘normal,’ he’d never had encounters with other males before...well, there was that one time with a kobold, but that didn’t really count. But whether normal or not, his own body seemed to be good for it, accepting him in eagerly, almost greedily, and giving Wevin a battery of ecstasy to keep his voice singing out his heaven. Nothing had ever felt this good before, there was no way it was natural, but he couldn’t have cared less at that moment, as long as Scal kept going!

And of course, Scal wasn’t about to stop any time soon. Quite the contrary, he was upping the ante, thrusting in deeper and letting that spiky head ravage untouched flesh within Wevin that was desperate to feel it. Despite their looks, they weren’t sharp at all, they flexed and rubbed rather than poking, and it was making him see stars. The rest of that girthy shaft was wonderfully textured too, rubbing in a different but equally enjoyable way, the small nubs almost brushlike against his walls. In didn’t take long before he felt Scal push harder, and some tightness inside him yielded readily to his demand for entry, allowing the lizardman to hilt him and for Wevin to feel true fullness. Once again, he felt himself take on that rush of climax, even harder than the first time, his cunt wetting the reptile’s tool and squeezing it like it wanted to wring it out.

“Fuck, you make a tempting case to take YOU as my prize,” Scal remarked breathlessly. “I’ve not yet had one so responsive before...it makes it truly exciting! Sing for me, Wevin!” Now he truly began taking the human in earnest, and Wevin was barely holding on, his vision blurring as the stars grew fiercer. In and out, scaly hips smacking against smooth flesh, every motion bringing electricity within him and making him writhe and wail, twitching and jerking and clenching with all he could muster. Were anyone looking in on him, they’d surely think him a willing, wanton slut, would scoff at the idea that Wevin hadn’t wanted it…even he was starting to doubt his earlier objections, the way he was freely singing out his pleasure, any illusion of reluctance was thoroughly shattered.

“Nnn, yesss, squeeze me tight, show me how much you want me!” Whether he wanted to or not, that was exactly what Wevin was doing, and it was getting the appropriate response. Now he could feel fluid gushing into him that wasn’t from himself, that thicker, hotter wetness soaking him and making him shudder, its touch almost electric inside him. It brought him slightly back to reality, as he realized what was coming - Scal didn’t seem to have any intention of pulling out, not the way he was bearing down on Wevin, his scaly body rubbing more and more against the human’s skin, and there was no way he could even express a desire otherwise even if Scal would have heard him out, which he doubted as well. Could that have consequences? He didn’t know the extent of the changes of the potion beyond this…could the lizard somehow plant a lizard in him? Disturbingly, the thought might have even added to the excitement just a bit…

A rush of heat through his body pushed all thoughts out of Wevin’s head, making him arch his back and cry out even louder. It felt like he got more sensitive, tighter, more keyed up…he was panting hard, feeling pleasure wind up within him, a tension that felt like it was about to break at any moment. And Scal’s cock was doing all it could to be that breaking tool, hammering in and spewing precum, throbbing slightly as it prepared to unleash its payload. His thrusts had shortened, keeping Wevin nice and full and maximizing the stimulation on those phenomenal embellishments, the stroke of that dick radically accentuated by the sensation of those bumps and spikes on his sensitive insides, working him up into a frenzy and driving him to the edge of his limits.

And then Scal suddenly pulled out quickly and slammed back in, and those limits were forcefully crushed. Wevin’s eyes rolled back in his head as he came hard, a long and loud cry erupting from his mouth as he rocked and twisted and spasmed under Scal, lost in the furious cascades of bliss that buffeted his mind and overloaded his body. And in the middle of it all, a loud hiss registered in the human’s ears, and he suddenly felt a heat flooding his body as the reptile came in him, pumping him full of viscous spunk that gave him another rush, intensifying the rapture for a brief period as he felt the liquid heat pour into him and flow around that thick tool, drooling out of his cunt in a terrifically lewd display. It felt like his climax lasted for an age, and when it released him he slumped back onto the ground, panting hard and head spinning…nothing had ever come close to this level of potent for him, he’d never even imagined it possible.

“Heavens…that was exemplary.” Scal’s voice almost sang in his ears, so thrilled was the lizardman with his conquest. His cock pulled out with a lewd slurp, leaving only the semen he’d flooded Wevin with to take up the space within him…the quickness with which he felt a longing for its return was almost scary. “I haven’t enjoyed someone so much in my memory! It’s a shame I can’t take you with me…hm, I’ll just have to hope that we meet again. But I suppose I should take my leave before you catch your breath, lest you decide to try to trail me.”

That was about the last thing on Wevin’s mind right now, and as the lizardman’s near-silent footsteps left his range of hearing, he was finally coming back to earth. He tried moving his wrists and found them unencumbered - Scal must have split the bindings, though he didn’t know when that had happened. Still, it allowed him to sit up and move around normally, or as much as he could through the fatigue. His face flushed red as he came to terms with all that had happened - he’d just been robbed of his delivery and then violated by the thief, and heaven help him if it wasn’t the most enjoyable experience of his life to date. Even as he knew reasonably it shouldn’t have been, he couldn’t get it out of his head, and the warmth that it sent through his body to remember Scal’s use of him was a bit worrisome. Surely he couldn’t allow himself to like such a thing, right? It wasn’t even his right body…though, he had to push aside the thought that it felt a lot more right now than it had before. He’d just been through a lot, his head was probably not in the right state…

Slowly Wevin managed to pick himself up, and gather up the remnants of his clothes, before staggering onward, heading towards the nearest water to try to clean himself off. After that, he was definitely going to have to sleep this off, and hope that Scal wasn’t going to come around for a repeat performance - or some other creature in the woods had a hankering for sloppy seconds.

———

Just about the only bit of good news there was was that Wevin managed to make it to Redlin Dale without being molested further. Granted, he was barely dressed when he did, only just able to salvage something from the ruins of his clothes, enough to make himself baseline decent. On the one hand, it probably kept the grungy-looking guards from harassing him about anything he might have with him, because he very obviously had just about nothing, but the derisive grins certainly didn’t give him the sense that they had any pity for him.

He was rather reduced to begging for a simple shirt and trousers in order to make himself even a little presentable for Lazloh Scurrilman, and supremely lucky that one took pity on him and provided him with that meager bounty. Eating would have to come outside of town, though, he certainly didn’t have the coin for anything there…but that was fine, because he was planning on leaving again very soon. Wevin was not about to concede defeat that easily, not with stakes as high as they were - he wanted to deliver that ruby, and he needed to find it and get it back so he could. Somehow he was going to have to confront Scalatrasso and best him…that wasn’t going to be easy, for sure, but he’d have to figure out some way of doing it. But first he wanted to get back to proper normal for himself, and get that potion to turn himself normal from Lazloh - at least he was out of range of any need to hide anything like that anymore.

But fate would apparently not make things so easy for him, as he winced under the withering gaze of the wizened noble. “My disgust and disappointment is immeasurable. A simple task, and you were still somehow unable to follow through. And I am now bereft of a gem of unknown potential, one which could have been a sensational find…and you clearly have no way of compensating me, which is an even more withering insult to one of my stature.”

“Sir, please…I don’t intend to take this lying down. I’m going to try to retrieve your ruby-”

“You should not have shown your face here without it. Every moment you waste is a moment I am without what I want. And I do not take kindly to not having what I want.”

Clearly, as Wevin had observed, and that made him all the more nervous about actually following through. “I only came to retrieve the potion to normalize myself. I need no payment until I can follow through in my delivery, but this will-”

“You say you need no payment, yet you seek payment?” growled Lazloh. “You get NOTHING from me until I have my ruby. Your ‘normalcy’ is of no consequence to me, and perhaps should serve as a fitting punishment for your contemptible failures. Leave my sight now! Make me any angrier and I may forego paying you altogether even if you do retrieve it.”

Wevin mustered up a glare of his own. “You’d best reconsider those words if you actually want your ruby. If you’re going to give me nothing with or without, why would I waste my time on you?”

“How dare you! You owe me!”

“No, I don’t. You want to go bitch to Bordy about getting your money back, be my guest. The only thing I’m doing is risking my life to try to get you what you want, and like hell I’m going to do that if you’re giving me nothing in return. If you’re even THINKING about it, I’m out, because there’s zero chance I’m going to work for nothing when other people will ACTUALLY pay me for what I do. I alone know who has your precious ruby, and either I will be the one to retrieve it, or it will be lost to you forever.”

Lazloh’s eyes glittered with fury, and Wevin was pretty sure it was more because someone dared to talk back to him than just the loss of the ruby now. “You have two days. If the ruby is in my hand by then, you will be paid in full. Any later, and you will regret ever trying to do business with me.”

“Oh, trust me, I already do.” Wevin turned and stomped off. The nerve of that asshole! Here he was going out of his way to try to make things right, something he wasn’t obligated to do and virtually no courier WOULD do, and all he got was threats of being stiffed. If the ruby was really worth that much, he could find another buyer for it…he was halfway tempted to do so anyway, given how little he trusted Lazloh to hold up his end of the bargain, but for the sake of his pride as an effective courier he was going to at least try. But the worst part was he was going to have to try his retrieval stunt while still being like this…Wevin already knew that Scal had a particular interest in that altered part of him, and running into the lizard again would almost guarantee a repeat of what happened before. And he was almost more worried that he might like it TOO much…he had to not let that distract him.

———

That was going to be easier said than done, apparently.

Wevin had left town immediately, and spent the night in Valus Woods. He was given not much time to do his search, but that was not foremost in his head right now - just getting the ruby was the goal, he would worry about what came after once he had that done. Even though he didn’t know where exactly to look, he knew Scalatrasso had to be somewhere in Valus Woods, the lizard had basically said as much. The woods were pretty big, but if he searched long enough, surely he could find it…unless there was magic hiding it, which was a possibility, but one he was hoping wouldn’t be realized.

Once deep enough in the woods, he stashed away the regular clothes that he had, wanting to keep them safe and secure if and when he could get back to town; his explorations were in the makeshift tatters he’d exited with the last time, not much but as far as Wevin was concerned it didn’t matter. Anything that cared about what he wore was likely to decide he wasn’t worth their time, and anything that didn’t wasn’t even worth thinking about. While he felt a bit vulnerable in something that basically amounted to a loincloth, it would be better if he had something to come back to that hadn’t been shredded by Scal, and if he met the lizard again that was the likely fate of anything he wore.

Scal was presenting certain problems for Wevin already, and he hadn’t even shown up yet. The main thing was that Wevin couldn’t really get his mind off of him, and not in the good way…or perhaps, more accurately, not in the bad way. He could feel a warmth in him as he thought about the lizardman, and more than a couple times he found his mind straying to salacious fantasies, imagining Scal erect and ready to take him, and himself helpless and wanting, something that left a heat in his loins that he tried to tamp down whenever he noticed it. He really shouldn’t have been thinking of Scal like that, the lizardman had taken advantage of him and he shouldn’t have wanted more of that…but some part of him was not in alignment with this, and that was making him nervous. If Scal exploited that…he HAD said he wouldn’t mind taking Wevin as his prize before, if he had any sense that he could get Wevin agreeable to the idea that was probably it for him. Wevin had enough disadvantages as it was, he didn’t need this on top of it, so he forced himself to try not to dwell on it too much, and focused on his search.

It was a long walk through Valus Woods, he could almost feel the minutes ticking by. He was trying not to focus too much on the time aspect, knowing he could find other options for the ruby if he didn’t meet Lazloh’s unreasonable demands, but it was hard not to feel a little pressure. There was so much to look through, and he somehow doubted that Scal would be easily found - a thief of his caliber likely had plenty of magic at his disposal, even if it wasn’t from his person. He could be hiding anywhere, and Wevin might never see a hint of it…

And yet…

Wevin didn’t really know why, but he found himself oddly compelled to move in one direction above others. It was almost like something was pulling at him, telling him to come that certain way. He couldn’t have named what direction he was going, he wasn’t an expert navigator and with the trees overhead the sun wasn’t a fantastic cue, but any time he deviated from it it almost felt like there was a pressure on him to go back that way, even if he deviated out of necessity. It wasn’t a feeling Wevin understood, but he had no real reason not to follow it - it wasn’t like he had any better ideas.

And it took him to an area that was all too suspicious. The trees were somewhat thinner and the foliage was less dense, it felt like something meaningful was there. Nothing that Wevin could see right off, but that pull was ever stronger…something was up with this spot, he knew it. So he searched around, trying to find some sign of what it might be that was drawing him, or what was hidden in this secluded spot. Nothing obvious was sticking out at first, but the more he searched, the more he noticed something.

There’s a grouping of trees that something REALLY doesn’t want me going through.

It was such a subtle effect that he had no illusions about how he’d missed it initially. Just an innocuous set of trees, forming the corners of what looked like a square, certainly close to one if not perfect, and any time he got close he found himself suddenly turning away and going another direction, without really even thinking about it. It didn’t give him distress, didn’t make him scared, it was simply a potent compulsion that seemed to sneak in unconsciously. If he hadn’t had any reason to suspect it, he might never have picked up on it…but that pull was still there, and it was seeming to come from not far from that innocent-looking spot. Wevin couldn’t precisely pinpoint it but that patch seemed to draw him from every direction more or less. There had to be something there, concealed by magic…how to reveal it?

Wevin first tried stepping in. That was a no go, his body pretty much froze as it got to the perimeter. He walked around it a bit, looking for any sign of any switches or anything that might be hidden in any of the trees, but came up with nothing on that either. Some kind of object to dispel magic might have been capable of it, but he had neither the time nor the money to get anything of the sort. It seemed to stymie him…until picked up on something he hadn’t noticed the first time, a detail that was large enough that he could easily overlook it when trying to scrutinize very closely. Each of the trees had a branch pointing out from the square, almost perfectly away from the very center. The branch didn’t have anything special on it, but one of them was straight, one of them branched in two directions, one branched in three, and one branched in four. It might have been a coincidence…or it might have been a code. On a hunch, he tried touching each tree in the order that the branches indicated. He felt nothing on the first three, and was beginning to doubt he’d made any sort of genius observation…

And then he touched the fourth one, and suddenly something shimmered into existence in front of him. His eyes widened as he saw a building between the trees; it wasn’t big enough to be touching them, but it took up a fairly significant amount of the space between those key trees, enough that he certainly wouldn’t have been able to miss it if he’d been able to walk through. The illusion that had hidden it had been a masterwork, Wevin would never have been able to tell there was a building there…and he got the uncanny feeling that, if someone else were to walk up right now, they still wouldn’t see it. The revelation was to him alone, and he wondered if he was just now able to see it for good, or if it would disappear to him again in a bit.

Either way, he wasn’t going to wait around to find out. As he stepped forward, he found nothing diverting him this time, and he could make for the doorway to the building. The pull was definitely drawing him inward, though there was something else to it that he was starting to pick up on, a pull downward as well. Maybe the signal had been muddied by the magic hiding the building, he hadn’t really noticed that aspect before. But now he also wondered…was it the ruby calling to him? This surely had to be Scalatrasso’s hideout, and there was no possible way he would have just stumbled upon it for weeks if he hadn’t been drawn there. Maybe the ruby had affected him somehow while it was inside him? There was something mildly disconcerting about that thought, but he could deal with that later - right now, he needed to try to get it back.

The doorway wasn’t going to put up a fight - it wasn’t even a real door, just a fabric curtain in the opening. Scalatrasso must have relied on the illusion for his security…well, it WAS a very good illusion, that probably wasn’t unwarranted. But it made it all the easier for Wevin to get inside. His immediate impression was that it wasn’t exactly enthralling, the interior looked like a rustic home, not terribly large, and just one single room that didn’t have much of anything unusual within. It had a seat next to a window with a bookshelf, a small corner which looked to be a kitchen area, a spot that looked like it was for exercise, and then what looked like a ladder that led underground against one wall away from those areas. If that pull was coming from below - and it definitely was - then that was his direction.

Carefully he descended the ladder, though it seemed that it wasn’t unstable or anything, he was trying to be cautious in case there were traps for anyone who did manage to get inside. But he was unmolested as he reached the ground underneath, and here things were starting to look more interesting. Odd magic lamps were stuck in a wood-slat ceiling overhead, and there were several open doorways that led to other rooms along either side of a sizable hallway. Looking into the first one on his left, he saw what looked like a bedroom, something that had been missing from the above area. But it was the one on the right that caught his attention most - there were shelves lined with objects, many small pieces and some larger ones, which even at a glance Wevin could tell were either rare, expensive, or enchanted. It definitely came off as a trophy room, dispelling any doubt that he was in the wrong spot. Which meant, he had to get going and get his ruby, and try to get out of here as quickly as possible…he followed the pull down the hallway, all the way to the end on the right, and stepped into the doorway-

And right into the sight line of Scalatrasso, who was kicked back in his seat, grinning as if he were waiting for him. Which Wevin knew immediately that he had been. He froze, not knowing what to do at the sight of the sexy (shut up brain) reptile, even more in the buff than he had been in the woods - not a stitch of clothing, nor any of the accessories or anything else covering up that body that was making him salivate (SHUT UP BRAIN).

“I suppose you thought you were being pretty stealthy,” Scal remarked, not making any move to come and get Wevin; he seemed entirely unperturbed by the intrusion, in fact. “The crafted illusion that hides my den is tied to me - if someone reveals it, I can feel it. So I would have known no matter what…though, I must say, I didn’t think you’d figure out the trick without someone telling you, I made sure it was incredibly subtle. Quite the impressive display. But beyond that…I’ve been sensing your arrival for quite some time, now.”

“…How?”

“Well, now, I think you might have a hint at the answer.” Scal held up the ruby in his hand - the one that Wevin had come to retrieve, so close in theory and yet so agonizingly far away in practice. “I’d been working on trying to suss out the magic of this thing, and that’s when I felt something unusual…like I could feel myself being drawn to something. It almost got me compelled enough to go out searching, but I could sense it getting closer, and decided to try and draw it to me instead. Heh, it looks like my intuition was spot-on.”

That prickly feeling was starting to rise in the back of Wevin’s neck. “Drawing…me? What…how? What’s going on? What is that thing?”

“Not sure. I don’t think I’ve figured out all its secrets in such short order. But if I had to wager a guess…it seems to channel some kind of binding or connection spell. I’d have to do a lot more looking to figure out all the parameters, but my guess is, when I was in contact with you at the same time I was holding it, it was reacting to that and creating a connection between us that went beyond normal. And I think it might have been particularly effective because a certain part of me was rubbing up against a certain part of you that had had a LOT of contact with it…” Scal smirked at the sudden flush in Wevin’s face. “In fact, I think that might have made you even more eager, since your body was primed and all.”

“That…that’s not…I…” Stupid sexy lizard was making it harder for him to focus. “So you…you can pull me to you with the ruby, that means? But why would you want to?”

“Why not? You were a very good time. And I wouldn’t mind more of you…a lot more, in fact.”

“I…I’m not here to give you more of me. I’m here to…I’m here to get that ruby and bring it to the person who I’m supposed to bring it to. Or at least try…and then to…get myself back to my normal self…”

“Hm, I’m not in favor of that. Admittedly I know nothing of it, but I don’t think your ‘normal’ self is nearly as much fun as your current self. And I don’t think you want it as much as you claim to.”

“What? Of course I do! Why wouldn’t I…” Even as Wevin was saying it, though, a dangerous hint of doubt was creeping in. And it was directly related to his earlier fantasies…the ones that had him as he was now, eagerly awaiting being ravished by Scal just as he had been before. And even now, that was filling him with a lot of heat in his loins…enough that he was having trouble insisting on a preference otherwise. In fact, he was struggling to even remember what it was like having a cock like he had. Was that part of the magic, too? Had his ‘hiding’ it the way he had warped him? Or had Scal’s use of him done it? Or was it a mix of the two? Did Scal now have power over him, and his desire was imposing on Wevin’s own? Too many questions, not enough answers, and probably boatloads of trouble as a result.

“Hmhm, starting to get it, I see. But, I’m willing to put it to the test. Perhaps I’m wrong. And if I am, then I think it’s only fair that, after all you’ve managed to do to get here, you get your prize.” Scal rose up, his body even more on display now as his cock started to emerge from his slit. “I’ll lay a wager. Allow me to ravish you again. No resistance, no shenanigans, but I hold the ruby. If you really want the ruby and a return to your old self, then all you have to do is keep from cumming from my cock alone. But, if I’m right, and you want me more than you want any of that…you belong to me, and the ruby will affirm it. You’re welcome to refuse, but then I’m afraid I won’t be parting with this, and I don’t fancy your odds of being able to swipe it from me.”

Wevin swallowed, hesitating. He wasn’t sure what to say…especially when part of the problem was that he really wanted to say yes just to feel that dick use him once again. That alone made his chances feel fairly remote, especially remembering how it felt the first time. Which might have been the point, Scal might already suspect that it would feel insanely good again, too good for him to do anything about. On the other hand, Wevin knew Scal was right that he wasn’t getting the ruby any other way, which meant either putting himself on the line or walking away with nothing once again…

Scal snickered, stepping up close, making sure Wevin had to pick up that lizard scent at its freshest. “Heh heh…I can tell you’re barely holding yourself back from agreeing. Think about it, it’s a win-win…if you do hold yourself back, then you’ll have what you wanted. If you don’t…then you’ll know that what you really wanted more than anything is to be mine, and you’ll be far happier than you ever would have been if you’d denied the pleasure. There’s no real risk to you at all…you get what you truly want either way.”

The silver-tongued scaly was just too damn good. Wevin couldn’t find a good argument against his words, and all of them compelled him to one conclusion, the one he knew he wanted anyway. “I…I’ll do it. I’ll let you fuck me…but how do I know you’ll keep to your word?”

“Tsk. A thief has to have some honor. Would I offer such a thing if I didn’t mean it? You’re in my domain, at every disadvantage…you could do nothing to keep me from sticking it in, if I so desired. If I’m choosing to offer this, it means I intend to offer it…even as confident as I am that I’ll be victorious. And if I’m that confident and still wrong, then I should have a price to pay for my unwarranted confidence, no?”

Once again, a good point made, and one that assuaged Wevin…even if he had a feeling that that confidence wasn’t at all unwarranted. But, his options were extremely limited, so he might as well try it…even if Scal somehow did weasel out of it, it would put him no worse off than if the lizard had just forced the matter once again. He pulled at the ragged loincloth, which pretty quickly fell apart as he tried to remove it - it had been in pretty shaky shape as it was, and Wevin doubted that either way he’d be missing it. It left him fully exposed to Scal, and whatever the feeling of his mind, his body was certainly unconflicted - he was wet enough down there to be actually dripping.

“Heh heh…that scent of yours is so delectable, Wevin. Were it not for our bet, I could scarcely resist pinning you down and tonguing you until I couldn’t move it anymore.” Fucking hell, why’d Scal have to be so flirtatious? It really wasn’t helping Wevin’s resistance when his face was flushing so hard at being complimented in such lewd ways. He tried to steel himself as he felt Scal’s hands take hold of him, one of them bearing the ruby that was now being pressed against his skin. He shivered a bit just from the touch of scales against him, it was so much better than it should have been…just like so much else Scal had on him, and now he was deliberately putting himself at the reptile’s mercy. And the dick brushing against his folds seemed less inclined to mercy and more inclined to conquest.

And that really shouldn’t have been turning him on so much.

He couldn’t hold back his cry when Scal thrust in - quite deep this time, hilting in a quick motion, Wevin’s body rapidly ceding all resistance and allowing it as deep as it wanted to go. His body seized and shuddered as a minor climax hit, a prelude to what might come next…if he wasn’t even able to resist that, the chances of success seemed even more remote. But Scal, to his surprise, didn’t immediately take off and start humping him; instead, he stayed put for a bit, rubbing Wevin’s sides as he pressed the human into the wall. “That’s right…squeeze me, squirm for me, let me feel your heart race and your loins ache. Hmhmhm, your rapture is such a delight to me…maybe I’ve been affected by the magic as well. But I can scarcely complain if this is the result.”

What could he do but concede to the requests? Or were they commands? Did it matter? He was doing it anyway. His body was tensing around that cock and writhing against Scal, feeling like it barely needed anything to be stimulated like mad. And his nose was starting to catch up with Scal’s own scent, dry and reptilian, a hint of smokiness and a note of muskiness that he didn’t want to admit he was very much enjoying. He hadn’t really noticed it before, he’d been too overwhelmed the first time, plus the scents of the forest around them and the movement of the air made those scents less distinct…but here in Scal’s domain, naturally they would be quite strong. It made him feel slightly wobbly in the knees, like he wanted to just fall down and surrender right there…

Scal started to thrust, but it was again not the same as the forest. Slower, more deliberate, not gentle to be sure but not nearly as energetic as before, yet it seemed no less intense to Wevin’s inflamed loins. And his own responses were less vivacious as well, instead taking on more of a huskiness, a depth to the cries that matched the new approach. It suddenly occurred to Wevin, what had happened up above had been simply a quick romp, a pump-and-dump that had primarily been for raw satisfaction…this, here, was different, it was Scal making a much more fervent effort to pleasure him, to try to claim him, without the pressure of time or the threat of interruption. Wevin wasn’t tied up this time, yet somehow he was even more exposed and helpless than before…and the building heat in his body, spreading in waves from where the ruby touched, was even more potent and arousing than before, making his pussy leak heavily around that welcome intruder.

“Mmf, so wet, so needy…do you enjoy my cock, Wevin?” What a singularly unfair question to ask in such a moment, when there was no chance of Wevin’s denial. Even then, surely it would have helped if he could at least keep his mouth shut, but another thrust broke it out of him, a low, lingering “Yesssss…” that caused the heat to jump up, the ruby rewarding him for his surrender. He seemed even more sensitive now, could swear he could have counted every bump and spike on Scal’s shaft, and he couldn’t help but squeeze around them, giving them more purchase and more influence over him.

“That’s a good human…being nice and honest about himself. You like my cock, you want more of it, I can feel how much you crave it. Do you like it when I get rougher, Wevin? Do you want it faster, harder?”

“Ah…I…” Wevin’s resistance was crumbling spectacularly fast, the thought of getting more poked into his brain and pushed his buttons hard. “I want more…I want to feel your power, Scal…” Another jump in heat, and Wevin was dimly registering that the more he gave into Scal, the more power the lizard had over him, the ruby enforcing his position under Scal and making him more and more vulnerable. Now he was taken from against the wall and brought to the ground, Scal over him again like the previous time, but somehow even closer…he sped up, pulled out further and thrust in harder, giving Wevin exactly what he’d asked for. And it felt so good, so nice to just…give in, to give Scal what he wanted, to stop fighting the pleasure and accept it.

“Haah…yesssss…this is as amazing as I thought it would be, maybe even more. The way you cling to me, the way you moan and cry, the raw desire in you, it ignites my desires like nothing else ever has.” Scal had a pin on him, even though Wevin was doing nothing but squirming under him, it was helping to amplify the sense of power he had, and Wevin welcomed it, loved what it made him feel like. The reptile’s cock was throbbing so distinctly within him, each pulse another little pressure that he felt that made his head spin, shooting more of that hot liquid into him that he could have bathed in. “And I can tell, your passions have never been so strong, your desires never so deep, your needs never so fierce and your ecstasy never so extreme…you don’t truly want to ever go back to what was before, do you? You don’t truly wish to lose this bliss that you’ve come to find, do you?”

“I…I…ngah…S-Scal…” Wevin’s body felt so warm, so good, that cock was so amazing…he knew what he should say, but he couldn’t say it, not at all…no, he felt something else bubbling up, something in the pit of his gut that was rising up, a pressure that was building and trying to come out. Except it wasn’t something physical, but a sensation, a desire…he was holding it back, knowing what was in there, one last feeble effort at resistance that was eroding just like all the others. Trying to hold it in…just didn’t feel good, didn’t feel right. And he wanted to feel good, wanted to feel right, wanted what would give him what he sought…and as that thought came through, the barricade crumbled and the words tumbled out. “Yes…I want to stay this way, I want to be yours, I want to feel this good all the time!”

That final surrender was all it took. Suddenly a fierce heat rushed from the ruby, enveloping Wevin’s body from the inside out, and he cried out in unbridled ecstasy as his orgasm overtook him, sealing his defeat in their challenge, though it certainly didn’t feel like failure. His last desires for normalcy were irrevocably swept away, his mind compelled to fully embrace the shape his new master desired of him, not that it had had far to go by then. The etching of Scal’s supremacy in his mind was likewise unimpeded then, magnifying the euphoria from taking him within his body. And Scal suddenly got his own rush, rising up a bit and then starting to rut almost frantically without warning, a screech escaping his maw a minute later as he came hard into Wevin. Each bolt of reptilian spunk felt like an indelible mark inside Wevin, raising the heat and pleasure further, his body greedily trying to suck every drop it could from Scal’s testes. Both parts were now complete, Wevin’s surrender and claiming sealed in by their respective orgasms as they hit pinnacles of pleasure they’d never known before - an experience that was quite literally magical.

It took a fair bit for the two of them to experience a fading of their respective peaks, but it came eventually, the tension easing and their bodies unwinding into fatigued complacency. Scal half-dropped onto Wevin, the weight and feel of his body making the human moan blissfully. “Ah…that…was…quite something…I don’t…quite know what came over me there…but…I have a feeling this ruby’s magic is…rather interesting.”

Wevin could only nod. Though the gem was pressed against him still, he could feel it within him, its presence was no longer necessary. He was bonded to Scal now for good, his desires would be easily stoked, he could readily be drawn to his master, and the pleasures he felt at serving Scal were always going to be this level of ferocious and unadulterated by anything unpleasant. And he didn’t mind at all…there was no possible way what he had originally intended by coming here would have been as satisfying. Scurrilman could go fuck himself, he didn’t need or want anything from him, all he could want would be readily received from his lizardy lover.

And as he felt Scal’s arms wrap around him, he got the feeling that that feeling was quite mutual. “Mm…you know, I’ve never desired anyone as strongly as this…never even thought I could. I always thought I was perfectly fine on my own, but…perhaps I’ve been more lonesome than I care to admit. Wevin, you may be a prize more valuable than all the treasures I’ve nicked in all my years…I suppose I shall have to make sure you are treated accordingly. Hm, at least you can tell me what you want, most can’t do that and those that can often shouldn’t be listened to…but you’re one that should be, and I shall do all I can to earn more of your resplendent pleasure.”

Wevin doubted it would take much at this point, but he happily nodded against that scaly body. He wasn’t sure exactly what was going to happen in the coming days, but he was sure he was going to like it and that it would be better than anything that had come before - and that was all that mattered.