To The Victor: The Minotaur's Due

"Finally, civilization" Ghislaine the drow sorcerer muttered as the trees thinned and the city walls of Appleton became visible through the early morning haze. The party had been walking and sleeping rough for nearly a week to reach another town after the portal in the ancient ruins they'd explored had dropped them... somewhere.

"Oh thank the gods! I was convinced we were on a different continent entirely! If that's Appleton... have we been in the goddamn Bushwise Woods this whole time!? How did we not recognize the roads!" Maxwell the human wizard grumbled, more frustrated with his own lack of recognition than anything.

"Cus we've been exhausted and living on jerky for nigh a week" Brin the halfling thief muttered "I for one need a week at an inn, and another at a tavern" she sighed dramatically. Truthfully she'd spent about half the hike riding on the shoulders of Horrus the Minotaur Barbarian, but still, she had to walk twice as far as the others due to her short legs! Horrus for his part was uncharacteristically silent since they left the ruins. Maxwell had his suspicions that he'd snatched some rare artifact or another and not told the party, but the massive brute was usually reliable and honest so he assumed it was something small like a trinket, or perhaps a new hammer.

The party trode the short path to the gate and showed their traveling papers to the guard. He eyed Horrus and Ghislaine suspiciously, but made no comment as he stepped aside to allow the party passage. "Humans, think they own the world just because they fuck more" Ghislaine grumbled once they were out of earshot. Horrus chuckled and Maxwell rolled his eyes. Truthfully he didn't cosign his kins racism, but he knew his companions were rarities amongst their people in that they neither worshiped nor served the dark gods. "I mean to make for the Shaded Respite. Do you all wish me to get extra rooms for you as well or do you want to find your own accommodations?"

Horrus nodded silently, but Maxwell and Brin waved her off. "Don't take it for an insult you two but with the coin we scored I think I'll stay somewhere a bit nicer than the Shady Pit this time" Brin snorted, referencing the Inns reputation as somewhat of a house of ill repute and its location in the darker Old Quarter of the city. "Besides, the Silk Chateau has mineral baths that call my name."

"Nothing so luxurious on my part, I'll stay at the university while we're here. I need to do some work compressing my spell book and studying rituals and it'll save me the commute." Maxwell said, his even voice and pragmatism the one true constant of the party of rogues. They traveled to the central market and sold off what relics and rarities they needed to to their usual merchant contacts, before splitting their take and bidding each other farewell for a few days. Maxwell and Brin headed for the high streets, while Horrus and Ghislaine moved into the old quarter of the city.

"Does it ever bother you?" Ghislaine asked as they passed the Merchants Bank and the guards out front eyed the pair suspiciously. Horrus shrugged and cast his gaze to the men with just enough malice to make them turn their own elsewhere. Racism wasn't enough to convince a low paid guard that he could take down an ordinary minotaur let alone one as battle hardened as him.

"It did, once upon a time... But the older I get the less I care what weak little men do" He said in a rumbling brogue. Ghislaine was probably a century or two older than the massive 8 '4 barbarian, but she'd spent most of that time cloistered in her home country, blissfully unaware of the discrimination her kind faced elsewhere. Horrus had been a citizen of the empire his whole life, the prejudice of man was old news to him. His clan had been driven from their home and forced into a nomadic lifestyle when he was a boy. Minotaurs cut an intimidating shape, with a head similar to a bull, but with forward facing eyes, thick bovine necks with a cape of fur that reached down to muscular humanoid shoulders. Most had massive muscular human torsos with huge burly arms, then around their waist the animalistic traits took over once again, with thick muscular legs and sharp hooves. They were a product of dark magic designed to give slaves the strength to be perfect beasts of burden.

"In my country, I'm a great beauty. When I feel eyes on me it is because someone has been struck by my visage and joined the ranks of my suitors... here I feel like it's always someone suspicious of my intentions." She muttered. Horrus looked down at her and shook his head. In truth he was surprised the prejudice was enough to blind others to the beauty of his companion. Ghislaine was a statuesque marvel of grace and form, standing 6 '2 with long black hair and onyx skin, with breasts as large as cantaloupes and a generous backside on curvaceous figure. Her facial features were well defined, but gentle, with large soft lips and wide grey eyes. To one who didn't have hate in their heart, she was a gem that outshined the mere stones that lined the streets of a small city like Appleton. But drow were rare outside the darklands, and those inside worshipped a dark and ancient god.

"You're a great beauty wherever you are Ghislaine, some places just have more suspicion than they do taste" he said with a short chuckle. Her skin would never show a blush, but the expression she attempted to hide betrayed her appreciation of the compliment. They soon arrived at the perpetually dark quarter of the old city where the night races dwelled. As they did, Ghislaine shed her amulet of protection and took the hood from her cloak, enjoying the magic her people had sewn centuries ago before the empire or the great schism. Some in the city claimed the darkness was a curse, but in truth the city itself had grown from a drow outpost, and the darkness predated the buildings. The Shaded Respite sat only a few yards past the boundary, an old marble building crafted by duragar, with all the classic hallmarks of dwarvish architecture blending with the more Gothic sensibilities of the night races. They entered, Horrus ducking through the door but mercifully being able to stand tall under the vaulted cathedral style ceilings of the inn.

"Well look what the displacer beast dragged in! I'd heard you two had headed north to freeze your asses off for a few coppers!" Madame Maxine, the inn's proprietress smiled. She was a unique sight amongst the cities of the empire, dryders were typically considered monsters and killed on sight, but the madame had been around Appleton longer than most of the buildings.

"Long story! We did, but then we touched a glowing rock and ended up in a lake about 40 miles west of town." Ghislaine sighed with a chuckle and a dramatic eye roll. "We'll need two rooms for the next few days. Hopefully you have the Large room available for my companion?" The madame nodded and fetched two keys from beneath the counter. One was what most would think of as a key, the other was as long as a dwarfs forearm and nearly as thick. Ghislaine dropped two gold coins on the counter and grabbed the smaller of the two keys.

"Horrus, there's something different about you dear, did your horns get larger? Your fur more lustrous?" The madame purred, looking up at the massive minotaur with flirtatious half lidded eyes. Horrus smirked and flexed a little under her gaze, feeling admired for the first time in a long time. Not many considered his kind attractive, despite their large size and muscular forms, they were usually regarded as nearer to beasts. Without warning she flickered her fingers and uttered an incantation, throwing up a spell. Horrus jumped back and grabbed his war hammer and shield from his belt and brandished them in front of him. The two women erupted into laughter and Ghislaine placed a steadying hand on her friend.

"It's a detect magic spell Horrus, no threat. If she'd tried to cast something damaging I'd have burned her alive where she stood. Relax, I suspect she thinks you've been bewitched or something" She smirked, gently running her hand down his thick muscular arm. Horrus grunted, but didn't stand down, staring down the madame with suspicion in his eyes. Maxine sighed and swiped her hand away, dismissing the spell.

"My apologies, I shouldn't have cast it without asking. But something is magical about you, something powerful... Whatever you've got going on as long as it doesn't threaten my inn it's none of my business." Maxine smiled apologetically, pushing one of the gold she'd grabbed earlier back across the counter at the pair. Horrus put his weapon away and gently pushed the gold back across the counter to the madame.

"No harm done, I'm just jumpy after so long on the road... Usually when someone starts casting spells my direction it means I'm either about to lose my mind for a moment, or be hit with something painful" He said with a gentle smile, trying to diffuse the tension in the room to the best of his ability. He wasn't much for diplomacy, his version of it usually resulted in bones cracking and screams. Madame Maxine however accepted the gesture and the coin, extending a hand with an upturned palm. Horrus sighed, the ritual one she'd done for him a time or two before, Palm readings. Not something she offered to every customer, she didn't do them for money. She liked being right, she liked interesting stories, and most of all she liked knowing secrets. Horrus begrudgingly extended his hand for her inspection and she eagerly grabbed it, her red eyes flying over his skillet sized palm as though it were a book.

"You keep secrets my sweet Minotaur, secrets from all, that even your palms don't reveal. But you will reveal them to a trusted friend soon,. and when you do... they will have no choice but to accept them as truth. You are in for a change of fortunes, for the better I suspect, though at the misfortune of another. Your lifeline... it stretches long. Longer than an adventurer's would under normal circumstances... and much too long for your kind. Though I know not if that is a good thing" She whispered, before slapping his hand gently with hers and releasing it, eyeing him suspiciously, but never letting her hospitable smile falter. Horrus grunted and took his room key, leaving without another word and walking towards the stairs. Ghislaine followed after a quick farewell, and had to rush to catch up even with her naturally long and graceful strides.

"Secrets hmmm? Maxwell mentioned he suspected as much as well, though he chose not to pry" she said conspiratorially as they climbed the long marble staircase to the second floor where the inn housed its patrons. Horrus regarded her with a grunt but didn't acknowledge the unspoken question. "I hope I'm considered a trusted friend after all we've been through together..." she offered..

"If you wish to know the secret the witch speaks of, come to my room in an hour. Give me time to unpack and gather my thoughts. Ghislaine... you are my most trusted and cherished friend. I'd hope you'd know that." He grumbled, before breaking off from her to the room at the end of the hall with a door a full two feet taller than the others. He inserted his key and turned it, the latch requiring nearly 100 lbs of force to turn as he opened the door and stepped inside.

Despite the luxurious stone appearance of the building, the rooms themselves were somewhat sparse. A hearth with enough wood for a fire, a washbasin, a straw bed the size of a barn stall, and a sturdy wooden table on the far wall with two chairs hewn from solid oak and a candle at its center. Horrus knew the room well, it was one of the only in the city he could comfortably sleep in, and the nicest amongst them as far as he knew. He set his weapon and belt of gear next to the bed, pulling off his magic bag and setting it on the table. He stared at it in silence for a few moments, taking a seat in the chair nearest the hearth. He still wore his kilt and the small dagger in its buckle, and his natural weapons were more than enough for most foes... but he still hesitated.

Finally he reached his hand into the mouth of the unassuming leather pouch and imagined the silver and blue stone he'd found in the ruins, summoning it to his grasp and withdrawing it slowly. He set it at the center of the table and drew the dagger, holding it over the gem poised to strike down and shatter it. "Come out specter, come and honor your word." He barked.

All at once a white fog erupted from the point of the gem, spinning and writhing in the air until it formed a roughly humanoid shape that hung in the air over the table. "Praise be to you it is good to be free from that hell! Leave it to the Orzova kingdom to capture me in this vessel and then go off and die and leave me there! Do you know how long I sat in those halls with none to speak with but my own echo?" It groaned, its voice a discordant mixture of tones like many people speaking at once.

"I'm sure they did not intend to die. No more than I intended to keep secrets from my party."Horrus grumbled, his eyes stinging as they tried too hard to keep track of all the minute movements of the figures ever shifting visage.

"Ah yes, sorry to ask that of you my friend. But your wizard friend would've insisted on my study and analysis, and I'd likely have been yet again left to molder in some specimen container till long past the fall of whatever kingdom he serves. And my taste for captivity has soured." It chuckled with a sound that could've been laughter... but wasn't. "Now, to our deal! What was it I promised you again? Ah yes. You wished power, and the heart of your faire maiden, and to live a long and happy life with her? Was that the rub?" It asked, its voice almost sounding judgemental... or melancholic.

"That is what you offered me. I have other requests! Before I release you, I demand to know what you are, and what you intend to do with your freedom." Horrus growled at the creature. It walked on the air as though it were a set of stairs, stepping down until it could sit in the chair across from him and stare him down with its eyeless face.

"Ah, not a fool after all then hmm? I am what those of this realm call a god. I was an old and forgotten one even before my capture by the Orzova, so my power has dwindled some. But I've got enough fat left in the larder to pull off the miracles you require of me... once I'm free of this prison. As to my intentions? I'm gonna travel the world! See what's new, visit my old temples and see if any of them still stand. Never stay in the same place more than a day and never be bound TO A DAM ROCK AGAIN" in its final words its voice became harsh and acrid, like the buzzing of a swarm of insects close to your ears. Horrus snatched the gem and held it firmly near the mouth of the bag he'd retrieved it from, quickly stopping the entity's rant as it recognized the threat. "Hey hey hey. No need for that! How about this, a pact. Your wishes, and my backing in the future as your patron. As part of the pact I swear to cause no calamity or ruin to the world. Would that be enough comfort for you?" It was offered in a much softer voice this time.

Horrus stared at it till his eyes watered, then blinked as quickly as he could. Afraid to give it any opening to lash out at him. He had no defense against powerful magic, but at this range even most mages were helpless before his strength and the speed of his reflexes. "The heart of the one I covet, your 'godly' favor, and your promise to do no harm to the world at large or my world as small as it may be. We have an accord." He said firmly. The creature nodded, and thought it had no mouth, it seemed to grin a triumphant smile. Its hand-like appendage extended slowly and Horrus took it in his, shaking it firmly though it felt like loose silk in his grasp.

"Now, if you would be so kind..." The entity said, excitedly trailing off and gesturing to the gem in his hand. Horrus focused his strength for a moment and then with a mighty squeeze he shattered the rock and ground it to dust in his palm. As soon as he did this was a rush of wind from nowhere and everywhere at once, and the smoke that was the entity was washed away to reveal a tall ethereal androgynous figure, with racial traits similar to an elf but also a human. The creature, now clad in gray robes and much more corporeal, flexed its hands and fingers, rolling its shoulders and snapping its jaw the way one would after a long slumber. "Oh it feels good to have form again!" It bellowed in a voice that was deep and like the trumpeting of horns, but singular for the first time since their meeting. Horrus stared at the figure with suspicion, his free hand still holding the dagger at the ready.

"Glad I could be a help... now, for our deal?" Horrus grunted, starting down at the strange entity. The god smiled and nodded, hopping to its feet and walking forward. It reached out slowly with one hand, the other raised in a steadying gesture.

"I'm afraid I must mark you as mine for the magic to work. Further I must admit that I'm technically unable to to deliver on part of our accord at the moment" Horrus let out a snort angrily as the entity touched his horn and chalk white lines extended from its fingers, tracing and carving their way along the caretin forming intricate sigils that appeared as mirrored on the opposite horn. "None of that. You'll have your prize, just, through your own power instead of mine. Gods can't interfere with free will. We can guide, or cajole, even influence. But at the end of the day I cannot give you her heart... but I can empower you to take it." He smirked. When he finished he stepped back and admitted his work with a long low whistle.

"Already you go back on your word" Horrus growled angrily, staring the creature down. The entity for its part seemed unconcerned with his fury and was surveying the room at this point. It picked up the candle on the table and the wick ignited, which seemed to fascinate it.

"No such luck I'm afraid! You'll find the next time you speak to her you have all the power necessary to claim her as your own. And by our accord? As long as she is yours, my portion of the bargain is fulfilled. You'll find you have many powers now... and if you wish for more all you'll ever need to do is reach out for me. I may ask some small boons but frankly even given what little you've asked thus far I consider myself firmly indebted to you... You've no idea how bored I've been the past few centuries." The entity mumbled. It walked to the sole window in the room, a small opening filled with a solid pane of glass that didn't open, studying it for a moment. Horrus regarded it suspiciously but didn't rise to follow.

"What have you done to me?" Horrus growled, his voice a deep dangerous rumble that any being less than this self proclaimed God would've taken as a warning. The entity for its part however seemed more concerned with the glass and seams of the window than its liberator.

"I believe they call what you've become a Warlock in this age? I've bonded you to me by power and pact. Use it how you will, just come to me if you want more. Now, if our affairs are settled, I smell something delicious baking a few towns over and I'd like to sample it" The entity smirked, favoring Horrus with a doff of an imaginary hat, before walking through the window as though it were an illusion and disappearing into the sky like a bird. The Minotaur jumped to his feet and rushed to the window, only to catch sight of the self appointed god's feet disappearing above the clouds.

"... Fuck!" Horrus growled, sensing all at once that he may have made a grave error in judgement. He ran his thick burly hands over his horns, the calluses catching on the newly hewn lines of power. He could feel a roaring deep in his chest as he did, like a great waterfall or wind rushing through trees, it felt powerful but foreign. "What good is a power I don't know how to use..." he murmured to himself. He released his horn and clenched his fist, and to his surprise as he did his hammer appeared there. Now however the familiar cold iron had been polished, and gleamed like newly sharpened steel. Its handle was no longer the black walnut he'd used to replace it in the Balemark Battle five years prior, but some sort of white stone that felt smooth and soft under his touch. He rotated it around, feeling the new weight and balance apprehensively.

A warrior's weapon was their lifeline, their most trusted friend, to see his transformed like this was honestly more unsettling than the modifications the entity had made to his own body. But he couldn't deny, somehow, his hammer felt more natural in his hand than it had before. It has long since become an extension of his arm, or himself, but now it felt... seamless. It felt as though he couldn't tell where his flesh ended and his weapon began. "Not what I asked for... but I'm not mad at it" he grunted. He focused on that raging river in his chest and tried to divert it down into the weapon, trying to will this new power into submission the way he did his berserker's rage. As he did, there were a few errant sparks and then the head of the hammer burst into an iridescent green flame akin to burning copper. He almost dropped the weapon in surprise, but held fast out of fear of burning the floorboard. "Not mad at all" he mused.

A knock at the door shook him from his introspection and experimentation. He set the hammer on the table and walked over, opening the door with a smile expecting to find Ghislaine there. She stood in her long black robe with the red satin lining, but unexpectedly Maxwell and Brin flanked her looking more than a little perturbed. "I thought you two were off to the high streets" He grunted, narrowing his eyes.

"We'd intended to be. But Ghislaine was worried about you, and when the witch who runs this place said you were keeping secrets she thought it best to summon us." Maxwell said curtly. Ghislaine looked slightly apologetic, but she didn't divert her gaze, instead looking past Horrus into his room.

"Hmmmph" Horrus sighed, shifting his massive form to the side to allow the others in. Ghislaine was the first to enter, making note that Horrus was without his weapons or usual armor. He truly hadn't been expecting a confrontation, she felt a twinge of guilt at that. Maxwell followed, striding immediately to the table where the shards of the gem lay. He picked them up and turned them over suspiciously. Brin kept to the wall, rotating to the hearth as she skulked into the room trying her best to look casual.

"Well I'll acknowledge the Loxodon in the room. You brought something magic back from the ruins. Something you didn't tell us about. Something that's given you some sweet new ink. We just wanna make sure whatever it was wasn't evil and isn't controlling you big guy" Brin said, her tone friendly but with an edge to it. It wasn't lost on Horrus that he was now flanked on both sides and they were between him and his weapons. He'd let them make the moves, any effort to do otherwise would've led to violence immediately. Adventurers, especially the experienced kind, knew how each other operated.

"Well, since you feel entitled to know. I found a rock containing a spirit. It offered me its power and my heart's desire if I could help it escape the ruins. It warned me that if I told Maxwell he would demand we turn it over to the university, not that it had to... I did as it asked, and it granted me my boons and left... in pursuit of Baked Goods if its words were to be believed." Horrus said with a snort. Maxwell narrowed his eyes and threw the piece of gem on the floor.

"You mean to tell me you found a trapped spirit with that much power and your first thought was to release it without any research into who or what it was?! Do you realize how much harm that could do! I knew you were dense but I never thought you'd do something so stupid and reckless." Maxwell growled angrily, running his hand through his short cropped blond hair. Horrus grunted and met his gaze without fear. "What idiotic wish did you have, hmm? A bigger cock? More ale? Gold?" The wizard sneered.

"Maxwell that's quite enough" Ghislaine chided. Maxwell whirled on her with glare and raised his finger like one preparing to lecture a child.

"Of course you leap to his defense! He follows you around like a fed dog and dotes on you constantly. You feed your vanity on his pining. But think, for one second, with something other than your ego! He's just cost this troop our greatest discovery! It could've bought us out of this life!" He snapped at her angrily. Before Ghislaine could respond Horrus stepped between her and Maxwell with a growl.

"I'm used to you belittling me human. But I'd advise you to mind your tongue when you speak to Ghislaine " He said in a menacing tone, flexing his hands angrily. "That relic wouldn't have bought us anything, you'd have handed it over to the scholars for your own glory! Bought yourself a nice cushy spot at the university and left us behind. Same way you do everytime we step foot in town." Maxwell sneered and flexed his own palm, magic crackling in the air around it.

"I think we're all getting a little heated here, what's done is done. We got plenty out of the ruins, all of us. Gold, gems, a few magic items. Much better than we would've gotten out of chasing those drakes. Max, stop this before you say something you can't take back. This was an intervention, not an inquisition." Brin said, raising her hands in a steadying gesture to step forward and intervene. Maxwell cast her a venomous gaze before turning his attention back to Horrus, his staff appearing in his off hand.

"Do you know how many jobs we've lost because of you? Because clients didn't want to associate with you? And the one chance you had to pay us back for all that trouble and you chose to be selfish instead. Give us anything else you took from the ruins, and count yourself lucky I don't blow you through the wall." He said, tapping the base of the staff on the ground and causing sparks to spray out in all directions in a starburst. Brin gasped and Horrus growled, Ghislaine for her part didn't move, just held her hand to the side ready to cast if need be.

"The artifact was the only thing I've held back, the only thing I've ever held back. I made a selfish decision, I don't deny it. But none of us can claim they haven't done the same at one time or another you included. You wanna fight, be prepared for the possibility that you may not survive." Horrus snarled. Maxwell sneered and began to chant out a spell, but before he could Horrus lunged, his hammer appearing in his hand mid stride as he made to bash the wizard in the head.

"Stop!" Brin yelled, launching herself with a dagger and colliding with the minotaur mid lunge and knocking him off course. Maxwell tried to use the opportunity to fire off a spell at Horrus but Ghislaine quickly counterspelled it. Maxwell turned on her and readied another spell, cupping his hand as a blue flame erupted in his palm. As he reared back to throw it a jet of amethyst light erupted from between Horrus's horns and crackled through the air like a streak of lightning before crashing into the wizard and sending him tumbling limply to the floor.

"Fuck!"Brin shouted, jumping to her feet and rushing to her downer compatriot with a healing potion at the ready. Ghislaine for her part looked at Maxwell with a shocked and angry expression, knowing full well the destructive potential of the spell he'd been about to unleash. "He's not breathing... definitely a few broken ribs... is anybody gonna fucking help me?!" Brin asked, using all her strength to flip Maxwell's body on his back. Horrus grimaced and walked over, laying a hand on his former friend's chest and willing the magic inside of him again to act. This time the light from his horns was a softer white, descending almost like a wispy fog over the injured man. Maxwell gasped suddenly and jerked, then settled back into an unconscious but alive state.

"He would've killed you... and me. Over a dam gem" Ghislaine muttered angrily, looking down as Horrus helped Brin feed the potion into Maxwell's unconscious mouth. The dark elf's beautiful features were sharp in their mix of betrayal and pain and fury.

"Oy, not helping!" Brin grunted, using her small but nimble fingers to stroke Maxwell's throat and force him to swallow. The wizard groggily returned to consciousness and almost immediately began to fumble and crawl his way away from Horrus, fear painted across his express. Horrus for his part just stood and walked over to the table, taking a seat in one of the massive chairs and stared at all three of them with a tired expression.

"Gem's gone, and I can't bring it back. Anymore than I can pretend that I've ever had your respect as a member of this party after this shit. Get the fuck out of my room. Find someone else to carry your bags." He said with a dismissive wave of his hand. Maxwell for his part didn't need to be told twice, he stood and stumbled to the door, casting only a momentary glance back at his former party before he disappeared out into the hall. Brin for her part stood hand wringing for a moment before walking to the door.

"I... don't feel right about what went down here today. But me and Max... well we've been working together for years... I get that he can be a dickhead but I can't just walk away. I'm sorry for this Horrus, you're a good man, and a good friend. I wish you all the best... same to you Ghislaine." She said, before offering a low bow and jogging down the hall after the disgraced wizard.

Ghislaine and Horrus sat in the pregnant silence for a while, far too long by his measure but elves always did have a less urgent sense of things. Finally, she broke the silence with a deep inhale. "I'm... sorry for that. I thought he could be an adult about the whole thing, and I was worried about you". Horrus gave a nod, but didn't respond, staring at her with his deep dark eyes and breathing slowly, keeping his expression as neutral as he could. "I'm embarrassed by what he said about me, but even more embarrassed it's true. I haven't been blind to your affection, but I've never returned it, only used it to maintain my faith that I'm desirable. That wasn't fair to you. That wasn't what a friend would do" she muttered, turning her gaze from him to the unlit fire in the hearth.

"I'm not sure what I expected. Not as if one as beautiful as you could ever have anything in your heart but contempt for one such as me." He sighed, following her gaze. Somewhere inside himself though he heard the voice of the entity, like an intrusive thought coming unbidden. Claim Her. You have the power.. He rolled his thick neck to clear them and the urges they brought.

"You're not hideous Horrus. You're tall, strong, and you have honesty in your eyes. But I'm a shallow vapid creature, I crave to see my own image in my lover, and we are very different people" Ghislaine sighed dramatically, striding over to the fireplace and posing beside it for a moment before catching herself and relaxing her posture a little. Horrus snorted with annoyance and shook his head, standing.

"Not Hideous, high praise" he laughed bitterly. Truthfully amongst his own kind he wasn't considered unattractive, but Minotaur females were rare, and typically preferred other races to their own. He reached up and ran his fingers over the lines carved in his horns and mused about how his people would feel about them. Modifying one's horns wasn't entirely uncommon, brass and steel caps for fighting, gold filigree to project wealth (though it was usually seen as tacky), or splitting the tip as part of a religious ceremony. Heck, he'd once seen a Minotaur bard with a small hammock hung between his horns for a pixie guitarist to lounge in while providing accompaniment. But intricate carvings like these were unique in his memory.

"You know that's not what I meant" Ghislaine glared, annoyance in her voice. She eyed him suspiciously for a moment and sighed, turning and walking towards the door. "I don't attend pity parties, meet me for breakfast tomorrow if you get your head straightened out. I'd like to continue working together but we need to figure out how to keep it professional." She said bitterly. Angry flared in Horrus. Not only had she caused all this, the fallout and the attack against him, she openly admitted to knowing his feelings and using him. She did all that and then had the gall to turn it around like she was the wronged party. He jerked his hand and the door to the room slammed shut in front of her.

"A pity party? I thought this was an intervention? Or was it an inquisition? Perhaps a robbery?" He growled angrily. Ghislaine spun on her heel, a ball of crackling blue appearing in her hand as she matched his glare. "Even when laid bare you can't help but act superior?" He yelled. Without warning she loosed the lightning bolt spell she'd been holding in his direction, but he summoned his hammer to him as he had before and smacked the beam out of the air and into the fireplace. There was a small explosion as ash and shards of wood shot in all directions, but when the dust settled a small pile of burning logs remained.

"You've learned some magic from your spirit hmm? I've been practicing for two hundred years, Horrus, your parlor tricks don't..." she was trying to stall for time while she cast a second bolt, but Horrus knew her too well and crossed the room in two massive strides, catching her by the throat and picking her up like a doll. He was careful not to choke her, but he applied just enough pressure to stop her from speaking incantations, a well practiced skill for an adventurer.

"You've always looked down on me Ghislaine, all of you. But perhaps it's time to show you I'm not just a hammer." He said, placing his mouth close enough to her ear that his hot breath tickled her face. Ghislaine jerked in his grasp and pulled the dagger from her belt, driving it into his hand. Horrus roared and involuntarily dropped her. Without missing a beat Ghislaine yanked the dagger free and slashed towards his stomach. Horrus jumped back and glared, hammer in his off hand at the ready.

"All you've shown is that you're no better than any other man when left alone with a beautiful woman" she spar, weaving her hand through the air and blasting fire bolt spell at him. It roared through the room, but Horrus ignited the green flames on his hammer and drove the newly improved iron through the spell.

"Left alone? You mean like you were supposed to come alone? So I could talk to my friend? Instead of being attacked?" He bellowed, smashing the hammer into the ground and sending a lick of green flame flying across the marble like an aggressive viper. Ghislaine swept it aside with a wave of her hand and a blast of icy wind. She spun her wrist in an unnatural arc and then sharply jerked her arm, a jet of black shadow erupting from her fingertips and flooding out into the room. It was like the darkness inside of a cave, or on moonless night, Horrus couldn't see even a few inches in front of his face.

"Would it have made any difference? You think I can't sense your intentions? Would things have been different had I come to you alone before?" Ghislaine hissed, revealing her position off to his right where the window would be. Horrus turned towards her voice just in time to catch a lightning bolt to the chest that sent him stumbling backwards. As he did he tripped over the chair from earlier and went tumbling to the ground. Another spell crashed into his ankle sending a jolt of agony through his body and causing him to yelp involuntarily.

"Had you come alone I would've asked, I would've begged, I would've come to you a suitor, but as it stands? I must come as a conqueror" He growled, lunging to his feet and summoning his hammer back to his hand.

Finally! There's the desire I wanted to see! The Resolve necessary to be my warlock! Let me lend you my eyes so you can finish this charade... the spirit's voice echoed in Horrus's mind before a searing pain behind his eyes forced him to close them tightly in surprise. When he opened them again, the darkness was gone, or rather, he could see through the inky blackness as easily as you could fog on a sunny morning. He spotted Ghislaine's form and rushed her, narrowly dodging another spell she fired in his direction before grabbing her with both hands this time.

"Horrus, please, this isn't you! You're kind, and gentle, and a good friend" She whimpered desperately as his massive hands crushed her slender form like a toy. Horrus snorted and glared down at her, trying to summon his newfound magic powers to do what was needed.

Lock eyes with her, and speak your commands with authority. Will her into submission The voice in his mind said, becoming multitudinous once again as its tone rose with a fervor. Power swelled in Horrus's chest as he shifted Ghislaine until she was looking into his eyes. His voice came out with a high din and a low rumble, as though it too had split into the voices of multiple people.

"You are my love slave. You have always loved me, always found me irresistibly attractive, always craved my cock. You cannot remember a time when you did not adore me above all others. You will forever and always love me and adore me above all others. Your memories and thoughts will change permanently, so even if this spell is broken, you will always be this. Obey Me. Become Mine!" He ordered in the booming discordant voice, that was his, but was not his own. As he did, runes spilled from his horns and wrapped around Ghislaine's head, then traveled slowly down to her neck before bonding with her skin seamlessly and becoming a tattoo of an ornate and beautiful collar of interwoven golden bands with a heart just above her clavicle. She gasped and struggled briefly before her eyes rolled back into a milky white color, and her body went limp. Horrus stared at the broken doll in his grasp for a moment before gently setting her down onto the bed.

"Aaaaand I'm a god of my word!" A voice called in a single song tone from the fireplace. Horrus spun, calling his hammer and preparing for another fight, only to find his patron lounging on the mantle like a cat, eating a pastry with some orange marmalade on it.

"I'll withhold judgement. I didn't want a slave, I wanted a lover. I wanted her conversation, companionship... courtship!" Horrus growled. The god smirked and fluidly rolled off the mantle, landing on its bare feet and striding confidently across the floor towards him. Horrus tensed, but it stopped just before him and gazed up at him curiously.

"Do you know why you had to fight your friends? Why you had to fight her?" It asked with a slight edge to its voice, obviously annoyed at having its power questioned and feeling slighted by his ingratitude.

"Because I'm not good enough at deception to slip past Ghislaine, and she sniffed out that if she'd come alone this would be the outcome." Horrus shrugged, looking over at the unconscious form on the bed.

"I'm not the god of love you imbecile. Nor am I the god of Drow Whores. I'm the god of The Spoils, as in, To the Victor Go. For my magic to work? You had to fight, you had to win. Now you enjoy the spoils. So stop being an ungrateful little shit, thank your new God for their benevolence, and go enjoy." It smacked Horrus on the nose playfully, and then in a strange geometric shimmer it vanished.

"Horrus... what happened?" Ghislaine's confused voice shook him from the stupor of the creature's strange magic, and Horrus turned to see her lounging seductively on the massive bed. Somehow she was even more beautiful than she had been before, with the golden tattoos on her midnight black skin drawing the eyes naturally to her more than ample cleavage, and a pinkish hue in the corner of her once unreadable grey eyes that softened them significantly.

"I... uh... the god came back, to talk and taunt me. I sent him away" He muttered. Ghislaine smiled at this, a true beaming smile, one he'd never seen her make before. The twinge of sadness at the edge of her face that had always cast a shadow over her happiness was gone.

"Excellent, so we're all alone?" She asked conspiratorially. Horrus nodded and Ghislaine shifted, letting her dress and cape fall open and her tits fall free. "Then I have a question for you. We've known each other for years, I've thrown myself at you constantly, why haven't we fucked?" She asked, her smirking seductive expression hiding a chuckle in her voice at his dumbstruck expression. Horrus knew no other way to respond than to shed his own clothes.

"Good Gods you're beautiful " she whispered, standing and shedding her clothes entirely, she walked forward to him and dragged her long sharp fingernails over his stomach and down his thighs. She fluffed the fur on his legs affectionately, before tracing a line to where his thick sheathed cock lay. "You'll have to forgive me. I've never been with someone who has a cock like this." She muttered. Horrus smiled then frowned.

"I'm uh... I haven't bathed yet from the road." He said, raising a hand to gently push her away. Ghislaine Shrugged and pulled back his sheath, allowing his cock to slowly rise to its monstrous red truth.

"Fuck it's huge..." she whispered, staring at the 9" monster that was 2" in diameter. Horrus couldn't blush anymore than her, but his cheeks felt hot at the compliment. "This is going to fill me in a way no other has" she groaned, leaning in and nuzzling her face against it. To her surprise it bucked and seemed to swell against her cheek.

"It gets bigger" Horrus growled proudly, and at his words Ghislaine spat on her hands and wrapped both around the massive member and began to gently stroke it. She nuzzled her face to it, taking deep inhales of its sweaty musk, and running her tongue along the massive shaft to keep it slick as she worked.

" I wanna see. I'm sorry I can't suck it but..." Minotaurs had cocks more like horses than bulls or humans, a strange quirk of the rogue magic that had created them. Meaning Horrus's cock head was a massive shovel-like appendage similar in size to the base of a wine bottle. "I'll devise a spell to make it so I can though. I really wanna feel it in my throat... almost as much as I want it in my pussy" Ghislaine groaned lasciviously.

Horrus for his part was trying desperately not to cum from the sheer triumph of the moment. The object of his lust and affection for years, the unattainable, the prize he fought every battle for; was not only his, but talking about shoving his cock down her throat. "I want... I want that too. But I don't wanna hurt you. I've been with normal folks before and... the first time is rough." He muttered begrudgingly. Truthfully most of the whores he'd been with catered to Large customers. Most normal whores were terrified of being seen as stretched out of loose following a night with them. Courtesan magic could negate the effects but it wasn't commonly known.

"Do you love me Horrus?" Ghislaine asked, standing and taking his hand, placing it gently on her breast. Horrus squeezed the beautiful heavy orb with a lustful groan. Without warning he scooped up his woman and swept her into a passionate kiss. Ghislaine returned the passion with equal desperation and let her body melt into his strong chest.

"I've loved you since that day in the Brukesh Highlands, when you cast that Wind Wall to save me from that goblin hoard. The bluebells were in bloom and it sent them dancing around you like a thousand fairies worshiping your beauty and power. Since the night you curled into my side after that sudden cold snap, when you were too exhausted to cast the shelter spell because you'd spent all day detecting traps in those ruins... I was your shelter." He murmured as he broke their kiss, gazing down at her with adoration, his earlier fury forgotten in the face of her genuine and true love. This woman wasn't the hateful creature who'd thrown his friendship in his face. She was the warm tender friend who'd clung to him as he dove over the side of the Grametlivael pirate ship after Brin set their powder locker to explode.

"Then trust me when I say, I want this. I want to feel it. I'm an adventurer, let me adventurer. I already feel empty without you, fill me." She whispered, before pulling him back into the kiss. Horrus embraced her for a moment before laying her gently down on the table. He kneeled next to it, placing his head between her legs.

"Fine, but let me prepare you first. Grab my horns and guide me to your ecstasy" he instructed, before moving his massive muzzle between her thighs. He could smell a rosieness to her, she'd obviously taken the time to bathe since arrival and he again felt a pang of guilt he hadn't, but as he allowed his long muscular tongue to snake out and slide gently between her lips, her moans assuaged it somewhat.

"Fucking Hell" Ghislaine yelped, grabbing his horns and holding on to keep herself from jumping into the air. Minotaurs tongues, as it turned out are; Wet, velvety, extremely well muscled, and nearly as long and hard as an elven cock. And as Horrus explored her folds and valley aggressively, as though he were memorizing both her flavor and topography, Ghislaine found herself involuntarily and very quickly approaching orgasm. Sensing it from her quivering Horrus redoubled his efforts, driving his long thick tongue into her repeatedly and dragging it up and along the spot on the top of her pussy that men never seemed to find, that drove all maidens wild. Ghislaine cried out and gripped his horns as if she might fly away as her cunt spasmed and clenched and her legs locked around Horrus's large skull. The feeling of his fur between her thighs and the relentless lashing of his tongue drove her even further into the madness of pleasure and it felt like she hit her second peak without ever hitting a valley. She started bucking back against his tongue, fucking herself on the thick appendage as Horrus savored her sweet almost creamy flavor.

He'd heard once upon a time that dark elf pussy tasted like sweet cream and baking spices and had assumed that it had been typical bar room drivel. Horny men longing for what they couldn't have. But as Ghislaine loosed her second raucous orgasm, he could swear he noticed the baking spice on the back of his tongue.

"Horrus. Horrus please. If you keep going I'm gonna pass out before the good part" She groaned desperately, finally summoning the strength to push herself away from him. He chuckled, a deep rumbling sound. He grabbed her hips and pulled her back to him, his massive hand falling to her breast once she was back in his grasp.

"But you taste so good, and I so want to see what happens when you truly can take no more" He grinned, before sinking between her thighs once again and beginning an even more fervent assault. Ghislaine groaned and clawed the table, one hand finding his holding her breast and the other finding his horn. He was mercilessly holding her just on the edge of another orgasm, backing off her clit and G spot just as she approached the edge like he could tell when she was getting close. It was driving her mad.

"Please... Horrus... my love... please... please!" She whispered desperately, trying to pull him into her further but totally at his mercy as he savored her taste and his own power by torturing her with lustful delights. "Master..." She exclaimed in a breathy tone, and with a satisfied smirk Horrus stopped holding back and forced his whole tongue inside her, writhing and wriggling it against her G spot and flexing and relaxing it to stretch her opening. Ghislaine erupted and flooded his mouth with her nectar, screaming like a banshee briefly before descending into low tortured growling groans as she gripped his hand and horn for dear life. She lay spasming around his tongue for what felt to her an eternity, but for him was only a few seconds before he withdrew.

"Now, we get to what you called, the good part" he smiled, spreading her legs with a lazy swipe of his hand and taking his massive cock in his hand. It was bigger now. Nearly 22" and 3" in width. "This is going to hurt you my love, if I could make it another way I would, but if you want this it's going to hurt." Ghislaine for her part was still halfway to the heavens and barely conscious, but she knew well enough to nod and invitingly stroke her sopping cunt, with a whimpering groan she hoped would make herself clear. Horrus nodded and placed his massive head at her entrance. Truthfully the shovel face was softer than she expected, and as he slowly and gently pushed it into her pussy it compressed more like a pillow than what she'd typically think of as a cock. But as his more rigid shaft began to feed into her, Ghislaine realized quickly what she'd signed up for.

"Oh fuck!" She hissed, feeling her hole stretched to breaking and beyond, feeling the warmth and weight of the forearm sized member sliding into her inch by inch. She'd heard some delighted in having another fist in them and briefly wondered if the feelings were similar. "How much is left!?" She asked desperately as she could already nearly feel the monster in her stomach. Horrus let out a booming laugh and reached down with his free hand, raising her head so she could see that the majority of his meat was still outside of her. "Fuck!" She groaned.

"It's okay little orchid, it will not all fit, but you can take a little more still" He smirked, returning to slowly pushing his shaft into her, until he felt a familiar and satisfying pressure that let him know he'd go no further. "There" he smiled at her, stroking her hair gently with his monstrous hand. Ghislaine whimpered and shifted, the thick hard cock so deep in her she could swear it was threatening to come out her mouth.

"Good. Now fuck me." She ordered. Horrus laughed again and nodded, placing his hand gently on her chest and beginning to slowly draw his hips back and forth. Despite the discomfort of the stretching Ghislaine found that as he retreated she was left with a deep hollowness inside her like she'd lost something. Though it was somewhat abated by the absolute tsunami of pleasure that was coming from her Cunt.

"Fuck your tight... you're gripping me like you were made for me" Horrus groaned, letting his steadying hand roam over his lovers plump pendulous tits as he worked his shaft in and out of her slowly.

"I was made for you. Just for you. I'm yours" Ghislaine groaned, the Pink at the corners of her eyes flaring slightly as she spoke. The golden collar around her neck seemed to glow faintly, and become even more well defined in her skin. Without even realizing it Horrus's thrusts grew deeper, and soon he was almost balls deep in the beautiful dark elf. Horrus didn't notice though, his eyes were only on Ghislaine, the pleasurable and painful twists of her face, the rhythmic bouncing of her breasts in response to his thrusts.

"Oh fuck what... oh fuck are those your balls?" Ghislaine groaned as she felt something hot and heavy smack against her exposed asshole. Horrus realized quite quickly that he was in fact balls deep in her, his entire thick Minotaur cock buried inside her. He realized at once the collar must be a form of courtesan magic as well as the slave spell. It dawned on him that if that was the case, he needs not be nearly as gentle.

"They are. Seems you could take me after all" He smirked, before pulling back slowly and then ramming himself back in. Ghislaine's eyes went wide but before she could react he was going again, not as forcefully this time but just as fast. He started stroking in and out of her quickly and mercilessly to the point he was shoving the table across the floor. Without hesitation he effortlessly grabbed her up and held her, working her like a rag doll up and down his massive shaft, bucking his hips to aid his out stroke and then burying himself all the way inside of her again.

Ghislaine for her part was gone, to a land of pleasure and fullness and hazy notions of being nothing but a toy for her man. Every thrust brought fullness and a no longer painful sensation of being stretched to her maximum, and every retreat felt like a never ending train of ribbed pleasure being dragged across her GSpot. She came at some point after the second thrust, and the orgasm seemed to just continue, though her body was too tired and overwhelmed to even respond to it at this point. Approaching his own orgasm Horrus gave out a primal braying roar that he would've been embarrassed by had he been in his right mind.

"You ARE MINE!" He bellowed, bottoming out in her and spraying the walls of her magically stretched cunt with a blast of hot spunk. He didn't stop though, thrusting and pumping he filled her pussy to bursting until it squirted and sprayed back out against him, dropping down onto the floor and his fur. Neither noticed as the tattoos glowed again and the lines of her collar became almost translucent for a moment before settling back in.

Horrus lifted her slowly off his cock and clutched her to his chest as his seed drained from her. Ghislaine groaned a little but was too exhausted to move or anything. When the torrent of spend had stopped, Horrus went to the wash basin, but found it empty. He grunted with frustration but had a sudden thought, willing his magic to clean them both. The spunk and slick and sweat sizzled for a moment before it turned to mist and disappeared from them like water in a hot pan. With that done he carried Ghislaine to the bed and laid down on his back with her curled into his side.

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Two days after they'd checked in Ghislaine and Horrus descended the stairs of the Shaded Respite as lovers, giggling and whispering conspiratorially. Horrus was dressed in a new Kilt Ghislaine had ordered for him had their bags slung over his back, while Ghislaine wore her traveling cloak over a simple green peasant dress. They approached the counter to settle their tab and found Madam Maxine grinning ear to ear with her almost unsettling large and pointy teeth.

"I see... and heard that you were fortunate after all my dear!" She smiled, addressing Horrus and utterly ignoring Ghislaine. Horrus chuckled and rubbed his neck shamefully but Maxine made a dismissive gesture. "I meant no offense!. I told you, someone had to lose for you to gain. Just turns out it had to be your old friends! And Ghislaine darling, you look positively radiant! Where are our two lovebirds off to next?" She asked with a conspiratorial chuckle, ever the snoop. Ghislaine regarded her with an amused smile but Horrus's gaze was somewhat analytical. Nothing about the new tattoos or the carvings on his horns were mentioned.

"Uncertain! We plan to resupply here in town and head for the Darklands, we've both had our fill of the empire and its problems for a time" Ghislaine said with a genial smile. Maxine rolled her eyes dramatically and placed her hand comfortingly on Horrus.

"Well, I'm glad my humble inn could be the catalyst for your love to blossom, and hope that if you ever decide to come back to our beautiful empire you'll stop by and see us!" She laughed a little too enthusiastically, before bidding them farewell and tending to another customer. Horrus and Ghislaine made their way to the edge of town and as they prepared to pass through the gate Horrus paused and looked back.

"Something wrong darling?" Ghislaine asked in confusion, but Horrus shook his head.

"No, just taking a moment to appreciate the beginning of a new chapter" He said, before scooping her up and placing her on his shoulders as he took his leave of the town, causing her to erupt in laughter and cling tight to his horns, stroking his forehead after a bit.

"Well, I for one hope it's a dirty chapter!" She giggled, feeling the power of his thick neck between her legs, tracing the carvings on his horns absentmindedly, and feeling the power of their bonding hum in her mind, and cause her to dampen her smallclothes.