Chapter 3:Growing Closer and Setting Out

Story by Ice Drake on SoFurry

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#3 of The Loupi and Dragon

Third chapter! The story moves forward!

Please leave a comment/review !


Halen and Dominic had spent the rest of the evening discussing their own personal view on Cryomancy. It seemed the premise of the amulet had inspired Dominic. Ajax had followed behind, guarding the king as a silent shadow. They had first hit up the kitchen where the staff had been kind enough to furnish them with a small plate lunch of sandwiches. Dominic also pressured Halen to tell the staff some of his favourite foods so they could prepare them if possible. Halen made a great fuss about not being a burden but Dominic would have none of it. The elderly matron who ran the kitchen had only smiled at the interaction.

Afterwards, they had meandered through the castle and courtyard, discussing spells and even showing a few to improve each other's repertoire, though Dominic felt he got the better end of the deal. When the sun began to set, the three of them had returned to the solarium and enjoyed a nice dinner of chicken and salad, finished off by slices of cheesecake. Halen had merely blushed at the effort the staff had given, while Dominic and Ajax had merely inhaled the lovely treat. It had been chocolate cheesecake so Dominic was in heaven.

Finally, the sun hung low in the sky, half hidden by the mountains, and Ajax and Dominic had lead Halen up into one of the towers, where Dominic's lavish chambers were. Inside was a massive four-poster bed, large enough to fit six men. A fireplace lay across the room, where Dominic was already busy with kindling. A large forest green rug dominated the floor and other shades of wood brown and forest green made the room seem so peaceful.

"Ajax, would you please?" Dominic gestured to the bucket of ice where a bottle of wine lay cooling. Ajax chuckled at the cliche gesture but popped the cork and poured three glasses. "All you're missing is mood music, my lord," Ajax said in a playfully mocking tone. Dominic had had his head in a low lying cupboard, a music stone half pulled out, until he shoved it back in and closed the cupboard with a sheepish grin.

Looking around the room, Halen was surprised how well it reflected the man he had come to know over the past two days. Everything in it was clearly of a high quality, but it was not excessive, the walls were smooth stone and the floor was covered in woods and rugs. When the fire cast a glow over the room the entire room seemed welcoming. Turning to the two men, he accepted a glass of wine and quirked an eyebrow when Ajax motioned for him to wait a moment.

Dominic, seeing that all three had their glasses raised up his own. "A toast, to what is to come," he said, a smirk on his lips. When he spoke, Ajax groaned, the cheesy line almost painful, while Halen let out a joyous laugh. Both men clinked their glasses with his and then with each other, before they drank. Dominic hummed as the rich liquid danced across his tongue, enjoying the fine vintage. He was glad to see that Halen was also enjoying it, not having to worry about Ajax, knowing that this wine was a favourite of his.

Finishing his glass, Halen set it down on a table before speaking to Ajax. "So is Dominic always this..." he shook his hand around. "All this? Enthusiastic, energetic, romantic?" He asked, biting back a guffaw of laughter when Domonic choked on his wine while the Bao let loose a hearty laugh.

Dominic grimaced and smacked Ajax lightly upside the head. "Oh hush you overgrown tomcat." Neither the insult or the assault seemed to dissuade the Bao who continued to chuckle for several seconds. "To answer your question...No, I'm not always like this. Sometimes I'm more... primal. Sometimes I'm more formal. I just felt like being a bit more romantic." Dominic sighed and rolled his eyes as Ajax's laughter finally tapered off. "As if you have any room to talk. First time I did this with you, you were a stuttering stammering mess. Should have seen him. If he was a human he would have been cherry red, willing for the floor to swallow him whole. I mistook him for a virgin back then." Ajax's expression did a 180, with his lips pursed and his eyes glaring at Dominic who was now the one laughing. Halen could tell there was no heat in Ajax's gesture though.

Seeing the way Ajax was glaring solely at Dominic, Halen took the chance to sneak up on the man, wrapping his arms around him and pressing up against his back, giving the back of his neck a kiss. "Aw, don't be too mad at him Ajax. I'm sure he was just trying to rile you up," he said, one of his hands moving south, rubbing over his firm core. "I'm sure you have plenty of stories about our resident wolf to make him blush like a pup caught with his paw in the cookie jar," Halen whispered into his ear and causing the Bao's glare to break as a smile form on his lips.

"Careful little drake or I'll start asking you about your embarrassing stories. I don't think any of us want to play this game." Dominic's ears had swivelled when he caught Halen's comment. He was looking at the embracing pair with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile. "Besides, I believe we were headed somewhere, weren't we Ajax?" At the comment, the Bao seemed to consider for a moment before leaning up and kissing Halen softly.

Smirking at Dominic's comment, Halens growing smirk was cut off as the other's firm lips covered his own. Their tongues danced for some time, both trying to explore the other's mouth. He could feel the heated gaze coming from Dominic as his breath was stolen by Ajax. He heard shuffling from the direction of the king but was too enraptured with the guard to be bothered. It was not until he heard a throat being deliberately cleared that the kiss broke and the twosome faced their third.

Dominic stood there, shirt gone, tossing a bottle up and down in his hand. "Why don't you more our little guest to the bed Ajax. He deserves the royal treatment, yeah?" Ajax nodded, purring, and stood, carrying Halen who wrapped his legs around the shifting Bao. A few quick strides had them at the bed.

"Just relax, boy. And lay down." Ajax's breath ghosted over Halen's ear.

Halen rolled over onto his stomach, letting his wings unfurl sightly, as he followed the other's suggestion. He felt warm paws pulling at his robe top, quickly undoing the ties and minor enchantments that held the clothing on him. With the robe top gone he felt the hands begin to move over his skin, firm and strong, applying the perfect amount of pressure to warm up his muscles. The sound of a cork being popped was followed by the feeling of a cool liquid being drizzled on him, causing him to let out a yelp. He turned to look at a sheepish looking Ajax. "Sorry, thought it would have been warmer by now." The Bao said. Halen huffed a bit, before laying down again, and the feeling of four hands rubbing his tense muscles resumed.

Dominic began at his shoulders, while Ajax started at his lower back. Each slowly rubbed at tense muscles and tight knots. Dominic and Ajax shared a look as they both came to the same conclusion. 'He's been roughing it without a bed for way too long.' Both of them recognized some of the symptoms of laying on rocky earth. As they worked to relieve Halen's stress both took the time to marvel at the Naga-Ra's muscled body. Most mages in Terralun were petite, the strain of magic burning away fat but producing little muscle. That did not hold true for Halen. It was clear that Halen was accustomed to work. The scholar in Dominic wondered at the wings, trying to map out the muscles and how they would interact, while the warrior in Ajax noted that Halen had to make use of a weapon and magic like his king. Finally, Dominic spoke, "Your wings, do they need attention? I assure you the oil should be safe for the scales."

Halen was lightly dozing from the heavenly feeling of the hands working over his flesh, the only sounds coming from him was light breathing and the occasional grunt when a particularly knotted muscle was relaxed. He was broken out of his dozing when Dominic spoke. "Um the joints, and at the base of my back. But be very gentle, they are tough, but bending them wrong can be very painful." He said, spreading them out slightly more and wondering how wise it was to trust someone else with his wings. He disliked having them touched too much, finding that they were very sensitive, the membrane right along the bones being extremely sensitive to all stimuli.

Dominic hummed softly, "Then could you give them a few more flexes, so I can see what way is natural?"

Halen gave a hum of agreement and started moving his wings, letting them flex and bend, while trying to prevent them from hitting the two men on the bed with him. The joints flexing and shifting to move the massive wings. After a few of these motions, Dominic began to gently rub the muscles at the base of the wings. "Ajax could you get his legs?" The black Panther nodded and began to massage Halen's feet, slowly working up.

Halen groaned at the pleasurable feeling running through his entire body, his muscles relaxing under their hands. When Dominic caressed the membrane around his joints he found himself moaning in pleasure, the sound leaving him before he realized what had happened. Clamping his mouth shut, he was glad that his face was hidden from the other two, though he heard a chuckle from both, and was slightly worried when both of Dominic's hands moved to caress the highly sensitive skin.

Dominic had been paying very close attention to Halen's reactions, just in case he massaged the wrong way on those glorious wings. However, it seemed he had massaged them the right way. Smirking, he caught Ajax's attention and gestured silently to a chest at the foot of the bed. Ajax nodded and silently opened the chest, retrieving a set of leather restraints. Ajax hooked them to the two bottom posts and then slowly slipped them onto Halen's ankles, to ensure he felt it.

Feeling something around his ankles made Halen still, at first he thought it was Ajax's hands, but when he felt them remain in place while the man moved around he jumped a bit, when he found that his legs were tied to the bed by leather cuffs. Struggling a bit, he stilled when a voice sounded above him.

"Relax Halen," Dominic growled in a low, husky voice. "If you want them removed, its done, but from what Ajax and I have seen, you like to be held down, control removed at times. Now we can continue like before, or you can be a good boy, and do as your told." Dominic released Halen's left wing and tilted his chin up with a claw. "Which will it be?"

Gulping, Halen gave the man a nod, to which a smile was returned. Dominic leaned down to give him a kiss that he quickly dominated, his tongue overwhelming Halen's as he surrendered to the invasion. He could hear Ajax rummaging at the base of the bed and wondered what else was coming his way.

Unseen by poor Halen, Ajax removed several items from the chest. First was a blindfold made of black silk, then a leather harness meant to accentuate a man's muscles, followed by a rune engraved cock ring, a second set of restraints, a pair of nipple clamps, and finally a plug with attached rubber tail.

When Dominic finally released Halen from the kiss, Ajax slid up the Naga-Ra's body and slipped the blindfold over his eldritch purple eyes. When his sight was taken all Halen did was give a soft whimper of desire, which the sharp ears of his "torturers" caught. Ajax passed the second set of restraints to his lord, who affixed them to Halen's wrists. The two wrists were pressed against each other and bound together, before Dominic slowly pulled the dragon up. The king hung the Naga-Ra's wrists from some strong wooden beams above, leaving Halen blind and naked, kneeling on the bed with his arms and spine straight up. Dominic slowly began to stroke the poor dragons cock to a painful hardness while Ajax stripped down to his underwear and the leather harness. "You need a word little drake. Something to make us stop. Your safe word."

Halen strained his hands, testing the strength of the restraints before doing the same with the ankle cuffs. Satisfied with the result he took a moment to consider the others question. "Asparagus." He said, and he could feel the quizzical looks from the other two before hearing affirmation from them. "Sure, you say asparagus and we can have you down in a moment," Ajax said, the voice coming from the left of him. Waiting in the darkness was an odd sense for Halen, even if he could cheat with magic, he figured that it would be more fun to wait and see what the other two had in store for him. Thinking back on his times with each of them, and then earlier that day, had his cock plumping up with blood and reinforced his idea to see what they have planned. He could hear objects being moved around but, based on sound alone, he could not figure what they could be.

Dominic continued to massage his captives shaft with one hand while the other began to roll Halen's nipples, making them red and pebble. "I think I want to hear you scream a little," Dominic said, trying to affect a dark and foreboding voice as he twisted the nipples sharply. Ajax, meanwhile, had pressed himself against Halen's back and was running his hands wildly through his hair and down his sides.

Halen was lightly groaning at Dominic's ministrations while leaning back into Ajax when he felt the twist. Fire radiated from the abused bud and sent a jolt straight to his throbbing cock. A yelp left his lips, and the opening allowed Ajax to slip a finger between them. The hand stopped twisting his nipple and simply caressed it, giving the occasional flick. While this happened Halen could feel Ajax lean forward, his breath ghosting over his ear. "Now, little drake, why don't you show me some love." He said with a husky voice. He did as asked and immediately sucked on the digit, sucking it like he would a cock.

Dominic smirked as he watched Halen obediently suck on Ajax's finger. "Take his cock," the king ordered, and the Bao reached his free hand down to take over Dominic's ministrations, while the king brought his now free hand up to abuse the other bud. Massaging and flicking it until he gave it a harsh twist just like its brother. Halen gave off a choked gasp around the digit in his mouth and Dominic caught Ajax glance and smirked. "Feel his cock jump when I do that? Little slut likes his nipples played with. Hand me the toy."

Ajax released the dragon's prick for a moment, eliciting a whimper, before tossing the king the clamps and returning to that glorious flesh. Dominic chuckled and opened them slowly before letting them snap shut on those rosy buds, the connecting chain falling across Halen's chest.

Halen yelped when the pinch clamped down on both buds unexpected. The metal bit into his nipples, cold and slightly painful, but highly arousing and caused his cock to jump in the moments after. He shook a bit out of reflex, trying to shake them off before he felt Ajax's arms wrap around him and hold him still. Dominic rumbled at seeing Halen react like that, a pleased growl resounding throughout the bedchamber.

Ajax meanwhile chuckled, loving the feeling of the drake squirming in his arms, pressed up against his chest while his cock rubbed up against the others back through his jockstrap. He rutted against him for a few moments, enjoying the others whimpers and gasps around his finger while his cock pulsed in its basket. Feeling him stop struggling he gave the other a long lick on the neck, enjoying the feeling of Halen shuddering against him while sharply inhaling from the sensation.

Halen found himself mindless bucking back against Ajax, the heat emanating from his body was soothing his nerves, allowing him to relax his senses while the Bao continued to lick his neck. The first swipe had him a shivering mess, but each further one served to relax and arouse him further and further, his unattended shaft dribbling pre-cum onto the bead before him.

"What a beautiful sight," Dominic whispered near Halen's ear. "Oh it is marvellous, but let's see how good we can get. After all..." Dominic snapped the cock ring around the base of Halen's shaft, "...We don't want the night to end too soon."

Halen whimpered as the ring snapped into place, he could feel the simple magic that it contained, preventing him from cumming not just physically, but with a magical ward, blocking the trickle of pre-cum flowing from his tip. He could feel his balls backing up, slowly filling with his now trapped seed. He could feel the smile from Ajax against his neck and was willing to bet that Dominic had a similar expression.

He was right of course. Dominic had to fight back the chuckle in his throat. "And besides, I believe Ajax and I owe you a little punishment." Dominic slid his paw down to Halen's ass cheek, letting his claws press into the flesh. "Trying to goad me and Ajax into that little fight in the smithy, naughty naughty dragon." Dominic nuzzled Halen's jaw. "Kitten take his front please." At those words, Dominic stood and went to the chest while Ajax swung around to the front. He slowly began to stroke Halen's trapped cock while the king retrieved a leather riding crop.

Halen smirked when Dominic mentioned what he had done at the smithy and felt his throat throbbing slightly from the battering it had taken earlier that day. He groaned when Ajax moved away from his, the silky fur and solid heat leaving his front slightly cooler. His bemoaning of the loss was quickly shut down when solid, warm, paws started moving over his chest, one moving towards his nipples and lightly flicking them while the other moved south. It circled his cock for several moments, caressing his thighs and teasing his balls before grasping the base of his shaft. Biting back a moan as the hand started moving over his cock, he gave in when a sharp tweak on his nipple forced the moan out. This continued for some time before a swat on his ass forced him to yelp, another two sharp swats drew another yelp from his lips, his cock throbbing in Ajax's paws.

Dominic brought the crop down in an alternating pattern. First the upper right, then the lower left, the lower right and the upper left. He repeated that pattern about six times before he suddenly went in reverse. He wanted to be sure he constantly had Halen on alert, nerves and senses singing. At the sharp reversal, Halen let out a gasp and began to twist in his restraints. Of course, Ajax had a firm grip on him as he tortured the head of his penis. Bit by bit, Halen's cheeks grew to a lovely dusk red, each one radiating heat. Dominic moved in close, chest pressed to Halens back as he gently kissed the slightly damp cheek below the blindfold. "What do you say boy?"

Halen was panting from the abuse heaped upon his ass and took a moment to gather his wits. "Heh, not bad Dominic, not bad." He said between pants, his nerves on fire with pain and pleasure. The throbbing of his ass was bordering on painful, but for the time was giving him ecstatic pleasure. He noticed a slick feeling between his cheeks and clenched them together, waiting to see if Dominic or Ajax would notice the wetness that was dripping down his thighs.

As Dominic applied a slightly moist cloth to sooth that burn, Ajax brought his hand up Halen's thigh. He noticed the slight wetness and huffed, holding his hand up to show the king. He had explained about this from before and Dominic knew what it meant. "Feeling needy Halen? You can ask you know. But you need to be polite." Halen could practically feel the grin.

He groaned at the teasing hands, wanting to put up a strong front but getting sick of being kept on the edge for so long. With a frustrated sigh, he responded. "Fine, fuck me dammit, I want those massive cocks to fill me up." He bit out, knowing that both men must be smirking at him after what he had said.

"I believe I said to be polite little drake." Dominic dragged his claws down Halen's front. "But I suppose you're just too tempting to resist." Dominic slowly swung around the bed, letting a claw drag down Halen's jaw bone. He gave a look to the Bao, who understood immediately and smirked. Ajax moved to Halen's back again and slowly parted his cheeks, allowing slick to run down. At the feeling Halen gasped, knowing what was to come. Gently, Ajax pressed his throbbing, hard prick into Halen. Adding inch by torturous inch as the dragon shuddered and whimpered. Dominic knew Ajax's body well enough to time his masterpiece. The last two inches always received a sharp thrust to bury them into the Bao's lovers, so when the king saw his captain stiffen to do so he snapped his fingers. As the last two inches slammed into Halen, the band on his cock seemed to vanish. The duel actions ripped a powerful orgasm from the mage as he screamed in ecstasy.

Halens orgasm ripped through him as his prostate was hit, his balls contracting and squeezing out their rich, creamy seed. It rocketed across the sheets, a rich, musky scent filling the room. Some ropes managed to strike Dominic, coating his paws in the thick seed. Several ropes managed to splash up against himself, dripping down over his muscular chest. He clamped down on the shaft splitting him open, drawing a groan out of Ajax behind him while Dominic chuckled before him.

Dominic was ecstatic at Halen's reaction and allowed him a moment to breathe as he reached up with the clean paw and removed the blindfold. "Hello, little dragon. How do you feel?"

Panting, Halen's eyes watered from the sudden brightness and pain from the earlier swats. "Shit." he groaned. "Pretty good so far," he said, grinning at Dominic.

"Good. Because the night isn't over just yet." At that Ajax drew his cock back slowly, and just before he slid back in, Dominic snapped his fingers and the cock ring powered back up. The rough stroke Ajax gave caused Halen to jerk forwards a bit, the nipple clamps shaking and stimulating his abused nipples. Ajax made three more sharp thrusts before he wrapped an arm around Halen's shoulders, grabbed a hip, and began to thrust at a very fast pace. Barely drawing half out, Ajax gave swift strikes to Halen's hole, moaning in his ear as he felt the tight passage caress his cock.

Moaning as the pistoning shaft abused his slick hole, Halen felt the Bao grab his hips before delivering several harsh thrusts, each one pounding directly into his prostate, forcing curses and moans from his mouth.

The entire time Dominic was smirking at the twosome, his own cock dribbling pre-cum into the mess Halen had made moments before. Standing up, he smacked his cock over the dragon's face sending splatters of pre-cum over his lips. He watched as Halen opened his mouth and groaned when half his shaft vanished between the skilled lips. Dominic moaned and took a hold of Halen's head as the little dragon worked his shaft. He forced himself not to buck as he experienced one of the best blowjobs of his life. Halen clearly knew how to pleasure a man and was making use of all his skills. A slow stream of precum poured down Halen's throat as Ajax continued to piston his hips. Years of servicing his lord had left the Bao with some impressive stamina and cum control, which he used to ensure Halen was truly ruined before he was done.

Moaning around the shaft, Halen did all he could to get the other males off, he clenched his hole around Ajax, trying to milk the dark shaft of its seed. His throat massaged the Loupi's cock, his tongue reaching out and tracing along the base of the cock. He mentally grinned around Dominic when he groaned and gave a swallow, pleased with himself when the King let out a pleasured groan. Ajax's pistoning shaft remained constant, abusing his prostate with every timed thrust.

Slowly, Dominic withdrew from that warm mouth and laid his cock on Halen's face. "Goddess you're so pretty. I can't believe I'm so lucky." He slid his cock across the dragon's face until his sizable balls lay against the Naga-Ra's lips. At the same time, Ajax switched his thrusts to the slower, more forceful thrusts which caused the nipple clamps to strain and pull.

Every breath Halen took was filled with musk from Dominics fuzzy balls. The Loupis thick musk was spicy, rich, reminiscent of earth, ice and something he couldn't place. He let his tongue out to lick the orbs, the massive cock dripping precum onto his head the entire time. Each of Ajax's thrusts had Halens entire body moving, the clamps pulling on his nipples and his cock bobbing up and down.

Finally, Ajax couldn't restrain himself. With one final snap of his hips he buried the whole of his cock in the dragon and came. Several spurts of cum fired into Halen, painting his insides white and filling his body with warmth. Ajax had his head thrown back and snarled, his body wracked with shudders, panting.

Groaning at the feeling of seed flooding him, Halen could feel his cock throb, wanting to mimic the one that was filling him with molten seed. Ajax's load flooded through him, the pulsing shaft preventing any from leaking out of the tight seal. He could feel himself swell slightly from the massive volume, filling every available nook within his packed guts.

Seeing the two of them, faces filled with bliss, Dominic slowly undid the knot above Halen and allowed his wrists, still bound together, to lower, until he and Ajax lay on the bed. Once they lay there, Dominic took in the scene as he climbed down, before he slowly parted Halen's legs. "Now little drake the question is..." Dominic strokes around his hole, brushing Ajax's cock in the process, "...can you take more?"

Realizing what was about to happen, Halen merely nodded, anticipating the full feeling that was about to overtake him. Dominic climbed atop the little dragon and pressed his cock in beside his loyal servant's. The muscles stretched and Halen's head fell back as he groaned in unison with the other men. Dominic was in heaven at the feeling of heat and pressure, while Ajax savoured the feeling of his lord's cock sliding across his. Ajax's seed and Halen's slick spilt out, lubing up Dominic as he pressed forward. Panting, the Loupi slowly began to thrust.

Halen groaned at the feeling of two cocks moving within him, the shafts stretching him further than he had in years. Dominic's knot pressing against the outside of his hole, unable to breach the intense tightness that was Halen's hole. The two shafts didn't give him a moment of respite. Two cocks constantly moving, constantly. They swapped their style every few moments, sometimes alternating thrusts, sometimes thrusting together.

Dominic took particular pleasure in the randomness of his thrusts. Each time he alternated, Halen would shudder and his head would roll. Eyes closed, the Naga-Ra was nearly comatose as the feeling of two cocks in his hole dove him mad. The stimulation was especially bad since he had cum recently. Halen was lucky that all three of them were highly sensitive at that moment. Dominic had been holding back as long as he could but the experience was simply too erotic. He threw back his head screaming as he came deep inside the Naga-Ra. The explosion of seed drew duel releases from his bed partners, as Ajax unloaded inside Halen for the second time. Luckily, Dominic had been able to deactivate the cock ring again, allowing Halen's release.

Halen moaned, his senses being overwhelmed with pleasure as Ajax and Dominic unloaded inside him, the cock ring's deactivation letting his second release of the night flow from his balls as well. His load flew all over himself, coating his chest and face, some ropes splattering onto Dominic while others trickled onto Ajax. His stomach groaned as it was flooded with amazing levels of seed, forcing him to swell further, a small bulge under his skin forming, pushing his abs out slightly. He collapsed limblessly onto Ajax, both other men still buried inside him.

Dominic leaned in and began to kiss Halen passionately, dominating his mouth for several seconds. When he released the dragon, he fell down onto the bed still inside of Halen. Ajax immediately took his place, tilting Halen's head back and ravaging his mouth for several seconds. Once both had made their last mark on the mage Dominic threw his arm over Halen and clutched Ajax's shoulder. "You're both staying the night."

Groaning, Halen moved to roll off of Ajax but found the Bao's arm around his waist, holding him there, his cock slowly deflating. He groaned at the clingy cat before giving him a smirk and kiss on the cheek. "Fine, fine." He said, a playful grin on his face, before looking at Dominic. "Soo, gonna use that spell to clean me out?" He asked.

The king smirked, his eyes closed. "Nope. Enjoy the feeling."

Groaning, he gave the man a half-hearted push. "Fine, not gonna let me move as well I guess?" He said, cuddling into Ajax behind him, enjoying the arms wrapped around him. Dominic chose not dignify that with a reply as the three drifted to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Time Skip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning had Halen awakening when a light shone through the windows, drifting over his eyes and forcing him awake. He moved to stretch his arms when he found himself restricted. Memories of the previous night came back to him as he opened his eyes, looking up to Dominic and Ajax that were both cocooned around him, their fur and solid bodies keeping him comfortably warm. Their softened cocks had slipped free overnight and some of their impressive loads had leaked out. Focusing a moment on the uncomfortable feeling, Halen attempted to cast the spell that Dominic had shown him the day before, glad to see that he had succeeded and feeling it cleaning the cum off/out of him. Feeling Dominic shift from his movement had him wincing, his wings pinned in an uncomfortable manner. Continuing to wiggle he managed to dislodge one arm from Ajax's vice-like hug before he managed to free the other.

Realizing that he was still pinned by Dominic he set his arms down on the bed and pushed, he rose slowly, lifting the Loupi with him before turning and rolling the king off his back. Dominic landed on his back and seemed to continue to doze, unaware of what was going on in his own bed. Now free, Halen hopped off the massive bed, stretching his arms and wings in one grand gesture. He felt a pleasurable throbbing from his rear from the night before. He debated leaving and returning to his own room before discarding the idea, knowing that the others wouldn't appreciate being left like that. Instead, he gathered his clothing, but only slipped on his underwear and pants before sitting at a nearby table and waiting for the others to awaken.

Unknown to the Naga-Ra, the wolf had in fact woken from the roll Halen had given him. However, the Loupi king was not known as a graceful morning man. He had laid there, feeling Halen move as he allowed his brain to begin firing. He managed to catch just enough to notice that Halen had not left the room but seemed to be waiting. This made him smile. Slowly, he rose from his bed, in a manner that reminded Halen a bit of a corpse rising from the grave. The king's eyes were squinted as he hobbled over to the window and drew the curtains mumbling, "Motherfucking sun can't take a goddess damned hint." He weakly waved at Halen as he shuffled over to the wash bin, filling it with water and a few herbs before tapping a rune making the water heat. The room was filled with a soft medicinal scent. Dominic took a deep breath, seeming to come alive. He reached into the basin and began to wash his arms.

Halen continued to watch his lovers, enjoying the domestic feeling that he sadly knew, would not last long. He gave a small chuckle when he heard Dominic's comment about the sun, before curtains were drawn and the light was doused The scent of the herbs was quite pleasant from the distance and helped explain the earthy smell coming from Dominic the night before. Leaning back in the chair his gaze shifted to Ajax, still apparently dead to the world in the bed. His arms had wrapped around a pillow after Halen had left the bed. Shaking his head, he moved over to where they had eaten the night before, taking a glass and filling it with water from a jug that sat untouched. A flare of magic had the liquid chilled to a more pleasant temperature before he began to drink. Finishing a sip he looked over to Dominic who had moved from washing his arms to scrubbing his chest with the herb infused water. "So..." He said, "Is Ajax normally this dead to the world in morning?" Halen asked.

Dominic took a moment to respond. When his brain registered what Halen had said he glared at the dragon for several moments. Then he held up his hand, slowly ticking his fingers down. 3.....2.....1....and then he pointed to Ajax. The Bao in question seemed to shift around before sitting up and stretching, his mouth open in a huge yawn, tongue curling. This lasted a few moments before his arms dropped and he looked around the room, eyes alert. "Good Morning!" Dominic gave an agitated sigh and let his head thump against the wall behind the basin. "Every. Damn. Morning." Ajax chuckled, used to his king's morning routine. Then he turned to Halen and said, "How are you feeling from last night? Any pain?"

Halen looked between the two, a bit startled by how accurate Dominic was with Ajax's awakening and how alert the man could be the moment he woke up. "Um, no, no pain back there, just some throbbing. My wings hurt a tad from getting pressed on wrong, but I've had worse." He said, letting his freed wings shuffle behind him. "That spell you showed me yesterday works quite well, something that saves a great deal of time," Halen said, giving a grin to the king. Turning to Ajax he gave the man a smirk. "You, sir, have a grip like a vice." He said, chuckling when the Bao ducked his head in embarrassment.

Dominic was finally reaching the land of the conscious as Halen spoke, "You managed the spell ok?" Dominic had told him he needed to have intimate knowledge of what he was dealing with. Then he remembered the ritual that had given Halen his...extra features, and assumed hat Halen knew enough. After that, the spell was simple. "Did you absorb or destroy it?"

He gave the man a puzzled look before realizing what he was asking. "Oh. Um, I destroyed most of it, whatever had leaked out or was in the lower intestines at least, the stuff that was further up I just broke down into proteins and let my body absorb," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "And yeah, you explained the spell well yesterday so it wasn't too hard to figure out how it worked." Looking towards Ajax he asked, "So, I'm not sure what you two have planned, but do you have any ideas how to fill our time while waiting for the storm to subside?"

"I have a few ideas. What is so important about the storm?" Dominic asked as he dried his paws.

"I've never seen a storm quite as strong as the one that was brewing up there. The snow falling was almost blinding and that was nowhere near the peak of the strength. I heard thunder and lightning through the howling winds. You would have to have a death wish to enter that place." Halen said, clearly concerned about the strength of the weather. Shaking his head he looked between Ajax and Dominic, a serious expression on his face. "I don't know what could cause a storm like that, it didn't feel natural, but I would caution against entering it until it runs its course." Shaking his head he continued. "Either way, it shouldn't take too long, I doubt it would last more than a week, maybe a week and a half, and I left the mountains almost five days ago now." He finished.

Dominic and Ajax both took a moment to ponder that information. Halen was right, storms rarely got that bad, and if a powerful mage said it was unnatural... both were concerned. Dominic made a mental note to have it investigated. Then shook his head, "Did you have anything, in particular, you wanted to do? You are my guest after all, and I've been dragging you around the past day or so." Dominic refrained from saying that the Naga-Ra had offered little resistance. He was a gentleman after all.

Laying back in his chair Halen thought over the past few days and what needed to be done. "I've not had a chance to see you spar. Would you sate my curiosity by having a bout for me to watch?" He asked with an eyebrow raised in question at the end, hoping that the men would allow him to see them in action. Dominic caught the look and tossed a glance to Ajax as they had one of those silent conversations. "I suppose we could do so. But I'm afraid I must demand you give us each a bout as well."

A smirk formed on Halens lips, his teeth gleaming, slightly predatory. "Of course Dominic, but don't expect me to go easy on either of you." He said, standing and quickly slipping on his top. He sat back down as the other two moved to gather their clothing, both Ajax and Dominic grabbing a sheathed weapon that they had left by the door before they all left the chambers. The threesome moved to the parlour they had breakfast in the day before and, moments after they entered, several servants arrived carrying platters of food. When Halen raised an eyebrow, Dominic merely shrugged and said, "I have a routine. And the staff are very good at what they do." The threesome sat down and enjoyed another breakfast together. Dominic smirked when Halen noted several strawberry crepes placed near his seat. Dominic of course simply had to steal one, laughing at the huffy face the dragon gave him. They dug in, savouring the meal and were delighted when several chocolate baked goods came out as a sort of brunch

Once they had eaten their fill, all three picked up their bundles and followed the king as he dashed out the door, down several corridors until they popped out into the courtyard again. Dominic pointed to another building attached to the smithy. "That's the armoury. We can change in there. You first little dragon."

Halen rolled his eyes and moved towards the building, rather than take some of the leathers stored in shelves, scattered around the room, he reached for a bag he had taken from his room after breakfast. Inside lay his combat gear and one of his prized weapons. Retrieving it he smiled as it thrummed with power, practically vibrating with energy as it responded to his presence. He quickly stripped out of his robes and into the combat gear, strapping his weapon to his back before stepping outside.

Ajax and Dominic leaned against a low wall by the smithy, waiting for the reappearance of the dragon. When he emerged both men were rather surprised at what they saw. Most mages they knew prefered robes or simple leathers but Halen had several plates of metal making up the upper portion of his armour. His midriff was covered in the leathers they expected, surprisingly the majority of his pecs were exposed, only a small strap running between them. Oddly, only one arm was wrapped in leather while the other was bare from shoulder to elbow, his forearm covered in a metal vambrace. They could see several small signs of wear that suggested the armour was well used. A darker leather covered Halen from the waist down, and what looked like a piece of robe fluttered behind him. The leather was form fitting and with the robe and wings drifting in the light breeze Halen cut an impressive figure. Both Ajax and Dominic had to fight off the idea of ending this spar early and returning to their room.

Halen took a moment to enjoy their stunned silence, knowing that his armour was far from conventional for a mage, yet he enjoyed the way it felt and how it allowed him to move. When the silence stretched on Halen raised an eyebrow at the other men. Dominic quickly shook himself from his stupor and punched AJax's arm. The two of them glanced at each other before both nodded. They raised their hands and shook their fists once...twice...thrice....when suddenly Dominic flattened his palm. Ajax gave a disgusted grunt as Dominic pumped his fist. Then he sauntered into the armoury.

Halen looked towards Ajax, his eyebrow raised in question. The Bao merely shrugged his shoulders, as if this was a common occurrence, something which Halen suspect to be true. He leaned back against the wall next to Ajax, almost brushing against the other male while he waited for Dominic to emerge.

When the king finally returned Halen raised another brow at his slightly cliché armour. The king had on firm leather armour that coved him nearly neck to toe. The leather was a dark brown and studded with rivets across the chest, arms, and upper legs. It was clearly intended to allow manoeuvrability while protecting against most sword slashes. The vambraces were especially thick with rivets, making Halen suspect the king blocked with his arms. The joints were thinner to allow full range of motion. Over the top of the armour, a dark grey cloak covered Dominic. Halen could spy several distortions in the cloth which he assumed held hidden surprises. He could also sense the enchantments on the armour, probably meant to increase its effectiveness. In his hand, Dominic carried his rapier, with the same magic Halen had sensed before.

"What do you think? Any thoughts?" Dominic asked.

"Hmm, certainly nice to look at. That being said...." Halen trailed off, pacing around Dominic, a glowing hand moving slowly around to help him sense the interwoven magics. "The true worth of armour can only be determined in the heat of battle." He finished, smirking when Dominic gave a gruff laugh. He turned to Ajax then who moved away from the wall and towards the armoury. Halen moved back to leaning against the wall, leaning in such a way that his wings and weapon wouldn't dig into his back. Before him Dominic was stretching 'Or perhaps showing off for me' Halen thought with a smirk, which was returned by the Loupi when he caught his gaze.

Unfortunately, any hope for banter ended when Ajax reemerged. From the waist down, Ajax wore similar armour to the others, dark leather pants, meant to protect him and allow mobility. Over the top, however, was where the differences began. The leather armour over his torso was thicker than theirs, and less flexible, providing more protection. It was clear that Ajax was less of a finesse fighter then they were. Across his chest were two leather bands, reminiscent of the harness he had worn last night. However, these were filled with daggers and vials. Each vial contained a different liquid, and given his Bao heritage, Halen correctly assumed that the majority of them were poisonous. His upper arms were bare but on his wrists were bands of leather with long segments of metal that seemed to serve as vambraces. However, Ajax showed their second use when he tested them, letting the two fang-like metal spikes jump out before locking them back. What was different from most Bao, however, was the large sheath on his back, containing an impressive black broadsword.

Halen's eyebrows rose after examining the Bao's armour. While daggers and poisons were to be expected, the thick sturdy leather and massive sword were unexpected, highly rare for one of his people and enough to throw off most who have fought against a Bao before. Still, he appreciated the elegance of the armour and how, like his own and Dominic's, seemed both well made, cared for and used. Nodding, he moved to stand straight and stepped away from the wall. "So, I believe I was promised a match I could watch before I joined in. Shall we get started?" He asked, the feral grin returning to his lips.

Ajax nodded while Dominic huffed a laugh and the two stepped until about half the courtyard separated them. Neither moved for a few minutes and Halen could discern their eyes flicking up and down each other. Rather than a sexual glance, it told Halen that these men had spared many times before and were trying to formulate strategies. After several moments, absolutely no one was shocked when it was Dominic who moved first. Rapier extended out to his right, it appeared as though he was going for a haymaker of a bottom right to top left slash. However, he surprised them both when he reversed the grip, rapier pointed like a lance as he altered his course to the left a step. Ajax now had a needlepoint aimed at his heart and responded by shifting his broadsword so it was tilted almost parallel with his body. The point of the rapier connected with the flat of the broadsword and skittered up its length, sparks flying, till it his the guard and was thrown off. Dominic's momentum carried him past his retainer.

Ajax began his own turn, letting the weight of his sword carry him as he slashed back and to the side, body twisting. However, Dominic bent forward allowing the blade to pass over him before straightening and hopping back a step. The two men now faced each other with only a few steps of space.

Halen watched as the two men spared, their movements fluid and fast. He realized just how close the two men must be for how they were moving, almost like a dance. Their steps careful and all with purpose, every movement in time with the others. Dominic was the more aggressive of the two, delivering fast strikes that tried to get around his opponent's guard. Ajax was more solid, deflecting every blow directed towards him, his broadsword turning away every strike and responding with his own, which Dominic nimbly dodged.

Suddenly, Ajax came around, his broadsword sweeping towards Dominic's seemingly unprotected left side. Halen tensed slightly when all the king did was lift his arm. The broadsword connected with the thick vambrace he had noticed earlier and was stopped cold. The rivets had stopped any momentum the sword had without seemingly taking damage.

Halen was surprised by how strong the magic on the armour must be, he had suspected that the rivets were more than they appeared and their ability to block a blow like that only confirmed it. They pulsed for a moment, magical energy being depleted. Halen realized that their power, while drawn from Dominic, was not infinite, taking a time to recharge before blocking again. He watched as Ajax pulled back and moved to make another strike, one which Dominic dodged by rolling to the side. Suddenly, the vambraces gleamed again, signalling that they were ready for use. It was much too fast for an enchantment to have filled naturally so Halen wondered if the vambraces had multiple charges or if Dominic had forced his magic into them.

Ajax made for another slash and this time, Dominic blocked with his rapier. The two swords collided with the ringing sound of metal on metal. Halen half expected the rapier to snap like a twig, but it held firm. Clearly, the durability enchantments on it were top-notch.

"Locked together again Kitten? Haven't we been here often enough these past few days?" Dominic snarked, trying to throw the captain off with innuendo. Unfortunately, Ajax took battle all too seriously and merely replied, "Remember my king, all enemies have surprises," before flicking his wrist, causing the metal fangs to snap forward. Dominic was forced to disengage or experience severe punctures to his wrist. As he skipped back, ajax reset the gadget and prepared to step forward. However, Dominic was faster. He plunged a hand into his cloak and came back with a rod of oak with a clear-ish gem on the hilt. The rod lit up with a blue-white light and several blasts of ice launched towards Ajax.

Halen leaned forward excited to see magic used in combat. Ajax easily blocked or sidestepped each blast, a small smirk appearing. Finally, Dominic seemed to get irritated. Extending the rod and sword to the left side, the king swung the sword towards Dominic. A wave of bluish-white energy flew out and landed just shy of the Bao. The entire area between them was covered in thick ice. At first Halen assumed the king had missed, but Dominic brought the point of his rapier down, slamming it into the edge of the ice field. A flash of light and the sound of broken glass heralded the end of the ice as it exploded upward, shards of ice flying in every direction, followed by a cloud of ice crystals. When the frozen smoke screen faded, Ajax stood with several ice shards embedded in his armor. He was unharmed, but nodded his head, conceding the match.

Halen clapped at the conclusion, impressed with the showing that the other two men had put on. Stepping forward he moved one hand, dispelling the ice around Ajax. "I must say, I am thoroughly impressed." He said, turning to Ajax he spoke. "Excellent sword work, you show great skill with that blade." To which Ajax beamed with pride. He continued by speaking to Dominic. "Some very impressive enchantments, and excellent use of your rod." Dominic was about to speak when he was cut off. "Your rod that shoots ice," Halen said, his gaze flat, knowing the awful joke that could have been made.

Smirking, he reached a hand behind him. "That being said, I believe it's my turn." He said, pulling the spear from his back. Unlike Ajax and Dominic's weapons, the spear glowed with power. The shaft was black and purple, runes etched on the surface glowing faintly. The head of the spear was a double-sided teardrop shaped blade that ended in a point. Nestled in the widest point of the teardrop was a hole, in which a glowing orb of pulsing purple light rested, the same shade as Halen's eyes, which left a fading trail behind it as he twirled the weapon. Pointing it towards the ground he spoke. "Who's first?"

Dominic chuckled and spoke, "I believe I will claim that honour. An impressive spear little drake. Let's see how good you are." Ajax nodded and stepped off to the side as Halen took his place. This time, Dominic stayed still nodding his head allowing Halen the first move.

Halen lived up to the expectation of a mage, as he gave the spear a twirl and let loose a wave of ice, quickly formed into several foot long spikes that raced towards Dominic. The king smirked, thinking the Naga-Ra wanted to beat him at his own game. His rapier came up and blocked the first spike, which shattered. Then he twisted his oak rod, causing the other spears to veer off course. He remained in the same spot and gestured with his finger a 'come hither'. Smirking at the Loupi, Halen gave the spear another wave, before leaping forward with surprising speed, and the icy aura following the tip as he raced towards the other, he swung the spear down, moving to hit the king's shoulder, gathering the ice energy at the tip for his attack.

Dominic was versed enough to know what ice energy like that did to leather. Goddess knows that icy wave of his was designed for that purpose. So Dominic did the smart thing and skipped back a few steps while thrusting the rod out, channelling energy so any ice magic would have a harder time reaching him. To his surprise when the spear hit the ground, the energy did not dissipate but rather formed into several more ice spikes that rose up and floated around Halen. The Naga gave him a smirk before dashing at him again, the tip of his spear trailing behind him, the ice spikes following his movement. As he was about to reach Dominic two spikes flew forward, one aiming for should shoulder, the other for his knee.

"Fuck," Dominic said as he slashed through the lower spear while the other trailed along his armour leaving a trail of ice and frigid air. Dominic flexed carefully to break the ice and check the integrity of the shoulder. Luckily the cloak had been behind him.

Halen took the opportunity to twist his spear forward, revealing a crackling purple aura emanating from the tip. He thrust the head forward, which was blocked by Dominic's rapier. Their weapons locked, giving them a moment for their eyes to meet. Halen gave the Loupi a smirk before releasing the aura around the head of the spear, a burst of electricity running down the king's blade. Dominic restrained a cry of pain as his body was sent skidding back, sparking. When he managed to stand, a snarl marred his face with a quick gesture several glyphs glowed on his rod before a number of stones shot from the earth and rocket towards Halen.

Seeing the incoming stones he spun the staff, the base trailing along the ground before him and forming an ice wall where it touched that the stones dissipated against before the ice fell. Dominic had not expected Halen to block like that but it worked just the same. As the Naga-Ra stepped forward the hidden, latent ice magic in the stones activated and lightly froze Halen in place. Normally they were to cause an issue with an enemy's weapon but this worked too. Dominic charged forward, rapier ready to strike.

Halen, momentary surprised by the trick smirked, he let a trail of fire magic circle him, quickly vaporizing the ice, but by that time he only had a moment to dodge the charging swordsman. Jumping back, he let his wings unfurl to their full size and beat them several times, kicking up dust and frost before landing again. He noticed the stunned looks on Dominic's face and took that moment to dash forward, his spear once again pulsing with an icy aura.

Dominic stood ready, allowing Halen to charge as he gathered energy. He swapped his Oak rod for the Ash one and just as Halen was getting close, jammed the point of his sword into the earth. A spire of dirt shot up and Halen struck it, the icy power discharging and freezing the temporary barrier solid.

Seeing the frozen wall that blocked his path, Halen let his wings unfurl again. Jumping with a single hard thrust, he was propelled over the earthen wall and brought his spear to strike down at the king. A surprised look on Dominic's face changed to annoyed when Halen's spear made contact with his shoulder, letting out a burst of cold wind along with the torrent of energy, creating a thick coating of ice on his arms and chest.

Dominic huffed in annoyance and flexed, while his rod glowed, making the ice shatter. "I believe this round goes to you, Halen. I'm impressed." Dominic offered his hand.

The Naga-Ra chuckled before grasping the hand but quickly turned the handshake into a brief hug. "Mm, you did pretty well yourself. Interesting techniques certainly." He said a radiant grin on his face.

"Really? It doesn't seem all that impressive. You were doing much the same, hell you made your weapon your focus. Even I would have trouble with that." Dominic replied

Halen needed a moment to respond to that, merely laughing while rubbing the back of his head. "It's not all that hard, but the spear itself is designed to act in such a way." He said, gesturing to the glowing orb of energy contained within the bladed head. "I channel it through that point, and it can be channelled through the weapon as a result."

Dominic rubbed his jaw, contemplating all the ways he could replicate such a technique, even modify it. He did love experimenting after all... maybe if he set the orb in the pommel and made the handhold wood.... Dominic shook his head, placing that train of thought at the back of his mind to run its course. "Still impressive. But I believe it's Ajax's turn." The king beckoned the Bao over, who had taken a moment to mend his armour with a quick spell. The damaged areas would be a bit weaker but would hold for now.

When Ajax made it over he merely nodded to the King and traveller, then took his place. Halen watched from the far end of the courtyard, knowing that having watched his fight with Dominic that the Bao would be far less likely to be surprised. He waited for the other man to make the first move while gathering an icy aura at the base of the spear.

The Bao seemed to consider the spear for several moments before he reached up, fast as lightning and lobbed one of his vials towards the Naga-Ra. It smashed about ? the distance and exploded into a huge gas cloud that slowly crawled towards Halen.

Seeing the cloud crawling forward he jabbed the base of the spear at it, releasing the ice magic in a dispersed cloud that impacted that from the vial. The ice wrapping around it in tendrils and condensing it until only a small, discoloured ice orb remained. Smirking at the Bao he swung the spear in an arc, letting out a wave of fire that spread as it headed towards the poison user.

The wave of fire raced towards the Bao and seemed to engulf him. When the light and flame cleared, Ajax was down on one knee, panting as he huddled behind a mostly melted block of ice. Slowly, the captain stood and pulled another vial from his collection. This violent green concoction was in a vial designed to dispense drops, and he allowed three to fall on the hidden fangs on his bracer. He looked Halen in the eye as he jerked his wrist, causing one drop to fall to the ground as he replaced the mostly full vial. The bright green droplet hit the pavement and began to spit, boil and smoke. Then he positioned his bracer, and Halen saw the ripple of magic signalling an enchantment charge being expanded. Ajax slashed up and to the left, and the fangs released twin waves of toxic energy which race towards the Naga-Ra.

Seeing the toxin race towards him and knowing that he would be unable to contain it Halen jumped back while opening his wings, beating hard he managed to climb over the incoming attack. At his peak he could see Ajax staring up at him, smirking. Wanting to return the favour, Halen channelled ice magic into his wings. Crystals began to form around the edges and with one hard beat, he released them all, raining tiny ice spikes towards the Bao.

Ajax was very used to ice shards, since they were one of Dominic's favourite tactics, so Ajax simply swung his Broadsword above him, shattering the vast majority of the projectiles. The others he sidestepped until the attack ended with only one shard embedded in his armour. Ajax smirked as he pointed his fist at Halen. At first the dragon didn't know what he was doing. But he widened his eyes when the metal fangs shot off the bracer towards him.

Stopping the beating of his wings, Halen plummeted several meters, safely missing the incoming spikes before snapping them open and angling himself towards Ajax, spear poised to strike. Just as he was about to score a hit on the man's shoulder, his massive sword moved to deflect him. A hard shove from the blade threw off his balance, sending him spiralling before he could correct the rapid change in balance. He managed to land on his feet, sliding several paces before coming to a stop in a crouch, gazing at Ajax with bared teeth and spear at the ready. The Bao launched himself forwards, his broadsword coming around for a powerful swipe against Halen. Ajax worked to angle himself to skim his blade down the spear when Halen blocked, allowing him to score a light blow against the Naga-Ra.

Seeing that the man had managed to score a blow more than he, Halen upped his game. He channelled magic to his robes, causing several previously hidden runes to glow purple. Seeing the astonished look in Ajax's eyes he darted forward, his spear in one hand moving to swipe at his knees while the other hand glowed blue, a sphere of energy gathering in the palm of his hand.

Despite worrying at the unknown magic, Ajax choose it over the spear, flipping back and feeling the air shift as Halen released the magic orb straight at Ajax. The glowing sphere impacted his side and released the stored energy, coating the side of his armour in thick ice which started to crawl upwards, icy tendrils slowly wrapping around his arm. Ajax snarled as he landed in a crouch. He had been the recipient of enough cryomancy, he should have recognized that spell as similar to Dominic's ice wave. He used what little knowledge he had in cryomancy to halt the spell's progress, though it didn't do much. Dominic debated breaking the ice but chose to leave it. The leather underneath was weakened, and the ice would serve as some protection.

Instead, he swept his sword around again, aiming for Halen's sexy midriff as if to bisect him. Smirking at the Bao's attack, Halen let it hit when a gong-like sound rang out, a collection of glowing purple lines blocking the blade. Using the others surprise he gathered more ice to the tip of his spear before smashing down at the unfrozen side of Ajax, missing by a hair's length when he disengaged. The purple lines fading away as a rune on his armour dimmed slightly.

"....Mage armour. Fuck." Was Ajax's response to the revelation. Then He swung his blade again, coming in a downward arc. Halen merely took a step back, but that was what Ajax wanted as the sword slammed into the ground. Without losing momentum, Ajax swung his left hand out, the other fangs of metal snapping forward as he used them to catch the spear and force it back when the fangs skittered up the haft and caught on the shaped point. His other hand came up, as he completely released his sword, natural claws extended as he swiped up at Halen's face.

Releasing the spear, Halen leaned back, the claws almost managing to catch him in the face. Standing, and now disarmed, Halen took flight again while gathering energy. A glowing aura in each hand, one red the other blue, began to take shape, flowing into ethereal weapons. A glowing single-edged blade burned with fire energy while a dagger cloaked in frost lay in the other. Diving down, he struck with the blade which was quickly parried, while his dagger managed to score a hit on the Bao's armour.

Ajax was thankful to the Goddess of the Moon and the Bao's ancient God that he was so accustomed to ice magic. As he moved to the left, he snatched up the spear and flipped, tossing it far to the right, where it struck the wall near Dominic and stuck. Now divested of what Ajax prayed was Halen's main weapon, he had to contend with those mage arms. He had left his broadsword on the ground, so he prepared his claws and the metal fangs and sank into a martial arts stance. He moved forward at speed and grabbed Halen's wrist and slashed the fangs down, until they were parried and held by Halen's ice knife. The two stood, arms entangle and pressed their strength against each other.

Halen began to worry, knowing that while he was far stronger than most mages, the Bao before him was levels higher than him. Looking towards the stronger man Halen gave a smirk and inhaled deeply before pursing his lips and blowing, an oddly coloured substance leaving his mouth, directly into Ajax's face. The Bao began to cough violently, an action that was mirrored by Halen for several moments.

Ajax could sense the chemicals in his body in a way. As a Bao, he was familiar with many poisons and such things. Halen had hit him with some form of knockout gas, his body was already going numb. Using the last of his strength and Halen's distracted coughing, he released Halen and made one last swipe, which brought the fangs up to graze Halen's leather armour. Then the momentum carried Ajax forward and he toppled to the ground, unconscious.

Halen found himself half pinned by the now dozing man, his legs trapped under the solid chest. Looking to Dominic who had rushed over he chuckled. "So..... can you help me get him off. I can wake him up but I can't do it from this position." He said. The other man quickly helped, slightly concerned about the state of his friend. Halen placed a palm over Ajax's lungs before his palm glowed, he slowly moved it upwards towards the man's lips, where the mist from earlier emerged. Another violent cough came from Ajax before his eyes opened and he gazed between the men standing over him.

"How long was I out?" Ajax was always one to get a feel for the situation. Dominic only chuckled, "Maybe a minute. Halen undid the spell, pulling the cloud from your lungs." the king pointed over to where Halen was condensing the mist into a small orb which seemed to glow purple before he absorbed it. The Naga-Ra smiled, "I'm actually surprised it worked, usually I just end up coughing when I use it. Poison magic isn't my forte." Ajax just raised his brow.

"You may want to keep that spell secret. My people would go mad to learn it. I've never heard of it."

"I doubt many have, it's a bit of necromantic magic, heavily watered down of course. But necromancy all the same." He said, slightly nervous about having used the spell after the warning from the day before. Seeing that neither man was moving to rip his throat out he figured that it was fine. "Anyway, I removed the toxin, and the worst you should have now is a bit if stiffness that'll fade in an hour." He spoke.

Ajax shifted back and forth, looking at his metal fang's, "Necromancy huh... doubt my people know that." Then the Bao shook his head to clear it. "But I suppose that's alright. What did you think of our fight Halen?"

He beamed at the other two. "Truly fantastic, similar to your people, but with enough other things thrown in to keep anyone on their toes. I haven't enjoyed a spar like that or the one with Dominic in years." He said quickly, a blinding smile on his face. Ajax smiled and nodded, "So now that you've seen us in action, what do you think we should do?"

Dominic chose that moment to break into the conversation. "I think we are all taking a little trip up to visit the mountains. You said the storm was unnatural Halen? Well, I just received reports that it died down a bit, but now several ice creatures are wandering a section of the peaks. My people have never seen their like. Not only that, but they appear to be patrolling an area around one of the ancient ruins up there."

Going silent for several moments, he thought over what he knew. Shaking his head before speaking he looked between his companions. "All we can do is see for ourselves. Whatever they are, they must be connected to something in the ruin. Whether or not it's the spirit or a black magic ruin, it should be investigated." He said, resolute in his declaration.

Dominic nodded, "I agree, and just so you know Halen, the ruin was one of the ones the mages guild suggested was worth looking into for Black magic. So I really need you to come with. With any luck, you can explain how to unmake these... what I hope are golems... if there is more..." Dominic left the rest unsaid. "I believe it would be best if we set out in the next hour. I have already sent messages to others who will be joining us."

Standing, Halen dusted off his robes. "Of course, in that case, I shall go prepare my belongings," he said, nodding to the men before rushing off, muttering under his breath about what would need to be brought.

Ajax and Dominic shared a glance before rushing into the armoury. They emerged a few minutes later, each carrying a large sack of equipment as the dashed off to their personal quarters. Thoughts the same as their Naga-Ra guest.

An adventure had begun.