FSE

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This story was anonymously commissioned, and uses some characters provided by the client. The client initially wished for this story to remain private, but I convinced him to let me post it here. As always, feel free to share your thoughts below in the comments.

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Gavin's Cafe was mostly empty in the space between breakfast and lunch, with a skeleton crew running the place and only a few regulars at the bar. One of those regulars was Sydran, trying to shrug off his defeat with a liberal use of coffee, whiskey, and ale, occasionally mixing all three into a potent brew of self-hatred. It had been two days since he'd suffered a second loss at the hands of his nemesis, and the bitter sting had only gotten worse. He'd been beaten, thoroughly and utterly, first drugged like a little bitch and then fucked silly while helplessly paralyzed; he could still feel Jayron cumming in his ass, treating him like a sex toy and just leaving him on the bed. What got to him even more, though, was the fact that part of him had enjoyed it, had liked getting sucker punched and raped just before the finish line. Sydran was doing his best to drown that part of himself, though, despite Gavin's not-so-subtle hints to lay off the drink.

"...and then the guys Bubba sent after me as an insurance policy showed up and found me bent over naked with cum still dripping out of my ass. They had to clean me up, pull some clothes on me, and haul me back to the church while I couldn't even stand up on my own! And those fuckers... they were having a merry time, all laughing and joking. 'Glad we didn't send anyone else with him,' they said, 'Wouldn't anyone else ending up like Roland!' I swear to god, if I get my claws on them..."

As Sydran glared at the mug in front of him, squeezing it in his paws, Gavin quietly filled it up with some more coffee. "Maybe you should try and see things from their side of it," he gently advised, "Going out on your own was a rather risky move, especially given how dangerous he is. You're pretty lucky to have made it out alive, you know; dragons have died on far less dangerous missions."

"Oh yeah, because getting paralyzed and fucked in the ass is soooooo much better." The black dragon took another sip of his coffee, glaring at himself in one of the mirrors behind the bar. Maybe it would've been better if he'd just died... then he wouldn't have to put up with these fucking hicks taunting him constantly. A brief, spiteful fantasy of him mowing down a horde of faceless hecklers with a plasma cannon popped into his head, but he quickly pushed it aside as he realized that death wasn't any part of the answer. No, the best-case scenario would have been Jayron bringing him along; he was a dick, sure, but he certainly seemed more in touch with his former life. As Gavin slid away to tend to another customer, Sydran began to ponder what it'd be like working with his adversary... no, scratch that, he was daydreaming about returning home. His boyfriend, his job, everything... he'd been gone less than a month, he could easily just slip back in and return to where he belonged.

Part of himself wasn't convinced, however; there were supposedly trillions of worlds out there, what were the odds that Jayron could actually get him back home? Sure, he might get a few of the comforts he'd once known in his service, but they just wouldn't be the same. Plus, there was no telling how much he'd pay for those comforts in dignity or blood, and despite his allure, Jayron didn't seem like the type to see him as an equal. There was no possible way back to his old life, no chance of escaping this city of tents, and once he got started down that road of hopelessness, there was no escaping the self-hatred that bubbled up from the cracks. Oh, he could have avoided this fate, if only he'd been a second quicker, had a little more balance, been standing a few feet to the side... if God was still watching him in this hellhole, he thought, the evil bastard was probably wringing his hands with glee.

"Hey, could I get a..." He trailed off as he realized Gavin was off with another customer, one of the first to come during the afternoon rush. Goddamnit. Sydran took another gulp of his coffee before laying down defeatedly, wondering when the big blue barkeep would come back around. He liked the talks they had, even though they mostly involved Gavin telling him to get his shit straight. Stand up tall and don't look back seemed like his motto for everything in life, and Sydran was a tad jealous that he could just shrug things off like they were nothing.

Suddenly the sound of four more patrons caught Sydran's attention, or rather their constant chatter did. He could feel them staring at him, could hear their snide comments and rakish laughter, obviously making fun of him and his folly. He never asked to get fucked in the ass, to get utterly humiliated... well, there was a part of him that enjoyed it after the fact, but that wasn't the point. The point was that those four shitstains had been making his life miserable ever since he got here, and now they dared to taunt him while he was sitting right in front of them.

"...failed twice in a row, and fucked in the ass, too." "Must've been his boyfriend or something." "Lucky bastard, I wish I got free sex whenever I screwed up." Those little shits needed to be taught a lesson, and not one they'd shake off in a couple of days. Despite the red haze swirling through his mind, Sydran could still concentrate enough to use his internal battery, and tree-shaped electrical burns began radiating out from his claws on the wooden bar. He was about to turn around and give the four punks 10,000 volts straight up the ass when a big blue paw came down on top of his own, and he looked up to see Gavin earnestly meeting his gaze.

"Don't," the blue dragon murmured, "It's not worth it. Go outside and cool off, then meet me behind the cafe in an hour, we can talk then." Gavin then slipped off as suddenly as he'd appeared, tending to one of the many new customers coming in. Sydran glanced back to the drakes a single time before deciding to take the barista's advice, tossing a few gems onto the bar before sliding off the stool. Go cool off, he'd said, we'll talk later. No mention of how the fuck he was supposed to do that with all the shit floating around his head... but he was sure he could figure something out.

After fifteen minutes of flying around and wallowing in his own thoughts, Sydran decided to take his frustrations out on a training dummy and set out for the militia's field. Seeing nobody else there besides a few rookies, he swooped down to the spear rack and grabbed a weapon. One of the trainees began to notice as the black dragon turned the spear over in his hands, seeing how badly it'd suffered from shoddy workmanship. It wasn't straight enough, of course, and the blunt tip had a bunch of knicks that whatever asshole had used it last had forgotten to sharpen out. Useless primitive screwheads... he thought about just setting the spear back down, but his gaze quickly settled on a target dummy on the opposite side of the field; it just had to be painted with a big, stupid smile and mocking googly eyes that really rubbed him the wrong way. "You're so stupid," it seemed to say, "Getting ambushed by the same guy twice in two weeks. You really ought to learn to watch your back more, huh huh huh! I hope the whole village doesn't find out... oh, wait, they-"

"RRRRAAAAGGGH!" Sydran cut his narration of the dummy's thoughts short with a blood-curdling battle cry, surging forward and hurling the shoddy spear with all the strength his delirious anger could conjure. The point went clean through the dummy's padded chest, but that wasn't good enough; without stopping, he scooped up a wooden practice sword and began wailing on the dummy, viciously smacking it again and again like some kind of oversized voodoo doll. Sydran delighted in each little crack in its timber frame, how the arms began to bend and the stitching began to tear as he continued to savagely attack it. Eventually, he started just smacking at the thing's head, trying to knock the dumb grin off its burlap sack of a head. He had just begun to feel its neck splinter when his sword snapped in half, but he only looked at it for a split second before tossing the broken weapon aside. With his hands empty, he decided to let loose in a primal display of ferocity, extending both arms while turning his internal battery up to eleven. The resulting blast of lighting disintegrated the dummy from knee height upward, finally ridding Sydran of that stupid grin and a good deal of his pent up emotions. The aftermath reeked of charcoal and ozone, and as he took a few deep breaths to regain his composure, the black dragon realized that the recruits were all staring at him with looks of terrified panic. As a strange sense of calm washed over him, he gave a small wave, then started walking over to the supply shed to get some replacement gear.

First came the replacement dummy, which he hammered into the ground with ease; he found the dorky painted expression rather endearing now that his frustrations had been let out, and he decided to pop a bucket onto its head as an extra decoration. Then he fetched a spare spear for the rack and tossed the two halves of the practice sword onto the firewood pile, leaving the training area almost as he'd found it. Throughout all this, the group of rookies watched in astonishment, remaining almost motionless until one of them stepped forward from the group. "D-do you need some help?" the grey drake hesitantly asked, "I-if you want a sparring partner, well... I could go with you..."

Sydran was about to politely decline when he realized that he had at least another hour until his meeting with Gavin and that disintegrating the practice dummy had really put him in the mood for some training. "Yeah, sure," he replied with a cheery smile, "It's Perkins, right?"

"Ah, yeah..." Perkins still looked worried that Sydran might treat him like he did the dummy, flinching a tad as the black dragon tossed him a spear. "So... uh... anything you want to work on?"

The rest of the rookies stepped back a bit as Sydran entered the training circle, a calm focus gleaming in his eyes. "Let's just see where you're at first," he replied, "Then we can get into the heavy stuff." He took up a fighting stance opposite the grey drake, putting his feet shoulder width apart with his left foot in front. As Sydran's spear point leveled at his chest, Perkins hurriedly did the same, then hesitated for a moment.

"Should I just... ah... start?"

"Go ahead." Sydran began slowly strafing to the side, hardly reacting as his opponent made a few feeble pokes at him. When Perkins finally made a real attack, he put all his weight behind an incredibly telegraphed thrust, which would have been a powerful blow if it had connected. Sydran easily knocked his point off target before ducking to the side and shoving him as he passed, sending the private staggering sideways. It would have been easy to whack him over the back of the head while the drake was off balance, but Sydran decided to have mercy. "Keep it steady," he said, "Don't throw yourself off balance for a single attack. You always want a solid base, remember that." After taking a second to get himself re-adjusted, Perkins got back into a fighting stance, pointing the spear's tip straight at Sydran's chest. This time, he began with a more controlled offensive, stabbing twice at the black dragon's belly before swiping the tip at his face. It was a reasonably effective move, or it would have been if Perkins had had any skill. Sydran was just about to compliment him on his creativity when the drake did something he really didn't expect. The sweeping strike to the legs wasn't nearly as telegraphed as his previous maneuvers, and the black dragon just barely managed to flap up into the air to avoid it. Once he was airborne, however, he quickly saw his opponent had left his head wide open, and without a moment's hesitation, he brought the shaft of his spear down on his grey scaled skull like a baseball bat. Perkins staggered back in a daze, taking a few steps before slumping onto the ground.

"Ow..." Sydran helped the private to his feet, who was still rubbing his head where the black dragon had struck him. "Was that really necessary? I think I might need to-"

"Nah, you'll be fine." Sydran led him back to his spot in the training circle before assuming his own, and the guilt he felt subsided as the private seemed to shake it off. "Now, here, let me show you something. That leg sweep was pretty good, but there's something a bit easier that works just as well. Let's say you're in a clinch..." The black dragon mimed fighting an opponent, pressing his spear against empty air in an imaginary deadlock. "Your weapon's no good since if you stop pushing, they knock you over. So what you do instead is push forward, hook your leg around theirs, then topple them over." Sydran slowly demonstrated the full maneuver a few times, then once he thought the watching rookies had it, he motioned for Perkins to join him. "Come on," he said as the private nervously glanced around, "I'm not going to hurt you."

The grey drake eventually decided to participate and stepped forward before pressing his spear up against Sydran's. After a moment of waiting to get knocked over, he finally realized he was the one who was supposed to be demonstrating; he pushed forward, hooked the leg, but didn't go through with the full shove. Sydran quickly realized that he was afraid of hurting his instructor, so he whispered a bit of encouragement into his earhole. "Come on, don't you want to get me back for that bonk on the head?"

The private took a second to get the message, but when he did, he knocked Sydran down with more force than his scrawny frame seemed capable of. The black dragon let out a small grunt as he hit the dirt, although most of the impact was mitigated by his breakfall training. He looked up to see Perkins pointing his spear right at his throat, but he quickly stood down and helped Sydran to his feet. "Sorry, sir..." he muttered, "Or, uh, I mean sorry, Sydran..."

"Don't worry, I can take a beating." The black dragon turned back to his assembled students, who all looked eager to try the new move out on one another. "What're you waiting for?" he asked, "Let's get sparring!"

Forty minutes and a few good hits later, Sydran realized it was about time to go meet Gavin and left the rookies to beat the snot out of each other. It didn't take him long to flap and glide his way back to the cafe, and when he reached the back, he found that Gavin hadn't yet gotten off his shift. He waited patiently for the five or so minutes it took for the big barista to pry himself away from the clatter and chaos of the restaurant. "Sydran!" he said as he spotted the black dragon, "Glad you decided to take me up on my offer."

A small smirk spread across Sydran's lips, and he fell into step beside Gavin as he passed. "Yeah, didn't want you going for a walk on your own, all moody and lonely." The two dragons walked without a word toward the boundary of the town, and only when they were out of earshot of everything else did they start to talk. "So, anything you wanted to talk about?" Sydran asked, "Were you just gonna remind me of the 'no torching patrons' rule in the cafe?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Gavin bowed his head in thought for a moment, then looked back up toward the horizon. "I just wanted to say that I know what you're going through."

Sydran half-snorted at the notion. "So you've also been snatched from your homeworld and fucked in the ass? Treated like crap just cause you wound up in a village of shitheads? Please do tell me what that's like."

"Far from pleasant, as I'm sure you know." The barista's sincerity made Sydran reconsider whether he was telling the truth, and a flicker of hope came up that maybe he did know what he was going through. "I got here about ten years ago, although unlike you, I came of my own free will. Bubba found me, took me in and treated me nice, but... well, I'm sure you're no stranger to how outsiders get treated."

"Why'd you come here?" Sydran asked, "Did you just decide you had enough of your homeworld?"

Gavin gently rubbed the back of his neck, reminiscing on unpleasant memories. "Ah... yes and no. It's a long story, and..." The big dragon paused for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. "...let's just say I put my past behind me, it's not that important. What is important is that I know what it's like to get knocked on your ass time and time again, to lose over and over again until you just want to quit. One time, I had everything lined up for a great promotion, the kind of thing that would have made my career, but it just got yanked out of my hands. This guy from a different department, Sheldon, he managed to sweep it all out from under me; he had friends in all the right places, and quite frankly, he was far better when it came to office politics. Still, I managed to shrug it off, and a few years later, I got another chance at the promotion. I still didn't get it, mind you, some prodigy took the position instead, but I managed to keep on going."

"So how do you do it?" A tiny hint of guilt was worming its way into Sydran's mind, a little voice berating him for being such a wimp. He'd failed just twice, and both times he'd been caught off guard in an unfair situation.

Gavin shifted his gaze up to the afternoon sky, thinking back to some other time. "Well, I know this is going to sound silly... but all I did was give it up. I didn't forget, mind you, I just didn't keep pushing toward the same goal in the same way."

"So you're saying I should give up trying to get Jayron?" Part of him found the notion ridiculous, and yet... there was a glimmer of sense in Gavin's advice.

"Well, yes." The black dragon was starting to realize just how obsessed he'd been over the past few days, just stewing in his own anger without doing anything about it. Giving it up was starting to seem like a decent proposition, at least until a better opportunity came along. "I can tell it's been hurting you, Sydran; just let go of the whole vendetta and you'll be feeling better in no time."

The two of them walked on in silence, and Sydran began to ponder the blue dragon's advice some more. After a while, however, he felt the need to keep the conversation going, so he decided to voice a question lurking at the edge of his mind. "So what was your homeworld like?"

"Ah, well, it was pretty comfortable. We had cars, smartphones, great food... we didn't have spaceships or anything, though, we were just on the one planet. I think they called it the early twenty-first century if that makes any difference."

"Twenty-first century, huh? That explains the mustache." Both of them let out a small chuckle, and they began talking about where they both came from. It went on for a few minutes, right up until Sydran realized Gavin was leading him back into town, specifically towards a makeshift grill shop on the edge of town called "Green Hedge Grillery." Three brothers had set the place up about a month after the dragons' forced relocation, and since then, it'd become one of the main spots people came to hang out or take a break. There weren't a whole lot of customers right after lunch, but maybe that was the reason Gavin was taking him there.

The blue dragon seemed to sense his companion's confusion and decided to quell his questions. "We're going to meet with a mutual acquaintance," he explained, "I was going to meet him alone, but I think tagging along would do you some good."

"So who is this mutual acquaintance?" Sydran asked, rifling through the list of people in the village he'd met. He'd only gotten to know a handful, but he wasn't sure who among them were also friends with Gavin.

"You'll see." The two of them walked into the tent that housed the restaurant, and Sydran quickly spotted the acquaintance in question. Bubba was sitting alone at a table, with one plate full of bones and another full of grilled meat. The big drill sergeant looked up, and his face split into a grin as he lay eyes on Gavin. His enthusiasm was tempered somewhat when he saw Sydran beside him, however, and as he took a huge bite from a leg of turkey, it was apparent he wasn't expecting anyone besides the barista.

Still, he did his best to keep up appearances, and he greeted the two with a glowing smile. "Gavin! Great to see ya again! And I see you brought Sydran too... we still going with the plan?"

As Sydran wondered what this 'plan' was, Gavin walked over and sat down at the table. "I'm afraid not," he replied, "But I think I've got something just as fun in mind." The black dragon got the feeling he was interrupting or interfering, and that was confirmed by the way Bubba looked at Gavin for a split second. He got the sense that they'd been really looking forward to doing something together, and he was about to try and excuse himself when Bubba spoke up.

"How about we see what Sydran's new gizmo is," he said, "That arba-thingy. The smithy said they'd finished the prototype; we could give it a test run!"

Well, neither of them seemed too let down, Sydran thought, and he'd been wondering about the weapon in the back of his mind for a little while. "I'd be down with that," he replied, "How about you, Gavin, wanna go for an afternoon shoot?"

The barista seemed a tad surprised at the offer, and his eyes went a tad wide at the prospect of using a weapon. "Well... I guess so... I'm not much of a bowman, though, so I'd like it if you could go easy on me."

"Don't worry," Sydran chided with a grin, "I've never used it either, and besides, it's way easier than trying to use a real bow. It's just point-and-click, you'll see."

Bubba seemed a tad confused at the expression, but Gavin looked a tad more reassured. "We'll also need a firing range," he said, "Preferably away from all the bustle."

"I know the perfect place," the black dragon replied, sneaking a quick wink at Bubba. "No one will bother us."

It took the trio a few minutes to get to the blacksmith's shop, but when they got there, the soot-caked forgemaster was hesitant to part with his prototype. Despite his determination, he was in no way willing to go head to head with Bubba over it, and once Sydran began spouting a bunch of military mumbo-jumbo about "Live-fire field testing" and "R&D command officer ranking," the old dragon reluctantly handed it over, along with a case of thick metal bolts. It was a bit heavier than Sydran expected it to be, what with the arms being made of pliable metal instead of wood, but with the attached crank he still managed to pull the string back. Once they had the weapon, Bubba bulldozed his way through a pack of recruits to get an archery target, then proceeded to berate them all on insubordination when they asked what he was doing. The three dragons then set out into the woods toward Sydran's location of choice, after which they set up the target and marked a firing line in the grass.

"Alright, let's see what this puppy can do." Sydran cranked the string back and slotted a bolt behind it, making sure it had a clear chamber before hoisting the weapon to his shoulder. The smith hadn't installed sights, so he made do with lining up the point of the bolt with what he was shooting at. In that moment of silent concentration, he suddenly realized he could hear faint whispering from behind him.

"... having a rough time." Gavin was the one speaking, and he didn't seem to realize Sydran was listening.

"So you sacrificed our time together?" Bubba replied in an equally hushed voice, his words laced with just enough anger to be noticeable. He didn't think the two of them were all that close...

"What would you have me do, leave him to wither?"

Their conversation paused for a brief moment, and Sydran thought they might have realized he was eavesdropping. Without really thinking, he squeezed the trigger, sending the bolt flying forward with a loud THUNK. He thought it would have the same kick as a projectile rifle, but to his surprise, it hardly pushed against him at all. The black dragon quickly realized he'd also been aiming it like a rifle since the bolt was sticking out of the tree a full foot below his mark. He thought about taking another shot and maybe catching another snippet of Gavin and Bubba's conversation, but he decided it'd be better to rotate shooting privileges. Sydran passed the bow to Bubba before stepping back, then watched with interest as Bubba yanked back the string with his bare paw. Gavin was about ready to aid him when he dragged it all the way back with a ferocious snarl. The big soldier then looked back at Sydran with his brow furrowed in thought and said, "You really should find a better way to cock this thing." Sydran was about to point out the rather obtuse crank mounted on top but decided Bubba was fine without it. The drill sergeant took aim, but he didn't bother with such puny things as accuracy as he gave the trigger a ferocious squeeze. Despite this, the bolt somehow thudded into the bullseye, and Bubba let out a triumphant yell as he turned to Sydran. "HA! Lotta good those future smarts did ya, huh?"

"Beginner's luck," the black dragon replied, snatching the crossbow from Bubba's hands before handing it to Gavin. The barista seemed a tad hesitant to take the weapon but still accepted it from Sydran; he did his best to follow Sydran's example, although he was able to crank the string back with little effort thanks to his strength. Gavin raised the stock to his shoulder and slipped a bolt into the channel, and he had just begun to draw a bead on the target when Bubba stepped up behind him.

"Lemme help," Bubba murmured, "Since I'm such an expert in these matters..." The soldier helped his burly friend line everything up, guiding him with one paw on his forearm and the other on his waist. He almost seemed to be pulling Gavin back into him, bringing his muzzle onto the barista's shoulder as he continued to guide him. "There we go," Bubba purred, "Now just squeeze the trigger." His claws wrapped over Gavin's, and together they slowly pressed the lever that sent the metal bolt shooting forth. This time it seemed to hit because of skill instead of dumb luck, puncturing the target just shy of Bubba's own bolt. "See? Not that hard."

As the two muscular dragons pulled apart and handed over the bow to Sydran, he began to wonder if there was something between them besides friendship. He'd seen that sort of "bro-love" before and knew it could just be a deeply entrenched platonic relationship... but then again, the two of them could have been lovers. They certainly seemed like an interesting pair, and he could definitely see them together; maybe they were just subtle about it, or perhaps they had suppressed feelings for one another. Sydran's thoughts then turned down a more lewd avenue, and he started thinking about his intimate night with Bubba, with him pounding the burly blue dragon into the ground like a fencepost. He tried imagining Gavin in his place, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like Bubba would be in charge. Or maybe they took turns, switching off who did the fucking and who did the moaning. Either way, Sydran slowly began to fantasize about jumping in the middle of one of their romps, and he'd just gotten to the part where he was getting spit-roasted when his finger accidentally pulled the trigger. Amid his ponderings, he'd reloaded the crossbow almost on instinct, but the jolt back to reality threw off his aim enough that the bolt went sailing into the underbrush. Bubba let out a loud laugh, and Sydran handed the weapon back with a scowl before running off to get the projectile.

Their little archery competition went on almost for an hour, with the three dragons rotating between shooting, talking, and, in the case of Gavin and Bubba, whispering subtly. Still, all three had a good time, with the trio poking fun at one another while making the occasional lewd comment. Bubba was especially fond of both berating Sydran for his aim and complementing Gavin for his successes, going so far as to slap his friend's ass as congratulations. The lithe black dragon had just started to feel like a third wheel again when they decided to call it quits, and Sydran made sure to drop off the crossbow before heading out to the construction yard.

He had a productive but bland three hours on the job, spending most of it either on making dull corrections to floor plans or helping out with the grunt work. Nestor was strangely absent from the area, and Sydran didn't find him when he checked in the foreman's office, but most of the workers seemed to know what they were doing all on their own. He briefly entertained the theory that Nestor, Bubba, and Gavin had snuck off for an afternoon rutting session, but Sydran quickly decided that the green dragon didn't seem like the amorous type. Sure, he was handsome enough, and objectively speaking he should have triggered Sydran's sex drive, but he found it weirdly difficult to picture him getting busy with anyone, which was especially odd considering the young dragon's ability to sexualize just about anything.

After the light began to fade and the work crew retreated back to wherever they went to get dinner, Sydran grabbed a quick meal from one of the smaller eateries in town and went back to his tent. He tried going to sleep, but after a few minutes of tossing and turning, he realized something was holding him back. The black dragon tried to focus on that something, and when he did, he realized he was still hung up on whether or not Gavin and Bubba were an item. It was a weird thing to be all bothered about... but he found it bothering nonetheless. There was always the option of burying it deep and forcing himself to sleep, but Sydran quickly realized that talking to Gavin about it would be far less self-destructive. He pulled on some clothes before stepping out of his tent, and sure enough, he could see a little bit of light trickling out from beneath the cafe's batwing doors. Maybe he could get some hot chocolate too, he thought, maybe make the night a bit less chilly.

When he stepped through the doors, doubts quickly began to surface in Sydran's mind. The cafe's central area was dead quiet, with all the torches doused and all the chairs flipped up onto the tables. No one stood at the bar, and the only light was coming from somewhere in the back. As he crept closer to investigate, Sydran could swear he heard two voices, one gruffer than the other, and as he strained to listen, the young dragon managed to pick up a few words.

"Let's see... I got three twos, a guy with a sword, and a guy stabbing himself in the head." There was something about that gruffer voice that struck him as familiar, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Lemme see..." a second voice said, followed by a large belch. "Yeah, that's a full house, which beats the snot out of my wimpy pair." There was a faint sound of rustling, almost like someone was taking off clothing. Sydran made his way into the kitchen, past the pots, pans, and stoves, and as he got closer to the voices, he could tell they both sounded at least a little bit drunk.

"Heh." He could see a doorway where light was spilling through, and the voices were definitely coming through it. Taking care to not get caught in the open, Sydran peeked into the room, then quickly ducked back when he saw what was within. Gavin was sitting at a small table with five playing cards in his hand, and none other than Bubba himself was seated opposite him. He also noticed that Gavin was down to a few pieces of clothing, all of which were lying on the floor. The burly commander drew some more cards, then frowned at his hand like he couldn't read the cards; Gavin, on the other hand, had a grin a mile wide and didn't hesitate to slap down his cards on the table.

"Read 'em and weep, Bubba!" he exclaimed, "Looks like your luck's starting to run out."

Bubba looked down at his own hand, then back to Gavin's with a confused expression. "But I got three tens! How's a bunch of little numbers better?"

Gavin held up his cards, and Sydran could see he had a flush. "Well, three of a kind is pretty good, but it doesn't trump five cards of the same suit." Bubba glowered for a moment as his friend dealt new hands, and Gavin seemed to be expecting him to do something. "C'mon, you know you've gotta do it..."

"Fine." Sydran watched the sergeant strip off his furry shoulder pads, undoing the harness across his chest before chucking it to the ground. He then took a swig from a big glass bottle on the table, and Sydran guessed from the pair's semi-drunken tone that it had some kind of liquor in it. "This's a dumb game," Bubba slurred, then perked up as he looked at his cards.

"Hey you're the one who wanted to play some 'fancy future games.'" Gavin took a swig of his own, then let out a small gasp as he peeked at his cards. "Son of a bitch..."

"Haha! 'Nother house!" Bubba slammed down two fives and three queens, pointing playfully at Gavin. "Your turn, bucko."

Gavin pulled off his belt with a tipsy grin, chucking it to the floor before taking a long swig of booze. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you wanted to see me naked,"

"Oh, please, if I wanted you naked I'd just rip all yer clothes off like I did last night. I know you'd let me do it..." Bubba chuckled, then drew back up to five. Gavin did the same, then grimaced as he saw what a horrid hand he had.

"Shit... well, I'll fold."

"Fold?" Bubba leaned in, alcohol muddling the few brain cells he could bring to bear. "What's that mean?"

"It means I don't have to strip naked." The barista laid down five cards that were nothing alike, then leaned back into his chair. "If you have a crappy hand and don't want to risk losing something, you fold."

Bubba seemed positively taken aback at the concept of giving up. "That's the stupidest thing I ever heard!" he bellowed, "And I can hear myself talk! No folding, that's an order!"

Gavin looked down, saw he only had his undershirt and underwear left, then grudgingly unclipped the former. "Fine, be that way," he lightheartedly grumbled, then tossed the garment onto his pile. Both dragons drew another hand, and this time Gavin did a better job keeping a poker face. "What've you got?" he purred, "Cause I guarantee it ain't better than mine."

Bubba took a moment to inspect his cards. "Let's see... I think I got a flush... yeah, all of em got diamonds on the front."

"Well, that's pretty good... but not good enough!" The barista slammed his hand onto the table, and Sydran had just begun to wonder what he'd gotten when he proudly proclaimed, "Four of a kind!"

Bubba glanced at his cards, his brow furrowed in thought. "And that beats a flush? Well... what if I've got five of a kind? That'd beat your stupid four!"

Gavin let out a loud, raucous laugh, most likely spurred by the alcohol in his system. "That's not physically possible, you doofus! C'mon, what've you really got?"

After a slight bout of grumbling, Bubba tossed down his cards and took off his breastplate. Since he was pretty modest in terms of dress, all he had left was a loincloth and some bone jewelry, and Sydran had been in enough games of strip poker to know jewelry didn't count. As the pair drew their last hand, the lithe black dragon found his thoughts wandering in a rather naughty direction. It was only now that he realized the true weight of the situation: there were two big, beefy, handsome, and not to mention sexy dragons gradually stripping naked in front of him, and if his intuitions were right, as soon as the pants came off they'd start getting frisky. As his mind began to drift towards intimate fantasies, Bubba laid down the final blow. "Checkmate!" he proudly yelled, slamming his cards on the table and standing to his feet in a single motion. "Pants off, coffee boy, that dick is mine!"

"Wait wait wait, don't jump to... conclusions..." Gavin gradually accepted his defeat as he saw that Bubba had managed to get a straight flush. Sydran started wondering if Bubba had somehow stacked the deck, but to do that he'd have to be well-versed in poker, sleight of hand, and playing dumb. The burly dragon didn't look like he fit any of those three as he prepared to flip the table and dive for Gavin's crotch, but to Sydran's surprise, he didn't go through with it. Instead, he brought his chair over beside his friend, and once Gavin took off his underwear, Bubba reached down and began casually fondling his junk.

"Y'know, this whole slow 'n' sweet thing's starting to grow on me," the sergeant purred, switching paws and cuddling Gavin with one thick arm. "Probably helps that you're one sexy son of a bitch."

Gavin's muzzle broke into a relaxed smile, but it quickly faded as he seemed to realize something. "I'm really sorry we didn't get to go out today, I should've left the kid behind. I know how much you wanted to do something together..."

"Hey, don't get all mopey on me, I had plenty of fun with that crossbow thingy. Besides, aren't we together now?"

The barista let out a sigh of satisfaction in response. "Yeah, guess you're right... guess I just worried I wasn't doing enough for you, y'know?"

"Wasn't doing enough?" Bubba broke into a drunken giggle, then suddenly dropped down to his knees and buried his nose in Gavin's crotch. Sydran could hear him inhaling deeply, and when the sergeant looked up at his soon-to-be lover, it was hard to tell if it was the booze or the scent that had him intoxicated. "I've survived for weeks eating nothing but crispy rats, I think I can handle a little neglect. But you, on the other hand..." Bubba slowly licked along Gavin's balls, savoring the way he shivered with anticipation. "I think a city boy like you needs all the coddling he can get!"

Gavin looked like he was going to reply, but the words caught in his throat as Bubba dove headfirst into playing with his balls. One paw began fondling from below while he continued to lick them, stopping every few seconds to tenderly kiss or suckle on the leathery scrotum. Sydran could hear Gavin blissfully moaning, and the young dragon began to wonder what he must be feeling; the warmth, the wet friction, the tingly pleasure of forbidden fruit... god, he was getting hard just thinking about it. He silently slid down into a sitting position, giving him an even better view of Bubba's intimate massage; part of him wondered if they'd hear him jerking off, or if maybe he could bust a quick nut before sneaking off into the night. It'd be risky, he thought as he stroked himself through his pants, but that risk made the reward so much better...

"Mrrrrrgh..." The mustached dragon was in heaven, the sweet sensation of each lick turned up to eleven. Ever since he'd started experimenting with masturbating, he'd known his testes were just as sensitive as his glans, if not more; Bubba made sure to make use of it ever since they'd first gotten intimate, and now, the drill sergeant had him well down the road to cumming. He was happy to let him suck him off to completion, but he suddenly felt one wet claw rubbing against his groin. With a contented sigh, he slouched down in his seat, letting Bubba slip that claw toward his taint and slip it inside. It didn't take long for him to find the hard lump of his prostate. "Haaaah... you know, I never pegged you for a sensitive type," he said through the building pressure in his groin, "Always figured-dooohhh... figured you'd be the rough-housing type..."

Bubba softly chuckled, then let out a tiny inebriated belch. "Oh, I can rough house you plenty, city boy. Wanna repeat of our time by the creek?"

"Heh... no thanks... guhhhh... still sore from last time..." Sydran began wondering how many times they'd done this before, how often the two of them fucked out where no one would see them. He could picture them getting real rough, with Bubba pounding Gavin into the ground ruthlessly as the latter blissfully moaned... or maybe they did it soft and gentle... either way, the thought to the two buff dragons getting intimate had gotten his cock all the way out of his sheath, and he was gently massaging the ridged underside as it tried to rip through his pants. Jerking off was starting to sound better and better, and he'd been able to pull off a ninja fap once before... it'd take all of two minutes, and with Gavin moaning up a storm, all the little noises that came with it would go unheard.

All of a sudden, Gavin seized up, letting out a long moan of pleasure as he began emptying his balls all over his own chest. Bubba drove him up the wall by gently caressing his scrotum, and his big paw began milking his lover's shaft like there was no tomorrow. Seeing Gavin spurting thick, sticky seed all over his own scaly belly was the last straw for Sydran, and as the big blue dragons enjoyed the climax, he silently slipped his pants down to his thighs and let his rigid cock out to play. He gave it a few experimental strokes with one scaly paw and found the skin as sensitive as ever; it didn't take long for him to get going, and he looked back to see something to fuel his lust even further. Bubba had started to lick up Gavin's jizz from off his scales, and from under the table, Sydran could see he had a massive erection. The sight of it got Sydran thinking about the times he'd had his ass stretched wide by something that big, which only fueled his sexual urges even more.

"C'mere, Bubba," Gavin purred, "Lemme take care of that for you." He was already reaching under Bubba's loincloth when the soldier stood up, and once he'd pulled off the simple garment, Gavin quickly got to work returning the favor. He scooped up a pawful of sticky semen from off his chest and used it as lube, producing all sorts of lovely squelching noises when he jerked his lover off. Sydran's cock throbbed with longing as he picked up the pace, and once Bubba began making out with Gavin, the black dragon began teasing himself with a tingly electrical charge. The two of them were really getting into it, sharing both semen and saliva as their tongues intertwined and explored each other's mouths. Part of him wanted to jump in and turn their little romp into a threesome, and the thought of having two burly dragons taking out their pent up cravings on him made him tremble with excitement, but he didn't want to risk them not being drunk enough to spit-roast him with no questions asked. Still, the feeling of his electrified claws on his straining member was good enough, and he was starting to have a hard time keeping his voice down with all the pent up arousal in his body. Sydran did his best to keep pace with Bubba, but from the groans and gasps he heard, odds were the beefy drill sergeant would cum first. "That good, huh?" Gavin said in response to Bubba's groans, "I always love it when you get sappy..."

"Grrrrrr... gonna... gaaahhh!" Bubba climaxed while Sydran was just starting to near the point of no return, and Gavin happily milked his thick member of every little drop. The black dragon began speeding up, hoping to cum before they came to their senses. He was going all out, zapping himself while speeding to the finish, and he was just about to cum when he let out an unfortunately loud moan. "Wait, what was that?" Bubba asked, and Sydran's blood ran cold as they both turned to look at him. Any hope of finishing in time withered as Bubba looked right into his eyes, and he could feel his libido shriveling under the spotlight. "Sydran? What're you... oh, you nasty little pervert!" Sydran expected him to be mad, but he could see a drunken smile spreading across the big dragon's lips. "I ought to punish you for that... but I'm feeling generous. Why don't you finish up there, and then we'll deal you in." Gavin seemed a tad more fazed, but didn't say anything as he began wiping some of his fluids off.

"Uh..." Sydran's cock had already retreated halfway back into his slit, and given the awkwardness of jerking off while being watched, he wouldn' have been willing to finish anyway. Instead, he just decided to pull his pants back up, but no sooner had he grasped his waistband than Bubba spoke up again.

"Leave the pants," he said with a grin, "This is a no-clothes table." The big dragon then walked over to a counter and grabbed a burlap sack, pulling out a handful of peanuts from within. "We'll be betting with these since stripping's not an option." Both his voice and his gait showed clear signs of a heavy buzz, and as he sat down at the table, he came pretty close to tripping over his own chair.

After a moment's hesitation, Sydran complied, taking off his pants and shirt before getting to his feet. Both he and Gavin were fairly tense as they sat down, but the latter quickly grabbed the bottle of booze and took a swig. Sydran followed suit, then downed the rest of the bottle as Bubba began shuffling the cards. The sweet, cinnamon-flavored burn of the alcohol helped dissolve some of his apprehensions, and he did his best to steel himself for a long night.

"So, you got any requests?" Bubba asked him, "I'm sure someone from the future knows plenty of games..."

As Gavin took the bottle and realized it was empty, Sydran decided on an old favorite of his. "Let's do blackjack," he said as he took the deck from Bubba, "I think it's easy enough even for someone like you to get it."

"Oh, yeah, I know that one," Gavin said from across the room. He uncorked a second bottle, then took a drink before continuing. "Worked as a casino dealer for a bit, I know the rules." The barista sat back down and put the bottle in the middle, which Bubba quickly helped himself to.

"So how it goes is you get two cards," Sydran explained to the sergeant, "One face up, one face down. When it's your turn, you can draw a card if you want to; the goal is to get to a total of twenty-one without going over." He dealt two cards to Gavin and Bubba, then pulled two for himself. "Face cards are ten, aces can be one or eleven. You think you got it?"

"Hmmm..." Bubba took a look at both his cards, then showed off a king and an ace. "So this is-" He paused for a moment to hiccup, then continued. "This is good?"

"Bingo. Now if you'll give us our chips, we can get started..."

The tension in the room gradually dissolved as the trio played hand after hand, mostly because of the liquor Gavin was supplying. Sydran had more than his fair share, and although he fancied himself able to hold his drink, his slim frame led him to get quite drunk in the span of thirty minutes. All three players were equally shitfaced by the time someone won, and as the victor stood to his feet, he barely managed to avoid toppling over.

"YES!" Bubba shouted at the top of his lungs, "I AM THE PEANUT MASTER!" He grabbed a handful of his spoils and crammed them into his mouth, then began furiously munching on the crunchy shells. "FEAR ME!" Shards of peanut shells sprayed out of his mouth as he shouted, scattering across the room.

"You cheater," Gavin slurred, "You were counting cards, I saw you thinking!"

Sydran finished off the third bottle of booze, then chucked it over his shoulder after shaking out the last few drops. "No, no, he won fair 'n' square. He was just doing basic addition with his two left brain cells!"

All three dragons broke out into raucous laughter, which Bubba brought to a halt with an upraised palm. "Hey Sydran," he asked, "You wanna get laid? It's a two for one special at Bubba's All You Can Suck buffet..." The burly dragon slouched back and gave his cock a few strokes, but right then it didn't seem to intent on getting stuck in an orifice.

"Nah, I've got a bad case of whiskey dick." The slimmer dragon sunk back into his chair as well, looking at his slit and musing over what it'd be like to have an actual dick made of whiskey. Would it have to be frozen, he thought, or would it be like a prehensile tentacle made of liquid?

Gavin slid his chair back, standing up and stretching his wings. "I think I've got whiskey everything," he murmured, "And I'm starting to feel kinda hungry... whaddaya say we go get some grub?"

"Well, I think the bagel shop is still open this late," Sydran replied, "Wanna get some fake donuts?"

Bubba pulled on his loincloth, then triumphantly pointed one claw toward the sky. "To the fake donut place it is!" he exclaimed, then grabbed another handful of peanuts before getting dressed. Gavin and Sydran followed suit, and once they'd completed the difficult challenge of clothing themselves, the trio began the trek to the bagel shop tent. The owner of said shop was somewhat confused when the militia commander, a cafe owner, and an outsider staggered inside, but after Bubba tossed him some gems, he happily sat the three of them up at one of the tables and kept them supplied with food. They all ate their fill and then some, chatting about various adventures and stories while the alcohol gradually filtered out of their systems. Noting disturbed them for about an hour or so, up until a green dragon entered the tent.

Sydran was in the middle of recounting one of his more successful jobs as a bodyguard when he saw Nestor step into the shop, and he stopped in his tracks with the story to greet his boss. "Hey, Nestor! Out for a late night snack too?"

The green-scaled foreman surveyed the scene, taking in the black dragon's company and the hint of inebriation in his voice. "I was looking for Bubba," he replied, "We've got something we need to discuss."

"What is it?" Bubba stood up from the table, walking over in front of Nestor. "I'm all ears."

Nestor's expression soured a tad as he smelled the booze on Bubba's breath. "You've been drinking, I take it?"

"Yeah." Nestor's expression didn't change, getting Bubba a tad offended. "What, I'm not allowed to have any fun? "

"You're the captain of the guard," he replied, "You've too much responsibility on your shoulders to go out and get smashed with your friends, especially on the eve of a crisis."

"Smashed, huh?" Sydran could see the playful drunken glimmer in the burly commander's eyes, and he could tell Bubba was about to make a fool of someone. "I'll show you smashed!" In a burst of primal strength, he rushed forward and tackled Nestor to the ground. The builder tried to shove him off, but Bubba just used it as an opportunity to flip him onto his back. One strong arm wrapped around Nestor's neck, weakly squeezing his windpipe as he struggled. After a moment, however, the green dragon went limp, letting go of Bubba's arm with a look of disappointment on his face. "What, not gonna fight back? You just gonna give up?"

"There's someone out there who wants us all dead," Nestor growled, "And here you are getting drunk and playing games."

His words got the attention of everyone in the shop, and Bubba loosened his grip quite a bit. "Wait, what? Who wants us dead?"

Nestor pushed the bigger dragon off, then got to his feet, dusting off his clothes before continuing. "Whoever Jayron is working for. Sources say he's attempting to build some kind of doomsday weapon, a device that'd turn the whole valley into crystal in a matter of seconds. We also know he's targeting us specifically, and odds are the device will be just one of many attempts to wipe us off the map."

Sydran stood up, walking a few steps closer with his paw on his chin in thought. "Why a crystal bomb? Why not just set off a nuke? It'd be just as deadly, and I'm guessing a lot more lethal."

"We don't know. From a few rumors, we know this person is not exactly mentally stable, so he might have some irrational reason for wanting a crystal bomb instead of a normal one." Nestor took a few steps forward, passing Bubba as he got to his feet. "I was going to ask Bubba for his tactical analysis, but seeing as how he's indisposed..." He stopped in front of Sydran, looking down at the white-haired dragon. "The council believes that you are the best choice for hunting down Jayron and stopping his employer, whoever he may be. If you accept this task, you will be free to use whatever means we can produce, and you may bring anyone with you that you wish."

"Me?" Sydran was having a hard time believing what Nestor was saying and an even harder time believing that it was a good idea. "But I failed twice, how am I the best choice?"

"Because you've got experience with high tech worlds, and we've located Jayron in just such a place. The only other dragon in the valley who would be on par with you is Rhudaria, and, well, I'm sure you can guess why we aren't sending her. Also, Jayron seems to have a soft spot for you, and as such may be more likely to slip up."

He was about to ask what made him think Jayron had a soft spot when he remembered their brief encounter in the warehouse. It was probably true, seeing as how he'd been spared twice when others had been killed outright. Sydran wanted to accept, but right then he remembered what he and Gavin had been talking about in the afternoon, about how letting go and moving on would be better in the long run. Did he really want to chase down his nemesis solely for the sake of a vendetta, to risk being humiliated yet again, to put his life on the line just to settle a score? No, he didn't... but that wasn't why he wanted to do it. Looking around, he could see fear in his friends' eyes, a fear that one day they'd be slaughtered by some madman for whatever bizarre reasons he worked upon. Sydran could tell even Bubba was terrified of losing his life and livelihood... and with a startling realization, he recognized that same fear within himself. The village may be a shantytown populated by primitive screwheads, but with his old life gone, it was the closest thing he had to home. "What would happen if I refused?" he asked, but he already knew the answer before Nestor said a word.

"We'd send someone else," he replied, "Someone who wouldn't be nearly as effective as you. They might succeed, but... well... it wouldn't be a sure success."

After a moment of silence, Sydran made his decision, for better or worse. "I'll do it," he declared, "I'll put a stop to whatever that bastard is planning. I don't care if I have to cross a thousand worlds, I'll bring him to justice or kill him trying."

Nestor seemed to breathe the tiniest sigh of relief, and Sydran felt a heavy paw land on his shoulder. "We'll help you however you need," he heard Bubba say from behind him, "Just say the word, and the militia will follow you to hell and back."

"If there's any way we can help, just let us know," Gavin added. "Some of us might not be all that great in a fight, but there's more to fighting a war than just steel and blood."

Sydran turned around, taking Bubba's paw off his shoulder before clasping it in a firm handshake. "Thanks," he said, "I really appreciate your help." He then went over and shook Gavin's hand again, and part of him wondered whether he'd ever see the blue dragon again. "I could probably pull it off without you guys," he added with a smirk, "But it's nice to know you've got my back." He turned back to Nestor, who now sported a slight smile across his muzzle. "So, when do I start?" Sydran asked, "Should I go get ready now?"

"No," the green dragon replied, "You can take the night to rest up, you'll probably need it after tonight. In the morning, we'll get you outfitted, briefed, and sent on your way."

"Alright, that sounds like a plan!" After snagging the last bagel and saying goodbye to Bubba and Gavin, Sydran left for his tent. To his surprise, he started to fall asleep as soon as he hit the bedroll, and before long he was out cold. Most of the night was filled with acts of grand heroism borrowed from action flicks, and by the time he awoke the next day, he was feeling ready to take on the world.

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