Under the Sea of Stars (hal7283 and StainedCrimson, 18+, private)

[StainedCrimson]

Hearing someone call after him, the viscount studiously ignores the voice. Much practice has gone into his skills of being able to studiously ignore others and it shows in how Gereon gives so sign of tension or acknowledgement of the other. Even when the drake runs up to him and gets into his face, his expression not once alters from the bland indifference. "Whether or not I am, your way of introduction says much about your manners." While flat, his tone still manages to give the sense of disapproval and dismissal.

 

As he goes to continue his wanderings, a faint frown crosses his face as he catches a whiff of the scent coming off of the other. "That smell... It's the Najassambi. Unfortunate that its toxin seems to have missed. It would have been interesting to see how it eats its prey." He muses aloud already forgetting about the brief irritation in his day. Clearly it will take a lot to get the man to even acknowledge he is indeed Viscount Gereon, to say nothing of getting the necessary item from him for the competition.

 

Of course there happens to be a person passing by who is wearing a discrete recorder that catches the who exchange between the two. After quietly witnessing the interaction, the small female follows carefully to see what happens next. This is far too juicy and exciting to pass up, contest or no. Inwardly squirming with glee at how envious the others will be seeing that not only did she get the elusive viscount on camera, but she's getting front row seats to a contestant trying to complete a task. Unknowingly, some of the warmth and excitement is coming from the pheromones starting to come off the drake due to his heat.

[hal7283]

Now being certain the man in front of him was the illusive Viscount, Darihel quickly followed as the man walked away, clearly wanting nothing to do with him. He could feel his heart rate rising and his body sweating, which he thought must be due to how nervous and anxious he was trying to complete his mission. As he walked beside the Viscount he said: "Please, wait, Viscount Gereon! I apologize for my behavior earlier. You are right, I am not well versed in proper etiquette as I should. But please understand that running into you here was quite a pleasant surprise for me. Please, allow me to properly introduce myself, My name is..."

 

Before he could say his name, Darihel was interrupted by the Viscount's comment. "Toxin... you mean the liquid which came out of that Flower? It didn't miss actually as I got hit right in the face but... I suppose it doesn't work on my biology.... Ah, it's not important right now!" Darihel quickly went in front of the Viscount and bowed down formally: "My name is Darihel and I am a contestant for his royal highness Prince Chernyelo's harem. My task is to get a jeweled watch from you. To be honest I don't know what I can offer you to complete my task, as I have no idea what do you want. But I am willing to do whatever that's necessary so please, tell me what I can do for you."

[StainedCrimson]

The viscount snort softly as the other scrambles after him and admits to his failings. At least he's that much aware. Now if he would just leave... He ignores the other calling after him and attempting to introduce himself. Contestant or no, Gereon has no intention of being dragged into the mess. What does he care if Chernyelo loses one more contestant this early on? When the other claims that he was hit in the face with the toxin, the viscount stops and stares down his nose at the lying irritation.

 

"Not only are you manner-less, but a liar as well. Even if I had been inclined to give you this supposed watch, I shall have nothing to do with someone such as you." His tone is cold and unyielding as he begins to walk once more. "Bother me again and I'll have you thrown in the dungeon." He states, body rigid with indignation. This was the whole reason he stays apart from the politics of court and such. The lies and manipulation are far too tedious and insulting to deal with. Under his breath Gereon mutters to himself. "Toxin from the Najassambi has no effect, ha! That is one of the deadliest there is and nothing has been found resistant or immune to it."

 

Naturally the viscount has no idea of the other's true origins, and so is unable to connect that there are some creatures out there that would be unaffected by the toxin of the deadly plant. Though unless Darihel is able to offer proof of what he really is or show that he truly is unaffected by the plant, then his chances of getting the watch from the viscount short of stealing it are almost none now.

[hal7283]

"L...liar?" Darihel muttered. He understood that his manners were likely not to the noble's standards; and he understood that being an alien from an unknown race, the Viscount would likely hold some prejudice and discrimination against him. But neither of these would warrant him being called a liar. Before he could react the viscount had walked passed him and was quickly furthering the distance between them. Darihel was so dumbfounded that he didn't no how to react, then his big pointy ears caught the silent mumbling coming from the Viscount as he left:

 

"Toxin from the Najassambi has no effect, ha! That is one of the deadliest there is and nothing has been found resistant or immune to it."

 

At that moment everything clicked. The viscount must be well versed in botany, or at least knew the garden he was just in very well, so much so that he could recognize the plant just from its smell, and knew of the effect of its venom. Darihel began to think quickly, remembering what he learned about noble behavior and values he had learned from his readings. Then suddenly Darihel laughed: "Ha ha ha! I've heard that Viscount Gereon is a man of great wisdom and honor, looks like the rumors were false!"

 

Darihel looked at the Viscount tauntingly. He knew that for the nobility, pride and reputation can be more important than wealth, profit, knowledge, even their lives, and he knew the Viscount couldn't possibly let such an insult go unchallenged. Darihel continued: "You accused me of being a liar because I couldn't have survived the effect of the poison. But how else could I have gotten the scent of the flower all over me? Sure I might have synthesized some chemical which smell similar and applied the scent to myself, but why would I do that? Preparing such things would take time, and resources, which I have neither. Plus I had no idea you were the target of my mission before today, nor of you knowing of the flower. Sure there's the possibility that I just happen to be wearing a perfume smelling similar to the poison, and for some reason decided to brag about it just to impress you, despite how stupid, ridiculous and pointless such a gesture is. But how would pretending to be immune to a poisonous flower help with my mission? In any case, you accused me of being a lair, and by extension, being a fool for lying about such pointless things without proof, even though there's a very easy way the find out the truth."

 

Darihel paused the observe the Viscount's reaction. By now he knew he'd got the noble's attention, for better or for worse. He continued: "How about we make a bet. Viscount Gereon? Let's go back to the garden and I'll get sprayed by the poison once more. If I survive, then you must apologize to me and give me the watch. If I don't survive then, well, then there'll be one less lair in this universe. I don't suppose a noble like you would refuse a man's request to defend his honor?"

[StainedCrimson]

The viscount stills and goes tense at the other's words and laughter. Thinned lips are about the only outward sign of the lord's anger, but those who are used to being around nobility know the signs and to beware. Whether fortunately or unfortunately for Darihel, the drake does not have that experience and no book is able to teach someone how to interact with nobility. Had the other led with logic, demand to defend his honor, or the deal then perhaps the viscount could have been eventually been made into an eventually ally or friend. However, with how the drake went about it, he has either turned the viscount into an enemy or a potential grudge match.

 

The staff recording the incident shrinks further into the background not wanting to catch the viscount's wrath. Gereon takes in a slight breath before slowly nodding his head in acceptance. "Very well then. Lead on." His tone is clipped as he waves the other off to lead the way even though the he knows how to get to the garden. Once there Viscount Gereon leads the way to the plant and stops at a reasonable distance in order to allow the drake to do his demonstration.

 

Had he not been angered and his pride pricked, the viscount would normally be curious and possibly interested in the other's claims or risks of proving this absurd claim. As it stands, he is merely impatient to have the other either die or live. When the drake is once again doused with the toxin and unharmed, Gereon merely stares at him for a moment before cooly stating that the watch will be delivered to the drake's room. With that he turns and vanishes into the depths of the garden.

[hal7283]

Darihel sighed as he saw the Viscount leaving in anger and humiliation. Perhaps things could've gone more smoothly if Darihel was more of a diplomat, but for a creature who'd spent literally centuries having no real interaction with other beings, it was a miracle that he could communicate meaningfully with other beings at all. But to be honest Darihel didn't feel too bad for upsetting the Viscount. After all the only human he cared about was Chernyelo. Anyone and anything other than him were insignificant. At best they were nuisances. He looked at the watch in his hand and smiled, and quickly left the garden to find the officials in charge of the contest.

 

It would be an understatement to say that the examiners were surprised when they saw the drake show up with the watch. They spent about half an hour examining the watch to make sure that it was the real thing, then spent another twenty minutes questioning just how he got the watch from the Viscount. Eventually and reluctantly, they let Darihel pass. By the time the examination was over, it was already quite late at night, and Darihel had missed dinner. When Darihel asked the servants around if he could get something to eat the only answer he got was that the kitchen staff had all left, which was actually not true since there was always people in the kitchen to serve any need the royals or nobles would have.

 

Nonetheless, Darihel was too exhausted from searching the palace the whole day to argue, and returned to his room hungry, tired and frustrated. He took a quick shower before drying himself, then crawled on the bed and curled up under the blankets. A strange emotion began to emerge inside Darihel's heart, and it was something quite alien to him. The room felt so quiet, and so cold, even colder than the dark abyss of dark space. At first he didn't understand just what was he feeling, as it was different from frustration, anger or curiosity, which were the emotions he understood when he was his old self. Nor was it like fear, jealousy or desire, which were the emotions he'd newly learned after gaining this humanoid form. Then almost instinctively muttered Chernyelo's name and he realized that he was feeling lonely. He missed Chernyelo, he wanted to see him, talk to him, feel his presence. He'd no idea being alone could be so painful and unbearable. As this emotion began to overwhelm him he began to felt a soreness in his eyes, and tears began to flow down from his cheek.

 

"Ugh... what... what is ...what is this....? Chenryelo.... ah....." Darihel was caught off guard by what was happening to him After all the Spectral Drake physique had no bodily function similar to this. As he tried to wipe the tears off his eyes and cheek it only seemed to get worse. As he continued to cry and sob the fatigue of the day slowly overcame him, until he finally fell asleep, dreaming of getting back to Chernyelo's side once more.

[StainedCrimson]

"Hmm, interesting." The witch muses while going over the readings he's receiving from the markings on the drake. "I wonder if these emotions are due to him being in a humanoid form or if all drakes are capable of such emotions." Leaning back in among a mount of cushions sits the prince, but it's not the prince. Or at least not entirely. It's the prince's face and body for the most part, but he's surrounded by shifting and undulating tentacles and there almost seems to be hints of the witch's mask.

 

Unaware is Byrin and another member from the harem who are asleep and clearly worn out if the marks and dried cum. Or so it appears, both are also covered in the golden sheen from the tentacles that even now lightly trace over the sleeping forms. Or so it seems as in the next moment it's just the prince with no trace of tentacles or masks. Stretching while leaning back, he laughs softly to himself. "This is proving more interesting than I thought."

 

Meanwhile the judges are contemplating the final task for this round, following which will be a party to celebrate the the beginning of the harem selection. The other contestants are enjoying in their success while the one who has to leave does so, the disappointment and shame radiating off of them. The next day comes and goes in a blur for most as they enjoy the quiet before the last task

 

Much like the last two tasks, the final one is announced at breakfast. "Good morning and welcome to the final round. Those who complete this round move on to being considered for Prince Chernyelo's harem. The final task will be to design and create something you will wear to the ball that will mark the true competition." The speaker pauses, looking the others over. "The rules are simple. You must do all the work yourselves: getting the materials, tools, and making of the item. What you make does not matter, in that it isn't required to be an article of clothing. You will showcase it before the judges and be judged on design, materials, and creativity. You will have two days for this task." With that the speaker bows his head before leaving the room.

[hal7283]

Finally it was the day for the final test. As Darihel woke up well rested and energetic, he headed for the common dining room which he'd gotten quite familiar with during the past few days of the competition. At this point he was confident, excited, as he was so close to success, to finally get back to Chernyelo's side and resume his "study" of the fascinating human. The contest has been quite an unpleasant distraction from his purpose, and he couldn't wait for it to finally end.

 

And only moments latter, his confidence disappeared and was replaced by confusion. Design and make something to wear for the ball? Darihel's knowledge on human culture and practice wasn't the best, but even he knew such works were usually done by specialized artisans. He could observe similar confusion from the other contestants, as handicraft wasn't exactly part of most noble's curriculum growing up. Sure many nobles had interest in art, even practice some. But there's a thin but important line between art and craft, and most noble wouldn't want to be on the side of the latter. In any case, that was their mission for the final test, and no matter how they'd have to figure out something to impress the judges.

 

The remaining contestants dispersed, and Darihel returned to his room to think. He began to search the net through the terminal in his room but struggled to find what he could do, or should do. He thought: "If the item is for the ball, then it also must go with whatever I'll wear for the ball." Darihel looked down at the clothing he was wearing, which was a standard looking white shirt decorated withe intricate laces around the collar and along the sleeves, and slim black trousers, of course with a slit for his tail to come out. All in all pretty standard outfit for a young nobleman day by day, but certainly not suitable for a formal ball, let alone one held in the imperial court. Since all of his clothing till now were prepared by the dressmakers, Darihel figured his ball outfit would be done by them as well. Darihel muttered to himself: "Hmm... maybe I should pay them a visit."

 

With that thought in mind, Darihel quickly got out of his room and found one of the servants nearby to ask for directions. Shortly after he found his way to the same place where Chernyelo had taken him to get the first clothing he'd eve wore. As soon as he stepped inside he heard a high-pitched voice saying loudly:"Ah! The lizard boy! I was just about to send for you."

 

Darihel turned to the source of the voice, and there came a middle aged man wearing heavy make up and a lavish dress. He was rather baffled by the strange cross-dresser but managed to remain calm in his demeanor. He asked cautiously: "It's Darihel, not Lizard boy.... Excuse me ugh. sir? Mam? Who... who are you?"

 

"Mam is fine, Lizard Boy." The human smiled: "My name is Victoria, I'm the head dressmaker of the imperial court. You've met the head seamstress Dona?" It was then did Darihel noticed the woman behind "her" and nodded: "Yes, we've met. Thank you for the clothes you gave me when I first got here."

 

Darihel turned his attention back to "Victoria". While he was annoyed by the human's insistance on calling him "Lizard boy", he didn't sense the same sort of hostility or malice in "her" voice as he did from the other contestants. Perhaps the strange human did saw him as a "boy" to take care of? Putting aside his feelings Darihel asked: "So you mentioned that you wanted to see me?"

 

 

"Oh Yes! Lizard boy! Since you've made it this far you'd very likely get to attend the final ball, so I'll have to start preparing your outfit! Sure Dear Dona here has your measurements, but I need my subject in front of me to know what's right!"

 

"That's the very reason I'm here!" Darihel asked: "What kind of clothing do you have in mind for me?"

 

"Hmm~~ let me see...." Victora muttered as he began to walk around Darihel and observed him from top to bottom. She then asked: "You mind taking your clothes off so I can have a better look?"

 

"Sure." Darihel said as he began to strip down his clothes without hesitation. After all the concept of clothing was an alien one to him, so being naked was actually more natural for him. The two hurriedly stopped Darihel and said: "Not here my dear! In the office, in the office!"

 

Dariehl nodded as he was lead into Victoria's office and spent most of the day being used as essentially a life-sized dress up doll. Victoria seemed to be the kind of person who'd completely immerse in the job and wouldn't allow any distractions. So by the end of the day Darihel was hungry and tired. But he now got a pretty good idea what the outfit he'd wear for the ball would be like. He'd also gotten a few advice from Victoria on what would go with the outfit but they all seemed to be beyond Darihel's own ability to make. In any case he borrowed some basic materials and tools and headed back to his room.

 

As he walked down the corridor near his room he could hear the sound of people running away. Then as he walked around the corner he saw his room door was left half opened. Cautiously Darihel sneaked close, he listened carefully and heard no movement inside, then slowly pushed the door.

 

"Ah... what a mess..." Darihel muttered as he walked in and found his room completely trashed. All the furniture were broken and the clothes inside his closet torn to shreds. There was a big pile of piss and filth on his bed, and the terminal was smashed to pieces, with smoke coming out of it and occasional sparkling. He doubt the intruders could've passed through the guards and security system of the palace without inside help, so whoever did this must be very well connected. He signed as he looked around the room and assessed the damage. Then something on the ground caught his attention.

 

"What's this?" Darihel said as he picked the stuff up, which seemed to be a very small piece of a crystal of some kind. As he was observing it the thing suddenly started to glow, but the light quickly faded. It didn't take long for Darihel to realize that he was holding a piece of Zaradite which has many uses in machinery as conductor, energy storage, and so on. Darihel looked at the still smoking terminal and figured it must have been part of the machine. But the crystal would only glow if there was a source of energy, yet the thing glowed in Darihel's hand.

 

"Could it be...." Darihel muttered in disbelief. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the now fleeting, almost undetectable flow of energy inside him. He was over joyed when he opened his eyes again the crystal was glowing once more. "So this body isn't that different from before after all!" Darihel smiled to himself.

 

The Spectral Drakes were essentially a massive chunk of energy being contained by a shell of flesh and scales, and even those would gradually break off and deteriorate until they became pretty much pure energy. As such, the Spectral Drake was able to manipulate the flow of energy around them and bend it to their will, use it to form shields to protect them from the elements, concentrate it into a deadly beam to vaporize their foes, or even to bend the very fabric of time and space and achieve faster than light travel. Of course Darihel was no longer capable of such things, as he seemed to have lost the massive pool of power inside him, along with it, the ability to manipulate energy flow. Yet he'd discovered that at least in the case of the latter, it was not true. He could still manipulate energy to some extent, and that opened quite a lot of doors for the drake.

 

Closing his eyes once more, Darihel redirected the flow of the energy inside him towards the little crystal shard. One not widely known property of Zaradite was that it would grow when exposed to energy of a very specific wavelength and amplitude, which Darihel managed to recreate. Slowly the crystal began to grow, until it became a cluster of crystal shards roughly 5 cm long and 3 cm wide. Darihel wanted to let it grow larger but he was soon struck by a great surge of pain across his body, and a paralyzing headache. Moments latter he collapsed and felled

 

The next day Darihel woke up in the infirmary. Apparently the maid delivering his breakfast found him on the floor unconscious, with the piece of crystal tightly held in his hand. So she called the guards and delivered Darihel here. Darihel thanked the nurses and doctors there and had to waste time making testimonies to the guards regarding the "incident" in his room. He was finally set free in the afternoon and rushed back to his room, now cleaned with all the furniture and appliances replaced, and started to work on the crystal in his hand.

 

On that night, Darihel waited with the other contestants in the familiar meeting room. When his name was called he presented the judges with a crystal hair pin in the shape of a dragons wing which he would wear on the side of his head. When Darihel put the hair pin on the crystal began to let out a gentle glow, constantly changing colors. Darihel was releived that the judges seemed impressed, and he could hear some gasps and curses from the rest of the contestants.

[StainedCrimson]

Naturally the judges have reservations about the drake's submission and study it further, and when learning that it was Zaradite they question him on his means of procuring enough to make the piece and then how he made it. After having Darihel demonstrate that he truly was able to manipulate the crystal enough to have made it, they allow the submission and carry on with the judging. To them it isn't overly outlandish of an idea or ability as it is similar to an ability one of the others in the harem has, though slightly different in both method and execution.

 

With all the contestants having presented their items they are dismissed and informed that the results will be announced the morning of the ball. "You are to come dressed for the ball and those who continue on will be formally introduced as prospects of Prince Chernyelo." The speaker states then dismisses them to go about the remainder of their time. The ball will be in little over a day and various aristocrats and the like have already arrived. Some are staying at the prince's home, others in their own places in the city, some staying with one another, and yet others take up in a hotel.

 

Come day of the ball, the contestants are gathered in a room with the judges at one end with a door to one side. "Welcome contestants! For many of you this will not only be a happy occasion, but an opportunity." The head judges greets with a large smile. "Now then, as we call your name walk through this door." One by one names are read off and eventually it comes down to Darihel and a few others, one of whom is the drake's rival. However, his name is called before hers and once through the door sees an entryway with some curtains covering it.

 

Once through, he is in a platform of sorts where the other contestants are lined up with Chernyelo in the middle and the others arranged on either side of him. A servant shows the drake to his spotand it is easy to see that how close they are to the prince reflects when their names were called. The first two are on either side of the prince, and the next two are on either side of them, and so on. In front of them is a large crowd filled with various people, most of whom are wealthy or influential in some manner. Once all the contestants are out Chernyelo raises his hands for silence before speaking. "Welcome! It is with great honor and pleasure that I formally present to you the Prospects. Normally those seeking a spot in my Harem is not given such attention, and it is not for this reason that we are all gathered here today."

 

The others buzz in response and curiosity as the fact that a Consort was also being chosen was kept tightly guarded by both the prospects, their families, and the prince's staff. "The reason for this celebration is that one of these wonderfully people will be chosen to be my Consort and stand by my side. Please great them and help me in making them feel welcomed." With smile he begins to clap and after a short pause of stunned silence, loud cheering and clapping comes from the crowd below. Soon the party is in full swing and various people come up to the contestants and begin peppering them with questions. This, of course, causes the prince to get lost in the sea of people as he goes about greeting and mingling himself though he starts with the contestants first.

[hal7283]

After the past several days one would think that Darihel would get more accustomed to waiting, but that was simply not the case. For some reason the last day before the ball felt unbearably long for the Drake, as a strange sensation was slowly brewing deep inside his body. Darihel was restless, anxious, and couldn't wait for all this to be finally over one way or another. Why must everything about humans so convoluted and overcomplicated? Why couldn't they just announce the winners and get it over with? Of course by now Darihel had somewhat learned the importance of formalities and understood why there was the wait, but that didn't stop him from complaining about it inside his mind. Eventually the day of the ball came, he put on the crystal hairpiece he made himself, as well as the costume the dressmaker created for him.

 

It would seem that the dressmaker shared the head seamstress's approach when it comes to letting Darihel show as much skin and body line as common decency allows. The dress was mostly in black with a skin tight leotard covering the front of his torso while leaving his back exposed. A dark blue shawl rest on his shoulders and covered much of his back, though the semi-transparent material still allowed Darihel's skin to be seen. A skirt made from the same semi-transparent material flowed from the costume's hip as it continued down to the ground. Dariehl was also given a pair of elbow long gloves and long socks both made with black silk in intricate laces and patterns. In addition, his outfit also had many red patterns similar to those on his body. To Darihel's dismay he was also given a pair of black high heels, which thankfully he'd mastered walking in without falling when he paid the dressmaker a visit. All in all the outfit was designed to be an extension of Darihel's body instead of an addition to him, and the constanly shifting glow of crystal hairpiece contrasted a with the mostly dark backdrop and dded another layer of exoticism.

 

Darihel walked through the curtains leading to his goal filled with joy and anticipation. Finally, after all this time, Chernyelo was within his reach. The Prince was as dazzlingly handsome as ever, and that air of mystery which initially drawn the Drake to the human has not faded at all. If anything learning to see the Prince from the perspective of a contestant only made Darihel further appreciate just how unique the Prince truly was. Sadly almost as soon as the ball began, the Prince disappeared behind the crowd of nobles.

 

While the Prince disappeared among the crowd, Darihel was rather occupied himself. Without a noble sponsor or family connection, it was rather a miracle for Darihel to have made it this far. Unbeknownst to Daihel, the reports on the contest has made Darihel somewhat a minor celebrity outside the palace walls. Whether it's out of curiosity, or an attempt to gain favor from someone who may potentially become the Prince's consort, they gathered around Darihel and began to shower him with praises and questions. There were even offers of marriage if Darihel ended up failing the contest, which wasn't completely unheard-of for past dropouts of similar events. But such proposal were usually done in secret and after the results came out so to avoid upsetting the host. To the nobles' defense, they were normally far more tactful when it comes to matters such as this, it was simply because nobody really believed Darihel, a weird alien who popped out of nowhere, could become the Prince's consort. But more importantly, there was just something about the Drake which seemed so alluring, so irresistible that they couldn't help but want to claim him for themselves.

 

As for the center of all this attention Darihel, he was beyond confused as to why suddenly everyone seemed to be so interested in him in such a manner. By this point he'd gotten used to the gazes of the other contestants and judges, but the crowd still felt rather overwhelming. He was equally confused by just how intense those gazes were getting. While he tried his best to be cordial and polite, he couldn't help but feel like something was terribly, terribly wrong.

 

And then suddenly he felt it, a paralyzing surge of heat erupting from the depth of his body. As his crouched down in pain and moaning in agony, sweat began to burst out of every sweat glands of his skin, the pheromones announcing his heat and inviting those nearby to breed easily spread from his exposed back, shoulders, armpits, and thighs. "No... Not... ah.... Not now... Why?!" Darihel moaned sensually as he collapsed from the powerful rebound of his temporarily suppressed heat. While he panted and looked helplessly at the crowd of nobles around him, he could hardly imagine the trouble he had gotten himself into.

[StainedCrimson]

Naturally, due to the sheer amount of people and type of crowd that the ball consists of, there is an efficient air circulation system going within the room to keep it cool. This means that when Darihel moved around and suddenly became an pheromone bomb, the scent was carried throughout the room causing the effect to spread. Though those nearest the actual 'source' are hit hardest and fastest of course.

 

The same people that were just moments ago merely interested and attracted to the drake, are now interested in a far different manner. Each breath pulls in more of the pheromone, and that in turns causes a fog of lust and need to fuck to fall over them. Soon all the men have telltale signs of their arousal as bulges strain against the fabric of their bottoms, with wet marks forming, and the women are rubbing their thighs together as moisture begins to gather and leak for them. Both genders are noticeably flushed and soon are rubbing against one another, making out, and tearing at their clothes to get them out of the way.

 

Unfortunately for Darihel, as the source and beacon those nearest him go right for him and are soon tearing away his clothes and theirs. Unmindful of what their actual preference in bed partners before, or if they were exhibitionist, the men merely seek holes to fill or areas to use to rub off on while women fight to get to the drake's cock or one of the other males' when one manages to seat herself on it. Soon the humanoid has one cock being rammed relentlessly into his mouth, down his throat, another in his ass, one in each hand, and even his feet, armpits and tail are being used as ways to rub off on.

 

When one seemingly finishes, though it could be after cumming multiple times, another merely takes his place until the drake is completely soaked in cum and other fluids. The entire ball has descended into one massive orgy, and the Witch merely watches the scene from a screen back in his chambers having left shortly after the mark warned him of the soon to be released pheromone bomb.

 

"Tsk... Such a shame. He'll have to be punished suitably for causing such a mess." Chernyelo clicks his tongue while shaking his head even as a smile spreads across his face. Leaning back in his chair, he settles in to watch the show and to see how the drake will get himself out of the mess that he's created.

[hal7283]

Darihel watched with horror as everyone around him quickly became more and more aroused. He tried to struggle when the nobles began to reach for him, but the moment their fingers touched his burning skin, he welcomed them like dry land soaking up the rain. He couldn't help but moan sweetly as more and more hands began to roam across his skin, and unfortunately for Darihel, the material of his costume was rather fragile so it was easily torn apart, though in truth, a more durable costume would've made little difference in the face of such a passionate swarm of burning desires.

 

What happened next was a quite blur for Darihel, as his mind was too clouded by the overwhelming desire, pleasure and desperation to register what was actually happening around him. On one hand, his mind was filled with disgust due to being touched by all these “lower lifeforms”, even though the drake had no sense of chastity or any similar notions of limiting sexual partners, it didn’t mean that he was fine with being touched by just anyone or anything. Yet on the other hand, his body was all too welcoming of the noble’s advances, every kiss, every lick, every touch, sent waves of pleasure surging through his body which he was powerless to resist, not that he would want to. His mouth seemed to have became a sexual organ in itself, as one after another he took the noble’s length down his throat, the taste of their cum seemed to delicious and arousing. He could feel his erection being enveloped in the warmth and moisture of someone’s mouth, and could feel the tenderness of their tongue running along his length, relieving the throbbing pain he was feeling there. Even the countless cocks using his hand,s his legs, his armpits and his tail felt so good on his skin. Of course, nowhere was more obvious than his entrance, which eagerly secreted an seemingly endless amount of natural lubrication, and took in the throbbing erections of the nobles eagerly. His intestines squirmed and retracted, squeezing around their hot tool as if wanting to milk every single drop of cum out of them. His waist waved and wiggled instinctively so he could get more pleasure.

 

One after another, the nobles released their cum, covering almost every inch of his skin and filling up his body both from above and below. The orgy continued for god knows how long. Since the nobility wasn’t exactly a class known for physical fitness, by the time everything was over all the nobles fell asleep, forming a massive pile of slimy, sweating, cum covered flesh. In contrast, the only one still awake, Darihel, was covered and filled up with cum from inside out head to toe. Yet despite this ravenous orgy, despite all the pleasure Darihel was getting, somehow, he just couldn’t be satisfied. Sure he’d ejaculated. In fact he’d actually dumped his fair share of cum down some nobles’ mouth, ass, even down a quite a few vaginas. But the itching heat deep down his body just couldn't be satisfied. He was panting, shivering, exhausted, feeling sore and pain from almost every part of his body, but still hopeless aroused. He wanted more, he needed more.

 

“Why.... Can’t I.... Ugh.. Ngh...!! I... Ah.....” Darihel moaned as he tried to get up, but his legs failed him and made him fall head first onto the butt of a sleeping noble. He had no choice but to climb over the mountain of filthy flesh, and eventually made it out of the ball room. Ironically it was the very unbearable desire for more which preserved a glimpse of reason in Darihel’s mind, as he had to think of a way to satisfy his thirst, and he knew exactly how.

 

As he crawled and stumbled down the hallway he inevitably ran into a few of the palace guards, who were dumbfounded by the messy drake at first, but quickly got effected by the pheromone as well and proceeded to release their desire using the poor drake, which only added fuel to the burning fire inside him. Eventually he left the exhausted guards behind and ended up in a garden at a remote corner of the palace. As he felt the cold night breeze against his burning, cum covered skin, he tried his best to concentrate and called in his mind: “Please... Golden King.... I need your help... I ...need.. Please... Please.... Fuck me....... FUCK ME....!!!”

[StainedCrimson]

The witch watches in growing amusement as the drake is relentlessly used and yet still unsatisfied despite having been filled with and released copious amounts of cum. Laughing when the humanoid manages to crawl out of the ballroom only to come across guards and be used once more, and then call to him for help by begging to be fucked? Oh, the cruel irony is not lost on the Golden King and he resolves to fully enjoy the situation.

 

He makes Darihel wait as he takes his time getting up and shifting fully to his true visage. The tentacles shift and curl about as though glad to be free and knowing that soon they will be enjoying themselves as well. Finally Chernyelo takes a step and appears before the used and exhausted drake. "Well now, it seems you've either enjoyed yourself far too much or gotten yourself into a fair bit of trouble." He tsks while walking around the fallen form. "I'm going to assume it's the latter as I doubt you, or space drakes in general, willingly engage in orgies."

 

Stopping in front of Darihel, he tilts his head causing the antlers to gleam in the moonlight. "Cleaning up your mess is going to be very tedious and consuming of resources. I will do so, however, you will first use your mouth to pleasure me and then ride me after while pleasuring yourself. Once I'm satisfied and your heat is dealt with I will then take care of this whole contestant situation. If you agree, then let's begin."

 

The witch stands still and the location of his arousal is not quite obvious as the loose clothing and not being fully erect keep it from forming the same sign as the human males from the ballroom. Once the drake begins moving forward, the tentacles start to slide and caress along the abused male's sticky body, with some guiding Darihel's hands to the ties that will allow access to what will give relief. Once the hands are shown were to go, the tentacles slide along the arms to touch the drake's face, lips, then move on. Other tentacles are already teasing the other by teasing sensitive areas, and indirect contact with where would bring him the most pleasure.

 

Several are teasing the leaking and gaping hole where the fluids are coming out, but don't penetrate and the touch is just enough to felt along the nerve endings and stimulate them. Others are lightly running along the sensitive length of skin behind the drake's sack, and yet more are wrapped along the tail giving a slow, firm, squeeze and sliding massage along the length. "You may pleasure yourself if you like." He offers graciously though the smile behind the mask is anything but gracious.

[hal7283]

Darihel waited desperately for the Golden King to come. Given the messy state of his mind he had difficulty recognizing the flow of time correctly. Every moment felt like an eternity, and he was getting afraid that the witch wouldn't show up. But eventually the witch appeared, emerging out of the darkness and glistening due to the slime of his tentacles reflecting the moonlight. Darihel quite literally cried out of joy as he crawled towards the witch and begged: “Please Golden King... Help me! I.. Can’t I can’t take this any more....!”

 

But instead of the sweet release he was begging for, it was clear that the Witch wanted to make him work for it. If Darihel was in his right mind he’d certainly find having to pleasure the space witch repulsive and humiliating, but his lust filled mind thought otherwise. Sucking the witch off so he could ride him while pleasuring himself? He’d done way worse back in that room with all those lower lifeforms, doing so with something far more powerful and intelligent than puny humans would be a big step up. Eagerly Darihel nodded as he crawled towards the witch and reached for his cloak. Given how weak his hands felt after hours of giving nobles hand jobs it was difficult to move apart the clothes covering the witch, not to mention the fact that he had difficulty finding the witch’s cock among the countless slimy tentacles. He roughly remembered being entered by it during his very first heat, but he also remembered being violated by other tentacles. He began to wonder was there really a “cock” under the yellow cloak, or would any of those squirming tentacles would do.

 

Eventually with the aid of the witch’s tentacles guiding his hand, Darihel managed to find a member which seemed different from the rest of the Golden King’s tentacles. The member was certainly a lot more menacing looking than an average human cock, but at this point all Darihel thought was how good he would feel if he take that monstrous thing up his itching ass. In the meantime the witch’s tentacles had found their way all over Darihel’s body and caused him to moan sensually. Having suffered the abuses of the nobles, he was feeling almost as much pain from the tentacles as pleasure, yet even the pain seemed to be pleasurable. The touches on his face, his lips, and other sensitive areas, all helped eroded the last remaining glimpse of reason in Darihel’s mind. Desperate for the promise of release, Darihel reached for the witch’s member and began to stroke on it, then he ran his tongue along the entire shaft, going back and forth several times.

 

As he did his best to pleasure the witch’s length he could also feel more of the tentacles’ advances, the tease of his swelling, gaping, cum leaking and hungry hole, on the sensitive skin behind his sore sacks, and all of this stimulation caused Darihel to reach yet another peak of pleasure. His body tensed up and shivered while his cock twitched and throbbed while secreting a pathetic drip of cum on the grass.

 

But obviously that climax was not enough for Darihel. The heat deep inside his body was burning as bright as ever, the pheromone which drove so many human mad has gotten even thicker, and he was secreting so much natural lube from his butt that it was almost a constant stream flowing down. Having got the permission to pleasure himself, Darihel quickly moved a hand back and pretty much stuffed his whole fist through his well stretched hole, while he had opened his mouth and taken the tip of the Golden King’s length into his mouth, licking and sucking on it desperately. He looked up with teary eyes as he waited for the Witch’s permission to finally ride the member.

[StainedCrimson]

The witch lets out a low laugh at the sight before him. Seeing one of the proud drakes brought so low is a rush, even if not in its true form. A hand reaches out to tangle in the tangled and stiff hair of the drake to move him. "Come now, surely you can do better than that. After all those cocks you've taken you should be more than proficient at taking me down." He shakes his head in mock disappointment before pushing himself into the eager mouth and down the other's throat. Pausing for a moment, the start of his knot pushing past Darihel's lips to press against his teeth, the golden witch hums slightly.

 

"That's better. Think of it as showing me what you want my cock to due to your ass with your mouth, and do keep up the show. I'm quite enjoying seeing you tend to yourself." The voice takes on an edge of amusement despite the husky quality signaling his own arousal and enjoyment of the situation. As he eyes the drake's fist trying to reach deep within the stretched and used hole, a tentacle slides down Darihel's arm and wrist to join in. Though it presses deeper than what the creature can reach himself, and has another purpose besides "assisting" the heat ridden male. The tip rubs and searches along the sides of the inner walls, until it finds the entrance to the hidden gem. The entrance to the drake's womb. After careful exploration of it, Chernyelo determines that it hasn't been breached and so no need to take any safety measures.

 

Returning to the desperate and teary-eyed face of the kneeling creature, he grins behind his mask as he enjoys the continued attempts to please him. Finally he decides that it's time to move on. Using his grip on the strands of hair, he pulls the drake away from the now spit-soaked flesh. "Enough. I'll take care of your heat now." Settling himself down, the tentacle around Darihel's fist pulls out and takes the appendage with it so as to make room for what the other is really seeking. "Come then, get your reward." The tone is slightly mocking, but gives permission for the other to approach and seek relief.

 

As the drake positions himself and begins riding Chernyelo several tentacles quickly pin the other's hands in place, without impeding his ability to ride the hardened flesh, while a tentacle wraps around the drake's still hard and leaking cock. If Darihel were to watch, the tip of the tentacle that circles the head steadily becomes thinner and soon is slipping into the slick slit. Without warning the thinned tentacle shoves down the slit and into hole, working its way down the urethra. In tandem the part of the tentacle on the outside squeezes and massages the sore and abused flesh, while the part inside fucks the newfound hole and pressing ever deeper.

 

As if that is not enough, another tentacle comes out, but it's different from the others. It's larger and a darker, and almost bares a resemblance to the witch's cock except that has a slightly pointed tip and has bumps instead of ridges along it. The end is soon at the drake's mouth and shoves it's way in, filling his mouth with both the aphrodisiac that the other tentacles are coated in but also a musky and salty pre-cum as well that is leaking from the tip. Soon the drake is once more being penetrated, used, and being filled. This time though, it's by one being instead of numerous. With Darihel riding him, and being distracted, it takes the witch longer to come and eventually he takes matters into his own hands and grips the other's hips tightly and with help from his tentacles, is soon slamming into the other until finally he gives the much sought after antidote.

 

This time his knot easily pops in and seals within the abused hole, the flesh throbbing and rubbing against Darihel's prostate to prolong the end for them both, and the tentacle cock swells as well causing the drake's mouth and throat to be flooded with cum. If the other is capable of cumming himself anymore, then it's released as the tentacle that had made it's home in the other's urethra slowly slides out.

 

After a few moments the witch lets out a low satisfied hum before standing, holding the drake due to them still being attached, and takes a step which takes them to an empty room within the harem. Walking over to the bed, the knot rubbing against that bundle of nerves within the other, he then waits until the seal breaks to pull out and set the filthy male on the sheets. Without a word he turns and leaves to go take care of the whole mess that Darihel had created.

 

Come morning no one recalls anything about the contest or the events that happened. All anyone knows is that a new addition to the prince's harem has been accepted.

[hal7283]

Darihel felt the pull on his sticky hair as he was being pulled closer towards the witch, and the segmented tool intruded further in his mouth and down his throat. While the member made it hard for him a little hard to breath, in his heat induced lust, even his esophagus was like a sexual organ, sending pleasure signals to his mind. And as he pleasured himself with his fist, he was pleasantly surprised by the witch's tentacles joining his hand and stretched his hole even wider, then crawled deeper inside to touch places where he couldn't reach himself. It was at that moment it Darihel realized the itch was actually coming not just from his prostate, but also somewhere deeper, much deeper than any human cock could reach. When the witch's tentacle touched on that spot an unprecedented wave of pleasure surged across his body, causing his body to tremble ecstatically. Yes, that's what he needed, and he needed a lot more, and this want made him serve the witch's cock more eagerly, sucking on the length and using his tongue to pleasure its underside.

 

It would seem that the witch was satisfied with Darihel’s performance. When he felt the witch pulling his member out of his throat Darihel let out a small whine, as he lust filled mind was rather enjoying the sensation. But he was overjoyed when he heard that the witch was going to deal with his heat. As the witch moved his body and got down, Darihel eagerly got into position, straddling the tentacle creature as he pressed his ass against the witche’s segmented tool. A big lustful smile came to Darihel’s face as he pressed his body down, feeling the monstrous member filling up his body like nothing else could. He cried blissfully as he felt the hard ridges of the witch’s member rub against his prostate, and as he took the thing deeper and deeper inside, he could feel the tip of the member rubbing against that other sweet spot deep inside him. Darihel’s eyes rolled back as he was overwhelmed with the feeling of being entered by the witch. It felt even more intense than the first time the witch took care of his heat, and he hadn’t even start moving yet!

 

Darihel started to move his body. Even though his legs and waist were aching like hell, they didn’t stop Darihel from riding the witch’s cock quite literally like an animal in heat. He was going to pleasure himself further with his hands but they were quickly pinned down by the witch’s tentacles. Thankfully it soon became clear that he wouldn’t have any need for them, as the tentacles intensified their assault of the drake’s body, stroking his sore erection and even entering his urethral, which felt unbearably painful yet at the same time, unimaginably ecstatic. Darihel felt like he was constantly ejaculating as the thin appendage violated his most vulnerable membrane open. His mouth was also filled up once more, this time by an darker appendage with a pointy tip, and many bumps which made it quite painful/pleasurable to swallow.

 

By this point Darihel was in a state of constant ecstasy, feeling what a normal human would call climax every single moment. If a human could feel what Darihel was going through right now, his mind would be ruined beyond repair, but Darihel quite literally had the mind of a near immortal space dragon, and also the awakened libido fitting of one. As the Golden King grabbed onto his hips and began to take matters into his own hands, the drake allowed himself to be completely taken over. He’d strained his voice so much that he couldn’t even let out a whimper, not that the massive tentacle cock down his throat would allow any voice to come out. Eventually he felt the members violating him throbbed even further, and as he felt the Golden King’s cum filled him up Darihel also reached the greatest climax yet. His body trembled as if he was electrocuted, and the violent waves of pleasure finally put out the burning heat inside his body. The witche’s knot locked him in place as cum caused his belly to bulge up as if he was pregnant. It was at this point Darihel’s mind lost the drive which kept him going beyond his physical limits and finally surrendered to his fatigue and fell unconscious.

 

The next day Darihel woke up in an unfamiliar room. The moment he tried to move a muscle he cried as pain surged across his entire body. There was barely any part of him that wasn’t aching. The next thing he felt was a surge of pleasure, as the sensation from last night was still lingering, especially in his butt which still felt like there was something inside. He felt awful and dirty due to all the seat, saliva, cum and lime which was half dry all over him, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment. What happened to the contest? He could only image the chaos caused by that orgy, but given the fact that he was put on a nice bed instead of in prison, or worse, quarantined in some lab, lead Darihel to believe that he was at least not in any immediate trouble. But the question still remained, what’s his status now?

 

Needing answers, Darihel struggled to get up from bed, but his legs failed him when he tried to stand up and caused him to fell on the ground. Paralyzed by exhaustion and pain, Darihel had no choice but to call for help, as past experienced had taught him that a guard or servant was always nearby. Then moments latter a maid came through the door and nearly screamed when she saw the state Darihel was in. She quickly picked the drake up and took him to the bathroom to be cleaned. Darihel was able to get an update from the maid, learning that he’d somehow managed to join the prince’s harem. While he was disappointed that he’d failed to become the prince’s consort, at least he was able to be part of the prince’s life again. What’s left of course, was to rest and prepare himself for being summoned by Chernyelo.

[StainedCrimson]

As the maid was assisting the drake with getting cleaned up after his exuberant night, Byrin comes into the room to welcome and assist the newest member with getting adjusted. Upon discovering that Darihel is in bathroom, he sits down on the edge of the bed and waits patiently. What the maid nor anyone else, besides the witch and the drake, remember is the whole contest nor that they were gathered together for the purpose to judge and/or support the contestants.

 

Instead they think they were gathered to celebrate the prince having chosen another individual to join his harem. Most do no even remember if the orgy had happened before Darihel had been introduced or not, and so are too mortified and shamed to offer any protests about an unknown joining the harem. So overall things ended up working in the drake's favor and easier for him in one way, but more difficult in others since he has to share time with others in the harem as well as wait to be called on for the most part.

 

Once the drake comes back out, Byrin gives a small smile while standing. "You've come far in such a short time. From pet to having a highly sought after harem position for Prince Chernyelo. How does it feel?" He asks with a slight tilt of his head.

 

Elsewhere the prince watches the exchange as he goes about eating his meal. The whole ordeal of taking care of such a large mind altering was not something easy, even for him. Though to be fair there are very few others who could go near the scale he did. It would have been much more troublesome to have completely erased the whole thing entirely, but knowledge and memory of the contest had to go. Taking another bite, he absently chews and swallows before taking a long swallow of his drink. Perhaps I should have made him perform more for the trouble. He muses idly.

 

With a slight shrug he dismisses the thought just as easily as soon the drake will be going through his education on how to please the prince, meet the other members of the harem, and soon partake in his duties. Thinking on what some of those will be causes Chernyelo to let out a low chuckle. "Well, if nothing else watching him go through it all should be amusing."

[hal7283]

The maid seemed quite experienced with matters of the harem, including how to deal with those who were exhausted from sex. As she gave Darihel a bath she also gave the drake a massage, which really helped with the muscle pains he was feeling all over his body. Eventually he emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed, and to his surprise he found Byrin waiting in his room.

 

"Byrin! It's so good to see you!" Darihel smiled as he nodded slightly towards the human in acknowledgement. "It feels.... great." Darihel answered a bit timidly: "I wanted to be by the Prince's side, to know him better. Being able to enter the harem is certainly moving along the right direction.... I don't think I've ever thanked you for helping me out when I first arrived here. I wouldn't be here without you."

 

Darihel paused for a moment as he looked at the beautiful human male in front of him. In the past his view on other species was one of indifference, with humans faring only slightly better as a subject of curiosity. Obviously the exception was Chernyelo as he found the prince to be the very best of the species. While his opinion of the species as a whole didn't change much after his transformation, he did gain a new found appreciation of those who'd gone through the harem selection process. Of course there was the fact that for whatever reason, Byrin seemed to be genuinely nice to him, even though he had no clear reason to, which brought a question to Darihel's mind. Darihel asked: "Umm... so... if you don't mind me asking... Why are you here? I assume you're not here just to congratulate me for joining the harem. Is there something you need from me?"

[StainedCrimson]

Byrin blinks, a bit surprised at the other's honesty and straightforwardness. Tilting his head to one side when the other thanks him, he gives a slight rolling shrug with one shoulder while waving a hand. "I did nothing more than direct you towards what your options were. The rest was all due to your own efforts." He states simply, almost demure in his tone.

 

At the next question the male tilts his head and leans back on his hands while crossing his legs. "Of course not. Though congratulations are certainly due, and you'll hear it a few more times at the very least. No, other than checking on you to make sure you had arrived, I'm here to assist you with meeting the others as well as assisting you with adjusting to being part of the harem." Humming slightly in thought as he tilts his head back for a moment, Byrin then refocuses on the other. "There are both great freedoms and great restrictions that come with being in a harem in general, more so when you're in one of such status as Chernyelo. They can be difficult to navigate at first, so be sure to seek help when confused or unsure."

 

Shifting, he straightens up while keeping his gaze on the drake. "You'll meet the others soon, as it's almost time to eat, but before then let's go over some of the easiest rules and expectations yes? Tell me, what do you know regarding the etiquette and rules for a harem? Either internally or externally." He asks while motioning for Darihel to sit down near him.

[hal7283]

Darihel nodded after hearing what Byrinn said. He was rather thankful that Byrinn was considerate enough to help him ease into the harem. In a strange way, the other harem members were now his "family", or the very least "co-worker" who'd serve Chernyelo together. It would certainly be beneficial to retain a friendly relationship with them. His head tilted slightly hearing Byrinn's question regarding etiquette and his expression showed that he was clearly puzzled. "I'm not aware that there're special rules regarding etiquette for the harem but.... I can guess."

 

Darihel looked at Byrinn and continued: "I assume we're not required to act differently from typical nobles right on our free time, but since we're expected to serve and entertain Chernyelo, we can probably get away with being less formal.... I mean you can't really seduce the prince if you're all uptight and cordial right? Aside from that, I assume it's just to be nice to the other members, and be always ready to serve the prince in whatever way he wishes. Anything else I've left out?"

[StainedCrimson]

Byrin tilts his head and taps a finger against the bed spread, speaking only once the other is done. "Yes and no. We are essentially living possessions for lack of a better term, though we have a certain type of status particularly those who come from good breeding." He says slowly. "I suppose the biggest rule, one that if broken could result in death of either yourself and or the other party, would be if you allowed someone other than Chernyelo or those in the harem to touch you without his permission. Minus the staff whose job it is to assist us of course." Byrin clarifies with a slight dismissive wave of his hand.

 

Refocusing on the drake, he continues. "We also are not to leave the harem unless called by the prince. That said, we have an extensive wing and courtyard so it really isn't a hardship." He hums thoughtfully before continuing. "Other than that we have the freedom to do pretty much as we please, though learning or developing skills is expected for when we are to entertain either the prince or any guests he may have." Byrin gives a small smile to the newest member. "There are also a lot of little social etiquette aspects to learn, but there's enough time to learn those as get adjusted. Now then, let us go introduce you to the others."

 

Standing up he moves to wait for the other by the door then leads Darihel further into the harem to what is the eating area. A long table is set low to the ground and currently filled with various foods and drinks. There are several people already seated, or in the case of the merman, at the edge of the waterway that allows him to navigate between different areas. "The merman is Sapherium, the one next to him" he nods at the white male with wings for arms "is Quazetai or Zei for short." The two turn and give slow nods in greeting with some faint recognition in their eyes from the last time the drake had been in the harem.

 

A soft clip clop of hooves reaches them as a male enters who has legs that transition to a vibrant red hair, ending in hooves. The new male's hair is a shimmery gray that sets off eyes of steel-blue, but the most eye catching aspect of all is the spiraled horn coming from the middle of his forehead that seem to be made of entwined sapphire and silver. "Ah, that Caridrin." His voice drops to a whisper. "Caridrin is a hermaphrodite but prefers to be referred to as a male, please keep that in mind. The last member won't join us until later as he's nocturnal." Stepping up to the table he gestures at the male next to him. "Everyone, meet our newest member Darihel."

[hal7283]

Darihel nodded as he listened to Byrin laying out the rest of the rules. His body shook slightly when the human mentioned that letting others touching him without the prince's consent would be punishable by death. since he'd let countless others touch his body till now due to his heat. Darihel wasn't sure if that rule apply retroactively and was too cautious to ask. It also presents a new problem, as only the Witch had been able to quench his heat until now. What would happen if he fail to deal with the heat the next time it came around, and he had to ask the witch for help again? Technically that would be punishable by death. Given how the witch was able to make the whole orgy go away Darihel hoped their relationship would be able to be kept hidden in the future, but you could not be too cautious when it comes to matters of life and death.

 

Byrin's explanation continued, and they were all simple and reasonable enough. Afterwards Darihel followed Byrin to the eating area. He'd seen the merman and harpy before, and nodded to them in acknowledgement. Then he was introduced to this hermaphrodite creature with hoofs for legs, and had a very eye-catching beautiful horn. Noticing all the eyes on himself he figured he made a cordial bow and said: "Sapherium, Quazetai and Caridrin. My name is Darihel. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

 

Darihel followed Byrin to the table and sat down after everyone had settled in place. He observed the other harem members and tried to decipher what was behind their gazes at himself. There were certainly curiosity in their eyes, as he was curious about these beautiful creatures himself. But beyond that he couldn't really tell. Perhaps they were indeed indifferent of the newcomer, or perhaps they simply hid their hostility far better than the contestants during the competition. In any case Darihel kept a friendly smile on his face as they ate together, and engaged in some friendly chatter.

[StainedCrimson]

For the most part the other members engaged in conversation back, able to at least fake polite conversation as it is a skill expected of them should Chernyelo wish them to entertain a guest or visit a guest with him. Still, all of them, Byrin included, wonder just what led to this particular individual being admitted into the harem. Darihel doesn't seem to be an outstanding beauty, nor does he appear to be connected to any well known families or companies. However, none of them are tactless enough to ask a question so soon and merely partake in the superficial kind of talk that go along with making new acquaintances.

 

After the food is eaten and cleaned up, the others gradually disperse to go about their own day. Sapherium turns and dives back into the water, soon out of sight as he goes down a channel leading to another area and Zei stretches with a soft yawn before nodding his head and leaving through a door. The only one who stays is Caridrin who is still nibbling on a few items and drinking tea.

 

Byrin shifts to face Darihel. "Any questions or concerns so far?" He asks the drake, head tilted to one side slightly.

 

As the harem members are introduced and the drake integrated into his new environment, the prince checks in via live stream and gives a faint smile. "I'll have to stop by and welcome my newest addition today." Holding back a laugh he makes plans to have dinner in the harem then goes back to dealing with the issue of having found out who was responsible for his space ship having exploded.

 

Come dinner time the prince is more than ready to relax by enjoying his pretty little harem and toying with his latest addition. Entering the harem is of course given the seat at the head of the table and greeted by each member, though the last one to show is one that Darihel hasn't met yet. The individual almost seems to be of shifting shades of tan and brown as his skin almost alters like mist under the lighting. Eyes of bright yellow are surrounded by what appears to be grey and black feathers that form a head of 'hair' that is pulled back into a tail that ends about mid-back. Another noticeable feature are the avian feet that carry the male over that end in sharp black claws.

[hal7283]

The meeting with the rest of the members of Chernyelo's harem went on rather well, at least from the surface. At least at this point none of them found the addition of Darihel into the group to be much of an issue. After the meal most of them left, presumably to rest and relax in their own rooms, while the unicorn was still relaxing and enjoying tea, and Byrinn also stayed by Darihel. "Thank you, I can't think of anything at the moment." Darihel said as he nodded to Byrinn showing his gratitude: "I think I can figure out the rest by myself.

 

Darihel bid farewell to Byrinn and Caridin before returning to his own room, which was not so different from the place where he stayed during the competition. He looked at the furniture and appliances and doubt the other harem members, especially those with different physique from humans, would find a room like this comfortable. Certainly not the mermaid who clearly prefer to stay by the water. Perhaps they have their own room modified to their own liking? If so, could he do the same? That being said, Darihel had only spent a very short time in this humanoid body in comparison to his old Drake body, so even Darihel himself couldn't quite tell just exactly what sort of environment would be most suitable to him. He then remembered the time when he was left alone in Chernyelo's massive bath and was able to swim in it, and really enjoyed the experience. Perhaps he could try spending more time in the water and see how it goes?

 

In any case, what Darihel needed at that moment was some sleep. In truth his body still felt sore after what happened last night. While he'd really want to meet Chernyelo again as soon as possible, he couldn't let the prince see him all tired and unable to serve. With that thought Darihel went back to his bed and soon fell asleep.

 

Darihel woke up a couple of hours latter, and noticed it was near dinner time. Just as he was about to leave the room the same maid who took care of him that morning knocked on the door and told him the prince would be joining them for dinner. Happy, excited, and a bit nervous, Darihel quickly let the maid in and asked her to help him pick out an outfit.

 

"Don't worry sir. It's not a formal occasion. You look fine as you are." The maid said

 

"You... you sure?" Darihel asked nervously. Darihel was wearing a loose white shirt, and a pair of fitting black pants with holes cut in the rear to let his tail out.

 

"Of course I'm sure. Besides, too much clothing can get in the way if the prince wishes your company." The maid smiled.

 

Darihel's face blushed and he nodded. Getting into the harem was only the first step towards his goal of understanding the prince, and as he walked towards the dining room all sorts of hopes and dreams flashed through his mind. And finally there he is, Chernyelo, his beautiful, and mysterious prince. While the last member of the harem was also there, the drake's first priority was the Prince. He walked up towards Chernyelo and knelt down before him, lowering his head Darihel said: "Thank you for allowing me to return to your side, Prince Chernyelo. I'll devote all of my being in your service."

[StainedCrimson]

Chernyelo is inwardly amused at the drake's formal behavior and 'devotion.' I wonder if he would be so devoted if he knew the truth. He muses to himself, but outwardly merely inclines his head slightly with a slight smile. "It is good to see you adjusting and settling in. Be sure to learn and follow the rules, I wouldn't enjoy punishing you so soon. Though in the future in a different matter, despite not being an overly strict master." Which is both true and a shade of the truth as he teases his newest toy. His rules are standard and expected, but he is also harsh in punishments.

 

What perhaps helps with keeping perpetrators at a minimum is that the prince's charisma and popularity make his supporters almost fanatics. That means they guard him and his interests zealously, but even without that those in his harem are all devoted and more than capable of dispatching those that aren't invited or wanted.

 

"Now then, since everyone is here let's go ahead and eat hmm?" The prince claps his hands and everyone shifts and moves to their spot at the table, one clearly left for the newest member. Byrin sits beside Chernyelo and serves the noble, and after taking his first bite the others also begin to fill their plates and eat. Light chatter begins to flow as it's not often all of them are gathered together.

 

After a few finish eating, the newest member pulls out a stringed instrument and despite the sharp talons at the end of his fingers is surprisingly delicate and nimble as he plays it and Sapherium begins to sing as the others continue to eat, talk, or listen.