The Guild Book I - 9. Chapter 9

On arriving at the Royal Naval Academy Joshua was met by Thomas, dressed in a white uniform. "Joshua!"

"Thomas." Joshua ran over, almost tackling the blond man.

"You would not believe how many birth kin are here!" Thomas said excitedly between kisses.

"Really?" Joshua asked.

"Almost one in every five first year students... from all over Wor." Thomas replied.

"I would like to meet them."

"And they want to meet you."

Hearing a coughing sound from behind Joshua waved Austin and Xavier over. "I also found some more birth kin." Joshua said as he introduced the two to Thomas.

"Nice to meet you both." Thomas grinned. It was strange for while he had felt jealousy over Joshua's relationship with Gerick he had none for the other birth kin. With each one he found so grew his feelings of love for them and Joshua both. When he shook Austin's hand Thomas could feel a part of him hardening.

"Nice to meet you as well." Austin said with a sly grin.

"Shall I introduce you to the others?" Thomas blushed as he adjusted himself.

"Yes." Joshua laughed.

Leading Joshua to the barracks Thomas introduced him to over thirty five new birth kin. With each hand Joshua shook... with each kiss exchanged... his unconscious power grew just a fraction more till he was brimming with it. Just like Vard when he met the birth kin of Yates, Joshua and the birth kin of the Academy became lost in their mutual lust.

It was to this scene that Commander Fisher beheld when he entered the barracks. Now homosexuality in the Royal Sky Navy was not just a common occurrence but an encouraged one. It helped break down barriers and encouraged team work when jealousy did not occur. Still he was surprised to find an orgy underway in the first year barracks... surprised and excited.

One man in particular caught the officer's eye... the one in the center of it all, a large pale man who had at least three other young men clinging to him.

His hands shaking Commander Fisher pulled out his whistle and blew hard... bringing silence to the moans of the aroused men.

For a moment there was silence but instead of the young men standing at attention they began to surround the grey haired commander. With the air thick with the smell of sex and pressed on all sides by the hardened muscle Fisher stood helplessly as he was stripped and guided toward the pale skin man. The man then went down on one knee and took Fisher's sex into his mouth, suckling on it like a babe to a tit. Closing his eyes Fisher ran his finger through the back of Joshua's hair, pushing his mouth deeper down his hard shaft. Fisher felt other lips on him... on his nipples, ears, ass, and lips. With so many men making love to him... he did not last long, his seed going down Joshua's throat.

Two thousand... never in his dreams had Vard imagined that there could be so many birth kin but now that he understood the relationship between the birth kin and his own power, he only wanted more.

He did not know at what point his sexual appetites began to expand beyond his birth kin... only that his hunger for flesh of both sexes had grown a thousand times over.

As the weeks passed Vard claimed dozens of non-birth kin men as lovers, each one becoming marked with bright red eyes and undying loyalty. These bodyguards... these Protectors were now his ever present companions not that Vard needed much protection. With his overwhelming presence, powered by his numerous birth kin, all Vard had to do was show himself and kingdoms fell.

Still, Vard, when he could gain control over his hedonistic desires, would often be consumed by a profound loneliness that not even his three old friends could break for they too had become overwhelmed by Vard's dominating will.

"Prelate..." Broken Claw bowed deeply as he entered Vard's throne room.

Vard did not know why everyone now called him by that title but no command he was able to give had been able to stop it. "Rise." Vard sighed.

"I bring good new my lord... two hundred birth kin have arrived from across the great sea seeking you. Shall I bring them to you?"

"Two hundred more." Vard said with actual fear in his voice. "What would happen to him once their power was added to his own?" Would he become the monster he feared himself becoming?" In panic Vard ran from his own throne room even as his ears could hear the pleas and desires of the birth kin waiting to meet him.

It was those voices that he could not escape for they called out to him, stirring the madness that was his out of control sexual hunger and as always his hunger won over and he sunk a little deeper into insanity.

Thomas, Xavier, and Austin watched Joshua sleeping in Fisher's arms with deep concern on their faces.

"Is it another nightmare?" Xavier asked.

"Yes..." Commander Fisher nodded as he cradled the large man.

"Please Vard stop... too many... too many," Joshua murmured in his sleep.

"What is this Vard doing that Joshua wants him to stop? Too many what?" Xavier shuddered.

"I don't know," Fisher replied even as his eye brows shot up. "Captain Gerick."

"Vard is gathering too many birth kin together... too quickly. It is too much for Joshua... most likely too many for Vard as well," Gerick replied.

"Gerick... what are you doing here?" Thomas asked surprised.

"I called him," Fisher replied.

"Why?" Said Austin.

"Things are happening too fast," Gerick replied. "Have you not noticed Joshua sexual magnetism... how it is almost overwhelming now?"

"Yes..." Thomas blushed.

"It is a sign that Joshua needs a Protector."

"What is a Protector?" Xavier asked.

" A Protector is like a safety valve in that a Protector can control Joshua's sexual hunger better than one of the birth kin can. In fact at this point you birth kin can only make things worse."

"I don't understand." Austin said confused.

"Hmmmm... lets say you have a hungry baby. Do you feed him candy?"

"You could."

"But would it be wise?" Gerick asked.

"No..." Austin admitted.

"Joshua is very hungry... he hungers for Vard... compared to him birth kin are nothing but candy."

"I think I understand now. I don't understand how you know all this."

"That you don't need to know." Gerick said sternly. "All you need to know is that only I know what needs to be done to save Joshua."

"And what is that." Thomas asked suspiciously.

"I need to become a Prelate again."

Shaken awake, Joshua found his bare body covered by a thin cool sheet, a warm body next to his own.

"Hello Joshua."

"Gerick?" Joshua asked confused.

Gerrick put a finger on Joshua's soft lips. "Hush now. I have much to tell you and the night is already late."

Josh nodded his head.

"Good... There are some things you need to know about yourself and about me Joshua. The thing you need to know about yourself is that you are not a Prelate." Gerick said to Joshua's relief. "But I am... or better said I could have been."

"What?" Joshua said startled.

"Shhh... Gerick said, putting his finger back over Joshua's lips. "I could have become a Prelate... should have but like Vard is today, I was missing a crucial piece. I did not have you. Now what is so special about you... you Joshua are Vard's counterpart... his other half. Where Vard will rule by the force of his will you will rule through the heart. Vard will control the door to warped space while you are the key. Now you may speak."

"It was your counterpart who was killed?" Joshua asked.

"Yes, he was killed as were most of my birth kin by the Inquisitors, the Prelate's spies... centuries ago. It was and remains the most painful event in my life."

"I am sorry."

"It is not your fault... it was mine. I tired overthrowing the Prelate before I was strong enough."

"Does the present Prelate have a counterpart?"

"He must have one but where he hides him I don't know. For you see it is near impossible to defeat a Prelate directly... they are too powerful even when they are in decline. No... the simplest way to defeat one is to kill his counterpart... locking his door to the Void."

Joshua felt Gerick hand on his inner thigh, stroking it gently even as hot tears fell from the older man's eyes onto Joshua's chest. "What is wrong?"

"It is nothing... only that being near you reminds me so much of Drake... my counterpart. That is why..."

"What?" Joshua said as he sat up.

"You are the key Joshua.... You have the power to unlock the door to my power. You can make me a Prelate again. Please Joshua I am so alone... all my birth kin are long dead... King Leopold was the last. Please..." Gerick begged.

Joshua did not say a word but let his actions speak for him. He wrapped an arm around Gerick's neck pulling the man down on top of him even as he wrapped his legs around the slender man's waist.

Gerick responded by letting out a deep moan, reaching between their bodies to take hold of both their sex. Soon their bodies were slippery with their clear sexual discharge... Both of them licked each other's bodies to gain the taste of the other turning around so they could take the other's manhoods into their mouths.

Gerick then thrust his sex deep inside Joshua in an attempt to claim that which had been lost. In his mind Joshua could feel Gerick reaching for him... trying to claim him for his other half. No matter how far Gerick tried to bond himself to Joshua however... he could not free Joshua of Vard's claim on him.

In defeat Gerick pulled himself out of Joshua, and went on all fours where he waited. Joshua... who knew what Gerick had tried to do was not angry but felt deep sorrow for a man who had lost everything. Burying his manhood deep inside Gerick, He was gentle in his love making even as the man cried in grief then at the moment of orgasm the bond was made... the door unlocked. Gerick's eyes turning from blue to solid black voids... two orbs of darkness. Joshua then rolled onto his back, stretching his body out on the bed... his breathing heavy.

"I am sorry Joshua... I should not have tried to take that which is not mine." Gerick apologized as he ran his fingers through the sweat matted hair on his chest, beckoning Joshua to lay down on top of him.

Joshua did as he was asked, nuzzling his face against Gerick's chest. "I love you Gerick but...."

"I know you do and I know you can't give up on Vard." Gerick said as he took in the Joshua's smell... a healthy mixture of sex, sweat and soap.

Joshua had done it... reopened Gerick's door to his power. Gerick could feel it coursing through him, his blood near boiling. He held onto the young man with a tighter hold. He could now sense what Joshua had... Vard descending into madness... his uncontrolled sexual hunger, his need for Joshua, the wild growth of his powers tormenting the young man. Now that he was a Prelate again, Gerick could end at least Joshua's torment... and remove a rival at the same time.

Using Joshua as the key to open the door to the Void... Gerick went through it, toward Santor toward Vard.

When Vard had gone to sleep he had been covered by the limps and bodies of his birth kin. When he awoke however he was alone... alone except for a pair of red glowing eyes.

"Who are you?" Vard demanded as he reached for his sword.

"I am a messenger from Joshua."

"Joshua!" Vard jumped... running over to the red eyes, gripping the body they were connected to. "What is his message."

"This!" Gerick said as he slapped Vard with as much fury he could muster.

Knocked back it took a while before Vard registered what had actually happened... raising his sword to strike only for the dark eyed man to disappear.

"I would not do that if I were you." Gerick's voice came from behind as he gripped the sword out of Vard's hand.

"Who are you?" Vard demanded.

"I told you I am a messenger from Joshua."

"Joshua would never hit me."

"True... he loves you too much for his own good." Gerick said, not able to hide his jealousy.

"Then why did you hit me?"

"To give you a taste of what your actions are doing to Joshua."

"I don't understand."

"No you would not... so let me put it simply... when you lust... Joshua lusts... when you hurt... so does he... as you slip into the madness of your power... you are dragging him down with you."

"I... I didn't know." For some reason Vard felt like a child again next to this man.

Gerick only grunted.

"Please... if you know a way of stopping all this... tell me."

"There is no way of stopping it... only slowing it down."

"How?" Vard begged as he clung to Gerick tightly.

Gerick let the sword fall from his hand so that he may stroke the frightened man's face. "The problem you are facing Vard is that you have grown too powerful, too fast. The only solution is for you to give the power up."

"Please... take it away from me then. I do not want to hurt Joshua" Vard cried.

"You will give it to me of your own free will?"

"Yes."

With a finger under Vard' chin, Gerick lifted the man up to face him. He then darted his head forward even as a hand took hold of the back of Vard's head, pressing his lips hard against the young man. Lip locked he guided Vard back to the bed where he dominated the clan chief body and soul... for unlike Joshua Vard had reached the point of desperation. As he feasted on Vard's body Gerick ate of his power... gorging on it. For Gerick the feeling was exhilarating... to feel his power grow exponentially.

But with Vard's power came his madness with the more that Gerick took the less he was able to stop himself from taking more, and more, and more.

By the time Gerick let himself fall back into the Void... Vard was only a shell of his former self.