Toma guided him to the first floor into the room he had rented. There was only one bed, even if large enough.
"I can sleep on the floor. The bedroom has two straw mattresses, I can put one next to the bed, there is enough space," the young lord offered when he saw how Masu looked, first at the bed, then at him.
"No, I absolutely cannot accept. In that case it would be me who sleeps on the floor. But it is not necessary, it seems to me that the bed is big enough for both of us."
"If it's okay with you... thanks."
"Of course it is fine with me, and it is I who must thank you. And then, you know that warriors often share a bed with one of their comrades, don't you?" Masu said with a slightly mischievous smirk.
Toma smiled: "Yes, but... I think that's not for lack of beds, isn't it so?"
Masu began to undress. Toma watched him for a moment while the warrior unhooked the straps that held his armor in place, then began to undress himself. The young lord hesitated again a moment when he was only with his tight breeches on him, but when he saw that Masu took off his leather pants without any problems, remaining completely naked, he took off his tight brocade trousers, baring himself completely in turn.
The warrior lifted the fur blanket and lay on the bed, putting himself totally on one side in order to leave enough space to Toma. The young man blew out the candle and the room was plunged into darkness. From the narrow square window came the faint moonlight.
"You're not coming?" Masu asked.
"Just a moment, I'm waiting to get used to the dark, not to stumble somewhere," Toma's voice answered.
Masu saw the dark shape of Toma and thought he had a beautiful body. But he thought also that he better not try anything - it would be very inappropriate to take advantage of the attractive young lord's hospitality. Of course even when they were still dressed, the tight clothes that Toma wore revealed his beautiful form and in another situation Masu would have attempted to approach him. But even when he had hinted, more than once, at the sexual habits of the warriors, Toma had not said anything that would suggest that he too was a lover of pleasure with people of the same sex, so probably he was not interested in that.
Soon he saw him approach the bed and felt him lie down beside him. Masu covered him with the warm blanket. Their bodies were close, but not touching. From the small window, a gust of wind from the sea caressed their faces. The sound of the waves breaking on the shore of the small island came muffled in the small room.
After a while Masu broke the silence: "Am I indiscreet if I ask you..." he began to say, but then stopped.
"What?" asked Toma.
"Do you have a bride?"
"Yes and no. My father had some candidates, some ladies that he would have liked me to marry, because in doing so I would have made good alliances for my family. But I've always... taken my time."
"How come? Didn't you like any of them?"
"Exactly. I had a girl, the youngest daughter of our Seha, with whom I met in secret."
"Why in secret?"
"Because my father was not interested in the girl's father, he would not hear of her."
"And you liked that girl?"
"Yes, very much, and she liked me a lot..."
"Were you in love?"
"No. We liked to do it together. Maybe I should say that, more than liking me, she liked my tool and how I used it. She was very hot and did everything with me."
Masu thought he had done well not to make his advances to the handsome young man who had so kindly hosted him. He asked: "Did it not upset you to leave her?"
"Well, you know... we say that for one left, you find many others. At the right time I will find that one... the right one."
"And how should the right one be for you?"
"Good, gentle, intelligent and hot in bed."
"And also beautiful?"
"If she were, it would be nice, but I think it's secondary. The beauty passes, not the other gifts."
"A wise vision of life..." Masu remarked, thinking that he thought the same way, even if he wanted a boy and certainly not a girl.
"You are the first one that calls me wise. Everybody has always said I am a scoundrel."
"I would not say that, for what I know of you..."
"Maybe because you're a scoundrel too, who knows?"
"Maybe."
"And you, did you have a lover among your friends? Someone you loved, besides making love?"
"Not really. I had a dear friend, but I too have not known true love."
"Well, we're both still young. We have time, right?"
"Yes, we have a lot of time," Masu said, thinking of the curse for which he would not know love.
They talked some more. Gradually their voices became more subdued, blurred, and both glided into sleep.
It was in the dead of night when Masu awoke - he was lying on his side and behind him Toma was leaning against him, his hot and hard member pressing against his buttocks. At first, in that state where one does not sleep any more, but one is not yet fully awake, Masu thought that his companion was pushing against him unconsciously. He felt the pleasant warmth of the body and the hardness of the throbbing erection. But then the handsome warrior realized that his companion was moving consciously in order to make it slide between his buttocks.
Surprised, Masu tried to move away. In the dark he whispered: "Hey, Toma, what are you doing?"
The young lord girded his waist with one arm and pulled him closer, whispering hoarsely: "I want to fuck you..."
Masu tried to wriggle away but the other strengthened his grip and pressed against him more forcefully: "Stay here, I want your nice ass," he insisted while increasing his maneuvers to penetrate him.
Masu, perhaps because he felt forced, reacted with greater energy trying to distance himself from the young man. But Toma was on top of him and the two engaged in a silent struggle.
"Come on, you want it too ..." Toma whispered, trying to immobilize him with his belly on the mattress and weighting now on him with his whole body.
With his legs the young lord forced open the legs of the warrior and Masu was amazed at his companion's vigor. They continued to struggle, Masu in silence, Toma only occasionally saying a few short sentences in a more and more excited voice. Certainly the lord knew how to fight - after a few minutes of struggle he managed to immobilize Masu, and began to penetrate him.
The warrior felt the strong, warm and throbbing pile of meat make its way into him, gradually dilating his sphincter, opening it with a strong and irresistible thrust. When the penis had overcome the resistance of the elastic ring of muscle and was nestled in the warm throbbing entrance of his tunnel, the entire pole sank into him in one long, continuous and firm thrust, that ended only when Toma's crotch of was strongly pressed against Masu's hard and rippling buttocks.
Keeping him steady with his strong arms, making him spread apart his legs even more with his own strong legs, Toma paused, panting slightly.
"You're mine! You're all mine!" he murmured in a low voice, a little hoarse.
He began to move up and down only his pelvis, while with his chest he pressed the warrior against the mattress. He began hammering in with a fast and robust pace. Masu ceased to oppose. On one hand he was slightly annoyed by the imposition, but on the other, a good connoisseur of sex between males as he was, could not avoid appreciating that male mounting.
Toma felt that Masu had surrendered, as he had stopped trying to oppose. Gradually loosening the grip, but ready to strengthen it if necessary, he took the warrior with even greater force.
None of them spoke, and now the slow muffled sound of the surf coming through the little window was a counterpoint to the rapid rustling of dry leaves in the mattress with every thrust of Toma. Masu was completely relaxed, determined to enjoy that unexpected, passionate and virile mounting.
Yes, Toma certainly knew how to do it. Now his hands no longer immobilized the warrior's arms, but caressed his sides and crept between Masu's body and the mattress, rubbing his nipples with art. The warrior felt the sweet and warm breath of his companion in his neck, gradually becoming stronger and faster.
Toma began to emit a low, deep moaning with every thrust and Masu realized that his companion was fast approaching the point of no return. He felt every muscle of Toma twitch against his body, his hands moving on him with increasing energy. In the darkness of the room, he felt the quick growth of pleasure, the accumulation of energy and waited for the imminent explosion.
"Oh, Masu... Masu... Masu..." the handsome young lord groaned in a strangled voice, as he began to discharge jets with strong and violent contractions in the hot and narrow depth of the warrior, trembling with his whole body and shaking violently. "Oh, Masu... Masu... Masu..." Toma murmured again in a voice more subdued, as he poured his seed into the deep intimacy of the beautiful warrior.
Toma fell still and began to relax, panting and sweating, over the body of his partner. Masu did not move. He waited for the young lord, who had spent all his desire and energy, to relax more. He felt his member withdraw from him, gradually returning to its size, without Toma moving...
When he felt that the other was completely relaxed in the gentle and pleasant abandon of the post-orgasm, Masu suddenly moved. With a clever twist he moved from under his body, seized him and made him lay on his back, was on top of him and slid between his legs. Toma was taken by surprise and did not react for several seconds, then tried to stop him, starting a new silent struggle with the beautiful warrior.
But now Masu was in full possession of his powers, in contrast to Toma. After several minutes of squirming and countering the handsome warrior was able to immobilize the young lord under him, well wedged between his legs, with his front against the heaving chest of Toma.
"Now it's my turn!" Masu said in a tone excited and amused at the same time.
"No... I've never taken it... No, wait..." Toma protested, stiffening and again trying to break free from Masu's grip.
"Good, tomorrow you will no longer say so," Masu told him, decided to take his revenge.
"No, come on... let me go."
"Did you let me go?" Masu asked ironically, holding him firmly.
"But you are used to it... you like it..." Toma protested.
"You'll get used to it... I'll make you enjoy it..." Masu said, moving into position to penetrate him.
"No, come on, are you angry with me?" the handsome young lord protested again.
"Yes and no... but you're the one who said that a guest is two steps more important, so now and here I am at a level higher than you, right? Yes, now I'm on top of you, and I will hold you there until I'm pleased," Masu said, continuing with slight but determined moves to get into position to penetrate his partner.
Toma tried to break free with a sudden sprint, but Masu expected that reaction and took the opportunity to place his companion's body in a position more favorable to penetration.
"Are you really still a virgin?" Masu asked, excited and amused.
"Down there I am a virgin, although it cannot be said to be true for the rest," Toma replied, sounding a little worried: "Come on... let me go..."
"No."
"I have never taken it there... I will get hurt... and you're not small there, between your legs..."
"You should have thought about this before."
"What do you want, to let me go?" Toma asked.
"Enjoy your sweet virgin ass."
"No, come on... Some gold?"
"You To think that everything can be resolved with gold, don't you? We So rather think that everything can be resolved with force."
"But earlier I beat you..."
"Because I decided to be overcome... Because I didn't use all my strength..."
"Because you wanted it, then."
"Maybe..." Masu chuckled and placed the tip of his hard member on the narrow hole of the other.
Toma moaned: "No, let me go... do not do it... I swear that I will come with you and I will pay all expenses for your trip... I'll give you all the gold that I have..."
"Gold... gold... do you just think in terms of gold, you To?"
"Let me go, and..."
"No," Masu said and started to push.
"No, stop, come on..."
"No," Masu repeated, increasing the force of his thrusts.
Toma squeezed his hole with all his energy in one last attempt to resist.
"The more you squeeze, the more it will hurt when I conquer your fortress."
"No..." the young lord almost wailed.
"Yes..." Masu said, again increasing the force of his thrust.
"What do you want, to let me go..."
"Your virginity... a low price for what you did."
"But you liked it, right?"
"I do not like being forced."
"You said you let me do it... You said that you could have opposed... You're stronger than me, it's obvious, I admit it..."
"That changes nothing... You should have thought about this before," Masu said and pushed with greater force.
Toma felt he was losing the battle. He felt the tip of the warrior's strong member slowly but surely winning over his desperate resistance, and knew that nothing could stop his guest's determination to take him. He said to himself that after all he had deserved it, he had just put himself in that situation. Finally he surrendered.
Almost suddenly the resistance ceased. Masu felt himself sinking in the narrow, hot and still untouched channel of the young man, helpless beneath him. He penetrated him to the hilt with a strong thrust. Then the grip of his hands and arms loosened a little; he lay with his chest against the chest of the trembling man, and kissed him deeply in his mouth.
Toma first let him do it, remaining passive, but then answered to the kiss. Their tongues played with vigor in the mouth of one, then of the other. When their lips broke away, Toma uttered a low sigh.
"You have won, but you're hurting me..."
"I will not move until you get used to my presence... The more you relax, the more you can enjoy the fucking you will receive."
"Enjoying? Getting used to?" the young man asked with light irony.
"Of course, if you leave it to me, if you stop to oppose, to fight."
"But I've always only done it with women..."
"So why with me?"
"Curiosity, desire... You were there, warm... and I knew you like it..."
"Curiosity has to be paid, and desire has to be paid. If you had asked me, perhaps it would have been different. Be a man, accept the consequences of what you started..."
"Do I have another choice?" the lord asked with light irony.
"You had before, not now."
"So then do what you like... at this point you won, you're all inside me, right?"
"The most fun is yet to come."
"For you, maybe."
"Also for you, you'll see."
"For me! Do you want to convert me to the love between males?"
"Not me, it will be your pleasure to be converted."
"I feel torn, anything but pleasure."
"You just have to try not to resist me, as I told you."
"Come on, let's stop to chat like old wives in the market. Do what you want and let's finish quickly."
"Here you are wrong. Things done in a hurry end badly... The new day will see a new Toma, I promise you," Masu said.
The strong and handsome warrior began to move again, withdrawing a little and then pushing deep into his companion. Masu knew how to move to give pleasure and he used all of his art and experience.
At first Toma was laying still, hardly breathing, to alleviate the sensation of pain that the strong penetration was giving to his body and his spirit. Masu however knew his stuff and, very gradually, with experienced moves of his hard member against his companion's prostate, he caressed and rubbed him at the most sensitive and erogenous point of his body, so his companion was slowly but inevitably overtaken by feelings of pleasure.
The evidence that he was succeeding in his operations was that after a few minutes Toma's member started to throb, until it was erect and hard, compressed between their bellies. With Masu moving back and forth, Toma's penis was rubbed, thus increasing his feelings of pleasure. Toma, resigned, and even a little surprised by the return of pleasure, came to relax completely, in a total surrender.
Masu felt it, and began to ride him with greater energy. In a short while Toma was beginning to moan softly, and those were certainly not groans of pain, but of growing pleasure.
The mighty warrior finally launched into a long, skilled, strong gallop. The young lord's whole body of was shaken by the warrior thrusting into him. The first morning light was beginning to enter the room, and Masu distinguished more clearly the features of Toma's face.
The young man had his eyes closed and his lips pursed. His face had a slight tremor at every thrust that Masu made in this warm intimacy. Masu accompanied every movement back and forth with skilled, calibrated, slight movements of the pelvis in order to make him feel the presence of his member inside the narrow and warm channel. His belly artfully rubbed against Toma's member, that was now rock hard.
From time to time Masu stopped and bent down to kiss the handsome lord, who was helpless and inert under him. Toma's face was now relaxed and his lips were no longer stiffly locked, but rubbed on each other imperceptibly. Masu lost any remaining self-control, and decided it was time to cause a new orgasm to Toma, which he knew would also trigger his own.
So it happened. Almost suddenly Toma opened his eyes and Masu read in them a light of marvel. The handsome warrior smiled with satisfaction, continuing to hammer with well-measured strokes into his young companion. Toma's breathing became faster, his body muscles began to tremble, his expression of surprise was growing stronger and stronger, and he reached a second, unexpected orgasm, emptying himself between their bellies in a series of strong jets.
At this point Masu finally let himself go. He quickly reached a very pleasant orgasm, and shot jet after jet of his warm seed into the violated intimacy of its host, who was now panting hard, still shaking throughout his body by the last orgasmic contractions.
Masu lowered himself on Toma's body and made his legs slide away from his shoulders, so he could stretch out and relax. The two men looked into each other's eyes, those of Masu slightly smiling, those of Toma still slightly amazed. Almost in unison, they let out a sigh.
"So?" Masu asked after a while.
"So what?"
"Was I right?"
"Right about what?"
"Come on, don't pretend to not understand."
"If you first would move off me, you begin to be a little heavy..."
Masu slipped to the side. He looked toward the window - the sky was brightening, even though the sun had not yet risen.
"I told you I would take you before dawn, right?" he said, watching Toma with a wry smile.
The young lord did not answer.
"And that the new day would see a new Toma, right?" Masu insisted.
"New? I feel rather... used."
"And?" Masu asked.
"And what?"
"And..." Masu insisted.
"A Lord taken at pleasure by a Warrior!" The young man pretending to be sullen, but his eyes were smiling.
"You said that, since I am a foreigner, I am superior to you, right?"
"And you've immediately taken advantage of that."
"And you haven't? Using me, taking advantage of me while I slept, being a guest in your bed."
"But you like that..."
"And you liked it too! He..." Masu said, pointing at his companion's now soft member, "He betrayed you. You cannot deny it."
"And who denies it."
"Therefore I said, 'And...'."
Toma sighed and finally a smile emerged on his face: "I liked it better to take you, honestly... But I can't deny that making love with a male is good... At least doing it with you."
"You said you would travel with me. Have you changed your mind?"
"I was just trying to find ways to make you stop, you know it."
"So you changed your mind?"
"No... if you promise me that you will not... you will not put me under you any more as you did a while ago..."
"If you promise me that you will not try again with me while I'm sleeping..."
"... I would love to have a traveling companion..."
"... and go where the wind takes us..."
"... and see the world together..."
"To me that's just fine."
"Also to me."
They were both sitting on the straw mattress, side by side, knees raised. Masu turned to Toma and drew him to him and kissed him. The young lord answered to the kiss with pleasure.
"You are very beautiful, Masu."
" You too are not bad at all, Toma. But satisfy my curiosity, when we both go to another territory that is neither yours nor mine, how will our ranking be?"
"I will still and fully be a Tu and you a Su. I a Lord and you a Warrior."
"And will you not take advantage of that?"
"Why should I? Above all we will be traveling companions, for good and bad luck. Because of the curse you have talked about, you cannot carry gold or cash with you, but you remain a strong warrior. Therefore I will have gold for both of us and you will have strength for both of us."
"It's not that you lack of strength, you're stronger than I thought..."
"Not enough to defeat you, even if I had deluded myself I succeeded. So are you game? Travel companions?"
"For good and bad luck."
They dressed and went down to the inn where Toma ordered food and drink for both. Refreshed they took the road together, like two old friends, like two young and cheerful companions.
Toma had decided to pay for a passage on a ship that was sailing to the capital of the neighboring territory, that was called Waba-Hane'nisuu. While they were leaning on the railing of the bridge watching the land approach, Toma explained what he knew about the territory and the city they were about to visit.
"My mother was born in Waba-Hane'nisuu. She often spoke of her country. As the name says, it is the longest peninsula of the continent. The castle of the Shiti must be one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. My mother said the Zaba-Hacho, that is the Castle of the Eight Quarters, is actually made up of eight castles that form a perfect octagon, connected by strong walls. It is also said that it was built to reproduce on a bigger scale the legendary crown of the Taota, the Lord of Lords. It was built by the eldest son of the last Taota, who hoped to be recognized as heir to the power of his father, but his brothers did not want to recognize him as such."
"Then the castle was built five hundred twelve years ago," Masu noticed.
"Maybe so. Anyway my mother says it is very ancient and very beautiful. The eight castles, or eight districts, are entirely made of white stone, and stand on a hill almost hemispherical, so from a distance it really seems to be a crown placed on a head."
"I have often wondered why, after the last Lord of Lords was killed in his sleep, there has been no one to take his place."
"It is not enough being the son of the Taota to take his place. One must also have the four magical regalia: the crown, the cape, the sword and the globe. But the four regalia are kept in the Castle of the Thorn, in the center of the Central Territory, the Chuma-Hirosawa. And no one has ever succeeded in entering the castle. In addition, only the legitimate Taota can touch or wear them, everyone else would die..."
"Why are there four magical regalia?"
"Four, because it is one of the magic numbers. The crown with eight sides and eight colors makes him the Lord of Lords, the sword makes him the Lord of all Warriors, the cloak makes him the Lord of the other four classes, that is of all Producers, Artisans, Merchants and Slaves, and finally the globe in his hand is the symbol of his dominion over the world, the proof that he is in communion with all the gods..."
"But you... do you believe in the gods?"
Toma looked at him surprised: "Of course I do! Otherwise, from where is coming all that exists, and from where is coming the magic that you yourself have experienced? Do not tell me you do not believe it!"
"No, I don't say that, but I have often wondered why the cult of the gods is over. Why are there no rituals any more, why are there no theodules (slaves of the gods) any more, why are the altars abandoned..."
"Just because there is no more Taota. He was the Supreme Theodule, the one who was performing the rituals at the altar in the Castle of the Thorn, giving authority to the rites performed at the other altars. Without him, everything is like suspended. Everything froze as a result of the curse of the bride of last Taota,"
"The one that transformed the murderers into volcanoes, before being burnt by the flames of her own anger?"
"Yes, she. The one who made the Castle of the Thorn become an inaccessible place, closed for ever. The one who transformed the Chuma-Hirosawa from a lush garden into a horrible and deadly desert. It is also said that dragons and harpies have been summoned by her, from the water of the sea and from the air of the sky, to protect the desert from any intrusion."
The coast was coming nearer, and finally Masu saw the castle that stood, white and beautiful, to dominate the capital of the territory that corresponded to the index finger of the Kaoka. It really made one think of a crown placed on a head, the index finger of the hand holding the four Half-gods of evil forever immersed in the deep ocean.
The sailors were acting upon the orders and signals to the imminent landing. At the docks a swarm of people were ready to unload or reload the ship that was slowly approaching a vacant pier. The trip had been very pleasant and interesting for Masu who, apart from mentally undressing a few fine sailors covered only by scanty short trousers, looked around carefully, because it was the first time he made a journey by sea, albeit short.