"This way, Brother."

Once the two of them had cleaned up from their earlier exertions, Cathas had gone to retrieve a change of clothes for himself. Vayne, on the other hand, had elected to keep his cum-stained garments despite the offer of something more comfortable to change into.

Vayne knew well enough how flustered it made Cathas to look at him with his breeches and tunic smattered with streaks of drying cum. That Cathas managed to maintain his composure at all was nothing short of a miracle.

All was well. The more Cathas resisted, the better the outcome would be for what Vayne intended for him. After all, the greater resistance, the harder the fall. And the more he teased Cathas with his mere presence, the easier it would be to push him off.

"What’s this?" said Vayne, stirring from his thoughts to look at where Cathas was standing. It appeared to be a wall like all the others, bare of any decoration—though that was more the norm than the exception.

It was only with his enhanced senses that he even noticed the faint thread of mana that lingered in the masonry. It traced out the shape of an arch, ancient in its design and covered in hopelessly intricate layers of runes.

"Well, one thing that you will learn about runelore is that it is potent and dangerous—cataclysmically so in the wrong hands." Cathas smiled, seemingly self-satisfied as he placed a hand against the wall, looking up at what would have been the keystone of the arch.

If Vayne had to guess, Cathas was probably quite proud of himself for stumbling upon an apprentice with such promise. It was the pride of a master that had yet to teach his student all he knew—the excitement of sharing secret knowledge with someone who would understand the joy of learning it.

He almost felt bad his motivations were primarily ulterior. Oh, there was a part of him that was curious, a part that was interested in the power promised by runelore, but ultimately, his goal was to bring down the ward and turn Cathas to his side.

"I’m afraid I do not understand the need for secrecy, Brother," said Vayne. He had to admit, it was a level of paranoia he hadn’t expected. "Why go so far when we are in one of the safest places in the world, protected behind the ward and the enchanted walls of the Fort?"

"Runelore is the most potent weapon that we mortals have against the demonic legions, Brother. There is no such thing as being too careful in this regard. Walls of stone can fall and wards can be broken. What is one more layer of protection?"

It was a salient point, Vayne had to admit. Knowing what he knew, however, he couldn’t describe the sentiment as anything but adorable.

Humanity hadn’t yet seen even a fraction of what the hellborn were capable of. That their race had even managed to hold their own against the demons was a testament to the severity of restrictions placed upon demons by the metaphysical laws of the world of man.

"I take your point, Brother," said Vayne. "Is it perhaps an illusion magic of sorts, then?"

Cathas nodded. "Among other things." He slipped a peculiar brass ring onto the middle finger of his dominant hand and pressed it into the side of the arch.

"Other things?"

"Regrettably, much knowledge was lost during the time of the Dumear." As the threads of mana grew to encompass the frame of the archway, Cathas traced his fingers along the stone, a palpable sadness in his expression.

The Dumear. The Blackblade. It was one of the first things learned by initiates of the Order, the story of a Lord Commander from centuries ago, a hero who vanquished a demon lord by all accounts, twisted in his later years by the very same cursed sword he’d liberated in victory from his sworn enemy.

"It has taken the life’s work of generations to recreate what was destroyed by the Dumear’s purges and yet we’ve only scratched the surface…" Cathas trailed off, his fingertips gliding over the runes etched in the stone as the glamour over the archway faded.

Cathas continued softly. "So many layers. So much mystery. Too few lifetimes to crack them all." After a moment of silence, he turned his gaze back to Vayne. "In any case, Brother, since you’ve asked, I will tell you what my predecessors have managed to discern about this arch."

"Please do."

Beyond the archway was a stone chamber which could not possibly have been there. Vayne remembered the layout of the runemaster’s domicile. He knew that the only thing beyond the wall the archway was built into was a small attachment used for drying herbs and storing gardening tools.

Furthermore, the chamber seemed to be underground. Vayne didn’t know how he knew but he did. Somehow, he’d managed to intuit that the chamber was subterranean. And looking at Cathas, he was fairly confident the runemaster didn’t know where it was situated either.

Cathas chuckled. "We know that there is a magick in the runes that somehow bends space. It connects the two sides of the arch even though they are potentially miles apart."

Vayne wasn’t particularly unfamiliar with the concept. He’d seen similar things during his time in the Infernal world, doorways that crossed continents and bridged oceans in the span of a single footstep.

The sight of such wonders had boggled his mind then, but now what he found most surprising was that human hands seemed to have wrought something alike. Although the evidence was before his eyes, he had his doubts that the magick rose to the level of what he’d seen in Hell.

In all likelihood, it was an inferior imitation. Humans simply didn’t have the same sense or intuition for mana that the hellborn did. Nevertheless, he had to pretend to be impressed and he liked to think that he could do a decent enough job at that.

"That is…" Vayne trailed off, searching for the words, "That is incredible. I did not know we were capable of such feats…"

"No longer, I’m afraid," said Cathas. "Come along. You may feel some nausea as you cross the threshold, Brother. That is nothing to worry about. It is normal. As far as we have been able to discern, it is a natural effect of crossing from one space into another."

"I will keep that in mind," said Vayne. As he’d thought, this portal was different from the ones in Hell. He’d never felt even the slightest hint of queasiness when Azzagg took him through one.

Taking a breath to prepare, Vayne followed Cathas through the arch. The expected nausea never came for him, but Cathas visibly paled upon crossing the threshold.

That Vayne didn’t seem fazed in the slightest didn’t escape Cathas’ notice. "You are truly remarkable, Brother," said Cathas, his gaze twinkling with no small amount of awe as he wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Now, now, let us not get too far ahead of ourselves, Brother," said Vayne. Not that he didn’t appreciate the compliment—he did—but potential meant nothing if one’s talent and determination were lacking.

Still, Vayne was confident in his ability to learn runelore. Perhaps it was vain to think that he was exceptional—the Scriptures certainly seemed to say so—but vanity was one of many vices he’d learned wasn’t so bad to indulge in moderation during his time in Hell.

"I sincerely believe that you will take to the art of runelore with ease," said Cathas, once he’d fully recovered from the effects of crossing through the arch. "Your aptitude is unlike any other. You are meant for this. I imagine it won’t be long before the working of runes becomes second nature for you."

Vayne smiled. "I should like that," he said, watching closely as Cathas made his way toward a table in the middle of the room.

"Please sit," said Cathas, motioning at the empty seat across from him.

Vayne did as he was told, taking a seat before looking around the room. The chamber reeked of history. Without even moving an inch from where he sat, he could tell that it was filled with the work of generations.

Shelves that went from floor to ceiling covered all the walls except where there were doors. They played host to all sorts of things—leather-bound volumes, scrolls, specimens, and reagents alike. Stones set into the ceiling provided light, spelled to shed a warm, comfortable hue over every surface of the chamber.

Cathas returned to the table with a book, some paper, and a stick of charcoal. He set the book and paper in the middle of the table, taking a single sheet and the stick of charcoal for himself. "Shall we begin?" he said.

Vayne nodded. "Please do," he said, leaning forward, meaning to capture every little morsel of information that Cathas had for him.

The charcoal rasped on the surface of the paper as Cathas drew a rune on it. "There are four important things—pillars—that a runemage must consider when using runelore."

The symbol looked vaguely familiar to Vayne, though he couldn’t quite put a finger on why that was.

"The first pillar, Form, is easy enough. Someone with rudimentary training, even if they don’t have a drop of magic, can create runes of passable Form." Cathas held up the paper, having finished inscribing a rune upon it. "But Form alone does not runelore make."

"Reasonable," said Vayne. "I am following so far, Brother."

"The second pillar is Affinity. This often goes in two ways: the affinity of the runemage with the rune in question and the affinity of the rune for the type of mana that is infused into it."

Affinity of the rune for the mana that was infused into it was an easy enough concept. One wouldn’t very well use water-aspected mana in a fire rune, after all. The other part, however, left Vayne with a pressing question in need of an answer.

Vayne frowned. "Affinity of the runemage with the rune?" he said.

Cathas nodded. "Some runemages seem to possess an innate talent for using certain runes or families of runes," he said. "For instance, my master was particularly well-versed in the use of runes associated with the concept of wind. I, myself, am more adept at using runes of fire."

It made enough sense, but… "Do you know why this is the case?" said Vayne.

"Not conclusively, no," said Cathas. "But we believe that it may have something to do with the third pillar, which is Understanding. This is the ability to intimate not just the surface meaning of a rune, but the complexity that lies under it."

Vayne nodded. "I see! I think I understand, Brother. Would it be incorrect to compare to the way that certain warriors more easily learn certain weapons instead of others?"

Cathas seemed surprised. "Just so, Brother Vayne," he said. "Some would argue that Affinity and Understanding are two sides of the same coin but I prefer to separate them to avoid confusion."

Vayne pursed his lips. "Affinity, in a way, is talent. Like how one warrior might learn to wield a sword with ease yet fumble with a spear. Understanding, on the other hand, is skill. It comes with time and effort such that one who is untalented in the sword might still attain the same heights as someone who has a predilection for it with enough training."

The grin Cathas flashed at Vayne was nigh-blinding. "Exactly, Brother. What one runemage lacks in Affinity, he can more than compensate for with Understanding."

"I think I’m beginning to glean the shape of things, Brother," said Vayne.

"See?" said Cathas, practically beaming at Vayne. "Did I not tell you that soon this will feel like second nature to you?"

"I admit, I had my doubts, Brother," said Vayne, returning the smile.

"You ought to have more confidence in yourself, Brother," said Cathas. "A-anyway, the fourth pillar is Intent, and it is the most inscrutable of the four."

"How come, Brother?" said Vayne. Magic, from the most basic spells to the grandest of rituals, required some measure of intent to guide its shape. He couldn’t quite puzzle out why such a basic part of casting magic would be so complicated.

"It is a simple matter to impose Intent upon a rune when creating one," said Cathas. "The difficulty lies in determining the Intent with which an extant rune was created."

Vayne watched Cathas closely as the runemaster gathered mana and imparted upon it the aspect of fire. Before Cathas pushed the mass of mana into the rune, he did something to it that subtly changed its character.

"Intent changes the texture of the mana infused into a rune," said Cathas. "But it is not so easy to look at the texture of existing mana and read the Intent that was given it."

"I understand," said Vayne. He had naïvely approached runelore from the perspective of a regular magic user. He had only been interested in the creation of runes, not the decoding of them, which he supposed was just as important.

"Once you have taken these four pillars into account and adjusted as necessary, all that remains is to imbue the rune with mana," said Cathas, finally infusing the sigil drawn on the paper with the mass of mana he’d gathered earlier.

The charcoal that formed the rune smoldered, thin wisps of smoke rising into the air as the sizzle of burning paper became audible. Embers glowed, eating away at the paper before bursting into leaping flames that quickly reduced the rune to ash and soot.

Vayne’s eyes widened. Not in surprise at what Cathas had managed with a simple charcoal drawing of a rune, but at the sudden epiphany that had dawned on him. He’d realized why the rune looked so familiar.

It took all his willpower not to laugh. The irony was priceless. The truth was poetic. The runes that the Order so valued for being humanity’s most potent weapon against the demons were nothing more than Infernal script clumsily copied and perverted by the years.

"There are other factors, of course, but these are the most important. Even should you know nothing else, without these four pillars, runelore would be impossible," said Cathas.

"Might I make an attempt?" said Vayne.

Cathas slid the charcoal stick over to Vayne. "Of course, Brother. I would like to see how easily the art comes to you. Even under the best of circumstances, with full instruction, apprentice runemages can take weeks before they can accomplish even the simple magick I demonstrated for you."

Vayne didn’t think it would take him even an hour. But he didn’t want to be unnecessarily boastful either. "Then I should hope I can do it in a few days—I would not like to betray the promise you saw in me, Brother," he said.

"Whatever the case, Brother, I’m certain you will accomplish it in no time at all," said Cathas.

Vayne smiled. "I thank you for your confidence, Brother," he said as he took up the piece of charcoal and grabbed a sheet of paper.

Cathas opened the book and flipped it onto the page that explained the rune he’d used earlier. It was one of the first ones—likely chosen because of Cathas’ confessed affinity for fire.

Vayne pulled the book closer to him and looked over the diagram that explained the rune. He’d studied the Infernal script during his time in hell and could tell where the deficiencies were.

He filled in the missing parts, knowing that with such a simple rune as "burn," the extra parts he’d added would likely be seen as nothing more than a beginner’s mistakes.

Vayne supposed he had the difference between human and hellborn nature to thank for that. Infernal script embodied the hellborn’s embrace of the natural chaos of life. Humans, on the other hand, preferred things to be orderly and crisp.

He glanced at Cathas while tracing out the rune. Cathas was clearly fighting the urge to point out his "mistakes." It was cute in its own way.

Once he was finished, Vayne followed the steps Cathas had shown him, gathering the mana and imprinting it with his Intent.

He must have overdone it as before he could push the mana into the rune, Cathas reached out in alarm. "Brother, wait! The rune is imperfect! To use so much mana, it could be disastrous!"

Vayne had no such concerns but he pretended at them anyway, since Cathas seemed so earnest about his safety. "I-I can’t stop it, Brother!" he said, inciting a tremor in his fingers as he forced the mana into the sigil.

Cathas’ eyes widened, his body visibly tensing as he held his arms up in front of his face. "Protect yourself, Brother!" he said.

The catastrophic failure that was expected never materialized, however. Instead, streamers of white smoke rose from the paper as the sigil smoldered.

Cathas breathed a sigh of relief. "That could have gone worse, Brother," he said.

It took a considerable amount of willpower for Vayne to defeat the urge to smirk. He knew what was coming next. He was supposed to be playing the role of a beginner but he just couldn’t resist the urge to show off.

"Light, have mercy!" said Cathas, pulling back away from the table as a sharp hiss issued from the piece of paper.

Vayne did the same, feigning shock. And then, the rune he’d drawn did what he’d intended for it to do: it burst into flames the color of brilliant gold that gradually shifted into a dazzling array of iridescent colors as the sheet of paper broke up into pieces and burned away.

"Incredible," said Cathas once he managed to regain his composure. He looked at Vayne with awestruck eyes, his mouth hanging open in shock. "H-how did you do that, Brother?" he said.

"I-I just did what you showed me," said Vayne, pretending at some uncertainty of his own. "I-it’s just that I thought the flames could be prettier when I created my Intent."

Cathas shook his head and laughed. "Extraordinary," he said. "Not only did you accomplish the task after seeing the demonstration only once, but you have also managed to show high-level control of Intent!"

Vayne feigned a nervous smile. "That—that’s a good thing, right?" he said.

"More than good!" said Cathas. "You were born for this, Brother, and it is the honor of my life to be the one to teach you!"

Vayne waved his hand, pretending at bashfulness. In truth, he didn’t mind having the praise heaped on him so much. "T-the honor is all mine, Brother," he said.

Cathas just grinned at him. "Shall we see what else I might be able to teach you in a single day?" said Cathas.

Vayne smiled. "I’d like that, Brother!"

Cathas stood from his seat and walked over to one of the nearby shelves. He pulled volumes from them, and scrolls, returning to the table with an armload before going back for more.

By the time Cathas was satisfied with the materials he had on hand, he looked at Vayne, grinned, and said, "I think this should be good enough to start with."

---

Vayne smirked. He’d done it. He’d succeeded. On the table before him were the first artifacts he’d ever made with his own hands, and with remarkable ease at that.

He didn’t know if it was his knowledge of Infernal script or if Cathas was right and he was born for runelore but he’d managed to accomplish in a day something that Cathas had said normally took apprentices the better part of a year to even start learning.

Vayne preferred to believe that he was just that talented. There was a reason his Master Azzagg had chosen him, after all. He was exceptional among his peers and gone were the days that he would strangle the thought in the name of misguided modesty.

He was good at what he did and proud to be good at it. It was just such a shame that he couldn’t be so nakedly pleased with himself. He still had an image to maintain, after all.

With a sheet of clean linen he’d found lying around, Vayne bundled up the artifacts he’d created and made to leave the secret chamber. Cathas was in bed, nursing a headache that Vayne had caused with a surreptitious rune so that he could have time to work on his own without being watched.

Vayne’s new toys were well-made but they were prototypes. He could have tested them himself but there had been no guarantee that Cathas wouldn’t walk in on him doing so.

It was just fortunate that he had an alternative: a guinea pig that would be more than happy to volunteer with a little prodding.

The sun had set a few hours ago but even in the dark of the runemaster’s home, Vayne could find his way with ease. He walked over to the study and climbed up to the loft, watching over Cathas for a moment as the runemaster lightly dozed in his bed.

Vayne set the bundle of artifacts down on the corner of the thin mattress and stripped the shirt from his torso. He clambered into bed next to Cathas, making no effort to spare the man’s sleep.

As Vayne intended, Cathas stirred. "B-Brother Vayne, is that you?" said Cathas, squinting at Vayne in the darkness with those green eyes of his.

"Ah. Did I wake you, Brother?" said Vayne. "I had hoped not to disturb you—I simply needed to rest my eyes. I thought you might not mind sharing a bed."

A small smile tugged at Cathas’ lips. He shifted over, leaving Vayne space to slide into bed beside him. "Not at all, Brother," he said. "Did you manage to accomplish what you’d set out to do?"

Vayne sighed audibly. "Sadly, no," he said.

Cathas reached over to pat Vayne on the shoulder, freezing momentarily when he realized that Vayne was shirtless. "I-I’m sure you’ll be able to create an artifact before long, Brother."

"Oh, no. I was able to do that," said Vayne. "I simply haven’t had the opportunity to make sure they work as intended."

Cathas was silent for a long while. "You were able to craft an artifact?" he said.

Vayne smirked—Cathas likely couldn’t see it in the darkness—and said, "Yes, Brother. A few different ones that work as a set."

"Light," said Cathas under his breath. He reached over his shoulder, fingers pressing against the side of a crystal on his nightstand.

Vayne squinted as light flooded the loft, emanating from the stone. "Is everything alright, Brother?"

"Yes," said Cathas. "Yes, of course! I was just… You continue to amaze me, Brother. You said you were not able to test the artifacts to see if they worked? Is there any way I could help, perhaps?"

Although Cathas’ attention was firmly on the artifacts Vayne had made, his gaze nevertheless continued to drift toward Vayne’s bare torso now and then. The faint flush in his cheeks and the visible lump in his breeches said all that Vayne needed to know about how ready Cathas was to run tests on.

"The artifacts are for personal use, Brother… Perhaps you might be able to try them for me?" said Vayne.

Cathas sat up and nodded. "Of course, Brother," he said. "I should be so honored to be the first to experience artifacts wrought by your own hands."

Vayne smiled. "I was hoping you would say that," he said, retrieving the linen bundle he’d left by the foot of the bed.

He sat up and unfolded the fabric on his lap, revealing a handful of objects made of molded stone. It had taken him a few minutes to figure out the principles, but once he’d gotten a handle on it, transmuting the pieces into the shapes he wanted was easy.

A tinge of red spread across Cathas’ cheeks. His gaze, inevitably, was drawn first to the largest of the objects. One was wrought into the shape of a phallus—Vayne’s, though Cathas couldn’t have known—while the other was a smooth stone rod, about two inches thick, with molded penises on either end.

Cathas coughed, the red in his cheeks turning a deeper shade as he no doubt imagined the applications of the objects. "I-I am not so sure what the uses of such…obscene…artifacts might be…" he said.

Vayne smirked. He placed a hand on Cathas’ thigh, about halfway up, dangerously close to the bulge outlined by Cathas’ breeches. "They’re not obscene, Brother. How could the likeness of a natural part of our bodies be obscene?" he said.

Cathas didn’t seem to have an answer for him. It was just as well.

"The men outside understand this very well. They make such objects for their own edification—and their pleasure," said Vayne, his hand creeping higher up Cathas’ thigh.

Cathas gulped audibly, his eyes riveted still to the phallic objects Vayne had made. "P-pleasure?" he said.

"Oh, yes," said Vayne with a little smirk as he picked up one of the dildos. "Their own and that of others, should the mood take them."

Cathas sucked in a sharp breath. "B-but Scripture—"

Vayne chuckled. "Have we not had this conversation before, Brother?" he said. "Scripture says an awful many things, but it is not infallible. Do you not remember the pleasure I showed you earlier?"

The breath hitched in Cathas’ throat. "I-I do," he said.

"Then I can promise you, Brother, if these objects work as I intend them to, you will feel pleasure better even than what I have shown you," said Vayne, sliding his hand along the inside of Cathas’ palm until the tip of Cathas’ dick print touched the side of it.

The flush in Cathas’ cheeks turned scarlet. "A-and something that feels that good…"

Vayne chuckled. "Couldn’t possibly be wrong."

"Right… Right… Couldn’t possibly be wrong…" Cathas licked his lips and swallowed audibly. "A-alright, Brother. I-I should like to try your creations."

"These other things first," said Vayne with a little smirk as he guided Cathas’ attention to the other objects. There were three rings, two small and delicate while the third was about the size of his palm.

"W-what are they? What is this?" said Cathas, pointing to a bulb-shaped piece of molded stone with a narrow neck that led to a flared base underneath it.

"You will see later," said Vayne. It never failed to amuse how sheltered the Brothers of the order often turned out to be. The noble-born lot, particularly, were often so ignorant about their own bodies it bordered on the comical. "For now, I should like it if you would remove your shirt for me."

"O-of course, Brother," said Cathas. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, dropping the garment off the side of the bed as he locked eyes with Vayne.

"Perfect," said Vayne, picking up one of the smaller rings in one hand while he splayed the fingers of the other on Cathas’ chest.

Cathas flinched at the contact. It was adorable. So unused to the touch of a man even when Vayne had already explored one of the most intimate parts of him with his hand.

Vayne brought the ring close to one of Cathas’ nipples and muttered a phrase under his breath, one that Cathas wouldn’t notice unless he strained to hear it. Once the phrase was said, the runes etched into the surface of the stone glowed with reddish-gold light.

Cathas hissed from the sudden pain as the ring split in two and affixed itself upon his nipple. It dangled from the nub, pulling down on the sensitive bit with its weight. "B-Brother, what is this?" he said.

Vayne chuckled, doing the same to the other nipple before answering so that Cathas would have no space to complain. "Did you truly think that your cock was the only place of your body from which you could derive pleasure?" he said.

"I-I…"

Vayne didn’t bother to let Cathas finish. "The sensitivity may differ from one man to another, but I think you’ll find that it can be very good to have them played with."

As he said the words, he flicked one of the nipple rings. The runes glowed again, and instead of just trembling a few times before stopping, the vibrations were magnified, the stone buzzing against the sensitive nub.

A low moan spilled from Cathas’ lips, the outline of his cock seeming to swell against his thigh as a wet spot formed at the tip. "L-Light preserve…" he whined, closing his eyes as he instinctively leaned his body toward the side of the vibrating ring. "T-that feels incredible, Brother!"

"Does it?" said Vayne with a little smirk. "That is very good to know. It means the artifact is working as intended."

"I-it is working very well, Brother," Cathas groaned as the ring continued to buzz against his nipple.

"Then you would not mind if I tested the other, yes?" said Vayne.

"W-wait, Brother, I—-"

Vayne flicked the second ring before Cathas could finish his protest. His efforts earned him another strangled moan.

"Now, Brother… If you would take your breeches off—and your underwear—that would be lovely," said Vayne. "I will need access to your cock for the next piece of the ensemble."

Cathas turned a shade redder, the flush now reaching the tips of his ears. But he didn’t so much as balk at the order, his fingers flying to the laces of his breeches just as soon as Vayne had finished speaking. "O-of course, Brother," he said.

Vayne licked his lips as Cathas slid the garment down his legs.

Cathas’ cock won free of the fabric. It strained in the air as his breath hitched in his throat, a glistening drop of pre-cum at the tip.

Vayne wrapped his fingers around the modest length and tugged, his touch light, his grip loose, but enough to draw a low moan from the other man’s mouth. He slipped the stone ring over Cathas’ cock, and used his other hand to gently pull Cathas’ balls through.

He’d gotten his measurements right—not that there had ever been any doubt—and the ring sat snugly around the base of Cathas’ cock. As soon as it was settled, the runes began to glow, the stone making minor adjustments for a better, more perfect fit.

"W-what is this for, Brother?" said Cathas, a tremor of anticipation in his voice despite his evident unease with the situation.

Vayne cracked a wicked little grin. "It will make you last longer, of course," he said, though he conveniently left out the part that it would make Cathas last indefinitely.

As his time in Hell had taught him, there was nothing quite like being kept endlessly on the edge of release to break a man. Not that he needed to break Cathas. He already had him dancing in the palm of his hand. It was just fun.

"Go on, Brother. You know you want to. Don’t hold back on my account," said Vayne with a little smirk, tracing the first knuckle of his index finger along the underside of Cathas’ cock.

"I-If you’re sure you don’t mind…" said Cathas as he tentatively wrapped his fingers around his slender shaft.

"Certain as the sun rising in the east, Brother," said Vayne with a little smirk. "Indeed, I like to watch."

Cathas groaned, the red in his cheeks slowly creeping down his neck as he moved his hand along his length. Quiet little noises spilled from him as he gave into the pleasure little by little.

It was cute. He was all alone in a corner of the Fort and yet he was still trying to hold in all the lewd things that wanted to bubble out of his chest. It was as if he thought a mere moan to acknowledge his pleasure was a sin.

Not that Vayne would have been surprised if such were the case. None of the Brothers had a healthy relationship with sex—not the true believers, anyway.

The ones that snuck away, the ones that used their time in the outside world to partake in the pleasures that Scripture forbade, they were more his people. Nowadays, anyway. He used to hate them, and for no good reason.

Vayne was truly glad that his Master had opened his eyes to what he was missing. And now he meant to pay it forward, to show the Brothers of the Order just how good their bodies could feel if only they would indulge themselves.

The bedframe shook as Cathas pleasured himself. His eyes were squeezed shut, his body hunched over his erection, still trying to hide what he was doing as if it were something perverse and shameful.

Vayne shifted closer and placed his hand on the small of Cathas’ back. The runemaster flinched at his touch but he didn’t pull away—that was the important bit.

A smirk tugged at the corners of Vayne’s mouth as he slipped his hand gradually lower, his fingers eventually cupping the curve of Cathas’ bottom. Cathas’ ass wasn’t too big but his cheeks certainly had a curve to them, a roundness that Vayne could palm and squeeze to prepare him for what was to come next.

Vayne’s finger slipped into the cleft between Cathas’ ass cheeks.

Cathas’ pucker trembled when he touched it, accompanied by a breathless half-protest when he slowly rubbed circles around the tight ring. "B-Brother! D-don’t touch that. I-it’s dirty!"

Vayne smirked. "Hardly, Brother," he said as he flicked the tip of his index finger across the trembling entrance. "I think you’ll agree with me soon enough that it is no unmentionable place—it is a beautiful one. You cannot even begin to imagine the pleasures that are possible."

Cathas gulped audibly. "I-I trust you, Brother," he said, managing to somehow sound sincere despite the strain of need in his voice.

Vayne could only chuckle. "Get on your hands and knees," he said, reaching around to grab the single phallus from his bundle of toys.

Cathas did as he was told. He shivered when Vayne placed the toy against the cleft of his ass, sliding the girth of it up and down between his cheeks. "B-Brother, y-you can’t mean to…" He trailed off—as if terrified to speak his suspicion into the world. But despite the apprehension in his voice, Vayne could also hear the slightest hint of excitement.

Vayne’s enhanced sense of smell didn’t lie, either. The moment the cool stone touched Cathas’ cheeks, Vayne scented a spike in the smell of arousal that was coming from him.

"Oh, yes…" he murmured in a voice that was low and sultry as he stroked Cathas’ flank with his free hand. "I will do precisely what you are thinking. This toy is going exactly where you think it is going."

"I-is it not too big, Brother?" said Cathas almost breathlessly. He might have sounded nervous but one thing gave away that he was more willing than he let on: his hand had yet to leave his cock. Indeed, he was pumping his fist faster and harder up and down his length.

Vayne smirked. "Trust me, Brother, it will fit. I designed it so that it would. Now just spread those legs, arch that back, and relax for me, would you?" he said.

Cathas did as he was told and Vayne had to suck in a sharp breath. The way Cathas presented himself was nothing short of beautiful.

A shiver shook through Cathas’ body as Vayne pressed the smooth head of the stone dildo against his hole. "Shh. Relax," Vayne cooed, rubbing Cathas’ side as he applied gentle pressure to the toy.

The runes glowed as the head pressed against Cathas’ hole. "O-oh, wow. I-it’s getting warm," Cathas gasped out.

"That’s to help ease it in," said Vayne, the corners of his mouth curling in a little smirk as the blunt head slowly stretched Cathas’s tight virginal hole open.

Once Cathas’ body accepted the dildo, a sheen of something slick covered the smooth stone surface. The pressure that had been building, the friction of Cathas’ flesh against the toy, eased.

Cathas’ eyes flew open as the head slipped inside him all at once. "L-Light preserve! I-it feels strange, Brother!" he moaned.

"You’ll get used to it, Brother," said Vayne. Under his breath, he spoke a command word that activated another set of runes around the base of the toy. Just like that, he felt the velvety heat of Cathas’ insides wrapped around the head of his cock—as if it were his cock and not a stone toy inside Cathas.

Vayne didn’t relent on the pressure. Between the heat of the toy and the lubricant seeping from its surface, the natural resistance of Cathas’ guts did not hold out for too long. Slowly, inch by inch, the stone shaft pushed past the vicelike grip of Cathas’ virgin asshole.

It took a considerable amount of willpower not to shove the whole damn thing inside. Cathas’ hole gripped the dildo—and by extension, Vayne’s cock—so sweetly. It was incredible.

But he was too disciplined to give in to such an impulse. He was too well-trained, conditioned for obedience and patience by both the Order and his Master.

Cathas was sweating by the time the base of the dildo was pressing into the space between his cheeks. His cock was straining, a puddle of pre-cum on the linen underneath him. "I-I have never felt so…"

"So full?" said Vayne with a little smirk.

"Y-yes," said Cathas, his ring flexing around the considerable girth of the toy buried inside him. "I-it’s intense, Brother…" he said almost breathlessly.

Vayne laughed. "It gets better," he said.

Cathas was tight like a vice, his soft walls gripping onto the dildo as if his life depended on it. Despite being covered in lubricant, the dildo almost wouldn’t budge when Vayne tugged on the base.

It took some negotiating, but Vayne managed to work the stone shaft loose. It was time for the main attraction.

He started slow, moving the dildo by only half an inch back and forth. He wasn’t too fussed by the angle. The toy was thick enough that just jostling it a little bit would press the girth of it against Cathas’ button.

The results were immediate. "T-that feels…W-why does it—Light!—Why does it f-feel so…so…" said Cathas, his hips moving on their own to meet the rhythm of the dildo in his ass.

"Because this is what you are meant for, Brother," said Vayne with a little smirk. "The Light made us men with a special spot inside us, a spot that can bring mind-numbing pleasure, a place that can only truly be touched by another man."

"Oh, Brother!" Cathas moaned as Vayne picked up the pace, pumping the dildo with longer, harder strokes every time the base met Cathas’ cheeks. "I-I…T-this feels transcendent!"

Cathas whined through his nose, his hand practically a blur on his cock as he worked his ass on Vayne’s dildo. His earlier restraint was forgotten, moans spilling from his lips with wanton need.

In and out. In and out. Vayne fucked Cathas’ virgin ass with his stone dildo harder and faster until Cathas’ knees wobbled and his hole yielded fully to the invasion.

"I-I cannot believe that all this time, such pleasure has been possible… A-and from a place I believed to be dirty—profane!" Cathas moaned, tossing his head back as his spine arched from the pleasure.

His nipple rings swung back and forth every time he desperately shoved his ass onto Vayne’s dildo and every single time the enchantment placed upon them magnified the movements, vibrating back and forth against the sensitive nubs until Cathas was leaking profusely onto the sheets between his legs.

"T-this feeling… B-Brother… M-my mind tells me it is wrong but it feels so, so good…"

"How could it be wrong if it feels so good?" said Vayne with a little smirk. He kept his hand still and gave Cathas the opportunity to fuck himself on the dildo without provocation.

Cathas didn’t even miss a beat. He bucked against the stone shaft more forcefully to compensate. He leaned back, staying on his knees as he reached up and rubbed circles around a nipple.

"It couldn’t be wrong, Brother," Cathas said breathlessly. His eyes were wide open, his pupils blown. His lips were parted, his chest rising and falling with every shallow breath. "This…this feeling…it’s divine!"

Vayne took the proclamation as his cue. He pounded the dildo into Cathas’ hole with as much vigor as he could manage. The mirrored sensations were nothing short of amazing on his cock.

The moans falling from Cathas’ lips increased in volume and pitch as his whole body tensed. His back arched. His toes curled. His balls pulled up tight against the stone ring cinched around the base of his cock and sack as he breathlessly exclaimed, "I-I’m close, Brother! I feel as if I am going to burst!"

Vayne smirked, knowing what was coming next. "Come, Brother!" he said. "Let loose! Seize your release!"

"Oh, Brother, I’m coming!" Cathas moaned, his body trembling and his hole clenching tight around the dildo buried inside him as his cock pulsed and throbbed and swelled. It bobbed up and down, the contractions racing through Cathas’ body, but not a single drop of cum escaped him.

"B-Brother… W-what’s happening?!" Cathas blurted out in alarm as he shook his cock, pounding his fist up and down his length in a desperate attempt to chase the orgasm that was denied him.

Vayne smirked. "I told you it would help you last longer," he said. "Does it not feel better this way? Your whole body charged with energy, desperate for more pleasure?"

Cathas whined, bucking his hips to fuck the air with his rock-hard cock. "I-it does, Brother," he said.

Vayne grinned. "Good," he said as he wrenched the dildo out of Cathas’ hole. "After all, we have a few more artifacts to test."