Crusade Gone Awry Ch. 08

NOTE: Centaurs are mythical and intelligent beasts. The characters in this chapter are NOT animals.

WARNING! This chapter contains: centaur sex (female centaur, male human), animal genitals, humiliation, bondage, sex toys, squirting, horse role-playing, whipping, creampie, and humiliation. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

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Tay Rainground woke up with a splitting headache. It was so severe that for a few moments he couldn't even open his eyes. He was in so much pain that his vision and his thoughts swam in circles. He finally groaned and lifted his hand, rubbing his forehead. He couldn't remember a thing, and there was a giant knot on his head.

Piece by piece it came back. He came to the desert to defeat the demon king. They wandered through the desert for many days. Then...and then...it was all black. Tay sat up, moaning the whole way. He wished the angry mole digging through his skull would stop already. He tried to scan his surroundings.

He was in a house of some kind. It was made entirely of mud bricks. There was a doorway leading to the outside, but no door. The only things in the small house were a straw bed, which he was lying on, and a pile of fruits. It took the crusader quite a few moments to make the connection. Someone had put him on this bed and left him food. Who would have done this?

It finally came back to him. They were attacked by the assassin weevils, the entire army was destroyed, he was launched over a dune, and then he hit his head. He was knocked out cold. He supposed if he wasn't moving the underground monsters couldn't find him. They must have thought he was a rock. Still, where was he now?

He got to his feet on wobbling legs. He lurched to the open entranceway. The bright sun nearly blinded him, and made his head hurt even more. After wincing in agony for a few moments, he adjusted and was able to see.

He appeared to be in an abandoned village, all made of the same mud bricks. The other buildings were mostly collapsed. There was a small pond next to the village, but it had practically dried up. It was little more than a large puddle at this point. It was probably the village had been abandoned. Other than that, there was nothing else around. There were no people, no signs of life, nothing. Tay rubbed his forehead again. None of this was making sense, and his head refused to think straight. He was beginning to feel tired again. His brain likely hadn't completely recovered yet. Giving up for the day, he turned and went back to his straw bed to sleep it off. If whatever put him here left him food, it likely wanted him alive for whatever reason. For now, he would just have to rest and wait for whoever it was.

Tay's dreams were quite fitful. He found himself wandering the castle of a noble he had been charged with guarding once. He went from room to room, making sure everything was okay. Apart from the lord's wild kids, swinging from chandeliers and juggling horses, everything seemed normal. He didn't judge how the rich spent their time. He turned down one hall and saw the servants doing cartwheels. Whatever they had to do to keep themselves entertained, he supposed. He turned to gaze down the other way.

There was something standing the hallway, something quite large. It was surrounded in black shadows, which hovered around it. It also appeared to be carrying a large spear. He was suddenly filled with terror. Every weird thing around him seemed to make sense, but this thing...this thing wasn't supposed to be here! The figure covered in blackness swung its spear-looking weapon. It cleaved a vase in half. Rather than shattering, it split evenly and then began glowing. The light zipped towards the figure, heading into its mouth. It had eaten it...but how?

The figure in black turned towards him. He was instantly filled with sheer terror. Everything in him told him to turn and run, run as far as his legs could carry him. It was an invader, a trespasser, an unwanted! Just as he was about to turn and flee for his life, he spotted something. The figure was larger than a human, but not in height. Its lower body was much bigger. In fact, it had four feet, not two. It's torso, while human, bent backwards at the waist and stretched into an animal-like body. That animal was a horse. Half human, half horse, it was difficult to make out, but was this a centaur?

Rather than run, Tay felt excited. Was this a centaur? Somehow it felt more real than everything else. He just stood and stared, not wanting to scare it away. The centaur hidden in black stared as well, but quickly began to fidget. It didn't seem to like his gaze. Finally, having enough, the creature swiped its weapon in a huge arch, cleaving the walls of the castle. In an instant, the building began to rumble and crumple apart. Tay fell through the floor as the building was converted into light.

The crusader jerked awake in his bed. For a few moments, he was completely bewildered again. He gathered his wits quicker this time as the pain had dulled. He quickly sat up and looked around. He was alone, with no one around. For some odd reason, he had really expected someone else to be there. He got to his feet and walked outside. It was evening now, but there was still no one. Tay squinted his eyes and gave the area around him a good look, something he had failed to do previously.

He wasn't surrounded by sand anymore. Instead, there was grass in all directions. Wherever he was, it wasn't desert, but savannah. Someone had not only moved him a fair distance but was bringing him supplies from the desert. He could try to set out, but in what direction, and where was he heading? The army was destroyed, and he didn't know where he was going. The person or thing that put him here wanted him taken care of, but also isolated. Feeling annoyed, but hungry, Tay went back to his house, seeking some of the fruit.

For the next few nights, Tay continued to run into the black creature surround by shadows in his dreams. Every time he saw it, it was cutting through and eating parts of his dream. Whenever it saw him it either fled or cut through the ground, ending everything. Tay would wake up and find himself alone, but with new food. It was beginning to annoy him. That centaur in his dreams didn't feel like a dream. It felt real. It didn't make any sense, but he had a feeling that something was joining him during his sleep. Renard had said that all the centaurs were gone, but he had been wrong before. The crusader was determined, so he decided to try and set a trap.

Tay had found an old grain sack in one of the ruined houses. He also managed to find some mostly rusted metal tools. He pulled the fabric of the sack apart into one long string. He then tied the rust tools together closely on the cord. He took his new device and strung it from one side of his decrepit hovel to the other. He had to make sure it was low enough to the ground to not be easily seen, but also still be tripped on. It was risk in the dark, but he had to take a chance. His only hope was that if something was sneaking into this place at night, it would trip and cause the tools to knock against each other.

*

Tay was walking through his local market. There were pigmen there selling fruits and vegetables. Horses were trotting on the air above his head. The crusader ignored them, trying to buy candles. He needed more of them, a lot more. The one he made back in the savannah wasn't going to hold up well, so he might as well stock up while he was there. As he turned to gaze down an alley, he saw it.

Abruptly, Tay's wits returned. The centaur shrouded in black was back. It was cutting through some boxes with its spear, sucking them up. The crusader stared, frozen in place. He remembered he was in a dream, and what his plan was. He wasn't waking up, at least not yet. Nervously, Tay began to act as if he were still shopping around the bizarre pigman market. The shrouded figure, however, had noticed him. They stared at each other for a few moments, neither moving. The shadow centaur was fidgeting uncomfortably. He was running out of time.

Then Tay jolted awake. There was a loud, metallic clattering noise that pulled him back to reality. For a few seconds, everything was frozen. There was someone standing over him, her eyes wide. Fortunately, Tay reacted first. He jumped out of his bed and grabbed whoever it was, holding them tight. There was a shrill scream before the entire room erupted into chaos. Tay felt himself tossed around the room, as whatever he was grabbing bucked him wildly. For a few seconds, all the crusader could do was hang on desperately. It was like trying to ride a wild horse.

"STOP!" he screamed. "STOP! I WON'T HURT YOU! I SWEAR! PLEASE STOP! I SWEAR TO THE GODDESS!" After a few more crazy flings, there was suddenly calm. Tay could hear the monster pant in his ear. Every muscle in its body was tense, rigid.

"You promise?" she asked in a weak voice.

"I promise," Tay replied calmly. "I just want to talk to you. That's all. I'm not a pigman. I won't hurt you." Although he was only assuming that's what she was afraid of, it seemed to work. She relaxed a little. "Okay, I'm going to let you go now, please don't run."

"Okay," she replied. Tay slowly loosened his hold and took a step back. His eyes widened and his mouth turned into a big smile.

"You ARE a centaur!" he cried happily.

"Y-yeah..." she said quietly. She wasn't quite what he expected, but he was too excited to care. She was quite short, only an inch taller than him. Her horse half had a white coat and tail. Her upper body was covered apart from her face in a dark robe. Sticking out of her forehead was a white, twisting horn.

"Wait," Tay began, his excitement building further. "are you...a unicorn centaur?"

"Yeah..." she repeated, still unsure.

"This is amazing, I didn't even know there were unicorn centaurs!"

"There were never many of us."

"Wow! To not just see a centaur, but a rare one! This is great!" Tay began circling her, gazing her up and down. Rather than a horse, she was more like a pony, with shorter, thicker legs and hooves. Her coat shimmered a little, like she was coated in a silver sheen. Her tail was well-groomed and silky. She also seemed to lack any scars or marks on her, showing that she hadn't seen any battles. Tay finally circled back to her face, grinning widely. He could see that she was fidgeting and becoming uncomfortable.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Tay said. "I was a stable hand back in my kingdom. I spent my entire life around horses, and I always dreamed of meeting a centaur. Someone told me you were all dead and seeing one still a live got me a little excited. I'm not going to do anything, I swear. I'm just happy to see you."

"I don't know how to fight," she said meekly. "I can only try to run from people who want to hurt me."

"That must be scary. Let's start over. I'm Tay Rainground. I'm from the kingdom across the sea. And you are?"

"I'm Ermina," she said, reaching up and lowering her hood. "Sorry I kidnapped you. It was the only way to get into your dreams." The centaur had delicate features and a soft face. Her eyes were pale blue, and her hair was white to match her coat. Her horn stuck out from the middle of her forehead, pointing up at the sky.

"Yeah, I was wondering about that," Tay began. "How were you in my dreams?"

"I used that," Ermina said, pointing to the ground. Tay gazed down, following her finger. On the ground was a very ornate spear, just like the one he had seen in his dream. She must have dropped it when he jumped her. At the end of the spear was a large, round jewel embedded in the wood. Sprouting from the top was a triangular blade, useful for both cutting and stabbing.

"Wow!" Tay cried. "That's a gorgeous weapon."

"It's more of a tool, but it can be used as a weapon," she explained. "The jewel embedded in the top is enchanted. I can pierce my way into your dream by sticking the blade through your head."

"My head?" the crusader asked weakly.

"It opens a portal to your dreams. It doesn't physically go into your head."

"Why do you have to do that?"

"That's...a long story."

Tay noticed that she was shuffling uncomfortably again. If she took off running there was no way he could catch her, even if her legs were kind of short. Bombarding her with questions was probably unsettling her. Not to mention the fact that he was between her and the spear. He tried to contain his excitement and stepped back away from the unicorn centaur.

"Why don't we find a better place for that story?" Tay asked. "How about you get your spear and let's sit around a campfire outside?"

"That sounds good." Ermina said quickly.

A short time later, Tay managed to light a fire. Ermina sat across from him on her horse knees, seeming much more comfortable now that she had her spear on her. When the fire was finally roaring, Tay sat back from it, trying not to seem creepily overexcited again.

"So, what's the story?" he asked. "Why do you get into my dreams?"

"I have to eat," Ermina explained. "We centaur unicorns feed on magic. When creatures dream, they create a transient magic world in their heads that disappears when they awake. Using this spear, I can enter the dreams, cut through objects in them, and then consume them. Humans, or human-like monsters, create the most intricate dreams when they sleep. Som when I found you unconscious in the desert, I took my chance. I'm sorry I kidnapped you, but I've been barely surviving on the dreams of animals. I've been hungry for months, I couldn't resist."

"It's fine," Tay replied. "You got me away from those underground things."

"The assassin weevils," she interjected.

"Yeah, those. Which reminds me, how did you get away from them?"

"I can outrun them if I need to, but they were full at the time, so they ignored me."

"They were full on crusader meat," Tay said with a good deal of bitterness. "This is so crazy though, a centaur unicorn! All the stories said that centaurs were large, powerful monsters who were the best warriors in the desert."

"That was true for the regular centaurs, they always focused on being powerful warriors. That's why we unicorns exist."

"I don't follow."

Ermina sighed and shifted her position, looking to get more comfortable. "Centuries ago, the centaurs decided to conquer the whole desert, as a show of strength. The tribes made the decision to get rid of any that were small, weak, or no good at being warriors. They weren't completely heartless about it, I guess. They found a cave with plenty of food around it and a water source. They sent the rejected centaurs there so they could conduct their war without my ancestors getting the in the way. They went to war with everyone, the fox tribes, the pigmen, the bat-people, the mousekin, the basilisks, the gargantua, the snapping trees, the blemmyes, the oni, and even Tarbat itself."

"Wow!" Tay exclaimed. "I don't even know what half of those are."

"That's because the centaurs wiped out a lot of them. They probably would have attacked the demon king himself if they thought they could get away with it."

"Get away with it?"

"The demon king can make those who carry his blood submit to him. He can break their minds, driving them to insanity. He can even force them to do things against their will, like kill themselves."

"Whoa...good to know."

"They were winning, at least at first. You see, back then, all the pigmen lived in a single place, a walled-off city at a large oasis deep in the desert. There were thousands of them, and they weren't even violent. The centaurs besieged this city for years, probing the walls and destroying the crops they were growing inside. Then, without warning, the males became big, rough, and violent. They came storming out of the city, catching the centaurs off-guard. The centaurs could have probably won, but then the snapping trees came storming out of the desert and struck them from behind. They were caught between two forces. Countless thousands died, and few escaped to tell the tale. Somehow, these two groups coordinated, and the snapping trees don't even talk."

"Was it the demon king?" Tay asked.

"Perhaps, but we'll probably never know. The pigmen ran rampant around the desert, killing and pillaging. The remaining centaurs tried to undo the damage they did, and even forged an alliance with the remaining fox tribes, but it was no good. My ancestors in the cave began to grow fearful. Most people in this land hated our kind with a passion. If they attacked us, we would be slaughtered. We retreated deeper into the cave system. That was where we found the Giant Crystal."

"Giant Crystal?" Tay asked. "Like those clear rocks people make jewels out of?"

"Sort of," Ermina replied. "underneath the desert is a large system of caves. In these caves are these crystals that glow blue and are filled with magic energy. Most people and monsters in this desert think that's why the demon king originally came here, to feed off them. As my ancestors retreated deeper underground, they found one that was the size of a small mountain. We settled around it and used its magic to grow food in the cave. Over generations, we ate less and less. We realized we were feeding on the magic directly. We started becoming paler, our fur became whiter, and the horns grew on our foreheads. We had turned into unicorns. We couldn't even eat food anymore. Then without warning a decade ago the Great Crystal went dark. We tried to feed on the smaller ones, but they didn't have near enough. Many of us starved, including my parents, as we tried to find a source of magic. That was when someone forged the first of these spears. We then rode out, seeking food. Ever since we've been scattered, dying off bit by bit. There were never more than a hundred of us at a time, but I doubt there are more than a dozen of us now."

"What? So few?" Tay asked, suddenly concerned.

"We're just surviving," Ermina said solemnly. "We don't even meet up anymore. We're just trying to get by until...something takes us."

"You guys can't go extinct! You're the last centaurs! If you all die, then that's it!"

"I'm sorry if that disappoints you, but even if we decided to have children, how would we feed them? We can barely feed ourselves. I'm almost always hungry. Feeding on your dreams is the first time in years I've ever felt satisfied."

"There are a lot of people in Tarbat. You could go ask them-"

"Ask them what? The centaurs attacked Tarbat, making them sworn enemies. To suddenly learn the centaurs aren't extinct would probably scare them, not invite us in. Even if they did, do you think they would let us feed off them? Here, let us stab you in the head while you sleep."

"I mean...you said the centaurs are friends with the fox tribes! Can't you ask them?"

"They're either dead, lost, or settled in Tarbat, same problem. Listen, the last time we all met we made a collective decision together. We just want to live the rest of our lives out, and we don't want to bring any offspring into this situation."

"You can't just let it end! The centaurs can't end like this!"

"Why do you care so much?" Ermina replied, sounding somewhat annoyed. "This our people, our lives! What does it matter to you?"

"It matters a lot!" Tay shouted in response. There was a somewhat tense pause between them. Tay finally began to calm down, staring off into the grassland around him. "I was a stable hand my whole life. My parents were dead, I didn't have any friends, and I worked from sun-up until sun-down. The only things I ever bonded with were the horses. To this day I can't manage to act like a normal human around anyone unless I'm talking about horses. I'm a horse-freak, everyone knows it. So, imagine a horse-freak's surprise to learn there are people that are half-horse! The nobility and beauty of a horse, but with the intelligence of a human. They would understand him! He could bond with them! Then he gets here and learns they're all gone. Then he learns they're not, but they're about to go extinct. That's why I care, okay?"