Pagwyn and Korgon: House of Flesh

This story takes place in the same universe as my "Amorous World of Asisai" series (A Scandal, A Prophecy, Etc.). However, you do not need to read it to enjoy this story. If you'd like, you can refer to my reader's guide If you want some foundational lore for this universe.

Korgon grumbled as he tried to awkwardly lay his quadruped centaur body on the train seat. Eventually he managed,  and he stored his weapons under the seat, yet kept his precious grimoire of magic spells strapped to his side and in close reach. He laid his human torso against the wall to look out the window and watched as the large, busy city of Alipi turned into thick forests. The gleam of the late afternoon sun made his fair skin glow, the rumble of the magi-tech train causing his messy brown curls to bounce. Usually as a centaur he would keep his torso bare, but his latest endeavor in Alipi left him with a swath of fine dark blue robes draped over his whole body.

Though more importantly, the endeavor also left him with a healthy payment. Looking out the rest of the train, making sure the other passengers weren't watching him, he detached a purse from his side and placed it on the wooden table in front of him. Opening it,  he spent the next couple of minutes carefully counting through his payment, again occasionally looking to the aisle to make sure nobody was looking at him. Luckily, the afternoon train from Alipi was close to empty. 

28, 29, 30, he counted to himself. That makes 30 gold pieces, 50 silver, and 50 copper. He smiled to himself, sweeping up his coins back into his purse. The silver and bronze pieces alone could set me up for two weeks at an inn. That should give me plenty of time to find another job. He pulled a gold coin, inspecting closely as it reflected the sunlight. Which begs the question: what should I do with you?

As if the universe could hear his thoughts, a young man seemed to fall out of the ceiling and land into the seat opposite of Korgon.

The centaur reacted with a neutral expression, a stark contrast to the young man's bright smile. Though not a man in actuality, he was a nymphling as indicated by his long, pointy ears. They parted his swooshy dark hair, which fell into his amber eyes. By his clean, lightly-tanned face, Korgon assumed he was around twenty-two or twenty-four years old, but with nymphlings it was hard to tell. He was wearing a colorful, embroidered cape, which was parted enough to indicate that he was shirtless beneath.

Korgon realized he was staring, but in his defense, the nymphling didn't seem to be bothered by his wandering eyes as he continued to look up at the centaur with the same drowsy smile. 

Korgon broke the silence by sighing. "I'm not looking for any service, thank you," he said dismissively, stashing away his coin purse.

That caused the youthful nymphling to giggle. "Well that's unfortunate for you, 'cause I'm only a whore for women," he fired back as if it was the greatest rebuttal to ever be thought up. He then offered his hand. "The name's Pagwyn!"

The centaur didn't shake it. "Korgon. And pray-tell, to what do I owe this pleasure?" he said in a tone that hopefully indicated he was interested in very little conversation.

"Well, if you must know," Pagwyn started, leaning back.

Dammit.

"I was in the city, visiting and retrieving a friend of mine, she's just a few cars down. I was planning on walking to bar for a drink when I just happened to notice you. And, for the life of me, I couldn't shake the feeling that you were familiar. I sat just over there, working my mind as hard as I think it has ever worked, trying to see where I had recognized you from. And then, BAM! It hit me, and thus, I subtly made my approach to ask you..." With his monologue ending, he placed both his hands on the table and leaned in close.

"Are you a Whore?"

Pagwyn's question filled Korgon with a strong cocktail of confusion, anger, and mild amusement, which stifled any response he wanted to make. Though eventually, he managed one.

"I don't need to sell myself," he stated, wondering what compelled his subtle brag.

"Nononono," Pagwyn said, shaking his head. "Not a whore, a Whhooorrree. Are you one?"

After a few seconds of thinking, in which he controlled his urge to threaten Pagwyn, he realized what he was asking.

"You know, usually the Road of Whores is a bit more subtle when around strangers," Korgon said, "sometimes." He has hesitated to call himself a member of the lustful counter-cultural movement for reasons deeper than mere decorum. Yet he couldn't deny that they have been his greatest employers in the past year, so he has reluctantly accepted the label.

"So is that a yes?" Pagwyn asked.

"If I say so, will you leave me alone?"

Pagwyn violently shook his head and sat back. "Because now that my suspicions have been confirmed, I am awash with curiosity and admiration."

"Admiration?" Korgon asked genuinely. He felt only a little embarrassed he was immediately drawn in by Pagwyn's flattery.

The nymphling chuckled. "I knew that'd get you, but yes, even from the few times I've seen you on the Road and from the rumors that spread among friends of friends, you have built a reputation for taking a few but very dangerous jobs. And judging by the size of your purse from earlier, you have just returned from another."

For the first time since meeting Pagwyn, Korgon smiled. "That would be accurate."

Pagwyn leaned on the table, folding his hands under his head. "Then, Korgon the centaur, I would like to propose something to you. You strike me as the type of adventurer to not settle down, but instead to, forgive my language, gallop onwards into the sunset, throwing caution to the wind."

Korgon scrutinized him. Canaries have set a precedent for selling their exclusive, accumulated knowledge before, but at this point Pagwyn's curiosity infected the centaur. "Go on," he said.

"If I may brag -"

"You may."

"- I pride myself on my ability to accumulate the most daring, mind-rending, and cock-tingling stories Erasoris has to offer, all completely true."

"Did you just say 'cock-tingling?' "

"And so I've determined that you would be the best candidate to help me on this quest," Pagwyn pitched. He laid back once more, arms lying across the back of a seat. "What do you say?"

Korgon took the opportunity to study Pagwyn carefully. Though he quickly came to the conclusion that he was too earnest to lie about his intent. If he couldn't keep his mouth shut about the Road of Whores, then I think he's genuine in his... admiration of me. Why else admit it?

"You're not asking for any cuts," Korgon pointed out, "why?"

"Would you believe that I was just looking for a friend?" Pagwyn replied.

"Not particularly, since you've seemed to forget about the friend that's supposed to be a few cars down."

"Well, it's true. I can sense a kinship between us. Fueled by the fact that bigger adventuring parties can accept more lucrative quests."

Korgon chuckled. "At least we now know we both like adventuring for money."

"Exactly!" Pagwyn said elatedly.  "Soooo....?"

Korgon playfully stroked his chin as he watched Pagwyn look up at him with puppy eyes. Finally, the centaur smirked and held out his hand.

"I suppose I can't resist you any longer," he said.

Pagwyn closed both his hands around Korgon's and shook it vigorously. "I'll take it. And right on time too!"

"On time for what?"

"Our first adventure! Celebrating my 25th birthday!"

"Pardon?"

Korgon looked out the window to see that the train was coming to a halt. Pagwyn was looking past him down the aisle, and before the centaur could react he was pulled out of his seat, causing his front hooves to hit the table.

"Ah fuck!"

"Come on, I'll explain on the way!"

"Wait, my weapons!"

A few days had passed since first meeting the nymphling, and they were standing near the edge of a forest as the sun began to set. Korgon tried to purge any sense of regret he had in joining along with him  and his friend from Alipi, a lithe woman with dirty blonde hair who introduced herself as Maude. After taking a long train ride further north than he had ever intended, the sun was inches over the horizon, and he and Maude were asked to hide in a tree as Pagwyn would scratch a symbol into another's bark.

Korgon scoffed. "Do you have any idea how awkward it is for a centaur to climb a tree?"

"I'm sure you'll figure it out."

And he did, after many embarrassing slips, but Korgon persisted with Maude's help, who seemed to be mute. And thus he succeeded, trying to ignore the branch scratching the inside of his back legs as he waited for Pagwyn to finish marking the tree.

It must've been an elaborate symbol, because Pagwyn was occupied with it for well over a minute, to the extent that Korgon considered calling out to him. Looking over to Maude, even she seemed to worry as they both waited for him. After several more seconds, Korgon started to look for away to untangle himself from the tree, only to realize he didn't know how to get down.

"Is that a fucking centaur in a that tree?"

Korgon, Maude, and Pagwyn both turned to the source of the male voice. Entering the forest was a woman and a male owlith, both dressed in layered yet skimpy clothing. The woman had smooth pale skin and full dark hair, which was adorned with a variety of colorful trinkets to match her clothes. Her owl-like friend stood two heads taller than than her. He had a pale, heard-shaped face and a body of golden feathers and fur. They were both staring up at Korgon, who was starting to blush in embarrassment.

"It wasn't my idea," he deflected, nodding towards Pagwyn. He had abandoned his work to embrace the new arrivals.

"Meriel! Ereran! So glad you could make it!" The nymphling said.

"You sound surprised," Meriel said, looking at him quizzically and pointing to the owlith. "He's the one who arranged all of this, did you think we would just leave you in the forest?"

"Knowing him, the possibility did cross my mind," Pagwyn responded with a smirk.

"So we are pretending that there isn't a centaur in that tree?" Ereran the owlith asked, more curious than worried.

"Ah, thanks for the reminder!" Pagwyn said. He stood back and held out his hands in a gesture of presentation. "Meriel, Ereran, I'd like you to-"

Before he could finish, Korgon crashed to the ground, breaking several branches along the way, cursing loudly.

"- to meet Korgon, a lovely centaur I met when I was visiting Alipi."

Maude gracefully landed on the ground and went to help the fallen centaur back onto his hooves. As she did, she picked a small branch out his hair. Korgon caught her gaze in doing so, causing her to blush. He gave her a nod as thanks.

"Korgon huh?" Mereiel said, closely observing the centaur, not afraid to let her eyes roam his body. "And how did our precious Pagwyn rope you in?"

Unconsciously, he puffed out his chest as he responded. "The way you entice any Whore: flattery and money." 

"Well, at least the flattery doesn't seem unwarranted," she said in a husky voice as she stepped closer to him. 

"Wonderful," Ereran butt in, "we've all met Korgon, the centaur from the tree. Now lets get a move on before it gets too dark."

"You're still not going to tell us where we're celebrating?" Pagwyn asked as the owlith moved into the forest, forcing everyone to follow. 

Ereran grinned as he looked back at the group. "Trust me, you'll love the surprise."

 "Then onwards!" Meriel said. Korgon began to follow as well, but he stopped as he felt Meriel climb onto his back. He stopped to look back at her, only to be met with bedroom eyes. He then turned to Pagwyn, who could only shrug.

"Come on Korgon, giddy'up!" she said, kicking at his flank with her heel. With a huff, he gave a single, strong buck, causing her to fall to the dirt with a yelp. Maude, who was walking by, laughed hysterically. Meriel got up, brushed down her clothes, and winked at him before following behind Maude. Korgon rolled his eyes before following behind her. A few steps in, Pagwyn slowed down to walk beside the centaur, leaning in close to whisper.

"Beware, she has a thing for centaurs," he said.

"Really? I had no idea. She was just so subtle about it," Korgon responded. After a pause, they both giggled like little girls as they continued into the forest. 

The group was losing light quickly as the sun began to disappear behind the horizon. The oranges and purples that bathed the forest gave way to dark, moody blues. Ereran marched on unphased by the encroaching dark, while the others were becoming a bit more wary.  Several minutes into their hike, the owlith stopped suddenly, causing everyone else to do so. He turned around slowly, held a finger to his muzzle, then pointed the finger in front of him towards his right. As Korgon was at the back of the pack, he strained to look at where Ereran was pointing, only to catch a small glimpse of flickering torch light. Straining his ears, he heard the distant sounds of chatter and the clanking of armor.

They were headed straight for a soldier's outpost.

Korgon, along with everyone else, crouched low to ground, and Erran slowly began to walk forward again, taking a narrow path and avoiding as much foliage as possible. As they did so, Korgon recounted what he know of the forest they were in. He wasn't certain, but this outpost confirmed that they were traversing for the Forests of Aalwys. The Road of Whores rarely passed through this area, as the Nymphling lordships and houses don't take kindly to outsiders. And the borders of their territories were always changing in a seemingly never ending game of power.

And apparently, Pagwyn's "surprise" seemed to be placed right in the middle of it. Yet as Korgon looked at him, he didn't seemed to be too bothered as they slowly made their way past the outpost. From here he could more clearly hear the conversation and laughter of the Aalwysian soldiers. Out of curiosity, he tried to look through the bushes and leaves to try and find their house's coat of arms, but he had to continue following the group. After a few more aggonizing minutes, Korgon let out a sigh of relief as the sounds of the camp slowly disappeared behind them. He saw Ereran at the front stand back up fully, and the rest of the party followed suit.

"Alright, we should be fine now, come on," he said casually. Korgon watched in amusement as Meriel stomped up to the Owlith.

"What the fuck was that about?" she asked him angrily as the rest of the group gathered around the front. "You could've at least told us that we were going to walk past a fucking outpost! We could've gotten arrested!"

"Considering your taste in men, I figured you would've appreciated a little danger," he snarked back, causing her to huff in response. "Besides, it'll be worth it. We're almost there."

It take a about a dozen minutes wondering through the dark before they would arrive, during which the party was alive with conversation. They loudly theorized about the surprise in an effort to pester Ereran, and it seemed to be working as he remained deadly quiet for the rest of the journey. 

Finally, their hike came to an end as they approached a cliff. The entire party stood on it and looked out into the clearing, in awe of the sight before them.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the House of Flesh," Ereran announced as if introducing the Queen herself. The "house" took the form of an enormous stone castle, which  sat cleanly in the large clearing, surrounded by a dry moat and bathed in brilliant moonlight. It was clearly in ruin, with only a few rooftops remaining somewhat intact and many collapsed walls, but even with its decrepit state, it was an imposing fortress. And best of all, it seemed to be completely abandoned.

Pagwyn was first to break the stunned silence. " 'The House of Flesh' huh?" he said, "did you come up with that name yourself?"

"Of course I did," Ereran responded, clearly proud. He started walking down a narrow path leading into the clearing, and rest followed him in a single file line. "As far as I know, I'm the only one from the Road to have discovered this place. Obviously I plan to sell its location for a hefty price, but because its you're birthday, and I'm NICE, you all will get to a have the first taste of its secrets."

"How generous of you," Korgon said. He had long deduced that the owlith was a Canary also, a self-appointed dealer of information for the Road of Whores, and they often charged for said information. They considered themselves the lifeblood of the movement, and often they had big heads, but in this moment, as they walked beside the moat, he had to admit he was a tad jealous of Ereran. If this place was truly undiscovered before - and Korgon was inclined to believe that considering its dangerous location in Aalwysian territory - the right buyer could mean windfall for the owlith.

Maude had walked up to Ereran and signed to him in excitement. "I can't give away why I called it that," he responded with a smile. "That would ruin the fun."

"Ereran, talking about fun?" Meriel snided, "Are you already drunk? Or have you been replaced by a homonculus?"

"You know, sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you all," the owlith said with a smile as they rounded a corner of the moat. Eventually they had made they're way to the castle's entrance. To their luck, a fallen gate created a bridge across the moat into the courtyard, which was just as destroyed as the rest of the castle, complete with a weed covered, empty fountain.

As Korgon looked around taking in the scenery, he saw as Maude came up to him and signed to him. He gave her an apologetic look as Pagwyn approached the two of them. " 'Aren't you glad we found you on that train?' " he translated, giving her words a sarcastic twang. Korgon chuckled as she patted him on his side and skipped towards Meriel and Ereran, who were surrounding the fountain.

"As far as spontaneous friendships go, I could certainly do a lot worse," the centaur said. Pagwyn smiled up at him, and for a moment, Korgon anticipated he would hug him. Instead, he only patted him on his human back as they walked towards the rest of the group. They watch as Ereran stood on the ledge of the fountain, holding two unmarked wine bottles that were apparently stashed in the fountain, one of which had a ribbon tied around its neck. He tossed the tied bottled to Pagwyn.

"Happy Birthday, Pagwyn!" he proclaimed as he uncorked his own wine bottle and began chugging it as if it were ale. The rest of the group had followed suit in the Owlith's vice, being merry and gay in their celebrations. Despite Korgon being the newcomer to the group, he felt quite welcome as they all reveled, drank, shared stories, and even sang and danced. Laughter was easily shared and flirting was abound as Meriel sat closer to Korgon, going as far as to stroke his flank. As the night went they all huddled close, drowsy and content, having even forgot why they originally came here in the first place. 

That was until Ereran stood up and clapped his hands. "And now, for the main event of the night!" 

"Ugh, not now Ereran," Meriel said sleepily, who at this point was now cuddling against Korgon's side. The centuar, despite nearly consuming two bottles of wine, was hardly drunk, but he was still drunk enough to not buck her off him again. "I'm napping on the best pillow in Erasoris."

"Ah don't be like that," he said, perfectly enunciating his words despite tripping over three empty bottles. "This is my final gift to Pagwyn!"

"Final?" Pagwyn snarked, taking a sip to finish his bottle. "You didn't get me any presents, you just got me drunk!"

"Is that not a present?" Ereran asked.