Trust in Oneself, CH 27 (Patreon)

Paul looked out the window of another hotel, but this time, instead of sandy beaches and water, looked out on a sea of green sloping down with the bulk of the city of San Salvador in the distance.

When Thomas told him Lake Ilopango had been a volcano, Paul had expected something in the middle of nowhere, mountains all around, and only quads able to reach it without assistance. He had not expected the lake to be within a stone’s throw of El Salvador’s capital; if the thrower had magic to boost his strength. Still, if not for the chain of mountains making out the ridge of the lake, from his elevation, both the floor of the hotel and how high up the slope of another mountain it was built on, Paul figured he’d be able to make out the water in the distance.

The resort was the Medeiros family’s contribution to the fight against the Chamber. A surprise to Paul, since he knew from Olavo his family was in Argentina. What he hadn’t known was that while Olavo’s father’s goal was to become ruler of his country, the family was steeped into resort ownership and management throughout most of Central and South America.

Another surprise was Olavo’s absence. The capybara was a good friend of Thomas, and had assisted Grant on a few occasions, so the golden tiger had expected him to be part of the operation, being so close to his country. A few inquiries had revealed that Olavo had been prevented from taking part by his father. His father’s plans were advancing to the point where the wanna be part usually used when Olavo’s friends talked about his father would soon become actual, if still unofficial, ruler.

Paul had always kept his opinions out of those discussions, and now, with the Orrs, and how they ran San Francisco Bay and the fact he was related to them, he wasn’t sure he was in a position to have opinions.

“It’s not locked,” Paul responded to the knock on the door, and the muscular raccoon stepped into the room.

“Sir? we just head back from the scout team.”

Paul sighed. “My name’s Paul, Raoul. You don’t work for Royal Security, so you’re free to use it without having to be scared of what my cousins will do to you for you ‘disrespect’.”

The raccoon smirked as he joined Paul at the large window. “The boss gave strict orders to treat the Orr rep with the utmost respect. Doing to dock my pay, if he hears I didn’t.”

“I won’t be the one telling him, so you don’t have to worry about supporting your three husbands.”

“No, but plenty of others will.” Raoul lowered his voice. “And some of them can hear through walls.”

Paul rolled his eyes. “What’s the words from Thomas and Firmin?”

“The location’s been found, as well as a location for the camp. They’ll need an hour, then they’ll be here to pickup the front team there. You going to be part of the recharge team when they arrive?”

“Of course. Do your husbands let you… you know.”

The raccoon laughs. “They satisfy me plenty.” He grinned. “Course, we do have a clause covering being deployed for extended periods, but I won’t take part, since that’s what you were asking.”

Paul nodded.

The hour was how long Thomas needed for the sensory phrase to imprint the location, so he’d be able to teleport there and still have some strength left. Firmin as well, since he was copying the rat. The phrase cut out multiple dozens of hours to how long it took for Thomas to become familiar enough with a location he could teleport there, but with both destinations they’d had to deal with being fresh. The recharging sessions were a requirement.

The options were Thomas taking each group there through line-of-sight teleportation, which didn’t tax him anything like long distance, or wait until they recuperated on their own. With the dense forest around the lake, line of sight wasn’t much faster than walking, and letting Thomas and Firmin rest?

Why would anyone let them rest when sex was how the Society recharged, and there were so many men willing to assist?

“Thank for the update.” Paul stepped away from the window. “I’ll use the time to check in on my men.”

“Have fun dealing with those Royal Pai—”

Paul whirled and glared at the raccoon, who had his hands up placatingly. 

“Sorry, no idea where that came from.”

Paul didn’t voice his opinion of that, focusing on tapping down his anger. Maybe it was with how often he’d had to do it, since the two security companies were in the same city currently, not to say the same building, but it was getting easier.

With nothing more than a huff, he left the raccoon in the suite and headed for the elevators.

He hadn’t known what to expect from the men he’d be getting. While it hadn’t been told to him, he had worked out Aaron ran Royal Security. It was hard to miss with him bringing it up each time Arnold made a decision regarding anything that even hinted at involving the company. He’d also noticed Aaron was a slacker.

He barely paid attention in the meetings Paul had sat in on, and his comments were usually insulting someone or hinting he wanted to fuck one of them, and regularly stating he had better things—guys, Paul figured—to do than sit with his brothers listening to them blab about how this affect their family.

How professional Ernest sounded on the phone had done little to raise Paul’s expectations as to the kind of men who would be under his command.

So the dozen of men who stood at attention when Paul entered the large room that had been assigned to him, dressed in spotless black clothes, with their body armors carefully laid out on the beds and weapons in carrying cases by the bed, still took him by surprise. These were not the kind of men a slacker like Aaron attracted to his company. Or who engendered the respect these men show him when talking about their boss.

Either Aaron had a twin no one was talking about, or his cousin underwent a change in personality when he stood within Royal Security.

“Mister Heeran,” the buffalo greeted him, and Paul couldn’t miss the unsaid ‘sir’ that had been there until Paul had told him to stop a dozen times.

“At ease, Joseph. All of you.”

They did, and Paul still couldn’t believe it. If he’d seen worry or even fear in their eyes, he might have accepted it easier. Fear of what one of his cousins might do to them if they felt Paul was disrespected would be motivation enough, but it was all respect.

He wished they weren’t still all so stiff around him. He had fucked each and everyone of them in the process of granting them his gift.

* * * * *

“Hey Paul,” Arnold greeted the exhausted golden tiger upon entering the bedroom far too happily. “How’s that energy? Ready for the next one? Still unimpressed with me not being ready to go as soon as we were done?”

Paul had barely had the strength to groan his annoyance at being reminded again of how utterly draining gifting his ability was. Arnold rolled him off the wolf, who stood with a ‘thank you, sir,’ and walked out.

“I hate you,” Paul managed, but couldn’t put any anger in it. No wonder his cousins demanded to be paid when doing this. Someone had to get something back when the act left them like this.

Arnold chuckled. “Then how about I make it up to you?”

“You going to let me fuck you?” Paul asked, because he knew what the answer was going to be.

The laugh was unexpected. “When this is over, I’ll dine you and show you what great beer’s about and then, you can take me to bed and fuck me. Until then, I contacted a few of your friends, and they’re going waiting to help you recharge.”

The door opened and Madoc, Niel and Trevor, each naked and ready, entered.

“Make it quick,” Arnold said, leaving. “He’s got six more to gift before the day’s over.”

Paul understood why his cousins demanded to be paid for granting their gifts.

His friends went next to him, their hands, mouths, and cocks rubbing all over.

But Paul would take his friends fucking him instead.

* * * * *

“Thomas reported in,” Paul said. “They’re imprinting the location and should be back in an hour.”

Someone snickered, and Paul considered it a win that they felt comfortable enough not to immediately cower at the lapse.

“What’s funny?” he asked the slim hyena.

“You could just say the teleporters are fucking before coming back. We aren’t the military, you know.”

“I know. You wouldn’t let me stay in charge otherwise.”

“Actually, sir,” a lion with his mane trimmed to neat extinction said. “In the military, we’d have to treat you with respect and deference no matter how unqualified might have been, so—”

“Are,” Paul corrected. He’d been put in charge, but he had no illusions as to his qualifications.

The lion shrugged. “It’s why I left. At least at Royal, if I think you’re about to screw up to the point it’ll put us in danger. I get to tell you, and not be afraid I’ll end up in the brig for insubordination.”

Paul smirked, “but that’s not going to extend to you using my name, is it?”

“Sorry sir.” The lion smirked back. “But until using sir risks my life, you’ll have to endure it.”

The others let out an ‘aye-aye, sir’ in unison. Had they rehearsed it or something?

“I could always threaten you.”

The men exchanged looks, and when they looked at Paul again, there was visible effort into not laughing.

“With all due respect, sir,” Joseph said. “The worst you can threaten us with is taking your gift back. While I enjoy being do much more mobile while fighting, I have survived for decades without it.”

“And after Aaron,” the polecat said, “Arnold’s the only guy left I worry about pissing off.”

Paul sighed. “Fine. I’ll learn to live with it, I guess.”

“That’s the spirit, sir,” the buffalo said, smiling.

Paul rolled his eyes. “Regardless. You need to make sure you’re ready to move as soon as the teleporters are back.”

“Oh boy,” The wolf said, “does your green show.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re not Weak Link men,” he replied with venom. “We don’t take more than an hour to put on our pants and equipment.”

“And they have to put away theirs first,” the jaguar said with a snicker.

“Do I have to repeat that we’re fighting together?” Paul demanded.

“Alongside, sir,” the buffalo said. “It wouldn’t look good if we fought them and kicked their asses. But we’ll happily fight at their side and show them how it’s done.”

Paul sighed. “This level of testosterone has to qualify as toxic.” And it was with the Steel Link team room being on the other side of the hotel.

“What testosterone?” the gorilla asked, then looked stunned when Paul stared at him. “Oh this? This is nothing. You need to spend a day at Royal.”

“I’m going to pass.”

“No, you won’t,” the wolf said under his breath. Then looked all innocent. They knew something that hadn’t been told to him. Paul was sure of that, but it was for later. Like so many things at this point.

“Just be ready, and don’t antagonize our allies,” he ordered before leaving.

* * * * *

Paul waited, stretched on the bed with Roland snuggled on one side, snoring lightly, and Kuno on the other, running his fingers through Paul’s chest fur.

Thomas and Firmin had arrived, been recharged and left with the forward group.

Four men from each of the two security companies.

Raoul and Joseph had faced each other, raising the number of men from their side who could grab onto their respective teleporter like it was an auction.

Thomas and Firmin, his identical copy at the moment, stood by and watched in amusement. Numbers weren’t relevant to them, so long as they could make direct body contact. The only factor that affected how tiring the teleportation was, was their familiarity with the landing spot.

The numbers had reached fifteen by the time the cheetah stepped into the room and cleared his throat and silenced them.

“Four from each company,” Denton said in a conversational tone, and that was it.

Now it was waiting for them to return, and it was a lot of waiting.

The door opened and a familiar-looking otter entered, dressed in the hotel’s employee suit and carrying a tray with cups and a carafe. “Coffee?”

“Felix? What are you doing here?” Paul asked as the otter poured steaming coffee into the cups. “I thought you worked at the resort by the Medeiros estate.” Roland stirred and sniffed the air.

“Coffee,” he mumbled.

“Kuno?” Felix asked. “Still black with two sugars?”

“Please.”

“I transferred,” the otter said as he brought them cups. “Olavo’s nice and all, but his relatives can be… stereotypical in having regular access to Chouteau ass.”

“Doesn’t being away from them put you more at risk?” Paul asked, then drank the delicious coffee. The coffee in South America was so much better than what he got back home.

“It isn’t like my family knows—”

The rat appeared and fell on the bed. “Firmin,” he said.

“Duty calls,” Paul said, handing the cup back. Kuno was already climbing on the rat, with Roland joining him. “You’re welcome to join in.” Paul reached between them and grabbed the cock.

Felix watched, licking his lips, then stepped back. “I’ll wait for the victory party. There’s too much work to be done at the moment, making sure all those scratches these army men have put on the furniture are polished away.”

The sex was quick, messy, and loud as the cum flowed in and out of the rat looking badger until he was fully charged, until an identical rat appeared.

“I need some of that,” Thoms said, and Paul jumped to him and gave him some.

* * * * *

“Ci tu t’imagines que’ j’va te lesser partir et m’abandoner ici, Thomas, tu vas avoir une mauvaise surprise,” the badger snapped, storming into the room as Paul took hold of Thomas’s shoulder.

The rat sighed.

Jacque’s arrival had taken everyone by surprise, appearing alongside Firmin when he’d joined them, and anytime Thomas was at the resort, avoiding his angry friend took a lot of his time. There had been talk of sending Jacque away, but short of teleporting him back, which would be too time-consuming since Thomas wasn’t abandoning the badger in the few landing spots he had that wouldn’t drain him to the point he couldn’t return, there were no way to ensure he didn’t just walk himself to the lake.

The argument in French with the two rats was interrupted when Felix stepped in and grabbed the badger by the arm and pulled alway as he looked ready to hit someone. His power wasn’t super strength, but he still knew how to hit.

“I’m sorry,” one rat said to the other. “I know I shouldn’t—”

“I get it,” Thomas snapped, then took a breath. “And that’s not what’s got me on edge. If Felix can’t keep him here, there’s nothing we can do to keep him out of what’s coming. He saw the maps, and he has access to enough money to buy anyone we might order to stop him. I am not losing another friend just because this one thinks his indestructibility can’t be overwhelmed. Gather up everyone. We’re heading out.”

“You okay?” Paul whispered as he squeezed Thomas’s shoulder.

“He will be,” the red panda answered in accented English. She was toned to the point her muscles felt like rocks under the fur, and the staff attached to her back was the first one Paul saw to look like the actual thing. It was made of different colored woods assembled, he had no idea how, to form designs that meant nothing to him.

“Not cool,” the rat in Thomas’s breast pocket said, “Answering for him.” Roland was the reason for the shirt. He’d offered another place he could travel on Thomas, which had led to the brother glaring and putting on the shirt.

Grant, Wassa, Kuno took hold of Thomas, while Dona, Yating, Yahui and Chima held on to his double.

“See you there,” Thomas told Firmin.

* * * * *

The near-total darkness wasn’t the problem for Paul, it seemed to be for many. It wasn’t as dark as he felt it should be, with only a crescent of the moon and the stars for illumination. There were lights here and there from phones and flashlights, but the consensus was to do everything possible to avoid attracting attention. Not only was the Chamber actively looking for Grant and Wassa through magical and other means, but they hadn’t exactly gotten permission from the country to do this in their national park.

Donal, Yating, Yahui, and Chima were searching for the exact location to reforge Excalibur while the rest set up a perimeter and saw to the recharging of the teleporter.

For once, Steel link and Royal Security men acted professionally toward another as they placed short-range scanners. Paul did what he could to help, which had mostly amounted to holding the light as equipment was assembled, and otherwise stayed out of the way.

“We have a problem,” Chima said through the earpiece Paul, along with everyone else, wore.

“Can you be more specific?” Grant asked.

“The Chamber is arriving.”

Motion, including the sex, stopped.

“Say that again?” the kangaroo asked in disbelief.

“The Chamber is arriving,” the hyena replied slowly.

“That’s not possible. Even if they’d scried our location, Me and Wassa hadn’t been here for more than half an hour. There’s nothing around us a Precog can use to work out where we are. If they’d set someone here to watch for our arrival, we’d have found them. Even if they have the greatest locator pointing where we are on a map, it’s too early for them to get here!”

“Can’t say anything about any of that,” Chima replied. “But if one of you wants to climb a tree, you’ll be able to see the glowing portal they’re stepping out of.”