By the Horns

[pre-story]Hey there, Squish here, with a new chapter in the continuing saga of Rhuno Sunheart, tauren paladin! Enjoy, and let me know what you thought in the comments![/pre-story]

Content Warnings: unrealistic anatomy, huge penis, excessive cum, cervical penetration, light cumflation, magic, minotaur, troll...

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Chapter 4: A Battle and a Bond

"Can't dis dumb beast go any fasta'?!" Zen'Anji demanded, the crimson-mohawked troll woman clinging to the saddlehorn, Rhuno's armored bulk at her back.

"Kodos are bred for strength, not speed!" Rhuno shot back, gripping Tawo's reigns a little tighter, the faithful kodo thundering across the golden savannah as fast as her powerful legs could carry her.

Zen'Anji twisted in the saddle, peering around Rhuno's side. "Dey be gainin'!" She warned, a touch of panic in her voice.

"I know!" Rhuno growled, looking back over his shoulder to confirm that, yes, the horde of centaurs was, indeed, drawing ever-closer as they rode hell-for-leather.

"Well, do sometin' about it, an' quick, or we both be dead!" Zen'Anji urged.

"I'm steering! What about you? You're a druid, right? Do that root thing! Slow them down!" Rhuno snapped.

"Wit' what roots, mon?! GRASS?!" She snapped back.

An arrow whizzed past, and Rhuno cursed under his breath. They were getting into bow-range already. As soon as they started landing hits, Tawo would start to slow down, and then it would only be a matter of time before they were overtaken and trampled, or just circled by archers and whittled away. This was a losing scenario, he needed to change the engagement. His hooves dug a little harder into Tawo's hide, trying to urge just the tiniest bit more speed from the great beast as he scanned the plains ahead. He could see the walls of Crossroads, but they'd be pincushions before they made it. The mountains might help, but not enough. The only other feature was... He yanked the reigns to the left, and Tawo turned sharply with a groan, just in time to avoid a volley of arrows.

"What ya DOIN'?!" Zen'Anji demanded, incredulously, as they barreled toward an oasis.

"We'll take cover in the trees! Their archers won't be able to hit us from range, and they won't be as maneuverable in there!"

"Ya dumb cow! Da centaurs hunt dere! Ya runnin' straight into even more of 'em!" Zen'Anji hissed.

Rhuno cursed again under his breath, but kept going. "We've still got a better chance in there than we do out in the open!" He shouted back.

"Dis a bad plan..." Zen'Anji groaned, resigning herself to her fate.

The two were silent for a heartbeat as Tawo thundered toward the verdant treeline, arrows whizzing past them and bouncing off the kodo's turquoise banded armor as they rode hard, the thunderous hoofbeats of the herd behind them drawing ever closer. Rhuno was the one to break the momentary silence. "When we get into the trees, just run, okay? Do the cat thing and just... disappear." Rhuno ordered through gritted teeth. Zen'Anji blinked, stunned. "No sense in both of us dying. I can't run, but I can hold them off long enough for you to get away." He added. Zen'Anji, for quite possibly the first time in her life, found herself speechless.

Tawo let out a groan as an arrow slipped between the slats of her armor and punched through her rugged hide, sinking into her hindquarters. Not a bad hit, but it slowed her down enough for the next shot to catch her in the hip. She managed one more step before the leg gave out completely and she fell to the ground with an earth-shaking thud, her passengers tumbling forward over her hump as they abruptly came to a stop, just a few strides from the treeline. Rhuno called out a word in taurahe, and Tawo's eyes closed, the great beast fading from reality in an instant, the summoning spell dismissed, two arrows falling to the green grass below.

"GO!" Rhuno bellowed, hauling himself and the troll woman upright and practically throwing her toward the trees as he followed a moment later. He barreled into the oasis, plunging into the rising underbrush, bounding from hoof to hoof as he wove through the palms with surprising agility. He didn't even see Zen'Anji, which he supposed was a good thing. He found himself a small clearing, a little hill devoid of trees, and slid to a stop, iron-shod hooves sinking into the soft grass. As good a hill as any to die on, he thought, the morbid though springing to mind, unbidden. He shook his head, silver-and-gold armor gleaming in the sun as he grabbed the edge of his shield and brought it forward, an inch-thick disk as wide as a man was tall, a gleaming sun-disk emblazoned at its center. He slipped his last finger into the leather loop hanging off his belt and with a flick, brought the wrist-thick shaft of his mace up to smack into his palm, his fingers closing around it, giving it a practice swing, the solid gold globe of its head, as large as a man's head, sweeping through the air. He muttered another word of taurahe, a helmet materializing over his head, and sank into a battle stance. Let them come.

He could hear the centaurs bellowing with the thrill of the hunt, their prey cornered, the hunters already in the oasis swiftly being brought into the hunt, the whole herd swifty surrounding his little hill. He could see them circling through the trees, almost taunting him. He raised his shield and slammed his mace into it, letting out a deep, rumbling war-cry as the shield rang like a gong. He ducked, suddenly, an arrow whizzing past his horns, only narrowly avoided. He shouted another word of taurahe, and the sun-disk on the shield glowed a blinding white, the golden rays radiating out suddenly extending out past the edge of the shield, giving the disk a ring of spikes. He twisted, hurling the glowing shield like a discus, sending it flying into the trees toward the source of the arrow. He head an impact and a cry, and grinned.

Seeing their prey unshielded, the warriors charged, three of them barreling out of the trees, axes raised high as they rushed at Rhuno from all sides. Rhuno was still as the warriors charged, until, at the very last moment, he raised a hoof and brought it down with an earth-shaking stomp, the centaurs stumbling to maintain their footing as the very ground cracked and split, burning, holy light radiating up from underhoof. As his attackers stalled, he suddenly dropped low and spun around, whipping his mace around toward the one coming at him from behind. There was a sick crack as the centaur's foreleg folded sideways, the horse-man tumbling to the ground and rolling back downhill, howling in agony. Without missing a beat, Rhuno continued the motion, bringing the mace up and across, smashing the next centaur in the elbow just as he brought his great-axe down. The warrior's arm folded, the paladin's strike carrying through to crack him across the jaw and send him tumbling to the ground, unconscious.

The third warrior managed to recover and bring his strike down on Rhuno's back, only for his hand-axes to glance off some unseen barrier. Th tauren didn't give him a second chance, raising his mace and muttering another word of taurahe, the golden head suddenly starting to glow, brilliant and white-hot, like a tiny sun. Rhuno brought it down on the stunned centaur, smashing it into the brute's shoulder, shattering bone and searing flesh wherever it touched. The warrior screamed, but still retaliated with his still-good arm, the blade of his hand-axe coming up under Rhuno's arm and biting into the seam at his armpit. Rhuno growled through gritted teeth, bringing his free arm up to slam and a massive, gauntleted fist into the warrior's face, sending the wounded centaur tumbling down the hill, ignoring the trickle of blood he could already feel running down his side.

A young centaur, eager to prove himself where his elders had failed, leapt over one of the fallen warriors and charged up the hill from behind Rhuno, great-axe in hand, steely determination in his gaze. His prey still had no shield, he was still vulnerable! He raised the axe high, leaping forward to bring the strike down with maximum force, when something gold flew past him, just barely grazing his side as it flew. His eyes widened as the tauren spun in place, the golden thing coming to a dead stop as it hit his forearm, suddenly locked in place. His shield! Rhuno ducked low, holding the shield high as he ducked beneath the brash warrior's front hooves, then, suddenly, pushed up, slamming the sun-disk into the brash warrior's underside, lifting him up with the sheer force of the impact. Using the centaur's own momentum against him, he carried him over his head on the steely disk, and with a final shove, sent him flying down the other side of the hill, toppling end-over end until he hit the grassy earth face-first, his own weight snapping his neck.

With the warriors clear, the archers took their shot. A volley of arrows came shooting from the trees in all directions, too many to dodge, too many to block. Rhuno 's eyes flashed as magic coursed through him, a shimmering barrier suddenly forming around him, arrows shattering as they struck the wall of light. It wouldn't last long, but it was long enough for him to take stock of his situation. His hand glowed with magic power as he tucked it beneath his arm, closing the wound on his side as he looked around the glade. The remaining warriors were already massing at the treeline for another rush, bigger than the last. He could see lightning crackling in the shade of the trees as a storm mage prepared to unleash elemental fury upon him. They wouldn't underestimate him a second time. The situation was looking grim. As the barrier faltered, the warriors reared, hooves pawing eagerly at the air, ready to charge. How many more charges could he take out before he ran out of tricks? Not many... The barrier fell, and the warriors... stopped. Rhuno, braced for the worst, blinked, looking down the hill to see the centaur horde stopped in their hooves, thick roots and thorny vines wound around their horse legs.

"Now, dese roots... Dey'll work." Zen'Anji's voice purred from the trees. A shout went up among the centaurs. Rhuno blinked. "Don' just stand dere, ya dumb cow! Do sometin'!" The voice added.

A smirk crossed Rhuno's lips beneath his helmet. No time for a reunion. "Caster!" He shouted, pointing his mace to the storm mage. As though stirred from a trance, the mystic summoned up an arc of lightning between her palms, the air stale with ozone as she called forth the power of the elements. Zen'Anji started to say something, but her words were lost as her voice shifted to a primal roar. A sapphire tiger dropped from the trees above, the mage suddenly screaming as claws raked over her torso, then silenced as razor-sharp fangs closed around her windpipe.

Rhuno didn't watch. As soon as the word had left his mouth, he had turned, and with a roar, charged down the hill like only a tauren in full plate can. He barreled into a trapped centaur shield-first, the roots and vines holding the warrior's legs tearing as their captive was suddenly driven back. The centaur slammed into the rough bark of an oasis palm, crushed beneath the tauren's weight and momentum, birds taking to the air in panic as the tree itself shook with the force of the impact. Too dazed to raise his weapon, the paladin's burning solar mace came down on his head, the massive ball of metal crushing his head against the tree in gruesome fashion. Rhuno spun on one steel-shod hoof as his target crumpled, putting his back to the tree as the roots spell faded and the herd turned to face their quarry once more. The real fight was just beginning...

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The battle raged for what seemed like ages, the oasis ringing with the sounds of steel on steel and the roars of tauren, tiger, and centaur. Weapons crashed against Rhuno's shield and armor, glancing blows, mostly, but more solid hits than he was proud of. Time and again, high-pitched screams rang out and then were silenced as Zen'Anji picked off the archers and mages one by one, tearing them apart then disappearing into the brush again, only to emerge and slay another once they were focused on Rhuno again. Occasionally, rhuno would call out for a spell or point out a target, and Zen'Anji would follow through, only to be repaid with a shield or a timely charge when her targets turned the tables on her. Again and again, foolhardy centaur warriors charged the mighty paladin, only to be rewarded with shattered bones and seared flesh, but each time one fell, another swiftly took its place. It was a seemingly endless horde of enemies, waves crashing down upon him, each one rushing to their doom so eagerly that Rhuno didn't even notice when the last half-dozen survivors turned tail and fled. Rhuno was left panting for breath, blood dripping through the seams of his once-gleaming armor, a half-dozen arrows punched through various seams and gaps as Zen'Anji prowled up in tiger form, the feline body swiftly melting into a more feminine one, her hands and face covered in blood.

Rhuno shot the blue-skinned woman a look through the eye-slits of his helm. "I thought... I told you... to run." the tauren panted as he raised a gauntleted hand to his chest, his body suddenly wreathed in a flash of brilliant, holy light. As the hand came away, he stood straighter, his breathing still deep, but smooth, regular.

"Yah, well, I'm not all dat good at listenin'." She replied, casually, turning away to look over the battlefield. She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Almost did... Zen'Anji don' care for at all dat 'honor' stuff, ya know? Worry 'bout ya own skin first, yah? Some fool cow wanna get 'imself killed, dat be his bidness, don' owe him nuttin'... But den, ya did save me... Didn't feel right ta let ya get yaself killed." She explained, looking off into the distance.

Rhuno hooked his mace on his belt again and dismissed his helmet, the metal faceplate fading away to reveal a broad grin behind it. "'Didn't feel right', huh? Sounds like 'honor stuff' to me."

"Don' make me regret comin' back, mon." Zen'Anji replied with a smirk.

Rhuno shook his head. "Ahh, but you would have missed out on that glorious battle! We make a good team, don't you think?"

Zen'Anji glanced back at him with a smirk, then froze, face twisting with distaste. "Gah. Centaur be a lot less tasty on a troll tongue..." She muttered, wiping the blood from her lips, only to realize her hands were also covered in it. "Best go wash dis off..." she added, then paused, gaze flicking over to Rhuno's blood-splattered armor, then up to his face. "Ya might want to wash up, too. Bloody fur be a real pain once it dries." She commented, before swiftly turning on her heel and heading deeper into the oasis. "Besides, I be curious ta see what ya got under all dat armor..." She added, casually, as she walked away, a soft sway in her hips.

Rhuno watched her disappear into the underbrush for a moment, then glanced warily out across the grassland as he grabbed an arrow from his side and pulled it out with a yank and a wince, before pressing a glowing finger over the wound, healing it closed. It didn't seem like the centaurs would be likely to come back, pretty much the whole band had chased them out of the camp, so there weren't reinforcements waiting for them... After a moment's contemplation, and a few more arrows removed, he turned, following the troll into the verdant oasis.

He blinked when he arrived at the pool of water at the heart of the oasis. It was.. shockingly beautiful. The water was a brilliant sapphire blue, so calm and clear he could clearly see the turtles swimming lazily around the depths of the little pond. As he approached, he even caught a glimpse of a zhevra taking a drink before his presence startled it and sent it running back for the savannah once more. But what really caught his eye was Zen'Anji as she dove smoothly into the water, going under for a moment only to breach the surface a second later, throwing her crimson mane of hair back, revealing that she was, in fact, completely naked!

Some time ago, Rhuno might have blushed or averted his eyes, but after enduring the twin's teasing, his tolerance had gone way up. He stayed cool, pausing at the treeline to consider the situation. She knew he was coming, or, at least, might have come, so it wasn't like he was peeking. She wasn't hiding anything. And beyond that, he had to admit, he did not mind the view. It had been non-stop madness since he'd rescued her from the centaur camp, he'd barely had time to get her name and that she was a druid before they started running, he never really got the chance to take a look at her properly.

Zen'Anji's skin was a smooth, pale blue, decorated liberally with black, tribal style tattoos, mostly bands, repeating patterns wrapped around her upper arms, her wrists, her calves, and two on each thigh, no two bands alike, each subtly different from all the others. She had a couple tattoos on her face, too, a trio of thick diagonal lines, starting just below each eye and sweeping down and out. The warpaint-style markings gave her an air of menace, but looking past them, it was easy to see she was naturally, effortlessly attractive, in a wild, dangerous sort of way. Her lips were full, with smallish tusks peeking up from the corners of her mouth, and she had red eyes and bright crimson hair, her head partially shaved, leaving only a tall, crested mohawk and a set of braids that hung behind her pointed ears before coming forward to rest around her shoulders. He never imagined finding that particular hairstyle attractive, but somehow, it worked for her.

Zen'Anji had quite the figure too. She was tall, with slender limbs ending in three-fingered hands and two-toed feet, her full, round breasts capped with royal blue nipples, and a modest waist with just a hint of tone that flared out into wide hips and creamy thighs. She rolled over in the water, swimming back to the edge of the spring, and Rhuno found himself presented with a mouth-watering view of her ass, twin globes that struck the perfect balance between tight, toned muscle and soft, jiggly flesh. She pulled herself up to sit at the edge of the spring, laying back onto the soft grass with a sigh, her blue nipples pointed proudly skyward as she lazily kicked her tattooed legs through the crystal-clear waters. If he looked closely, he could even see a small patch of crimson fuzz perched atop her mons...

Rhuno realized he was staring, and shook his head, turning his attention to his armor as he began to loosen and shed the heavy plate piece by piece, but all the while, thoughts of Zen'Anji buzzed in his mind. There was something alluring about her, something he couldn't quite place. He wanted her, that much he had no trouble admitting. But did she want him? He couldn't be certain. All the girls he'd been with so far had all come on to him, at least, to some degree. This one... she seemed to be keeping her distance, but then, she was suddenly naked... Was getting naked nothing to her, or was she trying to seduce him? Shield, mace, gauntlets, pauldrons, greaves, leggings, and chestplate, piece by piece his armor piled up beside the water. He hesitated as he reached back for the clasp holding his frostweave underarmor in place, before glancing over to the troll's naked form once more. If she didn't feel the need to cover up, why should he?

As Rhuno pulled his upper body from his frostweave garb, he felt a pair of eyes roaming his scarred black fur, his powerful arms, rugged chest, and rippling abs. But when he looked, Zen'Anji's eyes were closed, the troll lounging by the water, soaking up the sun. After a moment, he went back to work, undoing the belt holding the waist in place, letting the blood-stained sapphire material fall down his legs to pool around his hooves. Again, he felt that mysterious gaze, this time fixed upon the beefy shaft that swayed between his thighs and the grapefruit-sized spheres that hung beneath it. Rhuno whipped his head around to find the source, but again, Zen'Anji was the only one there, the blue-skinned troll's eyes closed as she bit her lip and arched her back in a languid stretch, her firm, full breasts thrust into the air.