They all stood in silence for a moment before Quinn was the first to break the silence this time.
"What in the fuck is going on?" the cat boy couldn't help but ask out loud.
"That's what I'm thinking," Layla responded, watching the Pedicator walk away.
By then the crowd had nearly all dispersed or broken into little groups that gossiped among each other. The King couldn't help but watch and worry for Cinaedus, the man who was still imprisoned in the stocks. Barric looked about to make sure the courtyard was mostly vacated before he began to approach the man. He grasped the hilt of his sword and drew it as grew near, Cinaedus' eyes growing wide at his approach.
The King raised his blade high and a man came sprinting from a nearby alleyway.
"No! Stop!" the man cried, but the king brought down his blade, easily breaking the lock from the stocks.
The party, the man, and whatever onlookers still remained all gasped at this. Barric grasped the top of the stocks and tossed them open to fully free Cinaedus. His eyes locked on the King as he rubbed his own sore wrists.
"Thank you…," was all he could say before the other man slammed into him with a desperate hug.
The mysterious man held Cinaedus and touched his cheek, speaking to him.
"I'm so sorry my love… All of your humiliation today is my fault. I should have been more careful," the man whispered to Cinaedus while looking into his eyes.
Barric paused and listened to them for a moment.
"I'll never let them change me, no matter how much they try to reeducate or punish me, I'll always be yours," Cinaedus told the man, his eyes then drifted to the King and his party. "This man spoke up for me, and freed me," he said.
The other man turned to face Barric and the party that followed him up to the platform.
"You were the one in the crowd that proclaimed his sexuality bravely?" the man asked.
Barric assumed a big grin.
"I was! And it seemed to me your lover here was being treated barbarically for indulging in one of life's greatest pleasures!" the King nodded.
Quinn sighed and Layla spoke up for a moment.
"Well we think he's more questioning or bixse-"
"Thank you! Thank you for speaking the truth proudly for my love, and freeing him!" the man said, stepping forward to hug Barric in his huge arms. Even the large King was winded by the tight grasp of the man.
"Mmmph! Of course!" Barric assured him, the man finally letting him go.
"My apologies brother. I am Irrumare and Cinaedus is my little lover. It over joys me to meet another like us, especially one so brave and outspoken," he explained.
Irrumare was a huge man even by the standards of the perfectly chiseled men of Morhed. He looked very similar to the rest, even wearing the same white toga and brown sandals, except his hair was jet black.
"Well thank you, I do my best. I believe the laws of your city to be unjust and I'm here to make sure they are changed swiftly. Though my party and I can not do this alone, we will need others like you who believe in this cause," the King explained in his best leader-like tone.
The two men nodded and Irrumare spoke once more.
"I know of just the place where we can find more who will help us, though you will have to prove you can hang," he said with a grin.
The rest of the party except for Barric all raised a single eyebrow.
"Of course we can hang! Bring us to this place and we will surely prove ourselves!" Barric assured them.
"Wait a sec," Layla protested, but was promptly ignored by her brother.
"Then follow us quick!" Irrumare told them, leading them deep into the city.
After a long walk through twist and turns of dank alleyways, Irrumare finally stopped at an unassuming door tucked away deep in the city.
He looked left and right to make sure there were no prying eyes watching before knocking on the door in a specific pattern.
After a few moments a steel slat on the door slid open and revealed a man's eyes. From what Barric could tell by the rest of his face that he could see, the man had impeccable features.
"Password?" the man asked.
Irrumare checked for prying eyes once again before leaning close to whisper.
"Gains before dames," he said.
The metal slat slid shut and the sound of locks being undone could be heard.
Kur-chunk!
Skreee-click!
Kwic-tch!
Kch-kch-kch!
Click-clack!
Patty-wack!
Bark bark!
Crunch crunch!
Snap-crackle-pop!
Reeed robbin!
Yuuum!
The party all raised an eyebrow at this until the door finally opened with a long squeeeeak!
The first thing Barric noticed was the man who answered the door. His eyes and the bridge of his nose were quite pleasing, but the rest of his face that had been hidden by the door was disastrous to say the least. Though what laid behind the man was truly wondrous.
It was an entire gym with all the most modern equipment and quite clean as well. The place was packed with finely chiseled men and strong lean women.
"Now this is my kinda place!" Hana commented, surveying all the different kinds of equipment they had. Layla did her best not to stare at all the toned women who wore nothing but tight shorts and bras as the party followed Irrumare into the secret gym. Once inside, Quinn took deep sniffs of the thick sweat filled air, nearly falling over as the intensity of it made his head spin. Sylas looked about with a raised eyebrow as this was yet another place that confused him.
As soon as Cinaedus and Irrumare stepped through the door nearly everyone looked up and went straight to greet them, praising them like long lost heros of old.
The gym had gathered to greet their returned friends and see the new outsiders they brought with them.
Irrumare urged Barric forward and grasped his wrist to raise his arm high.
"My friends!" Irrumare spoke.
"This man was our savior! Barric Ironstorm! The gay King of Ol' Tamira!" he announced. The entire gym cheered while Quinn and Layla rolled their eyes.
Cinaedus then spoke up.
"Our new friend Barric has come to help us in our silent plight, but we must band together to stand any chance!" He said.
The gym broke into hushed speak and whispers until a single man in the back spoke up.
"Yes… but can they hang?" he asked.