Chapter 1

You don't exactly remember the details.
You were traveling, that you know for sure. But where exactly you were, or your destination, that's gone. Maybe you were in a dingy truckstop to take a piss and have a snack of questionable quality, the cold dark night muffling everything outside. Or you were in an airport having a drink in a sports bar at 4AM, eyes wide awake while your mind was exhausted to the bone. Or you were going for a stroll during one those dark hours of the soul and stopped at a street vendor.
Regardless, there was some white-haired, balding old man beside you, having a drink of his own. He was easily on his 80s or 90s.
Unprompted he started talking to you, hopping from subject to subject without much of a noticeable goal in mind. Regrets from his younger years, how a life spent traveling the world takes a toll.
Closest he ever had to a home was a place he 'squandered and left to rot', he said. Now he was old and tired, he wondered if anyone would ever take over that place now.
You don't remember much else after that, but you did leave the place with a folded deed in your jacket's inner pocket. You promised the old man you'd take better care of it than he did.
We'll see about that.
Somehow, without ever being told where it'd be, you found your way to it.
Once it was a high class, majestic hotel, but now it was laid to ruins. You could still glimpse how it was built under an art deco spirit, despite the ruined walls and decaying ceiling.
There were more rooms than you bothered to verify. You gave up when you found 148 rooms in the ground floor alone, while the corridors still went on and on.
All the rooms you checked were completely ruined by time, showing no sign of violence however. The hotel's main restaurant was an entirely different situation; it had been vandalized and broken down to even the smallest objects.
In the entire hotel there was no sign of life, not even bugs or critters who'd made their home in the ruins. But you could feel a chill creeping down your spine as you explored the restaurant.
The cold room was boarded up. Either due to a lack of common sense (perhaps there's a reason why one would board a room with no other way out) or having a brave, exploratory spirit (you are captivated by this place's mystery) you start pulling out the furniture blocking the way.
You open the door and there's only darkness. You stand under the doorway, letting your eyesight get used to the dark, which is when you hear it; a slight breathing coming from the darkness.
It smells like a farm in there.
That's when you notice a small glimmer, a flickering flame, lighting up inside.
You see it now. Whatever that is, it's chained to the room's wall. There's nothing else in the cold room; all the clutter has been removed.
You hear a deep sigh from the creature. It speaks with a deep, rumbling voice.
"So you are the Labyrinth's new master. I am your servant, then. Keeper, and prisoner, of the Labyrinth."
You see now the creature; it has furry, animal-like legs and a human's torso. It's head is that of a bull, but a terrifying one; half of it has been striped of flesh and is just bone, its empty eye socket shining a flickering flame. The creature is what anyone would call a minotaur.
"I am bound to do your bidding. If your wish is for me to remain here, it shall be done. I shall answer any question you have as well, Master."
The minotaur makes no other movement, seeming quite resigned to its fate in the cold room.
What do you do/say/ask?

"Why are you chained to the wall?"
"That was what the last Master saw fit to do with me… I obey the Master's command. He didn't need to chain me. I would have obeyed his command to stay here. But he did chain me regardless."

"What makes us the new master now?"
"The ownership of the Labyrinth was passed to you. You have the deed. I always know who the Master is."

"What's your name?"
He hesitates before answering. His flame eye shifts ever so lightly.
"My name is whatever my Master wishes to call me, and the previous one offered me no name. But my birth name, before I became the Keeper... was Asterion."
A warm silence lingers, expecting.

"What do your duties as Keeper entail?"
"The Keeper is meant to realize the Master's will on how the Labyrinth should be. The Labyrinth attracts those who are lost and looking for their home. Long ago a Master decided to turn it into a soothing place, and thus I arranged it to his will."

"How did this, uh, 'Labyrinth' fell into ruins?"
"Over the years the Hotel did shift and change, according to every new Master's will. The previous Master did not take kindly to me. I am a monster, after all, a cursed and undying one at that. He chose to close down the Hotel and lock me here."
"Being a monster is reason enough for damnation."
"After all, that's what sentenced me to this Labyrinth in the first place. It was made to imprison me."

Suck him off.
The Minotaur is malnourished and the room smells horrible. You have absolutely zero horniness in you to do such a thing.

"Ask him what type of people used to consider this their home."
"Just about anyone in need, if fate sees it fit for them to stumble here. Runaway children from horrifying homes, homeless wanderers running away from a threatening past… Those who have no one else, and no place to call home..."
"Before the last Master took over this place it belonged to a man who fought in… The First Great War. He saw it fit to bring those displaced by bloodshed."
His voice falters for a moment, and you hear a little cracking.
"... The Hotel was glorious, then."
"Master survived the First War, but not the Second… That is how the last Master inherited ownership."

"Let's also test if he is truly bound to our will. Ask him what his deepest and darkest secret is"
"Ah… I may keep no secret from my Master… I've existed for long enough that I care not for keeping them, regardless. If there is one secret, it is… I did not fight Theseus, the Athenian warrior, when he came to take my life. I gave it willingly. For my cowardice, and monstrosity, I was sentenced here… The Gods saw it as a joke of sorts, to make me undying here, in this eternal Labyrinth… Teach me a lesson. But over the centuries a few Masters saw it fit to make me into more than a beast."
"...My family would be ashamed at my meekness."

"His life before he became Keeper?"
"Ah… I suppose it's become matter of legends. I was born from a queen who had an illicitous affair with Poseidon's white bull. I was raised in the court of King Minos, in Crete, he took me as his son. But eventually my sister demanded I be taken away, and they left me in my first Labyrinth, alone. The warrior Theseus came for my head, in rebellion against my father's reign. But I had nothing to live for. He provided me with mercy."
"The previous owner attempted the very same. Perhaps his gun is still around in the Hotel… But as you can see I cannot die, not this time. I only lost some flesh."
His eye flickers madly.

"Ask him about the injuries. If they need tending, if they hurt, etc."
He hesitates for a solid moment. His eye's flame flickers wildly.
"Master ought not worry about me. It stopped hurting a long time ago. I cannot die."

You decide to free and feed Asterion.
He does not budge when you approach to check his cuffs. You realize however you have no key.
You tell Asterion you'll be right back. You check around the kitchen and restaurant. It's difficult identifying any object at all, as everything has been thoroughly destroyed -- even the shelves have been ripped off and thrown to the floor. The floor's tiling itself is in ruins.
The pantry has no food at all. But you do find a handgun while looking for scraps of food.
You're a kleptomaniac protagonist so, of course, you take it -- if only to look badass.
As you search, however, you feel as if something weird is going on -- like your attention lapsed for a second. As if you forgot what you were doing. But now you turn around and see some bread in the pantry, and you feel something in your coat pocket -- a key. You also find a bottle of wine and water, and some cheese.
You return to the cold room, Asterion has not budged since you left him.
You undo his cuffs, his arms fall heavily on the ground and he slumps forward a bit, much like a corpse. But his eye's flame still flickers. You manage to get a glimpse on his back; it is covered in horrific bedsores and you can see his raw flesh.
You offer him the water, but he doesn't seem to have the strength to take it from your hand. You give him water like you'd bottlefeed a calf, by propping his head a bit upwards and holding the bottle to his half-exposed, boney mandible.
Feeding him is a long, drawn-out process, but you manage it nonetheless. Asterion is completely silent during the whole process, only murmuring a short phrase afterwards.
"Thank you, kind Master."
His eye's flame burns slowly, emitting a soft glow warming up the cold room. Once more you feel it, a lapse in your attention, and something clicks outside -- the electricity seems to have returned to the restaurant and kitchen.
"I am bound to your will, Master. What is your command?"
You can order Asterion around, ask him any other questions about the hotel, him, what he can do. He seems however to be quite sleepy from the exertion.
You have with you a bottle of wine and a gun.

You ask Asterion about the magic going on here -- weird stuff has been happening, like the food and the key showing up out of nowhere. Feels like you suddenly blank out for a second there.
He is slow to respond.
"The Labyrinth and I are bound to the Master's will. Your wish is my command, and the same goes for the Labyrinth… Hotel, itself."
"The Hotel, it… Blinks, when it rewrites itself to your command. My job as a Keeper is to make sure the intention of your wish is realized, to interpret it so the Hotel understands."
"If… If I am not around, the hotel may conform to your wish… But not to your wants, Master. It is advisable to be prudent."

You ponder whether it's better to let him sleep here, in the cold room, or take him somewhere cleaner.
You ask Asterion if there's any place where you can take him to clean up and recover.
He seems to have a brief lapse of his own for a moment there -- he slouches further forward and his eye's flame goes very dim, scarcely more than an ember. You hear him sighing deeply as his flame returns, albeit still dimmer.
"There's one now. First room to the left of the restaurant."
You did not ask him but he went ahead and seemed to do something. Seems like Asterion is proactive in fulfilling your wishes -- perhaps you should keep that in mind, as this little stunt seems to have tired him further.
The room should be very close to where you are now -- but moving Asterion is not exactly simple, what with his bedsores and other wounds.
You can try carrying him -- he is not exactly small but he is thoroughly malnourished, so he'd be perhaps light enough to carry.
You can also try being more creative.

You think to yourself that you'd want a stretcher, wheelchair, a cart… A stretcher would probably be the best option. Yes, a stretcher and -- you feel the flickering as the Hotel conforms itself to your wish.
You find it outside the cold room.
Asterion seems to be nearly out, barely conscious. Fortunately the stretcher can have its height adjusted.
Roll: 6/20
You're kind of sloppy in rolling him over, and he's not cooperative. But your choice of a stretcher makes up for what would otherwise be a sloppy moving of an injured person. You rolled him to his side, so he's not laying on his bedsores.

As you pull the stretcher outside you finally get a good glimpse at Asterion.
He is for the most part covered in dark fur, but his hygiene is abysmal -- it is hard to say whether his fur is dark or merely disgustingly dirty.
He does wear some tattered cloths -- some have mixed together with his bloody back.
His face's right side is that of a bony, malnourished minotaur. He has a pair of very impressive horns, curling forward. The left side of his face is another matter entirely; it's just bone, with two bullet holes; one beneath his empty eye socket and another on his forehead.
To say he wears a loincloth would be an overstatement; in the process of moving him whatever was left of it fell apart, but you can't see anything but a vague, albeit sizeable, bulge as his fur covers it.

You arrive at the room Asterion told you about.
It is an infirmary, albeit one like you'd find in a period movie from the First World War. There are medical supplies, but none too modern.
You shimmy Asterion over to a very comfortable hospital bed. He seems to be mostly out of it by the time you check him over, but nonetheless you tell him to rest well, once he wakes you'll clean him up.

You set out to investigate and explore the Hotel.
As you previously saw it is in disrepair. It was once a majestic place, clearly, with a tasteful art deco architecture, while now it lays in ruins. But only the restaurant has been purposefully vandalized, all other damage seems to be a matter of time taking its toll.
You do not find any bugs or wildlife in the Hotel. While this means at most you are dealing with some wall mold flaring up any allergy you might have, it also makes for an eerily silent setting.
At most you'll hear a drop of water falling in the distance. The silence unsettles you.
During your exploration you find a wide, sprawling lounge with what is nearly a ball room connected to it. You sit down on a stool in front of a bar counter, and for a minute you allow yourself to think how this place ought to have been before it fell in disrepair.
For a moment you can glimpse it; parties in that lounge with well-dressed folk, a barman with a snappy suit making whatever drink you desired. Indeed you can almost hear the rustle and bustle of those people long gone, but you snap awake once you feel it -- the flickering of your mind.
You look around and the place seems… Clean, at least. You won't say it's returned to its glory, but the walls no longer are water damaged, the counter's surface is not dusty (albeit not spotless either.) When you turn around you notice all the chairs are now placed neatly on top of the tables, as if the lounge was soon to open.
You get up and look outside through the lounge's stained glass windows. There's an unkempt, dead patio where once you'd probably find a garden. Further outside is an eerie, empty, sprawling desert. It looks terrifying. To right you see a wing of the hotel. You try counting how many floors there are but your brain isn't really cooperating; whatever number you think there is, when you check again you find there's one more floor than you previously counted.
You explore some more; not too far from the lounge you find a gallery of sorts. It's like seeing a museum, except every exposition is a different room in wildly different architectural style. There're little plaques written in some language you've never seen before, but which you can effortlessly comprehend; each exposition is a room preserved from each previous Master's preferred architectural style. It goes back thousands of years; you don't bother checking the oldest rooms for now.
All the while you've been trying to clean the Hotel, to the best of your skills. You sometimes go back and check on Asterion, who's still sleeping deeply.
Roll: 19/20
He does catch you by surprise; you can't say he's improved too much from his malnourishment but his horrific bed sores are all but gone, leaving only a few patches of naked skin. It becomes apparent to you that Asterion is able to heal himself at an inhuman rate. Perhaps this is part of him being undying?
Looking at him you do feel a lapse on your mind, though of a different kind than the previous ones. It is more tenuous and you can't grasp it now, but perhaps you may eventually be able to affect Asterion himself with your will.
You start feeling tired; what a day you've had. Eventually you retire to the infirmary where you left Asterion and, after checking up on him, you lay down for some sleep yourself.

Chapter 2

You wake up suddenly as you feel something shift around you. You look to the bed beside yours and you see Asterion, wide awake, sitting up groggily on his bed. He doesn't seem to be all there yet but he's awake and cognizant of your presence.
"Pardon me, Master," he murmurs. "I was terribly rude yesterday. I ate before you, and imposed a burden on you by allowing you to carry me. That is terribly unbecoming of a Keeper."
Asterion seems to be much better today, at least physically. What do you do?

You tell Asterion that it wasn't any trouble at all, and that you want to be a good Master to both him and the Hotel. You ask him if he needs any more rest, or if you can help him to get cleaned up.
Asterion seems to be taken back by your response, but it's difficult to know for sure with his half-skull face. He takes a moment to respond, looking towards the wall.
"I… I believe I can clean myself on my own, but… I would be deeply grateful if Master could… Help me to the washroom."
You say that's no problem at all. You take a moment, however, to check the bathroom first for how you'll take him there. You find that it's about just as old-timey as the infirmary Asterion set up. It doesn't even have a shower, it has instead a big basin for what you'd imagine would be a sponge bath.
While the idea of giving Asterion a sponge bath might be enticing, you set out to modernize the bathroom a little. You take some ideas from previous visits to hotels and hospitals and you make it into a restroom for people with disabilities -- handles, non-slip floor tiles, a nice showerhead… But you keep the basin, why not?
You help Asterion up. You notice quickly that it's not really a matter of whether or not he can walk -- he seems to have recovered at a miraculous speed -- it's more an issue of that he seems to have forgotten how to walk. He must have been chained for quite a long time indeed.
He seems impressed, or perhaps amazed, with the changes you made to the bathroom but doesn't comment on it.
Once you are in the bathroom he speaks up.
"Master, I believe I am capable of proceeding on my own. Thank you kindly."
That's what he said. But you're the boss here, after all, and Asterion is still a bit wobbly. And he probably will have some difficulties with the shower.
So Anon, what's your command?

You choose to respect Asterion's wishes, although you stay nearby to watch for him.
Your decision to stay around proves itself a wise one almost immediately. Asterion supports himself with both hands on the sink, walls and handles to move safely, but when he approaches the toilet to relieve himself this becomes a problem as he has to hold his dick with at least one hand.
He is quickly losing his footing. You go in and support him, putting his right arm over your shoulder and holding on to his waist with your left arm.
Asterion goes terribly quiet for a few moments, not moving an inch. You are to his right; you see the bony side of his face, the flickering flame, trembling in distress. But he relaxes, and seems to welcome your help.
"I am very sorry, Master," he says. You tell him it's ok. He still struggles to start peeing; you decide to have some chit chat to break the tension.

You ask Asterion about the hotel's staff. Was there anyone else working there, what happened to them?
"...Some of our guests, mainly those with no surviving loved ones, would often elect to stay here indefinitely. It was not demanded of them but they'd often take on roles in maintaining the Hotel."
You look down and get a glimpse of Asterion's dick. He'd easily be considered well endowed by human standards, more in thickness than in length. He sports a dark, uncut dick, with a nice mushroom head only peeking from his foreskin.
"I could do their functions, by channeling Master's will, but the Hotel is infinite. There's only so much I can think of. I was never good with gardening, nor with creating art to display on our walls. The guests would often take on those roles and many others… It made for a more lived-in Hotel."
This whole exercise strikes you more as a masculine bonding than anything sexual, and Asterion doesn't at all seem annoyed by what's happening.
"When the last Master took over he kicked out everyone, and locked me. But it really was my fault, he really only wanted to get rid of me. I would have gladly died if it meant the guests could have stayed… But, you know, undying and all that."
Despite the somber subject matter the last sentence's tone strikes you as some kind of joke; dry and shy, but a joke nonetheless. You can only see his skull in a perpetual toothy grin.
He turns to look at the shower, trying to make sense of it. "Master… Perhaps I should take your offer. I would appreciate some help in washing myself."
You help him to the shower, pulling over a stool to let him sit down. You let Asterion settle down under the showerhead and then turn on the water, making it lukewarm.
Perhaps you didn't expect much from this, which is why Asterion's reaction surprises you. The warm water makes him moan and become putty in your hands.
Whatever this minotaur might have gone through in the past, you can rest assured you've made him overjoyed in this brief moment.

Roll: 20/20

You let him soak under the water for a minute while you inspect his back for wounds -- there's no trace of his bedsores. You'd actually go so far as to say that Asterion, somehow, managed to pack on some bulk during this night. He's gone from a malnourished survivor to an unimpressive, but otherwise decent-looking guy in a single night.
How did he look like during his prime, you wonder.
Your train of thought is interrupted as Asterion suddenly shudders, which swiftly turns into sobs.
He's doing his best to muffle his crying but you can see as he shakes. Perhaps this is the moment it's finally hit him; that his suffering has come to an end after who knows how many years locked and chained.
What do you do?

You give him some space for a moment, but put your hand over his shoulder and, seeing as he makes no opposing reaction, you turn it into a crouched down hug. You tell Asterion it's ok, and say no more, just letting your hug speak for itself.
He sobs silently once more, then bursts out completely, crying it all out at once and making no attempt at discretion.
By how desperate it is, and how he curls forward into himself, you'd expect him to be feeling some terrible pain.
It takes a long time for him to even begin to settle down, even then he's far from regaining his composure. You and your clothes are completely soaked by then but you don't pay it any mind. Once his sobs have reduced to occasional shudders you go around him and look him in the face, clean the snot off his snouth and give him a proper hug from the front.
He clings tightly to you.
Only after that do you two proceed into actually washing him with soap, shampoo, conditioner -- everything.
You can't say he's become joyous, but you do catch him smiling and he does crack a few jokes as you scrub his back. By the time the shower's done and you two are drying up the climate seems to have turned onto something closer to a locker room than a hospital.
"Before I forget, Master," he says, "it is customary for the Master to choose the Keeper's uniform. Tell me what you'd like and I'll manifest it into something that fits me."
Asterion has been imbued with the sweet fragrance of lavender.
By then he's standing up well enough on his own -- it seems his physical recovery works in weird ways, seeing as simple bath can make such a big difference.
After drying up Asterion does seem ecstatic. You wouldn't imagine yesterday he had been chained to a wall for who knows how long.
When he turns to you with a toothy grin you see another person than you did yesterday. The gloomy, broken down man is gone. He seems hopeful and cheerful.
"Master, if you would honor me… Would you allow me to cook you a meal? I am feeling much better now. So far I've not been much of a proper servant to you, but I can do it now… Tell me what you want and I'll cook it."
Before he does that, however, there's the matter of his clothes -- he's still naked, although you are invited to tell him how to dress.

"Well, we haven't been very good about keeping to custom thus far -- might as well go the whole hog," you say. "You may choose, Asterion, but if you so wish I could pick a closet for you."
Asterion smiles sweetly at you.
"Well, that surely is unorthodox. If it would pacify Master's mind -- I took quite a lot of pride in looking my best for my previous Masters, and that is a tradition I intend to keep regardless. I would prefer it if at least my work uniform was your choice, but for now, if Master affords me this liberty, and knowing we have no guests..."
Asterion approaches a drawer besides his bed and the Hotel flickers for a moment. He opens and pulls from it a comfortable toga. Before putting it on he smells it, and holds it tenderly for a moment.
"It's been a long time, but this is how I dressed back home before I was locked in the Labyrinth. I doubt it fits the Hotel's architecture, but it no doubt is comfortable."
Asterion dons his favorite set of robes, taking some time to adjust it. It is not exactly a prudish outfit; much of him is exposed.
"A little loose, perhaps… I lost so much weight. But I am sure to grow back, and it won't take long."
Asterion takes you back to the Restaurant. There's a counter from which one can see the kitchen and talk with whoever's inside, he sits you comfortably there. He proceeds to pull all sorts of ingredients from the otherwise empty pantry, preparing for you a luxurious breakfast.
While he cooks he talks a bit about himself.
"I may look scrawny now, Master, but make no mistake, my truest shape is quite distinct. I shall recover my strength, I'll look the part of the Hotel's Keeper. Before the Hotel fell into ruin I often wore suits and I enjoyed it a lot, back then Master enjoyed seeing me like that too, and it fits the Hotel's architecture. He was the one, too, who asked me to take on dark fur, he thought I looked striking with a white dress shirt. Before him the Master asked me to have red fur, and before that I was white. When I was born my fur was white, like my father's. But that too is up to the Master's choice. My appearance is somewhat flexible..."
Asterion pauses for a moment as he glimpses his reflection on the kitchen's metallic surfaces. He gingerly touches his half-exposed skull.
"Well that will take a while to heal," he mutters. "Not everything can be dealt with a snap of the fingers."
He then turns to you, his left eye burning very dimly.
"Master, did you truly speak your heart yesterday?... That you wish to be a good Master to the Hotel and I?"

You tell Asterion that, yes, you want to be a good Master... But if he's okay with it, you'd prefer being his partner instead of Master. You'd prefer if he called you by your name instead of Master. And you'd like it if, one day, he becomes his own master and becomes free.
His reaction to what you said is mixed, perhaps melancholy, which might not have been what you expected. He seems at a loss for a while but speaks up eventually.
"Master, I cannot be truly free. My sentence to the Labyrinth is eternal, and I am forever bound to the Master's will."
He reflects for a second, munching on his words.
"But I do appreciate your kindness, Master. And I would be happy to have you know that, within servitude, I have found happiness and joy. I've had gentle Masters who gave me a purpose. I was very happy, and many of my Masters afforded me great freedoms within my service… Perhaps you should know, the Master's original role was to torture me, as part of my eternal punishment. But a Master did come, one day, who chose to grant me mercy and a purpose."
"It may surprise you but what I've experienced, being locked in the cold room, is quite mild to what was fated to me. It only hurt in comparison to what I lost."
"To know that you wish to be a good Master to the Hotel and I, it fills me with hope. And… I see you intend to… Have me call Master by your name. But if my will matters here, I enjoy calling my Master… Well, Master. I enjoy it. Much like I enjoy looking my best for the guests, and to bring pride to my lord."
The talk about his freedom seems to have showed some melancholy in him, but he seems honest about his hope; he has a slight but firm smile.

You tell Asterion that you plan to let him have as much freedom as his servitude allows. He smiles, but says nothing.

While on the subject of his clothes, you tell Asterion he looks good with the toga. He's free to wear it when he's not on-duty. He seems to appreciate your response -- for a moment there it seems like he's even showing off to you. That perked him up.

You ask about how he's been healing up. You ask how long does he think it'll take for him to recover his strength.
"That is difficult to say for sure, Master. My vessel is linked to the Labyrinth, to the Hotel. The more we restore and improve the Hotel, the closer I'll be to my former glory. But that has its limits. Sometimes the Hotel will have wine; it is no regular wine, there's something godly to it. If you do find any, I would plead you inform me, I can restore quite a bit of my power with a few bottles… And my power comes, too, from my Master."
"... It may not take long for me to recover, but that we shall see."
He seems quiet after that last point.

You ask how Asterion would personally like to look. He smiles sweetly at you.
"Again, Master, you are too kind. My wish would be to bring my Master joy and pride with how I look. But if there's one thing… I suppose I would at times wish to have my fur white once again. It reminds me of Crete."
You ask him to tell stories of Crete, of Ancient Greece; he seems to perk up at the request, but says he can do it while you work later today.

You ask about how modifying the Hotel works. Can You really rule over the entire hotel?
"For the most part, yes, the Hotel will realize your wish. It cannot do what the materials you pick cannot do; it is impossible to build a firm structure with straw, and marble won't be as warm in winter as wood would. But the Hotel does play a few pranks with mathematics. There is always one more room than you think there are, and there is one floor more than what you last counted. Much of the Hotel is ever shifting. A lot of the Hotel is fixed and stays the same, but at times rooms will spawn somewhere for no reason."
"There are a few rooms which follow specific rules, but they are so more thanks to tradition. We have a room where we have enshrined one room of every style the Labyrinth ever followed, down to its inception. That is a tradition we have preserved for millenia."
Do you have to worry about older parts of the Hotel caving in/flooding?
"Yes, but that is something I can fix quite quickly, Master. That is a small issue. My duty as Keeper is to realize the intention of your wish -- tell me how you'd wish the Hotel to be like and I shall execute your will."
You say you'd like to modernize the Hotel.
"Very well, Master. What do you have in mind, specifically?"
You can post pictures of what you guys have in mind.
You ask Asterion if he'd like us to make any modifications to the hotel to better accommodate his tastes.
"I can think of a few… Master, if… If you would like me to have freedom within my servitude, would you allow me to prepare then a surprise? There are a few modifications I have long wished for. I can fit them within the Hotel myself."

You ask about the weird desert outside, what's up with it?
"The Hotel is the Labyrinth, Master, and desert outside are its borders. I cannot cross the desert, but others can. But it was not always a desert; the outside will change and shift to reflect your wishes for the Hotel. If you wish to make the Hotel into a beach resort, we'll be in a beach. If you wish it to be a monastery cradled among mountains, it shall be so."

You explain to Asterion a few ideas. Even if he is bound to the Master's will he doesn't need to be a slave. You add not every master will be like you, ever again, and that being a slave to an evil person will only corrupt his duty to the hotel. There may be a point where no master ever comes again, there may be no life left in the universe. And then he will have his freedom, even if he is immortal and undying. Asterion should learn to be truly free, because eventually the universe will run out of masters to give. He should learn the skills he needs to manage his prison forever and keep it well long after the universe outside has died.
Asterion remains quiet as you speak, and a tense silence lingers once you are done. He seems somber, but resigned, when he does speak up.
"When there is no one to take on the role of Master… Then I shall be alone again, much like I once was in Crete, when father put me in my first Labyrinth. And the Hotel will revert to its original shape, the Labyrinth to punish me for eternity. My powers to shape this place come from my Master, and if there is none or if Master is unwilling I too am powerless."
"When I am alone for good I can still have the freedom of my own mind, Master. But until then I enjoy what freedom I am afforded..."
"I am sorry Master, but this is not a topic I appreciate talking about. I understand what you mean. But this is not a topic I enjoy. Hopefully I still have a few good millenia left."
You feel something weird and wholly uncomfortable creeping up on you, like freezing roots entangling around you, as a consequence of this conversation.
Exposing Asterion to deep existential dread has rendered him despondent; there are truths one may not be ready yet to face. Further sinking into despondency may affect Asterion's psyche, the Hotel and dice rolls.

You think out loud if there's a way to make you immortal.
Asterion seems to hesitate before responding.
"Many mortals have tried. It is not what one would call a wise pursuit."
He says no more.

You shift the topic to something lighter; didn't you see a bottle of wine earlier?
You bring it over to Asterion and his face (and eye) light up. He cannot contain his joy but he still tries to keep his composure. He doesn't waste much time however; before you can say much he's already popping off the cork and chugging the whole thing at once.
When he's finished drinking the last drop of it he sighs deeply, contented.
He doesn't say much, he seems relaxed and enjoying whatever he's feeling from it. But from his gentle smile and nearly closed off eyes you know he's doing well right now.

You've had your meal, Asterion so far had been busy cooking and cleaning. Now, enjoying the buzz, he stops to devour what's left from your breakfast.
While he's at it you tell him he has your permission to prepare his 'surprise,' to add his modifications to the Hotel -- and to take on white fur.
He looks at you brimming with joy -- perhaps thanks to the wine's assistance.
"Thank you so much, Master… Not only for the wine, for everything."
He's like a puppy who can't contain his excitement at seeing you. It's clear he's no longer despondent. But there's something else going on too -- the fire on his left eye socket burns a tad brighter, and you swear you the two bullet holes on his face seem to heal slightly. Perhaps this wine can help Asterion heal from his graver wounds?

While Asterion devours his food you manage to get some chit chat in.
He's been locked for a good while now, so you catch him up on the modern world.
You start with WW2, telling him the Allies won. Asterion immediately asks about France in particular, then about Italy and Greece. He seems happy to know that Italy and Greece are doing ok, but he's overjoyed knowing that France is still around.
"I am glad… Before the last Master locked me away I served under Master Andre. He was a kind frenchman and died defending France from occupation. Even if he's no longer with us, I'm glad his country stands. He did have a deep love for Paris in particular."
You tell Asterion about nuclear bombs and the following Cold War.
He seems horrified by the idea of mutually-assured destruction, but is pacified in knowing that a nuclear holocaust is no longer a serious threat to mankind.
He is saddened to hear about Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
You tell Asterion about the space race and about man going to the moon.
He is impressed. He seems to marvel and admire at how the current age has achieved so much. But there's a shadow of sobriety there; he asks if the Gods of old, from Ancient Greece, are anywhere to be found.
"I didn't believe they'd be in the Moon, but… I always hoped they'd be there, since they've disappeared without a trace long ago and I couldn't think of any other place. Oh well… I suppose I should take some solace in that; that they won't ever again check up on the Labyrinth."
You tell Asterion about computers, television and the Internet.
He doesn't quite grasp what's so special about the Internet; maybe it's something one has to see to grasp. He does mention it reminds me of something of Master Andre; he wished to bring a radio to the Hotel but he found that it could catch no transmission there.
"Getting the radio to work was quite a challenge. I didn't know how, neither did Master Andre, but a guest, an engineer, figured out a way. It was quite difficult, it involved a lot of maths about the Labyrinth's structure, but… Should we house an engineer in the future, perhaps he could make an attempt. Maybe we can have an 'Internet.'"

Once Asterion's done eating he tells you he'd like to show you something. He guides you across hallways with bedrooms lined on both sides. He's a little tipsy from the wine but that's not an issue. He turns right four times, walking in a square; you'd expect you two would be returning to your starting point but instead you face a single door, similar to all others except for having a star instead of a room number.
"These are the Master's Quarters, only the Master and his Keeper may go in."
You see a living room, perfectly in line with the Hotel's Art Deco architecture. It seems to have resisted the damage of time better than most of the Hotel.
It's impeccably organized, if only a bit dusty. You explore around some more.
There's a Master Bedroom, still with Master Andre's clothes in the closet. It has a few wooden trinkets here and there, Asterion mentions Master Andre enjoyed carving.
There's a large, Executive-like Office; Asterion explains this is where you can design the Hotel to your heart's content. There is a chest off to the side; Asterion explains it's where most of the tools for rebuilding and reshaping the Hotel are.
A little off to the side of the Living Room you find an entire wing of its own to the apartment, like a second (considerably humbler) apartment within the Master's Quarters. While still in an Art Deco style this one is quite a few notches more austere, although it still affords privacy to whoever lives here.
Asterion takes a moment to check it over; wistfully inspecting every little element. There are a few wooden carvings around. Off to the side there's a bedroom and an old-timey training room. The bathroom diverges wildly from the Art Deco style; it's like a greek bathhouse.
"Those were my Quarters, Master. But this too is up to your choice. Master Andre preferred that I be nearby while off-duty, as I could still cook and be of use then. I did not dislike it; the silence at night always bothered me, and being nearby Master Andre, listening to his radio, his laughter, provided me with some comfort. We used to spend our nights together, I'd only retreat to my quarters to sleep and bathe."
Asterion lays down on a nice leather recliner. From where you are standing you can see up his short toga; he has no loincloth protecting his goods so you can see his balls and uncut dick, plump and resting over his taint.
He doesn't seem to realize he's showing you his junk, or if he does he may just not be very modest. But, after all, you did get to know him when he looked much worse, so perhaps he believes there's nothing to hide from you.
It may be your inner perv speaking but you think to yourself; perhaps in due time you could see yourself asking Asterion to change other aspects of himself, aside from his fur. You surely could appreciate him having his balls a little on the plumper side, like a proper bull, so you'd get more glimpses of his junk in moments like this. And who knows, maybe it'd be fun seeing the minotaur get horny easily with a hyperactive set of testicles.
"Well, Master? Where do you wish to start? We could start reshaping the Hotel right now."

Before you start, you suggest to Asterion he might want to go through Andre's belongings, see if he wants to keep anything.
Asterion stays silent upon hearing your suggestion, looking thoughtfully at you. He cracks a slight smile, thanks you, and goes straight to Andre's bedroom.
Asterion seems to know exactly what he wants; he collects all of Andre's wooden carvings. There are a few books and notebooks stashed away; he takes them too. Inside Andre's drawer there are a trinkets; pens, pencils, a set of prayers beads and a cross. Perhaps Andre was a religious man, and Asterion collects those belongings.
He doesn't seem to have anything in mind about what he'll do with those objects; he summons a wooden box and lets them rest there, in his quarters.
You tell Asterion he can keep his quarters; you want to afford him his privacy. You tell he's free to design his housing as he wishes, as well.

Afterwards you go to the Office; Asterion is by your side. You check the chest and are surprised to find a wide assortment of folders, alongside a box of trinkets. Asterion chimes in.
"Master can rebuild each and every room one at a time, but that would take an awfully long time. Managing the Labyrinth as a whole can be accomplished here. There are only a few folders of documents."
"The Architecture folder deals with how the Hotel looks, Landscaping with how the outside looks. That's simple enough."
"The Contracts folder is more complicated; it deals with binding and non-binding rules previous Masters saw fit to impose upon the Labyrinth. The old Masters may be at rest now but their will persists through these Contracts."
"There's also Structural Mathematics and Labyrinthian Technology… Structural Mathematics governs the fundamentals of reality and… It's best not to mess with it unless we really know what we are doing, as even a tiny change to mathematical constants can destroy everything."
"Labyrinthian Technology is an assortment of inventions we have accumulated over the centuries that harness the Labyrinth itself. It's where the radio receiver should be, among other inventions."
"Master may explore the folders freely, but the last three in particular are quite tiresome to read, not many Masters could go over more than a document in a day -- and the folders are brimming with papers."

You take a quick glance on the Labyrinthian Tech folder; the file about the radio receiver is the most recent one.
To say the maths about this document are Labyrinthian is an understatement. It's an immense report on what it calls data transmission across different dimensions.
Roll: 1/20
You really can't make any sense of it, at all. It's like the letters and formulas themselves are shifting as you read, laughing at you. Perhaps you can try again at another time, or you could get an engineer or mathematician to interpret it for you.
Perhaps because you couldn't glimpse any knowledge from it, you do not feel any tired at all. You could still try checking another folder.

You open the Landscaping and Architecture folders. You've never designed a building, much less a landscape before, but somehow the complex architectural writing in these documents comes naturally to you -- perhaps this is a bit of the Labyrinth's magic.

Roll: 20/20

You have a vision shining brightly in your mind. You'd like to fully modernize the Hotel, make it into one of those luxurious Dubai hotels by the coast, with artificial islands. No expenses spared.
Asterion stands behind you, silent, as you write down your vision. You are so focused you don't notice the Hotel and the room around you flickering in and out of existence. Eventually he joins you, with tools of his own he goes through your designs and corrects imperfections here and there, sometimes taking a moment to design a few aspects himself. He seems to have gotten the gist of what you're going for.
You have no idea how long it's been -- somewhere down the process you reset this world's clock a few times. You've been using one of the trinkets to aid you; it's a snowglobe on which a simulation of the Hotel is updated in real time to your specifications.
There are a few rooms of the Hotel which are stubborn and resist your commands; you can't quite make much sense of them, but you do know one of them is the Gallery where there are old rooms from previous iterations of the Hotel.

Roll for Revelation: 15/20

A pattern does come to mind; you cannot change much in Asterion's room. It seems that your promise to let him arrange his quarters is binding. Similarly there are other rooms which are tagged with Asterion's name; perhaps those are part of his 'surprise' for you?
Once your mind can't string together anymore thoughts of this sort you stop to admire your handiwork.
You cannot say this is among the world history's greatest buildings. But for a layman you were nothing short of a genius.
Perhaps an architect could go over your work later for refinements but, for now, there's nothing lacking at all. You look outside, through your recently created window, and you find yourself high up in the sky looking down to a nearly tropical vista of artificial islands, each one a habitat of its own. Each room should afford its guest excessive luxuries.
All of that said, the structure of the Hotel by itself is not mind-bending or reality-shifting; perhaps that is something you could accomplish in due time, as your dominion over the Hotel's tools grows. For now, however, the Hotel is safe, traversable and has a modern style.
It does not have internet or television signal, however -- that would fall into Labyrinthian Tech.
Before you head out to check your work -- you couldn't get the Tech folder at all, but you still have some gas in you to check the either the Contracts or Structural Mathematics folder.

You decide to check Contracts.
Those papers are made of a different material; it's paper, yes, but it's heavy and seem to be essentially indestructible.
You don't know where to start. You pick a paper from the folder and…

Roll for Revelation: 13/20

Reading it isn't exactly simple, but it's a thousand times easier than the Tech folder. It doesn't take long either; it's like the words jump into your mind in the blink of an eye.
This Contract deals with ownership and inheritance of the Hotel. It is a non-binding agreement that the current Master, upon retiring from his duty, usually transfers ownership of the Hotel to a promising long-standing guest of the Hotel.
There was a provision on what happens if a Master dies before transferring ownership, but it's been crossed out and is unreadable.
The Contract dates back to about a millenia.
You make a mental note to search about immortality next time you look over the files; for now however your mind is fried.

Finally you awake from your fevered burst of productivity.
You look around; gone are the decaying art deco walls. Now you are in a modern, luxurious Western-style office. Behind you is a vast window from which you can gaze at a tropical environment.
You put away all the files, folders and trinkets; when you turn around you find something on the table you hadn't seen before. It's a metal bucket containing ice and a bottle of wine in it, besides two fine glasses.
You look around, Asterion is nowhere to be seen.
Roll: 15/20
You find him on his quarters, which now too are in the modern style you picked for the rest of the Hotel while retaining a few different elements. His recliner remains, for starters, and you do find some greek elements here and there; painted vases mostly. The walls have a few peculiar paintings, of Picasso's Vollard Suite.
Asterion himself is looking at a full length mirror, not noticing you. He's only wearing a loincloth and, very notably, his fur has gone from dark to an opaque white. Under his fur you can see tones of a slightly pink, fresh skin, most notably on his half-exposed butt.
It's clear to you that Asterion recovers at an exceptional speed. He's still not muscular, but he's filling out nicely. His back is starting to show some bulk and definition, his butt has some meat to grope.

Roll: 18/20

He doesn't notice you at all. While you are struck, looking at his white fur, he's looking at his face in the mirror. You manage to figure out what he's doing; he's trying to put on a nose ring. His tail thrashes wildly as he seems to be having some difficulty.
What do you do?

While he's distracted you silently pick your phone and…

Stealth Roll: 13/20

… take a picture of his back and somewhat exposed butt. Asterion does not notice it but as you move to put your phone back on your pocket he hears you shifting and turns to you.
Asterion doesn't seem to have too many qualms with nudity, perhaps that's a remnant from his Greek traditions. He doesn't seem bothered over you finding him in this position.
"Master!" He approaches you, ecstatic, almost going for a hug when he pauses and, remembering his position as Keeper, deciding instead to bend a knee and bow to you.
"The Hotel looks wonderful. I can hardly believe so much has been accomplished in a single day. I am forever grateful, my kind Master."
Perhaps you weren't prepared for him kneeling in front of you, but you had a nice comeback ready anyhow.
"The hotel looks good," you say, "though not as good as you do."
Asterion seizes up as you say this, his tail flickering to and fro.
Now you realize his white fur has a big pro; you can clearly see his cheeks going red.
He doesn't budge, neither does he say a single word in response.
Instead you kneel down to his level and raise his chin up. You ask if he wants help with the nose ring; he nods sharply.
"It, it's just about passing it through the hole on my nose. It's just hard to do it myself."
You take it from his hand and do it; Asterion may have spent years without using the ring but seemingly the hole did not heal. It really is a simple matter for you.
Asterion firmly looks at your face while you do it, shuddering a bit, and eventually settles to closing his eyes and waiting. Once you've put it he trembles for a second…
letting out a rumbly moan, as he collapses to both his knees.
You pat him on the shoulder and rise from your kneeling position. He remains there, eyes now only half-closed, his face flustered as he pants visibly.
He looks up to you, expectantly, trying to muster out something.
"Master… May I hug you?"

"Yes, Asterion. You don't even have to ask."
He doesn't immediately rise up to hug you, he takes a moment just to look at you from below. When he does get up he hugs you tightly and lifts you from the ground, sinking his snout on your neck and breathing deeply.
He holds you tightly, eyes closed as he breathes in deeply. Of course you hug him back, and take some enjoyment from him no longer feeling malnourished as he did yesterday.
"You are a wonderful Master," he mumbles before slowly putting you down.
He doesn't seem to have anything else to say for now, instead he only looks at you expectantly. He's like a puppy, happy to have you here. Just being like that has helped calm him down and he's no longer panting.
You also get to take a closer look on him; his snout and tummy are of a soft, pink-ish tone. There's fur over there but it's a little bit shallower and softer. You wish you could rub his tum!
You mention you found some wine after finishing up on the Hotel; why don't you two have a drink together?
He's happy to oblige. He puts on his toga while you two fetch the wine, the glasses, but Asterion hesitates for a second.
"Master, about the wine… There is something you musn't forget, ever. The Hotel's wine is meant only, exclusively, for you and I. Guests may drink of it only under exceptional circumstances, and even you, Master, ought to drink it only sparingly."
"It'll keep you healthy, if you drink it with moderation. But mortals weren't meant to have much of it and can grow sick, quickly, from having too much. Aside from you and I, we only allow a guest to have it if he or she is very sick."
You take a glass of the wine, while Asterion ignored the glass and chugs the whole thing from the bottle.
The wine is exceptionally sweet, but also flows down your throat like silk. It's amazing, until suddenly it isn't; it's quickly become unbearably sweet. The upside is that you sure can feel it in you.
Drinking the Hotel's Wine reinvigorates you in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile Asterion is sinking down on the sofa, enjoying the wine's effect, giggling here and there for no reason. He doesn't seem to notice but you can see now that his skull's bullet holes are closing up entirely and there seems to be some skin growing back.
It seems like your workday has come to a close, but it's still too early to go to bed.
Asterion seems to be happy, about the Hotel, the wine and his newly placed nose ring. You could try and talk a bit about any of those subjects.
You could also try and explore the Hotel; perhaps you two can have fun seeing how it is now.
Or you can come up with any other idea. Your flirting previously seemed to have an effect on him, maybe you should think up other ways to get at him?

Asterion is just relaxing on the couch. You take this moment to munch over on a few ideas.
You check whether the TV is working or not; it only shows static, which spooks Asterion for a moment there. You try commanding the Hotel to show you a movie but it doesn't really work.
There're a few questions on your mind, but you also think this could be a good moment to give Asterion a proposition.
His personal bathroom is like a greek bath house, isn't it? You ask if he'd like to take a bath with you.
Either because of his upbringing, or because he really enjoys your company, he takes you on the offer right away. "Yes, Master, I would enjoy bathing with you!"
Minutes later you two are in his steamy bathroom. Asterion is quick to undress down to his loincloth, then to nudity.
Either boldly or shyly you undress just the same, and now you two are naked facing each other. You've already seen Asterion's junk before, it's a nice uncut dick on the thicker side, with a hefty pair of balls, although nothing inhuman by any standard. Now however his dick is of a pink tone, as opposed to its previous dark hue.
This is his first time seeing you however. You tried seeing if he was looking at you but, well, that Hotel Wine hit hard so you're not really sure.
As you soak on the hot water you take the moment to ask a few questions.
You start with the wine. What other affects could it have on you and where does it come from?
"The Wine… It shall make you healthy, Master, and if you take it only sparingly it is likely it will make you live longer as well. It slows aging as well… About its origins, it too is a part of the Labyrinth."
"The Labyrinth is supposed to be my prison and torture. Should I become too mangled to feel pain, the Masters of old would pour it on me to force me back into shape."
"That we use it instead for our own benefit is a joyful corruption of the Labyrinth's intended purpose."

Well that was a bit darker than you imagined.
Let's try a lighter subject, shall we? You ask about the nose ring. Seems like Asterion really likes it.
"Y-yes, Master. I can't quite tell why, but I enjoy it deeply." You try seeing if he's blushing but there's too much steam. "I, I feel really good with it."
You ask him if he generally enjoys piercings and jewelry like that.
"I must say I do." He struggles with his words for a second. "I used to have nipple piercings, long ago. But the nose ring, I suppose I enjoy it for…"
Seems like he kind of lost courage there at the end, he doesn't seem too eager to speak up. Still there's a slight smile plastered on his face.

You tell him that, if he likes it, you could see yourself adding a mark on to him. An ear tag, maybe have him use nipple piercings again. If he wants to, if his face still bothers him, you could even give him a metal mask, it could look good on him.
This time you can see it well enough; Asterion is blushing madly.
"If, if this is Master's wish… I would display your mark proudly, and happily, whatever it may be… To bear the mark of a kind Lord such as you, it would… I would love it, Master. What you proposed would be quite easy to do and we'd scarcely need magic. But, Master, if I may offer a remark... "
"When I drink of the wine I know my body recovers, which I do myself. But as my power grows, there is still a part of it that only you may command. I could not change my fur's color without your approval, you see."
"Master… I can change my body with magic, to fit your vision, but I would wish, I would be happy, if you commanded me to heal myself. I would not be able to magically alter myself for a while, but my face would be… More whole. And that would make me happy."
"While I recover I would not mind wearing a mask, either… But to have my recovery hastened is what I wish from my depths."
Asterion asks to spend his transformative powers on healing himself. Do you accept his wish?
This does not stop him from undergoing non-magical modifications, like a nipple piercing.

Whatever wish you may have had for how Asterion should look, you remind yourself of how you've treated him so far. You've tried respecting his wishes, allowing him freedoms. You must comply with his request.
You state firmly you accept his wish, that you want him to use all his power to heal himself.
Perhaps your previous conversation had left him flushed already, panting, but your response clearly affects him. He's shaking a bit, even in the warmth of the water.
"Oh, Master..." he mutters, before sort of hugging you and laying the left, bony side of his face on your chest. You can't see what's going on but you can see him shuddering as it happens. It doesn't seem to be a wholly comfortable process for him, but neither does it seem painful.
When he looks up to you you are glad to find his face for the most part healed. He has skin and there's no sign of any bullet wounds. His left eye socket is still empty, however, and you can see a flame burning brightly inside.
You drape an arm over Asterion, pulling him tightly against you, not saying a word. Sometimes you catch him looking up longingly at you, about which he doesn't seem to be entirely shy, and at times he'll snuggle on closer to you.
Time passes; it's not always easy to guess what's going on through Asterion's mind. His face, still pressed against you, can shift from joy to calm observation, then to something more somber for a minute before relaxing again.
Eventually he settles on a goofy, cheeky expression, stifling a laugh here and there.
You ask him what's so funny.
He doesn't seem to compliant at first -- perhaps the first time you've seen him not readily give in to your will -- but you grab on to one his horns and smugly repeat your question. That seems to have gotten him going -- you'd go so far as saying that he looks almost dazed after you grabbed him by the horns.
"Ah… I wish to carry Master's mark, and to become a good servant for my kind lord."
Well, isn't he direct? You pet him behind his ears and reassure him he's already a good servant, that only gets him to melt further against you.
But maybe that's enough for the night, isn't it? This whole situation has gotten you quite riled up but you don't feel it's the right moment to make that move on Asterion. You wait a while, thinking about gross things, so your member settles down.
"Maybe it's time we got out and dried up, eh?"
Asterion does not respond immediately; he only looks at you from below, still laying his head on your chest.
"May I remain a few minutes more, Master?"
You cannot see his crotch from this angle, since he's almost laying down on his stomach, but you can imagine his predicament. You allow him to stay for a while longer, besides you, but eventually you two get up. Asterion adoringly dries you up then dries himself; you are a gentleman and you insist on returning his favor.
Asterion ties up his loincloth, then looks cheerfully at his own reflection in the mirror. While he's distracted you decide to summon him a little surprise; you discreetly command the Hotel to make a magnetic levitation lamp for Asterion.
He had seen the spooky static TV, which didn't impress him too much, but something as simple as the lamp fascinated him. He spent a while examining it, seeing if there were any invisible strings. You tell him he can take it to his room -- he does so like a boy with his christmas present.
It's not like you've lifted weights but today has been a long day, you are terribly tired and almost falling asleep where you stand. Asterion doesn't seem to be doing much better. You're hungry however; Asterion won't let you go to bed without a hearty meal which he cooks at your Quarter's new kitchen.
There's very little else to do; while he cooks you entertain some thoughts. You can see yourself 'marking' him with one or two nipple piercings, which seem to be readily to his liking. But there are still other options; maybe a nice golden necklace, or a chain connecting his piercings. You could give him a nice ear clip, maybe write your name on it so Asterion knows he's yours. His face is mostly healed but a mask is not out of the question, or you could go with an eyepatch to cover his exposed eye socket.
It's a pity you can't readily use his shapeshifting magic. The thought of giving him a heftier set of balls was quite enticing… Wouldn't it be nice having him easily getting horny? Or have them peek from under his short toga. Although, seeing how he looks at you, you might already have achieved that effect in the first place.
You could also see yourself changing his equipment proper… His dick isn't bad at all but maybe something on the rougher side could fit him better. Wouldn't it be nice seeing a big cock dangling from between his legs as you fuck his brains out and cum inside of him? Now that would be a fine mark as well for your loyal servant.
You may have lost the chance to change his junk tonight, but perhaps you should take some solace in how Asterion has turned more affectionate. He brings the food over to the sofa with a neat foldable table. But instead of joining you in the feast he sits on the floor, besides your leg, and looks up expectantly at you.
Under most circumstances you'd have told him to eat with you, but this time you notice how much this comes from a place of affection for Asterion. You let him be.
You dedicate a hand to petting his head, sometimes grabbing his horns. Once he lays his head on your knee and you flick his nose ring, he doesn't seem to mind it at all.
After he eats it's time to go to bed. You're completely exhausted. But now is your last chance, for the night, to tell Asterion anything you might want to say.

While he's still laying his head on your knee, looking up to you, you take a moment to tell Asterion a few kind words. You tell him you're grateful for his help in understanding how the Hotel works, and you reinforce what you said before; you have the full intention of being a good Master for him and for the Hotel.
Asterion doesn't say a word, only closing his eyes as you speak and relaxing his head further on your leg.
You add another thing. You do remember him mentioning he'd get lonely during the nights. You invite him to share your quarters… If he so desires. You stress it's not about you commanding him to do it. He has control here. Neither do you allow any tone of lasciviousness in your voice; this is an offer of companionship.
Asterion takes his time giving you an answer. You know he's awake, as he shifts and mulls at his response.
"I appreciate your kindness, Master. But tonight I can sleep in my quarters."
Asterion's thoughts can be difficult to guess, but you seem to be struck with a moment of attunement with him. He's made it clear by his actions he enjoys physical contact with you, and that he does derive some joy in serving you. But there's something there; his servitude traps him still, and he can't think too highly of himself to see him sleeping besides his Master.
"Very well," you say. "Still I will tuck you in."
He takes a few minutes to get ready for sleep. You two go into his room, illuminated by his new magnetic levitation lamp, and you surprise him with a teddy bull you got for him.
He seems confused by it, but as soon as you give it to him he's hugging it while still insisting he doesn't get what it's for.
He's not used to being treated like this. You don't have a book to read for him but you keep talking; about your life, about something funny that happened the other day, and Asterion falls asleep, hugging his teddy, before you know it.
And now it's time for your rest. Good night, Anon!

Chapter 3

The last two days in your life have been like a tornado. You found a magic Hotel that manifests your wishes, found out you were its new Master, freed and cared for its minotaur Keeper, Asterion, and reshaped it into a Dubai-esque resort.
Two days.
It takes you some time to get up from your exceptionally soft bed. Your mind is trying to piece together all those pieces. But eventually you hear some metal clanking from outside.
You find Asterion in the kitchen, preparing a breakfast. He is wearing his comfortable toga, tail softly swishing back and forth as his back turned to you. You take a moment to take a solid look at him; just two days ago he was malnourished and covered in his own filth.
Now his once dark fur turned into a soft, opaque white, under it you can see a pink tone to his skin. His back, half exposed, is starting to ripple with muscle, and his toga drapes over a growing booty. You just make out his crack, as his tail sits comfortably between his two gropeable cheeks.
You make some noise to announce your presence. Asterion turns to you, a smile on his face.
"Good morning, my dear Master," he says as he goes ahead and hugs you briefly (you did say he didn't need to ask for permission). It's a brief, innocent hug.
During breakfast you have some inconsequential chit chat as you decide on today's errands. This time you insist he eat alongside you, instead of waiting until you are done. He is no doubt hesitant but goes with it.
As you sip from your coffee you ponder about last night. Asterion was very affectionate then, you two got somewhat close to, perhaps, going too far too quickly. None of it was bad, of course, but -- him laying his head on your chest as you are naked in the bath seems kind of bold in retrospect.
Today the airs between you two have settled down considerably, turning into something akin to a domestic normalcy. You still take some good glances at Asterion while he's not looking at you and you manage to catch him a few times looking longingly at you.
Once you're ready to start your day you two return to your Office and go back to putting in some work into the Hotel's Architecture. You did amazing yesterday but there's still a lot of sharp corners to smooth out.
Today you're less manic about it. You take your time, enjoying the experience, and Asterion is more willing to chirp in with advice and suggestions.
The wine from last night has left an effect on you; you still feel invigorated from it. While Asterion's going over some details of the architecture you decide to take another go at the Technology folder, maybe today you can figure out how to get internet to the Hotel.
You open the thick report and...

Roll: 18/20

... it quickly and easily makes sense this time.

Cross-Dimensional Data Transmission
This document details extensively how data from other dimensions can be acquired and used in the Labyrinth. Most of the document consists of mathematical proofs.

Understanding it fully is a gargantuan task but, upon closer inspection (skimming through the pages), you realize it relies on a highly sophisticated and simple modular design.

The Cross-Dimensional Data Receiver/Transmitter itself functions perfectly well as a module of its own.
If you want Internet connection or TV channels it would be as hard as setting down a few cables yourself from the Receiver/Transmitter to a local machine, and connecting a router in the outside world to a little device.

You seem to still have it in you to a go on another document; you pick a Contract from the Folder and…
13/20

This is not a Contract per se but certainly has the trappings of it. It is a child's drawing, of a young boy and Asterion.
Once a widow and his children were displaced by war and pulled into the Hotel. The father shortly after became Master. Asterion assisted in the raising of his kids. When the father retired from his post as Master his son took on the mantle, and he chose to immortalize one of his childhood drawings of Asterion as an everlasting Contract.
The thought of Asterion caring for children warms your heart.
[Your spirit is emboldened by this knowledge and your rolls today will reflect it.]

Now, isn't that a nice start for your day?
After lunch you tell Asterion you're going out to connect the cables back in the outside world to get you two an internet connection. He is initially distressed by the idea -- after all, didn't Master Andre die when he went back to the outside world? But Andre went to the war, you're just going back to your apartment for some 30 minutes to connect some wires.
It's an uneventful trip. Once you're back Asterion is nowhere to be found at first but…
...You find him at the Hotel's gym, wearing only his loincloth, getting acquainted with the new equipments you picked for it. You haven't been gone for long, he's barely worked up a sweat, but you can enjoy watching him bench press 90kg effortlessly. And this is his third day of recovery. You wonder what he'll be able to do in a week or two.
You tell Asterion to keep up his training while you finish up on the internet and television, which takes you one hour more. You tell him you two will meet up later at your quarters.
You arrive before he did, so you wait. When he does arrive he motions to go for a bath first but you're too excited about showing him television and the internet.
As you set everything up you take a few peeks at Asterion. It's incredible how his body changes so quickly. His pecs have grown while you were away and it's not only just a pump, he really does gain muscle mass in the blink of an eye. Maybe that's a perk of his magical nature?
His musk from the workout is also difficult to ignore. It's not a dirty smell, neither does he smell like a farm. It's hard-hitting masculine scent, difficult to describe, not at all unpleasant.
You start with television; that ought to be easier to grasp to Asterion.
Well, Asterion is from Greece, isn't he? So how about a documentary? You tune in to watch one about Athens and their democracy.
Asterion's first reaction is one of cautious surprise, but then it turns into that isn't at all what you expected. He is amazed by the television, the moving images, the sounds; but Athens doesn't seem to be a place for which he has nothing but contempt. He does get a laugh or two from the bad costumes, however.
You switch to a cooking show; surprisingly enough this captivates Asterion. He watches intently as the host works on a few french pastries.
"I suppose I was mistaken, Master. I thought this 'television' invention wouldn't be too different from a radio. Aha, moving pictures… The spirit of human invention truly is amazing."
Once that's done you watch a dubbed documentary about Japanese cuisine; that too glues him to the screen.
"I had a few Masters from Nihon," says Asterion. "Back then they were going through a terrible period of war, the Sengoku Jidai. I was saddened when you told me about the nuclear bombs and Japan, but… Well, I am glad they are doing alright."
Asterion seems prone to falling into bouts of melancholy here and there, as his memories resurface. But here his face shows only a measure of warm nostalgia.
Now you want to check the internet. You have a few cheeky ideas. You start off with a video of a racoon eating grapes with his little hands.
"Master, that is adorable, but… Is that all? The internet seems to me like only a smaller moving picture."
You're only starting, don't you doubt it.
You show him your search engine of choice. You begin with a few safe searches; you show him a few pictures and pages about your hometown. Even if it's nothing special Asterion is eager to learn more about where you came from.
He kind of gets the idea after that. The idea of free knowledge is immediately appealing to Asterion.
Before you let him go wild you open up a few different tabs for him. Wikipedia, Youtube… e621. And you leave him be.
It's not always easy to tell what's going on in Asterion's mind and you're not looking at the screen either. But you capture what you believe was the moment it clicked for him.
He's seeming a little frustrated with something; maybe he hasn't understood how to make this page work. He types a few searches and his brow is growing increasingly furrowed. But then -- he's looking at the screen, trying to make out what he's found and -- his eyes go wide.
His face goes red, but he says nothing. He goes on a clicking spree. You see him readjusting the computer; he sits upright on the sofa, his legs closed together, with the computer on his lap. Seems like he's having some trouble there.
You let him get engrossed in whatever he's looking at. Maybe you can take a peek at it while he's distracted…
... But as you're passing behind the couch he notices you and closes the laptop quickly.
You didn't get to see it but you can still tease him in other ways. From behind him you hold on to a horn of his, firmly, and gently pull him towards you.
"So, what did you think of the internet?"
"...It's definitely not like the radio, Master. It's, uh, quite something! I thought it was just a smaller television at first but, I get what it's for now."
You tug gently at his horn and you can feel him giving in to you, barely holding on to a sigh.
"What did you like most of it?"
He's doing his best to contain himself but it's clear holding his horn is a weak spot of his. He moans under you, his face going red.
"Ah… So much to see, Master. I… I..."
He's left speechless, holding on tightly to the notebook over his lap. You don't think that loincloth of his can do much to contain his erection.
Bullying Asterion is fun and hot but you still don't want to go too far with him. You are enjoying the slow build up, and not only of his submissiveness. You think you'd like to have something with this minotaur, yes… But not because you are his Master. Maybe there's some wisdom in letting time work its magic.
You let go of his horn but pet him softly behind his ears. He's still musky from his workout.
You could do it like last night and join him in bathing, but you have another idea. You tell him he can take his bath but not to take too long. Meanwhile you make dinner for the both of you; it's not as elaborate as his cooking but it'll do for the night.
You have a few more surprises in store for him.
You haven't forgotten what you talked about him regarding 'marking' him as yours. You haven't been too sexual tonight with him, so you'd say now's not the time to do something like piercing his nipples. But you can mark him in sweeter ways.
While he's distracted with his bath you summon a golden necklace in greek style, with a sapphire adorning it. It's not gaudy or tacky, neither is it effeminate.
When he comes out of his bath, wearing his toga once again, he's stunned to find you waiting for him with dinner ready. He musters up a reaction, telling you that it's his duty to care for Master, not yours to care for him.
"I wanted to do something nice for you, Asterion. Now sit down and close your eyes, I have another surprise for you."
You put the necklace on him. He shudders as your hands brush against the scruff of his neck.
"Open your eyes."
He looks down to the necklace, fingering it slowly. He gets up and looks at his reflection in the mirror.
When you talked about marking him before there were obvious sexual undertones, both in you and in his reactions. But now it's a gentler warmth that spreads on Asterion's face, on the edge of his smile.
Sometimes you can see just how tired Asterion is for existing for so long. And, at times, he seems at the peak of his youth. This moment is a mix of both; you see in his eyes how he's been through many centuries, and that this moment has reached into his heart.
"I'll cherish it dearly, Master, and show it proudly..." he says. He stops himself before going on; whatever he wanted to say, he didn't, and you can't glimpse what it is from his face.
You sit down to eat, and the rest of the night is uneventful. Asterion is left quiet after your gesture, pensive.
The night could end in this mixed note but you have one final card up your sleeve. You turn the TV back on and pick a slow, almost boring wildlife documentary. You tell Asterion you often fall asleep while watching TV on the sofa, he's invited to stay if he wants.
Asterion's answer is immediate and unequivocal; he wants to, of course. The silence of the Hotel always did bother him at night.
You sit on the middle of the sofa, of course, and let him choose where he sits. He pauses, looking at you for a long time, mustering up something like courage. He seems to manage it and, in an almost dignified manner, kneels on the floor beneath you to watch TV.
Well, you appreciate the gesture -- you give him a long pet on his head to show it -- but that's not what you had in mind.
"No, sit with me Asterion."
This is perhaps the first direct and unequivocal order you gave him. And now you see a side of him you hadn't seen too clearly before; of straight, direct obedience, with not a single drop of any other emotion.
"Yes, my lord."
He sits up on the sofa, close beside you. You let time pass; you two settle down, relax and sink into the sofa. You feel drowsiness settling in. You look to your side and Asterion, too, is almost asleep.
It's now or never.
You stretch out your arm over his shoulder and so gently pull him to you. It's not enough to move his weight but he shimmies to you, and you pull him further guiding his head to your chest.
You stay there, his head on your chest as you caress it, and together you fall asleep.

Minotaur Hotel -- Chapter 4

Sleeping in a sofa, no matter how high quality it is, isn't too good for your back. But the minotaur snoring on your chest (and drooling a bit) makes up for it.
You peek down and you can somewhat see the bulge in Asterion's loincloth. He seems to be having a very sweet dream right now. You let yourself fall asleep again, holding on to him more tightly.
When Asterion does wake up it's because of you shifting slightly under him. You two exchange knowing glances. For this brief moment, even as you still hold his head against you, you see Asterion as entirely your equal -- not a servant, but someone for whom you have a strong affection already. And while it's often hard to figure out what Asterion thinks you can see it now; he entertains the same thought.
During a late breakfast you go over a few points with Asterion.
Now the Hotel is pretty functional. It has all the luxuries one could hope for and, with Internet and television, a guest won't even be cut off from the outside world here.
Sure, there's always space for improvements. But, let's face it; it's good enough to house a few guests now, you can figure out any other kinks later.
"So, how about we open up the Hotel for our first round of guests? How can we do that?"
"Certainly, Master. We can do it from your Office, by establishing a Contract."
You two make your way there. Before you learn how to do a Contract you take a moment to check your Folders for the day.

Spontaneous Generation of Life
This is a binding, regular contract. Its enforcement is mandatory and it can be amended. It rules over the creation of life in the Labyrinth.
This Contract contains a labyrinthine list of lifeforms; perhaps a list of all lifeforms there are in planet Earth. The spontaneous creation of nearly all of them has been manually turned off, as all are set to immediately attack Asterion.
It does not stop lifeforms from copulating and generating offspring.
One day a Master tired of always having eagles peck away at Asterion's liver, and so the first version of this Contract came to be. That Master preferred crows.
Seems like previous Masters, even the most generous ones, found it easier to blacklist animals entirely than to rework how they act towards Asterion.

You check the Structural Mathematics Folder for the first time.

You cannot begin to comprehend the files, mostly composed of extensive mathematical proofs for esoteric concepts. Most of those date back to the creation of the Labyrinth and haven't been altered in any shape or form since. It seems like this is the deepest layer determining how this entire place functions.
There's one document that's quite recent, but blatantly unfinished. It was never signed and holds no effect. It seems to be authored by the same person who created the machine that lets you bring internet to the Hotel.
The summary of this unfinished proposal is that the Labyrinth is "a Hub Dimension" whose gateway is locked to Earth. Expanding its gateway to bring in lifeforms from other corners of the Universe would be a Technology project, but opening gateways to other dimensions can be done by modding what's called the Dimensional Gateway Protocol.
Should you have the team for it you can attempt this project.

Asterion goes over the process of writing a Contract.
It is not difficult, but it's tricky. It uses natural language so you really are just writing on a piece of paper, but you soon find out that here writing a Contract is more like writing code than saying what you want.
There's a syntax to it and there are limits to what you can command. If your Contract is somehow invalid it won't take effect.
Asterion gives you an example.
He asks you to write two lines:

'Henceforth mortals shall be immortal within the Labyrinth.
Henceforth The Prisoner Asterion shall be mortal within the Labyrinth.'

Both lines shine in a fierce red. "There are wishes," Asterion says somberly "that no Contract nor Master may realize."
With that said he walks you over your first valid Contract. You write:

'The Labyrinth is reopened for lost wanderers, with a limit of 12 guests.
This Contract commences its enforcement 3 hours after its signing and is valid until revoked or contradicted by a posterior Contract.'

You have a few ideas for what kind of people you want in the Hotel; people you could trust enough to turn into staff for a few specific functions. You add a few guidelines around that.
You date the Contract and sign it. The paper shifts into a different, indestructible material; your will is the Labyrinth's command.
The Hotel itself flickers for a second.
Well, better get to work.

Chapter 5

The Hotel is gracefully strict with schedules and timing.
The Guests arrive everyday at 11AM, sharp, never more than 3 at once. They find their way in without really knowing how or why. They aren't too surprised by the massive, one-eyed minotaur dressed in a suit taking their names and carrying what little luggage they have.
In fact very few carry anything with them at all. Most seem to be on the rougher side of life; they have their reasons to be wandering the world and have no hurry for going anywhere in particular.
But your will is the Hotel's command; you asked for trustworthy people and that's what you got. No matter what's their past they all adapt quickly and, after a day or two to get their bearings around the infinite Hotel, they settle into doing something useful.
You decide to set up a security and exploration team for the Hotel. Asterion tells you there should be no reason to worry, as most if not all threats in the Labyrinth have been dealt with already. But better safe than sorry. Regardless, those muscular guys look pretty good in hunky security uniforms.
Asterion doesn't mind cooking for you and the guests but you find that means he has less time available -- he has to get up earlier in the morning and he's busy until late at night. And you can't have that; you two have settled on a routine of falling asleep together on the couch watching TV. So next comes a proper kitchen staff.
The Hotel cleans itself so that's not an issue.
For now your final team is R&D. You got a nice team of ostracized academics who got lost somewhere in their labyrinthine campi and don't mind having free shelter and food in exchange for chasing the weirdest fucking ideas. They've been going over the Folders in your office. They can't change shit without your approval and have a hard time reading the files -- a harder time than you do -- but they're making progress.
About Asterion; he proudly displays the necklace you gave him, and everyday he has to readjust his uniform as he keeps bulking up at his supernatural rate.
His lack of an eye isn't really a problem, but it calls too much undue attention. After the first night with guests he meekly brings up the topic of the mask as you watch TV; he wouldn't mind having a mask for a while, as his fiery gaping eye socket is probably more eye-catching.
Manifesting him a mask reminds you of getting him the necklace, but it's not as intense. You do pull him into a hug later that night and mention he looks striking with the Mask; he huffs sharply but you can't see his reaction.
You do notice, however, that Asterion has some fun on the following day with looking intimidating to the guests, even if he's at your beck and call. You let him have his fun.
There are still moments of hot and heavy suggestivity, make no mistake. He still goes absolutely mad with every chance he has of treating you like his dear Master -- no matter how many times you tell him he doesn't need to, he still has a thing for sitting beside your feet while you give him headpats. But more often than not there's a soothing atmosphere between you two.
Asterion's still your servant and he absolutely loves being treated like it, but more and more you -- and him -- share moments when you both feel like equals. Like room mates or a live-in couple.
And at times Asterion will surprise you with small gestures of affection that seem beyond his duty as Keeper. He's figured out how instant messaging works and he's constantly chatting with you during working hours, just telling you sweet things like how he's eager try cooking you a new dish tonight or asking you to choose what he should focus on in the gym that day.
There's really something growing there. You have taken your time with Asterion, helping him up from bottom of the well up to a flourishing, cheerful minotaur. And he seems to be into you more and more with each day. It's about time you make your move.

It's been about a week and a half since you've let the first guests in, they've all settled into routines and the Hotel's running smoothly.
It's a slow day, and a weekend in fact. On your Office desk there's only one decision to make.
The R&D team has finished their first assessment of the Folders in your Office. You asked them to figure out if we could eventually bring in lost wanderers from other species into the Hotel -- maybe mythical creatures, cryptids, aliens, who knows?
That's not something any previous Master asked for, so Asterion's for the most part unsure.
Your R&D breaks it down to you into very simple terms.

Mythical Creatures

The Labyrinth is actually perfectly equipped to bring in mythical creatures. There is only one Contract stopping it from doing so, and you can amend or revoke it.
The Contract was placed, however, when a satyr came into the Hotel and threatened to tell the gods how the Master had gone soft on Asterion; bringing in mythical creatures could be a problem if they decide to snitch.
On the other hand… Are there even any gods around anymore?

Extraterrestrial Beings

The Labyrinth has what is called a "welcoming range," which is the area from which it can bring in new guests.
If we want aliens then we have to increase this range; this is a Labyrinthian Tech project and we'd need engineers for it.
We'll probably need to have habitats for them too, but that should be simple enough.

Extradimensional Beings

The Labyrinth is what's called a "Hub Dimension." It's actually easier to open gateways to new dimensions than expanding the Labyrinth's "welcoming range."
A previous scientist left some work on this halfway done already. This is a Structural Mathematics project.
Finishing his work shouldn't be as hard as bringing aliens, but making sure those extradimensional beings can exist inside the Hotel could be an enduring challenge.

If you want more options the R&D Team can go for that, but exploring more ideas will take on a turn.

You take a careful look at all the options. They all have pros and cons. In the end you choose Mythical Creatures; there's a risk but you're confident you can master how to write airtight Contracts, and that can pave the way for you. Afterwards you could try Extraterrestrials; you can think of a way or two of twisting the Labyrinth into something… spectacular, to say the least.
You laugh, thinking of the possibilities. You are dreaming big now, and starting to get how this whole Labyrinth thing works.
You call the R&D boys to tell them of your choice. Work will only start on monday, and today's saturday. Your and Asterion's proper day off since this whole thing started.
You sit back to admire your handiwork; you reshaped a dying, dilapidated dimension into a Dubai-esque paradise. You are bringing together a nice team of hardworking people who could use the help.
And there's that one lovely man you've been growing awfully fond of. It really, really is time to celebrate.
Then it flickers -- the Hotel. For a second. Then you look to your table and, again, there's your trusty wine bucket. Guess that's a gift from the Hotel itself.
This time there are no glasses -- this one's only for Asterion.
Currently he's out, gone to the gym. So you sit back to relax, collect your thoughts and, why not, plan ahead.

End of Chapter 5

Chapter 6

As all your thoughts sink down your mind you're washed by a soothing wave.
Perhaps you have been nervous about taking this step. I mean, have you ever really asked Asterion if he's into men? You didn't but he's made that clear enough by his actions.
Regardless you feel such an affection for him. Even if he wasn't into you, you'd still want to do good for him.
You get up when you hear the door opening and closing. You go to the living room to greet Asterion, who's midway through undressing. This time he was wearing some modern workout clothes over his greek-style loincloth, as he thought the toga might weird out the guests. He has his mask on, dark and fierce-looking over his sweet face.
You feel emboldened -- by everything. Without giving any reason at all you approach Asterion and hug him tightly. You can feel how much he's bulked up since you met him.
He's not exceptionally well-defined, like a bodybuilder -- he's buff and bulky. He's told you about it, he likes being strong, muscular, and bulky, but doesn't care too much about being defined and down to little to no bodyfat.
"Master..." he mumbles as you hug him, not knowing how to react. "Pardon me but I am sweaty from my training session. I don't want to leave Master..."
He's not smelly at all. You've found you greatly enjoy how he smells after his workouts. It's a strong, thick scent.
You let him go but leave a hand going over his waist. You pull him with you to the window, but ask him to take off his mask -- you want to see his face, his eyes.
"Look at that, Asterion," you tell him. "We built this, you and I. Just ten days ago this place was in ruins, we turned it into a paradise."
Asterion's left silent. Your hand's over his waist, you can feel how strong his lower back has become and your arm is gently supported by his butt. You can tell he doesn't know what to do with his arms, whether or not he should hold on to you similarly.
"And you, Asterion," you go on, looking into his eyes. "How could I imagine what it'd be like to know you? Being this Hotel's Master does come with many perks. But if I had to choose between you and the Hotel, I wouldn't think twice before going with my minotaur. Regardless, I do intend to keep my word, to be a good Master to you, and to the Hotel."
You feel Asterion fidgeting beside you, still struggling with what to do with his arms. You try and guess what he's thinking; his flushed face, the sweat dripping down his forehead, his swishing tail make it clear enough. You pull him closer to you, smashing your sides together.
"I like everything about you. Everything. How you lay your head on my chest when we watch TV, how kind and gentle you are, how..." You let out a smile, "How you react when I pull at your horns or when I pet you. Even how you smell."
And there he goes; so slowly he raises his hefty arm, going over yours and holding you tightly against him. He's panting now, his thick tongue barely visible as he can't hold himself. "Master," he mumbles.
"How you've been growing, how handsome you are. I really do mean it, I like everything about you. I can easily see myself having a life here, with you."
Asterion's let it all out. You look into his eye and you can see how it's wet, not too far from letting out a tear. But he's holding it, panting, holding it all in.
You extent a hand to his chin, only barely stroking it. When you pull it back he willingly comes with it, closing his eyes as he lets you guide him. Your nose touches his snout, you feel his breathing on you as your tongues graze each other. You navigate your hand from his chin to the back of his head and pull him closer still as your tongue invades his mouth. He still holds on to your back, now for support as he leaned in.
But you can do better. The back of his head is good, but what about his horns? With both hands you grasp them and you make him into your toy, setting the pace for your increasingly sensuous kiss. His meekness turns into moaning and you can hear his tail flicking, almost convulsing. His tongue trashes inside his mouth as you savor each other, as you handle his head and mouth.
He's shaking now, moaning. "Master..."
You end your kiss but pull his forehead against yours. You feel his ragged breathing. Asterion's struggling with his words, trying to find something to say, but nothing comes out. But his body says it, he tries to pull you closer in, hugging you.
You stay there, enjoying this tender moment. You let go of his horns and once more scratch his chin, pulling him in to exchange quick pecks.
"I have a gift for you," you whisper. You hold on to his hand and pull him to the office.
"A bottle of wine. I'd say we have reason enough to celebrate. And you can guess what I want afterwards, I want you to finish up on healing yourself."
For the first time so far you've seen Asterion hesitate before going for the wine. His legs are shaking as he looks at it, then back to you, his eye tearing up.
This time he lets go of his meekness, completely, and kneels in front of you. But this time there's something more to it. He's giving in to you, but not because he's your servant. He looks to the bottle of wine, to you, and puts a hand over his face, his eye socket. He's shaking, trying to say what's on his mind.
"Master, there is something else I want," he spits out. From his face you can see the effort he's put into saying that single phrase must have been gargantuan. You listen up attently. "I want you, Master. All of you. I want to heal, yes, but… I'll have other bottles eventually. I want you now Master, I want to be yours.
He considers his words, still thinking hard. From his kneeling position he leans his head over to you, pressing his forehead against your tummy. "You've come into my life and… I thought that was it for me, that there'd be no one else again, ever. The cold room would be my eternity. And even if someone did come up again, who could I ever hope for? I could look to the future and I'd only see nothing."
You embrace his head, enveloping him as he keeps talking. "But you showed up, a Master came. And it could be a Master like any other, who'd treat me as the servant I became or the prisoner I was. But you came, and you… I am a person when I'm with you. Master, because I am person, I want to serve you."
"So make me yours, Master," he says, almost demandingly, as he roughly breathes on you, catching your scent. "I've had many lords over the centuries but none like you. And I want to be yours like I've never been anyone's before. Give me the wine, and make me yours."
You smile tenderly, looking down to him. He's the one kneeled before you, you're the Master, but going by his words you'd expect him to be in command.
You do as he asks, open the bottle and raise his chin so slightly with your hand. You give it to him like you'd bottle feed a calf, slowly raising the bottle so its contents pour down his throat.
Asterion looks at you throughout the process, directly at you, even as the wine starts taking its effect and rebuilding the skin around his eye socket. He goes into his wine daze quickly, his face flushes and a handful of drops spill from the side of his lip.
Once the bottle's completely turned upside down you gingerly pull it back while holding Asterion's neck with your other hand. As you do so he opens his mouth and extends his tongue, reaching out for every single drop.
Asterion's turned into quite a sight here. His face's flushed, a trickle of wine running down the side of his lip, down his neck to his pristine white fur. His tongue is lewdly extended, reaching out for every drop. You look further down; his loincloth is obscenely bulged. You run a foot under it and there's a fat slippery puddle; Asterion's dripping, well, like a bull.
In the absence of wine he once more places his head against your stomach, huffing wildly at your scent.
You know what he wants and you sure as hell want it too. You grab him by the horns and manhandle him further down to your crotch. You let him have his fun, huff wildly on your straining dick, he's pushing more towards you than you're pulling him to your crotch. You see a hand reaching down to his clothed erection but he only barely holds it, reaching further down to see how much he's dripping.
While still grinding his face against you, you reach down and unzip your pants, but don't pull them down. Asterion does that for you, stopping to enjoy your dick despite the underwear. He's licking you, groaning, his breathing becoming more ragged even if he's only barely touching his own dick.
You graze your underwear's waistband, that's enough of a sign for Asterion. He pulls it down knowing full well your dick will hit him on his snout and spread a string of precum over his face.
He savors it, all of it. "How my Master has a fine manhood," he mumbles as he goes from smelling you to giving tentative licks around your balls.
You hold on to his nose ring -- he groans and huffs wildly as you do it. With only a single push or pull of your finger he submits entirely to you. You push him a bit, to give space to your dick, and pull him back guiding his mouth to your member. His tongue is out, lolling from his mouth, even before you start pulling.
His warmth quickly closes in on your member, he nurses on to your head trying to coax, and taste, every drop of your pre. His tongue is still out and it's longer, more flexible, than you ever imagined. While only your dickhead is in his mouth his tongue's already exploring the underside of your dick, trying to reach your balls.
You've never had this before; he's not giving you a blowjob, he's making love to your dick and enjoying every moment of it. You can already see a string of saliva running down his neck and another half-suspended, hanging down from his chin.
He's hungry for you -- unsurprising considering you've been building up for this for over a week.
Your hand travels from his nose ring back to his horn, now you have the leverage to control the pace for real. You pull him sweetly onto your dick. It slides softly on his mouth and realize how sweet is getting a blowjob from someone with a long snout like his; he can take more of your dick than any human could.
He takes it all. Another string of slobber hangs from his chin. He looks up to you, unmoving… Then you feel it, his long tongue bathing your balls even as all your dick's buried in his mouth. Then he almost tries to swallow you, his throat constricting, massaging your dick.
Commanding the pace of this whole affair… You could give it up entirely and let Asterion have his fun, clearly he's capable enough on his own. But you know he wants it from you, your love and mastery over him all mixed up together.
You use his mouth for your pleasure. You facefuck him, increasing pace as you see he both enjoys it takes it well, until you feel his slobber hitting your foot -- the same foot wet with his plentiful precum. While his snout is buried in your crotch you raise that foot and stroke his clothed dick with it.
"What a loyal servant," you say to him. "The best servant, my minotaur."
The praise makes him go wild. That tongue of his can work miracles and you're sure now he's trying to swallow your dick and drink your cum.
But you have other plans. This is no quick and dirty blowjob. Sure, your minotaur likes it rough but you just have to scratch the surface and you see again the glimmer of affection in his eyes.
He wanted to have you mark him, more than he wanted you to spend his magic healing his eye. So you'll respect his wish to have your will, your mark, on him.
"Asterion."
He looks up to you. You gently push him backwards, off your dick, but he resists stubbornly. Once only your head's in his mouth he still suckles at it, and when it pops out he still tries to catch it with his tongue out. He only stops when you pull him back to your crotch, your dick going over his face.
"Asterion, you are mine."
"Yes, Master. I am yours. Your servant, and still even more of me belongs to you."
Even in the middle of a blowjob he knows how to talk sweetly, you see. Now that's a talent.
"You want my mark on you."
This time he doesn't speak up, he only nods and pokes your balls, the base of your dick, with his snout.
"Your will," you say, grazing his chin with a caress, "is that I impose my will on you."
"Yes, my lord."
"Take off your loincloth."
Still kneeling he undoes, exposing his member. It's just as you expected; pink-ish, with a nice foreskin partially covering its head, furiously hard as it leaks copious, gooey strands of pre.
That's when you notice; he's still wearing that necklace you gave to him.
"This is one of my brands on you," you mutter as you finger the sapphire. "You display it well, as you should. Now I'll make you further mine."
You kneel down to his level and put your forehead against his. You steal a kiss, then you lean further towards his ear. While you hold his head against yours, your other hand travels down his pecs, stomach, fluffy treasure trail. You grope, stroke and explore his thick member, coating your hand in his pre. He moans wildly at you, crashing his snout your shoulder.
But you go further down. You gingerly hold his balls, feeling their heft.
How long has it been since he last came? You don't think he had that kind of release since you arrived. He might as well have been pent up for decades. But that's not enough to you.
"Asterion, you're my bull," you whisper. "My virile minotaur. I want you horny and excited, as much of a man as you can be. Let's give a boost to those balls of yours."
He moans, grunts, thrashes against you. You'd expect him to be cumming, and indeed there are some fat spurts of pre shooting out, but that's just form your words. He breathes raggedly against your neck for a while longer until he mutters "Master" as you start feeling his balls grow on your hand.
They were already fat before, slightly thicker than just about any human's. Now they are exceptional and even more befitting of him, of his manly body and dick.
But he can still go just a little bit further. You want to see those balls swinging as you fuck him, you want momentum, you want to feel that weight.
"A little more, baby. You can do bigger..."
He moans once more against you, his drool now running down your chest. "Yes, my Master," he blurts out, a perverted smile plastering on his face. You feel them grow and expand again, making his sack taut, smooth, gloriously heavy.
He's almost collapsing on top of you as his balls settle down again, and his eyes show he's on a whole different world of pleasure now.
"Now that's my boy. Look at yourself. My prized bull."
He can only respond with another grunt. There're strands of saliva and your precum over Asterion's precious necklace, his dick is now spurting strands of precum. He looks down, to his new set of enhanced balls, and smiles.
"I am all yours, Master," he mumbles as he tries to take your dick back into his mouth.
Again your dick is taken in by his warmth. It glides, in and out, and your excitements glides up and up. You have no more walls. You're on the last stretch now.
"Now here's your prize, my good boy," you say as you take hold of both of his horns. "Take it all, don't waste a single drop."
That drives Asterion wild. He's not cumming yet -- you'd feel it on your leg, as he's now grinding your dick against it -- but it sure looks like he's having a mindblowing orgasm.
You hammer your dick in and out, again and again, as that final fire builds up inside you. Asterion's looking up to you, teary eyed from the blowjob, but absolutely enthralled.
How his his tongue teases at the underside of your dick and how his throat constricts against your head is taking you forward. But what pushes you over the edge is how he looks at you.
You two have coated yourself in a layer of sex, of domination and submission, but if you just scratch the surface you'll find that spark in how he looks at you. And that's not sex. You know what it is, and it pushes you ahead like nothing else.
You pull out so only the head's in and hammer it down his throat; then you hear it as he drinks the first spurt of your cum directly from the tap. But you want him to taste it too, you pull back so only the head's inside and you keep up with a quick, shallow fuck, letting all the wave of your orgasm ride violently as you use your minotaur however the fuck you want.
You're out of your mind, but not so much that you don't feel the obscene spurts hitting, coating your leg with Asterion's jizz. His face is completely flushed and his eyes are in a daze. He just keeps on cumming, humping your leg while you fill his mouth with your cum.
Your orgasm stops, or at least you're only spurting out a few final strands of cum. But Asterion's still going, almost convulsing on you. He can't even bear to swallow your cum, it's all just pooling in his mouth sealed against your dick. He's literally out of his mind, but his body is still going, still reveling in it all.
It goes on and on. He does stop convulsing, but his dick keeps spewing shyer loads -- maybe he doesn't even notice it. But he's still looking at your eyes, your dick softening in his mouth, and you you feel his tongue rolling the cum around, tasting it, memorizing its flavor.
You let go of a horn and take that hand to his chin. You push him slowly off your dick -- weaning off your little calf. Again he doesn't want to stop suckling on you, but he lets you pop it off from his mouth.
He raises his hand to hold your dick and kiss its head, lick it softly. His lips for the most part are sealed, he's holding on to your cum.
You push him backwards a bit, so he's looking at you. "Open your mouth," you command, and he shows you all that cum you gifted him.
Your hand goes from his chin to his neck, his throat. "Now swallow it." Softly he closes his mouth and you feel it, your load going down his throat.
There, you do see it in his eyes. There's sex; and there's love. You see it. You almost cry. You raise him up to you and kiss.

It's not over yet. There's another thing he wants, he asks for. He knows exactly what it is and you comply.
He's done this before, he could do it himself. But he wants your hand doing it. The symbolism counts.
He's lying on your bed, splayed. You can feel his exhausted body twitching, still convulsing every once in a while. His balls, heavy and massive, resting over his crack, his spent dick over his belly button.
You pierce his left, then his right nipple. He said you'd have to be quick. You slip in the nipple piercing, then you clean it off with alcohol. The whole process hardly takes more than five minutes.
You see there are perks to being undying and nearly indestructible; only a single drop of blood comes out and it coagulates in an instant, and he didn't even flinch.
He's in control of it all. He wants you and he makes sure you know it.
The nipple rings have a small sapphire each. Matching with the necklace.
It's done so quickly. He's yours, through and through. You lay down with him, he's on his stomach and he shimmies over to lie his head on your chest. Just like when you'd watch TV together. This time however you pull him to kiss you, even if the position is a bit awkward. You can still taste your cum on his mouth.
Your kiss descends into shorter pecks, then just having your lips together, letting your scents and breathing mingle, until eventually he lays his head back on you. You caress his head as he looks to you. Goddamnit as soon as he flips on to his back you're caressing his fuzzy stomach. But you don't want him to stop looking, seeing you.
The way he looks just gets to you.
Ah, there it is. That glimmer. That's it, right there.

Chapter 7

And just like that, it's like a handful of things stop making as much sense as they used to.
Asterion sits down on his own bed, in his quarters. Why is he here?
He came just to wash his hands in his bathroom before dinner. That's all. Really. But now he's sitting on his bed, illuminated only by the Mag-Lev Lamp Master gave to him. He looks at it, enthralled by the very notion of a floating lamp, as turbulent thoughts curl and twist under the surface of his mind.
'I only slept here one night,' he thinks to himself. 'After that Master and I have slept in the couch. Is this place even mine?'
'Before that I spent decades in the cold room. It's been more than half a century I actually lived here.'
He mumbles a curse or two in greek. He feels his own face, now just about completely restored. He cups his right pec, caressing the nipple ring Master put on him just a few hours ago. He looks down, to his enlarged testicles, about the size you'd find in a proper bull.
Having his nipples toyed with could always get him going. But this time he's not aroused. He's anxious and his mind can't stop. This isn't his place. But those are his Master's marks.
Can a servant, even if he's also a lover, ever have the audacity to truly want, to have it said?
In a way he knows his answer. He's told his Master what he wanted when they made love. But the teachings imposed on one for centuries hardly are erased in a single day of lovemaking. So now Asterion chews through this bone again, again, as many times as necessary.
This is his Labyrinth. To struggle in accepting he, a monster and prisoner, can be loved. To reject the notion, because he is what he is. And why would anyone love him? Even now if he has any redeeming quality it surely is all a facade. He's a monster, that he's been told since the day he was born.
Can a broken down man ever challenge that which is his most fundamental belief?
He can't be loved. But, at times, it is almost as if he can. Over the centuries there were people who loved him, he presumes, like the previous Master's children he raised to adulthood. They were like his children too -- even if he wasn't Master's lover. But those sparks of love, he finds them every once in a while. Holds tightly and, as a wind blows, forgets about them.
This is his Labyrinth. To reject love, seek it out, find it and forget it again.
Everyday is a struggle.
But tonight he wants more. To want is such a strong, simple thing, and in those small moments something warm can be grazed.
Asterion wants to sleep with his Master without the facade of watching TV, to be held and hold him, to wake up to him in the morning every day.
Asterion is consumed by want, and if there ever was a moment in his life where his meekness gave way, it is now.
He gets up and unplugs the Mag Lev Lamp from the power outlet, taking it with him to the Master's Quarters. He plugs it in Master's bedroom; it could use an extra source of light. For this he doesn't ask permission.
After dinner, once he and Master are cuddling (still naked) while a cooking show plays on TV Asterion makes his move.
"Master, may I sleep with you in your bed?"
Asterion may be submissive in body and spirit, but even in the trappings of servitude one's wants often shine in discreet ways.
There's the question, and there's what's left unsaid. There's no 'tonight,' no implication this is a one-off affair. There's a want, left hanging, a continuous desire.
"I wouldn't want anything else," says Master as he nuzzles on Asterion's ear. That is his choice.
Tonight Asterion chooses to hold on to the warmth. He doesn't forget it, and it starts taking roots.

Chapter 8

It only takes three days of dedicated work for your R&D boys to have the whole Contract about mythical beings figured out.
For reference:
Mythical Creatures Contract

The Labyrinth is actually perfectly equipped to bring in mythical creatures. There is only one Contract stopping it from doing so, and you can amend or revoke it.
The Contract was placed, however, when a satyr came into the Hotel and threatened to tell the gods how the Master had gone soft on Asterion; bringing in mythical creatures could be a problem if they decide to snitch.
On the other hand… Are there even any gods around anymore?

Revoking the Contract is simple and would only take a few minutes. The three days are spent in deciding and preparing what will substitute it.
Since the worry is that a snitch could come in, your team made it so Mythicals must sign a self-enforcing non-disclosure agreement not to reveal anything about the Hotel to anyone, particularly Gods.
Your team tried its best to make it so, first, no one with ill intentions will find their way to the Hotel; second, that if they do arrive, they won't be able to snitch and, third, if they do find a way to snitch, they'll be stopped.
Asterion was anxious about this whole thing -- he wouldn't talk much about it but his body expressed it well enough on its own. But the lengths to which your team went through set his mind to peace.
Once everything's signed and sealed you all sit back and wait at the reception. It's 10:59AM, your new guests should be here… Now.

No one shows up. You go out, look to the roads and horizon, but there's no one.
That's when you look down and see it; an old, tiny lacquerware saucer with a depiction of an eastern dragon. You recognize it as a kind of traditional sake-drinking ware. How did this get here?
You bring it in. Everyone's confused by it. Asterion's the first to speak up.
"Master, could this cup be our guest?"
You give it to Asterion, who takes it to the reception desk. You all wait, wait, and --
The Hotel flickers. The dragon depicted in the cup starts shifting, crawling around the cup and out of its surface. At first it's no bigger than your index finger but it grows as it paces around, crawling down to the floor.
Finally the dragon seems to have settled on a somewhat permanent size. It's smaller than you perhaps expected, at about 5 feet long. It's blue, a cold, dull blue, with a pair yellowed-out horns protruding backwards from its head. At spots throughout his body you find sickly-looking whiteish spots. It has a set of long whiskers, pale green eyes, and wears what can best be described as the roughest, sloppiest fabrics you've ever seen, made worse by how they've been worn down by what you can only imagine as two or three centuries of disrepair.
This dragon has seen better days -- or perhaps not. Asterion himself, even when locked in the cold room, had an air of distinction in his attitude. This dragon here, you don't think he's ever had even that.
The dragon doesn't say much -- or anything, at all. Doesn't seem like his mind is really there but Asterion manages to guide him through the paperwork, even if by the end no one can really read what he's scribbled as his name.
Your staff takes your new dragon guest on a wheelchair, to help him settle down.
Three days later you check back on his room. You can't say his progress has been amazing. Truth be told there's clearly something wrong about him and he can't fully think straight. Maybe you should invest in a medical crew?
Anyhow, you find that the Labyrinth's magic somewhat translates to you what he's saying, even if he's not fully coherent.
He's from Japan. He has a brother; they were once one, but split in two and formed two rivers flowing from the same source. But when war came the source and the two rivers were contaminated, his brother and he were locked away.
When you ask his name he can't seem to remember it well. But the word "quicksilver" comes out.
Once he's done talking a slight pang of lucidity shines in his eyes. He looks firmly to you and bows completely.
You can't see his face, since he's essentially pressing it to the floor, but you wouldn't be surprised if he's sobbing.
"Noble Host, have you seen my brother? We've lost each other and I can't live without him."
You have no idea where or who his brother could be, and your little dragon guest isn't being too clear about.
What you can extract is that this dragon's cold river was used to make fine sake, and his brother embodied the warm water. That's not much.
This guy isn't saying much but you have the inkling he and his brother had a very, very special bond.
Regardless, this guest -- let's call him Quicksilver for now -- really could use some medical attention. Or a priest, seeing as he's a mythical creature of japanese folklore.
What will you do to find this dragon's brother and heal him?

Chapter 9

Before we go down Quicksilver's story, how about we take a peek between Anon and Asterion?
Since saturday, when you made clear what you felt towards Asterion, things have changed a bit in how you two live together.
Gone are the days of inventing a pretext to snuggle up on him on the couch.
Quite often you'll see glimmers and reflexes of Asterion getting off on being your servant, but increasingly more often you share moments devoid of those connotations. There's not really a hierarchy in waking up each morning holding your lover, or cooking for him while he takes a bath after his training session.
Still, your Master-Servant relationship is there, shining when you least expect.
For example, your choice to overclock his balls had a few peculiar consequences. First of all, that toga of his? Now his balls would always be peeking from underneath, and wearing a loincloth would only switch that for a bountiful bulge. That's not an issue in your private quarters, but elsewhere it is.
Second, Asterion had to do a few adjustments to his wardrobe overall to compensate for his new package. You think then that, maybe, this wasn't such a great idea after all. But, much like your minotaur proudly showed off the necklace and masg you gave him, it seems like he does get off a bit in carrying your new brand.
Sometimes you two caught guests peeking at him. When working out in modern clothing his nipple rings would be easy to see, and when bench pressing at times his package would be quite a sight to behold. Add in that menacing mask of his and he looks like he could snap anyone in half for the smallest slight. Asterion seems aware of the stares -- then he looks at you and you know he's melting inside, thinking of how he belongs to you.
Finally it's no surprise his balls have made him hornier. Asterion already seemed to be easily excitable -- just holding his horns could get him to feel fuzzy even before you two had your first night together as a couple -- but now throughout the day you'll find your minotaur having to fend off wave after wave of sudden horniness. A few times throughout his shift he'll slack off to find you, for no given reason, but you know why he's doing it. You can see it in his eyes even if he's trying to come up with some small talk.
He doesn't have it in him, yet, to straight up demand or initiate sex. And you like seeing him getting progressively riled up. So during those impromptu visits you finger his nose ring when he's not expecting and gently pull his face to yours. Your lips clash; you tug at a horn while at it, setting the pace as he complies with every pull and push, and your other hand toys with his pierced nipples. Now those can get him moaning in no time.
Then, while he's about as riled up as he can get, you slap his supple butt and tell him to get back to work. You two can have your fun later in the night. Asterion seems to enjoy this kind of treatment, by the time you two have your intimacy at night his loincloth will be absolutely soaked in precum.
About sex itself, you're taking your time. Exploring what Asterion can and likes doing is a little adventure on its own.
First of all, he's absolutely always on board to servicing you with his mouth, no ifs or buts. If he's just waking up and you pull his face to your crotch he'll eagerly take it, for as long as you want, and thank you for your virile seed afterwards. That's another thing -- he doesn't ever want to waste your seed.
If you are feeling randy too you can take that midday kiss you two often have into an impromptu blowjob. Your only regret in this subject is that Asterion's horns scrape the underside of your office's table -- your fantasy of being an Executive and having your secretary service you while you have meetings is not feasible.
His dick -- you find out there's a reason why he doesn't mess with it too much during sex. He's really, really sensitive and easily gets overwhelmed. His delicate foreskin gives way to a beautiful, shiny cockhead. Just rubbing a precum-slick finger around it will have him trashing on the bed, unsure whether to hump or not.
Now you also learn that, for Asterion, sex is much more inside his own head than in his body. He obviously likes being dominated, used however you want to, and that makes him happier than you could ever make him by jerking off his dick. But there's also a need for tenderness there, when you're making love. If you only dominate him, he'll be satisfied, but if you also let it shine how he's safe with you, how much you like and appreciate him, he'll give in completely to you. And that's how you can get him to motivated to really use that long tongue of his in his blowjobs.
He doesn't ever ask you to make sure he cums. It actually seems like, to him, cumming is an entirely optional thing -- not blowing a load has the upside of keeping him horny for when Master needs him next. But, regardless, half the time he cums from giving you a blowjob and only slightly grazing his dick with a hand.
Even if he does cum he finds ways to recharge his batteries quickly enough. You've caught him being naughty once, smelling your underwear; that you had to punish swiftly by using that mouth of his. Once you woke up to him lazily exploring your armpit with his snout, hesitantly licking it. Seems like he really has a thing for scents.
But make no mistake, you've been using more of his mouth. On your second day as lovers you took the time to get intimately acquainted with his newly pierced nipples. Fortunately they had been completely healed by then, so you could nibble and flick them with your tongue slowly driving your bull mad. Again, Asterion's dick is really sensitive and the key to making him cum is getting him to feel submissive -- and appreciated. Loved, perhaps. As long as you make it clear you are in control and he's yours, your dear minotaur, chances are he'll burst into a geyser of pearly white cum.
You haven't explored his sweet, pink asshole yet. At most you grazed it with a finger while passionately kissing him. He reacted with surprise, but melted afterwards. Isn't that a sign of good things to come?
Now, with all of that said, it's time we get to business… Hotel business.
You and your more medically-inclined staff give the dragon, 'Quicksilver,' the best examination you can. One of your R&D boys, as it turns out, has a Medical Degree. He gives out the diagnosis of mercury poisoning, and shortly afterwards you have a treatment plan going.
Quicksilver ought to be treated with dialysis. Getting the machine is simple, a wish can do it, and this time this one employee can manage it -- but getting a proper Medical Team really should be a priority.
About Asterion, he's taken a liking to dragon. Quicksilver may not be entirely lucid but Asterion tries to give him some company.
Fortunately, it turns out Quicksilver does have something akin to Asterion's incredible recovery speed. Just about any person who had been put through a mercury poisoning like him would be a goner but he's making a quick recovery.
Now, searching for his brother -- you start with the cup Quicksilver came out of.
You take a duo from your security team and set them out to find a historian who can identify the cup's origin. They return with a positive result; you now have an approximate area where Quicksilver and his brother originated from.
There's only one river splitting in two there. One split was used to brew sake, the other neighbors hot springs… And, as it turns out, the first one indeed had been contaminated with mercury during the 60s. Everything's going smoothly.
You dispatch your team to go there and find the brother.
Your team collects a sample of both streams' waters.
They have some difficulty with that task. The area may not be too large but, still, who knows where this deity could be hiding?
They end up having to hire a local translator/guide. That gets them going in the right direction. Turns out the cup had a symbol for a shrine that had been destroyed centuries ago which bordered Quicksilver's river. There was a similar shrine on the other stream, and that narrows down your investigation considerably.
There are only ruins left, most of them half-buried, so your team gets out the shovels and, after a rough day's work, finds a broken, rusted katana with a dragon engraved. Some more digging and they find the other end of the broken blade. Both ends have dried up blood.
Your team returns to the Hotel, confident this ought to contain Quicksilver's brother.
By then your mythical guest has made nothing short of a miracle recovery. He's not fully restored by any means but he's lucid and capable enough to move by himself, despite still being clumsy. Seems like mythical beings really do enjoy very quick recovery times, if given the proper treatment.
So far Quicksilver's not much of a talker but he's no loner either. Asterion can get him talking easily enough and, when you visit, he seems to always make it a point to treat you with deference.
Asterion went ahead and customized Quicksilver's room as well, making it into Japanese-style bedroom from a few centuries ago. That was after Quicksilver was relocated to the ground floor, so he could be closer to the artificial islands. Asterion went ahead and, in one of them, placed an artificial waterfall beside a Japanese-style shrine. You'll often find Quicksilver there.
So, when your team gives you the news they likely found Quicksilver's brother he's lucid enough to be there.
The atmosphere is tense when your team returns. We can only be sure they found the right object once we succeed or fail at coaxing him out.
Quicksilver himself, whose attitude so far has been a steely determination in making a good recovery, looks like someone else entirely. He's agitated, anxious, uncontrollable.
But when your team shows him the sword it all comes crashing down. He's shocked by how the sword is in such a bad state and, with a shaking claw, caresses the engraving.
"Brother, it's me. Come out, come out brother."
Nothing changes. The world is suspended as everyone waits, waits, waits, and --
The Hotel flickers.
The engraving is gone.
Everyone looks in confusion to the sword, then looks around. There's no one there, when --
From the ceiling a red, eastern dragon falls, hissing and snarling at everyone around.
He catches everyone by surprise, but your choice to have a dedicated security team pays off. He's no bigger than Quicksilver -- 5 feet long -- so three of your securities manage to pin it to the ground.
While the dragon's still struggling against being handled like that, Quicksilver himself reacts. He calls out to his brother but the dragon seems too far gone.
Quicksilver approaches shaking like a leaf. He drops down to floor and looks closely into his brother's eyes. "Brother, it's me, we're together again, please set your mind at ease." But the struggling red dragon only snarls, spilling beads of saliva over Quicksilver's face.
The cold water dragon ponders for scarcely more than a second, and does something no one was quite ready for. He holds his brother's head down, pining it to the ground, then kisses him on the lips.
Their lips just clash at first, the red dragon seemingly mustering no particular reaction. But Quicksilver keeps at it, as you see confusion settling on the red dragon's mouth. Then the beast's eyes shine with something, a glimmer of recognition, even if it still isn't really kissing back.
Then Quicksilver mutters something to his brother's ear. You can't hear it. But, piece by piece, the deity's mind seems to return.
The red dragon stops struggling and relaxes on the floor, still pinned by your security staff. After everyone's sure he won't be trying any other tricks he's taken to the infirmary, where he's kept for observation.
Quicksilver was physically ill, but once you got that sorted out he made a quick recovery. His brother seems to be the opposite. He's perfectly fine physically, but at best he's a loud noise away from going on another rampage. Quicksilver's presence proves soothing enough that those incidents don't cause any damage, however.
You and Asterion make it a point to visit them.
"Anon-sama, Asterion-Sama." This time he doesn't bow to you, his attention is completely on his brother on the infirmary bed. "I am deeply sorry for… What happened. Both for my brother's behavior and… My display."
"My brother… Locked away in a sword, thrown away afterwards with blood still caked on his blade. It is quite simple. He's been impure for so long that his mind has receded. He's in bloodlust."
He won't even show you his face.
"And what I've done… Anon-sama's and Asterion-sama's hospitality so far has been nothing short of godly. I shall never forget what you've done for my brother and I. But I understand that your honorable establishment ought not have a place for ones such as my brother and I. We shall make a swift exit… I would only ask you, plead to you, Anon-sama, that you give us the time to have my brother recover. To let him purify from the corruption consuming him. Then we depart leave without leaving a trace. Our presence won't tarnish your establishment."
You have a situation on your hands now.
What do you tell Quicksilver, and -- assuming you let his brother recover -- what do you do to heal him?

Chapter 10

"Nonsense. You and your brother can stay, in fact I would insist you do."
Quicksilver's subtly widen and he's a tad taken aback by your response.
"About you and your brother, of all places there might be this the one where your feelings for him won't be a problem. That's really not gonna be an issue for us. Actually, knowing you and him are like that is a good thing, in a way. Once he's getting better we can get you two settled in the same room and you boys can enjoy some privacy."
That last point makes Quicksilver nearly turn red like his brother. He does try a bit more to squirm his way out of it, not really accepting that he and his brother might have a place here.
"Does Anon-Sama not understand? My brother and I, we..."
"I think I understand quite well."
Asterion, standing beside you, fidgets a little. He seems to be thinking of his own way to convince Quicksilver.
His fingers gently interlace with yours. He smiles down to the cold dragon. "We understand your situation quite well. Master and I may not be brothers but we share a bond nonetheless, which may not be dissimilar from yours."
This settles the issue, and nets you a nice bonus; later you finally ask the dragon his real name.
The dragon of cold waters is called Kota, the dragon of hot springs is Onsen, and now they're officially your guests.
Now, healing Onsen is looking up to be, hopefully, a simpler task.
You have your staff carefully clean Onsen's sword from all the caked blood and remove the rust.
You intend on reforging the blade but this first step seems to have an immediate effect on the spicy red dragon.
Asterion, meanwhile, has been studying his own way to try and heal Onsen.
Earlier you authorised Asterion to work on a project of his own; it turns out he built a whole, authentic greek bathhouse in the Hotel for the Guests to use. He suggests to Kota that inhabiting a new body of pure water could be therapeutic.
It may take a while to reforge the blade, but those first steps already set Onsen into an acceptable recovery.
You and Asterion check up on the two of them a week and a half later, once they've settled on their private room.
Your intention was making a brief checkup; you didn't want to interrupt their privacy now that they had been finally reunited in health. But once you get there you're surprised to find the two brothers set up a dinner for all of you.
You, Asterion, Kota and Onsen spend the night in this double date of sorts. Onsen is not a shabby cook and Kota's managing the drinks, it's a great experience through and through.
You wouldn't say what you and Asterion have is a secret. After all you do live together, that is widely known, but perhaps not many realize why. But you don't often show your affection to Asterion when others can see -- it would be unbecoming for a Keeper to moan in front of the guests as you pull at his horns, no matter how sexy that vision is. And when you do share gentler shows of affection it is quite often when you two are alone.
This dinner is a reprieve from this. Sitting on the floor, having an experience of having an authentic 17th century japanese meal and drinks, you go so far as putting your arm over Asterion's back and pulling him close to you. As the night goes and you two get tipsy you start sharing a few kisses too.
Asterion seems to have gotten along nicely with Kota -- the two have a similarly subdued personality.
Onsen is boisterous however, chirpy, direct. While the night goes on you find he seems to have taken a few pages from your book, he's the one coiling around Kota when he's not expecting it and just generally trying to sneak in some affection.
They tell their story. The two of them sprung from a single water source which parted into two rivers. Since they were first manifested the two of them had a connection that could not be described.
They weren't always lovers, over the years the precise shape of their relationship shifted and changed, but their love was always the same. For many decades they struggled with those feelings, with the taboo of it all. They were males and siblings, their union was doubly forbidden.
But they were young and uncontrollable too. Try as they might to avert from each other, all it took was a night of Kota's sake and bathing in Onsen's hot springs for them to wake up coiled together, reeking of sex, their union consumated.
They should have been ashamed. They should forbidden themselves from ever approaching each other.
But the warmth of their beating hearts was too great and they consummated their love again, and again, and again.
You want to see where this will go. You ask for more sake and make sure everyone's having their share. Knowing Asterion, even drunk, remains submissive you manage to control how far you two go, but Kota and Onsen are getting visibly hot and heavy as they exchange their affections.
"Since then," says Onsen, holding on dearly to Kota's hand, "that's what we are. We are lovers. Actually… More like spouses. We belong to each other through and through."
But that didn't go so well with the villagers. It took a long time but one day their lovemaking was seen by a villager. And that lead them to being sealed away, in a cup and in a sword. Then their rivers became polluted by blood and, later, mercury.
"But now you two are back together. Your chance to make up for lost time, wouldn't you say?"
You are a gracious host, however. That's enough for you.
The night ends in a cheeky tone. Kota and Onsen escort you to the door, as you say your good nights you notice Onsen coiling further and further around Kota -- who is discreetly coiling back. You know what they're gonna do as soon as the door closes, you're happy for them.
The night isn't over for you either. You have your own horny minotaur besides you. It's late in the night, there's no one around, and you two drunkenly make your way to your Quarters. You grope Asterion's butt all the way. He raises his tail for you, smiling and lolling his tongue as you use him however you want.
The moment you get to your Quarters you go in for a proper, drawn out kiss.
"Master..." he mumbles, seemingly wanting to say something. You break your kiss while holding his forehead against yours. "Do you see what the Hotel is for? This is what it can accomplish and helping people is what I want, what makes me happy."
"I am your servant but please, don't forget… Since you've arrived I am living the life I've always wanted… There were many Masters who put the Hotel to good use, but none that..."
He leans in for a kiss, holding you tightly. But then you feel him turning colder for a moment, losing his excitement.
"I envy those brothers, however," he says. "I do envy them. Hopefully now they are reunited for eternity."
He nuzzles your neck going down, to you chest, stomach, crotch. His excitement is returning. He's on his knees now, you do your old routine, tug at his nose ring, his horns, use his mouth for your pleasure, let him taste your precum. But you pull out and tell him you have another idea.
You two go to the bed, you tell him to undress and get on all fours and to raise his ass up.
"M-master? Wh-what is your intention with this?"
You don't give him an answer. You turn on the Mag Lev Lamp so there's only a soft, cozy light showing his beautiful pink hole. You know Asterion's clean, you two bathed together before going to the dinner and you made sure he was all ready for tonight's plan.
Asterion has a manly musk, clean but manly. You breathe against his hole and he shudders. You have to spread his ample, thick butt with both hands before you can dive in properly.
You've never seen Asterion so… vocal. He's turning incoherent quickly, moaning your name and trashing his tail around. You finally start licking his hole, just gently caressing it. He goes limp and starts slouching, going from all fours to his laying on his belly. You don't stop, you keep probing his pink hole with your tongue, having it gradually relax.
Every once in a while you go further down to his balls. You fondle them, so heavy and full since you enhanced them. When you grasp his dick he's spurting pre, leaking non-stop. His pre tastes wonderfully salty, you collect it to smear back on his hole.
When you leave his hole be while doing this your minotaur readjusts himself. He's back to being on all fours, now he's the one spreading his cheeks to you. His tail is raised for you.
"Aren't you eager tonight? Seems like you are in heat."
"I am always in heat for my Master."
Indeed.
He's eager for whatever you have in store for him. But you are a gentleman, you don't intend on fucking him tonight. You wanted to see his reaction to having his ass toyed with and you're satisfied with what you've seen.
But you can hump that booty nonetheless, even if you don't penetrate it.
You put your dick between his cheeks and tenderly push off his tail to his side. You grope his muscular asscheeks.
You start humping and he starts moaning out your name.
You love this minotaur.
Normally you wouldn't ask for permission on how to use him, but you know Asterion's been through a lot. "You think you'd like it if I spanked you, bull boy?"
This gets Asterion freezing up for a second.
"Have I done something wrong, Master?" His voice is profoundly conflicted.
"No, not at all. Is just some people like being spanked during sex. Not to hurt them, it's not supposed to hurt."
Asterion doesn't give you an answer. You take that as a "no," which is fine. But you'd say now he needs some tenderness.
You flip him over so he's laying in his back and you get back to humping his butt, without penetration. Seems like that spanking question gave him cold feet but it's nothing some kissing and holding on to his horns doesn't fix. Five minutes later he's full steam ahead again.
You're both enjoying it but this won't make you cum. You stop and gear up for tonight's finale, his mouth.
The Mag Lev Lamp's soft light lets you see Asterion's eyes shining up to you. The way he looks at you.
"I don't want this to ever end, Asterion."
Right then there's no tinge of you being his Master. It's just you, and just him. And it drives him crazy. His tongue goes wild on the underside of his cock, his throat spasms against your dick. He even cums before you, hosing you with his mythical load.
You dump your own load on his eager mouth. As always he keeps it in his mouth, tasting your seed, until you get down to him and give him some affection. You're holding on to his thick neck when you feel him gulping it down.
You have one final surprise for the night. You start scooping up all the cum he hosed you with and taking it to his mouth, letting him have a taste of his own mess.
You also got a taste of it, of course. It turns out mythical cum is quite sweet, almost like honey.
You two fall asleep on each others' arms. You're sure Kota and Onsen are in a similar predicament right now.

Kota and Onsen's whole predicament took a lot of attention and care from your whole staff. You're glad they are here, of course, but you are glader your other mythical guests so far have arrived with much simpler life stories.
A gang of kobolds found their way into the Hotel a few days ago. Maybe "sneaked in" is a more appropriate term. Actually for the longest time no one realized they had gotten in, they were just really good at hiding and were thinking they'd get kicked out -- it did not cross their minds the Hotel would take them in willingly.
It's quite possible you'd never have found out about them, seeing as the Hotel is infinite, unless they hadn't found out about Kota.
The cold dragon, with his extensive expertise about everything alcoholic, has taken the task of chiefing the Hotel's lounge. It's a different place from the main restaurant. The lounge is for fun and confraternization, the restaurant is for your daily meals.
The eight kobolds one day just gathered around him, with no pretense of stealth, and settled down to help him.
It turns out those kobolds descend from a lineage that served under a dragon from Europe, who was slain by a knight some centuries ago. Its cave collapsed, stranding the kobolds. They survived, had descendants, and for all this time have looked for another dragon to serve.
Kota may not be the european dragon they were seeking but he's a dragon nonetheless.
He doesn't appreciate the kobolds' shenanigans too much but he believes he can whip them up into a proper team.
Now they are proper guests and the lounge's waiting staff. They're clumsy and don't have good manners, yet, but they are quick learners.
It's not only the kobolds. Just the other day a proper demon -- red skin, horns, spade-tipped tail, a skull head and all that -- just walked in.
Sometimes his belly seems to move weirdly, you think he has a mouth there too.
He's a demonic lawyer and on the same day he arrived he happily set down with your Contracts team.
As a demon you'd expect him to be a threatening, menacing presence.
Well, he is, but not because mostly because he's a lawyer.
The law is scary man.
He quit from hell because he was just tired of dealing with all the fucked up shit sinners from hell could do.
His name is Robert. He likes long afternoons at the library, Nautical Law and an early night of sleep.
He's kinda boring.
You receive a dozen more humans into the Hotel. You assemble a Medical Team out of them. Your Chief Medical Officer is glad to have a proper team now.
Perhaps you'll need more people in the future for excursions into the outer world; you reinforce your Security and Exploration team.
You're accumulating quite the staff now. Maybe it's time you get a proper HR Department going.
A single plucky intern will do.
There's a last addition to the Hotel. Guests always arrive at around 11AM, but this one guy parked his dingy car late in the evening and skipped the reception desk entirely.
He's a griffin; he has the head of a bald eagle and eagle-like arms, but from his chest down he's lion-like. He wears a tattered tank top printed with the United States' flag, camo pants and a US-flag bandana.
You'd wager he's homeless and lives on his car. He smells very musky, you don't think he's taken a bath recently.
He walks on all four legs and goes around bumping on people, sometimes getting a whiff of their crotches.
"Oh so this is one of those fancy, high society joints eh, everyone smells like soap. Jesus, do you guys take one bath a week or something."
He goes straight for the lounge and takes a seat at Kota's counter. He's leaning on the counter, his dirty forearms leaving marks on the surface.
The griffin eagerly demonstrates his class and pedigree. With his legs spread wide he starts scratching his junk through his camo pants, really going at it, getting his talons to scratch those sweaty, hard to reach places.
Kota's disgust for this unwashed gaijin is immediate and cannot be contained.
"Who do I have to talk with to get a beer and a good american burger here?"
"I will arrange your drink sir, the kobolds shall take the order for your meal."
The griffin asks for your most american beer, Kota privileges him with his most diluted piss-beer.
He wants 8 burgers, "just like ma and pa's."
The kitchen staff in their infinite wisdom triples the oil on the grill and use Authentic American Transfat Cheese Substitute
They at first favor not putting in any greens but they find some fine, aged, soggy lettuce that seems authentic.
The griffin's joy over this authentic recreation of the American experience cannot be described.
Kota's disgust for the gaijin grows exponentially as he realized the griffin literally shoves the burgers whole down his mouth-hole and pours entire jugs of beer at once.
The griffin quickly spirals out of control. He lets out a sharp shriek that echoes through the Hotel, perhaps his attempt at laughter. "I take back what I said buddy, this place right here ain't no fancy joint, you guys know how to treat a guy."
"Hey there you rice noodle, whadya say I Hiroshima your Nagasaki over this counter? I'm sure your Lil' Boy will take a liking to my Fat Man. Or you can bomb my Pearl Harbor if that's your thing, I ain't too picky."
There are moments in life which stand as a merciful reminder of Christ's everlasting mercy and piety, and remind us of his sacrifice to bring salvation to us. This is one of those moments.
"C'mon old man, we all know two nukes clearly weren't enough so let's make this night our third."
Kota, having only recently come out of his cup-based imprisonment, has yet to learn about the nukes and how, according to some, "two clearly weren't enough." He remains unmoved by griffin's comment, at most happily surprised he knows the names of two prosperous Japanese villages.
The griffin shovels another burger down his gaping, all-consuming mouth-hole and climbs on the counter to take a peek at Kota's crotch.
"Oh hey you have no bulge down there, are you a girl? Or are you one of those dragons, the ones with dick coming out and shit? That's neat, how does it feel like to get fucked in the slit, grandpa? Is your dick a noodle too? Can I call you grandpa while you're spanking me?"

Meanwhile you and Asterion are having a private dinner in your Quarters.
None of you are wearing much; Asterion's only on his toga, without a loincloth, so his balls are peeking from underneath it. His nipple rings are exposed, and he sometimes toys with them.
Your minotaur bf seems to consider this a special occasion somehow. He went all out, and now you are enjoying the dessert; homecooked macarons.
Baking macarons ain't easy, you better appreciate it fggt
Asterion has a final ace up his sleeve, however.
"Master… I have one final surprise for the night."
He goes to the fridge and pulls a bottle -- a bottle of Hotel wine. "Onsen found it earlier today and brought it to me."
You know where this is going. Asterion approaches you almost sideways, his tail is raising in anticipation.
"I am ready for my Master. I submit my will to you. Please, make me yours again, and again."
You touch his chin, pulling him to you for a kiss when someone hammers on your door.
"Anon-sama! Anon-sama! There's a man in my lounge and the security won't do anything! He's taken Onsen as hostage! Anon-sama I require assistance!"
How absolutely rude. You're already shirtless, only wearing shorts, you open the door like that hoping that Kota will get the hint but it's no use, he spirits you away -- Asterion has to run up to catch to you.
What you find in the lounge is perhaps the vision of Kota's personal hell.
Three fourths of the hotel staff is around a single table, watching as the griffin pole dances on a rod of iron punched through the table.
You look to the side and find that someone punched a wall and ripped one of the supporting rods inside it, enabling them to fashion the pole.
It is with great applause the griffin pulls down his camo pants to reveal a speedo with the American flag printed on it. He isn't the buffest guy around -- maybe that would be Asterion -- but this guy would be the dream of anyone who ever wanted a rough, thick soldier to take them away.
He only stops his drunken out, but surprisingly well coordinated dance to kneel on the table so the guests can pour jugs of beer down his throat.
Eventually the just start pouring beer on him.
The crowd starts chanting out his name -- "LUKE LUKE LUKE LUKE YEAAAH" -- as he pulls his speedo just enough to show his ass.
Kota is trying to pull Onsen away from the crowd, pleading for his brother to preserve their honor.
Half the kobolds are working overtime to keep this chaos from getting worse, the other half is trying to touch the griffin's junk.
Your HR intern is crying in the corner.
Your Chief of Medical Staff is throwing opioid prescriptions like dollar bills at Luke, who's almost grinding his junk on medifag's face.
Robert the demon is at the corner reading a treatise on Nautical Law while calmly having his dinner.
Well.
Asterion finally catches up.
Fortunately no one notices his nearly undressed state, seeing as 'Luke' has all the attention.
"Master this is so tragic," Asterion says, "he didn't fill the paperwork! He has no room assigned to him. What shall we do?"
You just wanted to fuck your soon-to-be horse-dicked minotaur bf, is that so much to ask?
'Luke' lets out an eagle shriek, cackling while guests get up on the table to spank his ass.
"I like this joint! You guys reckon I can crash here fer a while?"

Chapter 11

Some days were better than others.
Being an undying entity in a realm created to torture you, then being left behind as each one of your kinder Masters one day perishes, it gets to you.
It gets to you and only keeps getting heavier.
So some days are like this.
Master's sleeping. Your head is on his chest, you hear his heartbeat. You look down to his crotch, his fine male member, and any other day your mind would just swim with the idea of getting it in your mouth and making love to his knob. But this morning you're just cold and the air around you weighs a ton on you.
Yeah, that happens sometime.
But you are the Hotel's Keeper so you must get up. You must.

More often than not you envy mortals. No matter how bad things get they always have a final ace up their sleeve; death.
You had it too when you lived. You got pulled from your family and locked away, alone, for years on a labyrinth. No way out, no company, nothing. It ate away at your mind.
What had you done to deserve this? You cried yourself to sleep thinking of mom and dad every night. Why had they sent you here?
There was no hope of escape either. You tried everything you could.
It had been years when someone finally came to visit and he wanted your head.
Perhaps it would be a mercy. You hoped it would be. But the gods had other plans.
How you envy the mortals today.
You know Master is trying to find his way to immortality. You told him it was an unwise pursuit. How many mortals have attempted it over the years? From Gilgamesh to Genghis Khan. Every mortal is fated to die.
You'd much rather join Master in death, when old age came to pick him. But you know that won't be allowed. You're here forever.
So many times during the millenia you've hold on to the idea, to the dream. It's what you think of before going to bed; let me die. Let it end. But it never will.
At other times you've entertained an even worse idea. One so selfish, so greedy, that if you've ever said it out loud you're sure it'd just justify the gods in sentencing you to the Labyrinth in the first.
Even today you avoid thinking about it. Just the thought makes you shiver.
To even think of the future turns you into this; cold, deadweight stone.
This has been a constant over the centuries. The better things get, the better the Master, the more frequent those cold days would become.
You suppose there are people who were never meant to have happiness. You may have tricked the Labyrinth into becoming a fine place but the Gods ought to still have the last laugh. Now you have it all, but your mind won't let you enjoy it.
Some people truly weren't made to be loved.

You've talked about this with Kota. This was back when he was recovering still, a day or two before his brother arrived.
The Medical Chief had given him a very strict diet, which meant no alcohol, but you had once or twice sneaked in a drink from the pantry. Not the special wine, just regular sake.
Mortals don't understand that, for undying monstrosities and mythical beings, the idea of keeping good, healthy habits is mostly pointless. More often than not you're just out there to dull your senses as much as you can.
Master had not authorised you to drink, but he hadn't ever forbid you either, so that was your loop hole this time.
"We are very small, Asterion-sama," Kota said, in-between sips from his sake. "It may be the humans who you protected, as was my case. It may be the gods who set you up for failure. We are very small regardless, compared to them."
He refilled his sake dish, looked at it longingly, then drunk it all in a single go.
"Some people really weren't ever meant to be happy. But we weren't meant to die either, so we just keep on existing."
But things changed after Onsen arrived. Back during that dinner night you and Master had with him you had a brief moment alone with Kota again, you went to the balcony for a breath of fresh air while Master checked on Onsen's cooking.
"Kota, you still think about what we discussed? About how we are small?"
You took another gulp of your drink. That was a happy night but even the best ones have some sourness to them.
You didn't know what answer you were expecting. You supposed any of them would be both good and bad.
"I do," he said, looking off to the distance. He hesitated, licked his lips, weighted his words. "I believe I know where Asterion-sama is going."
"Is that so."
"I have changed my mind, if that's what you want to know. Perhaps there is a mercy. For my brother and I, reunited as we are, yes. I see that there is such thing as mercy."
But there was a point hanging there and you both knew it.
"Anon-sama is mortal, however," he mumbled. "What is a decade for someone who's lived through centuries? It goes by so fast. It won't last too long and you know it. Enjoy the time you have with him, don't think about it too hard. Let it be. Enjoy it, Asterion-sama."
You took another swig of your drink.
"Perhaps we'll need more sake," Kota said.

The idea of getting up and working seems colossal to you in those cold days. But if you focus on each step it's more bearable.
Turn over. Get up. One leg at a time. Look around. Walk to the kitchen. Open fridge. Eggs. Pan. Butter. So on.
It is just unbearable enough to count as torture, but not so much that Master can see through you. The gods ought to be having their last laugh right now, if the damned bastards still exist at least.
You hope Master notices it; that there's something wrong with you. You would want nothing else now. But he's still sleepy, his mind ought to be busy with all the recent Hotel projects. The R&D, the aquarium.
The aquarium. It's almost done. The animals will be deployed soon.
You shudder at the idea.
Master Anon has been delving deep into the Contracts. You don't think there were many Masters who tried to master them with such gusto. Maybe, if someone can do it, that's Master.
But the animals of the Labyrinth were created to torture you.
Back during the early Labyrinth, everyday the eagles would peck your eyes and liver out, in the truest greek fashion. You'd be thrown into a river and eaten alive, then left to regenerate all your way back to health.
That is until the Masters realized that being completely mangled meant you couldn't feel any more pain, just a dull discomfort.
Master Anon thinks he can show you the animals, the sealife.
If someone can do it it's him but by the gods you are so afraid.
Perhaps your first bout of matinal inertia doesn't catch Master's attention, but your uncontrollable shaking and breaking your coffee mug sure does.
"Asterion, are you ok?"
Sweat is dripping down your forehead and you can't string two words together.
You probably look like a beast to him now. Just a regular, lowly bull.
"Moo."

Master Anon is a peculiar one.
He insists you should have time off during the weekends. Well it is traditional for the Master to have the weekends off, sure, but there's no respite for the Keeper. Still he insists.
Today he insists on something even more queer; you should a day off.
It's wednesday. Middle of the week. There's work to do and -- a day off? You've never had something like that. You don't get sick so it's not like your body can't work.
Your body is fine, why should you not be able to work? But Master insists. And you must obey.
It's your day off but not his, so he works. But he decides to work from his office today so he can keep an eye over you. You don't quite get what he means by that. You can't die, you'll regenerate from any injury, why does he have to make sure you are ok? You are always ok. You can't die. You will forever be ok.
You watch TV. You browse the internet. You think about jerking one off while Master's working but you really, really can't get hard today. You try thinking of Master -- him holding your horns as he pulls your mouth on his manhood, the taste of salty pre all over your mouth and dripping from your lips to your chest.
... It's no good.
You may not feel too hot but you can give your Master a good time nonetheless.
Didn't he joke he wanted you to blow him in his Office during a meeting? Well he's not in a meeting now but you can take his seed there right now.
Robert, the demon lawyer, had passed by to deliver some paperwork just some minutes ago but he left. Master should be free enough.
You get up and amble your way to the Office, to Master. He's reading. You walk up to him, drop to your knees and sink your muzzle on his crotch.
On any other day Master would be pulling you by the horns. But he's looking at you weird today. Something's off. He's noticed you aren't into it.
Maybe you really are becoming just a plain, old, dumb, worthless bull. Master ought to be seeing that now. He's not horny. He doesn't want you.
"What's wrong babe?," he says. "Come here. What's going on, tell me."
But you can barely string together words. You're just some dumb animal of the land and you can't even give a proper blowjob.
He pulls you up from your knees, kisses you. You can't fake it, he knows you're stone cold today.
He wants to have a talk, you two go to the dinner table.
Master is so peculiar sometimes. "A talk." You're his servant, he could just tell you as it is right then and there. But Master likes some of his formalities, his manners, those rituals.
He tries to figure out what's going on with you but stringing words together is so hard today.
"I'm cold."
"The air is heavy."
"It's hard doing things."
That's about as much as you can say.
Now look at what you've done, Master's calling down to say he's taking a day off too. This is your fault, you're so useless you hybrid monstrosity.
"There's something I've meant to talk with you for a few days now, bull boy," says Master. You're no longer at the table, you're at the couch, cuddling. He said contact could help you feel better but you are not feeling it.
"I had the boys at R&D take a good look at the Contracts and they've been finding some… Stuff. Things I don't think anyone's ever found."
You rumble, letting out a "moo."
"They found excerpts from your trial's transcript. It says here you weren't present then."
It's true. The whole thing happened while you were housed in Hades.
Now, that was a place to spend your eternity. Less of a pain than the Labyrinth that's for sure.
"We've found some very curious points so far. Poseidon, for instance. Turns out he was the one defending you and he tried pulling all the strings he could. No expenses spared. He tried getting you to return to the sea."
"Return to the sea? I'm not from the sea."
"Well, the Cretan Bull who got your mom pregnant was Poseidon's white bull, so he kinda considered you a grandson. So he set up your whole defense, with witnesses and everything."
There are few things which an undying, millenia-old monstrosity can consider 'new.' You've seen it all, all humanity can pull out of its sleeve.
But this is new. You didn't think you had a defense.
"It's not only that. He didn't win the trial for you but he got to influence the sentence. It is thanks to him that we can rewrite the Labyrinth, that was his idea. And the whole Master thing, too. He put in a lot of stuff, we're still trying to figure it out."
"And the witnesses… There were quite a few. Poseidon's kids tried but couldn't get in. And does the name Geryon strike you as familiar?"
Now that's a name you hadn't heard in a while.
"He was a friend I made in Hades. He was killed by a greek hero too. A hybrid monstrosity, just like me."
"You're not a hybrid monstrosity. You are a hybrid, I suppose, but not a monster."
"What's the difference? Being a hybrid is what makes me a monster."
"That's not true. You're… You're lovely, Asterion. You're kind, loving, handsome. You, you are everything I could hope for and more."
You don't think Master's lying. But surely those feelings of his won't last. Eventually he'll see you for what you are, and this brief period in your eternity of being Master's lover will come to an end. He'll find a fitting mate, soon enough. He's the Master of the Hotel and he can have anyone he wants. You're just his servant, soon he'll understand you're no more than a toy.
"I love you," he says, hugging you from behind. "I want to be with you, forever. I want you to be mine, and I to be yours. Trust me Asterion, believe me, please."
'Trust me, believe me, please.'
That is technically an order. A command. And you're bound to the Master's will.
But, you realize now after millenia, perhaps there are commands you are not bound to fulfill. Maybe because they are impossible. Or they make no sense. How can a man love a monstrosity? The idea is too preposterous to even entertain.
Perhaps this is the gods' final punishment to him; to again and again struggle with the idea of being loved.
… But Poseidon defended him. Someone did. And, his old friend from Hades...
"Geryon. What about Geryon, you were saying?"
"He made his way to the trial and stood as witness in your favor. There was someone else too, your mom."
"Mom? Pasiphae?"
"Yes. She challenged the gods, said 'meekness ought not be a flaw worthy of punishment.' She blamed herself for what happened to you. Didn't care for her reputation or Crete's, she went against the gods themselves. That's a mother's love, for you."
A mother's love.
He does not remember, no one does, but Asterion nursed from his mother's breast. Like any other child. His mother never said she loved him; he was the sign of her shame, of her crime against nature. He was her shame. But he nursed from her breast regardless, she allowed it.
Can a man be so bold as to hold onto the warmth of love?
"Mom loved me?"
Asterion doesn't notice he's crying. Neither does he have any control over what happens next, over his body as it curls up in pain, as the hurt of centuries comes out in a single muffled scream.
A man is told all his life he's unworthy of love, that he's a monster, that the Gods have forsaken him. That is his everything.
Then you hold this man, speak to him of love, of a God who granted him his favor, of a friend who made his way from hell itself to defend him. And of a mother's love, too little too late, but love nonetheless.
You tell a man he's worthy of love, then show it. Make him see the proof.
What can a man do when his most fundamental belief is broken like that?
He screams, in horror, in sadness, it's a wail like no other -- but it's warm, it burns so bad, and that kind of hurt beats feelings nothing at all. And just like that everything burns away, all the hurt, and that man is left adrift in a sea of possibilities.
The world is nothing like he imagined, and as he wails he can hardly contain the joy that a man, a man with the shining spark of humanity, can be wrong.

The screaming, the wail, the crying, the heaving.
Once Asterion's just a mess of sobbing, twitching man on the couch, letting out a laugh between his crying, Anon starts humming.
Singing.
Among those divine documents, the excerpts from the trials, there was a whimsical little thing. It was just a few pages with lyrics, written by a previous master. Lullabies for his kids. But Asterion would fall asleep before them, so he wrote them down for future masters.
You sing, holding on to your minotaur, the sobbing, crying, laughing mess of pure man.
You say you love him, again, and this time he curls up to you and pushes his face against your chest. This time it hits.
"Will you believe me this time?"
"Yes, Anon," he says between his sobs. "I'll always believe you."
"I want you to be mine, Asterion, in ways you've never belonged to anyone. I want to date you, to make it official. Will you be my boyfriend?"
A man's told all his life he's not even a man. He's an object. Undeserving of love. But in a single night it all comes crashing down, now he's left with a hunger made all the more ravenous from all the centuries of starvation.
Asterion wants, and today his want burns brighter than it ever did. Asterion turns around and looks at you in the eyes. You've never seen him like this; fierce and burning up.
"I love you, Anon. I will be yours, and I will be a man."

Later, it doesn't take long for Asterion to settle down. He falls asleep quickly thanks to the songs.
It's still early in the afternoon, you're far from tired. But you're not going to leave your minotaur alone. So you try and nap, organize your thoughts, fit together your ideas.
Lots of things are about to happen.

That was Wednesday. Now it's Friday afternoon and everyone's here for the celebration. Everyone.
The aquarium makes its grand opening; it's an installation outside of the Hotel, by the beach, and from it there's an underwater glass tunnel that makes a labyrinth of its own around the artificial islands you shaped for your Dubai-esque magical hotel.
The Labyrinth hasn't seen wildlife for centuries and now its seas are teeming with life; fishes from all around the world all mixed together into a magically-sustained habitat. And no funny business; none of them seem to notice or care for the people in the aquarium, much less Asterion.
Everyone's having their fun. Luke's making a fool of himself, trying to get people drunk and to make a mess too, but it's too early in the day for anyone to go with his shenanigans. After a while he settles down and just enjoys the peaceful moment, then joins the R&D boys. Robert the demon is with them and they are all collectively getting smashed; the brunt of this project was their making and you wouldn't believe how much math went into designing the tunnel. Your Chief of Medical Staff later goes along with him.
They yell at you that they wanna pick a project of their own now that doesn't involve contracts; they want to bring in the aliens next.
The kitchen staff is joking around, saying we'll need a fishing crew to start getting some fresh fish around.
The HR intern is off to the side, enjoying the moment but not getting nearly as smashed as anyone else.
Kota and Onsen disappear for a while, then you look up and see the two of them are outside the tunnel swimming along with all the wildlife.
You and Asterion are there together, as always.
You two haven't really hidden your affection for each other from the staff, but it's something you don't flaunt around either. You keep it cool and discreet while outside your Quarters. It just seemed like the professional thing to do.
But now it's all changing. This doesn't seem too much like a job anymore, it's more like a community. A village, growing, expanding. Those people are your friends. You go out for dinner with each other, you drink together, you talk about life.
You and Asterion are holding hands as you look out to the sea, talking about the smallest things. People eventually do look to the both of you, how close you two are -- the hands mixed together.
Light from the surface streams down to the tunnel, giving it an ethereal, shifting light. If one would look at you from behind the light coming from outside would shadow the details, make you like a silhouette. Two shadows holding on to each other.
No one says anything but they all figure it out, if they hadn't known already. Except Luke -- he makes a big fuss about it ("Hey look, Anon's a bull fucker!") but someone shuts him up.
"You know," you say to your boyfriend, "I think Poseidon in the end got what he wanted."
"What do you mean? We lost the trial."
"Yeah, but… Look around you. We returned you to the sea, wasn't that what he wanted?"
Asterion remains speechless for a while. With his free hand he holds the golden necklace you gave him.
"Yeah. I suppose you're right. Maybe he'd be happy knowing I'm doing fine."
"I'm sure he would. Your friends would be happy."
Asterion smiles softly. "I suppose I had some really good friends, didn't I?... And I have more of them now too."
He holds tightly to your hand.
"This is very fine. I'm ok with this."

End of Chapter 11

Chapter 12
ENCOUNTER 1

You decided you wanted to send out an exploratory team into the depths of the Labyrinth, see how far they can go.
You picked Luke as muscle, some added security personnel, with a medic for any emergency.
Over three days the team makes multiple excursions into the upper floors of the Hotel -- over the 200 floor count, 500, 3000 and so on. They don't investigate every floor, since even inside a floor the Hotel just goes on and and on. It's infinite in all directions.
Your suspicions were confirmed. As your team went into the upper floors the Hotel became… Glitched. Decoration would repeat again and again. Sometimes the entire floor would be a black, sprawling emptiness that could still be walked on.
Very rarely the Hotel would give way to a true Labyrinth carved out of dark, sinister obsidian. In those floors there'd be no ceiling; the sky itself was a vortex of swirling red, purple and dark. From the walls a foul smelling liquid would continuously drip.
Asterion, upon hearing of such a sinister location, said that's the Labyrinth's primordial state. That's what happens when a Master lets it be freely.
Your team, at the end of their many excursions, is happy to inform that there were no hostile occurrences; there was no one there…
Except a cat.
It has no face, at least no facial features at least. It's face is glitched out, like a complete void, a hole into another reality.
You can still pet it just fine though and it doesn't seem to act any differently from a regular cat. Except its meows sound like metal rubbing together.
It does react differently to Asterion; it starts glitching whenever he sees the minotaur, which manifests as the cat clipping through furniture as it shifts, blinking into existence randomly.
You can ask your R&D team to research the Glitch Cat (they call it 'Glatch') or do something else with it.

You decide to keep the Glatch but have it studied by R&D.
They completely fail at cracking what's up with it. They don't even know how to start.
Well, they do get some laughs out of playing with it.

ENCOUNTER 2

One day a man shows up at the Hotel. You're called down to the reception, he wants to talk with the Hotel's owner.
He looks like he's on his late 40s. He has fair, white skin and curly hair. His clothing is weathered, he looks like what you'd expect a hiker to look like after a week in the woods -- if that hiker could still maintain an impeccable sense of style. And the smell, he smells like fresh laundry.
"Mister Anon? Good morning. I'm a delivery guy and, good lord, I've been looking all over for you. Spent one week checking back on your apartment everyday, there was never anyone there! I started asking about you and I couldn't get any good leads, but before I know it… Here I am! I asked around for directions and, luck would have it, you're here too!"
"Look, Mister Anon, I have this letter for you. I've been instructed to take your answer back, so… Well, if you can write it I'll be glad to send it back. And get back to my regular life."
The letter comes in a plain white envelope. The returning address is written there; it seems to an unremarkable address.
It reads:

Mister Anon.
I'm sorry for taking so long in sending you a letter. Father is senile and it took me a while until he was lucid enough to tell me about you. He's told me he's given you the deed to the hotel.
[There's something scribbled here, unreadable.]
Well, I honestly don't know how to say what I want without giving off the wrong impression, so I'll be blunt. Dad can do that kind of stuff. I'm not too sure that kind of attitude of his is, well, right. It's kind of sudden, isn't it? 'Here's a Hotel, you can do whatever.' It's just… Well, he's senile. He doesn't get how much of a hassle it can be to uproot your life to take some business you just got from someone else. And dad even when he was young was kind of a brash guy… So, yeah, he's difficult. He has a history of bad, impulsive decision making. He's done a lot of bad things.

Look, what I mean to say is that if you regret taking the deed, it's fine. You can send it back to me and that'll be it.
If you like it, however, that's very fine too. You can keep it. I mean, nothing I could do about it, since it's yours already and that's it, but I want you to know it's all cool.
Also, if you do want to keep the Hotel, would you mind telling us how you're doing? Hope everything's ok.

T."

The delivery guy's waiting for your answer.

You tell him he can take some time off to relax. He must be tired from the trip. The lounge's that way and it's on the house for him. But you do tell him some of the guests aren't human so it's good if he keeps an open mind, try not to freak out and all.
"That's cool," he says, kind of unmoved by what you just said. "Cool. I've seen a lot of weird stuff working deliveries, man. You wouldn't believe. So is ok, I don't think that'll be an issue. And thanks for the welcome man, really appreciate it."
While he's having his fun you write a response to T.
"Hello, T.
Yes, I do intend on keeping the Hotel. I've settled well here and I'm building quite a life, really enjoying it. Things are going well.

You're welcome to drop by, if you're ever in the area. Maybe it wouldn't be too great bringing your dad since he's going senile, but you really are welcome.

Anon."
Later you check up on the delivery guy. He had been talking with Kota for a few hours now, just enjoying the foods and drinks. Dude seemed to be getting along well with everyone.
You offered to book him a room for the night. He hesitated at first but quickly gave in. Before going to his room though he talked to you for a while.
"What you're doing here is cool, little guy. Really like it. You see, while I was coming here I happened by some lost guy wandering around. Dude isn't doing too well, I could tell, but he gave me the heebie jeebies… Look, you think you could take him in? I don't have too much cash with me so I don't think I can pay for his stay, but if you do me a solid here I swear I'll pay next time I pass by."
You tell him the guy he saw wandering is welcome to stay. No need to worry about payment.
"Nice. Real nice little dude. Real kind of you."
You tell him you'll send out a team to find him, but the delivery guy cuts that idea down.
"Nah, don't worry about that. I know the general area where he was camping out, it'd be easier to fetch him on my way out than trying to explain it to your crew. Don't worry about it."
You're about to show him where his room is when he springs up with one final request.
"Hey, so, the dragon guy, Kota? Yeah, he was telling me about all the people around here and all that. And he was telling me the minotaur, the minotaur from Ancient Greece, he's here. Is that true? Like, if it is, you think I could meet him?... I'll be honest with you little guy, I really want to take a picture of him for my kids. They're gonna shit their pants."
Now now, that makes you cautious. You're not sure you want pictures of the Hotel or its guests getting out. Especially not Asterion.
You tell him that 'the minotaur' may already be asleep, so how about leaving the meeting for tomorrow morning? It's already getting late after all.
"That's fine little dude, don't wake him up for my sake. I should be going to bed too, by the way."
You escort him to his room and give him your letter.
Later you meet up with Asterion and discuss what's up with this guy.
Asterion is hesitant, perhaps overcautious. Knowing this guy may have some relation with the previous Master… Asterion would rather be safe than sorry.
All of this discussion, however, ultimately is a moot point. By the time you've gone to the reception in the morning you learn he's left a few minutes ago; he wanted an early start.
Wel… Guess that's that.
He did leave a message for you: "I'm gonna find the little dude in the desert real quick, I'll send him over to you. Btw my phone number is XXX-XXX-XXX"

ENCOUNTER 3

You and Asterion settle down one night to look over his stuff.
You found a Contract mentioning something called 'Poseidon's Parting Gift,' you suspect it might be in Asterion's room.
Asterion himself has absolutely no idea what it could be. He never actually met Poseidon, so he can't imagine what his 'parting gift' could be.
You find it quickly that there's not much in Asterion's quarters. He's a very austere man. There's some furniture, most notably his favorite french reclining chair. His closet has clothes, which are unremarkable even if they look great on him.
The most salient objects are the previous Master's wooden carvings and the Mag Lev Lamp you gifted him (which is actually in the room you two share).
You expand the search. Your Quarters. Nothing remarkable either.
Now, the Office, that's another story entirely. It's literally brimming with magic trinkets and papers. From Contracts setting the laws to Mathematical documentations governing reality. Magic papers can literally pop into existence at the drop of a hat! And there are all the tools you use in writing and implementing Contracts, too.
Unless Poseidon's Parting Gift is the Mag Lev Lamp, if that thing is here it must be in the Office somewhere. But you really have no idea what's it supposed to look like. So, it seems, you're out of leads for now.
You think to yourself that Poseidon's Parting Gift is set to spawn in the Hotel because of a Contract, which you've unearthed already.
Maybe you could amend it and choose where to spawn it.
So you rewrite the Contract, setting it so five minutes from now Poseidon's Gift will respawn on top of your Office Desk.
You and Asterion wait.
...
...
Asterion looks at you. His face is somewhat blushed, and he proceeds to hug you firmly.
"Thank you for doing all of this for me, Anon. You're so good to me. Even if it doesn't work, thank you for car--"
The Hotel flickers, and you hear a thud of a hard object hitting the desk.
Oh, look at that, it worked. Aren't you a smart little boy? Thinking with Contracts pays off!
On your table is… One of the snowglobes that was in the chest containing the Folders.
Well, you know for sure it wasn't on the table before. So it's safe to assume this snowglobe, not too different from the others, is Poseidon's Parting Gift.
You and Asterion inspect it closely.
It's aptly described as a darkened ball of glass. Neither you nor Asterion know how or what do use it for.
Well, that's what you have R&D for, right?

ENCOUNTER 4

Robert, the demon lawyer, hasn't been seeing much Contract work since the team's gearing up to bring over extraterrestrial life.
He's been going through some previous Contracts during his downtime and, one afternoon, he come over to talk with you.
"Boss, I know you didn't like the whole 'The Maggot' Contract, but I've been looking it over and… This thing, yes, it's horrifying but it's actually kind of… Look, we've brought back animals to the Hotel, right? The Labyrinth can create life. But this Contract here designed life and that's not something we've managed to do so far."
"If you'll allow me to study this, maybe we can find a way to do that too, to design life however we want."
You tell Robert he can go ahead.

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Pub: 22 Feb 2022 02:48 UTC

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