Heck

“Shut the hell up already,”  Adonis had growled as he lightly thumped the iron bars with his forehead.  He was already in a foul mood (like he was ever in a good mood) from all the pitiful warbling of some of the other pour souls locked up just like him.  Not that he felt no sense of urgency or empathy, but because he was just as trapped as they were.  Antiques.  Cattle.  Pets.  Art.  Whatever the fuck people wanted to call magical beings was none of his concern.  Stuff a human into a cage for long enough and he’ll become nothing short of a possession as well.

Her head snapped to him, matching his look with her own indigo glare. She looked wild and petulant, if a little frightened, fins prominently displayed and body coiling further into the corner of the cage she clung to. She was an odd combination of snake and lizard in that moment, displaying fins and fangs, mouth open, poised to strike. For a moment, even her pupils narrowed to nonexistent slits.

“You want me to what…?”  He questioned, looking from Tlalli to the stone and back.  He made no attempt to suppress his shock; was her mission to get him caught?  He didn’t know if he had the strength left to bash a lock in, let alone do it before the fat man’s servants scrambled in with prods and other ridiculous instruments to try and ‘coax’ him back into his cage.  He doubted just about everything at the moment, but then again…  he never did survive the trade for this long without risks.

Adonis hefted the rock and rolled it around in his calloused hands, gauging its weight and strength.  Perhaps…  

Phantasy Star Online 2 x Monster Hunter Frontier-Z. Rappy.

“Shut the hell up already,”  Adonis had growled as he lightly thumped the iron bars with his forehead.  He was already in a foul mood (like he was ever in a good mood) from all the pitiful warbling of some of the other pour souls locked up just like him.  Not that he felt no sense of urgency or empathy, but because he was just as trapped as they were.  Antiques.  Cattle.  Pets.  Art.  Whatever the fuck people wanted to call magical beings was none of his concern.  Stuff a human into a cage for long enough and he’ll become nothing short of a possession as well.

Her head snapped to him, matching his look with her own indigo glare. She looked wild and petulant, if a little frightened, fins prominently displayed and body coiling further into the corner of the cage she clung to. She was an odd combination of snake and lizard in that moment, displaying fins and fangs, mouth open, poised to strike. For a moment, even her pupils narrowed to nonexistent slits.

“Your curse is no one’s concern right now if you’re going to be shipped off to some egotistical elf with deep pockets.  They’ll probably care less about your problems than the fat orchestrator of this dump.”  He then drew back some, sneering at his own little outburst.  No sense getting some clueless creature caught up in the crossfire of his anger.  Countless years of braving the trade had hardened him into a mess of hatred and bitterness.  He knew he was acting out of line, but complacency would mean submission.  If they wanted him to behave, then they would have a hell of a time doing so.

Adonis wound up and swung his arm, ending the motion with the flick of his wrist, aiming a the far end of the cage to avoid accidentally clipping his ticket out.  The feather cut through the air, flying as a dagger would towards it’s target.  Upon colliding with the bars, it bent one out ever so slightly and cut cleanly through another.  He muttered a few elvish profanities before he reached out to pluck another feather from the many decorating his back to repeat the gesture, cursing his lack of opportunities to hone in on his skills.

Half a dozen of the sharp projectiles later, there was a sizable hole cut punched through the thin bars; large enough for a hand to fit through and perhaps even a creature twice the size of the long serpent-like creature.  With a huff he crashed back down, turning his back to lean against the bars that contained him as the feathers crumbled down and disappeared into thin air, presumably returning to the owner who had thrown them.  He had done all he could.

Miserable, miserable, miserable. She’d never been more miserable in her whole life. Not when Popop had left the picture, not when she was all alone and lost, and not when a local predator had gotten a little too brave with their hunting and left her limping for three weeks. No one cared if she talked or pleaded, wailed or keened. Snarling and snapping simply got her tutted at by the man in the luxurious, trailing clothing as he supervised his underlings. The underlings barely flinched at all as they wheeled her along.

Through narrowed eyes and a thin veil of mussed hair he shot daggers at the little creature in particular, scarred face twisted into a grimace.  He was frustrated and couldn’t think over the pleas of nearly every other soul here, all wanting to go home.  Wherever that may be, anywhere was better than continuing to sit around and nurse his lifelong grudge while he rotted.  

He analyzed the creature and her prison and nearly laughed, taking note of the small intricacies of her cage.  Unlike his own, the bars were thinner and more fragile; dare he even imagine… brittle and breakable.  Perhaps he could shut it up and break out at the same time.  If not, a few more scars wouldn’t make a difference.  They wouldn’t let him die even if he swallowed his own damn pride and begged.  “You want out no more than I do.  Than we all do.”  

Adonis reached to his side, plucking a brown and gray quill from his cloak.  “I get you out, you get me out.”   Those little claws of hers could at least be of some use, whether it be for picking at a lock or stealthy swiping keys from a fat man’s pocket he cared little so long as freedom was his reward.  It was a gamble of trust, but it was one that he was willing to take.  What more could he possibly lose?  Even if the proposition was declined, nothing would deter him from attempting to break free now.

The feather that he held between two clawed fingers began to glow a faint orange and yellow, swirling with magic.  He couldn’t help but feel a twinge of gratitude for the dealer’s haphazard investigation of his abilities.  With nothing to dampen the little magic he possessed, a newfound confidence manifested within Adonis’ chest, nearly overshadowing the evident disdain that was usually flaunted.  

commission for @yian-ruru , I had alot of fun with this one ! 

ko-fi