Ashton yawned with a stretch, "The dragonkin are rather arrogant, I've been trying to teach them… but they are… hardheaded." Ashton didn't bother to look as Jaxon pushed himself up. The dragonkin were very durable. A normal human would have had a few broken bones.
Caius narrowed his eyes, "You're too kind Little Snack, they dare to look you in the eye." Caius rested his unhappy gaze on the Adarian prince. "Perhaps I should make an example of them."
Zane immediately knelt, "Please excuse our rudeness my lord, we do not dare." Zane knew Caius meant it, while he was usually the easiest beast to please, he was also extremely capricious. Being around Young Song had made them complacent.
Ashton removed the hand covering his eyes, "I am not so petty, though I do agree an example will do them some good."
Caius wrinkled his nose, "Aiya, fine. So the humans want five pieces, what three pieces do you want Little Snack? I think the head, heart, and right arm would be best."
Jaxon had been sent rolling several yards, luckily he only seemed bruised. Leonard had been helping him up when he heard the statement… without his head or heart Monroe would still die.
Leonard shuddered, "Lord Reece, can you pick the eight pieces you want… and we then pick the five we wish to reclaim?" He asked with a slight tremble in his voice. Clearly, they had not understood the real reason why beasts of sin were treated with such respect… with Caius being a true representative… the contrast was painfully jarring.
Ashton tilted his head back and forth, "Hmm, Fox, what will you trade me for the pieces?" While eating Monroe would increase his resistance to the dragon's blessing, he would have to eat a significant piece of Monroe. As Fox had stated… the head or heart would be best.
Caius leaned back propping his head up on his hand while he dangled the dragonkin close, "There's little point in having any of him if we don't get the head or heart, but I'll trade you some of my fur for each piece. Two pieces for this lovely fox fur blanket, yes?"
Ashton glanced at the blanket that had been imbued with the fox's soul fire, "Agreed, you can pick the pieces you want." Ashton didn't hesitate as he gathered the blanket close, neatly folding it up.
Caius burst into laughter, "Aiya, so easy to please? Well then, I want the head, heart, neck, right hand, right arm, left foot, right foot, and… hmm left leg."
Jaxon's heart dropped into this stomach; he'd been hoping a piece would be like a single finger. Everyone was looking at him to make the decision, even Monroe was staring at him silently… "I.."
Monroe hadn't been able to make a sound this whole time, nor could he move… it was like he was frozen still without the cold. His right leg felt like it was going to be torn off with how long he'd been hanging here… but that didn't mean he wanted to watch someone eat it.
Lucian was staring at Ashton who was just… holding the folded blanket as if Monroe's plight had nothing to do with him. "Lord Caius, is there anything we can barter for the final three pieces?" Jaxon was too involved to make the decision, and it wasn't Leonard's place to speak.
Caius glanced at the other dragonkin… not that he knew their names, "Hmmm, I want mana fruit. One fruit per piece. But… you'll have to pay for the extra time." Caius teased as he deliberately started tossing the younger dragon kin up and down.
Lucian gritted his teeth, "What do we pay for each day?"
Caius narrowed his eyes, "I don't like your tone dragonkin, I don't need a reason to just start earing your kind."
Leonard stepped forward with a bow, "Please forgive us Lord Caius, but I was also hoping to also barter for the men you captured." Leonard signaled to Lucian with his eyes to let him take over the negotiations… if they upset Caius, he might just eat Monroe without care.
Caius eyed the man, "Then I want mana fruit, one each. You have until dusk."
Leonard didn't rise from his bow, "My Lord, we don't have mana fruit… but we can provide mana crystals or the likes." Caius himself had said he'd only gotten six in 150 years… where were the going to find nearly 200 of them?
"Then I start eating them. Actually, just so you understand how serious I am…" Caius then shifted to his fox form, the fox that had returned immediately led over the dozen snacks he'd been tasked with watching over.
Leonard barely had to glance up before muffled desperate screams were heard. The dozen men were easily dragged forward even with their struggling, most weren't even on their feet. "My Lord! My Lord please!" Leonard cried stumbling forward but the three tailed fox stepped in front of him.
"MGGH, SSVVAA!!! NNGGHHH!!!" The men were all wriggling desperately in an effort to gain some distance from the beast. "MGGSHHH! AHHGGH."
Caius deliberately released the chains on the dozen snacks, then scooped them up four to a tail, a quick cleansing spell later and he tossed the first four up. Caius raised his head to catch the men.
"STOP!! SAVE US!! NOOOOO!" the four screamed as they scrambled in the air, desperate to find some way to escape the jaws opened wide.
One of the men felt the warm, bumpy, wet tongue wrap around him and the man he'd been chained to for days. He immediately scrambled to trying to leap out, shoving the man down as he reached for the light… then a searing heat and darkness engulfed him. He could barely comprehend what had just happened… his arm… his arm hurt so much… then that warm, wet appendage shoved him against something hard. When the hard surface shifted he didn't care, he just threw himself forward.
"No, no please, no!" the man desperately crawled forward and touched a softer surface, using his left hand he tried to pry it open. He couldn't die, not like this! "GGHAAAAAAAAAA! AHHHHH!!!!" a moment later, more pain than he thought possible to experience was all he knew.
There was suddenly light in the darkness… half his body was hanging onto a giant lip… but the rest… where was the rest? What was all that red…. Oh god, oh god no… no…
The man just screamed until suddenly he was shoved up and forward… then nothing.
Leonard fell to his knees as the first four men were snapped up… a leg and two arms had fallen to the ground with audible splatters as the beast crushed on the men like they were crispy treats. The audible screams echoed throughout the clearing as Caius opened his mouth… one man without an arm was screaming… then Caius closed his mouth continuing to chew.
When the second set of men were tossed up, the carnage continued with even more limbs on the ground. By the third set… one of the men had kicked off another, almost managing to escape the jaws of death… but Caius quickly jerked his head catching the man's leg as he chomped down.
Caius grinned down at the man crawling forward, crunch, crunch, swallow. "Well, I guess I won't eat this one."
The man glanced over his shoulder, ignoring the pain of having his left leg from midthigh just bitten through. "Ugh, ughn. Pant, pant." He didn't even glance at the others as he tried to push himself up and get away from that monster. If he could just get away…
He dug his elbows in as he continued forward, he would not die here, by the might of the dragon he would survive!
Caius sat down and gave short quick bark. Half a dozen of his kin had already returned. It would be selfish if… he didn't share. Soon the foxes started trotting over to the man.
The guard had been struggling forward, ignoring blood loss, ignoring pain, none of that mattered. As soon as he reached a mage he'd be healed… then he saw two small paws in front of him. He looked up, a fox was looking down at him. No… no… he said… it said he wouldn't be eaten. "Go! Go away! GHAAAAAA!!! AGH!!! STOP!!! STOP IT!!"
The man tried to fight them off, flailing violently, kicking his right leg at the beasts. The fox latched onto his arm, clawing and tearing until a chunk was removed. He watched in horror as the small red fox swallowed with a delighted look in its eyes. "GET AWAY!! SAVE ME!! PLEASE!! YOUR MAJESTY!!! STOPPPP!!!" he screamed as another fox pounced on his right leg and tore a piece of his calf away. Soon they were all pouncing, tearing, scratching at him. All he could see were teeth and claws.
The half dozen foxes surrounded the man… tearing chunks out of him. Leonard covered his mouth, trying to breathe through his mouth but the coppery tang in the air made him want to vomit. By the beast gods…
Caius let his children play with their food, then lifted the dragonkin up with a smile, "Would you like to try and escape?" The dragonkin only stared at him trembling, "So cowardly. Anyway," Caius murmured trotting back over as he licked his lips, it wouldn't do if any of his meal got on the Little Snack.
Leonard just watched until the man couldn't scream anymore… the foxes had only been tearing chunks off his arms and legs… it wasn't until the man was quiet that two of them worked together to rip the head off… as the two ate his head, the others started eating the rest. In just a few moments the foxes were tearing ribs and other bones away as they dragged out viscera…
Caius laid down cleaning himself meticulously all while the Little Snack nestled in his tails. So adorable!
Ashton watched the fuss… then glanced over the lordlings who had paled considerably, many of the imperials had excused themselves to the tree line, "Well, I doubt they'll be able to find even one mana fruit, so what are you really delaying for?" Ashton asked so only the fox could hear him.
Caius stopped cleaning himself sending a brilliant smile at his Little Snack, "I'm just teasing them a bit, besides… there might be a miracle, you have to believe Little Snack."
Ashton hopped off the giant tail, "Hmm, well then. I am going to let the lordlings out to play."
Caius jolted when his Little Snack escaped, he was clean so he changed back to his human form and followed after. "Talvi, chain the dragonkin." He called tossing the dragonkin to the only fox who had not participated in eating his leftovers.