Caius crouched down so he could look at the dragonkin, "Hmm, midthigh should be fine. I'm feeling generous after my barter with the Little Snack… so the left foot, left leg, and what else am I getting?" Caius asked teasingly as his breath caused their hair to move.
Jaxon glanced over Monroe… either his hand or foot… "Can you take… the whole left leg up to the hip? Could that be the third piece? Then we would offer four live deer we caught?"
Caius sat up narrowing his eyes as his tails waved back and forth. "Aiya… do I look so easily swayed little dragonkin? Why would I upset my Little Snack for your benefit?" Clearly he was being taken for a soft persimmon, or a toothless cat. At no point should any of these vermin be attempting to negotiate with him… they had not even given any offerings.
Jaxon flinched, "Please forgive my insolence, the." Jaxon had to swallow down the bile that was threatening to rise. "The right hand." Jaxon finally choked out lowering his head. The shoulder was currently beyond repair and controlling a hand was easier than a foot… or feet.
Ashton still had his cheek in his hand, "Do you enjoy playing with your food?" Ashton asked with mild curiosity as the fox eyed Monroe with a bit of disdain. Or perhaps dragonkin tasted bad? Ashton found all meat rather unappealing.
Caius stilled, while the question wasn't accusatory… "Sometimes… though only my sentient food." Caius remarked eyeing the crowd, the revulsion and fear was a good sign. If they feared being eaten, they would toe the line.
Ashton nodded, "Do you prefer your food alive?" If, and that was a big if, if Ashton was going to hunt for the fox… better to know what he preferred. Ashton's hypothetical knowledge of fox preferences was almost all from books or what he'd seen of animals and lower-class beasts. Besides, beasts often had their own preferences, so it never hurt to double check.
Caius shifted his tail so he was eye to eye with the Little Snack… if the one disapproved… "Are you… adverse to me eating them alive?" Better to clear the air now, while they may seem like little concessions eventually one would feel stifled. Best to set clear expectations early and see if they were too incompatible.
Ashton blinked, then tilted his head, "No? I am aware many carnivores prefer to make the kills. I was curious about your preferences… since I will only eat cooked meat." If the fox preferred raw that would make sense since foxes in the wild did not cook their food.
Caius glanced over all the humans, "Well, you should not be eating meat at all Little Snack, anyway, yes, I prefer to make my kills. Though I usually only eat humans alive, and only when they've upset me." Caius added with a small shrug as he moved his tail back to look at the sleeping dragonkin.
Ashton nodded between another yawn, so catching prey would be best. Ashton felt as if he'd been sleeping all day… really he should be wide awake. Perhaps being warm and full made him sleepier…
Caius noticed the little one's constant yawns, Aiya he should not be wasting time. The little one was still a baby, and babies need sleep. Sick and injured babies even more so. Caius used a tail to lift the dragonkin to quickly bit the hand off, then the left leg up to mid-thigh. Since he was feeling rather generous, he used a quick burst of flame to stop the worst of the bleeding before dropping the dragonkin on the cloth.
Jaxon's heart of ash almost blew away when he saw Monroe set aflame, then he realized Caius… had only stopped the bleeding. The burn was surprisingly clean, though… Jaxon's stomach lurched seeing the bone surrounded by burned flesh. "Healer!" Jaxon croaked as he settled Monroe more comfortably on the stretcher.
Half the mages rushed forth, after a quick assessment… they only worked on the thigh. Monroe's wrist was as healed as it was going to get, the cauterization was very thorough and didn't do any unnecessary damage… the bone though… they would have to pay special attention in case of infection.
Jaxon followed the mages back into the hunting palace, luckily, luckily Monroe was still unconscious. Jaxon sat in the corner waiting. All he could do now, was wait. There wasn't much else he could do until the blacksmith who specialized in prosthetics, and a mage who would help Monroe adapt arrived.
Jaxon was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees as he held his forehead. The problems in the capital weren't getting better. Construction was little more than a daydream, there weren't enough materials or mages to make any real headway. Material purchases also were delayed as merchants were upselling their wares, competing with wealthy merchants and nobles was causing prices to skyrocket.
Mages could only do so much, even those who specialized in earth mana couldn't endlessly make stone walls, let alone full buildings. The mages were using the earth around the capital but that was creating large craters and sinkholes. They were stealing from Peter to pay Paul… but creating earth took more than five times the mana, then they still had to shape it.
Martial law was also facing public backlash as people continued to see bones everywhere around the borders of the capital. Many nobles were already sending reports of similar enchantments found beneath their personal manors all. The unrest was like an unstoppable tidal wave… and here they were… at the hunting grounds entertaining foreign delegations, while being little more than hostages to two beasts of sin.
Blessings of the Beast Gods… how were they going to salvage this… 700 years of sacrifices… why… why… WHY?!
The knock on his door startled Jaxon out of his thoughts, he looked up, "Come in…" He was surprised to see a pensive Sebastian open the door.
Zane couldn't suppress the shudder as Monroe's limp body fell, "Well, it seems we will have to hurry, Lord Caius appears to be in a rush."
Rommel swallowed, "Yes, but I don't think we should wait until morning…" Seeing how… forward lord Caius was with Young Song… best to not let either beast consider us a nuisance. Rommel nodded as Lord Caius laid down and ordered a dozen prisoners to be brought for his meal.
Zane wasn't sure if waiting until after Caius ate would be better or worse for them. A full stomach might put Lord Caius in a better mood… but it might also make Caius more bloodthirsty if he were displeased. In Adar… they often made their offerings as the beasts ate… but Alaina would often have a familiar act as a representative to ensure nothing went amiss.
Ashton saw Zane, stifling a yawn he waved them forward, "Let's get this over with before I turn into a puddle of feathers. Yawn." Ashton had decided he'd rather chance eating another mana fruit, he should be enough room… if not…
Zane quickly trotted forward as four guards carried the two chests forward, silently thankful for Young Song's direction. "Lord Caius, please accept our belated offerings, as well as apologies for the miscommunication."
Caius sat up and just watched the Adrians… he had many bones to pick. This would be the first time his grievances could be properly addressed since Alaina wasn't watching like a hawk. Before he could give them a proper showing of just how scary he could really be, his Little Snack dropped onto his nose.
Ashton timed his landing perfectly as he landed on the bridge of the fox's nose as he opened his mouth to speak. Ashton bit into the smallest mana fruit he had, it didn't have nearly as much juice, but it was significantly sweeter. The fruit was also less… warm.
Caius almost went cross-eyed looking at the Little Snack, "Aiya? Little Snack?" Caius spoke carefully so the little one didn't fall. Caius slowly lowered himself to lay down, just in case the little one shifted unexpectedly.
Ashton had one knee bent as he laid back, his back fit perfectly between the giant fox eyes. The eyelashes gently brushed against his arms. Ashton started to swing his right leg that was hanging off the side of the giant snout as he took another small bite of the fruit. "Hmm?"
Caius lay flat on the ground, "Little Snack… are you riding roughshod over my head?" Caius asked curiously as the Adarian's stood stiffly with fake smiles plastered on their faces.
"Hmm? I thought you were waving my feathers as a token of authority." Ashton teased as a little bit of juice leaked down his chin. Ashton used his palm to wipe it up before it dropped onto his chest. No need to get another tongue bath…
Caius narrowed his eyes, then glared at the Adarians. Zane specifically, as his fur started to stand, "Aiya Little Snack, has someone spoken ill of me?" No matter how smart his Little Snack is… if he'd never been to Adar, never met Alaina… Even Caius only had speculations, and it had taken over 200 years for him to start questioning…
Ashton heaved a great sigh, "Would they dare? I am not so naïve Fox. You are more than welcome to hide under my wings, I'm sure one day instead of using me in your plots, you'll trust me to coordinate." Ashton wasn't blind… nor a fool. Only three sin beasts had successfully ascended in Adar, one of lust, one of envy, and one of gluttony. None of them had been stronger than a guardian grade after their ascension and the beast of gluttony had already died.
Caius blinked, tilting his head to eye the youth anew… well then. It would seem many of his plans had to be reassessed, hmm… what a responsible Little Snack. So easy to take advantage of, Caius would have to ensure his Little Snack didn't walk into anyone else's traps… even if he was willing.